Today's episode is the audio to the Guide to the TOEFL - Speaking presentation. In it, you'll learn what the speaking section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language requires, as well as hear some sample questions and answers and get advice on whether using templates to form your answers is a good idea. Some of the questions depend on written text, so be sure to go to the website to download the transcript so you can read them: https://lovelangwri.com/2022/05/10/guide-to-the-toefl-speaking/

For the Love of Language and Writing

Guide to the TOEFL - Speaking

ჭკუის კოლოფი /  One has a wonderful brain/ Ума палата

ჭკუასუსტი /Feeble-minded/ Слабоумный

ჭკუაში დაჯდომა/To take into one’s head/Прийти в голову

Lamzira's Georgian podcast

Phrasal verbs 5

Charles est horloger. Un jour, il rencontre son amie Suzanne sur la plage. 
Suzanne lui montre une très vieille montre. Ils retournent à l’atelier de Charles pour trouver des informations sur la montre dans les livres de Charles. Une légende dit que la montre aide les gens à voyager dans le temps.
Soudain, un homme étrange prend la montre et s’enfuit. Charles le rattrape. 
L’homme dit qu’il est le pirate Eric le Kraken. Il veut remonter le temps.

Read with me  the book : French stories in French - Olly Richards and Richard Simcott

La montre - Chapitre 1 - French stories in French - Olly Richards and Richard Simcott

Польза воды.
Люди, которые придерживаются здорового образа жизни стараются каждое своё утро начинать со стакана воды. Некоторые пьют обычную воду, другие предпочитают жидкость с добавками, но все они уверяют, что подобный ритуал — залог крепкого здоровья и отличного самочувствия. Предлагаем разобраться, чем же так полезна вода натощак и почему её нужно пить регулярно.
Ночью, когда мы пребываем в состоянии сна, все процессы в нашем организме замедляются. Это касается и работы желудочно-кишечного тракта. Вот почему завтракать рекомендуют лёгкой пищей, чтобы не нагружать органы пищеварения. Если вы выпиваете воду сразу после пробуждения, вы тем самым запускаете нужные процессы и переваривание пищи происходит легко и без каких-либо проблем.
Кроме того, 1 или 2 стакана воды утром восполнят дефицит влаги в организме, который образовался за ночь. Положительный результат скажется и на внешности: кожа будет более увлажнённой, а волосы эластичными и живыми.
Вода активизирует обмен веществ, поэтому употреблять её в достаточном количестве — это важное условие для тех, кто хочет здоровое тело. Если вы начнёте свой день со стакана воды утром, вам будет легче не забывать пить её на протяжении всего дня.
Врачи считают, что утром лучше всего употреблять тёплую воду, температура которой составляет примерно 40 градусов. Она усваивается быстрее, чем холодная вода. 
Важно также употреблять некипяченую воду хорошего качества. По этой причине от воды из крана лучше отказаться, а вместо неё использовать бутилированную или минеральную. Идеальным вариантом также будет родниковая вода.
Вы можете пить как чистую жидкость, так и использовать различные добавки. Наиболее популярный вариант — это тёплая вода с мёдом. Кроме того, многие люди часто пьют воду с лимоном, поскольку считается, что она положительно воздействует на работу желчного пузыря. Однако тем, сто страдает от гастрита с повышенной кислотностью, от добавления лимонного сока лучше отказаться.
А как вы начинаете своё утро? 


(B1-C2) Podcasts - Daily Life (by M.Kuznetsova) 

Podcast 5 (B2-C1) Польза воды.

¿Y tu maleta? ¿Ya está lista?

Hoy: EL EQUIPAJE

¿Cómo te va armando la maleta?
¿Qué tan difícil es elegir qué llevamos y qué no llevamos al próximo viaje?

¿Qué guardas en tu maleta de forma PRIORITARIA?

¿Y sabías que en Buenos Aires no decimos 'maletas', decimos ' valijas'?

¿Cuándo fue la última vez que tuviste un problema con tus maletas en el aeropuerto? ¿Te excediste de peso? ¿Te perdieron el equipaje? 

Estas y más preguntas, con mucho vocabulario sobre el tema son nuestra conversación en este podcast ¿Qué te parece?

¿LE DAMOS PLAY?

Disfruta de aprender

Hablemos de viajes, parte VI!

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

Sickness is an ever-annoying but everlasting topic in our life. You caught a cold. You got a rash. You ate bad food. How can you describe these common sicknesses in Chinese to your concerned Chinese colleagues or friends. And more importantly, what can YOU say when other people get sick to show care. In this episode, we covered all! Let’s go!

Note: This podcast is intended for language learning ONLY. Not for promoting or criticizing any political party or ideology. Let’s keep it friendly and accessible to all :)

Also, all of the experiences are the hosts’ own experiences so please do your own research if you need more information.

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

shēng bìng le! Sicknesses, Symptoms and More!

This story uses words from '4000 most common English words'

Zara is dragging Bobby into the market. He is like a stubborn little boy. Her eyes are beaming with enthusiasm and his are downcast with despair. 

The market is out of this world! There are countless numbers of things Zara has never seen before. 

As the two friends walk down the street, Zara points at everything in amazement while Bobby  dismisses them as boring and ordinary. 

Arriving at a food stall, Zara wants to experience everything. “And what are these fragrant things?” 

“Those are herbs…” 

“And this spicy thing?”

“Garlic… umm, where are you from?” 

“And what about this? It looks like the roots of a plant!” 

“That’s ginger, and, yes, they are the roots. Are you from outside of China?”

Zara is overwhelmed with positive emotion and disregards Bobby’s questions. 

The two friends arrive at an animal stall. It has horses, cows, chickens and pigs for sale. Zara touches all the animals, smelling and patting them. “These creatures are beautiful!” 

But Bobby doesn’t get it. He’s never met someone so strange in his life. He’s actually starting to feel irritated by Zara’s joy.

“Look, I have to get going soon… You know, my important task. So, is there anything I can do for you?” 

Zara stuffs a sugar-coated figurine into Bobby’s mouth. “Try this!” 

Bobby reluctantly chews and a little smile appears on his face. But then it disappears and he looks annoyed.

Zara runs off down the street, touching all the lovely silks and picking up all the metal tools. 

Bobby thinks, who does she think she is?

Being a Cloud

Zara the Mayfly

In many parts of the world, summer has kicked in, and people are really feeling the heat.

But people in one city in the Middle East may have more reason to complain about the heat than anywhere else in the world.

This place is so hot that birds fall from the sky, some streets are air-conditioned, and, allegedly, fish boil in the sea.

This is Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait, often called the hottest city in the world.

Temperatures often get as hot as 50 degrees Celsius in the summer — and sometimes even higher. In July 2016, the temperature reached 54 degrees Celsius in the north, which is the highest temperature Kuwait has experienced.

People are rarely seen walking outside in the summer, and many residents leave the city while it's this hot.

Kuwait has always been hot, but climate change has made the summers hotter and longer.

According to the Emirates Policy Center, between 1962 and 1999 there were 18 days when the temperature in Kuwait was 50 degrees Celsius or higher. Between 2000 and 2021, the number of days was 80 — and 64 of those were between 2010 and 2021.

The country is also getting less rain than before. As a result, it's experiencing more frequent and intense dust storms.

Living in these high temperatures is not good for humans. A study by the University of Roehampton in London found that the human body has an upper temperature limit of between 40 degrees and 50 degrees before it starts to malfunction.

At higher temperatures, a person may start to experience "heat stress," which can cause things like confusion, nausea, dizziness and fainting — and can be fatal.

Some may say that Kuwait is contributing to its own problems, since it's one of the world's largest emitters per capita of carbon dioxide, and uses only fossil fuels for energy.

But things may be changing. According to the International Energy Agency, the country plans to generate at least 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.