English Recordings

Reading a newspaper is a very popular pastime in Britain. The British are great readers of newspapers. Here are some figures which prove this:
72% of Britons over 15 years old read a daily morning paper.
32% of Britons over 15 years old read an evening paper.
They read newspapers at breakfast; they walk to the bus reading a newspaper; they read a newspaper on the bus, as they go to work; and on the way back home, after work, they may buy an evening paper.
Besides the daily newspapers, there are a number of Sunday newspapers. The Sunday papers are larger than the daily papers and usually contain articles concerned with comment and general information rather than the news. The Observer and The Sunday Times are the best known of the Sunday papers.
The popular newspapers have much larger circulation than the quality newspapers. The popular newspapers are for those who prefer entertainment to information. There are a mixture of texts and pictures and are all “tabloids”, this means they are published in a small page format.
The popular newspapers are The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Mail, and many others. The quality papers are for those who want to know about important happenings everywhere, both domestic news and foreign news.
The quality newspapers are The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and the best known The Times.
If the British still want more reading material, they can choose from among 4,300 journals and magazines. These are called periodicals and are published weekly or monthly. There is a periodical for every taste and interest. Here is a small selection: Amateur Gardening, Do-It-Yourself, Woman and Home, British Chess Magazine.
It is customary in Britain for news agent to deliver morning papers to his customers for a small extra payment; this is usually performed by boys and girls who want to earn some pocket money.

What worries 13 to 16-year-olds? According to the exclusive Guardian survey, they share the same televiewing, the same urge to shop, the same fears and preoccupations about work and relationships. Yet, beyond these personal concerns, the outside world seems of little interest. They are uninterested in politics and unimpressed by politicians. They have too many worries close at home to consider changing the world. Respondents to the survey were asked what they worried about and 72 per cent said their chances of getting a job when they left school.

Suzanne Lucas, 15, from Edinburgh, wants to be an actress or a model. “Sometimes I think I’m not going to make it in acting or modeling and what am I going to end up like? I really want to stay in at school and get a good education, so if I don’t make modeling and acting I can always go for something else.”

Ben Taylor, 16, from Somerset, says: “On the whole my teachers are okay but we’ve lost the best ones because of the education cuts. I get on well with my form teacher, he’s one of the ones who makes an effort. You work harder for a teacher you like.”

“Politics? Not interested really,” said one of the most typical, Mark, 16, from Devon. “I don’t know much about it and I don’t feel like learning. They all seem the same to me.”

64 per cent of the respondents selected the environment as their concern.

Robert Nielson, 16, from Hastings, says: “I worry about environment. It’s the cutting down and burning of the rainforest that bothers me.”

A widely-shared worry is safety outside the home.

Lisa Jackman, 14, lives on the outskirts of the Sussex village of Arundel, amid antique shops and strolling tourists. “I don’t know if the world is more violent than when my parents were younger but my mum says there were more police walking about then. I’m scared to go out of the door really. Because I watch the news a lot, I get scared.”

Michel Mendel, 15, from Essex talks about himself. “I like to watch Eastenders. I don’t watch football but I watch the snooker. I used to play computer games but I got a bit bored.”

James Ogden is 16 and lives in Milton Keynes. He goes to St John’s School because it’s going to help him when he’s older to get a job. “I think there are drugs at school, there is always talk though I think they might be boasting. I wouldn’t take drugs myself, I can’t see the point. It’s a waste. I’d rather spend my money on my dog. I am concerned about the environment but not frantic about it.”

1. I'm expecting a letter.
2. He's going to wait for you until 5.
3. I hope it's true.
4. She is looking forward to the concert.
5. He's looking forward to finishing the course.
6. I hope to go abroad this year.
7. I hope that they take the backpacks.
8. She's been waiting for us all morning.
9. Your parents expect to see you tomorrow.
10. She expects us to do our best.
11. I hope it doesn't rain this afternoon.
12. Wait for me.
13. You expect too much from your students.
14. They hope to be able to do the whole route.
15. We always look forward to Christmas.
16. I'm not going to wait very long for the call.
17. Who are you waiting for?
18. Are they looking forward to seeing Roy's video?
19. How long are you going to wait?
20. Do you hope that they knock down the wall?
21. Are you expecting anybody?
22. What did you expect?
23. Where do you hope to go?
24. When do they expect to arrive?
25. Are you looking forward to looking for mushrooms?

In April 1564 a son was born to John and Mary Shakespeare at Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon. His mother was the daughter of Robert Arden, a prosperous important farmer in Warwickshire. His father was a rich citizen who’s business was making and selling leather gloves.
The parents never thought that their son, William, would become such an important figure in English poetry and drama, and that his plays would still be acted four hundred years later – not only in England, but all over the world!
While still teenager of nineteen, William married Anne Hathaway, a farmer’s daughter some years older than himself. We don’t know how he earned his living during these early years. He may have helped his father in the family business or he may have been a country schoolmaster for a time. During these years his three children were born. In 1587 Shakespeare went to work in London, leaving Anne and the children at home. One story says this is because he killed some deer which belonged to a rich landowner nearby, and then he had to run away from the law.
Shakespeare soon began to act and write plays. By 1592 he was an important member of a well-known acting company and in 1599 the famous Globe Theater was built on the south bank of the river Thames. It was in this theater that most of his plays were performed and, like all Elizabethan theaters, it was a round building with the stage in the center open to the sky. If it rained, the actors got wet! If the weather was too bad, there was no performance!
By 1603, the year when Queen Elizabeth I died, Shakespeare was already the leading poet and dramatist of his time. He continued to write for the next ten years, but in 1613 he finally stopped writing and went to live in Stratford where he died in 1616. He is buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Ben Johnson, who lived from 1572 to 1637, and who was also a famous writer of plays, called Shakespeare “Sweet Swan of Avon”. Shakespeare has been known as the “Swan of Avon” ever since.

My friendship with Kathy was a real friendship. She made me laugh. She made me feel wanted. She understood me. We would do anything together. There was hardly ever a time when she was too busy to see me. If I wanted her, even if it was just for a walk, she was almost always there. We were sixteen when we met at the local technical college and we were both doing the same course. I was very nervous the day I started and Kathy was the first person I talked to. She was fun, she was lively, she was sure of herself.
It was not a perfect friendship. Perhaps there is no such thing as a perfect friendship except in books. It is difficult to say exactly what was wrong with it. There were two things that I have to tell you about. Either one of them is enough to explain what was wrong between us. Both of them together brought our friendship to an end.
I learned very soon is our relationship that Kathy was jealous. She did not like to think that I had anything she did not have. We would have great fun going out shopping but if I bought, say, a dress for a party and she thought my dress was better than hers, she would suddenly say “I think we were both wrong about that dress. It looks a bit cheap, doesn’t it?”
The other problem was my mother. She thought Kathy was common. She thought Kathy had a bad influence over me. She even disliked Kathy’s way of speaking. Not that I was anything special. Nor were my parents. But Mum disliked Kathy and looked down on her and kept on telling me to stop seeing her. Perhaps this was because Kathy was so friendly and talked with almost everyone. Perhaps even my Mum was jealous of this, because Mum was like me: shy and reserved.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

These days, I've been dreaming very often. When I wake up from my sleep, I can remember clearly what I dreamed about. Yesterday, I dreamed of packing up in order to move somewhere. It means I'll have some changes in my life.

By the way, I had a terrible dream early this morning. In my dream, there were a great number of the Christians. (That's what I think because I found my christian friends among them.) It seemed as though they were having a summer retreat in the woods. When they were hanging out there, some people suddenly appeared. They looked very nice, but then they started cruelly killing the Christians at random. The killers expanded their killing spree to a nearby village. They produced the rumor that the soldiers were coming to catch them(the villagers). As a result,the killers could capture a lot of the villagers with ease because the villagers couldn't do any thing owing to the fear. In addition, the killers made the people stand on a cliff that overlooked the sea. Then suddenly, a young man started making a move to rescue the people. The young man had been among the Christians and the villagers for a while and was the only one who knew exactly what had happened. He looked around for a sort of a net but the only net he could find wasn't big enough to save everyone. In the end, when the murderers pushed the people off the cliff, the young man tried to get them to safety using the small net.

After waking up, I couldn't quite understand what the dream meant. Nevertheless, I wrote it in my diary so I could go over it.

1. It's only a short ride by bus.
2. They werw taken for a ride.
3. He rode his horse up the hill.
4. The young woman rode sidesaddle.
5. The moon was riding high in the heavens.
6. She is a bit of all right.
7. By what right do you arrest me?
8. If I remember right.
9. It serves you right.
10. He hit his opponent right and left.
11. Someone is ringing at the door.
12. What's the matter with you? You've got rings round your eyes.
13. You can run rings round all of them.
14. That name rings a bell.
15. Somebody rang at the door at about midnight.
16. A shot rang out.
17. Ring for the lift.
18. He died at the ripe old age of ninety.
19. The time is ripe for action.
20. There was a rise in the crime rate.
21. He rose to an important position.
22. His voice rose in anger.
23. Tears rose to her eyes.
24. The sun rises earlier in summer.
25. I'm going to risk everything on one throw.
26. That man is going to risk his neck.
27. Why don't you hit the road?
28. Some roared with anger, some roared with laughter.
29. I'll have a vodka on the rocks.
30. Old Tom was rocking with laughter.
31. Why don't you rock the baby's cradle?
32. Spare the rod and spoil the child.
33. He took out a great roll of banknotes.
34. The dog rolled in the mud.
35. He used to roll his eyes.
36. My boss is rolling in money.
37. Tears were rolling down her face.
38. Bill will show you the ropes.
39. Don't worry, I know the ropes.
40. Every rose has its thorn.

1. As regards your work, I'm not satisfied with it.
2. He joined the regular army.
3. It bears no relation to reality.
4. This is a release valve.
5. The reaction releases heat and oxygen.
6. This is a press release.
7. We mustn't release waste into the sea.
8. The injection gave him relief from the pain.
9. The Virgin stands out in relief against the dark blackground.
10. You have found your purse. What a relief!
11. The sentries are relieved at midnight.
12. We have relieved ourselves of the problem.
13. Remove your hat in front of a lady.
14. He removed the lid of the pot.
15. We must render thanks to God.
16. The accident rendered him blind.
17. That was for services rendered to the country.
18. There have been a lot of replies to our advertisement.
19. Tell the sergeant to make his report.
20. There's nothing to report.
21. They are going to report the results of the investigation.
22. What is required to make an omelette?
23. They did it within the required time.
24. A great deal of application is required to study medicine.
25. The armchair had a wooden back rest.
26. The vase rested on a marble column.
27. His eyes rested on the picture.
28. Rest assured that we'll do everything in our power.
29. God rest his soul.
30. Don't rest on your laurels.
31. I'll give you a pen in return for a pencil.
32. We offered them food in return for their help.
33. In return for your kindness, I'd like to invite your daughter.
34. This business brings in a good return.
35. Please reply by return.
36. It's an investment that returns very good interest.
37. I'll return the favour one day.
38. Jesus returned from the dead.
39. You have to go into reverse.
40. Make a reverse-charge call.

These are pictures that I saw in an internet news this afternoon(today in the afternoon).
Since today`s weather looks like early summner, so it seems that those girls went to the Gwanghwamun square fountain.

《Hot and Beautiful Spring》
In the 18th afternoon that looks like a early summer weather, students are dancing with violin melody in the Gwanghwamun square fountain.
《The meory of naked feet》
In the 18th afternoon that looks like a early summer weather, students are running on the the Gwanghwamun square`s fountain.

(May 17th 2012)<Walking at Night/ Late night stroll/Evening stroll>
Stepping outside on an early summer night,
and taking a walk by myself is a good feeling.
Last night I went out and walked with my two dogs.

The night air was so cool.
The blowing night breeze made me feel so wondeful.
Night leaves are so beautiful.

Those leaves were illuminated by the street lamp, so they glowed with a light green color and were shining transparently.
I`m uploading some pictures which I took with cell-phone last night.