        母亲节，是一个感谢母亲的节日。在中国，这个节日既没有公共假期，也不像春节那样为大家所熟悉，但是，当这一天来临时，还真是很热闹的。Mother's Day is a holiday to thank mothers.  In China, there is no public holiday, nor is it as familiar as Spring Festival, but when the day comes, it is quite lively.  

四季人生（The Four Seasons of Life）

2-母亲节随想（Mother's Day thoughts）

In this episode you will know who is Daxin and why he is so popular on the internet.

Story Chinese

谁是大新？Who is Daxin？

This podcast will teach you what the IELTS examiners are looking for when they grade you according to vcocabulary. What vocabulary do you need to score a band 5 or a band 6? What do you need to score 7 or 8? This podcast will teach you.  You can also take a quiz to take your knowledge.

IELTS Speaking Practice

Which IELTS Band score are you - Vocabulary

You walk in to a restaurant and the hostess says, "You can sit everywhere!" Is this correct? Can you actually physically sit everywhere? Not really! Learn what she should have said in this episode of Stairway to English. Learn the differences between everywhere, nowhere, somewhere, and anywhere.

Listen to the end to learn how to receive a special downloadable sent to you on italki chat!

👉 Book class with me! https://italki.com/teacher/8476284 
👉 My students receive bonus podcast content! 
👉If you don't see an opening on my calendar that is ok for you, send me a message!

Stairway to English: Short easy to understand episodes to improve your English grammar and fluency

Are you everywhere, nowhere, somewhere, or anywhere?! Learn the difference between these 4 words!

Whether you live to work or you work to live, having a healthy work-life balance is good for both you and your employer.

Here are just a few ways to keep your balance healthy!

Plan
It can help to plan your time, making sure to include social activities in those plans, says Allaya Cooks-Campbell from job coaching website BetterUp.

Even scheduling a night in front of the TV is enough — it will give you a bit of time to switch off.

If you're able to, you could also plan to take short breaks during the day, and perhaps even use them to take a walk or read a few pages of a book.

Use apps to help
Cooks-Campbell also suggests using an app to block distracting websites during the work day — which might include things like social media.

You can then do the same in the evening and block work apps, if you find it difficult to stop checking them.

Be kind to yourself
It's important to be realistic about your work-life balance, and not to get too stressed if you don't follow your plan. That's according to Kate Eby from work management company Smartsheet.

Being kind to yourself, she says, can help you improve your mental health.

Talk to your boss
If you're finding it difficult to get your work-life balance right, speaking to your manager may be a good idea — although not everyone will feel comfortable doing this.

It may be that you have been given too much work to do, or there is a better way to do it — and talking to your boss could help you work smarter, not harder.

However, Cooks-Campbell says different things work for different people — so you have to find what's right for you!

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Plan, Be Kind: Tips for a Healthy Work-Life Balance

はっきり言って、夏、京都へ行くのはおすすめではありません。暑すぎるからです。それなのに「祇園祭（ぎおんまつり）」という、日本三大祭りのひとつが、一か月にわたって行われています。だから、夏も京都は観光客（かんこうきゃく tourist）でいっぱいです。ChatGPTハルカちゃんが、そんな夏の京都の楽しいすごし方を教えてくれます。しかし、今回、ハルカちゃん絶不調（ぜつふちょう very bad condition )！AIも夏バテ( summer heat fatigue )するのかな？

スクリプトは⁠こちら⁠。
https://chivalrous-wallaby-f5c.notion.site/f9e7d84cd7bc4f049049da85bd04c16c?pvs=4

楽しみ方は⁠こちら⁠を見てください。
https://chivalrous-wallaby-f5c.notion.site/S2-1114d60c575442768615bc975767fd41?pvs=4

私は今静岡にいるので、今年も祇園祭に行けそうもないなあ。残念！


すずまりの日本語「きき耳ずきん」S2

第6話　暑いけど、そうだ京都へ行こう

MARK: Excuse me. Could you tell me where the library is?
NANCY: Yes, it’s that way. You go three blocks to Washington Street, 
then turn right. It’s on the corner, across from the bank.
MARK: Thanks! I’ve only been in town a few days, so I really don’t 
know my way around yet.
NANCY: Oh, I know how you feel. We moved here a year ago, and 
I still don’t know where everything is!



LANGUAGE NOTES
• Could you tell me … is slightly more polite than “Can you tell me …?”
• Could you tell me where the library is? Notice that “library” is stressed here because 
it is the word with the important information. This is an indirect question, so the subject 
(the library) comes before the verb (is). The word order is reversed in a direct question 
(Where is the library?).
• Yes, it’s that way. Notice the stress on “that.” The speaker is pointing in a certain 
direction and wants to emphasize that direction.
• I know how you feel is a way of saying “I understand.” Notice the emphasis on “feel.” 
The speaker wants to show empathy and understanding.
• I still don’t know where everything is! Notice the word order of where “everything 
is.” The subject (everything) comes before the verb (is). This word order is different from 
the direct question (Where is everything?)

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day 12: Asking for directions

Had a lovely convo with a friend of mine, give it a listen! 😁☺😅

LEARN BY LISTENING

Spontaneous Phone Call With My Iranian Friend

“Well I'm certainly not a photography geek, but I do like to take photos now and again using my smartphone camera. I remember about a year ago I went on a trip to Phu Quoc, which is a very beautiful island in the south of Vietnam, and famous for its amazing sunsets. 




I guess like most tourists, I really wanted to get that perfect shot of one of the island's famous sunsets. I remember, I first did some research online to try and find out the best spots to photograph the sunset on the island. After deciding on what I thought would be the best location, I made sure to get there early as I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity.




The sunset certainly wasn’t a letdown, and lived up to its reputation.

I don’t actually remember how many shots I took, but I’m sure it was at least a few dozen, and I just hoped that even a few of them would do it justice.

After I got back to my hotel room, I started going through all the photos I had taken on my phone, and there was one that really stood out. It was the perfect shot, and really captured the beauty of the sun setting over the beach, with the sea in the background. 




I felt proud as punch when i looked at it, and couldn’t wait to post it on my social media account, for the world to see. Within just a few minutes I started to receive lots of likes and complementary comments on the post, which really made me feel so proud of it.