Menú

Home

Clases

Clases

Idioma

¿Cafetalk?
Clases
Tutores
Comentarios
Ofertas
Consultas (81)50-3647-0019
 
Jen A. INTERESTING NEWS ARTICLES
Language English
 

INTERESTING NEWS ARTICLES

60Min
3,000 P
Estimated of points
Lattep icon
Tiene clase de prueba
30Min
1,000P
Conversational articles on topical subjects. Learning by discussing...
Solicitar clase

Detalles de la lección

Study and discuss interesting articles on current topics from major English language newspapers and websites.

Choose one article from the five articles offered below and read it through  before the Skype lesson.

The articles are from the mainstream news sources below:
Once you have chosen an article, contact your tutor via email and let her know which article you have chosen. Your tutor will then send you a Word document study sheet for that specific article, with highlighted vocabulary and expressions as well as review exercises.

CHOOSE ONE FROM THE FIVE ARTICLES BELOW

1) Asahi Shimbun: Dogs are man's best friend for a reason   
2) The Japan Times: Female ruler would help the birthrate
3) Japan Today:  Late 20th century warmed faster than any other time
4) Yomiuri Shimbun:  Students learn how to tackle food waste
5) Guardian Newspaper (UK): Cultural hightlights of Japan: readers' travel tips

HOW TO STUDY NEWS ARTICLES  

1)  Read through and carefully identify new vocabulary, expressions, idioms and phrasal verbs.
2)  Think about a range of discussion topics within the boundaries of the chosen article, such as:
     •    Can you answer the big questions = Who? What? Where? When?
     •    What is the conclusion or main takeaway?
     •    What is your opinion?
3)  Keep a dedicated small notebook for jotting down your new vocabulary and expressions.
4)  Set up your notebook following the sample table below.
5)  Keep the notebook with you throughout your day.
6)  Review the new vocabulary and your study notes for just five to ten minutes every day (for example when you are waiting for a train or sitting in a dental office).

                                  
SEE TRIAL LESSON SAMPLE ARTICLE BELOW

Read this sample article from the Yomiuri Shimbun.

Volunteers fight plastic waste problem
along Tokyo rivers
7:40 pm, August 02, 2019    
By Kiri Falls / Japan News Staff Writer
 
Volunteers pick up rubbish on the banks of the Edogawa river in Chiba Prefecture on June 15.The problem of plastic pollution is getting an increasing amount of attention, even taking center stage at the recent Group of 20 summit in Osaka. In the face of what seems like a tide of waste, some people might be wondering what they can do, besides taking steps such as avoiding single-use plastics.
 
One of the groups offering an answer to that question is Jambo International’s river cleanup arm, Tokyo River Friends, which organizes monthly cleanups along two of Tokyo’s major rivers, the Edogawa and the Arakawa in the city’s east.
 
I joined a cleanup crew at the Edogawa river on a rainy Saturday morning in June and got a firsthand look at the problem. Long grass rustled on one side of the bank while water lapped at the sand on the other — a pleasant scene until I noticed the bottle caps, coffee cans and onigiri wrappers strewn among rocks and shucked oyster shells.
 
I confessed to organizer James Gibbs that I was surprised, given Japan’s strict recycling and rubbish collection rules. He pointed out that only a small proportion of the millions who live near the rivers need to be careless for litter to pile up. According to nonprofit organization Arakawa Clean-aid Forum, the population of the Arakawa river basin is nearly 10 million and roughly 25 million people use the river in one way or another, whether fishing, picnicking or jogging.
 
Gibbs began his river cleanup group after watching videos online about plastic pollution and noticing the trash along riverbanks near where he lived. He later partnered with Jambo International, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for charities through fun activities that get people out in nature. The full bags of trash from each cleanup are collected by Arakawa Clean-aid Forum, which itself supports and runs dozens of groups to remove 6,000-8,000 bags from the Arakawa river each year — about 1,300 of which are collected by Tokyo River Friends.
 
After meeting at Baraki-nakayama Station in Funabashi, Chiba, we went down to the river, a short ride in Gibbs’ car. Wearing rubber boots and armed with gloves and two trash bags each — one for burnable rubbish and one for recyclables — we got to work. The variety of rubbish that can end up on a riverbank was surprising. I found part of a motherboard, a dishwashing sponge and even a soggy book providing a home to some small crabs.
 
Most prevalent of all, though, were plastic wrappers, whether they came from snack bars, cling wrap or shopping bags. And of course we didn’t tackle microplastics — small pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters long — which Arakawa Clean-aid Forum estimates make up 50 percent of the soil at the mouth of the Arakawa.
 
Given the rain that day, we were a small group. As we started along the bank, I wondered how long it would take to fill my large rubbish bag. Heaving that same bag along the sand an hour later, I realized how wrong I’d been. Between the four of us, we already had nearly six bags. Every individual piece of trash had added up.
 
I was horrified, but it also reminded me of the principle “every little bit counts.” Groups like Tokyo River Friends and Arakawa Clean-aid Forum are turning that to a positive end, and I couldn’t help thinking that if everyone does their bit, we can help stem the tide.


Here is an easy and stress-free way to study.
Set up a vocabulary notebook:

Jot down -

Name of article:
Date of article:

NEW WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS                      JAPANESE TRANSLATION
~ in the face of   
~ tide of waste   
~ single-use plastics   
~ monthly cleanups   
~ cleanup crew  

Review your new words and expressions frequently.

After discussing the content of the article and sharing our opinions about it, your tutor will help you practice making up your own sentences using your new words and expressions until you have mastered their usage.

LEARNING BY DISCUSSING!

Política de cancelación de Cafetalk

Antes de que la solicitud haya sido confirmada.

  • Es posible hacerlo en cualquier momento.

Luego de que la solicitud de clase haya sido confirmada

  • Más de 24 horas antes del inicio de la clase→ Es posible hacerlo en cualquier momento.
  • Menos de 24 horas antes del inicio de la clase→ Pueden aplicarse cargos por cancelación.
  • No-Show→ Pueden aplicarse cargos por cancelación.
    (La cantidad puede variar en función del tutor, por favor comuníquese con su tutor/a)

Todas las clases del (de la) tutor/a

Got a question? Click to Chat