OK, we talk about communication between different cultures, but did you know that emotion can be a determinant factor in distinguishing them? Some people are more affective, others rather neutral. And we bet you might have noticed that in your everyday interactions. But why?

The Age of Humans

Episode 2: Affective vs Neutral Cultures 

“It’s sad to say, but there have been too many times I’ve seen terrible examples of plastic waste. The one time that really sticks in my mind was about 2 months ago when I visited a very famous and beautiful lake, just a stone's throw from my hometown. The whole area is famous for its natural beauty and scenery, and has become a very popular place for tourists to visit.




I went there with a couple of my friends, as we thought it would be the perfect place to enjoy some of the wonderful natural scenery the country has to offer.




I can still clearly remember as we took a path down to the lake, there were plastic bottles and bags tossed everywhere all the way down to the shore of the lake. The lake itself was in an even worse state, with plastic bags, bottles and discarded styrofoam boxes floating on the water, which was a pretty depressing sight. 




It was obvious that so many ignorant visitors to the lake bring along some food or drinks to have a picnic, leaving their waste behind, or just tossing it into the lake without a thought about the harm they are doing.




I was so disgusted and ashamed by the sight that we took lots of photos to post on some public social media groups, and try to bring some attention to this environmental mess. It was truly heartbreaking to see such a beautiful place destroyed by people's ignorance, as well as making my blood boil, that nobody seemed to care.

IELTS 85 Speaking

Describe a time you saw a lot of plastic waste-IELTS speaking part 2

みなさんはヤドリギ（宿木）を知っていますか？
ヤドリギは木の上で育つ植物で、丸い形を作ります。冬でも緑色の葉っぱをつけているので簡単に見つけることができます。私はドイツで初めてヤドリギがある木を見て、鳥の巣があるのかなと思っていました。
ところが、先日ある日本の俳優さんがインスタグラムにヤドリギの写真をアップしているのを見つけて、この植物の正体が分かりました。
調べてみると、ヤドリギは地面では育たず、木の幹や枝の上で栄養をもらって育つ植物のようです。ヨーロッパではクリスマスに幸運を呼ぶシンボルとして玄関に飾るそうです。


育つ：そだつ　grow
植物：しょくぶつ　plant
鳥（とり）の巣（す）：　bird nest
俳優：はいゆう　actor
正体：しょうたい　true nature
地面：じめん　ground
幹：みき　trunk
枝：えだ　branch
栄養：えいよう　nutrition
幸運：こううん　luck
玄関：げんかん　entrance
飾る：かざる　decorate

Nihongo Short Story by Noriko

ヤドリギ（mistletoe）  

This week Karen and Baiwei are chatting about the latest news of COVID-related travel policies between HK and Mainland. There have been news & rumors saying that people might be able to travel between the 2 without having to quarantine. What do you think of this? 

Note: This podcast is intended for language learning ONLY. Not for promoting or criticizing any political party or ideology. Let’s keep it friendly and accessible to all :)

Also, all of the experiences are the hosts’ own experiences so please do your own research if you need more information.

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

COVID-related Travel Regulations and Policies: what's new?

Weird and Wonderful Idioms (with transcript)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J01uKnQPbfRfTDHtOYHb9pV2pSKtzupJ/view?usp=drivesdk

Teacher Joseph's Podcast

Weird and Wonderful Idioms (with transcript)

These words should be added onto your vocabulary list! These can be used when writing emails, communicating with people, travelling, studying etc.

The Amplify English Podcast

3 Advanced English Vocabulary Words

Today’s episode is Japanese vocabulary Quiz.
I'll give 3 hints.
Please answer in Japanese.

This episode is JLPT-N5 level.

Please use this audio for listening and shadowing practices.

☆Words☆
言葉（ことば / kotoba）：vocabulary, word
考える（かんがえる / kangaeru）：think
答え（こたえ / kotae）：answer
苦い（にがい / nigai）：bitter
道（みち / michi）：road

☆Grammar☆
・～たり、～たり
・～とき

☆Script for this episode
The scripts (URL) are listed in the overview section of the channel.

Simple Japanese Listening with Meg（めぐ）Smile

#31 Japanese vocabulary Quiz / なん ですか。《What is it?》 / 3-hints quiz // N5 Level

Il cadavere del Generale Arnolfi viene trovato nel parco. Chi può essere stato? Un biglietto trovato vicino al corpo fornirà l'indizio decisivo per smascherare il colpevole. Come sempre, scrivete nei commenti chi è il colpevole e perchè.