Today we discuss the idioms:

• to be GREEN
• in the RED
• to BLACK out
• the BLACK sheep

The Jerome Meadows Experience

Getting in the Red and Blacking Out (Color Idioms)

嗨，大家好！欢迎来到今天的播客，我是你们的中文学习向导小韩老师。你是不是偶尔会好奇，那些方块字里藏着怎样的故事？今天，就来聊聊中文，带你看看学中文有多有趣！

先讲讲中文里的象形字，这可是中文的一大特色。比如“日”字，你看它方方正正的，就像天空中圆圆的太阳。再看“月”，弯弯的形状，是不是和天上的月亮很像？学会这些象形字，就像打开了一扇通往古老中国的大门，能看到古人是怎么观察世界、创造文字的。
 
中文的发音也很有意思。就拿四个声调来说，同样是“ma”这个音，第一声是“妈”，叫妈妈的时候用；第二声“麻”，想到麻麻辣辣的美食；第三声“马”，是奔跑的骏马；第四声“骂”，可别轻易用啦。一个音，四种意思，是不是很神奇？掌握了声调，中文就有了抑扬顿挫的美感。
 
再讲讲中文里好玩的成语。“一马当先”，简单四个字，却能生动地描绘出一个人冲在最前面，勇往直前的样子。学会用成语，能让你的表达瞬间变得高大上，还能了解背后的历史故事和文化内涵。
 
如果你担心学中文很难，别害怕！只要从简单的开始，每天学一点，积少成多，很快就能开口说中文啦。就像搭积木，一块一块，慢慢就能搭出漂亮的城堡。而且，学习中文可不只是学语言，还能了解中国的美食、电影、节日，认识好多新朋友。
 
想不想试试？现在就跟着我一起念：“你好”，这是打招呼的方式。简单吧？快来加入中文学习的大家庭，开启这场充满惊喜的语言冒险！期待在italki和你一起探索中文的奇妙世界！

快乐中文充电站

嘿，来开启中文奇妙之旅吧！

実は、冬の北海道の家の中はあたたかいです。

二重窓（にじゅうまど）といって、窓が２枚重なっているので、外の寒さが家の中に入ってきません。

北海道Hokkaido生活 for Japanese learners

〈#2〉北海道の家の中はあたたかい！

Improving your IELTS Speaking score from a band 5 to a band 7 requires targeted practice in several key areas: fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Here’s a breakdown of steps to take in each.

1, Enhance Fluency and Coherence: 

Band 5 speakers often struggle to speak fluidly and with clear connections between ideas. To improve, practice speaking on various topics for 1-2 minutes without pauses. Use transition words like "however," "on the other hand," or "in addition" to link ideas smoothly. Regular practice on platforms like language exchange apps can help.

2. Expand Vocabulary: 

Limited vocabulary often holds back Band 5 speakers. Aim to learn 5-10 new words daily, focusing on synonyms and expressions you can apply to multiple topics, such as work, travel, or family. Create mind maps on topics that frequently come up in IELTS, like "environment" or "technology," and practice speaking on each one.

3. Improve Pronunciation: 

Pronunciation errors are common at Band 5. Focus on getting each sound right, as well as on stress and intonation, to sound more natural. Listen to native speakers through podcasts or videos, and practice mimicking their tone and rhythm. Recording and replaying your responses is also helpful.

4. Master Grammar: 

A Band 7 requires control over complex sentence structures. Practice combining ideas into longer sentences using connectors like “although,” “since,” and “despite.” Working with a tutor or using grammar apps can help you understand and apply complex grammar structures correctly.

IELTS Speaking Practice

4 tips to help get your IELTS speaking band score from 5 to 7

Use these tips to improve your IELTS speaking band score.

When we are preparing for our IELTS speaking part 2, we must make sure that we use connectors.

But what are connectors?

Connectors, also known as linking words or discourse markers, are words and phrases we use to connect our sentences.

For example, let’s imagine we’ve been given the subject of speaking about a member of our family that we get on well with.

It’s a good idea to introduce your speaking with a phrase like “Let’s begin” or “let’s make a start.” These are both connectors.

Secondly, use a variety of adverbs: actually, surprisingly, similarly, really, very, extremely, rarely, sometimes, never, always etc.

Thirdly, if you can, use an idiom. In the following example I used an idiom at the end. See if you can spot it.

Here is an example of the speaking part 2 exercise.

Let’s make a start.

Surprisingly, I get on really well with my sister. In fact, my sister is a really inspiring person. Actually, she’s younger than me. 

I find her inspiring because she’s a champion swimmer. I would never race her. She’s so fast. To be honest, she trains really hard, especially when she has to finish her homework and then go to the swimming pool as well.

Unfortunately, I don’t get to hang out with her very much, because she’s always busy. But when we do meet up, we always have fun. Usually we go shopping. Sometimes we play video games. 

My sister is extremely funny. She has a great sense of humour. We always have a laugh when we spend time together. We rarely argue. Mostly, we get on like a house on fire.

Please do the exercises and find the missing words.


IELTS Speaking Part 2

Heute geht es um ein Thema, das wir alle kennen und mit dem wir jeden Tag (oder besser jede Nacht) zu tun haben: um Träume.
Was sagt die Wissenschaft dazu? Warum träumen wir? Träumen auch Tiere? 
Welche unterschiedlichen Arten von Träumen gibt es? 

Deutsch mit Sonia

Träume


You just got into bed after a long day, and you're exhausted. You plan to spend a few minutes on your phone — maybe scrolling Instagram or TikTok — and then sleep.

But when you try to sleep, it's not as easy as you thought it would be. You were so tired — what happened?

According to a new study, your phone may be the problem.

The study, done by researchers at New Zealand's University of Otago, involved 85 kids aged 11 to 14. They each spent a week wearing a body camera on their chest starting from three hours before they got into bed.

A second camera was also placed in their bedrooms to monitor their phone use once they were in bed. They also wore a device that tracked their sleep.

The researchers found that 99% of the participants used their phones in the two hours before bed. More than half used their phones while they were in bed, and about a third used their phones after trying to go to sleep.

The results showed that screen time in bed affected participants' sleep — it stopped them from going to sleep for about half an hour, and also reduced the amount of sleep they got.

The impact was larger when participants had a more interactive experience — such as playing a game — or if they used more than one screen. For every additional 10 minutes of this type of screen time, sleep time was reduced by the same amount.

Interestingly, phone use in the two hours before bed had little impact on sleep.

According to lead researcher Bradley Brosnan, the results suggest that, while current guidelines recommend no screen time in the hour or two before bed, keeping phones out of the bedroom might be enough for a better night's sleep.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Keep Screens Out of Bed for Better Sleep

La banlieue est trop souvent associée à la violence et à la drogue... Elle a pourtant bien d'autres visages : c'est la terre d'accueil des peintres du XIXème siècle, le terrain de jeu des amateurs de bière et le lieu de prédilection des randonneurs ! 

Point grammaire du jour : les emplois du subjonctif ! 

Douce France

La banlieue parisienne

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gHdmhqS-R45DuAgiM3IdBrN-eUxT1Yr2/view?usp=drivesdk