Larisa English Club Podcast

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #30 What’s in The News? Where Did Apple Trees Originate From? Speaking Practice. Pastimes and Hobbies! English Grammar. Adjectives and Personality Words! What’s in The News? Where Did Apple Trees Originate From? The apple tree is a deciduous tree in the rose family best known for  its sweet, fruit, the apple. It is cultivated worldwide as a fruit tree.  The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor is still  found today. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and  Europe, and were brought to North America by European colonists. Apples  have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including  Norse, Greek and European Christian traditions. Apple trees are large if grown from seed. Generally apple trees are  propagated by grafting onto root stocks, which control the size of the  resulting tree. There are more than 7,500 known varieties of apples,  resulting in a

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #29 What’s in The News? What is a Heat Wave? Speaking Practice. Comparing with Adjectives at The Shop! English Grammar. What are Comparative Adjectives? What’s in The News? What is a Heat Wave? A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather, which  may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate  countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is measured relative to  the usual weather in the area and relative to normal temperatures for  the season. Temperatures that people from a hotter climate consider  normal can be termed a heat wave in a cooler area if they are outside  the normal climate pattern for that area. The term is applied both to hot weather variations and to  extraordinary spells of hot which may occur only once a century. Severe  heat waves have caused catastrophic crop failures, thousands of deaths  from hypothermia, and widespread power outages due to increa

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #28 What’s in The News? Tornado, Twister or Whirlwind? Speaking Practice. Rush Hour! Bus or Taxi? English Grammar. Compare Adjectives to Determiners! What’s in The News? Tornado, Twister or Whirlwind? A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that is in contact with  both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare  cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as  twisters, whirlwinds or cyclones. The word cyclone is used in  meteorology to name a weather system with a low-pressure area in the  center around which winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern  Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern. Tornadoes come in many shapes  and sizes. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 110 miles per hour,  are about 250 feet across, and travel a few miles before dissipating. Various types of tornadoes include the multiple vortex tornado,  land-spout and waterspout. Waters

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #27 What’s in The News? Hurricane, Typhoon or Tropical Cyclone? Speaking Practice. Shopping for Gloves English Grammar. What is “Active and Passive Voice?” What’s in The News? Hurricane, Typhoon or Tropical Cyclone? A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized  by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation,  strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce  heavy rain. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone  is referred to by different names, including hurricane, typhoon,  tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.  A hurricane is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and  northeastern Pacific Ocean, a typhoon occurs in the northwestern  Pacific Ocean, and a cyclone occurs in the south Pacific or Indian  Ocean. Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively war

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #26 What’s in The News? The Nobel Prize in Physiology Speaking Practice. Three Cats, Two Dogs and A Canary! English Grammar. English Words, Words, Words. What’s in The News? The Nobel Prize in Physiology The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, administered by the Nobel  Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the  fields of life sciences and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes  established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of  dynamite. Nobel was personally interested in experimental physiology and  wanted to establish a prize for progress through scientific discoveries  in laboratories. The Nobel Prize is presented to the recipient’s at an  annual ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, along  with a diploma and a certificate for the monetary award. The front side  of the medal provides the same profile of Alfred Nobel as depicted on

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #25 What’s in The News? The American Industrial Revolution! Speaking Practice. Mailing Letters and Questions with Do and Would! English Grammar. What are Superlative Adjectives? What’s in The News? The American Industrial Revolution! The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing  processes in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and  1840. This transition included going from hand production methods to  machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, the  increasing use of steam power, the development of machine tools and the  rise of the factory system. Textiles were the dominant industry of the Industrial Revolution in  terms of employment, value of output and capital invested; the textile  industry was also the first to use modern production methods. The cotton  gin invented by The American Eli Whitney is credited for the beginning  of the American In

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #24 What’s in The News? Why is it Important to Eat Fruit and Vegetables? Speaking Practice. Having Things Done and I Wonder if? English Grammar. Modal Verbs of Probability Present and Future! What’s in The News? Why is it Important to Eat Fruit and Vegetables? Eating fruit provides health benefits — people who eat more fruits  and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a  reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Fruits provide nutrients vital  for health and maintenance of your body.  Most fruits are naturally low  in fat, sodium, and calories. None have cholesterol. Fruits are sources  of many essential nutrients that are under-consumed, including  potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate (folic acid). Diets rich  in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Fruit sources  of potassium include bananas, prunes and prune juice, dried peaches and  apricots, can

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #23 What’s in The News? Keeping Waters Clean in America! Speaking Practice. Talking about The Weather! English Grammar. Compare “Modal Verbs of Probability” to Adverbs. What’s in The News? Keeping Waters Clean in America The Harpster brothers—Abe, Aaron, and Andy—own Evergreen Farms, one  of the largest dairy operations in Pennsylvania: 2,700 milking cows on  6,500 acres along with fields of grass, corn, and alfalfa to feed them.  Their other claim to fame is the farm’s pristine Spruce Creek, where  presidents from Eisenhower to Carter and other notables including the  owner of the Chicago Cubs and Grammy Award-winning singers have come to  fish for rainbow trout. “We live here, drink the water here, and breathe the air here, and  try to do the best for our people, our cows, and our land. We expect to  pass this farm down through the generations of our families,” explains  Andrew Harpster. “I may not b

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #22 What’s in The News? Physical Activity and Your Daily Routine! Speaking Practice. Discussing a News Story! English Grammar Review. “Prefix, Suffix, Affix” New Words in English! What’s in The News? Physical Activity and Your Daily Routine! Daily exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. If you  make time for running, jogging or walking daily, you are doing it right!  Many of us cannot seem to find the time for these activities. That  should not stop us from trying to stay fit. A proper diet should also be  part of your daily routine. It can be as simple as walking alone or  with friends and family. Take the time to establish your physical daily  fitness routine and stay healthy. Choose activities that you enjoy and can do regularly. Fitting  activity into a daily routine can be easy — such as taking a brisk 10  minute walk to and from the parking lot, bus stop, or subway station.  Or, join an

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #21 What’s in The News? Unusual Coral Reefs Discovered in The Pacific Ocean. Speaking Practice. At the Bank. English Grammar. Prepositions of Time: after/later/on/in/at What’s in The News? Unusual Coral Reefs Discovered in The Pacific Ocean. Scientists had long believed that the waters of the Central and  Northeast Pacific Ocean were inhospitable to certain species of deep-sea  corals, but a marine biologist’s discovery of an odd chain of reefs  suggests there are mysteries about the development and durability of  coral colonies yet to be uncovered. Scientist Amy Taylor of Florida State University (FSU), in  collaboration with researchers from Texas A&M University, found the  reefs during an autonomous underwater vehicle survey of the  sea-mountains of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. “I’ve been exploring the deep sea around the Hawaiian Islands since  1998, and have seen enough to know that the presence o

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #20 What’s in The News? Micro-green Study Shows Health Benefits. Speaking Practice. At the Hotel. English Grammar. Verbs + -ING What’s in The News? Micro-green Study Shows Health Benefits. “Micro-greens” are tender young plants grown from the seed of certain  herb, vegetable, and grain crops that can be clipped at the stem and  eaten fresh within 2 weeks of germinating. Some chefs have touted the taste, texture, color, and delicate  appearance of micro-greens, adding them to soups, salads, sandwiches, and  main dishes. Micro-greens can also contain more nutrients than  full-grown plants. Red cabbage micro-greens, in particular, have garnered  attention for their potential to help protect against chronic diseases  like cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death in the United  States. “Although micro-greens, such as those from red cabbage, have been  reported to possess more nutrients [than mature plant

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #19 What’s in The News? Road to The United States Constitution. Speaking Practice. Academy Awards. English Grammar. Verbs + Infinitive or –ING What’s in The News? Road to The United States Constitution. America’s search for a plan of national government was a slow,  difficult process. Compromise, cooperation, and creativity were required  as the Americans moved from being colonials in a patriarchal monarchy  to citizen-leaders in a representative republic of federal states. Most  of this process took place in the midst of a long, revolutionary war.  Not only were these “the times that try men’s souls,” in the words of  Thomas Paine, they were also the times that tested Americans’ intellects  and practical political skills in creating a strong, national,  republican government. The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the  first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777,

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #18 What’s in The News? Thunderstorms Day and Night. What is The Difference? Speaking Practice. What’s for Dinner? English Grammar. Me Too / Me Neither What’s in The News? Thunderstorms Day and Night. What is The Difference? Thunderstorms are most likely to form when the temperature of the air  decreases with height pretty rapidly–for example, when it’s hot at the  ground and cold aloft. Thunderstorms that form at night occur in the  absence of heating at the ground by the sun. Consequently, the storms  that form at night are usually “elevated,” meaning that they form aloft  above the cooler air near the ground, rather than near the ground, which  only during the day can get warmer. There aren’t nearly as many measurements available of temperature and  moisture, which is needed to fuel thunderstorms, above the ground as  there are at the ground, so predicting where storms will form at night  is much more ch

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #17 What’s in The News? It’s True: Coffee Can Add Years to Your Life. Speaking Practice. Catching a Bus. English Grammar. Comparative Adjectives and Quantifiers. What’s in The News? What’s in The News? It’s True: Coffee Can Add Years to Your Life. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? For  many Americans, the day begins by trudging to the coffee pot or stopping  for a daily latte before rushing into the office. Coffee is a daily  ritual in Blue Zones areas, as well. Sardinians, Ikarians and Nicoyans  start their days with a cup, lightly sweetened without cream. In  addition to a daily cup of coffee, Blue Zones centenarians drink water,  tea and wine. While coffee is often a hotly-debated health topic, it’s  shown to carry many health benefits. In all five original Blue Zones areas, people drink up to two or  three cups of black coffee per day! The American Heart Association found  t

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #16 What’s in The News? Electric Cars Charge While Traveling Down The Highway. Speaking Practice. Making a Date. English Grammar. Comparative Adjectives. What’s in The News? Electric Cars Charge While Traveling Down The Highway. Volvo and other car manufacturers are getting closer to the day where  all they make is Electric. Gas and diesel have been the traditional  refueling method forever. It’s time for change. Ironically, Ford was the  first major US car manufacturer to build and lease a fleet of electric  vehicles over 20 years ago. Most of those cars ended up in the trash  compacter. Ford kept it quiet for many years. Now, they are far behind  the curve. Some types of innovation, you just can’t stop. For now, electric has found it’s way into the mainstream as the next  fuel. By 2024, some manufacturers will stop producing gas autos all  together. After that, it’s anyone's guess at what will be next. With ne

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #15 What’s in The News? 7 Things to disappear in The Next Decade Speaking Practice. Airport Bus Conversation English Grammar. Present Perfect Simple VS Present Perfect Continuous What’s in the News? 7 Things to disappear in The Next Decade Mom, dad along with grandma and grandpa are all part of past  generations when life was just a little slower. All of the time? No!  However, in today’s world of technology, things are changing at  lightning speed. Compared to any time in history, the pace of innovation and product  creation is impossible to find similarities. While in today’s fast paced  world, technology is moving faster than humans can keep track. The near future will bring with it some fundamental changes to  everyday life as we know it. Experts agree that many of the inventions  we have used nearly forever, will soon go the way of the dinosaur. As  strange as that sounds, it’s not that difficult to predict which ones &nb

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #14 What’s New? China’s First Forest City Speaking Practice. Daily Needs English Grammar. Present Perfect + For / Since What’s New? China’s First Forest City In the wake of President Trump’s decision to remove America from the  Paris Climate agreement, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little negative  about the future of the planet. With reports of huge cracks appearing in the Antarctic ice, fears  that preventing the two degree heating of the planet might be a pipe  dream, and the world’s food supplies at risk – everything looks and  sounds grim. Fortunately though, there are some good news stories on the horizon;  with many of them coming from China. The country has been leading the  way when it comes to ‘green living’ in recent years, with the government  announcing it had completed construction of the world’s largest  floating solar farm. Now, in an attempt to curb the production of toxic  gasses, t

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #13 What’s New?  Climate Change and Global Warming Speaking Practice. Early in the Morning English Grammar. Present Perfect + Yet / Already / Just What’s New? Climate Change and Global Warming The world has one year to start making significant reductions in  greenhouse gas emissions or face the prospect of dangerous global  warming, experts have warned in an article in the prestigious journal  Nature.  Calling for world leaders to be guided by the scientific  evidence rather than “hide their heads in the sand”, they said “entire  ecosystems” were already beginning to collapse, summer sea ice was  disappearing in the Arctic and coral reefs were dying from the heat. The world could emit enough carbon to bust the Paris Agreement target  of between 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius in anything from four to 26 years  if current levels continue, the article said. Global emissions had been  rising rapidly but have pla

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #12 What’s New? Sentient Robots and The Future. Speaking Practice. Greetings in American English. English Grammar. Simple Past and Past Continuous. What’s New? Sentient Robots and The Future. Zombies and aliens may not be a realistic threat to our species. But  there’s one stock movie villain we can’t be so sanguine about: sentient  robots. If anything, their arrival is probably just a matter of time.  But what will a world of conscious machines be like? Will there be a  place in it for us? Artificial intelligence research has been going through a recent  revolution. AI systems can now outperform humans at playing chess and  Go, recognizing faces, and driving safely. Even so, most researchers say  truly conscious machines — ones that don’t just run programs but have  feelings and are self-aware — are decades away. First, the reasoning  goes, researchers have to build a generalized intelligence, a single &nb

Download PDF Welcome to Larisa English Club #11 What’s New? Magic foods for men do not exist. Speaking Practice. Ordering a meal at a restaurant. English Grammar. The present continuous tense. What’s New? Magic foods for men do not exist. There’s no magic food or way to eat. There are some foods men need to  eat such as vegetables; fruits; whole grains; protein foods like beans,  eggs, or lean meats; and dairy like 1% milk. You’ll get nutrients you  need for good health―including magnesium, potassium, calcium, vitamin D,  fiber, and protein. If it’s there, you’ll eat it. Keep healthy foods in your kitchen that need little preparation. Keep  your fridge filled with carrots, apples, oranges, low-fat yogurt, and  eggs. Stock up on fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables and fruits, lean  meats, canned beans, and tuna or salmon. Find healthier heat-and-eat  options to replace heating up a frozen pizza. Whole grains help you feel full. Make sure half your grains a