Today, ex-IELTS examiner Cambridge David shares a great idiom that you can use whenever you're talking about how expensive something is, no matter whether that's in a restaurant, on a holiday, or just talking about any object you've bought recently. Idioms are often the key to getting a great score in the 'vocabulary' criteria of IELTS Speaking. Learn this idiom, and start using it in your next IELTS exam.  

IELTS with Cambridge David

A great idiom for talking about how expensive something is

Jessica is a botanist who is living in the Amazon. Let's listen to her and practice some verbs with a particular conjugation! And please help Nycole to remember how to use the verb to like! 

Work material: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hyuGoUxfpTfRLwfjEFEN3QWH8nT8XfcEpoZwBBCQvCM/edit

Real Spanish Podcast

A botanist in the Amazon 

Transcription
https://www.patreon.com/posts/zhong-wen-shi-02-95740701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Lily's Chinese 对话

20240125少年闰土

ADEL ALBANNA: A PROFISSIONAL ARABIC TEACHER

If you don't already lift weights, it may be time to start. According to researchers from Japan, just 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening exercise a week is enough to lower a person's risk of early death.

Muscle-strengthening exercise can include activities like push-ups, yoga and walking up steps, among others.

The research was based on 16 previously published studies that had between 4,000 and 480,000 adult participants.

The studies were done in the US, England, Scotland, Australia and Japan. The participants had no serious health issues, and they were monitored for at least two years.

The results, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, showed that those who did between 30 and 60 minutes of strength or weight training a week had a 10% to 20% lower risk of early death from all causes.

This type of exercise was also found to lower the risks of heart disease and cancer by about the same amount.

Participants who reported doing a combination of muscle training and aerobic activity were found to have a 40% lower risk of death from all causes, 46% lower risk of heart disease, and 28% lower risk of death from cancer.

However, after 130 to 140 minutes of muscle training, the positive health effects decreased, and were only seen in issues related to diabetes.

Speaking with CNN, University of Minnesota professor William Roberts, who was not part of the study, said the results are good for people who want to improve their health but don't have much time for exercise.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

30 Minutes of Muscle Training Can Lower Risk of Death

سلام من برگشتم با یه پادکست جدید. امروز می‌خوام به شما یک اصطلاح خیلی خیلی پرکاربرد در زبان فارسی یاد بدم "خسته نباشید. 
این اصطلاح در انگلیسی می‌تونه ترجمه بشه به
 "I hope you are not feeling tired" 
اما این اصطلاح دقیقا این معنی رو نداره و ما تو جاهای مختلف ازش استفاده می‌کنیم. امروز من به شما کاربردهای مختلف "خسته نباشید" رومیگم، امیدوارم که کامل مفهومش رو متوجه بشید.  
کاربرد شماره‌ی یک، مثلا وقتی که شما در کلاس هستین و کلاستون تموم میشه و می‌خوایند کلاس رو ترک کنید یا وقتیکه استاد می‌خواد کلاس رو ترک کنه پس شما می‌تونید به استاد بگین "استاد خسته نباشید، خداحافظ".
 کاربرد شماره‌ی دو، مثلا وقتی وارد یک مغازه می شید برای خرید کردن می‌تونین بگین "سلام خسته نباشید" پس همون موقع که وارد مغازه میشید می‌تونید بگید "سلام آقا خسته نباشید" و بعد سوالتون رو بپرسید و..
 کاربرد شماره‌ی سه مثلا وقتی که یک نفر از سر کار برمی‌گرده و خسته است فرض کنید همسر شما از سر کار برمیگرده می‌تونید بهش بگید "خسته نباشی عزیزم" و..
 کاربرد شماره ی چهار، بعضی وقتها ما از این اصطلاح به عنوان طعنه استفاده می‌کنیم فرض کنید دوست شما به شما قول داده یه کاری رو انجام بده و شما به اون زنگ می‌زنید و اون میگه من این کار رو انجام ندادم پس شما می‌تونید بهش بگین "خسته نباشی واقعا!"
 راستی در جواب "خسته نباشید" می‌تونید بگین "سلامت باشین"...  بله اینم از اصطلاح پرکاربرد امروز. امیدوارم ازش خوشتون اومده باشه و وقتی ایران اومدین به خوبی ازش استفاده کنید. تا پادکست بعدی خدانگهدار.


Persian with Shakiba (Upper-Intermediate - Advanced)

خسته نباشید!

Si hablas inglés, la palabra "salario" se parece a tu palabra "salary" pero, ¿viene la palabra "salario" del inglés "salary" o viene la palabra "salary" del español "salario"? 

Curiosidades sobre el español y su cultura

La palabra "salario"

We’ve been told that positivity is the key to learning a language. But what if the opposite is true? In Episode 94 of 111 Tips for Learning a Language, I explore how pessimism—or clear-eyed realism—can actually make you calmer, happier, and more consistent in your studies. By accepting limits, releasing the struggle for perfection, and embracing mistakes as inevitable, you may find more freedom and even more fluency. Listen now and discover the bright side of gloom in your language journey.

Which part of “pessimism as freedom” resonates most with your language learning?

Facing reality and acting for its own sake?

Accepting limits and stopping the struggle?

Embracing failure as non-destructive?

Using defensive pessimism to prepare better?

Episode 94 challenges the idea that positivity is the only path to language learning success. Instead, we explore how pessimism—rooted in reality and acceptance—can set you free. Facing reality helps you value learning for its own sake rather than for a distant fantasy. Accepting limits reduces stress and allows you to appreciate small wins. Embracing failure as inevitable removes the fear of mistakes, and defensive pessimism turns anxiety into thorough preparation. Research in intrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan), acceptance-based coping strategies, and defensive pessimism (Norem) shows that this approach can reduce stress, improve memory, and keep you consistent. The episode concludes with an invitation to stop bracing for perfection and instead find joy in the imperfect but deeply worthwhile present of learning.

💃🏻111 Tips for Learning a Language 

Tip 94 - (ง ◉ _ ◉)ง Do you have what it takes to be a pessimist? How it can help you learn a language.

EL PAPEL PICADO MEXICANO.

El Día de Muertos se representa con diferentes elementos, como la comida de los difuntos, las flores, las veladoras, etc. Pero, sin duda, uno de los más importantes es el papel picado, tan colorido, volátil y divertido que nos fascina. Además, hay quien asegura que si una ofrenda no tiene papel picado, el color y el viento no se representan correctamente en cada altar.

El papel picado está hecho de un papel que no es mexicano y tiene su origen en un sector social un tanto desprotegido gracias a la colonización y las importaciones provenientes de otros países. De ser parte de la unión entre México y Europa pasó a formar parte imperante del Día de Muertos.

El hermoso y colorido papel picado nació en el siglo XIX, cuando China importaba papel de colores como blanco o negro —de ahí viene el nombre “papel China”— pero éste era llevado a Europa y de ahí llegaba a nuestro territorio. No obstante, no se vendía mucho ya que no tenía un uso real o útil pues es ligero y aunque resistente, su fin se avistaba cercano.

Así, las tiendas de raya ubicadas en las grandes haciendas lo vendían, pero no para hacer papel picado, sino para utilizarse en casa. Al no venderse, los peones eran obligados a adquirir pliegos de papel para darles un uso. La leyenda cuenta que en alguna de las tiendas vendían el papel picado y explicaban que así se utilizaba en China, del otro lado del mundo y es real.

En China se utiliza el papel para crear arte, pero sobresalía esta técnica en la que se cortan figuras en trozos de papel, lo cual se trasladó acá y se llama hasta la fecha papel picado. Puebla era el lugar al que más llegaba el papel China y por ello, eran los habitantes quienes más lo adquirían, más específicamente, Huixcolotla. Así, los peones además de dedicarse a las labores agrarias aprendieron a cortar el papel y al ver que eran bonitas y se podían producir en grandes cantidades, decidieron venderlas en poblados cercanos.

