This episode will take you for a tour of Malta's best secret places to visit (if you ever visit). I include places in Malta and in Gozo! I hope you enjoy the listening and can't wait to know more about what YOUR country has to offer! 

Introducing my country: MALTA 🇲🇹   ... What about yours?!

Nice Places to Visit in Malta (...that not many tourists know about)

A palatalized consonant is pronounced with the blade of the tongue pressed up against the hard palate. A palatalized consonant sounds like a consonant plus the [y] sound of “yes” pronounced at the exact same time. The letter ь ( мягкий знак ) indicates that the preceding consonant is palatalized.

In addition to ь, the vowel letters е, ё, и, ю, and я also indicate that the preceding 
consonant is palatalized. 

на - ня
но - нё
ну - ню
ны - ни
нэ - не
нь

ма - мя
мо - мё
му - мю
мы - ми
мэ - ме
мь

да - дя
до - дё
ду - дю
ды - ди
дэ - де
дь

та - тя
то - тё
ту - тю
ты - ти
тэ - те
ть


Russian Pronunciation wilth Lubov

Palatalized and Unpalatalized (Hard and Soft) Consonants and Ь. Listen and Repeat.

Hi there! In this episode I'll share my opinion about friends, good friends, and best friends. This podcast will be delivered in English. Let's see if we have the same opinion :)

Storyteller's Mind

1 - Friends, Good Friends, and Best Friends

Zhè shì wǒ de māma,
   这 是  我 的 妈妈，
This is my mother,

tā yǒu yì shuāng dàdà de yǎnjing,
她 有 一  双    大大  的   眼睛，
she has a pair of big eyes,

yì bǎ cháng tóufa。
一  把  长  头发。
a bunch of long hair.

Tā jīntiān qī diǎn qǐ chuáng,
她  今天  七 点 起   床，
She got up at 7 today,

bā diǎn chū mén qù mǎi cài。
  八  点  出   门 去 买  菜。
and went out to buy groceries at 8.

Notes:
1）	Monosyllable adjective double indicates to enhance the degree and convey the emotion of like, for example:
dàdà de yǎnjing          gāogāo de bízi      xiǎoxiǎo de zuǐba
大大  的  眼睛                  高高    的 鼻子        小小  的  嘴巴
big eyes                         high nose              small mouth

2) some measure word in Chinese,
A: yì shuāng 一双： used for a pair of 
  yì shuāng kuàizi 一双筷子： a pair of chopsticks
B: yì bǎ     一把： for something in a bunch, or with its legs parted, 
or with a handle
  yì bǎ shūzi 一把梳子： a comb

3)	verb1 + qù 去+ verb2:  
a:   verb2 is the purpose for verb1
                   
a: Māma chū mén qù mǎi cài
     妈妈      出  门     去  买 菜。 （Mother went out to buy groceries.）

 b:  verb1 is the manner for verb2
 b:  Wǒ zuò fēijī qù Shànghǎi. 
       我   坐  飞机  去     上海。    (I took plane to Shanghai.)


Listening & Speaking (Mandarin)

我的妈妈

Standing desks have been promoted as a healthy alternative for office workers who don't want to stay seated in front of a computer all day. But a new study suggests that standing desks may not be so good for us after all.

A research team, led by scientists at the University of Sydney, has found that standing for over two hours a day may increase the risk of developing circulatory diseases that can prevent the proper flow of blood in the body.

The researchers looked at data from over 83,000 adults in the UK who were not suffering from heart disease at the start of the study. For seven days, the participants wore a device on their wrists that recorded the time they spent sitting or standing each day.

After collecting this data, the researchers recorded any heart disease or circulatory health problems the participants experienced over the following seven years.

The research team calculated that after standing for two hours, every extra 30 minutes someone stands increases their risk of having a circulatory disease by 11%.

And although standing was not associated with an increased risk of health problems like heart disease or stroke, standing does not reduce the risk of developing such health problems either.

Speaking to The Guardian, Matthew Ahmadi, one of the authors of the study, said the key point of the study's findings is that standing instead of sitting doesn't provide any health advantage, and could increase health risks for some people.

Emmanuel Stamatakis, one of the other authors of the study, told The Guardian that moving around during the day and getting regular exercise are better ways to reduce the risk of heart disease.

"Take regular breaks, walk around, go for a walking meeting, use the stairs, take regular breaks when driving long distances, or use that lunch hour to get away from the desk and do some movement," he said.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Standing Desks Could Be Bad for Your Health

久(ひさ)しぶりです！今日(きょう)は、スウェーデンのダーラへスト(Dalahäst)について話(はな)します。

Usage of Slow Japanese:
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STEP 3. Check the whole script, it'll fill the gap in your understanding.

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Slow Japanese

Episode #75 - Swedish tradition - Dalahäst

¿Tienes mascotas? ¿Has tenido?

Aquí sobre mis mascotas de infancia...

Déjame tu opinión

Te mando un abrazo 

Hablar por hablar (Listening)

Las macotas 🐶🐱🐰🐹🐔🐴

Smartphones are everywhere these days.

How many advantages and disadvantages of using them can you think of?

In this episode, Nick gives you some more ideas...

IELTS with Nick - World Knowledge 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using smartphones every day?

Anyone who is focused on growing and success will go through a phase where you leave your old self behind. As a result, you can no longer relate to your old friends. However, you are in that  phase wherein you are not fully developed  yet for your new friends.