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Picture of the Week: Goldfish
Did you scoop any goldfish at a summer festival this year? Please take good care of them. As they grow bigger, they will need a bigger tank....
Phrase of the Week: Stand Back
“Stand back! I’m about to light the fireworks.” We use this phrase to warn people not to get too close to something. This could be to keep them at a safe distance from something dangerous, or sometimes to keep something or someone safe from a crowd gathering around....
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“The customer wanted a sandwich, but we were _______ of bread.” Fill in the blank. A. finished B. in C. out D. ended 「客がサンドウィッチを求めたがパンが切れていた。」 「パンが終わっていた」というなら「The bread was finished」という言い方もできますが、ここの「we were ____ of...
Here you are. Thank you! Practice good manners with Kinka and Pinka from Happy Valley. はいどうぞ。ありがとう！ハッピーバレーのキンカとピンカと基本のマナーを練習しましょう！
"Thank you" is one of the most important words to learn in order to get along with people in any language! Let's practice how to give and receive politely in English with this week's video. どの言語でも人と仲良くするには「ありがとう」という単語がとても大切です！今週の動画では、礼儀正しく何かをあげる、何かを受け取る練習をしましょう。...
Trivia of the Week: Shooting Star
A shooting star isn't really a star. It's a meteor falling through the earth's atmosphere. If you see one, you can make a wish. When there are a lot of shooting stars at once, it's a meteor shower....
Idiom of the Week: Too Awesome For Words
"How was the theme park?" "Too awesome for words!" If something is too awesome for words, it's so great that words cannot describe it. The phrase can be used with pretty much any adjective. 「テーマパークはどうだった？」 「言葉にできないほどすごかった！」 言葉では言い表せないほどすごいものを、too awesome for words...
Word of the Week: Stuck
"Help! My hand is stuck in this jar!" "I'm really stuck on this math problem. Can you give me a hint?" When something gets stuck, it is caught in one place and unable to move. If you try to go through a too-small space, you can get stuck. Then you can't go forward or...
Picture of the Week: Lion Friends
When you think of a lion pride, do you imagine a bunch of lionesses and only one male lion? Actually, related male lions can share the same pride. These lions might be brothers....
Phrase of the Week: On a Monthly Basis
"Your progress will be reviewed on a monthly basis so we can be sure you're proceeding in the right direction." If something happens on a monthly basis, it happens once a month. You can also do something on a daily, weekly or yearly basis, if you do it once a day,...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"I finished writing the ad copy, but I'm a terrible speller, so please have someone prove it." Find the mistake. A. finished writing B. ad copy C. terrible speller D. someone prove 「広告のテキストを書き終わりましたが、僕はつづりが苦手なので、誰かにチェックしてもらってください。」...
Playing Outside with Kinka and Pinka from Happy Valley ハッピーバレーのキンカとピンカと一緒に外で遊びましょう！
This week's video is a story! Kinka and Pinka are playing outside. Let's practice talking about their toys and other things in the yard! 今週の動画はストーリータイムです！キンカとピンカが外で遊んでいます。おもちゃなど庭にあるものについて話しましょう！ Classroom Tip Storytime 3 is a chance to introduce the language students...
Trivia of the Week: Marsupials
Marsupials are a kind of animal that has a pouch. Babies live in the pouch after they are born. The most famous is the kangaroo. There are many other kinds too, including koalas. Most of them live in Australia, and many others are found in South America. But we have a...
Idiom of the Week: In Tune
"Wow, you two won the doubles tennis match easily!" "Yeah, we're really in tune." To play together, musical instruments must be tuned so that they hit the same exact pitch if they play the same note. Otherwise the music will sound strange and out of tune. We can use...
Word of the Week: Sore
"My legs are really sore after all that walking yesterday." If your legs are sore, it means your legs hurt. Soreness is a certain kind of pain. It's not so intense, and often comes from muscle pain after getting more exercise than usual, but can also be caused by...
Picture of the Week: Wild Rabbit
Rabbits, like many animals, can hear, see and smell very well. Rabbits can see almost 360 degrees around them. They can smell food that is buried underground, and they can hear sounds from two miles away. What do you think this rabbit hears?...
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Phrase of the Week: Put it on my tab
Sometimes bars have a system in which you can put drinks on your tab and then pay for them all later. That's why you might hear someone say, "Put it on my tab," and receive a drink without appearing to pay for it. When someone pays for something, it's on the payer's...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"This part needs to be ___. Do we have any more?" Fill in the blank. A. removed B. replaced C. redone D. improved 「この部品を入れ替えないといけない。予備はありますか？」...
How Are You? Have a Simple Conversation With Happy Valley’s Pinka! 元気？ハッピーバレーのピンカと簡単な会話をしましょう！
Asking "How are you?" is a great way to start a conversation. Let this week's video show you how to ask and several different ways to answer. 「お元気ですか？」と訊くことは会話を始めるのにとても役に立ちます。今週の動画で訊き方と色々な答え方を見てみましょう！ Classroom Tip Here is another important function for our students...
Trivia of the Week: Walking the Dog
As a general rule, dogs need to be walked every day. What equipment do you need to walk your dog safely? The basics are a collar and leash. The collar goes around the dog's neck, and the leash lets you keep hold of him for safety. You might use reflectors or flashing...
