A short podcast in colloquial English to explore common words and phrases. 

English with Nici!

Escucha este audio-artículo y descubre la provincia de Cádiz y buenos trucos para viajar por ella disfrutando de los lugares más auténticos.

VIAJAR POR ESPAÑA  "AUDIOS"

Mi España - La Provincia de Cádiz

Textile waste is an urgent global problem, with only 12% recycled worldwide, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a fashion sustainability nonprofit.

Nowhere is the problem greater than in China, the world's largest textile producer and consumer, where more than 26 million tons of clothes are thrown away each year, according to government statistics. Most of it ends up in landfills.

The country's clothing industry is dominated by "fast fashion" — cheap clothes made from unrecyclable synthetics. And Chinese e-commerce brands Shein and Temu make the country one of the world's largest producers of cheap fashion, selling in more than 150 countries.

Currently, only about 20% of China's textiles are recycled, according to the Chinese government. And many Chinese consumers are unwilling to buy used items anyway.

Still, among younger Chinese, there is a growing awareness of sustainability and some "remade" clothing businesses have emerged.

Designer Zhang Na's fashion label, Reclothing Bank, sells clothes, bags and other accessories made from materials such as plastic bottles, fishing nets and flour sacks.

The items' labels have QR codes that show their composition, how they were made and the source of the materials.

Reclothing Bank began in 2010 to give "new life to old things," Zhang said of her store in Shanghai. A large used clothes deposit box sits outside the entrance.

Zhang said she has seen sustainability consciousness grow since she opened her store, with core customers in their 20s and 30s.

But recycled garments sold at stores like Reclothing Bank cost much more than fast-fashion brands due to their production methods.

And that's the real problem, said Sheng Lu, professor of fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware.

"Studies repeatedly show consumers are not willing to pay higher for clothing made from recycled materials" he said.




Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

26 Million Tons of Clothes Discarded in China Each Year

I listened to the podcast of one of my favorite female CEO's and I want to share some insights about business and some common misconceptions about it. Since I am a new solopreneur I also experienced some ups and downs in this journey that I want to share because it might be useful to you.

FLO TALKS 

Is Business for everyone?

“Почему мы устаём от видеозвонков?”. Есть целое исследование, его результатами я делюсь в этом подкасте. Приятного прослушивания!
Словарь:

вдохновлён (+ Instr.)= is inspired by
сталкиваться/ столкнуться с (+ Instr.) = to face
попадать в кадр = to be on camera
оценивать себя = to evaluate oneself
зацикленность на себе = self-obsession
воспринимать = to perceive
перемещать = to move, to shift
раздаточный материал = handout
взгляд устремлён = look is focused on
навык доведён до идеала = the skill is brought to the perfection
распространённый = widespread
вовлечённость = involvement
достойно выглядеть =  to look decent
мозговой штурм =  brainstorming

Привет, это Наташа!

Видеозвонки. Что с ними не так?

People have been building boats for at least 10,000 years, making them one of the oldest types of transportation. They're a big part of history, which is why there are many expressions about boats.

If you have the same problems or are in the same situation as someone else, you can say you are "in the same boat." This expression comes from the fact that people on the same boat are all affected if the boat gets into trouble while at sea.

For example, if your friend told you they had lost their job, and you had also lost your job, you could say "Looks like we're in the same boat — I lost my job too!"

If a person is doing something too much or in an extreme way, you can say they are "going overboard" with it. This expression comes from the 1600s when boats were mostly made of wooden boards, and going overboard meant falling into the water.

So if your friend kept calling the same company to ask for a job, you could say, "Don't go overboard! If you keep calling them they won't hire you."

If someone misses out on something, especially because they were late or too slow, you can say they have "missed the boat." This expression refers to being late to board a boat that departed at a specific time.

So your friend might say, "I just want to make sure I'm the first person they call when they're hiring. I don't want to miss the boat!"

'Go Overboard' with These Boating Expressions

Este episodio es para aquellas personas que ya están en Italki, pero todavía no se animan a tomar clases. En este episodio los animamos a tomar sus primeras clases de español y platicamos sobre estos puntos:
♦cómo conocimos Italki
♦cómo empezamos a dar clases
♦porqué nos gusta enseñar español
♦porqué recomendamos Italki para aprender

Mucho que decir

Italki the best app for learning spanish

In this Chillchat episode, Karen and Baiwei chatted about different music genres, their favorite singers and musical instruments. Correction! The song Baiwei mentioned from Shovels And Rope is called Boxcar, Not Birmingham.