The name “Confucius” might seem distant and boring. But Confucianism is integrated into the daily life of Chinese people. Have you ever thought that he Confucius was also a child who was confused, full of dreams and undisciplined like us? In this episode, let's start with Confucius and see who he is
孔子，好像是一个遥远而无聊的名词，又好像融入在中国人日常生活的点点滴滴。你可曾想过，他也是一个曾和我们一样，有着迷茫和困惑、梦想和不甘的有血有肉的孩子呢，这一期，让我们从孔子开始，看看他是谁

中华文化Dinah说

Confucius (Part 2) 孔子(下)

Canciones  cortas

Decir   en pretérito

Some animals have been known to use tools such as sticks, rocks and even bait to hunt for food. And humpback whales have been found using their own unique tool to hunt — bubbles.

A study published in Royal Society Open Science in August observed the hunting behaviors of more than 70 humpback whales in Stephens Passage in southeast Alaska, documenting how the whales blow bubbles to catch more prey.

Humpback whales hunt for krill — small, shrimp-like creatures that are around the same size as a paperclip, and which swim in swarms.

Whales can take in large amounts of krill in one mouthful. And to make this easier, humpback whales trap swarms of krill in "bubble nets" before feeding on them.

The whales create these "nets" by releasing air from their blowhole as they swim in circles below the surface of the water. The bubbles rise in a spiral pattern, which, from above the water's surface, looks more like artwork than a tool for hunting.

The rising bubbles create "curtains" of air around the krill that they are reluctant to swim through, although researchers aren't yet sure why this is. The whales then swim up through the "net" with an open mouth to eat the trapped krill.

The study data showed that as a whale swam in tighter circles and the "net" got smaller, the krill caught inside became, on average, more than seven times denser. This allowed the whales to catch more krill in a single mouthful.

A whale doesn't have to move very fast to create a net or eat trapped krill, allowing it to get more food without using any more energy.

While not many other animals create their own tools to catch prey like the humpback whale, there are examples of animals using other tools to hunt.

For example, chimpanzees have been observed using sticks to dig for bugs, while sea otters use rocks to open mussels. Certain species of heron have even been found to use food as bait to attract fish.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Humpback Whales Use Bubbles to Hunt

It's no secret that Hawaii is a favorite destination for Japanese tourists. In 2023, the islands welcomed around 573,000 visitors from Japan — the most from any country.

But did you know there's a connection between Japan and Hawaii that goes beyond travel and into clothing?

Aloha shirts, also known as Hawaiian shirts, have roots in Japanese culture, beginning with Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.

In the late 1800s, Japanese immigrants in Hawaii started importing Japanese clothing as well as rolls of fabric to make clothes with.

In the 1920s, locals in Hawaii saw these fabrics and started using them to make casual dress shirts with Japanese patterns on them. These shirts became popular with tourists to Hawaii.

Soon after, aloha shirts were made in bulk, but instead of using fabric made for Japanese clothing, stores in Hawaii started bringing in printed fabrics made just for aloha shirts.

And by the late 1930s, the designs had changed from Japanese patterns to the Hawaiian inspired patterns we're used to today — images of Mount Fuji and Japanese pine trees were replaced with things like coconut trees, surfers and fish.

But even though today's aloha shirts don't look very Japanese inspired, they still remain popular within Japan.

Yosuke Seki, an aloha shirt aficionado who goes to Hawaii every year, told CNN he wears his shirts daily, and hopes to inspire others to try them.

"Right now, I'm wearing a replica of one of the expensive designs," Seki said, adding that his shirt cost between $130 and $200. The more expensive shirts can cost thousands of dollars, he explained.

And for some fans, aloha shirts are not just clothing — they're collectable items, or even considered art.

Yoshihiro Nakano is the brand director of Sun Surf, a Japanese company that has been making aloha shirts for about 50 years. Many customers don't even wear the aloha shirts they buy, and instead just collect them or frame them, Nakano told CNN.

From Japan to Hawaii: The History of Aloha Shirts

The cutting of huge figures or ‘geoglyphs’ into the earth of English hillsides has taken place for more than 3,000 years. There are 56 hill figures scattered around England, with the vast majority on the chalk down lands of the country’s southern counties. The figures include giants, horses, crosses and regimental badges. Although the majority of these geoglyphs date within the last 300 years or so, there are one or two that are much older.

The most famous of these figures is perhaps also the most mysterious — the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire. The White Horse has recently been re-dated and shown to be even older than its previously assigned ancient pre-Roman Iron Age* date. More controversial is the date of the enigmatic Long Man of Wilmington in Sussex. While many historians are convinced the figure is prehistoric, others believe that it was the work of an artistic monk from a nearby priory and was created between the 11th and 15th centuries.
The method of cutting these huge figures was simply to remove the overlying grass to reveal the gleaming white chalk below. However, the grass would soon grow over the geoglyph again unless it was regularly cleaned or scoured by a fairly large team of people. One reason that the vast majority of hill figures have disappeared is that when the traditions associated with the figures faded, people no longer bothered or remembered to clear away the grass to expose the chalk outline. Furthermore, over hundreds of years the outlines would sometimes change due to people not always cutting in exactly the same place, thus creating a different shape to the original geoglyph. The fact that any ancient hill figures survive at all in England today is testament to the strength and continuity of local customs and beliefs which, in one case at least, must stretch back over millennia.

The Habits of Women Growing Into Strong, Confident English Communicators

Cambridge 16 Reading Test 2.   The White Horse of Uffington

Niby prosta odpowiedź, a tak wiele można o tym powiedzieć.

Rozmawiamy po czesku

Jak po czesku "chleb"?

Unfortunately a devastating hurricane hit America last week.😥 In this podcast, you will learn more about it. 📚

REČNIK:
URAGAN - Tropski ciklon (orkan, uragan ili tajfun) meteorološka je pojava na Zemlji koja se sastoji od brzih vetrova i mnogo kiše. Uragani mogu trajati nekoliko dana ili nedelja i česta su pojava na istoku SAD-a, jugoistočnoj Aziji i na severu Australije.

Срећно учење! / Srećno učenje!✨
If you liked this podcast, please contact me for the transcript.📃
See you in class! 👋


SERBIAN TO GO

ВЕСТИ: Ураган Хелен у Америци – Uragan Helen u Americi (B1 and above)

Try it now！
Keywords to help you understand：
星座 [xīng zuò]  n. constellation
属相 [shǔ xiàng]  year of birth ; Chinese Zodiac
天秤座 [tiān chèng zuò]  n. libra
命运 [mìng yùn]  destiny ; fate 

他们在聊啥？What are they talking about？

星座和属相 Constellation and Chinese Zodiac

Sījī: 	Nín 	qù 	nǎr 	? 
司机： 	您 	去 	哪儿？ 
Yuēhàn: 	Wǒ 	bù 	zhīdɑo 	zhèɡe 	dìfɑnɡ. 
约翰： 	我 	不 	知道 	这个 	地方。 
Sījī: 	Hái 	yǒu 	biéde 	dìzhǐ 	mɑ? 
司机： 	还 	有 	别的 	地址 	吗？ 
Yuēhàn: 	Zài 	diànshìtái 	fùjìn. 
约翰： 	在 	电视台 	附近。 
Sījī: 	Hǎo 	de, 	nín 	shànɡ 	chē 	bɑ. 
司机： 	好 	的， 	您 	上 	车 	吧。 
Yuēhàn: 	Nín 	nénɡ 	bunénɡ 	zài 	kuài 	yìdiǎnr? 
约翰： 	您 	能 	不能 	再 	快 	一点儿？ 
Sījī: 	Hǎo 	de, 	nín 	zuòhǎo 	le. 
司机： 	好 	的， 	您 	坐好 	了。 
Yuēhàn: 	Shīfu, 	diànshìtāi 	dào 	le, 	jiù 	tínɡ 
约翰： 	师傅， 	电视台 	到 	了， 	就 	停 
zài 	ménkǒu 	bɑ. 
在 	门口 	吧。 
