In this episode, Karen and Baiwei chatted about trends that popped up in China for the past few years, such as the rise of air fryers, the rise of camping, and people’s increasing desire to see the world…

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

2023年度生活趋势报告 2023 Annual Life Trends Report

En este episodio exploraremos cómo los colores de las frutas y verduras están vinculados a su valor nutricional, y colores como el rojo o el amarillo de estos alimentos se asocian con importantes beneficios para la salud 

¡Hablemos de salud!

¡Sabores y Colores de la Salud!


   a. Penny-pincher - Someone who is overly frugal or tight with money.
      Example: "He's such a penny-pincher; he never spends money on anything unnecessary."
   b. Break the bank - To spend a large amount of money, often beyond one's means.
      Example: "Buying a luxury car would break the bank for me."
   c. Cash cow - A source of consistent and significant income or profit.
      Example: "Their latest product has become a cash cow for the company."
   d. Money talks - The power and influence that money can have.
      Example: "In the business world, money talks, and it can open doors."
   e. Tighten the belt - To reduce expenses or live more frugally.
      Example: "With the unexpected expenses, we'll have to tighten our belt for a while."



IELTS Podcast 雅思博客

 Money-related idioms:

Learn useful phrases for starting meetings, giving your own opinion and asking others for theirs. 

Business Buzz

Episode 1 - Opening a meeting and giving and asking for opinions

Gut – besser – optimal

(A)  Optimierung, besser gesagt, Selbst-Optimierung, ist ein großer Trend unserer Zeit. Pausenlos überwachen, messen und kontrollieren wir unsere Körperfunktionen ebenso wie unsere Aktivitäten. Dafür gibt es zahlreiche Programme, Apps und Internet-Angebote. 
(B)  Wir achten auf mindestens zehntausend Schritte pro Tag: die Smart-Watch registriert es. Puls und Blutdruck werden dabei auch gleich gemessen. Schlank bleiben ist alles; aber wenn es doch Gewichts-Probleme gibt, holen wir uns einfach Motivation und Unterstützung von einem Internet-Coach. 
(C)  Auf die Frage: „Hast du heute Nacht gut geschlafen?“ antwortete man vor zehn Jahren: „Ja, danke!“ oder „Nein, grauenvoll!“. Heute sagt man nach einem Blick auf das Handy:“63 Prozent.“
(D)  Täglich erhalten wir eine Erinnerung, die Grammatikübungen in der Fremdsprachen-App nicht zu vergessen und wer beim Aufräumen und Putzen überfordert ist, lässt sich durch eine App für Haushalts-Organisation unterstützen. 
(E)  All das ist reizvoll und interessant, aber ein ungesunder Zwang sollte nicht daraus werden. Bedenklich ist auch, dass wir eine riesige Menge persönlicher Daten preisgeben, aber das ist ein anderes Thema.

LearnGermanToday

13_Gut, besser, optimal

This short news is about an experiment how Japanese company tries to get people back to the office ! 

Here is the useful vocab for this :
*work remotely
     * the technology giant
     *to give
     *to entice
     *quality time
     *stain-proof
     *pet supplies
     *suburb

Kate´s speaking :)

New perk for the Japanese workers!

In order to achieve a band score 7 in IELTS it’s important to practice using idioms. Idioms are of high importance if you want to get a band score 7 in IELTS. In fact, it’s very rare for any student to score above a band score 6 in IELTS without using idioms. If it does happen, it only happens once in a blue moon. And since the IELTS exam is so important, it’s a good idea to invest in some private one to one lessons with an IELTS teacher, like me. Lessons don’t cost an arm and a leg and they might help you to achieve the band score you need. Be sure to spend your time and your finances wisely. Invest in yourself and your future. Life is short, and there’s a lot to do. So stop thinking about it, bite the bullet, and take action. Book your private lesson now.

IELTS Speaking Practice

3 idioms to help with your IELTS test

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!

5 useful idioms

Simplified Chinese version:
季子是中国古代人。有一次他去旅游，走累了就坐在路边休息。他看到地上有一块儿金子。他想：可能是别人不小心丢掉的吧！
因为季子是一个有钱人，所以他不想去捡这块儿金子。
这个时候，刚好有一个人经过。季子想：这个人很瘦，衣服也很旧，应该是一个乞丐。
季子对他说：“喂！这地上有一块儿金子，你捡去用吧！一会儿被其他乞丐捡走，你就什么都没有了！”
这个人听了非常生气，他说：“你凭什么认为我是乞丐？是因为我的衣服很旧？还是因为我很瘦？你觉得我佷可怜吗？”
这个人说：“今天就算你是有钱人，你都不可以这样对我说话！”
季子很不好意思，于是客气地问这个人的名字。这个人说：“你是一个没有礼貌的人，我不想告诉你我的名字。”

Traditional Chinese version:
季子是中國古代人。有一次他去旅遊，走累了就坐在路邊休息。他看到地上有一塊兒金子。他想：可能是別人不小心丟掉的吧！
因為季子是一個有錢人，所以他不想去撿這塊兒金子。
這個時候，剛好有一個人經過。季子想：這個人很瘦，衣服也很舊，應該是一個乞丐。
季子對他說：“餵！這地上有一塊兒金子，你撿去用吧！一會兒被其他乞丐撿走，你就什麼都沒有了！”
這個人聽了非常生氣，他說：“你憑什麼認為我是乞丐？是因為我的衣服很舊？還是因為我很瘦？你覺得我佷可憐嗎？”
這個人說：“今天就算你是有錢人，你都不可以這樣對我說話！”
季子很不好意思，於是客氣地問這個人的名字。這個人說：“你是一個沒有禮貌的人，我不想告訴你我的名字。”

English translation:
Jizi was a man of ancient China. Once he went on a journey, resting by the street side whenever he felt exhausted. He spotted a piece of gold on the ground. “Someone could have lost this by accident,“ thought Jizi.
Since Jizi was a wealthy man, he did not want to pick up this piece of gold.
Right at this moment, there was someone passing by. “This man is so scraggy, his clothes are tattered too, he’s got to be a beggar,” thought Jizi.
“Hey, there’s a piece of gold on the ground, go pick it up and use it! You will gain nothing if it were picked by other beggars later,” Jizi told him.
Enraged, this man said, “What makes you think of me as a beggar? Is it because my old clothes are too worn? Or is it because I am too skinny? Are you thinking that I am deplorable?”
“Even if you are a rich man, you should never talk to me like that!” the man said.
Jizi felt very embarrassed and asked this man’s politely what his name was. “You are a ill-mannered man, I don’t want to tell you,” said the man.