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

Fashionable masking tapes, a hit for creative customers

2018年3月20日

satin-ribbons-1939929_960_720

Pre-reading questions: Do you like to follow trends? Please explain your answer. What trends is your hometown famous for? Vocabulary: trend [trend] (noun) something that becomes accepted or fashionable She teaches the latest trends in modern dance. patron [PEY-truhn] (noun) a regular customer of a store, restaurant, hotel, etc., This parking lot is reserved for patrons only. subtle [SUHT-l] (adjective) not bright or noticeable I detected a subtle change in his attitude towards us. tone [tohn] (noun) the general style of something I like the movie because of its dark tone. profitable [PROF-i-tuh-buhl] (adjective) resulting in financial profit Some of their new electronic products are highly profitable. A special kind…
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Intermediate

Japanese children’s dream jobs

2018年3月15日

chibi-2380489_1280

Pre-reading questions: What is/was your dream job? Why? What do you think is the most important job? Please explain your answer. Vocabulary: probe [prohb] (verb) to search into or examine something The detectives probed the crime scene carefully. instructive [in-STRUHK-tiv] (adjective) related to school or research The young genius chose an instructive career to make good use of her intelligence. on the contrary [KON-trer-ee] (idiom) a fact or opinion that is the opposite of one already stated She is lying; on the contrary, she is really guilty of the crime! consecutive [kuhn-SEK-yuh-tiv] (adjective) following one after another without an interruption The teacher has been sick for 5 consecutive days already….
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Intermediate

Netflix’s growth goes beyond target

2018年3月9日

dues-2731627_1920

Pre-reading questions: What do you usually do on the Internet? What are the kinds of movies that you like to watch? Vocabulary: attain [uh-TEYN] (verb) – to achieve something after a lot of work The goal of ancient philosophers was to attain wisdom. surpass [ser-PAS] (verb) – to be greater than Through hard work, I was able to surpass my previous high scores. exceed [ik-SEED] (verb) – to go beyond in amount The young director’s new movie exceeded the audience’s expectations. fuel [FYOO-uh-l] (verb) – to increase something Poverty in the country is fueled by the recent tax reform. strategy [STRAT-i-jee] (noun) – a plan that you use to achieve…
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Intermediate