You will not believe the strange turn the story takes as Landy describes what he wants to do to Will after he dies! (Listen to Parts 1 and 2 first - so that you know what has happened so far)

Stories to Stimulate!

Will and Mary - Part 3


小明的零花钱    líng huā qián  =pocket money
Xiǎomíng de líng huā qián 

小明现在小学三年级了。妈妈每周给他４０元的零花钱。
Xiǎomíng xiànzài xiǎoxué sān nián jí le。Māma měi zhōu gěi tā sì shí yuán de líng huā qián。

星期一：小明在超市买了五块钱的文具，两块钱的小蛋糕；
Xīngqī yī: Xiǎomíng zài chāoshì mǎi le wǔ kuài qián de wénjù, liǎng kuài qián de xiǎo dàn gāo;

星期二：今天是小明爸爸的生日，小明花了10块钱，买了一个又漂亮又有音乐的贺卡送给
               爸爸，还在卡片上画了可爱的图画；
Xīngqī èr: Jīntiān shì Xiǎomíng bàba de shēngrì, Xiǎomíng huā le shí kuài qián, mǎi le yī gè yòu piàoliàng yòu yǒu yīnyuè de hèkǎ sòng gěi bàba, há zài kǎpiàn shàng huà le kě'ài de túhuà。

星期三：回家的路上，小明在零食店里花了五块钱，买了一瓶可乐和一包小饼干；
Xīngqī sān: Huí jiā de lù shàng, Xiǎomíng zài língshí diàn lǐ huā le wǔ kuài qián, mǎi le yī píng kělè hé yī bāo xiǎo bǐng gān；

星期四：早上妈妈来不及做早餐，小明花了六块钱买了一份早餐（一盒牛奶和一个面包）； 
Xīngqī sìì: Zǎoshang māma lái bù jí zuò zǎocān, Xiǎomíng huā le liù kuài qián mǎi le yī fèn zǎocān (yī hé niú nǎi he yī gè miàn bāo);

星期五：学校下午有社团活动。下课后，爸爸来接小明回家，还请他吃了一顿肯得基。
Xīngqī wǔ: Xuéxiào xiàwǔ yǒu shètuán huódòng。Xià kè hòu, bàba lái jiē Xiǎomíng huíjiā, hái qǐng tā chī le yī dùn kěn dé jī。

你知道小明这周一共花了多少零花钱？还剩下多少钱吗？
Nǐ zhīdào Xiǎomíng zhè zhōu yīgòng huā le duōshǎo líng huā qián ? Hái shèngxià duōshǎo qián ma?

星期一：（5+2）=7块钱
星期二：10块钱
星期三：5块钱
星期四：6块钱
星期五：没花钱

  合计：28块钱； 还剩下12块钱。


 

Do you know how much pocket money Xiao Ming spent this Monday?  Is there any money left?  
 
Monday :(5+2) =7 yuan  
Tuesday: ten yuan  
Wednesday: five dollars  
Thursday: six dollars  
Friday: Nothing  
 
Total: 28 yuan;  There are twelve dollars left.  

Listening & Speaking (Mandarin)

小明的零花钱    Xiǎomíng de líng huā qián    The pocket money of Xiaoming   (HSK2-3)

One word is wrong in each sentence. Cross it out and write the correct word.
The planets are in the solar space. .........................................
2 The earth revolves around the moon. ···························-·-········
3 The sun is a planet. ···--·-·-····-·····-···········-·
4 Man first walked on the sun in 1969. ···-·························-·········
5 Mars is a star. . ....................................... .
6 We can send planes into space ......................................... .
7 We've learned a big deal about space.........................................
8 The world is the whole of space and everything in it.....................

English Mini Lessons

The Universe



Align with Job Description: Questions should target specific competencies identified in the job description.
Use Action Verbs: Focus on actions taken (e.g., "developed," "implemented," "negotiated").
Focus on Specific Situations: Prompt for concrete examples, avoiding vague inquiries like "Tell me about a time you worked under pressure." Instead, ask, "Describe a situation where a tight deadline required prioritizing tasks effectively."
The STAR Method:

The STAR method provides a framework for candidates to structure their responses to behavioral questions:

Situation: Briefly describe the context and challenges faced.
Task: Explain your specific role and responsibilities in the situation.
Action: Detail the specific actions you took to address the challenge.
Result: Describe the outcome of your actions, quantifying achievements if possible.
Beyond Technical Skills:

Behavioral interviewing goes beyond technical skills, offering insights into:

Problem-Solving Approach: Explore how the candidate tackled challenges, revealing their thought process and analytical abilities.

Communication Style: Pay attention to clarity, conciseness, and ability to articulate ideas effectively.
Work Style: Understand if the candidate thrives in independent or collaborative environments.
Benefits and Best Practices:

Reduced Bias: Focusing on past actions minimizes the influence of unconscious bias based on appearance or background.

Increased Predictability: Understanding past performance in similar situations improves the likelihood of future success.

Deeper Candidate Evaluation: Behavioral questions move beyond a resume, revealing a more holistic picture of the candidate's capabilities.

Best practices:

Develop a set of behavioral questions for each role to ensure consistency.

Pay close attention to the candidate's use of the STAR method and probe for further details.

Evaluate responses across candidates using a consistent scoring rubric.


The Global Professional Podcast

Behavioral Interview Questions - Best Practices - Episode 71

If you see someone sitting alone in a restaurant, you might assume they're waiting for someone, or perhaps they're grabbing a quick lunch on their break.

But more and more people around the world are purposely dining alone.

Japan has a special word for this: ohitorisama, which refers to people confidently doing things alone without worrying about what others think.

A recent survey found that 23% of Japanese people eat out alone, up from 18% in 2018. And in the US, solo dining reservations have risen 29% over the last two years, according to restaurant reservation site OpenTable.

OpenTable CEO Debby Soo thinks remote work is one reason for the increase, with people looking for a break from their home offices.

The increasing popularity in solo dining comes as more people are living alone. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that 38% of US adults ages 25 to 54 were living without a partner, up from 29% in 1990. In Japan, single households now make up one-third of the total; that’s expected to increase to 40% by 2040, according to government data.

Growing interest in solo travel — particularly among travelers ages 55 and over — is also leading to more meals alone.

But Soo thinks there could be more to it than that.

"I think there's a broader movement of self-love and self-care and really … enjoying your own company," Soo said.

As a result, many restaurants are redoing their seating, changing their menus and adding other special touches to appeal to solo diners.

But some aren't always happy to seat one diner. A Michelin-starred London restaurant caused a stir last year when it started charging solo diners the same price as two customers. The restaurant, which has 34 seats, offers an eight-course menu costing about $280 per person.

Other restaurants say it's worth seating one person because solo diners will often come back and eat there again.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Party of One: Solo Dining Increasing in Popularity

Hello Parents:
My name is Vanessa. I was born in California. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and Family Studies. I worked as a preschool teacher for two years. I make hands-on on fun curriculum for children ages 3+. In 2018, I became TEFL certified and Young Learners certified. Since then I have been making my own English curriculum for children and adults of all ages and levels. 

This class is for:

1) Native English Speakers ages 3-6
2) Non-Native Speakers zero English- Elementary A1

In This Lesson:

1) 45 min full video course. This is how a typical one on one class would go.
2) 49-slide presentation.
( Introductions, feelings, would you rather animals, animals a-c 4 animals per letter, animal counting, what animal do you hear, and goodbye song)
I offer 1 on 1 lessons:

Non Native-3 years-adults 

Natives- 3-6 years old

Presentation link:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAFnc-jXZ70/p1dqzgAnDE0aQf_f59CR_w/edit

Youtube Video Link:
https://youtu.be/L5t-TVPpf-k?si=uNxcglstPrpMzx0T

Preschool Virtual Courses

ABC Animals 

😎In this short dialogue, you will hear about different vacation destinations! 🛫🏖Try to solve the quizzes after listening to the dialogue.🤩
Срећно учење! / Srećno učenje!📚
See you in class!👋


SERBIAN TO GO

Куда путујете на одмор? – Kuda putujete na odmor? – Where do you travel on vacation? (Dialogue A1 level)

Silver and Ravine continue their search for a hotel room that doesn't cause them to run away in fear.

Vocabulary:
ophidian: having to do with snakes
hammock: a swinging bed
quicksand: sand and water mixture that pull someone in
bonkers: crazy


Learn English with Stories

Story: The Honeymoon- part 3

In this episode we will learn some speaking skills at work.
--------------------------------------------------
It is recommended:
Step 1: Gist listening. Listen to get the main idea. (more times if necessary)
Step 2: Read the text to find out words you didn't get, then look up the dictionary. 
Step 3: Listen and imitate as much as you can without looking at the text.
Step 4: Write down what you hear if you want to practise writing.
-------------------------------------------------- 
大家好，我是Yuli。欢迎收听我的播客。
今天想和大家聊一聊职场的话题。如果你的领导和你说辛苦了，你应该怎么回答呢？如果你是领导，你更喜欢什么样的回答呢？杨天真是公司的老板，我们来听听她的建议吧。
当领导或者长辈跟你说辛苦了，你该怎么回答才能把这个话聊下去呢？给你几个高情商的应对方案。我们大多数人听到领导说辛苦了，第一反应回答说，唉不辛苦不辛苦。其实呢领导说辛苦了，一方面也是客气，一方面也是你工作的肯定，他也是想表达一种感谢。所以这个答案呢根据你领导的类型，不同类型的领导应该给与不同的回答方案。
第一，你的领导如果比较注重权威，是一个比较有官威的领导。那这种领导呢其实就是要你懂得感恩，知道TA给了你一个工作机会，所以你就回答TA说：“谢谢领导给与这个机会让我锻炼，我确实通过这个机会成长了不少。这点辛苦跟收获比起来其实不算什么，我会好好继续努力的。”那么领导就会有一种大满足的感觉，觉得我果然选对人了。
第二呢就是老师型的领导。有一种领导呢，其实TA是比较好为人师的，很愿意指导你。那么遇到这种领导的时候，你可以这么回答：“谢谢领导的关心。其实呢，我把我这次工作已经总结成文字了，有一些我做得好的地方和一些做得不好的地方。甚至呢，我还想象了一下，可能未来我们能怎么做，有一个方案给您。你要得空的话，可以给我指导指导。”这样呢，领导就会觉得哇这小孩子真不错，既对当下有总结，还对未来有规划，同时很尊重自己的意见。这样你能创造跟领导的进一步的交流机会。
第三呢，还有一种领导是比较和蔼的，喜欢跟员工打成一片。遇到这样的领导呢，你就可以这样回复：“谢谢领导的认可。其实不光我辛苦，所有的小伙伴都挺帮忙的，要不然看在大家这么努力的份上，您请大家搓顿饭吧。”这种调侃式呢，比较受用于这种和蔼的领导。TA会觉得你这个小朋友不贪功，知道团队的作用。那他也许就趁机搞了个团建活动等等。这都是一种比较好的促进和蔼型领导跟大家打成一片，更认可你的方法。以上，你学会了吗？
你觉得哪些方法适合你？留言告诉我吧。我们下期见。
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职场/zhí chǎng/Workplace
长辈/zhǎng bèi/Elders
高情商/gāo qíng shāng/High Emotional Intelligence
应对方案	/yìng duì fāng àn/Solutions
肯定/kěn dìng/Affirmation
权威/quán wēi/authority
官威/guān wēi/bureaucratic airs
锻炼/duàn liàn/anneal (oneself)
好为人师	/hào wéi rén shī/like to lecture other people
指导/zhǐ dǎo/guide,lecture
得空/dé kòng/have time
规划/guī huà	/planning
和蔼/hé ǎi/amiable
打成一片/dǎ chéng yī piàn/play well with others
看在~的份上/kàn zài~de fèn shàng/for the sake of
搓顿饭/cuō dùn fàn/have a meal
调侃/tiáo kǎn/crack a joke
受用于/shòu yòng yú	/be useful for
趁机/chèn jī/take the opportunity to
团建/tuán jiàn/team building