Beginner

Companies hire more women to avoid overtime work

2017年4月4日

Japan - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Do you have more female or male co-workers? Is your boss male or female? Japanese people work long hours. Some companies want to lower overtime work. Because of this, more and more women will be hired to avoid overtime work. Women do not usually work overtime because they go home soon after work to take care of their family and kids. This will help improve the quality of work in offices. This program will also help many working men and women have more time for their family. Vocabulary: overtime [noun] – work added to normal work hours hire [verb] – pay someone to do a job avoid [verb]…
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Beginner

India’s Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel medal stolen from home

2017年4月3日

World News - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: What kind of awards have you received so far? What do you do to keep your house safe? Kailash Satyarthi received a Nobel Peace Prize award last 2014. His Nobel medal and certificate were stolen. No one saw the thief stealing the awards. Mr. Satyarthi said that the lock of his house was broken and his awards were stolen. Kailash Satyarthi won the Nobel Peace Price last 2014 because he likes helping children. His efforts saved children from working dangerously. Vocabulary: receive [verb] – get something stolen [verb] – (past participle of steal)take without the owner’s approval award [noun] – prize for achieving something effort [noun] – hard work…
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Beginner

Parents study Latin to help their children at school

2017年4月3日

Education - B

Pre-reading questions: Do you like studying alone or with your friends? Why? What would you like to study aside from subjects at school? Why? Parents want to help their children at school so they are studying Latin. A private school in London opens a Latin course with many adult participants. Latin is taught to 50,000 children but only few pass the tests. Some parents enrolled in Latin class because they want to relate with their children. Others enrolled because they are interested with the Roman Empire in books or movies. Vocabulary: Latin – [noun] the language of Ancient Rome course – [noun] class participants – [noun] people who join an…
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Beginner

Pancake Tuesday before Lent

2017年3月31日

Lifestyle

Pre-reading questions: Do you like eating pancakes for breakfast? Why or why not? What is your favorite topping for your pancake? Explain your answer. Britons celebrate Pancake Day every year. It is held on a Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Pancake Day is a way of using up rich foods like eggs, milk, and sugar before the 40-day fasting season of Lent. Making pancakes is an all-in-one way of using fatty foods before Lent. Vocabulary: pancake [noun] – a thin, flat cake of batter, usually fried and turned in a pan Britons [noun] – a native citizen of Great Britain all-in-one [adjective] – combining two or more items fatty [adjective] –…
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Beginner

Traditional approach of Tokyo hotels

2017年3月31日

Lifestyle

Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite sport? What kind of Olympic sports do you like to watch? As a preparation for 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, hotels have started to offer ryokan or Japanese-style accommodation. Foreign guests can now experience ryokan without even leaving the city. Newly renovated hotels use tatami, paper screens, shiraki (plain wood furniture) and lantern-like lighting for their rooms. Underneath the traditional look, the rooms are equipped with modern amenities. Hotel managers are hoping that the Japanese-style rooms would attract foreign and local travelers. Vocabulary: accommodation – [noun] a group of rooms in which someone may live or stay renovated – [verb] restored to a good condition…
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Beginner

Recipe for success: The growth of team-building cookery classes

2017年3月31日

Business - B

Pre-reading questions: Do you like cooking? Please explain your answer. What kind of activities do you enjoy doing with your friends? Company away days are activities spent with co-workers outside the office. Examples of the activities are team building, seminars, and charity. However, there is a new company away day activity in Europe. Office workers can try cooking classes to know their peers better. Cooking classes can help workers bond with each other. Vocabulary: activity [noun]- something done for pleasure or entertainment seminar [noun]- meeting charity [noun]- an activity to help the poor peer [noun]- a member of a group with the same rank bond [noun]- bring together True or…
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Beginner

Abe ‘builds trust’ with Trump

2017年3月31日

World News - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Do you think America and Japan have a good relationship? Do you think President Donald Trump is a good leader? Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited US President Donald Trump. The meeting happened a few days after Donald Trump’s win in the 2016 elections. The Prime Minister is the first state leader to visit Trump after the elections. According to the US Department of State, the relationship between Japan and the United States is important to Asia’s economy. The prime minister is planning another visit later this year. Vocabulary: visit [verb] – to go to a place in order to look at it, or to a person in order…
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Beginner

Apple cider vinegar for weight loss

2017年3月29日

Health - Beg

Pre-reading questions: Do you like the taste of vinegar? Do you know apple cider vinegar? Apple cider vinegar or ACV is known for its many purposes. It is rumored that ACV can help with weight loss. Professor Carol Johnston said that it may contribute lose weight, but the effects would be subtle. Professor Carol has been studying vinegar and its health benefits. According to her, acetic acid found in all types of vinegar, including ACV, is the key ingredient to a healthier digestion. Vocabulary: cider – [noun] an alcoholic drink made from fermented crushed fruit, typically apples acetic acid– [noun] the acid that gives vinegar its characteristic taste metabolism –…
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Beginner

Japanese government to give scholarships in 2018

2017年3月29日

Education - B

Pre-reading questions: Is studying in college difficult? Is it expensive to study in Japan? Starting 2018, Japan will give scholarships to students from low-income families for them to enter universities. This means that students from low-income families can study in college for free. Many Japanese students nowadays borrow money from the government to pay for college. With the scholarship program of Prime Minister Abe, students would not need to pay a lot of money to the government. The government wants everyone to have the chance to finish school. The government has prepared ¥7 billion for this program. Vocabulary: scholarship [noun] – an amount of money given by a school, college,…
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Beginner

Asia’s fastest growing economies have the fastest growing slums

2017年3月29日

Business - B

Pre-reading questions: What kind of environment would you want to live in? Why? Do you think many people live in cities? Please explain your answer. Many people live in the cities of countries like Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Since there are many people in cities like Manila and Jakarta, some people live in slums. World Bank says more people in cities mean that economy is growing. Cities need to lessen the population so World Bank suggests two solutions: make a rural town into an urban city like Singapore or make cities in places far from the city. Vocabulary: slum [noun]- an area with poor housing economy [noun] a…
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Beginner