Before you take your IELTS speaking exam don’t you think it would be a a good idea to know what the examiners are looking for? What’s the difference between a band 5 and a band 6 ? What do you have to do to get a band 7 ? Why do some people get band 8? What’s the difference between a 7 and 8, or the difference between 8 and 9?

IELTS Speaking Practice

What are the examiners looking for?

Un sacré cuisinier
Tire-Bouchon, le petit cochon rose est terriblement gourmand mais vraiment pas doué pour la cuisine. Heureusement, ce sont ses parents qui s’en occupent.
Aujourd'hui, cependant, il a décidé de confectionner un gâteau. Il suit la recette avec application et enfourne le gâteau dans la cuisinière.
C’est une réussite totale et Tire-Bouchon est très fier.
Hélas, la cuisine est dans un état lamentable : du chocolat sur les murs, de la pâte sur le buffet, deux bols et un saladier cassés. Tire-Bouchon est tellement sale que sa mère a du mal à le reconnaître.
Fera-t-il encore souvent la cuisine ?

Des Milliers D'histoires

Histoire 13 - Un sacré cuisinier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rslklFLXnY&list=PLhJiygJTn2WJuONVoegs5x8nuhEqXNtB5&index=3

Molodets! Подкаст по изучению английского языка и американской культуре для носителей русского языка

1.3 Департамент автотранспортных средств в США

Cerita Pendek Indonesia (A1-A2)

09 Alasan

In this episode, Smith discusses some of the most common challenges learners face when studying English. From pronunciation issues to confidence struggles, discover practical solutions to overcome these obstacles and take your English skills to the next level. Whether you're just starting or looking to improve, these tips will help you tackle your biggest language problems!

LEARN BY LISTENING

STOP Tolerating These Popular Problems

In this episode, I discuss how to manage and handle conflict. We experience conflict in our personal and professional lives so it is important to equip ourselves with the tools to deal with it.

Matcha & Meditation

Conflict Management

To hear more about languages evolving alongside one another and have an interesting convo with me on this subject, be sure to book a lesson with me right away!

All About English and How You Learn It!

How French Has Influenced the English Language

The character "舌" is composed of the radical "舌" (tongue) itself. It is a pictographic character, resembling a tongue extending from a mouth.

Meaning (字义)
The character "舌" primarily means "tongue." It can also extend to meanings related to speech and taste.

 Usage (用法)
"舌" is commonly used in words and phrases related to the tongue, speech, or taste. 

Example Words (例词)
1.舌头 (shé tou) - tongue
他咬了自己的舌头。 (Tā yǎo le zìjǐ de shé tou.)
He bit his tongue.

2.口舌 (kǒu shé) - quarrel, dispute (literally "mouth and tongue")
他们之间有很多口舌。 (Tāmen zhījiān yǒu hěnduō kǒu shé.)
There are many quarrels between them.

3.舌尖 (shé jiān) - tip of the tongue
舌尖尝味道。 (Shé jiān cháng wèidào.)
The tip of the tongue tastes flavors.

Example Sentences (例句)

他用舌头舔冰淇淋。 (Tā yòng shé tou tiǎn bīngqílín.)
He licks the ice cream with his tongue.

她的舌头很灵活。 (Tā de shé tou hěn línghuó.)
Her tongue is very flexible.

用舌头说话。 (Yòng shé tou shuō huà.)
Speak with the tongue.

Summary
The character "舌" is related to the tongue and its functions, including tasting and speaking. Its usage is straightforward and can be found in common expressions and daily language.

Four-Character Idiom (四字成语)

成语: 舌战群儒 (shé zhàn qún rú)

Meaning (意义)
"舌战群儒" literally means "to battle a group of Confucian scholars with one's tongue." It refers to using eloquent speech to argue and defeat a group of scholars or debaters.

Usage (用法)
This idiom is used to describe a situation where someone wins an argument or debate against multiple opponents through the power of speech.

Example Sentence (例句)
在辩论会上，他舌战群儒，赢得了观众的掌声。 (Zài biànlùn huì shàng, tā shé zhàn qún rú, yíngdé le guānzhòng de zhǎngshēng.)
At the debate competition, he eloquently argued against a group of scholars and won the audience's applause.


每日一字

One of the common goals for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s is to "get on the property ladder."

The idea is that when you buy your first home you're taking your first step on that ladder. In time, you may be able to climb higher by selling your property and buying a bigger or better one.

But taking that first step can be difficult — and scary. So what do you need to know before you go from renting or living with family to becoming a homeowner?

Writing for CNBC, real estate reporter Celia Fernandez shared a number of things she wished she'd done before buying her first home.

One thing she mentioned was making sure she had all the necessary paperwork in one place so she could easily show it to banks or lenders. This is good advice for anyone buying a property — you'll probably need to share things like your payslips, bank records and tax returns several times!

Fernandez also advises people to look for "free money." Your country or region may have grants or other programs to help home buyers. Look out for things like tax breaks for first-time home buyers, or grants for refurbishing older homes.

She also suggests asking for financial help from family members. "My biggest regret is not talking to our loved ones right at the beginning of our search," she said.

Of course, not everyone will have this option. But some parents may want to give money to their children during their lives rather than waiting to pass it on as an inheritance, for example.

Finally, Fernandez says it's important to take into account the costs of closing a sale. That might include taxes, legal fees, inspection fees or fees for a real estate agent — and don't forget that you may also have initial refurbishment costs.

You don't want an expensive surprise just as you get your first home!