Author: Ariel Goodbody
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Freezing to Death in Scotland
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New Vocabulary: ‘It hits different’, Camper van, Ceilidh, Close the loop, Emotional breakdown, Heart rate variability, Pass rate, Peter Pan syndrome, Puer aeternus, Quaker, RV, ShibbolethWord Count: 5594So I recently went to my cousin’s wedding in Edinburgh, which turned out to be much colder than expected, ESPECIALLY since I was camping! Fortunately, the beauty of the Quaker wedding ceremony more than made up for it. I couldn’t stick around for long, though, as I had to whiz back to London on the train to take the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Sounds boring, but in fact it allowed me…
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I Got Kicked Out!
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New Vocabulary: Ball (party), Bumper cars, Checkmate, Gen Z, Hay fever, Helter skelter, Incense, Joie de vivre, Middle of the road, ShishaWord Count: 6405Yes, that’s right, I was kicked out of a public building… Not only that, I went to a wild party in Cambridge, and I’m setting the house on fire with incense. Sort of.
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The Monkey’s Heart
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Genre: PhilosophicalSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Fig, Graceful, Halfway, Indifferent, Nap, Nimble, Ordeal, Send someone your wishes, Toss, X and Y don’t mixWord Count: 1686A monkey shares his figs with a shark, and for a while they are friends, but when the shark invites the monkey to his home under the sea, the monkey suspects that something may be wrong…
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Who is Middle Class?
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New Vocabulary: Chav, Nouveau riche, Parvenu, Posh, Processed food, Received Pronunciation, Social bubbleWord Count: 5444Want to really know how the UK works? Then you need to understand class. Come with me on a journey through food, supermarkets and sports to discover what the hoi polloi and high society do different.
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Just Say Yes
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Genre: ComedySetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Allergy, Bowling, Faint (verb), Give a speech, Health condition, Horse-riding, Salmon, Spot (body), Squeamish, Terrible, UnableWord Count: 2308Tony cannot say no. So he eats food he doesn’t like, does a job he hates, and goes on holidays where he almost dies. But when his friend asks him to marry her, will he still say yes?
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Have You Met Elaine?
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Genre: HorrorSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Cuppa, Defrost, Egging, Fertiliser, Hoarder, Infer, Intermittent fasting, Parish council, Ragamuffin, Six pack, Spot (skin), VandaliseWord Count: 1728Have you met Elaine? Elaine is very giving, but not very nice. Oh, she loves everyone, but she shows her love through action, not smiles.
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Return to the Sea
An old fisherman sits fishing by the sea. He has seen the world change hugely through his life. But today, something monstrous is waiting in the water.
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Giving Up Sugar for Lent
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Genre: ConversationNew Vocabulary: Abstain, Crave, Daylight savings, Flashcards, Give something up, Hojicha, Hold someone accountable, Lent, Ramadan, Spring (verb), Taste buds, VainWord Count: 3773Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter. Traditionally, during Lent, Christians fast or give something up. In today’s episode, I talk about giving up sugar, plus give some tips on how best to use flashcards to learn vocabulary.
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Adrian’s Dream
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Genre: PhilosophicalSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Autopilot, Bespectacled, Blaring, Buoy, Circadian rhythm, Dent, Diagnostic framework, Fête, Hook line sinker, Nap, Pond, Querying agents, Thrum, Weaker selfWord Count: 1118Adrian wants to write, but he can never concentrate. He tries waking up early before work, but he always just goes back to bed. Finally, he decides to nap.
