  In some languages, the pronunciation of the letters remains constant, never changing or change very little.  Czech and Spanish are two examples.  English isn't like this.  We have long vowels short vowels and combinations of vowels.  Sometimes the pronunciation seems to change without reason.  Moreover, the speling rarely helps. Consider these three words:  food, blue, and blew - The vowel sounds are all the same, go figure.Has anybody ever looked at you after listening and asked, 'What?'  Last week, my student said through and I heard throw and was totally lost.
                    Sound 1	/oooo/		Sound 2     /ow/

			Through 		 	Throw

			Two				Tow
		
			Blue				Blow

			View				Vote

			New				Know

			Sue				        So

			Clue				Clone

			Rude				Road


Accelerate your English Pronunciation with Ralph

Through / Throw

这是我最喜欢的一本书《平凡的世界》里我最喜欢的一句话：“谁让你读了这么多书，又知道了双水村以外还有个大世界……如果从小你就在这个天地里日出而作，日落而息，那你现在就会和众乡亲抱同一理想：经过几年的辛劳，像大哥一样娶个满意的媳妇，生个胖儿子，加上你的体魄，会成为一名出色的庄稼人。不幸的是，你知道的太多了，思考的太多了，因此才有了这种不能为周围人所理解的苦恼。”

欢迎大家分享评论！

Chilling Chinese 

《平凡的世界》节选

秧秧老师的中文课堂-HSK专项练习

HSK4级听力题4

Ever wonder how locals actually talk in Hawaiʻi? In this episode, you’ll hear a full sample of Hawaiian Pidgin — real phrases, real rhythm, real island vibes.
⚠️ Warning: It’s a lot at once (on purpose!) — but don’t worry, we can break it all down together in a lesson.
Press play, listen in, and take the first step toward sounding more local. 🤙

🏝 Speak Hawaii: Language, Culture & Travel

"What Hawaiian Pidgin Really Sounds Like (Listen for Yourself!)"

Nivel A2/ B1. Tema Vocabulario.
En este episodio hablamos de dos bonitas palabras, en mi opinión, Felicidades y Felicitaciones. Vamos a ver las sutiles diferencias entre ellas y como usarlas en contexto. Es un tema que me encanta, especialmente porque es una pregunta recurrente en clase.
Gracias por estar aquí, y por tu participación y comentarios.
Ah, si deseas el PDF con la transcripción, solo tienes que enviar un mensaje.
Chao chao.

Rocío en Español Podcast

3. ¿Felicidades o Felicitaciones?, ¿hay diferencia?

⭐️聞いたあとは、italkiのアプリでクイズに挑戦できます！

⭐️スクリプトはこちら↓
***********************************
今日は暖かくて天気が良かったので、梅の花を見に行ってきました。
ここ長野では、まだ桜は咲いていなくて、今は梅の花が満開なんです。

梅の花は桜と似ていてピンク色の花を咲かせますが、でも桜よりちょっと小さくて、丸くて、おとなしい感じがします。

風が吹くと、梅の花のなんだか清々しくて少し甘い、とてもいい香りがしました。
ミツバチたちがブンブンと元気いっぱいに花の周りを飛ぶ音も聞こえました。

体中で春をいっぱいに感じて、とても気持ちが良かったです。

 
梅の花は寒い冬の間、ずっと我慢してがんばってきたからこそ、春になって、やっときれいな花を咲かせていい香りを出すことができると昔から言われています。

つまり、難しいことがあっても、がんばり続ければ必ずいい結果になる、ということですね！

日本では多くの会社や学校で、4月から新しい一年が始まります。
私たちもすてきな花を咲かせられるように、がんばりましょうね！

まきのひとりごと Japanese Podcast 

2. 梅

Vidéo avec sous-titres, musique et images: 
https://youtu.be/dq9S_lry4ug?si=q4AaiJ3yD9y3OX8Z

French Stories For All

Qu'est-ce qu'on fait à Noël en France?

Послушайте подкаст про связь русской бани с банями в Римской империи. 

Русский с Валентиной

А1-А2. Русские и римские бани. 

Toddlers in the UK get almost half of their calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), according to a new study.

Researchers also found that 7-year-olds get 59% of their calories from UPFs.

UPFs include things like ice cream and cookies, but also ham, sausages, flavored yogurts, breakfast cereals and some breads.

Eating too much of these types of food has been linked to an increased risk of a number of different health conditions, including obesity, diabetes and heart problems.

The study looked at food diaries completed by the parents of more than 2,500 children aged 21 months, and 600 children aged 7.

The most common UPFs that toddlers ate were flavored yogurts and whole-grain breakfast cereals.

Although these are seen as quite healthy choices, they are still ultra-processed. They're usually industrially produced and contain ingredients that most people wouldn't have in their kitchens, like emulsifiers.

The researchers said children who eat more UPFs as toddlers are more likely to eat a lot of them as they get older, so choosing the right foods for young children is important.

Previous research has found that teenagers in the UK may get more than 60% of their calories from UPFs.

However, the study's lead author, Rana Conway, said it's not only parents that are to blame.

She said these foods "are often cheaper than the foods parents would like to give their children, such as fresh fruit and vegetables.

"Also, despite labels suggesting they're a healthy choice, ultra-processed foods marketed for children often contain too much sugar and salt. This makes it harder for parents to make healthy choices."

Studies done in the US have found similar problems with the diets of children there.