What's your view on this topic? Are languages a useful subject for students at school?

Nick discusses both sides of this topic to help you with ideas for the IELTS test. 

IELTS with Nick - World Knowledge 

Should children learn languages at school?

This podcast helps you to learn 5 idioms to use in everyday conversation:

1. ants in your pants
2. cat nap
3. the cat's got your tongue
4. chicken out
5. copy cat


Teacher Superstar

5 idioms

Today I’m going to talk about a new system, the face pass for station ticket gate. 
It is the test stage before the full-scale operation. 
I have doubts if this system can recognize correctly who I am. 
Why do I doubt it? Please listen this story! Thank you!
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先日、新聞に駅の改札に「顔パス」で通過できる改札機を試験的に導入するという記事が載っていました。　改札を「顔パス」で通過するには、あらかじめ顔写真を登録しておく必要があるそうです。　毎日　同じ駅を使って　会社に行く人や学校に行く人たちにとっては、とても便利なシステムだと思います。
すでに、「顔」をパスワード替わりに使っているアプリが普通に使われています。例えば、銀行口座のアプリでは、顔認証と暗証番号の入力のいずれかでアクセスできるようになっています。　
実は、この顔認証に私は少々不便を感じています。最初に顔を登録したとき、私はばっちり化粧をして眼鏡をかけていました。　そのため、眼鏡をかけていなかったり、寝起きの化粧をしていない顔だと本人だと認識してくれないのです。　間違いなく本人なのに、化粧をしているかしていないか、眼鏡をかけているかいないかで、本人かどうかがわからないのです。これって、なんだか変ですよね。　化粧をしていない、眼鏡をかけていない顔が　本当の私の顔のはずなのに、アプリに「本人ではありません」と判断されているのですから。
きっと、これから駅の改札に導入される「顔パス」機能も、同じようなことが起こるのじゃないかと思っています。。　そう考えると、「顔パス」登録用の顔とスタイルを決めておかなくてはいけません。　そうしなければ、私が登録していない顔で通るたびに、改札が開かずに渋滞が起きてしまいますからね。
今日は新しい駅の改札についてお話しました。


やさしい日本語（にほんご）

Face pass for the station ticket gate 駅の顔パス改札

A daily reading practice for you for today!

Today's grandparents are joining their grandchildren on social media, but the different generations' online habits couldn't be more different. In the UK the over-55s are joining Facebook in increasing numbers, meaning that they will soon be the site's second biggest user group, with 3.5 million users aged 55–64 and 2.9 million over-65s.

Sheila, aged 59, says, 'I joined to see what my grandchildren are doing, as my daughter posts videos and photos of them. It's a much better way to see what they're doing than waiting for letters and photos in the post. That's how we did it when I was a child, but I think I'm lucky I get to see so much more of their lives than my grandparents did.'

Ironically, Sheila's grandchildren are less likely to use Facebook themselves. Children under 17 in the UK are leaving the site – only 2.2 million users are under 17 – but they're not going far from their smartphones. Chloe, aged 15, even sleeps with her phone. 'It's my alarm clock so I have to,' she says. 'I look at it before I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up.'

The Habits of Highly Effective English Communicators

Digital habits across generations P1

モテる女性の「さしすせそ」
Listen to this podcast and you will be popular with Japanese men.

さ）さすが〜💕
し）知らなかったぁ💕
す）すごぉ〜い💕
せ）センスいい〜💕（オシャレ〜）
そ）そうなんだぁ〜💕


Japanese "Taka" it easy

日本人男性🤵🏻と結婚💍する方法　※Listen to this podcast and you will be popular with Japanese men.

1. Have you ever been on a blind date? How did it go?
2. Have you been on any boring or awkward dates?
3. Do you know any couples who met online? Have they been together long?
4. What are the most romantic places to go on a date in your town or city?

English Corner

Dating Study Asks What Behaviors Lead to Second Dates

Hatim Ali was a Syrian television and cinema director, writer, and actor. In this podcast, I will introduce him to you. His work, his life, and his success in reaching Syrian hearts
It's a short version of the full podcast; I hope you enjoy it, and you can always get the full episode with the book by clicking on these links:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3DBW2JH
The book's audio:
https://speakrealarabic.com/course/The-Syrian-Encounters

Beyond Borders: Immersing in Syrian Culture

Hatim Ali - The Real Lens

Have you been struggling to find out how to express your dislike for something? Well this episode is the one for you! Listen and find out the different ways to say "I don't like..."