Beginner

Festival generates ethnic separation in Paris

2017年8月15日

World News - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Do you love attending festivals? Why? Have you ever experienced attending an event with foreign people? Vocabulary: 1. ethnic – [adjective] characteristic of a large group of people who have the same national, racial, or cultural origins There are ethnic groups living in my area. 2. venue [noun] – location of any event They will conduct the event in an open field. 3. banned [adjective] – forbidden by law The event is banned due to its rules. 4. exclude [verb] – to stop from being included or accepted They decided to exclude white people in the festival. The Nyansapo festival in the city of Paris is set to…
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Beginner

MSDF ship joins U.S. vessel on escort mission

2017年8月15日

Japan - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Have you seen a military ship? Do you know what MSDF mean? Vocabulary: helicopter – [noun] aircraft The president is flying to Japan via helicopter. joint exercises – [noun] military training joined by two or more groups Philippines and US have joint military exercises. supply – [noun] stock; store Last night, we ran out of water supply. bond – [noun] something that binds or holds together Japan keeps a strong bond between their ally countries. launch – [verb] to release, start, or send North Korea threatens a missile launch. A Japanese helicopter helped guard the U.S military supply ship. They sail off the Shikoku region while having joint…
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Beginner

The Dalai Lama in Tawang

2017年8月11日

World News - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: Do you know the Dalai Lama? Have you ever been to India? Vocabulary: title [noun] – a name that tells a person’s position or job The title given to our highest leader is president. political leader [noun] – someone who is active in politics We should all respect our political leaders. spiriatual leader [noun] – a leader in religious or sacred affairs It is not easy to become a spiritual leader. flee [verb] – run away from a place that is dangerous; to escape We fled the country because of too much fighting. exile [noun] – a person who left his/her country to live in another country for…
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Beginner

Job-juggling is challenging yet beneficial

2017年8月3日

Japan - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: What are the skills that an employee needs? What are the challenges of having many jobs for an individual? Vocabulary: 1. increasingly [adverb] – more often or to a greater degree Job-juggling has become increasingly common for workers in Japan. 2. juggle [verb] – to handle or deal with several things at one time Workers juggle their jobs so they can earn more. 3. notion [noun] – a theory or belief held by a person or group It is my notion to trust my employees to have several jobs. 4. outlook [noun] – a person’s point of view or general attitude to life My outlook has changed ever…
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Beginner

Muirfield votes to allow female members

2017年7月19日

Sports

Pre-reading questions: Have you ever played golf? Do you think golf is a good hobby? Vocabulary: vote [verb] – to express your choice or opinion in something In the meeting, I voted yes to buying a new office door. membership [noun] – being in a group or club or belonging to a group or club I would like to continue my membership in the Tokyo Book Club. policy [noun] – a set of ideas or plan of what to do; this is agreed by members and officials of a group or business organization Our hiring policy is very strict. criticism [noun] – the act of giving your opinion on the…
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Beginner

Saudi Arabia’s government adds 5% tax on some goods

2017年7月14日

Business - B

Pre-reading questions: Would you like to travel to Middle East? What do you want to see in Saudi Arabia? Vocabulary: product [noun] –  something that is made and sold Japanese products are very popular nowadays. source [noun] –  is the person, place, or thing which you get something from The source of the fire in the building is unknown. tax [noun] –  amount of money that you have to pay to the government so that it can pay for public services. The taxes in the Philippines are too high. economy [noun] –  the money and resources of a country Japan is hoping for a better economy this year. Value Added Tax (VAT) – [noun] a…
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Beginner

Easier learning through smartphones

2017年7月13日

technology

Pre-reading questions: Do you like using smartphones? What do you usually do with your smartphone? Vocabulary: record [verb] – to put sounds or pictures onto a computer or other electronic device so that they can be heard or seen later I want to record my tutor’s class so I can study again later. share [verb] – tell someone about something Maria wants to share a story today. feedback [noun] – opinion about something; what someone thinks of something My boss gave me a good feedback on my report. application [noun] – a program in a computer or smartphone I use a smartphone application to call my mother everyday. convenient [adjective]…
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Beginner

Mediterranean food for a healthier brain

2017年5月18日

Health - Beg

Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite food? Do you like eating vegetables and fruits? Our brains become smaller as we get older. A new study found that if you eat more Mediterranean food, your brain will stay healthy as you grow old. Your brain will also not grow smaller as fast as those who don’t eat as much Mediterranean food. The study found that people in their mid-70s who eat more fruits, vegetables and olive oil lose less brain mass. On the other hand, people who eat more fried food, red meat and cheese, lose more brain mass as they get older. The researchers for this project say that this…
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Beginner

Company introduces ‘snowflake test’ to eliminate whiny millennial applicants

2017年5月18日

Business - B

Pre-reading questions: Where do you want to work in the future? What was the most difficult test you had? Kyle Reyes, the owner of the Silent Partner Marketing, wants to get the best people for his company. Since many people wanted to work for his company, there are lots of resumes to look at. Because of this, he made a snowflake test to remove unwanted job applicants. The snowflake test contains questions about what an applicant thinks about America. Mr. Reyes stated that he made this test because he does not want complaining workers. He also stated that this test was also effective. Vocabulary: resume [noun] – an applicant’s profile…
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Beginner

Shrimp considered as part of a healthy diet

2017年5月18日

Health - Beg

Pre-reading questions: Do you like eating shrimp? How do you like the shrimp to be cooked? Do you know someone who has high cholesterol levels? Doctors believed that eating shrimp causes heart diseases. One serving of shrimp has 189 milligrams of cholesterol or 60 percent of the recommended amount of cholesterol per day. But after years of research, they finally discovered that eating shrimp can increase the levels of good cholesterol, making it safer for people with high cholesterol to eat shrimp. Vocabulary: diseases [noun] – illness; sickness cholesterol [noun] – a fatty substance that is found in the body tissue and blood recommend [verb] – advise; suggest research [noun]…
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Beginner