Beginner

Cherry blossoms attract more foreign tourists

2019年5月22日

cherry blossom

Pre-reading questions: Where do you usually hold “hanami”? What do you usually do during “hanami”? Vocabulary: moment /MOH-muhnt/ [noun] a very short period of time Miho will always remember the moments she spent studying abroad. foreign /FAWR-in/ [adjective] belonging to a country that is not your own Anna loves eating foreign food. tourist /TOOR-ist/ [noun] a person who travels and visits places for pleasure and interest A lot of tourists visit Disneyland every year. spot /spot/ [noun] a particular place Hachiko Statue is one of the most popular meeting spots in Tokyo. sign /sahyn/ [noun] a device that gives information to people who see it Drivers must be careful on…
Read more

Beginner

The misconception about dietary supplements

2019年5月20日

supppp

Pre-Reading Questions: Do you eat fruits and vegetables? Do you take vitamins? Vocabulary: supplement /SUHP-luh-ment/ [noun] a medicine that contains substances that you need to stay healthy My doctor asked me to stop taking food supplements. balanced diet /BAL-uhnst DAHY-it/ [noun] a balanced diet is a combination of the correct types and amounts of food She decided to have a balanced diet to lose weight. examine /ig-ZAM-in/ [verb] to look at or consider a person or thing carefully and in detail The doctors examined his rare disease. quantity /KWON-ti-tee/ [noun] the amount or number of something, especially that can be measured I found a large quantity of food inside her…
Read more

Beginner

Arata Isozaki wins 2019 Pritzker Prize

2019年5月17日

Arata Isozaki

Photo by © Getty Images via CNN Style Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite building in the world? Do you want to be an architect? Vocabulary: over /OH-ver/ [preposition] more than He has written over 200 poems. meaningful /MEE-ning-fuhl/ [adjective] intended to show meaning They want a chance to do meaningful work. approach /uh-PROHCH/ [noun] a way of doing something This approach seems very sensible to me. honor /ON-er/ [noun] an award in a contest or field of competition The school receives Ryugaku award, one of Japan’s highest academic honor. most /mohst/ [adverb] more than anything Knowledge is the most precious treasure of all things. Arata Isozaki is a Japanese…
Read more

Beginner

,

Japanese company produces high-tech wheelchairs

2019年5月15日

wheelchairs

Photo by © AFP via The Straits Times Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite sport? Do you watch sports on television? Vocabulary: company /KUHM-puh-nee/ [noun] an organization that produces or sells goods or services in order to make profit Harunari’s company is growing fast. wheelchair /HWEEL-chair/ [noun] a chair on wheels that people who are unable to walk use on moving around Takatsuki needs to use a wheelchair because he got into an accident. athlete /ATH-leet/ [noun] a person who is skilled or trained in a sport A lot of athletes are admirable. champion /CHAM-pee-uhn/ [noun] that has beaten all other competitors in a competition Manny Pacquiao is one of…
Read more

Beginner

,

Nagano attempts to keep their insect dishes

2019年5月8日

nagano

Photo by © Kyodo via The Japan Times Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite food? Do you know any unusual food? Vocabulary: young /yuhng/ [adjective] not old She is too young to be a model. insect /IN-sekt/ [noun] a type of very small animal with six legs and usually with two pairs of wings I saw an insect under my bed. reduce /ri-DOOS/ [verb] to make something become smaller in amount, degree or importance Her excitement for her toys reduced. activity /ak-TIV-i-tee/ [noun] an organized event to achieve an aim She went to a school activity yesterday. according to /uh-KAWR-ding tuh/ [preposition] as stated by According to a report, the…
Read more

Beginner

A box of delight: Shiba Inu marshmallows

2019年5月6日

shiba inu

Photo by © Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 via Japan Today Pre-Reading Questions: Do you like eating snacks? What snacks do you usually eat? Vocabulary: snack /snak/ [noun] a small amount of food eaten between meals Popcorn is my favorite snack. adorable /uh-dohr-uh-buhl/ [adjective] attractive and easily loved Nina is an adorable 2-year-old girl. mix /miks/ [verb] to combine different things Oil and water do not mix. often /of-uhn/ [adverb] a lot or many times Carla often goes to the cinema. cost /kost/ [verb] to pay an amount of money to buy something or do something How much does it cost to go to Kyoto? Enjoy your coffee breaks and tea time…
Read more

Beginner

Survey shows Japanese youth spend three hours online each day

2019年5月1日

online

Pre-reading questions: Do you use the internet? Is the internet important? Vocabulary: inquiry /in-kwahyuhr-ee/ [noun] the act of asking for information She made an inquiry about the case. give /giv/ [verb] to give your money, time, or best efforts Their teacher gave them an hour break before taking the examination. look /look/ [verb] to try to find something People are looking for different websites to study English. ministry /min-uh-stree/ [noun] a government department led by a minister All the ministries will have a meeting next week. result /ri-zuhlt/ [noun] the information you get from something The result of their English exam was good. In 2018, the Japanese government made an…
Read more

Beginner

,

China to launch new generation of driverless maglev trains in 2020

2019年4月29日

maglev

Pre-reading questions: How often do you take trains? Which one do you like, train or bus? Vocabulary: train /treyn/ [noun] a railway engine connected to a group of vehicles for carrying people or goods I go to work by train. speed /speed/ [noun] how fast something moves He was traveling at a speed of 80 kph. only /ohn-lee/ [adjective] used to show that there is a single one or very few of something She was the only person who finished the project. company /kuhm-puh-nee/ [noun] an organization that sells goods or services in order to make money My friend and I worked for the same company. also /awl-soh/ [adverb] in…
Read more

Beginner

,

Rising tennis star Naomi Osaka bags more sponsors

2019年4月24日

naomii

Photo by © The Mainichi via The Mainichi Business Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite winter activity? What sports would you like to try? Vocabulary: first /furst/ [determiner] coming before all others in order, time, amount, quality, or importance As a student, my first priority is to graduate. sport /spohrt/ [adjective] relating to sports Kindly bring your sports attire tomorrow! business /BIZ-niz/ [noun] a company that buys and sells goods and services Diane has an online business. player /PLEY-er/ [noun] someone who takes part in a sport or game Riko is a basketball player. believe /bih-LEEV/ [verb] to think that something is true or correct I believe that they got…
Read more

Beginner

,

Let it Be: The new Beatles documentary

2019年4月22日

the-beatles-509069_960_720

Pre-Reading Questions: Do you like listening to music? What kind of music do you like? Vocabulary: film /film/ [noun] a movie We took the children to see a film. session /SESH-uhn/ [noun] a period of time or a meeting arranged for a particular activity They have waited too long for their recording session. interview /in-ter-VYOO/ [noun] a formal meeting at which reporters try to get information He had an interview with the infamous serial killer last year. different /DIF-er-uhnt/ [adjective] not the same Emily is entirely different from her sister. date /deyt/ [noun] a particular month, day, and year at which some event happened or will happen There is no…
Read more

Beginner