In this episode, I talk about the difference between passive and Active Vocabulary. I also explain ways to improve productive knowledge.

Rethinking Language Learning

Receptive & Productive Vocabulary

南辕北辙 [nán yuán běi zhé]：outh/shafts of a cart or carriage/north/trail；to try to go south by driving the chariot north,The idom means to act in a way that defeats one's purpose.
邯郸 hán dān：a city in Hebei Province
熨烫 yùn tàng：ironing
拜见 bài jiàn：pay a formal visit
精良 jīng liáng：excellent; superior; of the best quality
依仗 yī zhàng：count on;rely on
殊不知 shū bù zhī：little imagined;hardly realize

乐读中文 (Lè Dú Zhōngwén) - "Joyful Chinese Stories"

南辕北辙[nán yuán běi zhé]

Today, let's try practicing some Russian tongue twisters! Tongue twisters are a fantastic tool for improving your pronunciation, focusing on challenging sounds, and increasing your speech speed, ultimately making it clearer.
Give it a shot and try repeating after me. I'll read each one twice: first slowly, and then closer to normal speed.

бык тупогУб, тупогУбенький бычОк, у быкА белА губА былА тупА. (б,п) 

Карл у КлАры укрАл корАллы, а КлАра у КАрла укрАла кларнЕт. (к,р,л)

на мелИ мы налИма ленИво ловИли, менЯли налИма вы мне на линЯ. о любвИ не менЯ ли вы мИло молИли, и в тумАны ЛимАна манИли менЯ. (л,м,н)

These tongue twisters focus on various Russian sounds. Try to articulate them as clearly as possible. Let's focus on accuracy rather than speed. Good luck!

Russian with Elina

Russian tongue twisters - part 2

A：桌子下面有个猫。
B：那是我的猫，它叫花花。
A：它很漂亮。
B：是啊，我觉得它的眼睛最漂亮。
A：它多大了？
B：六个月。


日常对话 daily conversation

聊天

This episode introduces listeners to Walt Whitman, "America's World Poet." Listen to Whitman's poem, "Beginning My Studies," along with a short description of his life and a discussion of the language he uses.

Beginning my studies, the first step pleas’d me so much, 
The mere fact, consciousness — these forms — the power of motion,
 The least insect or animal — the senses — eyesight — love;
 The first step, I say, aw’d me and pleas’d me so much,
 I have hardly gone, and hardly wish'd to go, any farther,
 But stop and loiter all the time, to sing it in ecstatic songs.

Enchanted English

Episode 1: Beginning My Studies

This podcast episode will help you with numerous expressions that contain the words 'upon'. Be sure to go to my profile and book your online English lesson! ^^

All About English and How You Learn It!

Phrasal Verbs that Have 'Upon'

Do you find it harder to be nice and cooperative when you're tired? You're not alone — and there's actually science behind that feeling.

Researchers in Italy looked at how being tired affected people's brains and the decisions they made.

They looked at a total of almost 450 people. The participants all started by doing a set of similar tasks for about 45 minutes — but for one group, the tasks were made much more difficult to make the participants mentally tired.

For example, the mentally tired group was given more difficult quiz questions to answer. And while everyone watched funny videos, the mentally tired group was told to try not to smile or laugh.

Participants then played several economic games that asked them to make decisions that would give different benefits to themselves and others, like deciding how to share points in a group.

It was found that mentally tired participants were much less likely to make cooperative decisions in the games. They were also more likely to choose "antisocial" and "spiteful" options — where they could, say, choose to use some of their own points to reduce someone else's points instead of using them to help themselves or the group.

Why did this happen?

Among the mentally tired group, the researchers found a much stronger increase in "slow-wave" activity in parts of the brain used for things like planning, paying attention, controlling emotions and understanding others. These "slow waves" are similar to the ones seen in our brains when we sleep.

The researchers said this increase in slow waves may explain tired participants' less cooperative decisions.

So when you're tired after a long day, you may be less nice because the parts of your brain you need to help you cooperate are actually going to sleep!

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Science of Spite: Why We're Meaner when We're Tired

Many of us are preoccupied with things that happened in the past of things that hasn't happen yet. As a result, many struggle with focus. Today's podcast is a story time full of yet new lessons.