A little change from the usual topic of geography, nature and travel. Today I talk about the topic of World Book Day. I discusss my opinions on if people are reading more or not, and I discuss which books had the biggest influence on me growing up!

English on the Road 

World Book Day! Are People Reading More?

In this episode we will talk about learning a foreign language and common misconceptions and mistakes that usually accompany it. As well as what you can do and try to make the learning process easier, smother and more efficient!

Vlad's teaching tales

Learning a foreign language

然后，在一天的早晨，恰好在太阳升起的时候，她开放了。
Then one morning, exactly at sunrise, she suddenly showed herself.
她已经精细地做了那么长的准备工作，却打着哈欠说道：
And, after working with all this painstaking precision, she yawned and said:
我刚刚睡醒，真对不起，
Ah! I am scarcely awake. I beg that you will excuse me.
瞧我的头发还是乱蓬蓬的…
My petals are still all disarranged.
小王子这时再也控制不住自己的爱慕心情：“你是多么美丽啊！”
But the little prince could not restrain his admiration: "Oh! How beautiful you are!"
花儿悠然自得地说：“是吧，我是与太阳同时出生的…”
"Am I not?" the flower responded, sweetly. "And I was born at the same moment as the sun."
小王子看出了这花儿不太谦虚，可是她确实丽姿动人。
The little prince could guess easily enough that she was not any too modest–but how moving–and exciting–she was!
她随后又说道：“现在该是吃早点的时候了吧，请你也想着给我准备一点…”
"I think it is time for breakfast," she added an instant later. "If you would have the kindness to think of my needs".
小王子很有些不好意思，于是就拿着喷壶，打来了一壶清清的凉水，浇灌着花儿。

And the little prince, completely abashed, went to look for a sprinkling-can of fresh water. So, he tended the flower.
于是，就这样，这朵花儿就以她那有点敏感多疑的虚荣心折磨着小王子。
So, too, she began very quickly to torment him with her vanity– which was, if the truth be known, a little dificult to deal with.
例如，有一天，她向小王子讲起她身上长的四根刺：“老虎，让它张着爪子来吧！”
One day, for instance, when she was speaking of her four thorns, she said to the little prince: "Let the tigers come with their claws!"
小王子顶了她一句：“在我这个星球上没有老虎，而且，老虎是不会吃草的”。
"There are no tigers on my planet," the little prince objected. "And, anyway, tigers do not eat weeds."
花儿轻声说道：“我并不是草。”
"I am not a weed," the flower replied, sweetly.
真对不起。
Please excuse me.
我并不怕什么老虎，可我讨厌穿堂风。
I am not at all afraid of tigers, she went on, but I have a horror of drafts.
你没有屏风？
I suppose you wouldn't have a screen for me?
小王子思忖着：“讨厌穿堂风…这对一株植物来说，真不走运，这朵花儿真不大好伺候…”
"A horror of drafts–that is bad luck, for a plant," remarked the little prince, and added to himself, "This flower is a very complex creature."

小王子-The Little Prince-Read in Chinese

小王子第19章：婀娜的花朵

Tune in to elevate your English: Engaging content for sharper listening skills, one episode at a time!

Daily English Podcast

Daily English Podcast Chapter # 5

Yo-You 与你同行（Diary）

天气

ESPAÑOL FACIL: desde ESPAÑA con MERCE

INTRODUCCION

English teacher Smith speaks to James, from China about grammar and syntax. Grab a drink and give this episode a listen.

LEARN BY LISTENING

Just 5 Minutes: Grammar and Syntax

        李白(701- 762), 是中国唐朝时期著名的诗人，他小时候对学习很不感兴趣，经常跑到外边玩儿。一天，李白在河边发现一位老婆婆竟然在磨一根铁棒子。李白觉得很好奇，就走过去问老婆婆在干什么，原来老婆婆的孙女要学绣花，她要给孙女做一根绣花针。
        李白听完以后，像大部分孩子一样哈哈大笑，因为他认为把铁棒子磨成绣花针太浪费时间了，等老婆婆磨好了，她孙女可能也变成老婆婆了。可是，老婆婆自信地告诉他：“只要功夫深，铁杆磨成针。”
        听完老婆婆的回答，李白突然明白了一个道理：无论做什么事情，只要坚持就可能成功。从此，李白就开始努力学习、积累知识，最终成为一名伟大的诗人。

        看完这个谚语故事，你知道努力和坚持对成功有多么重要了吧？

功夫 [gōng fu] workmanship; skill
铁杵磨成针[tiě chǔ mó chénɡ zhēn]
an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle — perseverance will prevail
老婆婆[lǎo po pó] granny(used by children in addressing an old woman)
绣花[xiù huā]embroider; do embroidery


Li Bai (701- 762) was a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty of China. When he was young, Li Bai was not interested in learning at all, and he often went out playing. One day, Li Bai saw an old woman grinding an iron pestle by the river. He felt so curious that he went over and asked the old woman what she was doing . It turned out that she was making a needle for her granddaughter to learn embroidery. 
Having heard this, Li Bai laughed as most kids would do, because he thought it was a waste of time to grind an iron pestle into a needle and that by the day the needle was made, her granddaughter would have turned into an old woman herself. However, the old woman told him with confidence: "As long as you work hard enough, an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle." 
Suddenly Li Bai realized that perseverance would help one succeed in everything. From then on, Li Bai began to study hard and accumulate knowledge. He finally became a great poet! 
After reading this story, you must have learned how important hard work and perseverance are to success.

HSK6 Vocab Based - Short Story Podcast

04. 中国谚语--只要功夫深, 铁杵磨成针 Chinese proverb - As Long as You Work Hard Enough, an Iron Pestle Can Be Ground Down to a Needle 

If you look up “get” in a dictionary, you might see anywhere from 10 to 20 definitions.  That is really scary.  However, I have some good news.  There is a much easier way to remember how to use “get.”  

Instead of memorizing dozens of meanings, it’s better to organize the meanings of “get” into groups.  Each group is easy to recognize because it is based on what comes after “get.” 

For the full text of this podcast, please go to https://www.difficultenglishexplained.com/the-verb-get-not-as-complicated-as-it-looks/ . 
 