Do you know the adjective “smashing“? (This adjective is used in informal British English.) Read the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?
Ruby: I’m ready for the party. How do I look?
Karen: You look smashing! That dress really suits you.
Does it mean:
a) terrible
b) OK
c) wonderful
d) angry
The answer is below!↓
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Answer: c) wonderful
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Do you make to do lists? I make one every evening. I write down everything I have to do, or want to achieve the next day. This is good for me, because it helps me to remember what I have to do. It also motivates me. It feels great to finish each item on the to do list and cross it out!
I don’t always finish all the items on my to do list, but having the list makes me work harder. If I didn’t have a list, I would do less work. I started writing daily to do lists a few years ago. At first, I wrote them in the mornings. Now, I write them in the evenings, so when I wake up, I can start working through the list right away.
Some people write to do lists, or schedules, on their computers or smartphones. They use apps or websites. I prefer paper and pen. The list is on my desk next to me, so I can see it all the time. If I forget what I have to do, I can look at the list easily.
This is my to do list for tomorrow.
My list is not so long. Tomorrow won’t be such a busy day!
I don’t spend much time outside. I work indoors, so I spend most of time time in a room, sitting at my desk. I like getting out into the fresh air though, especially in this season. I think fresh air and nature are good for the mind. They refresh us, and help us to think more clearly.
My favourite time of the day to go outside is early morning. However, I often feel sleepy in the mornings, so I don’t go out so often. In the mornings, I open the window in my living room and exercise there. I really should go out running. I used to go out early in the mornings. I used to go for a walk or a run around Matsue Castle. I used to go around 6:00am. There were very few people around. It was nice and peaceful, and the air was so fresh and cool!
These are some photos I took a while ago. I got up at 5:30am and went for a walk around Matsue Castle. It was a beautiful morning. I must get up early and go there again!
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How often do you see your neighbours? I hardly ever see mine. I live in an apartment. There are many apartments in the building, but I don’t know who lives here. I sometimes see the lady next door. She is friendly. But I have never seen my neighbour on the other side of my apartment. Does a man live there? A woman? A family? I don’t know. I have never seen most of my neigbours on my floor. I see one man go to work every morning around 7:55am, and I see a high school boy go to school around 8:00am, but that is all. I walk past the other apartments and wonder “who lives there?”
When I lived in a house, I saw my neighbours regularly. I was a member of the resident’s association, so my neighbours often came to my house to collect money, or to bring information and leaflets about events in the local area. Everyone knew everyone else.
I’m not sure which I prefer. Sometimes, it was nice to see my neighbours, but other times, I felt like I had no privacy. Now, it is nice to have privacy, but I think it would be nice to know who is living in the same building as me.
Do you know the verb “to startle“? Read the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?
Helen: I think I startled your baby when I dropped the glass. He’s crying.
Yuko: It’s OK. He often cries when he is startled.
Does it mean:
a) surprise and frighten
b) annoy
c) irritate
d) surprise and entertain
The answer is below! ↓
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Answer: a) surprise and frighten
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It is nearly Halloween. Do you do anything for Halloween? It has become popular in Japan in recent years. There are some Halloween parties in the city where I live, and many children I know are going to events.
It has become a popular event in the UK too. When I was a child, it was not so popular. There were some Halloween parties, but not many. I remember one year, I went to a Halloween party at a local community centre. My friends and I dressed up as ghosts and witches. I was a witch. I had a tall, pointed hat, and a costume made from plastic garbage bags. I took the broom from my house. One of my friends wore a white bedsheet. She was a ghost. Unfortunately, she didn’t put eye holes in the sheet, so she couldn’t see! Nowadays, there are many costumes available, especially online.
Also, trick or treating has become popular. When I was a child, no one went trick or treating. Maybe it is an American tradition. At the Halloween party I went to, we played Apple Bobbing. In this game, apples are put into a bowl of water. People have to catch an apple with their teeth. They cannot use their hands. I didn’t enjoy the game, because my face got wet! But the apple was tasty!
I wonder what games children play at Halloween parties nowadays?
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“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
The other day, I asked some children this question. One wants to be a doctor. Another wants to be a teacher. I was impressed with their answers. When I was a child, I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver.
I loved watching Formula 1 racing on TV. I bought many magazines and books about Formula 1 and the drivers. I wanted to be like them. All of the drivers were men, but still, I thought I could become a racing driver. Of course, it was impossible. I didn’t have any money or experience. I didn’t live near any racing circuits or teams. I was just a small girl with a dream.
My dream changed when I got older. I wanted to be a musician. So, I went to music college and studied to become a musician. Unfortunately, I wasn’t good enough. Then, I decided I wanted to become a Japanese translator. So, I studied Japanese hard, and at last, I succeeded. This dream was more realistic than my earlier dreams. Now, when I think about my earlier dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver, I laugh.
I wonder if the children I spoke to will grow up to become a doctor and a teacher. I hope their dreams come true.
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How often do you visit other areas of your country? This year, I have left the prefecture where I live only three times. I went to Tokyo in March, Okayama in April, and Hiroshima earlier this month.
Every year, I say to myself “I’m going to travel to other places in Japan more often this year.” But time passes so quickly! Last year, I only left the prefecture once – when I went to Osaka to fly back to the UK. The year before, I left the prefecture twice – I went to Tokyo and Osaka.
The area of Japan where I live is far from major cities. It is a rural area. It is quite expensive and time-consuming (time-consuming = takes a lot of time) to travel to other parts of Japan. The nearest major cities are Okayama and Hiroshima. It takes around 2 and a half hours to 3 hours to reach those cities by train or by car.
I love the place where I live, but sometimes, I wish I lived a little nearer to a big city. When I travel to big cities like Tokyo, I feel energized. There are a lot of people in the cities, so there is a lot of energy. I like that. However, I wouldn’t like to live in a big city.
A long time ago, I moved to Osaka for work. It was convenient, but it was tiring (tiring = makes me tired). It was also lonely. There were many people there, but I had few close friends. So, I quit my job and moved back to a rural area. I think I made a good decision, but sometimes, I miss the city.
Next year, I’m going to try to visit other places in Japan more often.
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Where do you do most of your shopping? I do most of my shopping online. It is convenient and easy, and I can shop any time of the day or night. The only shops I use are the drugstore and supermarkets.
In my hometown in the UK, many shops are closing. The main street used to be bustling (bustling = lively and busy), but now, it is quiet. Not many people go into town anymore because there aren’t many shops. There aren’t many shops because more and more people are shopping on the Internet.
The streets of my city in Japan are quiet too. The larger shopping centres are busy on weekends, and supermarkets are busy in the late afternoon, but mostly, the city is quiet. There are some very old, small shops. I wonder how they manage to stay in business. Maybe they have regular customers who they know well.
As more and more people shop online, I wonder what will happen to our towns and cities in the future. Will our town centres disappear? I feel sad when I go home and see so many empty shops in the town centre. But really, I am part of the problem. I prefer to shop online, and I don’t go to the shops. So, I can’t complain when they go out of business (go out of business = stop trading). Maybe I should make more effort to shop local and support local business owners.
Do you know the adjective “horrendous”? Read the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?
Emma: How was the concert?
Sam: Oh, it was horrendous! The band played out of tune, and the singer forgot the words to three of the songs!
Does it mean:
a) extremely good
b) extremely interesting
c) extremely bad
d) average
The answer is below! ↓
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Answer: c) extremely bad
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