Intermediate

Pedal-style for NZ on 35th America’s Cup

2017年4月7日

Sports - Intermediate

Pre-reading questions: Which water sport are you good at? Please explain your answer. If you will compete in a water race, what would it be? Please explain your answer. The Team New Zealand’s sailors are hoping to avenge the 9-8 defeat by Oracle Team USA in San Francisco last 2013. They have replaced the traditional arm-powered winches with cycle-style grinders for the 35th America’s Cup event in Bermuda. Team New Zealand has invited Olympic bronze medal-winning cyclist Simon van Velthooven to lead the new revolution. Winning the next America’s Cup is all about keeping a stable sail on the entire race, and that’s the reason why this boat contains some…
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Intermediate

Emma Watson says her sexy photo doesn’t betray her feminist ideals

2017年4月6日

entertainment

Pre-reading questions: What do you know about feminism? Do you know anyone who identifies as a feminist? Discuss. British actress Emma Watson is one of today’s most popular feminists. Recently tho, she received some harsh criticisms from other feminists following her sexy Vanity Fair magazine cover. Some questioned Watson’s feminism, others called her a hypocrite. Watson defended herself by hinging on the common misunderstanding about what feminism is all about. She said that it’s about freedom, equality and liberty. It’s not a tool other women can use to oppress other women. Emma Watson truly enjoyed her photo shoot with Vanity Fair. She said that the concept for the photo shoot…
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Intermediate

Prevention of cyber attacks

2017年4月6日

Japan - Intermediate

Pre-reading questions: What is your opinion about cyber attacks? How can you keep information safe online? Companies receive help from Tokyo police to fight against cyber crimes. MPD’s Public Safety Bureau covered about 100 companies whose offices – such as railways operators, airlines, financial institutions, telecommunication services – situate around Tokyo. Participating companies possess key infrastructure and advanced technology. Information gathered will be analyzed by a special investigation unit. Those data will then be placed in a secure and private server so companies can retrieve it. This is to help them have time to take precautionary measures should they experience possible attacks in the future. Vocabulary: bureau – office or…
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Intermediate

South African e-learning program

2017年4月5日

Education - I

Pre-reading questions: What do you like about learning thru the internet? How has the internet changed the way kids learn these days? Do you think e-learning can replace traditional classroom learning? According to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), digitalization is the key to advancement in education and learning. E-learning is already gaining a strong foothold in South Africa. Tablets and laptops are provided to guarantee that children have access to primary education. Based on the current trend in South Africa, e-learning revenues have the potential of increasing further in the next few years. Some mobile operators are now developing new applications for e-learning. A lot of students…
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Intermediate

England teacher shortages continue to rise

2017年4月4日

Education - I

Pre-reading questions: Have you experienced studying abroad? What do you think is the best university in Japan? How important are teachers in the lives of the students? England, a country that is part of the United Kingdom, is experiencing a growing scarcity of teachers. Many teachers already left their jobs and a lot more are set to resign soon. Teachers in key subjects such as Math and Science are urgently needed as the number of students is increasing. As per statistics from the official government, the total number of full-time teachers in secondary schools went down by 10,000 between 2010 and 2015. Malcolm Trobe, general secretary of the Association of…
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Intermediate

Companies hire more women to avoid overtime work

2017年4月4日

Japan - Intermediate

Pre-reading questions: In your opinion, why are there generally more men than women in top positions in companies? Do you think employers should hire more women than men? Name some of the negative impacts of working overtime. Nowadays, more and more companies in Japan are looking for ways to reduce overtime work. As one measure to achieving this goal, companies are turning to hiring more women to work for them. With more women as employees, overtime work will be lessened. Women do not usually work overtime as they have responsibilities waiting at home. Rank up Co., a Tokyo-based cosmetics development and sales company, where employees are mostly women, start to…
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Intermediate

India’s Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel medal stolen from home

2017年4月3日

World News - Intermediate

Pre-reading questions: How would you define success? What would you consider as your greatest success? Who do you think is the most successful person in your country? The copy of the Nobel medal granted to Kailash Satyarthi has been stolen from his home in Delhi. According to the Nobel Prize awardee, his Nobel certificate also went missing after the break in. He added that nobody was home at the time of the burglary. The Delhi police are still investigating the case and assessing what objects are missing. Kailash Satyarthi earned his Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for combating child labor and child trafficking in India. He also established Bachpan Bachao…
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Intermediate

Parents study Latin to help their children at school

2017年4月3日

Education - I

  Pre-reading questions: What is your mother tongue? How many languages do you speak? Do you think learning a foreign language is difficult? Why or why not?   Parents trying to help children with school work often struggle to dredge up what they once learned in maths or English, let alone Latin. At Colfe’s School, in south-east London, a few adults are signing up for Latin refresher classes, or taking on the language for the first time, so that they can help their offspring get ahead of the pack. The classics department has been so high it now runs two Monday night Latin classes. At Colfe’s, where headteacher Richard Russell…
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Intermediate

Pancake Tuesday before Lent

2017年3月31日

Lifestyle

  Pre-reading questions: Do you prefer sweet or savory pancakes? Why or why not? How often do you eat pancakes?   Pancake Day falls 47 days before Easter so the date is not fixed, but it will always be between February 3 and March 9. British people has celebrated Pancake Tuesday for centuries. It is also called Shrove Tuesday, from the word “shrive”, which means to obtain forgiveness through confession of sins. Shrove Tuesday was based on a Christian tradition to be shriven before Lent season begins. Aside from making and eating pancakes during Pancake Day, Britons love to have pancake races where participants run while flipping pancakes in a…
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Intermediate

Abe ‘builds trust’ with Trump

2017年3月31日

World News - Intermediate

Pre-reading questions: Why do you think the US and Japan should have a good relationship? What do you think are the qualities of a good leader? Name some of the best accomplishments of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a visit to newly elected US President Donald Trump right after his victory in the 2016 presidential race. The Prime Minister was the first world leader to visit Trump since the elections. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Abe said that the two leaders are off to a good start. Abe and Trump’s meeting lasted for almost 90 minutes. Both leaders have both been mum about what they discussed….
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Intermediate