Bilingualism

Please watch the video and make a presentation of your ideas about bilingualism.

Symbolism

1. Please watch the video below. Then make a short talk about the symbolism of Ying and Yang. Also, include what you have learnt about Taoism and your opinions.
2. Now take a look at the picture above. It has many elements: a flowing river; a pathway along the river; a bridge spanning the river; tall trees standing near the river; a large cloud floating in the sky and tall buildings in the distance. Choose one of these elements and create a talk about its symbolism for you. 

Bonus Video

広告

英語のィベントを作っています。レストランで晩御飯を食べながら、英語で楽しい会話をします。最初は25日インド料理の店に行きます。値段は二千円と自分の食べ物と飲み物の料金です。五人だけがイベントに参加できますので、もし興味があったら、早く連絡してくれませんか。

残り二席❗❗もし行きたかったら、

早く連絡してください。

Crying to release stress

Please read the article below from The Japan Times and prepare a presentation about it, with your own ideas. Also, think of some questions to ask in class.

 

Stressed? Many Japanese schools and companies are encouraging people to cry to boost mental health

An increasing number of schools and companies in Japan are encouraging their students and employees to cry as a way of relieving stress and improving mental health.
Tears of sadness and happiness are believed to reduce stress, as the act of crying relaxes autonomic nerves by stimulating parasympathetic nerve activity, according to experts.
“Crying is an act of self-defence against accumulating stresses,” says Junko Umihara, professor at Nippon Medical School.
For 5½ years, former high school teacher Hidefumi Yoshida, 43, who calls himself a “Namida sensei” (“tears teacher”), has organized activities and lectured at schools and companies across the country to help people discover the benefits of crying.
He came to recognize those benefits after one of his former students stopped showing up for consultations after the pupil had opened up and shed tears.
“The act of crying is more effective than laughing or sleeping in reducing stress,” Yoshida says.
Working with Hideho Arita, professor emeritus at the Faculty of Medicine at Toho University, and others, Yoshida launched activities in 2014 to raise people’s awareness about the health benefits of crying.
In 2015, Japan introduced a mandatory stress-check program for companies with 50 or more employees and other entities.
Since then, Yoshida has received a flood of requests from companies and schools to give lectures. In the past couple of years, he has visited hundreds of venues for lectures and other activities.
According to Yoshida, it’s important to create opportunities to cry by watching tear-jerking movies, listening to emotive music or reading inspiring books. “If you cry once a week, you can live a stress-free life.”
On Sept. 7, Yoshida gave a lecture at private Osaka High School in the Kansai metropolis, with 79 second-grade students taking part. After watching a tear-jerker, they wrote and read out essays in order to induce tears.
“I think I should hold nothing back when I cry,” student Ryohei Tsuda, 17, said after the event.
“It is good to cry to reduce stress,” Naito Sugimoto, 17, said.

Bonus Video

広告

Are you contagious?

1. Why do we look at someone's hands the first time we meet them?
2. Why do you think Ted talks with more hand gestures are more popular? 
3. Do you think our feelings are contagious?
4. Which two micro-expressions did she talk about?
5. What are some good conversation starters?
6. What does "that begs the question mean"?
7. What does "frenemy" mean?

For class please prepare a short presentation, it can be about any subject. But you cannot read out notes and you have to use lots of hand gestures.

Bonus Video

 

新しい英語のィベントを作っています。毎月レストランで晩御飯を食べながら、英語で楽しい会話をします。最初は25日インド料理の店に行きます。値段は二千円と自分の食べ物と飲み物の料金です。五人だけがイベントに参加できますので、もし興味があったら、早く連絡してくれませんか。