Intermediate

Ikee Rikako wins the MVP award in Asian Games

asiangames

Pre-reading questions: Do you like watching sports? Why or why not? What kind of award do you want to receive in the future? Vocabulary: award /uh-WAWRD/ [noun] a prize or a sum of money that a person or organization is given for an achievement The president gave the award to the best employee of the year. athlete /ATH-leet// [noun] a person who is very good at sports or physical exercise, especially one who competes in organized events The game was ended abruptly because the athlete was injured. jubilant /JOO-buh-luhnt/ [adjective] feeling or showing great happiness, especially because of a success The student was jubilant when they saw the result of…
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Ant-Man and the Wasp on becoming the box-office movie of the year

Ant-Man and the Wasp on becoming the box-office movie of the year

Photo from © IMDB.com via IMDB.com Pre-Reading Questions: Are you a fan of Marvel movies? Why or why not? Who is your favorite Marvel superhero? Why? Vocabulary: plot /plot/ [noun] main story of a film or play The movie plot is nominated for the best story this year. method /METH-uhd/ [noun] a particular way of doing something Your method of fixing the files is working. value /VAL-yoo/ [noun] the amount of money that can be received for something The value of her jewelries are $50,000. income /IN-kuhm/ [noun] money that is earned from doing work or investments Jane is paying 15% of her income tax. massive /MAS-iv/ [adjective] very large…
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Starbucks on disposing plastic straws

Starbucks on disposing plastic straws

Pre-reading questions: How often do you drink coffee? Please specify your answer. Do you use recyclable materials? Why or why not? Vocabulary: ban /ban/ [verb] an official order that prevents something from happening He is banned from entering in this building. species /SPEE-sheez/ [noun] a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and Hundred of endangared species are in the ocean. replace /ri-PLEYS/ [verb] to start using another thing or person instead of the one that you are using now I had to replace my camera because I broke it last week. recyclable /ree-SAHY-kluh-buhl/ [adjective] to process waste materials so that it…
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Saitama begins homestay project for Tokyo 2020

Saitama begins homestay project for Tokyo 2020

Pre-reading questions: Is homestay popular in Japan? What are your thoughts about Tokyo 2020? Vocabulary: submit /suhb-MIT/ [verb] to give or offer something for a decision to be made by others We need to submit our task before the deadline. goal /gohl/ [noun] an aim or purpose My goal is to achieve the highest grade for the test. provide /pruh-VAYD/ [verb] to give someone something that they need He will provide a house for his family. accept /ak-SEPT/ [verb] to agree to take something She agreed to accept his job offer in his company. apply /uh-PLAHY/ [verb] to request something especially in writing or by sending in a form She…
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Facebook stops discriminatory ads

Facebook stops discriminatory ads

Pre-reading questions: Do you like Facebook? Why or Why not? What do you think are the advantages of social media? Vocabulary: prejudice /PREJ-uh-dis/ [noun] an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling The scenes of this movie have a lot of prejudices among Asian people. accuse /uh-KYOOZ/ [verb] to say that someone is responsible for a crime or for having done something wrong My friend was accused of stealing money from our teacher but it is not true. potential /puh-TEN-shuhl/ [adjective] possible when the necessary conditions exist Jessica gives her business card to her potential client. policy /POL-uh-see/ [noun] a set of ideas or a plan that needs to be followed…
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Drones to help Japanese farmers

Drones to help Japanese farmers

Pre-reading questions: How is farming done in your country? What is your opinion about using technology to make every day tasks easier? Vocabulary: test /test/ [verb] an act of doing something to find out if it is working correctly or effectively I need to test my PowerPoint presentation to see if the animations work. average /AV-rij/ [noun] typical or usual The quality of her works is well above average. physical /FIZ-i-kuhl/ [adjective] connected with the body Football is a sport that requires a lot of physical strength. involvement /in-VOLV-ment/ [noun] an act of taking part in something The involvement of every employee is needed for a company to function well….
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Millennials on saving money

Millennials on saving money

Pre-Reading Questions: Do you like saving money? Why or Why not? How do you save money? Please discuss your answer. Vocabulary: generation /jen-uh-REY-shuhn/ [noun] the entire body of individuals born and living at the same time She was a famous songwriter in her generation. emergency /ih-MUR-juhn-see/ [noun] situation that happens unexpectedly His family always saves money for emergency. situation /sich-oo-EY-shuhn/ [noun] the set of things that are happening We experience different situations every day. ideal /ahy-DEE-uhl/ [adjective] best or perfect A simple life is the ideal way of living for many people. occur /uh-KUR/ [verb] to happen The accident occured during her class. Today, most of the laborers are Millennials….
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Disabled soccer fan donates a wheelchair to a Russian man

Disabled soccer fan donates a wheelchair to a Russian man

Pre-reading questions: How do you treat people with disability? Is helping a good trait? Vocabulary: disabled /dis-EY-buhld/ [adjective] lacking one or more of the physical or mental abilities that most people have She was treated differently by the society because she’s disabled. annually /AN-yoo-uh-lee/ [adverb] every year He celebrates his birthday in Los Angeles anually. struggle /STRUHG-uhl/ [verb] to move with difficulty Most people struggle to commute when going home from work. hesitantly /HEZ-i-tuhnt-lee/ [adverb] nervous or not certain She hesitantly gave the food to the beggar. publicize /PUHB-luh-sahyz/ [verb] to make information available about someone or something The student was disappointed after the teacher publicized the test result. During…
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Princess Ayako to marry Kei Moriya

Princess Ayako to marry Kei Moriya

Pre-reading questions: What is a Japanese wedding like? Would you like to marry in Japan? Why or why not? Vocabulary: imperial /im-PEER-ee-uhl/ [adjective] an empire or the person or country that rules it The imperial guards stormed the palace. household /HOUS-hohld/ [noun] a group of people, often a family, who live together At that time, not many households had telephones. commoner /KOM-uh-ner/ [noun] a person who does not belong to the royal family A prince is allowed to marry a commoner. allow /uh-LOU/ [verb] to give permission or to permit Food and drinks are not allowed in some cinemas. payment /PEY-muhnt/ [noun] an amount of money paid The man will…
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Poor hand-washing increases in the United States

Poor hand-washing increases in the United States

Pre-reading questions: How often do you wash your hands? Is proper hand washing important? Please explain your answer. Vocabulary: habit /HAB-it/ [noun] something you do regularly I always get into the habit of drinking coffee. raw /ro/ [adjective] uncooked food They only eat raw food for special occasions. germs /jurms/ [noun] a very small organism that can cause diseases It is written on the alcohol bottle that it kills all known germs. reduce /re-DOOS/ [verb] to bring down to smaller amount A low-fat diet reduces the risk of a heart attack. infection /in-FEK-shuhn/ [noun] a disease in the body that caused by bacteria or virus He is taking an antibiotics…
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