It's the world's favourite sweet snack, and the chocolate industry is worth over $100 billion. Discover the fantastic history of where it comes from, how it became so popular, and learn about some of the economics of chocolate production.

English Learning for Curious Minds

Chocolate

和大家推荐一本书籍林海音《城南旧事》及其改编而成的电影，英文译名为《My Memories of Old Beijing》，女主人的童稚与特定背景下普通人民的生活都发人深省，让我不禁想到一句话“时代的一粒沙落在个人肩膀上就是一座山”。

以下为节选：

1.	请不要为了那页已消逝的时光而惆怅，如果这就是成长，那么就让我们安之若素。

2.	人生就像是一块拼图，认识一个人越久越深，这幅图就越完整。但它始终无法看到全部，因为每一个人都是一个谜，没必要一定看透，却总也看不完。

3.	我将来要写一本书，我要把天和海分清楚，我要把好人和坏人分清楚，也要把疯子和贼子分清楚，但是我现在却是什么也分不清。

4.	爸爸的花儿落了，我已不再是小孩子。

5.	老师教给我，要学骆驼，沉得住气的动物。看它从不着急，慢慢地走，慢慢地嚼，总会走到的，总会吃饱的。也许它天生是该慢慢的，偶然躲避车子跑两步，姿势很难看。

6.	走人生的路程就像爬山一样，看起来走了许多冤枉的路，崎岖的路，但最终会到达山顶。

7.	这些人都随着我的长大没有了影子了。是跟着我失去的童年一起失去了吗？

8.	夏天过去，秋天过去，冬天又来了，骆驼队又来了，但是童年却一去不还。冬阳底下学骆驼咀嚼的傻事，我也不会再做了。

9.	我默默地想，慢慢地写。看见冬阳下的骆驼队走过来，听见缓慢悦耳的铃声，童年重临于我的心头。

10.	我虽然很害怕，但是也得硬着头皮去——这是爸爸说的，无论什么困难的事，只要硬着头皮去做，就闯过去了。


Chilling Chinese 

《城南旧事》

A very old expression, but WHERE are you pulling it out from?

The Social Evolutionary

Hurry up and "Pull your finger out!"

In this short episode, you will learn the meaning (  Minimum ) 

Engsavvy ( 504 Absolutely Essential Words )

Lesson 3 Word 2  (  Minimum ) 

Voici l'épisode avec dans le lien google doc, le script ainsi que les questions/réponses sur le texte:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eqPTjUCES4gKeQ2mn4AMeiw6Z1bC7xJwizPNb9ZHifQ/edit?usp=sharing


Bonne écoute!

Améliorez votre compréhension orale en français! 

Pierre à la plage (A1) 

If you’ve found the perfect company to work for, you don’t need to land the perfect job…yet. After all, even if you’re in a less-than-perfect position, you can apply for a more suitable job internally as soon as it opens. By then, you will have had the chance to show your quality of work, work ethic, and commitment to the company, making you an ideal candidate.

While interviewing for an internal position is a wonderful opportunity, it includes unique challenges. One of the biggest mistakes people make when interviewing internally is failing to prepare adequately. They may believe the interview is simply a formality, and they have the job in the bag. Their interviewer may be familiar with their work, so they may not arrive prepared to talk about the specifics of their contributions. And finally, they may have a friendly relationship with the interviewer and treat the interview too casually. 

Tune into the latest Express to Impress Podcast episode to get my tips to prepare for an internal job interview and get the job you want!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode originally published February 4, 2022

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter 

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/internal-interview/

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

Please take a minute to rate and review the podcast.

To access my 5-Step Job Interview Preparation Checklist at express-to-impress.com.

Express to Impress

How to Prepare for an Internal Job Interview

"The software team at my client's company was struggling to complete their new product on time. As the project manager, my client knew he needed to improve communication across functions. He started weekly check-ins where engineering, design, product and marketing all presented updates and issues. This exposed dependencies between teams. For example, when engineering outlined a complex new feature, product argued it didn't align with goals and design flagged UI challenges. Rather than pushing back, each team offered suggestions to solve the other's problems.

This collaborative approach helped teams understand different perspectives. When later design presented mockups, engineering asked thoughtful questions about underlying assumptions. They found ways to simplify the feature while still meeting user needs. Similarly, when marketing had concerns about the launch date, product and engineering worked together to identify what could be cut or delayed without compromising the vision.

By the next check-in, dependencies were untangled and teams made better decisions together. Managers saw improved morale as people felt heard and helped each other. The transparent discussions gave confidence that the product was on track when minor issues did arise. In the end, my client's company launched their new software ahead of schedule with rave reviews. Regular cross-functional check-ins had fostered collaboration that eliminated silos and ensured project success."

The Global Professional Podcast

A Cross Functional Collaboration Story - Episode 45

Today we're talking about the noun, incentive, and the verb, to incentivise. I hope you find them useful!

DAILY Business English VOCABULARY builder

Do you need an incentive to improve your English?

Armadillo, iguana, zorrillo, venado; mucho y buen conejo, lechón, cabrito y carnero aquí se venden; de Honduras llega carne de tepezcuintle y de Texas la de jabalí; también de avestruz, búfalo, cocodrilo de Florida… hasta de león. “Procede de leones de criadero, es una carne algo dura y un poco ácida; diferente a todas, de color grisáceo. Nada más que cae un poco pesada y contiene muchas toxinas, por eso no es recomendable comerla mucho”

En otra sección, junto al pollo, que aquí se ve más ordinario que en cualquier otro mercado, se vende codorniz, perdiz, pato, pichón, faisán, ganso, pavo y tórtola, así como huevos de codorniz y de varias aves.

Las pescaderías son los locales más famosos del San Juan. Anguilas, mantarrayas y tenazas de cangrejo moro se asoman en los limpios locales entre el atún y el salmón frescos; menos comunes son el percebe –molusco que crece en las rocas–; esmedregal, pescado para la comida cantonesa; cigala, langostino danés; cangrejo de Alaska; centollo, un cangrejo de América del Sur; vieiras, almejas españolas; hueva de lisa; mejillón de Nueva Zelanda; y dorado, pez con cabeza de hacha y reflejo áureo.

Gusanos de maguey, escamoles, chapulines, escorpiones, caracoles de tierra, ranas… La comida prehispánica no falta aquí, donde el comprador puede preguntar con confianza, incluso pedir recetas. En pocos mercados da tanto gusto comprar.

Las fruterías son un arcoiris de formas y colores. Cereza, frambuesa, arándano, carambola, maracuyá, lichi, pérsimo y las comunes, pero de la mejor calidad.

En otra sección del mercado descansan verduras bien acomodadas y muy frescas: tomate de milpa o tomatillo, pepino europeo, ejote francés, zanahoria y elote baby, delgado y pequeño, lechugas coreana e italiana. Más puestos y más variedades: yuca, malanga y ñame –tubérculos del Caribe–, echalot, ajo y cebolla a la vez, chinchayote, azafrán de raíz, naranja agria…