Intermediate

How can workers travel back to work after lockdown?

2020年9月14日

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Pre-Reading Questions: Do you take a cab at all times? Why or why not? What do you usually ride when going to places? Vocabulary: route /root/ [noun] ⁠— a particular way or direction between places Passengers nowadays will have to take different routes due to lockdown. rush hour /ruhsh OU-er/ [noun] ⁠— the busy part of the day when towns and cities are crowded, either in the morning when people are travelling to work, or in the evening when people are travelling home It would be best to avoid rush hours when coming home from the mall. banned /band/ [adjective] ⁠— prohibited, not allowed Liquids more than 100 ml are…
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Intermediate

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Energy-storing bricks: A new renewable energy potential

2020年9月11日

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© The D’Arcy Laboratory in Washington via CNN Pre-reading questions: How do you save energy at home? What types of energy are popular in your country? Vocabulary: expert /EK-spurt/ [noun] — a person with a high level of knowledge or skill relating to a particular subject or activity They claimed that the experts have discovered the vaccine for the novel coronavirus. standard /STAN-derd/ [adjective] — usual rather than special, especially when thought of as being correct or acceptable Could you tell me the standard procedures? strength /strengkth/ [noun] — the ability to do things that need a lot of physical or mental effort The poor animal didn’t even have the…
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Intermediate

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Underwater Italian village to possibly resurface after 27 years

2020年9月7日

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© Romano Cagnoni/Hulton Archive/Getty Images via CNN Pre-reading questions: What is your opinion about Italy? Are you interested in visiting a “ghost town”? Why or why not? Vocabulary: resurface /ree-SUR-fis/ [verb] — to rise to the surface of the water again Rumor has it that the underwater village will resurface next year. underwater /UHN-der-WOT-er/ [adjective] — under the surface of water The machine is capable of working even underwater. man-made /MAN-MEYD/ [adjective] — produced or developed by humans rather than coming directly from nature There are many man-made lakes around my city. promote /pruh-MOHT/ [verb] — to encourage the existence or development of something We should focus on promoting the…
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Intermediate

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BTS smashes YouTube records with their newest video, Dynamite

2020年9月4日

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© BigHit Entertainment Pre-reading questions: Who is your favorite foreign artist and why? How often do you listen to YouTube? Vocabulary: simultaneously /sahy-muhl-TEY-nee-uhs-lee/ [adverb] – in a way that is simultaneous (happening or being done at exactly the same time) The students started their projects simultaneously. icon /AHY-kon/ [noun] – a very famous person or thing considered as representing a set of beliefs or a way of life Muhammad Ali is a boxing icon. breakthrough /BREYK-throo/ [noun] – an important discovery or event that helps to improve a situation or provide an answer to a problem The new vaccine against COVID-19 is a breakthrough in medicine. single /SING-guhl/ [noun] –…
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Intermediate

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Tips on sharing food safely during the pandemic

2020年8月31日

food-delivery

Pre-Reading Questions: What do you usually order online? Which do you prefer, cooking your own food or buying meals from the store? Vocabulary: tasty /TEY-stee/ [adjective] – (of food) producing a pleasant flavor and feeling in the mouth when eaten The pasta we had in the new Italian restaurant was really tasty! stew /stoo/ [noun] – a type of food consisting usually of meat or fish and vegetables cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid Jinnie cooked this beef stew for me. furthermore /FUR-ther-mohr/ [adverb] – in addition They don’t like to live there because it’s far from their workplace. Furthermore, the area always gets flooded. surface /SUR-fis/ [noun…
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Intermediate

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BRZRKR: A sneak peak inside Keanu Reeves’ new endeavor

2020年8月26日

brzrkr

© Boom! Studios Pre-Reading Questions: What type of comic books do you like reading? How often do you read comic books? Vocabulary: team up /teem-uhp/ [phrasal verb] – to join another person, or form a group with other people, in order to do something together Let’s team up to finish this task faster. issue /ISH-oo/ [noun] – a group or series, or one of a group or series, of things that are made available, published, or printed at the same time The sixth issue of my favorite manga will be delayed. illustrate /IL-uh-streyt/ [noun] – to draw pictures for a book, magazine, etc. The action scenes in this new comic…
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Intermediate

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Wildlife flourishes in closed national parks

2020年8月24日

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Pre-reading questions: Do you like going to parks? Why or why not? What place do you like to visit? Vocabulary: enormous /ih-NAWR-muhs/ [adjective] – extremely large The new shopping mall in town is enormous. wander /WON-der/ [verb] – to walk around slowly in a relaxed way or without any clear purpose or direction The new tenant wandered around the house for inspection. wildlife /WAHYLD-lahyf/ [noun] – animals and plants that grow independently of people, usually in natural conditions The company advocates people to protect the wildlife. behavior /bih-HEYV-yer/ [noun] – a particular way of acting Scientists are observing animal behavior to prove their theory. temporary /TEM-puh-rer-ee/ [adjective] – not lasting…
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Intermediate

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Google Doodle reminder: wear masks and save lives

2020年8月21日

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© Google Doodle via independent.co.uk Pre-reading questions: Do you follow social distancing? What sites do you usually visit? Vocabulary: maintain /meyn-TEYN/ [verb] to continue to have; to keep in existence, or not allow to become less Vitamin A helps us to maintain good eyesight. variety /vuh-RAHY-i-tee/ [noun] the characteristic of often changing and being different The milk tea cafe offers a wide variety of flavors. redirect /ree-di-REKT/ [verb] to change the direction of something, especially to send a letter to a new address I think the URL is broken. It won’t redirect me to the website. decrease /dih-KREES/ [verb] to become less, or to make something become less The statistics…
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Intermediate

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Live-action remake of “Mulan” to be streamed on Disney+

2020年8月19日

Mulan

© Disney via BBC Pre-reading questions: What kind of movies do you like watching? How often do you watch movies? Vocabulary: announcement /uh-NOUNS-muhnt/ [noun] – something that someone says officially, giving information about something Based on the announcement, the school festival will be moved to a different date. welcome /WEL-kuhm/ [verb] – to accept with pleasure the occurrence or presence of Let us welcome our new teacher, Mr. Sasaki. moviegoer /MOO-vee-goh-er/ [noun] – a person who regularly goes to watch films at the cinema My brother Al is a moviegoer. He watches almost every movie in the cinemas. depend on /dih-PEND on/ [phrasal verb] – to be determined or decided…
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Intermediate

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Asian cooks: Cooking up game plans amidst the lockdown

2020年8月17日

street food

Pre-Reading Questions: What is your favorite food? Why? Which do you prefer, eating at a restaurant or eating at home? Why? Vocabulary: gather /GATHER-er/ [verb] – to collect several things, often from different places or people The campaign aims to gather enough food for the typhoon victims. merchant /MUR-chuhnt/ [noun] – a person whose job is to buy and sell products in large amounts, especially by trading with other countries Being a merchant is a difficult job especially in promoting the products. strategy /STRAT-i-jee/ [noun] – a detailed plan for achieving success in situations such as war, politics, business, industry, or sports, or the skill of planning for such situations:…
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Intermediate

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