Reading Archives - Espresso English

Episodes

1. 10

   Reading Course: Free Sample – How to stay motivated

   This is a free sample lesson from the Reading Course. Sign up for the course to get 40 lessons like this one – they will help you improve your reading skills and increase your vocabulary! Download: Text / Audio How to take the lesson: Read the article and learn the vocabulary. Note: The words in...

   Oct 22, 2018
2. 9

   Reading Course: Free sample – Fame after 40

   This is a free sample lesson from the Reading Course. Sign up for the course to get 40 lessons like this one – they will help you improve your reading skills and increase your vocabulary! Download: Text / Audio How to take the lesson: Read the article and learn the vocabulary. Note: The words in...

   Oct 21, 2018
3. 8

   Learn English Vocabulary in Conversation: Confidence

   Read and listen to Jane’s story of confidence vs. insecurity. Try to guess what the bolded vocabulary words mean from the context – then read the vocabulary section at the end of the story to find the answers. For many people the month of June means one thing – summer is coming! For me, however,...

   Nov 22, 2014
4. 7

   The History of Chocolate

   Image source Listen: Humans have loved chocolate for the past 4,000 years – but did you know that for most of that time, chocolate was most commonly consumed as a beverage? The word “chocolate” itself comes from words meaning “bitter water,” because chocolate was traditionally prepared as a cold,...

   Feb 12, 2012
5. 6

   Why does February have only 28 days?

   Listen: We can blame the Romans for the quirks of our modern calendar. The ancient Roman calendar had only 10 months, beginning in March and ending in December. The cold winter months weren’t counted – most likely because they weren’t important to the agricultural cycle of planting and harvest.…

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   Feb 1, 2012
6. 5

   Chinese New Year

   Listen: “May your happiness be without limit!” This is one of the traditional greetings during the Chinese New Year, which is the longest and most important celebration of the Chinese calendar. The holiday’s origin comes from a centuries-old legend about a beast called the Nian, which used to…

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   Jan 22, 2012
7. 4

   The national dish of Brazil

   Listen: Feijoada is a black bean stew with beef and pork that is considered the national dish of Brazil. It was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese, and is also eaten in other former Portuguese colonies such as Angola, Mozambique, and Goa, India. Feijoada takes several hours to cook, and is…

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   Jan 16, 2012