It is always impossible to learn a language without knowing the culture and customs. Today I'm talking about the Soviet alternative to the western genre, the comedy film "White Sun of the Desert".

RUSSIAN BRIDGE PODCAST

Culture Vultures. Советское кино: имена и фильмы III (B1+B2)

"I’m better than I used to be. Better than I was yesterday. But hopefully not as good as I’ll be tomorrow."

A 30-day positive affirmation journey with Rose

Day 13

* Today's phrase is "یادت باشه " which means " remember to ...
** Listen to audio file for correct pronunciations and examples to learn how to use it in your conversation
***Feel free to text me if you have any questions

اصطلاحات و عبارات رایج فارسی / Persian common expressions & phrases 

یادت باشه

In this episode, you will learn 3 tips to help you answer one of the most common job interview questions, "Tell me about yourself."

Get the notes from today's episode at TanniaSuarez.com/blog/tell-me-about-yourself.

Business English with Tannia

How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself"

У цьому тексті про осінь ми говоримо про красу та зміни, які приносить ця чарівна пора року. Ви дізнаєтеся про врожай, кольори природи, традиції, а також про те, як осінь впливає на наш настрій і повсякденне життя. Приготуйтеся насолоджуватися атмосферою осені! 

Розмови та Історії з Альоною (B2-C1)

Осінь - час змін 

Histoires françaises pour débutants A2

Kimamila Part 1

渋沢栄一は「お金」よりも先に「信用」を大切にした人。
フランスで見た社会の仕組み、「論語と算盤」、そして「能く集め能く散ぜよ」。
仕事と人生に効く考え方を、やさしい日本語で読み解きます。
あなたなら「お金」と「信用」、どちらを先に選びますか。

Eiichi Shibusawa valued trust before money—ethics and business, explained in gentle Japanese.

NANA Japanese Listening

渋沢栄一：お金より信用

Crowds of people queued up at Australia's Royal Sydney Botanic Garden on January 23, with some people waiting as long as three hours.

And for what?

A very smelly flower.

The titan arum, known as the "corpse flower," is a tall, pointed plant that releases an unpleasant smell when it blooms. The smell has been likened to things like decaying flesh, gym socks or rotting garbage.

The endangered plant is only found in the Sumatran rainforests in Indonesia, where there are thought to be fewer than 300 of them. It only blooms every 7 to 10 years in its natural habitat.

"The fact that they open very rarely, so they flower rarely, is obviously something that puts them at a little bit of a disadvantage in the wild," said Sophie Daniel from the Royal Sydney Botanic Garden. "When they open, they have to hope that another flower is open nearby, because they can't self-pollinate."

The flower at the botanic garden is the first to bloom there in 15 years, and she's been named Putricia — a combination of "putrid" and "Patricia" — by her fans.

Putricia's online fandom grew quickly and globally. A 24/7 live stream established by the botanic garden drew close to a million views in under a week, and people on social media planned to hurry to the garden as the plant opened. In just 24 hours, Putricia's bloom — and her stench — would be gone.

As she opened, the plant heated to 37 degrees Celsius to better spread her scent. In the wild, the smell tricks pollinators into landing on what they think is rotten meat and spreading pollen between flowers.

Up to 20,000 people filed past for a moment in her pungent presence, leaning in for a sniff or taking selfies.

It was difficult to say why the flower attracted such a following — but perhaps the answer lay in the "reverence" viewers felt in the presence of "such an amazing living being," Daniel said.




Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Crowds Gather in Sydney for Smelly Flower

Join me as I read a short news story about the Notting Hill Carnival 2025 in London. This is one of the UK’s biggest street festivals, celebrating Caribbean culture, music, dance, and food.

This video is designed for English learners and students. You can practice listening, comprehension, and vocabulary while learning more about London’s famous summer event.

The Notting Hill Carnival happens every year in August and brings together thousands of people to enjoy parades, costumes, and live music. In this lesson, you will hear clear and simple English so you can improve your English skills with real news stories.

👉 Perfect for:

English students (A2–B1 level and above)

Learners who want to understand British culture