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A present please! Let’s ask for things in English! プレゼントをください！英語でお願いしてみましょう！
This week's video shows a simple but polite way to ask for something you want. It's easy to practice at mealtimes! 今週の動画は、何か欲しいものがあるときに使う簡単で礼儀正しい言い方を紹介します。食事のときに練習してみましょう！ Classroom Tip Practice the target language from Happy Valley 1 Unit 8 with this video. After,...
Trivia of the Week: Wooden Leg
Here is a joke. Two men are talking. One says, "I know a man with a wooden leg named Smith." The other man says, "Really? What's the name of his other leg?" The first man's sentence is normally understood to mean he knows a man named Smith, and Smith has...
Idiom of the Week: Mexican Standoff
"Neither of us wanted to make a deal, so it was a Mexican standoff." A Mexican standoff is a confrontation in which nobody has a good option. The tension continues because nobody has an advantage and nobody can retreat. 「誰も取引したくなかったので先にも後にも進めない状況だった。」...
Word of the Week: Anonymous
"The police received an anonymous tip." "No one knows who wrote this because it was published anonymously." When you are anonymous, it means no one knows who you are. Your name and identity are not shown. In many places on the Internet, you can write comments...
Picture of the Week: Upside-Down Bee
Bees pollinate not only decorative flowers, but also many plants we grow for food. Bees gather pollen, visiting different flowers. In the process, the bee brings pollen from one flower to another, allowing the flowers to make seeds....
Phrase of the Week: On My Mind
"Tell me what's on your mind." "I can't get Danielle off my mind. I'm going to apologize to her." When you are thinking about something, it is "on your mind".If you can't stop thinking about it, you can't get it "off your mind". 「何考えているのか教えて。」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"Unfortunately your insurance doesn't cover to water damage." Find the mistake. A. Unfortunately B. your insurance C. cover to D. water damage 「残念ながら水によるダメージは保険の対象外です。」 保険の対象になるものは「covered」と言います。"Is tornado damage covered in this plan?" でも「to」は必要ありません。「Apply...
Trivia of the Week: King Tut
Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled from 1332 to 1323 BC. His famous mask became a popular symbol of ancient Egypt. He was only nine or ten years old when he became pharaoh. Many people find his name difficult to pronounce, so he is often known by the...
Idiom of the Week: A Fish Out of Water
"I went to a party with some of my classmates but I didn't really fit in. I felt like a fish out of water." A fish belongs in the water, so when it is in the air or on the land it is very uncomfortable. We say someone is like a fish out of water when they are in an...
Word of the Week: Delegate
"A good boss knows when to delegate tasks to others." When you work in a group, you cannot do everything on your own. You have to trust the other members of the group to finish their own tasks. A good leader will delegate much of the work to other group...
Picture of the Week: Grizzly Bears
A mother grizzly bear walks through the wintery mountains with her two cubs in Yellowstone Park. Do bears live in your area? What kind? ...
Phrase of the Week: On the Mend
“How is your father? I heard he was sick.” “Yes, but he’s on the mend.” “Mend” can mean to fix something: “I mended the hole in my sock.” It can also mean to heal: “It takes a long time for a broken bone to mend.” When someone is getting better after an injury or...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“The _______ casing will protect it even if you drop it.” Fill in the blank. A. soft B. hardly C. durable D. fortitude 「落としても丈夫なケースが守ってくれます。」...
Kinkajou is playing soccer! Let’s practice using –ing verbs! キンカジューがサッカーしてるよ！動詞の「ing」を勉強しましょう！
Did you know that Kinka is a kinkajou? It's a small animal from Central and South America. It's related to the raccoon but looks more like a monkey and lives in trees. Let's practice using the present continuous tense with Kinka in this week's video!...
Trivia: Croquembouche
A croquembouche is a French dessert. It's basically a cake that is a big pile of choux pastries or choux creams that may be decorated with chocolate, almonds, or various sweets. They are common at important parties such as weddings in Italy and France. ...
Idiom of the Week: Come to Your Senses
"So you've decided not to quit your job and become an ostrich photographer after all? I'm glad you've come to your senses." To come to one's senses is to think clearly. We say someone has come to their senses when they give up an idea or stop doing something...
Word of the Week: Try
"You have to try this tea I bought!" "I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I tried it and it was great." "Have you tried rebooting your computer?" "You won't know if you can solve that homework problem until you actually try." "Try" means to do something when...
Picture of the Week: Star Trails
Pictures like these are made by photographing the night sky over many hours. You can see the paths of the stars moving through the sky. Because the exposure is long, the ground also looks bright even though it's night. ...
Phrase of the Week: Work it out
"I don't think Sylvia will ever forgive me." "Don't worry. If she loves you, you'll find a way to work it out." "I can't do this math problem in my head. I need to work it out on paper." The "it" in "work it out" is some kind of problem. It can be any kind, from a...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"The project can't succeed if we don't _______ sufficient resources to it." Fill in the blank. A. allocate B. locate C. take D. pursue 「十分な資源を配分しないとプロジェクトが成功するはずがない。」...
