English reading

In education and employment, some people work harder than others. Why do some people work harder? Is it always a good thing to work hard? It is not uncommon to see hard working individuals in almost every aspect of our lives including education and employment. These people certainly have reasons to try to outwork everyone, but I do not personally think hard work always makes for a happy life. From my perspective, there are two main reasons why some people share a strong sense of hard work. The first one has to do with their upbringing. These people are nurtured to work hard and stay competitive from an early age, which over time become their defining qualities. Overachievers such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who are also some of the wealthiest individuals, are known for working over 80 hours a week, a habit they developed from their childhood. This example goes to explain that hard work is not simply a choice, but also a pattern that takes many years to develop. Additionally, personal traits like ambitions and drive often go hand in hand with diligence. Many hard-working members of our society, who are at times called outliers, possess these two features in abundance. Were it not for these qualities, most people would lower their standards and settle for less in life, thus not work as hard as they do. I do not, however, think qualities like over-competitiveness and having inexorable work ethics guarantee success in life. This is because these qualities sometimes end up being the root cause of conflicts and more importantly, decline in health. Competition is the breeding ground of many adversaries at work as well as in education. People are naturally to have confrontations when they constantly try to outwork one another. As for the health aspect, someone working exceptionally hard is likely to experience serious burn-outs and elevated levels of stress, which eventually take its toll on their body. Finally, a heightened sense of commitment to work tends to come at the expense of personal relationships. To people in this category, personal life takes a back seat to work, which is why their relationships with family and friends suffer. In conclusion, while childhood upbringing, ambitions and drive are the main indicators of hard work, I refrain from normalizing this quality, for it is not without its downsides. #task2 @read_ewj @learn_ewj

Describe a toy that you received when you were a child You should say: - What the toy was - Who gave it to you? - How you used this And explain how you felt when you got this toy Let me tell you about my favorite toy I owned when I was ten years old. It was a superman, actually. I liked it because of the cartoons produced by the Japanese. But, since I was extremely absorbed in model toys at the time, I pestered my parents constantly and, finally they agreed and were willing to shell out big bucks to afford it for me. I was so revved up when I got it in the toys store. It was very delicate and finely painted and modelled perfectly, just like my favorite character in the cartoon, so I almost played with it after class on the daily basis. This toy carries great significance to me because I have longed for it and it was hardly affordable at that time. So, I always held it in my hand while watching the cartoon series. As a kid, that was a fascinating and exciting moment for me. Superman was the irreplaceable hero in my mind, and I hope I could become a strong man in the future like him to protect others around me. I still keep the toy in mint condition, and each time I happen to catch a glimpse of it, memories of my happy childhood just flash back and sometimes tears trickle down my face just imagining how the toy really means to me. #speaking #useful @learn_ewj @read_ewj

FLASH BACK MEMORIES 🍾Meaning - If your mind or thoughts flash back to something that happened in the past, you suddenly remember it 📗📗📗📗📗EXAMPLES📗📗📗📗📗 🖊🖋🖌 Her thoughts flashed back to their wedding day. 🖊🖋🖌His memory flashed back to the last time he was in a prison cell. 🖊🖋🖌 She flashed back to her discussion with Ted Wilkinson, reliving every moment in her mind.. 🖊🖋🖌Suddenly, something she had heard her daddy read out from a newspaper flashed back to her. 🖊🖋🖌 My mind flashed back to those nights in Marcus Small Ward. #vocab #useful @lear_ewj @read_ewj

IN MINT CONDITION 🍾Meaning - perfect condition : a state of being like new 📗📗📗📗📗EXAMPLES📗📗📗📗📗 🖊🖋🖌 She was cautious about buying the vintage t-shirt sight unseen, but the seller assured her it was in mint condition. 🖊🖋🖌Even though the antique doll was a hundred years old, it was still in mint condition. 🖊🖋🖌 He was cautious about buying the used car, even though the dealer told him it was in mint condition. 🖊🖋🖌The stamp collector was excited when he found a rate addition to his collection in mint condition. 🖊🖋🖌 She was selling her childhood toys because they were still in mint condition. 🖊🖋🖌She didn’t mind buying used clothes as long as they were in mint condition. 🖊🖋🖌 His coin collection lacked one piece until he found it at a flea market in mint condition. 🖊🖋🖌 Her teddy bear collection was in mint condition, yet she refused to sell it. #vocab #useful @lear_ewj @read_ewj

SHELL OUT 🍾Meaning - To “shell out” is to spend money on something expensive. 📗📗📗📗📗EXAMPLES📗📗📗📗📗 🖊🖋🖌 We cannot simply shell out money with no timetable. 🖊🖋🖌We do not shell out money whenever somebody thinks that he should have aid. 🖊🖋🖌 But that was yesterday, when audiences would shell out cheerful and sit through anything because pictures moved. 🖊🖋🖌Be prepared to shell out a little bit of money to do this! 🖊🖋🖌 You won't have to shell out a fortune for it. 🖊🖋🖌I will be expected to shell out for the party. #vocab #useful @lear_ewj @read_ewj

PESTER 🍾Meaning - to behave in an annoying manner towards someone by doing or asking for something repeatedly. 📗📗📗📗📗EXAMPLES📗📗📗📗📗 🖊🖋🖌 At the frontier, there were people pestering tourists for cigarettes, food, or alcohol. 🖊🖋🖌John has been pestering her to go out with him all month. 🖊🖋🖌 We are pestered by stray dogs running across the farm and problems are caused to other farms. 🖊🖋🖌 He accused me of pestering and badgering him for the last three years. 🖊🖋🖌 Let these people get their coal not by begging or pestering for it but as a right. 🖊🖋🖌They are fed up with being pestered and told what to do. #vocab #useful @lear_ewj @read_ewj

📔 Get over something 📋Meaning To "get over it" or to "get over (something)" means to stop feeling unhappy about something, or stop being controlled or bothered by something. 🤔For example ⬇️ 🗣 How’s Paula? Has she gotten over the death of her dog yet? 🗣 I think so. She’s already talking about getting a new one. 🗣 After Suze's boyfriend dumped her, friends helped her get over it by taking her to the movies. 🗣It took him years to get over the shock of his wife dying. 🗣 It took her months to get over Michael when he ended the relationship. More examples 🗣 She's only just getting over the death of her husband. 🗣 Don’s pretty upset, but he’ll get over it. #idiom #useful @learn_ewj

How long do you think it’s healthy to sleep? It kind of depends on which age you are. For elderly people, approximately 4-5 hours will suffice as they don’t have to exert too much physically during the day. For younger people, 8 hours of sleep would recharge their batteries for the next working day. #short #useful @learn_ewj @read_ewj

Recharge one's batteries (idiom) Meaning: to rest and relax in order to regain energy and strength. Examples: 🍾🍾🍾 We took a nap after work to recharge our batteries before going out dancing 🍾🍾🍾 Every year we go to San Diego and just lie on the beach to recharge our batteries. 🍾🍾🍾 My secretary looked so exhausted this week that I told her to stay home Friday and recharge her batteries. 🍾🍾🍾 I planned to recharge my batteries at home last week but my kids got the flu and I got even less sleep than normal. 🍾🍾🍾 If you don't take some time to recharge your batteries you're going to feel exhausted and then you'll start hating your job. 🍾🍾🍾 If you don't have the time or money to go on a holiday, an hour massage or yoga class can help recharge your batteries a bit. 🍾🍾🍾I'm so exhausted that if I don't recharge my batteries very soon, I'm going to get sick. #idiom #useful #usage @learn_ewj @read_ewj