Intermediate

Fake stories might affect Facebook’s earnings

2016年12月14日

  Pre-reading questions: How long have you been using the internet? Do you know Facebook? Do you have friends in the internet?   Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out new schemes on dealing with fake news on their site. The site would include an improved detection system, easier reporting by users, and changes to its advertisement system. This step was triggered by the possibility that the circulation of fake stories on the site influenced the recent U.S. Presidential election. On the other hand, business analysts worry on how the changes to its advertisement system could hurt the social networking site’s revenue. This is amid advertisers’ claim of faulty metrics and…
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Intermediate

Man dies in a speed-eating contest

2016年12月14日

  Pre-reading questions: Do you like Onigiri? What is your favorite festival in your region/country? Have you ever attended a festival?   A 28-year old man fainted in an onigiri speed-eating contest in Shiga Prefecture last November. The man was assisted immediately by medical professionals, but he passed away 3 days after. The onigiri speed-eating contest was done to celebrate the “Friendship Festival” in the said prefecture. Higashibiwako Japan Agricultural Co-operative organized the event to boost Shiga’s agricultural products. The organizers put a notice on their website giving thanks to the medical team who responded right away during the incident. Authorities found out that they are prepared for emergencies and…
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Intermediate

Times University Ranking

2016年12月9日

  Pre-reading questions: Do you think well-known universities are the best? What qualities should we consider in choosing a university? Do you think university ranking is important?   Times Higher Education World University Rankings list the 980 finest universities. The ranking was estimated by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The world university rankings justified that Asia’s progress in higher education is developing. Around 289 Asian universities from 24 countries were included in the ranking. The National University of Singapore received the Asian crown in 24th place. The University of Tokyo, which was customarily the top Asian institution, was beaten by Peking University. The University of Tokyo ranked 39th this year….
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Intermediate

World’s First Bollywood Theme Park Opens in Dubai

2016年12月6日

  Pre-reading questions: Have you tried watching a Bollywood movie? Have you gone to a theme park? How was it? You are going to a theme park, who will you go with? Why?   The world’s first Bollywood Theme Park has just opened last November 17. Tourists going to Dubai can enjoy a culturally-rich fanfare inspired by popular Hindi movies. DXB Entertainments PJSC is the proprietor of Dubai Parks and Resorts. Its CEO Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi stated his pride for its latest venture, which took three years of hard work and perseverance. The 25 million square foot Dubai Parks and Resorts was regarded as “the largest integrated theme park”….
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Intermediate

HIV Test on a USB Stick

2016年11月28日

  Pre-reading questions: What do you think about AIDS? Do you know more diseases linked to HIV?   Scientists developed a new way to test HIV using a USB stick. It was discovered by scientists from Imperial College London and the US firm DNA Electronics. The test was 95 percent accurate over 991 blood samples. Average time of reading the result was 20.8 minutes. This method could work by using a drop of blood on a mobile phone chip attached to the USB stick. It would create signals that can be read by computers and handheld devices. The result would show the amount of virus present on the patient. The…
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Intermediate

Ali Baba breaks sales record on Singles’ Day

2016年11月28日

  Pre-reading questions: Do you use the Internet every day? Have you tried shopping online?   What started as a day to celebrate singlehood was turned into a shopping bonanza. The Chinese e-commerce company reported this year’s sales had reached 121 billion yuan ($18billion) on November 11, an upsurge of 32 percent compared against last year’s $14.3 billon. Reports said the highest number of purchases was made on mobile phones reaching 82 percent. On the contrary, some have doubted the accuracy of Ali Baba’s sales data amid claims of excessive sales figures released by online retailers. Another setback the industry is facing is the existence of alleged online merchants selling…
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Intermediate

Earthquake strikes New Zealand

2016年11月28日

Pre-reading questions: Do you live in an area that’s experiencing many earthquakes? Has your house been damaged by an earthquake? How can you prepare for a possible earthquake? A quake hits the South Island of the country early on Monday. It has a magnitude of 7.8. Tsunami waves were spotted along the marginal town of Kaikoura about 40 minutes after the quake. Authorities say at least 2 people perished, and several others injured. Authorities also added that some buildings collapsed and large cracks can be seen in roads. Landslides have also made some sections impassable. Telephone lines have been cut off. About 600 inhabitants and hundreds of tourists are incapable…
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Intermediate

Airport Wi-Fi

2016年11月28日

  Pre-reading questions: Can you bear waiting in a place where there is no Wi-Fi? Have you experienced traveling by plane? How was it? What do you usually do when there is no Wi-Fi in your area?   Rotten Wi-Fi, the public Wi-Fi watchdog, reveals the Top 20 airports worldwide for best Wi-Fi connection in 2016. Wi-Fi speed and quality have been assessed in two hundred twenty-six airports worldwide. Airports from the USA and Thailand lead the list, with at least six airports listed in the Top 20. Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, USA leads the list with average download speed of 42.17 Mbps. Next is Lennart Meri Tallinn,…
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Intermediate

Overworking Issue

2016年11月25日

Pre-reading Questions: Did you have a dream job when you were a child? Does anyone in your family work overnight? A company in Japan is inspected by authorities due to the report that employees from the company worked overtime illegally. It is suspected of violating the labor law. Japanese companies now are on a hot seat and will not be exempted to the inspection. Japanese businesses are far behind in legal compliance. Employees normally spend more than 100 hours of overtime work in a month. Authorities are aiming to stop excessive overtime. Surprise on-site inspections of workplace are also planned. The company Dentsu Inc. forbids employees to work from 10…
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Intermediate

Daytime students in night schools

2016年11月18日

  Pre-reading questions: Have you ever thought of attending night classes? Do you think night classes are safe for teenagers? What can you say about a class consisting of students of different ages?   In 1947, night facility assembly for junior high school students started after World War II. It was the time when everything was in turmoil. Recently, the government is in progress with their latest policy. The government will soon acknowledge junior high school students to attend night facilities. The said junior high school students were the ones who declined going to or are unable to go to daytime facilities. The ministry has requested additional funds for this…
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Intermediate