Beginner

Standford University offers program for older professionals

2017年4月26日

Education - B

Pre-reading questions: Do you like going to school? Which do you think is better, going to school or working? Please give some explanation. Stanford University started offering courses for people aged 50 to 60 years old. Most of the students are employees or professionals who already ended their careers. These retirees want to go back to studying because they don’t want to stay at home. They think staying at home is boring. 50 to 60 year old students say that going back to university and learning new things is fun. Vocabulary: university – [noun] a school for higher learning course – [noun] an order of lectures about a subject career…
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Beginner

Drug use in sports becoming a crisis

2017年4月25日

Sports - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: What do you think is the common problem of athletes? Please explain your answer. What can you say to those average-skilled athletes who worked really hard to be successful? Please explain your answer. With the latest BBC survey on amateur doping acts in sports. They found out that 35% personally know someone who has doped while 8% said they had taken steroids. The national group responsible for protecting clean sport is the UK Anti-Doping or Ukad. They think that number of amateurs who use performance enhancing substance in competition is alarming. Thus, Ukad chief Nicole Sapstead, encourage everyone to acknowledge the problem. Vocabulary: amateur – [noun] athletes who…
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Beginner

Foreign interns face tough road in Japan

2017年4月21日

Business - B

Pre-reading questions: Is it easy to work abroad? Have you studied abroad? Vietnamese trainees are studying Japanese language and culture in preparation for a job in Japan. Trainees will eventually leave their families to work abroad so they can provide a better life for them. However, there are trainees who escaped because they are not getting paid properly. They are also starting to feel the pressure because of the expensive lifestyle in Japan. Vocabulary: trainee – [noun] a person who is training for a job abroad – [abroad] in a foreign country escape – [verb] run away pressured – [verb] stressed out expensive – [adjective] high price True or False:…
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Beginner

Harvard Law School starts to consider GRE scores

2017年4月21日

Education - B

Pre-reading questions: Do you think academic admission test is important? Why? What are the university admission test requirements in your country? Harvard Law School piloted a new program that accepts GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score as an admission requirement for law students for the coming school year 2018. The said law school is the second accredited law school in the United States to accept GRE scores for admission. Most law schools in the US only recognize LSAT (Law School Admission Test) scores. LSAT is exclusively used for admission to law school programs. Vocabulary: pilot – [verb] test or experiment before formally introducing something admission – [noun] the process of allowing…
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Beginner

Yoga may beat depression

2017年4月20日

Health - Beg

Pre-reading questions: Do you exercise regularly? What are the exercises you know? Yoga is a system of exercises for mental and physical health. A new research suggests that the calming poses and deep breathing exercises of yoga might help people deal with depression since not all people take medications for this kind of disorder. Doctors recommend weekly yoga sessions to keep calm and ease the symptoms of patients such as hopelessness and sadness. Vocabulary: calming [adjective] – without rough motion depression [noun] – a mental illness in which a person is very unhappy and worried for long periods and cannot have a normal life during these periods medication [noun] –…
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Beginner

The surprising friendship of former president George W. Bush and former first lady Michelle Obama

2017年4月11日

entertainment

Pre-reading questions: Do you know George W. Bush? Do you know Michelle Obama? Former Republican President George W. Bush and previous Democrat First Lady Michele Obama showed their friendship in a recent photo from the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture. In the said photo, George W. Bush got a sweet hug from Michelle Obama. In an interview, Bush said Michelle Obama likes his sense of humor, and anybody who likes his sense of humor, he immediately likes. Furthermore, Bush added that he’s a teaser and Michelle can deal with it. Vocabulary: teaser – [noun] playful recent – [adjective] not so long ago Republican and…
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Beginner

Barbie at 58: a few facts about the symbolic doll

2017年4月10日

entertainment

Pre-reading questions: What kind of toys do you have? Have you ever seen a Barbie-doll? Barbara Millicent Roberts, also known as Barbie, is a brand of doll representing a slim, shapely young woman, especially one with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. The symbolic doll made by the American toy company named as Mattel made its first public appearance on March 9, 1959 at the American International Toy Fair in New York. In addition to that, Barbie celebrated her 58th birthday last Match 9, 2017 and over the years, the doll has become a cultural image even though some people do not agree with her unrealistic figures. Vocabulary: symbolic…
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Beginner

Software can identify skin cancer

2017年4月10日

technology

Pre-reading questions: Do you know what skin cancer is? How do you take care of your skin? Do you wear sunblock? An image-scanning device was invented at Stanford University. It can identify skin cancers exactly like what doctors do. The team who created the software used an algorithm to train a computer to develop artificial intelligence to detect skin cancer. For the training, the team used 130,000 photos of different skin diseases. The system has a record of 2,032 different types of skin diseases. Using the pictures in the system, the device can check if a skin condition is cancerous or not. Vocabulary: invent [verb] – to make something new;…
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Beginner

Refugees may attend London university for free

2017年4月10日

Education - B

Pre-reading questions: In your opinion, how important is college education? Do you want to study abroad? The University of East London provides opportunities to refugees in the Middle East by making college education accessible. Using the short course known as Open Learning Initiative or OLIve, students may attend up to full degree in college as well as attend seminars and workshops that are useful in applying for a job. Vocabulary: opportunity [noun] – a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something accessible [adjective] – able to reach or enter refugees [noun] – a person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or…
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Beginner

Foreign trainees face tough road in Japan

2017年4月10日

Japan - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Is it easy to work/study abroad? Have you studied/worked abroad? Vietnamese trainees are studying Japanese language and culture in preparation for a job based in Japan. Trainees will eventually leave their families to work abroad. They want to work in Japan so they can provide a better life for their family. However, there are trainees who escaped because they’re not getting paid properly. Trainees are starting to feel pressured because of the expensive lifestyle in Japan. Vocabulary: trainee – [noun] a person who is training for a job abroad – [abroad] in a foreign country escape – [verb] run away pressured – [verb] stressed out expensive – [adjective]…
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Beginner