English Listening

#Audiobook #Listening

Listening to audiobooks improves English vocabulary and pronunciation.

✍️ Anton Chekhov 📖 «The Three Sisters» Three Sisters is a naturalistic play about the decay of the privileged class in Russia and the search for meaning in the modern world. It describes the lives and aspirations of the Prozorov family, the three sisters (Olga, Masha, and Irina) and their brother Andrei. They are a family dissatisfied and frustrated with their present existence. The sisters are refined and cultured young women who grew up in urban Moscow; however for the past eleven years they have been living in a small provincial town. Moscow is a major symbolic element: the sisters are always dreaming of it and constantly express their desire to return. They identify Moscow with their happiness, and thus to them it represents the perfect life. However as the play develops Moscow never materializes and they all see their dreams recede further and further. Meaning never presents itself and they are forced to seek it out for themselves. 🎧 @eng_listening

#Listening 🌐Practice English with News

Practice English with News aims to help everyone who, like you, wants to practice English by listening to or reading real English news articles.

🎧Vance says no talks with Iran unless shooting at ships stops 💬Tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East,.. as U.S. Vice President JD Vance says there will be no talks with Iran until Tehran stops attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, South Korea is denying reports that it is preparing to send troops to the region. Lee Seung-jae has more. U.S. Vice President JD Vance says Washington has no plans to hold talks with Iran unless Tehran stops attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Vance said any end to the conflict would depend on Iran halting attacks on vessels passing through the strategic waterway. "And your point about negotiations? The president's been very clear. We're not talking to them, and we're not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping.” Vance also credited U.S. efforts in the Strait of Hormuz with helping prevent a wider energy crisis. He also rejected calling the conflict a war, saying major combat operations have ended and Washington is now focused on protecting commercial oil shipping. Meanwhile, South Korea's presidential office has rejected a report that Seoul is considering deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz. The Blue House said Thursday that the report was "different from the facts," adding that no details regarding the issue have been decided. The presidential office reiterated that South Korea remains in discussions with other countries over possible ways to contribute to restoring peace and stability in the Middle East and the strait. Earlier on the day, local broadcaster JTBC reported that the government was leaning toward sending troops to the region and reviewing details ahead of potentially seeking approval from the National Assembly. The report comes as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to criticize South Korea for declining requests to provide naval support in the Strait of Hormuz. Seoul, however, has so far stopped short of announcing any military deployment, maintaining that discussions on its possible contribution are still ongoing. 🎧 @eng_listening

#Listening 🌐Practice English with News

Practice English with News aims to help everyone who, like you, wants to practice English by listening to or reading real English news articles.

🎧Blue House reviewing military options for Hormuz Strait, no decisions made yet 💬 The Blue House says it's reviewing ways to make a contribution to security in the Strait of Hormuz, including possible military options, but stresses no decision has been made. Kim Suh-young has the latest. An official from South Korea's Blue House said Friday that it is reviewing various ways to make a substantive contribution to security in the Strait of Hormuz, including possible military options. The official added that Seoul could have some room to maneuver on an overseas deployment, as long as it does not significantly undermine South Korea's military readiness on the Korean Peninsula. The official also said a substantive contribution could include a military contribution, but stressed that no decision has been made. Blue House also said that discussions have not yet reached the stage of consultations with the National Assembly, whose consent would be required for an overseas troop deployment. The latest remarks mark a shift from Thursday, when the Blue House rejected a local media report that Seoul was leaning toward deploying troops to the region, saying no details had been decided. On this occasion, the presidential office again pushed back against the reports, telling the Guardian that they did not accurately reflect the facts and that no final decision had been made on the matter, while noting that the review process was still ongoing. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance says Washington has no plans to hold talks with Iran unless Tehran stops attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Vance said any end to the conflict would depend on Iran halting attacks on vessels passing through the strategic waterway. "And your point about negotiations? The president's been very clear. We're not talking to them, and we're not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping." He rejected calling the conflict a war, saying major combat operations have ended and Washington is now focused on protecting commercial oil shipping. 🎧 @eng_listening

#Audiobook #Listening

Listening to audiobooks improves English vocabulary and pronunciation.

✍️ Anton Chekhov 📖 «The Bet» 🎧 @eng_listening

#Listening 🌐Practice English with News

Practice English with News aims to help everyone who, like you, wants to practice English by listening to or reading real English news articles.

🎧World News: Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America' 💬This is the WORLD NOW. In the United States, President Donald Trump wants Lake Ontario to be renamed ‘Lake America’. He signed an order to that effect on Thursday, as conflict with Canada deepens. The order tells the Interior Department to change the name in official U.S. records immediately. Canada is not expected to recognize the change, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the lake's name is more than 400 years old and that Canadians will keep calling it Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario sits on the border of the U.S. and Canada. Last year, Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America.' In the United States, Meta says it has shut down an Iranian operation aimed at influencing people through social media. Meta's report said Thursday it removed Facebook and Instagram accounts tied to operators in Iran. Those accounts were routed through the U.S. or Canada to hide their origin and used artificial intelligence to push posts and make memes about American politics. Some posed as American activists, students and designers living in cities in the United States, and tagged real journalists and politicians in their posts. About 79-thousand accounts followed at least one of the Iranian accounts. In the United States, shares in the chipmaker Nvidia jumped 8.7% on Thursday, its biggest one-day gain since April 2025. The surge added 442 billion dollars to the company's value, the second-largest one-day gain ever. Strong quarterly results and a forecast of 70% revenue growth for the 2028 financial year eased fears of cooling AI demand. The rally lifted the wider market, the S&P 500 rose 0.7%, and the Nasdaq gained 1.6%. Attention now shifts to Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, who speaks at Jackson Hole on Friday. In Japan, the artist Yayoi Kusama has died at the age of 97. Her museum said she died in hospital on August 14th, and gave no cause. Kusama was known for her dot-covered paintings, pumpkin sculptures and mirrored rooms. She said she had seen hallucinations of dots and flashing lights since childhood. She voluntarily lived in a psychiatric hospital from 1977, and painted until her final days. 🎧 @eng_listening

#Audiobook #Listening

Listening to audiobooks improves English vocabulary and pronunciation.

✍️ Anton Chekhov 📖 «The Tales of Anton Chekhov» 🎧 @eng_listening

#Audiobook #Listening

Listening to audiobooks improves English vocabulary and pronunciation.

✍️ Anton Chekhov 📖 "The Safety Match" On an early October morning, Psyekoff, the right hand-man to Lieutenant Marcus Ivanovitch Klausoff, informs the inspector of police that he suspects Klausoff has been murdered. Immediately, the inspector and his team head to Klausoff's home to investigate the matter. After examining the outside of the house, the inspector sends word to the magistrate, asking him to come investigate the case. When the magistrate and his assistant arrive, they check Klausoff's room, only to find that he is not in there. His door is locked, but his window is clearly open. As the magistrate and his assistant look for and find clues, the assistant begins to piece together a story explaining what happened. Based on the evidence, he believes Klausoff was strangled, taken out through the window, hit on the head, and then disposed of somewhere. He also believes three people were involved in the murder. The magistrate is not convinced of that particular theory, but he begins questioning Klausoff's staff. Soon, he and his assistant believe they find two of the three people involved. One of the clues, a safety match found in Klausoff's room, the assistant believes will lead them to the third murderer. 🎧 @eng_listening