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Audiobooks with Pip

Find out more about the British way of life!

Learn British Culture with Pip

Podcasts about life in the UK, British traditions and customs and more...

Learn English with Pip

Listen to me reading extracts from British media on everyday topics as part of my Conversational English course.

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Text：
老师：要去中国旅行，你需要准备什么？yào qù zhōngguó lǚxíng ， nǐ xūyào zhǔnbèi shénme ？
Teacher：What do you need to prepare for a trip to China?

学生：我需要护照、签证、机票、预定酒店。wǒ xūyào hùzhào、qiānzhèng、jīpiào、 yùdìng jiǔdiàn 。
Student：I need a passport, a Visa, an air ticket, and a hotel reservation.

老师：很好，还要带一个行李箱。hěn hǎo, hái yào dài yī gè xínglǐxiāng 。
Teacher：Very good, and don't forget to bring a suitcase.

学生：出发！chū fā！
Student：Let's go!

New words：
1.旅行 (lǚ xíng): Travel
2.需要（xū yào）：Need/require
3.准备 (zhǔn bèi): Prepare
4.护照 (hù zhào): Passport
5.签证 (qiān zhèng): Visa
6.机票 (jī piào): Airfare/Air ticket
7.酒店 (jiǔ diàn): Hotel
8.带dài：Bring/take
9.行李箱 (háng lǐ xiānɡ): Suitcase/trunk

Welcome to visit China ”欢迎来中国!“

L1 旅行准备[lǚ xínɡ zhǔn bèi]～Preparations for a journey

In this story, a wax bowl of stinky tofu named Stinfu wants to transform into real food. How does he do it? This is Part 3 of 4. 

The night market had finished and all the satisfied customers had left. There was only the restaurant staff, working very quickly to pack up. They didn’t want to spend another minute around a kitchen. They wanted to get home to their warm houses and relax. 

Stinfu stayed where he was. From his view in the showcase, he couldn’t see any of the workers, but he could definitely hear them. He heard plates being washed and stacked; and he heard spray bottles used to clean tables. 

Then, right on time, just like every night, Stinfu was picked up and moved out onto the counter. A waiter then reached inside the showcase and wiped the glass. 
Stinfu looked out at the lonely, empty night market and wished for a miracle. 

I’ve done my service… I’ve attracted thousands of customers to eat stinky tofu… I’m done. I’m tired of living a fake life. I know I’m something real, something more than this wax figure. 

And with that thought, Stinfu saw the homeless man return. 

The homeless man creeped forward, trying to stay hidden from the restaurant workers. He crouched down behind a table and looked straight at Stinfu. The homeless man’s eyes said everything: I’m going to get that stinky tofu or die trying! 

Stinfu lit up with absolute joy and sung a little song in his mind. 

Eat me, eat me, eat me—I’m ready. Eat me, eat me, eat me—I’m delicious! 

When the time was right, and the workers were nowhere to be seen, the homeless man ran forward to the counter and snatched Stinfu. 

Being a Cloud

Stinfu the Stinky Tofu 

•今、どこに住んでいますか？

•どんな町ですか？

•いつ日本に来ましたか？

•何がきっかけで日本に興味を持ちましたか？

•どんな日本語の勉強をしてきましたか？

•趣味はなんですか？

•好きな食べ物はなんですか？


[単語]

あかばね　赤羽

BOOKOFF   本やマンガがたくさんある店

うつのみやせん　宇都宮線

さいきょうせん　埼京線

あっという間(ま) in an instant

こうけい　光景　a view

せだい　世代　generation 

デジモン　[デジタルモンスター]

きんねん　近年　in recent years 

どくがく　独学

かこもんだいしゅう　過去問題集

とばす

べんきょうほう　勉強法

しかく　資格





SAMURAI BROADCAST　侍放送

Vol.72 セイさんとポッドキャスト

Hello everyone!
In this episode you'll learn new words and practice your listening skills with a story about John from the US and a cookie he was offered at a coffee-shop - "Дивне печиво для Джона".

Let me know what you think about this story. What words were new? Did you like the story overall?

Easy Stories in Ukrainian (with Kyrylo)

Episode 2 - A Strange Cookie for John

İngilizçe - selamlar

House

【北海道Hokkaido生活】
〈#153〉1月31日火曜日　天気/晴れ　気温/-9℃ 


・北海道の冬の生活には、靴が選び方が重要。
・ふつうの靴だと、すべって転びます。たおれます。
・とくに、昼があたたかくて雪が溶ける。そして、夜凍る。
・とてもすべる
・とてもあぶない
・下を見ながら、ゆっくり歩く。
・靴のうらに、すべらないようにするために「裏張り/うらばり」をする。
・歩くためのコツ、良い方法は、少しずつ歩く。
・少し手を広げて右や左に行かないように、転ばないよいうにする。
・これをすると、すべりづらくなる。


［単語］
重要/じゅうよう…大事
転ぶ/ころぶ…たおれる
溶ける/とける…形のあるものが、水のようになる。
凍る/こおる…水のようなものが形のあるものになる。
コツ/こつ…良い方法



レッスン待ってます♪


北海道Hokkaido生活 for Japanese learners

〈#153〉北海道の冬のくつ

It's no secret that Hawaii is a favorite destination for Japanese tourists. In 2023, the islands welcomed around 573,000 visitors from Japan — the most from any country.

But did you know there's a connection between Japan and Hawaii that goes beyond travel and into clothing?

Aloha shirts, also known as Hawaiian shirts, have roots in Japanese culture, beginning with Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.

In the late 1800s, Japanese immigrants in Hawaii started importing Japanese clothing as well as rolls of fabric to make clothes with.

In the 1920s, locals in Hawaii saw these fabrics and started using them to make casual dress shirts with Japanese patterns on them. These shirts became popular with tourists to Hawaii.

Soon after, aloha shirts were made in bulk, but instead of using fabric made for Japanese clothing, stores in Hawaii started bringing in printed fabrics made just for aloha shirts.

And by the late 1930s, the designs had changed from Japanese patterns to the Hawaiian inspired patterns we're used to today — images of Mount Fuji and Japanese pine trees were replaced with things like coconut trees, surfers and fish.

But even though today's aloha shirts don't look very Japanese inspired, they still remain popular within Japan.

Yosuke Seki, an aloha shirt aficionado who goes to Hawaii every year, told CNN he wears his shirts daily, and hopes to inspire others to try them.

"Right now, I'm wearing a replica of one of the expensive designs," Seki said, adding that his shirt cost between $130 and $200. The more expensive shirts can cost thousands of dollars, he explained.

And for some fans, aloha shirts are not just clothing — they're collectable items, or even considered art.

Yoshihiro Nakano is the brand director of Sun Surf, a Japanese company that has been making aloha shirts for about 50 years. Many customers don't even wear the aloha shirts they buy, and instead just collect them or frame them, Nakano told CNN.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

From Japan to Hawaii: The History of Aloha Shirts

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bVezUH3lgmD8-PvkeIaiOQvRtWormI6S/view?usp=drivesdk