English Recordings

Little Frank is a real foodie. He is crazy about / adores spicy food, pizza and all sorts / kinds of desserts. And he also likes hamburgers, French fries and other junk food. Frank’s grandmother cares about his health and doesn’t allow him to eat everything. She thinks that Frank’s parents could give more attention to their son’s diet. However, Frank’s parents are too busy.
“Granny, I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!”
“I have made / cooked soup and stewed vegetables.”
“But I want a dessert!”
“Eat up your soup and stewed vegetables and you’ll get your dessert.”
“When I eat my soup, you will give me an extra serving. I’m fond of eating out / I like to eat out! Mum and Dad take me to a café every month. There are so many sweets on the menu! I adore cheesecakes!”
“Cheesecakes have a short shelf life.”
“Last Saturday we went to MacDonald’s and I ate five hamburgers there. I could have eaten even six, but Dad didn’t allow me. Could you make a hamburger instead of soup for me?”

Traditional foods are an important part of every Korean celebration. Rice is eaten with all meals in Korea. Kimchi, which is pickled cabbage and strong spices and pulgolgi, which is thinly sliced broiled beef that is eaten with spicy sauces are a large part of the Korean diet. Fish, shellfish, seaweed, and other products of the ocean are prepared in many different ways to serve on Korean tables.

Korean Americans are one of the fastest-growing Asian groups in the United States. Although Children's Day is not a national holiday in the U.S., it is celebrated within Korean Families on May 5. Korean American communities celebrate with performances, special foods, and activities, and Korean cultural schools hold day-long programs to celebrate children.

Children of all ages are celebrated during Children's Day and the entire community is involved in the festivity. Many cities have parades and public activities and museums, zoos, amusement parks, and movie theaters offer free admission to children. Traditional games, such as yut are played. Gifts are given to children from their parents and from stores that the children visit during Children's Day.

Tae kwon do demonstrations are often part of the Children's Day activities. Tae kwon do is a form of self defense that originated in Korea more than two thousand years ago and is a commonly taught martial art in the United States. It involves more sharp, quick kicking than the Japanese style karate, and was showcased for the world in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Tae kwon do is both a physical and mental discipline. Students studying tae kwon do often will practice more than an hour each day.

Children's Day (orini nal) is a South Korean national holiday celebrated on May 5. It was founded by the Korean children's writer Pang Chong-hwan in 1923 as a way to instill in the children a sense of independence and national pride. Children's Day highlights the dignity of children and their need for love, care, and respect. It is also a day to honor adults that have contributed to improving the lives of children.

Although Children's Day was founded in 1923, a May fifth holiday was celebrated by Koreans more than five hundred years ago. Suri-day or dano day, meaning the first five days, was one of the four great Korean national holidays. People dressed in new clothes and set out food to worship their ancestors. Swinging and ssireum wrestling were some of the activities enjoyed on this day. Many of the suri-day activities are also parts of other Korean celebrations, but this holiday is no longer celebrated in Korea.

South Korea's official name is Taihan-Min-quk (tie-HAHN min-GUK), or the Republic of Korea. More than forty million people live in South Korea, most of them descendants of the tribes that came to the Korean Peninsula thousands of years ago. South Korea is about thirty-eight hundred square miles, about the size of Virginia. Korea is a mountainous land and known by its people as Choson, the "Land of the Morning Calm," because of the beautiful misty mornings in the mountains.

Education is highly valued by Koreans. All South Korean children attend the first through sixth grade, and ninety percent attend a three-year-long high school. South Korea has worked hard to build a strong educational system since the Korean War. Free education from first grade to high school are provided by the government. The government also supports many college students and airs educational television.

The Korean people celebrate many holidays. The Korean calendar is based on lunar months, and there is at least one major celebration during each moon. Traditional clothing and food are a part of every Korean celebration. Many Korean celebrations honor ancestors, elders, and religious figures.

Dialogue 3

A) Are you interested in movies?
B) Yes. I like thrillers.
A) What films have you seen recently?
B) I have seen “Avatar”.
A) Did you like it?
B) Yeah, it wasn’t bad.
A) Do you have any favourite actors?
B) I like Gwyneth Paltrow.

forward; towards; deficiency

There are some routine phrases used in English schools in Japan.

Today, I would like to put up the phrase " See you" here, because I have a question for you about this term.

When students finish their lessons and are off the school, everybody in the school, the staff, the teachers and the students, say "See you~~~~." And the pronunciation is just like "see youuuuuuu~~~~~." The "U" sound is streched longer.

An American teacher, who first came to Japan and started working in a private English school, seemed to have felt really weird when he heard us say " see you" when we were leaving.

He said to me privately that he had never heard that long sound of "you" for the term " see you." According to him, it's supposed to be " see ya" in pronunciation, because the term is originally very casual.

But now, I have a question for you. Does this happen only in the US?
I would like to know how you pronounce it. Do you say " see YOUUU" or " see ya" in your country?

Since I heard his opinion, I have tried to say " see ya". However, it seems like I sound a bit strange, and some people who know English correct me to say it should be " see youuu."

I am confused.

Safety tested and recommended for childeren 3 and over.
CAUTION:
May contain small parts. Not intended for children under 3. Please do not attempt to dismantle, or open any part of this toy. This toy contains magnets. Please keep away from electrical items, including medical electrical devices, such as pacemakers, to avoid any malfunction.

I like the moments when I am speaking English because my personality is a little changed from when I am speaking Japanese.

How about you?

At first, I wondered to myself why I was so assertive in English. My Japanese friends say that I am a good listener, though I seem to be a little too talkative when I speak English.

I feel sorry for my friends who communicate with me in English, because I actually enjoy the different me. I want to tweak my way of speaking. And I think it is better to change the way while I am using another language in order to understand and to be understood by each other. Each language includes its own culture.

I can be more open and relaxed in English. Somehow I am not afraid of conflict. It is kind of strange that I am positive that I can work it out afterward, even in my imperfect English~

Yes, I need to study and improve my English skills so that I do not irritate my foreign friends. ^v^/