Beginner

Kimberly Clark to lay off 5,000 employees

2018年4月30日

Kimberly Clark to lay off 5,000 employees

By Stribrohorak (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Pre-reading questions: What is your dream job? Is it easy to find a job in your country? Please explain your answer. Vocabulary: lay off [ley awf] (phrasal verb) to end someone’s employment They had to lay off the workers one by one. expense [ik-SPENS] (noun) an amount of money spent to buy something Food is my biggest expense. profit [PROF-it] (noun) money that remains after paying all expenses The company gained more profit this year. factory [FAK-tuh-ree] (noun) a building where products are made using machines There is a big car factory in my hometown. employee [em-PLOI-ee] (noun) someone who…
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Teenager dies due to caffeine overdose

2018年4月30日

Teenager dies due to caffeine overdose

Pre-reading questions: Do you drink coffee? Why or why not? How many cups of coffee do you drink in a day? Vocabulary: softdrink [sawft dringk] (noun) soda I bought two liters of softdrinks on my way home. energy drink [EN-er-jee dringk] (noun) drink that gives you energy That energy drink from the convenience store is expensive. county coroner [KOUN-tee KAWR-uh-ner] (noun) a person who certifies someone’s death The county coroner came to clarify the victim’s death. caffeine [ka-FEEN] (noun) a product found in most coffee There is a coffee without caffeine. moderation [mod-uh-REY-shuh n] (noun) not eating or drinking too much of something Please eat oily food in moderation. A…
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Didi Chuxing set to start in Brazil

2018年4月11日

Didi set to start in Brazil

Pre-reading questions: Do you like riding a taxi? Why or why not? Which is better, riding a taxi or a bus? Please explain your answer. Vocabulary: app [ap] (noun) a company that offers the same service as another company My favorite app is Line because it is useful. rival [RAHY-vuhl] (noun) someone or something that is competing with another person or thing McDonald’s is Mos Burger’s biggest rival. invest [in-VEST] (verb) to use money to make more money The company invested money on television ads. spend [spend] (verb) to use money to pay for something Jenny spends a lot of money for new clothes. beat [beet] (verb) to defeat a…
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Beginner

US cancer death rates decrease

2018年4月3日

US cancer death rates decrease

Pre-reading questions: What do you know about cancer? What do you think causes cancer? Vocabulary: rate [reyt] (noun) – the number of times something happens in a particular period The crime rate in my city is very low. steady [STED-ee] (adjective) – happening in a smooth, regular way The improvement of her health is steady. drop [drop] (verb) – become smaller or fewer There is a drop in number of people who visit this mall. treatment [TREET-muh nt] (noun) – the use of medicine or science to make a sick person better For a very long time, there was no treatment for cancer. continuous [kuh n-TIN-yoo-uh s] (adjective) – without stopping…
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Cape Town to limit water usage in water crisis

2018年3月23日

Cape Town to limit water usage in water crisis

Pre-reading questions: Do you like drinking water? Why or why not? Is water important? Please explain your answer Vocabulary: resident /REZ-i-duhnt/ [noun] someone who lives in a place They are both residents of the same dormitory. shortage /SHAWR-tij/ [noun] a lack of something that you need or want There’s a shortage of hospital beds. population /pop-yuh-LEY-shuhn/ [noun] all the people living in a country, area, or place What is the population of Tokyo? climate /KLAHY-mit/ [noun] the general weather in a place The climate of Japan is mild usage /YOO-sij/ [noun] the process of using something I don’t understand the usage of this word. Residents of Cape Town, South Africa…
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The Royal Family talks about mental health

2018年3月23日

800px-British_Royal_family

Pre-reading questions: What do you do when you feel sad? What makes you happy? Vocabulary: depression [dih-PRESH-uh n] (noun) the feeling of being very unhappy Depression is common today. crash [KRASH] (verb) to hit something hard She crashed the car into a tree, but no one got hurt. tunnel [TUHN-l] (noun) an underground passage Tom passes through this tunnel everyday. royal family [pruh-FESH-uh-nl] (noun) family of a king or queen The Royal Family is loved by everyone. brave [BREYV] (adjective) capable of dealing with danger The brave soldiers fought for our country. Prince Harry admitted that he had suffered from depression for many years. This is following the death of…
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Eating may not be effective in blocking stress

2018年3月21日

stress

Pre-reading questions: Do you eat a lot when you are stressed? Please explain your answer. What do you do when you are happy? Vocabulary: stress [STRES] (noun) worry caused by a difficult situation She is under a lot of stress right now. hunger [HUHNG-ger] (noun) feeling in the stomach of needing or lack of food The girl ate the bread because of hunger. weight gain [WEYT geyn] (noun) an increase in body weight Eating too much food causes weight gain. effective [ih-FEK-tiv] (adjective) producing positive results The medicine he took is effective. alive [uh-LAHYV] (adjective) having life; not dead He was lucky to be alive after the car crash. Some…
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Beginner

Fashionable masking tapes, a hit for creative customers

2018年3月20日

satin-ribbons-1939929_960_720

Pre-reading questions: Do you like drawing? Why? What do you like to buy in a bookstore? Vocabulary: craft [krahft] (noun) an activity involving skill in making things by hand I love to do sewing and all kinds of crafts. cover [KUHV-er] (verb) to put something over something else, in order to protect or hide it The students covered their notebooks with plastic create [kree-EYT] (verb) to make something new This man created the first computer. fashionable [FASH-uh-nuh-buhl] (noun) popular at a particular time Black clothes are fashionable these days. tear [teer] (verb) to split or cut Don’t pull the pages so hard or they will tear. Arts and crafts lovers…
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Beginner

Japanese children’s dream jobs

2018年3月15日

chibi-2380489_1280

Pre-reading questions: What was your childhood dream? What do you think is the most interesting job? Vocabulary: survey [SUR-vey] (noun) a collection of facts or opinions about something According to the survey, more people like chicken than pork. academic [ak-uh-DEM-ik] (adjective) related to school or research Jiro has a good academic record. scientist [SAHY-uhn-tist] (noun) someone who studies science or works in science The scientist started a new research. scholar [SKOL-er] (noun) someone who has studied a subject and knows a lot about it The scholars exchanged their ideas on the subject. professional [pruh-FESH-uh-nl] (adjective) relating to a job that needs special training or education Chihaya wants to become a…
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Beginner

Netflix’s growth goes beyond target

2018年3月9日

netflix-2705725_1280

Pre-reading questions: How often do you watch movies? Do you watch movies at home or at the movie theater? Vocabulary: top [TOP] (verb) – to be more than something Her savings topped $100 this month. expectation [ek-spek-TEY-shuh-n] (noun) – a strong belief that something will happen David did not have good expectations from the movie. stream [STREEM] (verb) – to watch movies on the Internet Janis prefers streaming to going to the movie theater. credit [KRE-dit] (verb) – to be responsible for something good The coach credits this win to the whole team. content [KON-tent] (noun) – a thing that is held or included in something The writers posted new…
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Beginner