Expert

Muirfield votes to allow female members

Sports - Expert

Vocabulary: long-standing – having existed or continued for a long time This country has a long-standing tradition of coming together on September 1 to celebrate unity and peace. reigning – currently holding a particular title in sports Magnus Carlsen is the reigning word chess champion. The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in Muirfield was formed in 1744. It is one of the oldest clubs in the world and one of the last to host major golf championships while still holding on to its discriminatory practice of male-only membership. Last May 2016, the organizers of the British open decided to stop using Muirfield as a site for the competition following Muirfield’s…
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Job-juggling is challenging yet beneficial

Japan - Expert

Vocabulary: 1. foster [verb] – encourage or promote a development of something Our president ensures that we foster our new system. 2. entrepreneurship [noun] – the activity of setting up a business I am a graduate of bachelor’s degree major in Entrepreneurship. 3. overtime [noun] – time worked beyond one’s scheduled working hours I might do an overtime this week. 4. contribution [noun] – the part played by a person or thing in bringing about a result to advance I would appreciate if everyone gave their contribution to the company. 5. income [noun] – money received for work Employees have multiple jobs to increase their income. 6. ailment [noun] –…
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Saudi Arabia’s government adds 5% tax on some goods

Business - E

Vocabulary: incur – to lose money, owe money, or have to pay money as a result of doing something The company incurred huge losses over the past six years. defer – to delay something until a later time The board deferred its decision to sell the company until later this year. expatriate – someone who lives in a country that is not his/her own country The convicted murderer is an expatriate worker from Spain. reintroduction – the act of bringing something into use or existence again They were protesting against the reintroduction of the consumption tax. Saudi Arabia is one of the top oil exporters in the world. However, the country…
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Easier learning through smartphones

technology

Vocabulary: unconventional – out of the ordinary; not based on what is generally done or believed This is an unconventional school as teachers don’t give students homework. utilize – use; make use of I would like to utilize my time doing more productive things. gadget – a small device or machine with a particular purpose Before, I used different gadgets to listen to music, watch movies and call someone. Now, I can do all of those with just one. noteworthy – deserving attention because of being important or interesting It is noteworthy that nobody in this room is interested in taking a day off. Unconventional forms of learning and instruction…
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Mediterranean food for a healthier brain

Health - Intermediate

There’s enough evidence and scientific research that support a healthy diet for a sound body and mind. A recent study not only substantiates this, but also specifically identifies Mediterranean diet as being key to keeping a healthy brain through old age. If we’re not careful with the food we eat, our brain will suffer as we get older. Thanks to a recent research, now we know that adding Mediterranean food like olive oil, salad, and more fruits helps conserve our brain into old age. As we age, our brains get smaller; but if we keep our brain healthy, the shrinkage will amazingly be slower. According to research, bigger brains have…
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Retiring seniors go on working

Japan - Expert

Among the ranks of developed countries, Japan is one of those with labor shortage woes. To tackle such shortage, the country needs to come up with more policies to pull retirees back into the workforce. Florian Kohlbacher, an adjunct professor at Temple University’s Tokyo campus and director of the Economist Corporate Network for North Asia, says that 60 in Japan is still young. Most Japanese people have long, healthy lives. An overhaul in company policies, work culture and seniority policies is needed to encourage seniors to continue working after retirement. People who’ve found jobs after their mandatory retirement want to keep working not only to stay active — they actually…
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Company introduces ‘snowflake test’ to eliminate whiny millennial applicants

Business - E

  The Silent Partner Marketing released a questionnaire for job applicants which has gone viral online. The questionnaire, also known as the snowflake test, is designed to eliminate applicants who would whine at work. CEO Kyle Reyes created the test to determine who will fit with his company’s and client’s creative culture. Mr. Reyes defines snowflakes as entitled, liberal millennials who would complain without a strong basis. The thirty-item questionnaire contains a candidate’s view on America, law enforcement, and criticism. Mr. Reyes made this test to see how responsible the candidate is. Other companies would like to adopt this test but was hesitant due to the negative feedback it might…
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Shrimp considered as part of a healthy diet

Health - Intermediate

  Over the years, eating shrimp has been not recommended for consumption of patients with health problems and high cholesterol due to its 189 milligrams of cholesterol. This has been believed to be the “bad” cholesterol; however, in a recent study, it shows that shrimp can boost the “good” cholesterol, making it an addition to a healthy heart diet. Aside from its good cholesterol content, this favorite seafood contains healthy nutrients like vitamin B12 and antioxidants, and has no trans-fat. To make shrimp heart-friendly, preparing it with less to no oil at all is the best choice. Baking or boiling it is better than sautéing it with butter or oil….
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Time Warner merges with AT&T

Business - E

  Shareholders of the parent company of CNN, HBO, TNT, and others namely as Time Warner casted their votes to approve merging with AT&T amounting to $84.5 billion. Although support from shareholders were highly expected, it would be more challenging to receive a green light from the government since US President Donald Trump criticized the deal when he was still running for the office. He believed that CNN distributes fake news. Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, welcomed the criticism. He also stated that since they are a large company, they handle controversies from time to time as well as hundreds of consumers daily. He also believed that by combining Time…
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How North Korea makes its money

World News - Expert

North Korea’s economy is one of the most closed economies in the world but they find ways to get money out of their people. North Korea’s source of foreign banknotes come from selling tons of coal to China every year, exporting other merchandise and basic goods, hacking financial organizations in 18 countries and sending North Koreans to work abroad under force labor. They are believed to work in industries like mining, logging, textiles, and construction. John Park, director of the Korea Working Group at the Harvard Kennedy School, believes Pyeongyang kept a lot of money in China that the government can use to fund its weapons programs. By keeping the…
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