[Culture ★] Cat Festival in Tokyo
[Travel ★] Amsterdam in London
[Lifestyle ★★] The West Edmonton Mall
[World News ★★] Philippines to split from the USA
[Culture ★★] Husband and wife become saints
[World News ★★★] ObamaCare Premiums Are Going to Soar Next Year
[Science ★★★] Dogs dream about their owners, says scientist
[Environment ★★★★] How Air Pollution Impacts Childhood Mental Health
[Lifestyle ★★★★] How to Make Your Hair Super Shiny When You’re Air-Drying
[Culture ★]
(P1) This news is from Tokyo. A cat festival happens there. People dress up as cats. They paint their faces, wear masks, and put on cat ears. They parade through the streets.
(P2) A Japanese designer organizes this festival. The festival celebrates three things: Halloween, autumn, and cats. The festival is a hit. People look very good.
(P3) The Japanese love cats. They have cat cafes and Hello Kitty. People love homeless cats, too.
WORDS: 71
SOURCE: http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/cat-festival-in-tokyo-level-1/
VOCABULARY: festival, paint, masks, parade, celebrates, homeless
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
Image source: By Miyuki Meinaka, CC-BY-SA3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maneki_Cat_Festival_in_Ise,_2013.jpg
[Travel ★]
(P1) EasyJet is an airline. It makes a special tour. You can visit Holland without leaving London.
(P2) You meet real people and places on the tour. There are many surprises on the way, too.
(P3) EasyJet thinks that it is good to travel. The tour shows this to people.
WORDS: 47
SOURCE: http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/amsterdam-in-london-level-1/
VOCABULARY: airline, special, real, surprises, thinks
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
Image source: By Arpingstone, public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Low.cost.carrier.easyjet.arp.jpg
[Lifestyle ★★]
(P1) The West Edmonton Mall is the largest shopping mall in North America and the fifth largest in the world. It is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It opened in 1981 and has gotten bigger as more shopping areas were constructed. It was completed in 1998. In total, there are now more than 800 stores in the mall. It is so big there are 58 different entrances. Of course, because it is one of the world’s largest malls, it has a very large car park. There are enough parking spaces for more than 20,000 cars.
(P2) People sometimes call the West Edmonton Mall the West Ed Mall. There are so many things people can do in the West Ed Mall. It has over 110 different places to eat. There are two Baskin Robbins 31 ice cream stores, two KFCs, and three McDonalds. Surprisingly, there is only one Starbucks coffee shop. If you don’t want to go shopping, you can go for a swim. The mall also has the world’s largest indoor wave pool. The mall also has an indoor amusement park. It is the second-largest indoor amusement park in the world and has 24 rides and attractions. There is always something to do at the West Edmonton Mall!
WORDS: 206
SOURCE: http://dreamreader.net/lesson/the-west-edmonton-mall-2/
VOCABULARY: largest, bigger, entrances, indoor, rides
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
Image source: by Dylan Kereluk from White Rock, Canada https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shops_in_WEM.jpg
[Culture ★★]
(P1) A husband and wife became saints on the same day for the first time in history. They were canonized by the pope at a synod in the Vatican.
(P2) The couple lived in France in the 19th century. They were the parents of five daughters. All of the daughters later became nuns. The most respected one is Saint Therese of Lisieux.
(P3) The synod is focused on how the church can be a better minister to modern families.
WORDS: 76
SOURCE: http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/husband-and-wife-become-saints-level-2/?utm_source=old
VOCABULARY: saints, canonized, synod, nuns, minister
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
Image source: “Pope Francis Korea Haemi Castle 19” by Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Photographer name). Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pope_Francis_Korea_Haemi_Castle_19.jpg
[World News ★★]
(P1) The Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte said his country will move away from the USA and work with China. Mr. Duterte might also get closer to Russia. He said: “Maybe I will talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, the Philippines, and Russia.” Duterte said he would end military and economic agreements with the USA. He told the USA: “Your stay in my country was for your own benefit. So it is time to say goodbye.”
(P2) Things could now change in Asia. China will be stronger and the USA will be weaker. The USA may have to leave its military bases in the Philippines. This would be a big problem for the USA. A US spokesman said it could change its whole approach to the region. The US and the Philippines were close partners for 65 years. The Russian newspaper ‘Russia Today’ wrote about the change. It said China has just turned an old rival into a friend.
WORDS: 166
SOURCE: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1610/161022-philippines-1.html
VOCABULARY: economic, benefit, military bases, approach, rival
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
Image source: by Credit:pawel.gaul iStock http://www.istockphoto.com/th/photo/map-and-flag-of-philippines-gm185300608-19375693
[World News ★★★]
(P1) Premiums will go up sharply next year under President Obama’s health care law, and many consumers will be down to just one insurer, the administration confirmed Monday. That’s sure to stoke another ObamaCare controversy days before a presidential election, the AP reports. Before taxpayer-provided subsidies, premiums for a midlevel benchmark plan will increase an average of 25% across the 39 states served by the federally run online market, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Some states will see much bigger jumps, others less.
(P2) Major national carriers such as UnitedHealth Group, Humana, and Aetna scaled back their roles, meaning about one in five consumers will only have plans from a single insurer to pick from. Republicans pounced on the numbers as a warning that insurance markets created by the 2010 health overhaul are teetering toward a “death spiral.” “It’s over for ObamaCare,” Donald Trump proclaimed at a campaign rally Monday evening in Tampa, Fla., promising that his own plan would deliver “great health care at a fraction of the cost.” Administration officials, however, stress that subsidies provided under the law, which are designed to rise alongside premiums, will protect most customers.
WORDS: 196
SOURCE: http://www.newser.com/story/233047/obamacare-premiums-to-leap-an-average-25.html
VOCABULARY: stoke, subsidies, benchmark, carriers, pounced, proclaimed
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
Image source: by Pablo Martinez Monsivais http://www.newser.com/story/233047/obamacare-premiums-to-leap-an-average-25.html
