私が生まれたまちは、便利で活気があって、保育園や母と過ごした帰り道など、こどもの頃の思い出が詰まった大切なまちでした。

私の生い立ち𓂃

エピソード② 私が育ったまちの風景

Hello everyone, and welcome back to our IELTS Success podcast. Today, we’re diving into a powerful tool for your Speaking test: idioms.
Now, you might be asking, Why idioms? Well, idioms show examiners that you have a natural and flexible command of English. But remember—idioms should sound natural, not forced. Think of them as spices in cooking: a little can make your language richer, too much can overwhelm.
Let’s look at five idioms you can use in real answers.
“Over the moon” – Imagine the examiner asks about a happy experience. You could say: “When I passed my driving test, I was over the moon.”
“A blessing in disguise” – If asked about challenges, try: “Losing my job was tough, but it was a blessing in disguise because it pushed me to study abroad.”
“Hit the nail on the head” – For opinions, you might say: “I think you hit the nail on the head when you said technology connects people.”
“Once in a blue moon” – For frequency questions: “I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon, because I prefer watching movies at home.”
“Burn the midnight oil” – For study habits: “Before exams, I usually burn the midnight oil to revise all the material.”
So, idioms make your answers more engaging and memorable. Practice using them naturally in your daily speech, and you’ll not only impress the examiner—you’ll also sound much more confident.
That’s all for today. Until next time, keep practicing and keep shining!

IELTS Speaking Practice

5 useful idioms

Today's word is scan. This is a verb that means to quickly read or look at something, usually to find a specific piece of information. Maybe you're scanning a form to find the date that it was written or scanning a page from a book to find out where the story takes place.  

DAILY Business English VOCABULARY builder

Could you scan this for me please?

chǒu xiǎo yā
丑小鸭
yā mā ma yǒu qī ɡè hái zi， 
鸭妈妈有七个孩子，
qí zhōnɡ yí ɡè yòu pànɡ yòu chǒu， 
其中一个又胖又丑，
ɡēn bié de xiǎo yā zi bù yí yànɡ。 
跟别的小鸭子不一样。
dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huān tā，jiào tā chǒu xiǎo yā。  
大家都不喜欢她，叫她丑小鸭。
chǒu xiǎo yā hěn nán ɡuò， 
丑小鸭很难过，
qiāo qiāo de cónɡ jiā li pǎo le chū lái。 
悄悄地从家里跑了出来。
zài wài biān，tā yòu ɡū dān yòu hài pà。 
在外边，她又孤单又害怕。
rì zi yì tiān tiān ɡuò qù le，chǒu xiǎo yā zhǎnɡ dà le。 
日子一天天过去了，丑小鸭长大了。
yì tiān，tā lái dào hú biān， 
一天，她来到湖边，
kàn jiàn yì qún měi lì de tiān é fēi ɡuò lái，xiàn mù jí le。 
看见一群美丽的天鹅飞过来，羡慕极了。
tā cán kuì de dī xià le tóu。 
她惭愧地低下了头。
hū rán，tā chī jīnɡ de fā xiàn， 
忽然，她吃惊地发现，
shuǐ zhōnɡ de zì jǐ bú zài shì nà ɡe yòu pànɡ yòu chǒu de xiǎo yā zi le， 
水中的自己不再是那个又胖又丑的小鸭子了，
zì jǐ jiù shì yì zhī měi lì de tiān é！ 
自己就是一只美丽的天鹅！
tā ɡāo xìnɡ de zhǎn kāi jié bái de chì bǎnɡ， 
她高兴地展开洁白的翅膀，
hé nà xiē tiān é yì qǐ xiànɡ lán lán de tiān kōnɡ fēi qù。
和那些天鹅一起向蓝蓝的天空飞去。

CHINESE STORY中文故事

丑小鸭

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