Intermediate

Education ministry experts want to know what is “serious” school abuse

2016年11月18日

  Pre-reading questions: What do you think is the best way to prevent bullying? In your own words, what are the effects of bullying to a person’s growth? Do you think bullying is a serious issue?   Experts are calling the attention of the Education Ministry to define “serious” school bullying. Modern law gave a directive to the schools and boards of education to establish teams for investigation of “serious” school bullying cases. However, the experts noticed that the scope of “serious” cases under the law is inscrutable, which makes the enforcement weak. The ministry must enumerate examples of grave penalties for bullying so that “serious” cases will be defined….
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Intermediate

China’s October Exports, Imports Drop

2016年11月15日

Pre-reading questions: Do you buy products from China? What are the things you buy that are made in China? China’s exports in the first ten months of this year went down to 7.7 percent, while imports fell 7.5 percent. It is officially shown in the data on November 1st. The General Administration of Customs said that it left the country a big amount of trade surplus. It means that China sells more to other countries than it buys from other nations. The imports were expected to have decreased by 1 percent after falling 1.9 percent last month. Reuters had forecasted a 6 percent tumble for exports, 1 percent slump for…
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Intermediate

Paris reveals plans to win back tourists

2016年11月15日

  Pre-reading questions: What are some of the benefits of traveling? How adventurous are you when you travel? Where is the most amazing place you have been?   The government reveals new strategies to win back tourists. These past few months, the number of tourists has been declining due to terrorist attacks and extreme weather conditions. They are planning to deploy English-speaking volunteers, mostly college interns, to different tourist spots starting this December. People working with tourists like bus and taxi drivers, and hospitality staff will be taking English classes to have good English communication skills. They will also launch an app as a guide for first-timer visitors. To assure…
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Intermediate

United Nations talks about climate change

2016年11月15日

  Pre-reading questions: What do you think is the effect of climate change to living things on Earth? What do you think is the difference between a developed and a developing country?   MARRAKESH, MOROCCO– One hundred ninety-six world nations gather for the Paris Agreement amidst US elections. The Paris Agreement ties all countries, developed and developing to end global warming. Despite the gathering of fifteen thousand stakeholders for the twelve-day UN talks, the world is focused on US elections, which could propel climate denier Donald Trump to US Presidency. US President Barack Obama warns that all the steps made for climate change now depends on the votes of the…
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Intermediate

Skin Patch for Children with Peanut Allergies

2016年11月11日

Pre-reading questions: What is your idea about food allergy? Are you allergic to a specific food? Viaskin peanut patch can benefit children who are allergic to peanuts. These patches have small doses of peanut protein on them. It enables the immune system to endure small amounts of peanuts. This can be very effective but further research is still needed. Good results are found from four to eleven years old patients. However, it does not have that much effect on those 12 years old and above. The patch is still not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The patch may be available in the near future after a few more…
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Intermediate

US Inmates Uses Instant Ramen as Currency

2016年11月11日

  Pre-reading questions: What currency do you use in your country? Do you like instant food? What’s your favorite instant food? What’s your favorite food?   Inmates use tobacco as their money to buy different things inside the prison for a long time. Now a days, it has been replaced by instant ramen since tobacco was banned in 2014. In some prisons, meals are only served twice a day because of budget shortage. Inmates then are trying to nourish themselves with instant ramen. The inmates said that ramen is tastier than their regular prison food. It also has high calorie content that can give them energy for work. A pack…
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Intermediate

Lowest bus service in Tokyo and Narita

2016年11月11日

Pre-reading questions: How often do you ride a bus? What transportation do you commonly use in order to reach the airport? What do you think about the latest bus fare? Since Narita Airport is not right in the middle of Tokyo, the transportation fee to and from Tokyo is a little expensive. The common means of transportation around the area include regular train, The Access Narita, and shared mini bus. Limousine bus, Tokyo shuttle, and taxi are also being used by people for their daily commute. One of the cheapest bus option from Narita airport is The Access Narita. This bus service will drop passengers off at Tokyo station for…
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Intermediate

Human Antibodies Produced in Cows Counter Contagious Diseases

2016年11月8日

  Pre-reading questions: Do you have a weak body? What do you usually do when you are sick?   A company has found a way to extract human antibodies from cows. This can help fight infectious diseases. They are testing if this can be a cure for MERS. MERS is a respiratory disease found in Saudi Arabia back in 2012. It killed almost 30 percent of the infected patients. Scientists tested antibodies from other animals but the human body rejects it. As of now, they are the only company that grows antibodies from hefty mammals. This new discovery can be combined with vaccines. It may become available in 3 to…
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Intermediate

Lab grown stem cells are developed

2016年11月8日

  Pre-reading questions: According to the article, what’s the possible result of the experiment? Do you think this will help the couples who wants to have a child in the future?   Japanese scientists have developed and fertilized mouse eggs in their laboratory. This is the first report that fully matured eggs were developed in a laboratory setting. Processing stem cells into mature eggs is still too dangerous to be tested in humans. The technique may be helpful to treat infertility but the process is difficult and it will take a long time to develop according to Richard Anderson of the University of Edinburgh’s MRC Centre for Reproductive Health. Scientist…
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Intermediate

Halloween celebrations in Tokyo

2016年11月8日

  Pre-reading questions: Do you celebrate Halloween? Are you interested in folklore of other countries?   In Tokyo, Kawasaki parade is the largest and about 250,000 partygoers participates this year. Disneyland also has the big event for the Halloween. Japanese people thoroughly embrace this event with make-up and prosthetics. This may not be a culture or a tradition of the country but it has been observed yearly. For this year’s event, 2,600 people dress up to participate. It also seems to be more about dressing up and less about experiencing spooks and thrills. Dressing up, eating themed food, attending parties and events are things that people usually enjoy when the…
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Intermediate