Intermediate

New York SantaCon

2017年1月6日

Pre-reading questions: How do you celebrate Christmas? What are the most popular Christmas food and drinks in your country? How is Christmas celebrated in your country? A Christmas fundraiser event invited all alcohol-loving people to SantaCon. SantaCon is an annual Christmas bar crawl. The organizers say SantaCon celebrates Christmas traditions of festive dress and good cheer. It also raises tens of thousands of dollars for charity. The said event took place last December 10. The annual bar crawl was held in 380 cities across the US and in 51 countries all over the world. In New York, the bar crawl started at 23rd street Broadway Pedestrian Plaza, The Flatiron Building….
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Intermediate

Even mild smoking can cause early death

2016年12月27日

Pre-reading questions: What comes to mind when you hear the word “smoking”? Do you think it is easy to quit smoking? Do you think banning smoking in public places could seriously hurt the economy?   People who smoke one cigarette a day or less still have greater chance of dying earlier than those who don’t smoke at all, according to a new study released in JAMA Internal Medicine journal. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute conducted the study that analyzed the effects of low-intensity smoking compared to mortality rates for people who don’t smoke. The study also examined that people are prone to develop lung cancer especially among those who…
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Intermediate

Labor shortage

2016年12月23日

Business - I

Pre-reading questions: What are the least popular jobs in your country? What is your dream job? What kind of jobs have you tried so far?   Japan’s population is diminishing and aging. It’s affecting the labor-intensive sectors. Hotels, restaurants and elderly care industries are coming up short in productive workers. The government cannot offer higher salary without productivity. Service businesses have a lot of part-time and contractual employees, which weakens the bargaining power of employees. The labor market is flawed and irregular in that there is a shortage of workers in jobs with the least productivity. With this kind of situation, it is not feasible to raise wages without studying,…
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Intermediate

University of Oxford ranked best in the world

2016年12月23日

Pre-reading questions: Do/Did you like your school? What do/did you like best about it? What do you want to be when you grow up?/ Do you like your job now? Do/Did you like your university major?   The University of Oxford made it to the top at this year’s Times Higher Education World Rankings. The said magazine assesses top universities according to a set of criteria that consist of research, teaching method, knowledge transfer and international perspective. The California Institute of Technology occupies the second spot. Based on the magazine, the improvement of research facility and the growing number of international students are the factors that helped Oxford gain the…
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Intermediate

A winter deer-calling event

2016年12月23日

Pre-reading questions: Do you enjoy going out in the cold? Where do you usually go every winter? Have you ever witnessed a deer calling event?   Shikayose or deer-calling is a winter affair in Nara. This event takes place at 10:00 in the morning every day, this year from November 29 to December 14. During the every day event, a man blows a horn to draw deer out of the forest. The deer are then fed acorns. Visitors can play with deer, pet them or take pictures with them. The Shikayose affair lasts for about half an hour. After that, most of the deer leave, and go back to the…
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Intermediate

Japan broadcasters to air in advanced TV formats

2016年12月22日

  Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite TV program? What is the model of your TV set? Do you watch TV every day?   Development of higher TV formats is rising in Japan. Japan has just started testing to broadcast in the new format. Private broadcasters and TV companies have high expectations for the broadcasting formats with higher resolution such as 4K and 8K. Companies are also into accelerating their development projects. Electronic companies are signing up to change their formats to 4K and 8K. The 4k format is times higher than the normal format while the 8K format is sixteen times better. This technology is anticipated by most. However,…
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Intermediate

Fake U.S. embassy in Ghana shut down after a decade of issuing visas

2016年12月22日

  Pre-reading questions: Have you tried applying for a passport or a visa? Have you tried transacting with your local government offices? What do you think embassies do?   GHANA—A fake U.S. Embassy was discovered in the capital city of Accra. It was issuing illegally obtained authentic visas for the past ten years. The fake embassy was operating in an old, weathered pink two-storey building, along with the U.S. Flag outside and a portrait of President Barack Obama inside. Ghanian and Turkish organized crime rings were said to be working in the fake embassy, along with a Ghanian lawyer practicing immigration and criminal law. Turkish people who can speak English…
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Intermediate

New Lung Transplant Technique To Save More Lives

2016年12月19日

  Pre-reading questions: Do you catch cold every year? How often? What do you usually do when you are sick? Have you tried donating your blood?   Lung transplant is a critical operation. Doctors rush to finish the procedure within six hours before the lungs expire. A technique called Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) has been developed. This technique keeps the lungs safe for over 12 hours. It means the organ can be transported to far hospitals in need of the organ. The lungs are removed from the donor and must be put on ice. It will undergo EVLP when transported to the hospital. The process warms up the lungs….
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Intermediate

Amazon Limits Customer Reviews

2016年12月16日

  Pre-reading questions: Do you know Amazon.com? What are the things you think that are better bought online? What are the things you think that are still better shopped in a normal way?   Online store Amazon has set a maximum limit on the number of reviews each customer may leave on the site. The new regulation only permits five ratings per week of items not purchased through the site. This step aims to get rid of bogus reviews circulating in the online marketplace as to regain the customers’ trust. Furthermore, Amazon has begun suing sellers for buying false reviews as to consequentially clamp down people selling positive ratings. The…
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Intermediate

Online market competitions

2016年12月16日

  Pre-reading questions: Where do you usually shop? What are the items that you usually buy? Have you tried buying anything online?   Online shopping is now on the rise in Japan. As competition heats up, online shoppers get freebies and perks. Online shopping is faster than spending much time in mall shopping. Different techniques and styles are being offered by different online shoppers.These companies are improving to gain more costumers. E-commerce is expected to grow more and more. The e-commerce market, including online shopping has worth ¥13.8 trillion in 2015 according to the Economy, Trade, and Industry Ministry. The worth 5 years ago has doubled the market. Companies are…
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Intermediate