Join me to read and watch TED talks, and learn lots of useful natural language. 

TED phrases with Michael

Aprende a hablar de diferentes tipos de espectáculos! Vocabulario y expresiones prácticas y explicaciones claras para el estudiante de español.



Super Basic Spanish

Learn Spanish: Televisión, Cine, Teatro, y Música (TV, Movies, Theatre, and Music)

Anita: OK, so we’ve got three possibilities for the advertisement we will be using here and I want to talk about each of them with you and get your point of view. So first of all, here’s number one. What do you think, Gerry?
Gerry: Oh, that’s interesting! I like the colors. They’re very warm. I didn’t think a cartoon would work very well, but I think this is quite fun. Tina, what do you think?
Tina: Personally, I don’t think it works. We’re really aiming at customers who are 20 and older. I think it might look a little young for them.
Brett: I’d agree with Tina, I’m not very keen on it. These will be used in magazines and on trains and buses. I don’t think it will really stand out. It’s very nice to look at, but I don’t think it will really get anyone’s attention.
Gerry: OK. I see what you mean, Brett. Well, let’s have a look at the others then. Well, I think it’s great, but I may revise my opinion when I see the others.
Anita: I will say that this one is cheaper than the other two. Right, then. Here’s number two.
Brett: Oh, I like that much more. It’s really creative. That’s a beautiful photograph and the name of the product is really clear.
Tina: I’m not sure about the model they used. She’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong. But she looks a bit unhappy. I don’t think that gives the right message.
Gerry: I like it, but I don’t think I feel strongly about it. I’m sure we could get them to find an older model if we wanted. It just seems very serious compared to the last one and I’m not sure I like it as much.
Anita: Yes, although I should point out that if we do that, it will add to the cost of the advertising. Also, I don’t know if this will change anyone’s mind, but the cost of using a photograph for the advert will be far higher than using a cartoon. About 40% more altogether which will leave us less to use for future advertising.
Brett: Well, I think this would work really well. If we need to change the model, we can do that. But I think it’s really exciting to look

English Conversation/Dialogue

Discussing An Advertisement (Business English)

A cover letter from James Bond applying to be Special Agent 007.

James Bond
12 Adelaide Street
C/O Connections @ St. Martin’s
London WC2N 4HW
23rd October 2018
Dear Sir or Madam,
Please consider me for the position of Special Agent
007.
I was educated at Eton College, England and studied
Oriental languages at Cambridge University. As well
as Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese I speak
French, German and Italian fluently.
I believe the world is heading for disaster if we do
not act fast to save it. In my opinion, the most
important work of all is the safety and security of the world and especially the protection of
our children. However, although a pacifist at heart, I am able to assassinate quickly and
quietly, if needed.
I have served as a British Intelligence Officer since 1998 and have been living and working in
many dangerous environments around the world.
I trained with the Special Boat Service in the UK. As a commando I have served in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Bosnia where I saved 100 men single-handedly. I also served with the
Special Forces in Indonesia, China and North Korea.
I am fully computer literate and can multi-task, completing many tasks simultaneously. I am
skilled with all types of weapons including machine guns, sub-machine guns, sniper rifles
and pistols. Furthermore, I am an expert in all kinds of martial arts including Judo, Jujitsu
and Kung Fu. In addition, I am a qualified pilot. I can also drive cars and motorbikes very
fast.
In my spare time I enjoy running, swimming, diving, sky diving, skiing, jet skiing and rock
climbing. I also enjoy playing poker.
I attach my C.V for your attention and look forward to hearing from you soon,
Yours sincerely,
James Bond

Listening Skills

James Bond cover letter

我们来看看道德经的第三章。

不上贤，使民不争；不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲，使民不乱。是以圣人之治也，虚其心，实其腹，弱其志，强其骨，恒使民无知、无欲也。使夫知不敢、弗为而已，则无不治矣。

第三章的内容，对许多人来说都是有争议的。Some people may not understand this chapter, because we tend to think intellects are good. 然而，老子看到了有才德的人的问题。In my understanding of this chapter, it means intellects bring about ego, which is not align with Tao. 表面上突出的事物会带来争斗。老子追求的是顺其自然，无为而治。竞争和欲望可以导致战乱，When I said the sage weakens people’s ambition, you may disagree, because our time is the age of ambition and everyone want to become better. But this also makes people anxious and overload. Lao Tzu advocates letting go and non-doing, go with how things are. 当所有人都满足于自己的生活，天下就会太平，不会有争斗。

感谢收听，我们下次见~

Wisdom From the Past 古典智慧拾贝

古典智慧拾贝之道德经第三章 Tao Te Ching Chapter Three

En este episodio hablaré sobre Argentina, información relevante sobre su cultura, su música, su comida y otros detalles. Bienvenidos.

Learn Spanish with Rick.

Episodio 5 - Argentina, tango.

Vietnamese Listening Time

Sở thích của mình 

こんにちは！
Japanese daily life podcast のAtsushiです。
このPodcastは、日本語を楽しく勉強しているみなさんに向けたPodcastです。

ぼくの日常生活の話を聞くことで、日本語のリスニングをよくしたり、新しい言葉を知ってもらえたらいいなと思います。


みなさんお元気でしょうか。
今日もトルコからPodcastを録っています。


今日は12/26ですね。
12/26をboxing dayということをはじめて知りました。

日本ではそのような日はないです。

Wikipediaで調べたことをもとに日本語で話しますね。

元々は、教会が貧しい人たちのために寄付を募り、箱に入れられたクリスマスプレゼントを贈る日だったことから"Boxing Day"と呼ばれる。

それから、クリスマスも働かないといけなかった使用人などに翌日休みを与えた。その時、主人が箱に贈り物を入れて彼らに配った。

他、クリスマスにはたらいている郵便配達員にも、ねぎらいの意を込めて26日に箱入りのプレゼント（Christmas box）をする。


こんな日があるんですね。
全然知らなかったです。

この話は一般的には、キリスト教にゆかりのある国が行うことが多いみたいです。


みなさんの国ではどうですか？
今日は何か特別なことがありますか？

そんな話をオンラインレッスンでしましょう！
お待ちしています！

ということで、今回も最後まで聞いていただき、ありがとうございます！

ではまた！







Atsushi のJapanese podcast (travel/news /文法・漢字・語彙/Osaka/Hokkaido/🇹🇷🇬🇪🇦🇲🇪🇸🇵🇹)

#424 12/26はboxing day！について！

Today, I talk about the phrase "to shed light on", a new William Blake Art Exhibition and a London Museum wants to employ a Taylor Swift fan.

Transcript:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/169vSssT9OzHRbTeLDL3mM2Duzfw2TXm6/view?usp=drive_link