When you are pursuing your own summit, do it for you. Don't involve too many people. Don't expect anyone to move mountains for you.

FLO TALKS 

DON'T EXPECT ANYONE TO MOVE MOUNTAINS FOR YOU

第一章：短暂的画家生涯
Chapter 1: A Brief Career as a Painter

Audiobook reading

《小王子》（little Prince）by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

A reading of "香水紳士, Kôsui shinshi" from Aozora Bunko.
The reading is followed by explanations of the story and vocabulary. Please use it to study Japanese listening comprehension.

.｡.:*･ﾟ＋.｡.:*･ﾟ＋.｡.:*･ﾟ＋.｡.:*･ﾟ＋.｡.

青空文庫「香水紳士」の朗読です。
朗読の後にストーリーや語彙の解説があります。日本語のリスニングの勉強にお役立てください。

OYASUMI にほんご

#12　Perfumed Gentleman Part 4（香水紳士④, Kôsui shinshi）

In Chinese, emo has transformed into a slang term. It no longer connects to music but instead refers to feeling sad, melancholic, or discouraged. It’s like saying “I’m in a mood,” but often with a playful or exaggerated tone.

Learn Chinese with Hot Topics

THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS ENGLISH...

Find out what we think Business English actually is. We have a chat and discuss General English, Business English, and Technical English. What kind of English do you need and why?

English is more important than ever if you want to get ahead at work and make an impact. Improving your business English vocabulary and cultural knowledge will help your career and open up many more opportunities for you.

However, what exactly is business English and how does it differ from normal English?

BizPod - The Business English Podcast

BizPod Episode 1 - What is business English?

ɡēnɡ léi shì ɡǔ shí hòu wèi ɡuó yǒu mínɡ de shè jiàn nénɡ shǒu。  
更羸是古时候魏国有名的射箭能手。
yǒu yì tiān，ɡēnɡ léi ɡēn wèi wánɡ dào jiāo wài dǎ liè。 
有一天，更羸跟魏王到郊外打猎。
yì zhī dà yàn cónɡ yuǎn chù màn màn de fēi lái， 
一只大雁从远处慢慢地飞来，
biān fēi biān mínɡ。 
边飞边鸣。
ɡēnɡ léi zǐ xì kàn le kàn， 
更羸仔细看了看，
zhǐ zhe dà yàn duì wèi wánɡ shuō： 
指着大雁对魏王说：
“dà wánɡ，wǒ bú yònɡ jiàn， 
“大王，我不用箭，
zhǐ yào lā yí xià ɡōnɡ， 
只要拉一下弓，
zhè zhī dà yàn jiù nénɡ diào xià lái。” 
这只大雁就能掉下来。” 
wèi wánɡ bù xiānɡ xìn。 
魏王不相信。
ɡēnɡ léi shuō：“qǐnɡ rànɡ wǒ shì yí xià。” 
更羸说：“请让我试一下。”
ɡēnɡ léi bìnɡ bù qǔ jiàn， 
更羸并不取箭，
tā zuǒ shǒu ná ɡōnɡ，yòu shǒu lā xián， 
他左手拿弓，右手拉弦，
zhǐ tīnɡ dé“bēnɡ”de yì shēnɡ xiǎnɡ， 
只听得“嘣”的一声响，
nà zhī dà yàn zhǐ wǎnɡ shànɡ fēi， 
那只大雁只往上飞，
pāi le liǎnɡ xià chì bǎnɡ， 
拍了两下翅膀，
hū rán cónɡ bàn kōnɡ lǐ zhí diào xià lái。
忽然从半空里直掉下来。  
wèi wánɡ kàn le，dà chī yì jīnɡ。 
魏王看了，大吃一惊。  
ɡēnɡ léi jiě shì shuō：“zhè zhǐ niǎo fēi dé màn， 
更羸解释说：“这只鸟飞得慢，
jiào de shēnɡ yīn hěn bēi cǎn。 
叫的声音很悲惨。
fēi dé màn，yīn wéi tā shòu ɡuò jiàn shānɡ，shānɡ kǒu méi yǒu hǎo； 
飞得慢，因为它受过箭伤，伤口没有好；
jiào de bēi cǎn，yīn wéi tā lí kāi tónɡ bàn，dé bú dào bānɡ zhù。 
叫得悲惨，因为它离开同伴，得不到帮助。
tā yì tīnɡ dào xián xiǎnɡ，xīn lǐ hěn hài pà， 
它一听到弦响，心里很害怕，
jiù pīn mìnɡ wǎnɡ ɡāo chù fēi。 
就拼命往高处飞。
tā yì shǐ jìn，shānɡ kǒu yòu liè kāi le，jiù diào xià lái le。”
它一使劲，伤口又裂开了，就掉下来了。”

CHINESE STORY中文故事

惊弓之鸟

The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal (pronounced /ˌtɑːdʒ mə'hɑːl/) is a famous mausoleum next to the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. A mausoleum is a building where people bury the dead. The name Taj Mahal means 'the crown of palaces'.

1. 
The most famous part of the Taj Mahal is the large white dome in the centre. It is 35 metres high and is surrounded by four smaller domes. The rooms inside the building are decorated with beautiful archways and precious stones in the walls. The buildings are surrounded by gardens with pathways, pools, fountains and green gardens.

2.
The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and finished in 1653. It was built with materials from all over India and Asia, but the main material is white marble. Historians believe that the materials were transported by over 1,000 elephants for the construction.

3.
The emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a burial place for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. According to legend, he wanted to build another Taj Mahal in black on the other side of the river, but this never happened. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, many parts of the Taj Mahal were damaged by British soldiers, who took some of the precious stones from its walls. Over the years, the Taj Mahal has suffered from environmental damage, and there have been many government attempts to conserve its beauty.

4.
The Taj Mahal is one of India's most famous landmarks. There are millions of visitors to the mausoleum every year. The Taj Mahal is almost always included in lists of famous buildings to visit and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Habits of Highly Effective English Communicators

Daily Reading & Comprehension. Taj Mahal

EL ESCUDO NACIONAL.

Águila real, serpiente, nopal, caracoles, olivo, encino; agua, aire, tierra y fuego, compendian riqueza y fortaleza de una nación

Restablecer el simbolismo del águila real en el escudo de una nación negada y destruida por los españoles, respondió en los albores del siglo XIX a la necesidad imperiosa de los insurgentes de recuperar el cordón umbilical del México independiente con el México prehispánico.

Posada sobre un nopal, el águila sagrada representaba a Huitzilopochtli, dios solar y de la guerra, a quien se identifica con el Sol, al ser el ave que vuela a mayor altura, tal como lo hace el astro, y es la representación misma del dios tutelar de los mexicas.

Huitzilopochtli dio a los antiguos mexicanos las señales del sitio exacto donde habrían de erigir la gran Tenochtitlan.

Y de ese pasaje guardado en la memoria de los tiempos, bajo el reinado del rey tenochca Moctezuma un artista anónimo esculpió el Teocalli de la Guerra Sagrada, donde en una cara aparece el tlatoani (Moctezuma) y el numen Huitzilopochtli flanqueando una imagen solar, y en el anverso un águila parada sobre un nopal surge de Tlaltecuhtli, la Tierra, en medio del lago de Texcoco.

El dominico fray Diego Durán relata en su Historia de las Indias de la Nueva España e islas de la tierra firme que en la imagen del águila dorada puesta de relieve en el Teocalli de la Guerra Sagrada de su pico surge el atlachinolli (agua de fuego) o símbolo de la guerra, que bien puede confundirse con una serpiente.

Ahí se unen los componentes del emblema de Tenochtitlan: el águila, el nopal y la ausencia-presencia del ofidio.

Señala el Códice Durán que el ave aprisiona entre sus garras pájaros que devora con su pico, pero también advierte sobre la figura de la serpiente, ya que en una lámina presenta un águila que devora pájaros y otra que agarra una serpiente.

