Intermediate

Italy’s rarest pasta revealed

2017年3月10日

Lifestyle

Pre-reading questions: What Italian food is famous in your country? Do you like Italian food? Do you know how to cook any Italian dish? The rarest pasta in the world is at risk of becoming extinct. Su filindeu’s recipe is well kept in the Abraini family and is passed down from generation to generation. At present, only 3 women from the clan know how to make it. The preparation is so difficult that in the last 200 years, the dish has only been served to people who finish a 33km-pilgrimage in their area for the Feast of San Francesco. Semolina wheat, water and salt are the ingredients to making su…
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Intermediate

Cancer drugs may threaten the heart

2017年3月10日

Health - Beginner

Pre-reading questions: What came to mind when you read the title above? Do you think medicines are always effective? Medicines that can treat cancer can result to heart damage. They are known as checkpoint inhibitors. There are currently four checkpoint inhibitors in the market. They are used to treat six types of cancer. Checkpoint inhibitors are sometimes mixed with one another for better results. They are lifesaving drugs that can lead to deaths in rare cases. Less than 1 percent of cancer patients taking them have suffered heart failures. They somehow destroy the immune system and the heart. Doctors are still researching for treatment for heart problems caused by these…
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Intermediate

Parents to be penalized if children are always late for school

2017年3月9日

Education - I

Pre-reading questions: What time do you usually go to school or work? How do you record your attendance in school or work? How do you manage to avoid tardiness in school, in work, or in meeting? Parents could face court action or even jail for their children’s habitual tardiness. In the recent newsletter sent by Catherine Stalham, parents were advised that the school will be issuing penalties of as much as £60 if their kids missed the 9:00 am registration. Constant tardiness will lead to the issuance of a fixed penalty notice. If penalties aren’t settled within 28 days, parents or guardians may then be arraigned in court. It was…
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Intermediate

Turkish international school ‘bans’ Christmas

2017年3月9日

World News - Intermediate

  Pre-reading questions: How is Christmas celebrated in your country? Is there an international school near your area?   German media report that an international school in a predominantly Muslim Istanbul bans Christmas celebrations and teachings. It was said that staff at the international school Istanbul Lisesi were told that Christmas traditions and carol-singing would no longer be allowed. Istanbul Lisesi is a Turkish-German school attended by Turkish students but partly subsidized by the German government. Spiegel Online reports that teachers were instructed not to teach about German Christmas Traditions during class as well as to remove Advent calendars from the classrooms. German Politicians were outraged with the actions of…
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Intermediate

Asian Olympic leader favored Sapporo for 2026 Winter Games bid

2017年3月7日

Sports - Intermediate

  Pre-reading questions: Have you ever experienced watching a Winter Olympic game live? Please explain your answer. Which Winter Olympic sport do you or would like to play? Please explain your answer.   Olympic Council Asian president Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah said Sapporo has all the facilities needed to organize the Winter Olympics. Sapporo anchored the Winter Games in 1972 and city officials are considering a bid for 2026. It would mean the IOC would return to a city in Asia for a third time following Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 and Beijing. China in 2022. Sapporo does have several facilities being used for the Asian Winter Games,…
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Intermediate

Japan’s move to end ‘death by overwork’ will drag economic growth: Deutsche Bank

2017年3月7日

Business - I

  Pre-reading questions: What do you think about working time? What do you do during your free time?   Deutsche Bank says that reducing overtime work could affect Japanese economic growth. Laborious industries are said to suffer the most due to manpower shortage. Reducing overtime was deemed as a solution to reduce cases of “karoshi” or death by overwork. Deutsche Bank expect companies to limit overime to avoid negative publicity. However, this move is directly proportional to profits as decreasing overtime work will also decrease profits and sales. The pursuit to cut extended working hours was strengthened after the suicide of an advertising firm employee who rendered more than 100…
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Intermediate

How insomnia impacts the body

2017年3月6日

Health - Beginner

  Pre-reading questions: Have you experienced sleeping for a few hours? What was the longest sleep you’ve had?   A recent study shows that sleeping habits of most people are at worst nowadays – sleeping between five to seven hours. One third of these individuals are having insomnia rooted from stress. It is now harder to doze off for eight full hours as anxiety and stress levels of each person increase. One can actually experience how insomnia can affect his or her body. Aside from anxiety increasing, a sleep-deprived person would either slump all afternoon or get hyper all night, munch carbs more than the norm, and crave for more…
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Intermediate

Researchers found a new organ in the human body

2017年3月6日

Health - Beginner

  Pre-reading questions: Is Science one of your favorite subjects in school? Are you fascinated with how our body works?   Researchers have discovered a new human organ hidden in our digestive system for a long time. This new organ is known as Mesentery. It is a double fold of the peritoneum, which is the lining of the abdominal cavity. It conjoins the intestine to the wall of our abdomen to keep everything in place. Mesentery has been mistaken to be made up of separated structures at first but research shows that it is a continuous organ although the function is still unknown. Further research will be conducted to determine…
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Intermediate

Hongkong’s Ghost Island comes to life

2017年2月21日

Lifestyle

  Pre-reading questions: Do you like to travel? Why? Where is your favorite country/town/city? Why? Do you like modern or historical art? Why?   An isolated island in Hong Kong previously named as Yim Tin Sai or “Ghost Island” is slowly returning to life. Yim Tin Sai also means “Salt Pan” in Cantonese. It was Hong Kong’s salt pan for over hundred years. Due to competition against nearby countries like Vietnam and Thailand, the pans slowly shut down. People from the island fled to seek for education in the city. Colin Chan, the previous village representative, saw a decaying island when he came back. He decided to dedicate his life…
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Intermediate

Teacherless university opens in California

2017年2月15日

  Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite subject in school/university? What do you like about your school/university? What are the unique characteristics of your school/university?   Ecole 42, France’s teacherless university, opened it’s branch in California last October. 42 originated from Paris 3 years ago. Unlike typical schools, students here take charge of their own learning. They have the freedom to work at their own pace on their preferred projects. 21 levels must be completed to graduate. However, they will not be granted any certificate. Without any professors to guide them, the students confide in peer learning. The students are also responsible for checking each other’s work. The benefactors of…
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Intermediate