English Recordings

theft
store
controversial
hundreds of fans
eager
behaviour

Why learn English?
We like to call English “the language of communication”. It seems that all the people in the world have agreed to use English to talk to each other. If you can communicate in English, you can talk about your ideas on Internet discussion groups, you can also travel more easily; English is spoken in more than 100 countries.
English is not only the most useful language in the world. It is also one of the easiest to learn and use. Moreover, English is everywhere. You can easily access English language television, music, websites, magazines etc…
Last but not least, you may get better job opportunities if you know English. It will be helpful to your future career. Many international companies need English-speaking people.
Nowadays the English language is an important way to understand the English culture and a student cannot continue his studies without using it.

Hi! My name's Fiona. I live in Scotland. I live in a small village in the country. I like living in the country, but sometimes it's boring because it's quieter than a city. I live a long way from my friends and there aren't many shops or cafés, and there isn't a cinema.
My cousin, Alex, lives in Edinburgh. I like visiting Alex because Edinburgh is more exciting than my village. It's much bigger of course, and there are more interesting things to do than in the country. There are a lot of shops, cinemas and cafés. There are also a lot of buses so it's easier to meet friends. I love the shops and the cinemas, but I like meeting friends in cafés the most. Cafés are nice because you can sit and talk. Edinburgh is a beautiful city. I think it's the most beautiful city in Scotland, but I like my home, too. It's more boring than the city, but my village is cleaner and quieter, and the people are friendlier.

Hey, I’m John Rogers. I’m from New York City and I’m the next Survivor champion. I’m quite sociable, not lazy at all, and I really like meeting new people. I have one quality which I think makes me the perfect candidate : I can be really really manipulative to get what I want. I know you need manipulative people like me on the show so don't forget it !

Of course, I am also very sporty. I have tried many sports : soccer, basketball, rock-climbing, bowing, athletics and many others. One thing to remember about me : I’m good at everything I do.

I used to go fishing with my dad when I was young , that’s why now I can fish really well . Why am I talking about fishing ? Because since I’m really good at it, I could easily bring food to my tribe and make myself very useful. And I'm also really good at hunting.

One last thing you need to know about me: I’m not afraid of eating big juicy worms or these kinds of things you like to have us eat. Bring them on a plate: I'll eat them all. Do you want to know why ? Because I'm the next Survivor

Do you

Hi, my name is Sally Rogers but you can call me Supergirl. That’s what my friends call me. I’m the candidate you need for the next Survivor season.
Let me tell you a bit about myself .
I’m quite sociable, caring and very easy-going. I can make friends easily and I really enjoy meeting new people. I think I’m a really nice person. I’m not really the ‘manipulative type. Oh, and one very important thing : I’ve always been really sporty. I’m good at swimming, rock-climbing, I’m crazy about bungee jumping and I really enjoy going jogging at week ends. I’m physically and mentally strong so I’m ready to meet any challenges you could think of !
Another reason why you must choose me. I can be really useful on the camp . I must admit I’m not really good at fishing but I can practice archery and build shelters very well. I’m not afraid of insects, snakes and spiders consequently I can be the one sent into the forest to get some water or find some food, for example.
Mark my words, I am the next survivor

Stealing Chickens

The last time I skyped in Japanese with my Skype partner, just before we said our goodbyes, he said to me, "Your Japanese is good". When he said that, I was over the moon. In the two years that we have been skyping, he has never said that to me before. Instead, he has stoically sat and listened to me, occasionally wincing, as I happily murdered his language.

And so, I thought I should remind him of the huge blunder I'd made only a short time earlier. I had intended to say, "when you get older,...", but instead I'd said "when you steal chickens..". My Skype partner looked completely nonplussed, and asked politely, "Chickens?". When I realized my mistake, I burst out laughing, turned to bed beside me, and buried my face in it.

And then I told him how in a recent Japanese lesson, I had said "Excuse me, I would like to touch you", instead of "Excuse me, I would like to sit there".
It was only after my Japanese teacher, sounding amused, asked, "Really?!" that I realised my mistake. Of course, in both cases, my mistake consisted of just one wrong syllable. But what a difference one syllable can make! It's scarey when you think about it.

I once corrected an entry by a very bright woman. She had titled her entry, "Buttock Juice", but of course had meant "Burdock Juice"."OMG!!!" was the comment written by another corrector. I didn't say anything but systematically changed all the "buttocks" in her entry to "burdock". As I did so, I solemnly thought, "There but for the grace of God go I".

Anyway, although it would be disingenuous to say that my Japanese has not improved over time, I think there are more plausible reasons for why my Skype partner praised my Japanese. In the 2 years we have been skyping, not only has he got used to listening to my less-than-perfect Japanese, but his young two year old daughter has also begun to speak. I think that he has just got good at deciphering our babble.

A．Do you think Peter can join us tomorrow? 　　　
B．Not likely. He still has a fever.　　　
A．That's too bad.

A．He might become the new Executive Vice President.
B．Not likely. I heard we're hiring someone from outside the company.　　　
A．Oh, I see.

A．I have so much to do. I'm all stressed out. 　　　
B．Take a deep breath and relax.　　　
A．OK. I'll just take one step at a time.

A．Everything will work out. 　　　
B．You think so? I'm not so sure.　　　
A．Be positive. Take one step at a time.