Intermediate

Sony’s Lifelog app offers new features

2017年3月17日

technology

Pre-reading questions: What is your most preferred form of exercise? How do you monitor your food intake? Sony’s Lifelog fitness tracking app has been updated with additional features. The app can now evaluate your food based on a photo you take of it. It can give a thorough feedback of the food and also provide calorie count. The app is currently available for download via Google Play. The app uses Sony Mobile’s Meal Image Analysis software. Based on the past charts recorded by the app, it will also offer nutritional suggestions according to your diet. The app can be used on smartphones and Sony’s SmartWatch 3. The certainity of the…
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Intermediate

Free Wi-Fi on Mount Everest

2017年3月16日

Lifestyle

  Pre-reading questions: What for you is the most adventurous sport? Why? Have you tried mountain climbing? Do you think wi-fi is essential when climbing mountains? Why or why not?   Free wi-fi zones are set to offer at the base camps of Mount Everest. The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) reported that the innovative stride is being taken to help encourage communication and help protect rescuers. At a height of 5360 meters, this will make it the most astounding area where free Wi-Fi is accessible. There will be wi-fi trials that will be mounted in both the Lukla-Everest Base Camp range and the Annapurna Base Camp. Situated in Nepal, the…
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Intermediate

The world’s richest race

2017年3月16日

Sports - Intermediate

Pre-reading questions: Would you rather watch a car race, motorcycle race or horse race? Explain your answer. Do you think horse racing is a sport? Discuss. Arrogate bagged the most expensive prize in thoroughbred racing last Saturday at the Pegasus World Cup in Florida. He won against the equally famous California Chrome. According to jockey Mike Smith, Arrogate ran so well that day that they secured the $7 million prize. Shaman Ghost and Neolithic finished second and third respectively. Unfortunately for Victor Espinoza and California Chrome, they finished ninth. A close fight was expected between Arrogate and California Chrome following their grand match last November 2016. Pegasus World Cup’s is now…
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Intermediate

Morning coffee might slow down aging

2017年3月15日

Health - Beginner

  Pre-reading questions: What do you usually drink first thing in the morning? Do you like drinking hot coffee, or do you like it iced?   A study published in Nature Medicine shows that coffee is actually good for our health. Older people who consume more than 5 cups of coffee per day have remarkably low levels of irritation. The more caffeine is consumed, the more a person becomes guarded from infections. Researchers analyzed 100 blood samples from young and old people. Older people tended to have more activity in the inflammatory gene. Caffeine suppresses this and shuts off the inflammatory pathway. Further research is needed to determine when the…
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Intermediate

Disney tickets get more expensive

2017年3月15日

Business - I

  Pre-reading questions: What for you is the happiest place on earth? What words best describe Disneyland? What’s the best theme park you’ve been to?   Disneyland is popular for its magical theme that people of all ages find it fascinating. Millions of tourist around the world visit the place each year. Recently, the company announced that there will be a price hike in the ticket particularly in Disneyland in Anaheim, California and Disney World in Florida. In California, the ticket ranges will increase from $95, $105 to $119 to $97, $110 to $124 which is good for a day. The Deluxe annual pass will also have price hike ranging…
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Intermediate

Working mothers receive support from companies

2017年3月14日

Japan - Intermediate

Pre-reading questions: Is it common for working fathers to take parental leaves? Should women be given more parental leaves? What comes to mind when you hear the womenomics? Some Japanese companies have initiated a remarkable shift in giving support to working mothers. Perhaps influenced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s womenomics agenda, certain companies have started giving more benefits to working mothers to increase their participation in the workforce. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made increasing women’s labor force participation one of the most important factors of his economic plan. For example, one company has recommended its working fathers to take parental leave. This company has also encouraged working fathers who take parental…
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Intermediate

McDonald’s opens in Holy See despite protests

2017年3月14日

Lifestyle

  Pre-reading questions: What is your least favorite fast food restaurant and why? How often do you eat fast food? What do you usually eat? Where? Is eating fast food bad for your health?   McDonald’s opens a new branch in Vatican City. The announcement of its opening was met with ferocious opinions from the cardinals. As mentioned by Cardinal Elio Sgreccia, the opening of the new branch of McDonald’s into one of the most historic and holiest places in the world is an offense. The cardinal argued against the ignorance of McDonald’s to the culinary traditions of the Roman restaurant industry and for being impolite to their architectural and…
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Intermediate

Amsterdam to unleash self-driving boats

2017年3月14日

World News - Intermediate

  Pre-reading questions: Do you like to travel by water? Have you ever ridden a boat? What do you think about self-driving vehicles?   Self-driving boats called “Roboats” will head for the waterways in Amsterdam in 2017. This is a product of a $27 million partnership between the Massachusets Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), and will be a solution to public transport through water . Dr. Stephan van Djk, the research program manager at AMS, says that they will try to shift the transport of goods and people to the waterways to ‘get people out of their cars and reduce traffic in…
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Intermediate

Nokia releases a revamped version of 3310

2017年3月14日

technology

Pre-reading questions: What features are you looking for in a mobile phone or tablet? Have you used a classic phone with just voice and text messaging features? Have you heard of the 3310 mobile phone? Nokia has come up with a new version of the popular 3310 model. It has the basic features of what you need on a daily phone – text messaging, Opera Mini browser, MP3 player, a 2MP camera, 2 sim card slots, and the classic Snake game. It will be available on the second quarter of the year with glossy red and yellow; and matte blue and gray colors. The new 3310 aims to encourage people…
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Intermediate

Sunflowers light up Pangasinan in Philippines

2017年3月13日

Lifestyle

  Pre-reading questions: How many flowers can you name in your language and what are they? Do you have what a green thumb means? Have you visited a flower garden?   The sunflower maze, located in Pangasinan, is now the talk of the town. With the support of Allied Botanical Corporation, the local government, and the Department of Tourism, Tayug farmers were able to build the Sunflower maze. With its dazzling landscape view, photos, videos and posts about the Sunflower maze have been regularly posted and shared on social media. Since there is an average of 1,500 visitors per day, the exhibit of sunflowers brought extra profit to local farmers,…
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Intermediate