In this episode 10 of English on the road, we discuss an article on which countries can claim to be the oldest in the world. I hope this podcast allows you to practice your English listening and comprehension.

The podcast begins with some vocabulary which is important to the topic, then we read the article and answer some discussion questions. 

The article is from a website called engoo which has many free English learning materials. I highly recommend checking this out if you want to study English independently or with a tutor. 

Thank you for listening and I hope you have a great day!

English on the Road 

Which Countries can Claim to be the Oldest in the World?

Znáš obchod Baťa? A víš, kdo stál na začátku této značky?

Czech Easily: Slow & Easy

33. České osobnosti: Tomáš Baťa

Conoce la vida de este inquieto chico finés que ha cumplido su sueño de niño de vivir en la ciudad que ama, Barcelona.  Descubre qué anécdotas interesantes tiene y qué cosas le han sorprendido de su vida en su nueva ciudad

Café con acento

Café con acento  - Entrevista a Julius 1 (Finlandia) 

日本人(にほんじん)、どうやって出会(であ)うの？
How did you two meet?
일본인들은 어떻게 만나?

●YOUTUBEに英語、韓国語の字幕ver.があります
English, Korean Subtitles on YOUTUBE
유튜브에는 영어, 한국어 자막이 있습니다
https://www.youtube.com/@nanasensei777

NANAのにほんごpodcast 

日本人(にほんじん)、どうやって出会(であ)うの？How did you two meet?

我费了好长时间才弄清楚他是从哪里来的。
It took me a long time to learn where he came from.

小王子向我提出了很多问题，可是，对我提出的问题，他好像压根没有听见似的。
The little prince, who asked me so many questions, never seemed to hear the ones I asked him.


他无意中吐露的一些话逐渐使我搞清了他的来历。
It wasfrom words dropped by chance that, little by little, everything was revealed to me.

例如，当他第一次瞅见我的飞机时（我就不画出我的飞机了，因为这种图画对我来说太复杂），他问我道： “这是个啥玩艺？”
The first time he saw my airplane, for instance (I shall not draw my airplane; that would be much too complicated for me), he asked me: "What is that object?"
这不是玩艺儿。它能飞。
That is not an object. It flies.
这是飞机。是我的飞机。
It is an airplane. It is my airplane.

我当时很骄傲地告诉他我能飞。
And I was proud to have him learn that I could fly.
于是他惊奇地说道：“怎么？你是从天上掉下来的？”
He cried out, then:"What! You dropped down from the sky?"
“是的”。我谦逊地答道。
"Yes," I answered, modestly.
啊！这真滑稽。
Oh! That is funny!


此时小王子发出一阵清脆的笑声。这使我很不高兴。
And the little prince broke into a lovely peal of laughter, which irritated me very much.
我要求别人严肃地对待我的不幸。
I like my misfortunes to be taken seriously.
然后，他又说道：“那么，你也是从天上来的了！你是哪个星球上的？”
Then he added: "So you, too, come from the sky! Which is your planet?"

这个时候，对于他是从哪里来的这个秘密我隐约发现到了一点线索；
At that moment I caught a gleam of light in the impenetrable mystery of his presence;

于是，我就突然问道：“你是从另一个星球上来的吗？”
and I demanded, abruptly: "Do you come from another planet?"
可是他不回答我的问题。
But he did not reply.
他一面看着我的飞机，一面微微地点点头，接着说道：
He tossed his head gently, without taking his eyes from my plane:


可不是么，乘坐这玩艺儿，你不可能是从很远的地方来的。
It is true that on that you can’t have come from very far away.


小王子-The Little Prince-Read in Chinese

小王子第六章：我的飞机

Yo-You 与你同行（Diary）

天气

It was New Year’s Eve. 

A few friends had got together to celebrate at a cute little house. They were talking about their previous year, laughing about what had gone right and what had gone wrong. 

There was music playing from a stereo in the corner. The friends were almost yelling at each other because the music was so loud. 

“Jack, ol’ Jacky boy, get me another drink, will you?” a man said to his friend.

“Uggh, ok, but you’re getting the next one,” Jack replied. 

Jack drunkenly walked into the kitchen and switched on the light. It was a long, white light, very bright. The large refrigerator was in front of him. He opened it and saw many bottles of wine, orange juice, coca cola and water. He grabbed two bottles of wine from inside the door.  

But before he closed the fridge, he saw on the top shelf something white, red, and creamy.  

“Hey! Susan!” Jack yelled. “This cake looks absolutely delicious! Can I eat some?”

Susan came in from the living room. “Get your filthy hands away from it, Jack. It’s only 8pm. We’ll eat it after the countdown. Just wait.” 

She walked over to Jack, grabbed him by the arm and walked him back into the living room. Jack was happily holding the two bottles of wine under his arms. 

Now that the humans had gone, the foods in the fridge continued their celebration. 

“Psst, Pavlova,” a bottle of orange juice whispered. “He’s gone. Keep going.” 

Pavlova opened her eyes and continued singing an amazing opera song. She sung Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi. 

All the foods and drinks in the fridge were in love with Pavlova’s voice. After she had finished, they clapped and cheered. 

“Bravo! Bravo!” a cheese said. “Sing another one!” 


Being a Cloud

Pavlova the Cake

Effective virtual communication in business thrives on five key practices:

Clarity and Concision:  Craft messages tailored to the platform. Emails should be well-structured with clear subject lines and concise language.  Video presentations benefit from strong visuals that support, not replace, spoken points. Regardless of the medium, focus on the core message and avoid jargon or unnecessary complexity.

Active Listening and Engagement:  Virtual environments lack nonverbal cues, so active listening is crucial. Pay close attention to what's being said, ask clarifying questions, and paraphrase key points to demonstrate understanding. Encourage participation through polls, breakout rooms, or chat features to keep everyone engaged.

Professionalism and Etiquette:  Maintain a professional online presence. Dress appropriately for video calls, use a clean and distraction-free virtual background, and practice good microphone etiquette (muting when not speaking).  Be mindful of time zones when sending emails and respect colleagues' schedules by avoiding unnecessary interruptions.

Leveraging Technology:  Utilize the tools available to enhance your communication.  Screen sharing allows for visual explanations, online whiteboards facilitate brainstorming, and breakout rooms foster focused discussions.  Mastering these features creates a more dynamic and informative virtual experience.

Building Rapport and Trust:  While physical presence is absent, fostering connection is vital.  Start meetings with icebreakers to create a lighter mood. Use video calls whenever possible to build rapport through facial expressions and body language.  Be transparent in your communication and acknowledge contributions from all participants to create a sense of trust and inclusivity.

The Global Professional Podcast

5 Best Practices of Effective Virtual Communication - EP 36

Muchos estudiantes piensan las palabras en español son muy largas. En este episodio les doy la razón. En él comparto las 10 palabras españolas más largas y lo qué significan.

Si quieres saber de qué palabras te hablo escucha este episodio. 

Después, no te olvides de visitarme en mi Instagram y decirme si conocías estas palabras, si de verdad piensas que las palabras en español son tan largas, y cuál es la palabra más larga que conoces en español. 
