Intermediate

Washington passes net neutrality law

2018年5月16日

Washington passes net neutrality law

Pre-reading questions: How did the Internet change your life? Do you think the Internet has become a necessity? Vocabulary: net neutrality /net nyoo-TRAL-i-tee/ [noun] idea that internet companies cannot speed up, slow down, or block content on the Internet I support net neutrality rules because the Internet should be free. prohibit /proh-HIB-it/ [verb] to officially not allow something Smoking in this area is strictly prohibited. restrict /ri-STRIKT/ [verb] to limit something The government restricted the people’s freedom. penalize /PEEN-l-ahyz/ [verb] to punish someone for breaking a law or a rule Those who break the law shall be penalized. get rid /get rid/ [phrasal verb] to remove something Please get rid…
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Intermediate

Ocean’s high temperature affects fish shelters around the world

2018年5月10日

Ocean's high temperature affects fish shelter around the world

Pre-reading questions: Do you like sunbathing on the beach? Why or why not? Do you think the earth is getting warmer? Why or why not? Vocabulary: coral reef /KAWR-uhl REEF/ [noun] an area formed in the sea from masses of hard shells When the tide is low, you can see coral reefs from the island. bleach /bleech/ [verb] to whiten by exposure to sunlight or chemicals Tom bleached his hair yesterday. El Niño /el NEEN-yoh/ [noun] a period of unusually warm ocean temperature El Niño has been damaging crops around the world. refuge /REF-yooj/ [noun] a place that provides protection We took refuge from the flood in the local church….
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Intermediate

Clear backpacks for Parkland Students

2018年4月30日

Clear backpack for parkland students

Pre-reading questions: What kind of bag do you like using? Discuss. Do you find clear bags safe? Why or why not? Vocabulary: measure /MEZH-er/ [noun] a way to achieve something There was a discussion with the new measures. administrator /ad-MIN-uh-strey-ter/ [noun]someone whose job is to control the operation of a business School administrators are against the new policy. see-through /SEE-throo/ [adjective] almost transparent The girl is wearing a see-through blouse. premise /PREM-is/ [noun] the land and/or building owned by a company or organization The company is relocating to a new premise. privacy /PRAHY-Vuh-see/ [noun] the right to keep someone’s personal matters private The girl asked for some privacy. Students of…
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Intermediate

Kimberly Clark to lay off 5,000 employees

2018年4月30日

Kimberly Clark to lay off 5,000 employees

By Stribrohorak (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Pre-reading questions: What are some common reasons for firing employees? Why do employees quit their job? Vocabulary: lay off [ley awf] (phrasal verb) to end someone’s employment The firm had to lay off some of their workers. stiff competition [stif kom-pi-TISH-uhn] (noun) strong competition from rivals You’ll be facing a lot of stiff competition at the games. worldwide [WURLD-WAHYD] (adjective) happening all over the world Our company has 2,000 employees worldwide. birthrate [BURTH-reyt] (noun) the number of births in a year or place Low birthrate is a big problem for some countries. budget cut [BUHJ-it kuht] (noun) the act of…
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Intermediate

Teenager dies due to caffeine overdose

2018年4月30日

Teenager dies due to caffeine overdose

Pre-reading questions: What do you usually have for breakfast? Do you enjoy drinking coffee in a cafe? Why or why not? Vocabulary: educate [EJ-oo-keyt] (verb) to teach someone We should educate our children about taking care of the environment. caffeinated [KAF-uh-ney-tid] (adjective) containing caffeine This caffeinated cake tastes really good. consume [kuhn-SOOM] (verb) to eat or drink up I consumed a lot of water after the basketball game. stimulant [STIM-yuh-luh nt] (noun) a chemical substance that increases activity The football player used the stimulant to increase his energy. fatal [FEYT-uhl] (adjective) causing death Heart attack is a fatal disease. Coffee is the most popular stimulant for stressed people around the…
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Intermediate

Didi Chuxing set to start in Brazil

2018年4月11日

Didi set to start in Brazil

Pre-reading questions: What are the different modes of transportation in your country? What mode of transportation do you prefer? Vocabulary: ride-hailing [rahyd HEYL-ing] (adjective) mode of transportation similar to a taxi but done through an app Ride-hailing apps are becoming more popular. investor [in-VEST-uhr] (noun) a person who commits capital to a business The investors brought success to her restaurant. expansion [ik-SPAN-shuhn] (noun) process of making a business grow McDonald’s expansion in Kyoto has been all over the news. spark [spahrk] (verb) to cause something to happen The article sparked happy memories for me. rivalry [RAHY-vuhl-ree] (noun) a situation in which teams compete with one another Didi Chuxing, a Chinese…
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Intermediate

US cancer death rates decrease

2018年4月3日

US cancer death rates decrease

Pre-reading questions: Do you agree that cancer is one of the deadliest diseases of our time? Discuss. Do you think it’s possible to make a person completely immune to any form of cancer? Explain further. Vocabulary: mortality [mawr-TAL-i-tee] (noun) death There’s a significant increase in mortality among children in this area due to malaria. decline [dih-KLAHYN] (verb) decrease There is an obvious decline in the number of patients in this hospital. drive [drahyv] (noun) a force that makes something happen His family’s support has been his drive to achieving his career goals. oncological [ong-KOL-uh-jee-kəl ] (adjective) relating to the study, treatment and prevention of tumors His oncological studies have resulted…
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Intermediate

Cape Town to limit water usage in water crisis

2018年3月23日

Cape Town to limit water usage in water crisis

Pre-reading questions: How do you save water in your country? Have you experienced a water crisis in your country? Please explain your answer. Vocabulary: drought /drout/ [noun] a long period when there is little or no rain The crops were destroyed because of the drought. consumption /kuh n-SUHMP-shuhn/ [noun] an amount of something that is used Gas and oil consumption always increases in cold weather. recycle /ree-SAHY-kuhl/ [verb] to use something again, often for a different purpose Recycling is important to help protect our environment. precaution /pri-KAW-shuhn/ [noun] an action taken to prevent something unpleasant or dangerous I took the precaution of buying a case for my new cellphone. dread…
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Intermediate

The Royal Family talks about mental health

2018年3月23日

800px-British_Royal_family

Pre-reading questions: What do you think is the importance of mental health? How can we take good care of our mental health? Vocabulary: advocate [AD-vuh-kit] (noun) someone who supports a policy or cause Kate is an advocate for the environment. fatal [FEYT-l] (adjective) causing death The fatal accident caused panic among the students. candidly [KAN-did-li] (adverb) in an honest way She delivered her speech candidly. veteran [VET-er-uh-n] (noun) a person who has served in a military force My grandfather is a war veteran. patron [PEY-truh-n] (noun) a person who supports a charity or cause Mary is a known patron of social change. Britain’s Royal Family are known advocates of various…
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Intermediate

Eating may not be effective in blocking stress

2018年3月21日

stress

Pre-reading questions: How does stress affect your eating habits? What do you do to cope with stress? Vocabulary: cope [KOHP] (verb) to deal with problems She was able to cope because of her friends’ support. variety [vuh-RAHY-i-tee] (noun) many different types or things I made a variety of desserts yesterday. disadvantage [dis-uh d-VAN-tij] (noun) something that leads to unsuccessful results There are disadvantages to living in a city. prevent [pri-VENT] (verb) to stop something from happening The trees on the mountains prevent floods downtown. survive [ser-VAHYV] (verb) to continue to live He survived the earthquake ten years ago. Stress affects people’s lives in many ways. Others cope with stress by…
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Intermediate