Tag: English Courses

Learn English with the News – Microsoft Implements 4-Day Work Week

In Japan, with a very severe and intense work culture, Microsoft is trying to change the norm. Last summer, they tried a new experiment which saw the company cut the work day from 5 to 4 days. Watch the video and then do the accompanying English language exercises.

The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored. 

Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.

This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.

So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:

Microsoft Implements 4 Day Work Week | Definition Match

Put the following words to the correct definitions.

Microsoft Implements 4 Day Work Week | Fill in the Blank

Fill the empty spaces with the proper words.

Microsoft Implements 4 Day Work Week | Percent Multiple Choice

Match the percentage with the correct statistic.

 

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below, as we would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

For other Learn English with the News segments, be sure to check out the rest of our posts:

https://scrambledeggsinglese.it/tag/learn-english-with-the-news/

Full Text:

“The technology company Microsoft says it has successfully trialed a four-day working week in its Japan offices, which noticed improvements in worker productivity and job satisfaction. The trial took place last summer at its headquarters in Tokyo. Employees had every Friday off as paid leave in August. The company monitored the effects a three-day weekend had on total performance. Company executives said the shorter working week resulted in additional benefits. Productivity increased by 40 percent and 92 percent of employees declared satisfaction with the scheme. The trial could lead to a revolution in Japan’s traditional work culture, which is generally characterized by long hours and excessive overtime.
Microsoft named the trial the “Work-Life Choice Challenge.” The company said it aimed to “establish an environment where each employee can choose a diverse and flexible way of working according to the circumstances of their work and life”. Other aspects of the trial included shorter meetings, with a maximum of 30 minutes, and encouraging workers to choose online chats instead of face-to-face ones. There were additional advantages to the trial. Microsoft said that there was a decrease of 23 percent in electricity consumption and a drop of 59 percent in pages printed compared with August of the year before. Additionally, employee commute decreased by 20% and therefore reduced pollution. Microsoft has scheduled another experiment in Japan later this year and will ask employees for feedback.”

Learn English with the News – Baia: A City That Lies Beneath the Waves

Rome is a city that never ceases to amaze. And scientific discoveries will keep that splendour strong, as the city of Baia continues to shine, even from under water. Watch the video and then do the accompanying English language exercises.

The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored. 

Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.

This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.

So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:

Baia: A City That Lies Beneath the Waves | Definition Match

Put the following words to the correct definitions.

Baia: A City That Lies Beneath the Waves | Fill in the Blank

Fill the empty spaces with the proper words.

Baia: A City That Lies Beneath the Waves | True or False

Indicate which sentences are true and which ones are false.

 

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below, as we would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

For other Learn English with the News segments, be sure to check out the rest of our posts:

https://scrambledeggsinglese.it/tag/learn-english-with-the-news/

Full Text:

“In its heyday, the classical Roman city of Baia was the hedonist Las Vegas of the time, but now its remains are partying beneath the waves. A prominent resort city for centuries, Baia catered to the recreational whims of the rich and powerful among the Roman elite. The city, which was located over natural volcanic vents, was famous for its healing medicinal hot springs which occurred all around the city and were quite easy to build spas over. Some of antiquity’s most powerful figures such as Nero, Cicero, and Caesar were known to have visited the city and a number of them actually built permanent vacation villas there. Unfortunately, the good times were not to last and the city was sacked by a Muslim army in the 8th century. By 1500, the remains of the formerly luxurious town were abandoned. After the city remains were emptied, the water level slowly rose due to the same volcanic vents that were once a draw to the area, and most of the ancient ruins were drowned under the shallow waters of the bay. Today the ancient remains of Baia can be visited in one of the world’s few underwater archaeological parks. Visitors can view the crumbled structures and amazingly preserved statuary of the city through glass-bottomed boats, snorkelling, or even scuba dives which allow people to actually swim amongst the copious ruins. While the city is no longer a resort, its waters still hold wonders.”

Learn English with the News – Venice restricts numbers allowed on gondolas because tourists “have gotten fatter”

Things are changing in Venice, and it’s not what you might expect. Due to what local gondola drives claim as “fatter” tourists, the city will limit the number of passengers allowed on a single gondola for a ride along the canals. Watch the video and check out the accompanying English language exercises.

The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored. 

Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.

This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.

So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:

Venice restricts numbers allowed on gondolas because tourists “have gotten fatter” | Definition Match

Put the following words to the correct definitions.

Venice restricts numbers allowed on gondolas because tourists “have gotten fatter” | Fill in the Blank

Fill the empty spaces with the proper words.

Venice restricts numbers allowed on gondolas because tourists “have gotten fatter” | True or False

Indicate which sentences are true and which ones are false.

 

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below, as we would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

For other Learn English with the News segments, be sure to check out the rest of our posts:

https://scrambledeggsinglese.it/tag/learn-english-with-the-news/

Full Text:

“The coronavirus pandemic has placed a heavy weight on Venice’s vast tourism industry. But as it emerges from lockdown, the city is trying to ease the weight put on its gondolas. A new restriction will see the maximum capacity on the city’s famous gondolas reduced from six passengers to five. And it’s not social distancing that caused the change — it’s the high average weight of tourists at the destination.
“Over the last 10 years or so, tourists weigh more – so we are limiting the number of people on a single boat,” Andrea Balbi, the president of Venice’s Gondola Association, confirmed to CNN while explaining the rule.
The change applies to Venice’s slim boats that cruise through the small canals. The maximum occupancy in the larger “da parada” gondolas, which are mostly for taxis across the Grand Canal, has also been reduced, from 14 to 12. Balbi said more weight means the gondolas flood, making it harder for gondoliers to navigate canal traffic.
Raoul Roveratto, president of the association of substitute gondoliers — a group representing less experienced gondoliers — didn’t hesistate when speaking to La Repubblica newspaper. Roveratto said that some citizens are like bombs, and when the boat is fully loaded, it sinks and water enters,” he said.
Sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry, and this is the message the gondoliers want to give the public.”