Talk about the English-learning craze in Korea.

## The English you can speak, 1 Jun 2010

The English-learning craze in Korea shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. Students start their English studies from as early as in kindergarten, lasting all the way into college. Many parents will sacrifice other expenses to send their children to private language institutes. In 2009 alone, roughly 7 trillion won (or $6.3 billion) was spent on private English education in Korea. People also learn English through online video lectures, educational programs on TV or on the radio. In fact, many people look to EBS(Educational Broadcasting System) for such programs. EBS provides some of the best quality contents in English education for all age groups. Adults aren't exempt from the English fever either. Those fresh out of college continue to study English for better career prospects. Many in their 40's, 50's and 60's study the language just for the fun of it.

# My opinion

I absolutely agree with this article. One's English ability is the most important thing in Korea. Everyone makes an effort to learn English, and so do I. The reason why Koreans are dying to learn English is to get more chances in theworkplace and for a better life. If someone is good at speaking English, it will be helpful for his whole life. In my case, my major was computer science and there are up-to-date books written in English about the newest technology. I need toimprove my skills so I can read English books quite freely. And I also like to travel abroad, so it is essential to speak English in order to make foreign friends or reserve accommodations. Finally, I often search for some information through the internet. I am limited to searching the internet in Korean, so I want to bemore skilled at English.

# Extra Topics for Study Groups

1. Tell us about your experience of learning English.

2. What are some problems with English education in Korea?

3. How do you help your children learn English?

## Today's expression

Future)

If I speak English very fluently, I think I will get lots of chances to get a job.

Present)

If I spoke English very fluently, I think I would get lots of chances to get a job.

Past)

If I had spoken English very fluently, I think I would have gotten lots of chances to get a job.

Talk about conveyor belt sushi places in Korea.

## Talk about conveyor belt sushi places in Korea.

## The English you can speak, 11 May 2010

Conveyor belt sushi places are a quick and popular way to get sushi in Korea. It is most frequented by families and people who want a taste of various types of sushi. A rotating conveyor belt winds past the customers, who pick up their favorite dishes from the selection that the chefs put down on the belt. Utensils and condiments can be found near the seats so that the customers can help themselves. There are several different color plates, which indicate the price of the dish. Customers can also specially order a dish if they can't find a dish to their liking. At the end of the meal, a waiter comes and adds up the prices of the plates in front of the customer. These places are popular among office workers who want to grab a quick bite for lunch.

# A chef is a cook in a restaurant or hotel.

# Utensils are tools or objects that you use in order to help you to cook or to do other tasks in your home.

# A condiment is a substance such as salt, pepper, or mustard that you add to food when you eat it in order to improve the flavour.

# My opinion

I like to eat sushi and slices of raw fish. Whenever I find a rotation sushi place called "회전 초밥", I tried to go there. The restaurant where I usually go near Konkuk University has a fixed price of 1,000 won for every plate. At the start of the meal, I am fond of ordering a grilled egg sushi which is a kind of an appetizer. After that, I eat all kind of taste of sushi on each plate, drinking a cup of beer. The reason why I like to eat is that I can enjoy eating various types of sushi at conveyor belt sushi place. At the end, there are also some dessert plates such as orange or watermelon. What a wonderful meal! Sushi restaurant is just to my liking.

# Extra Topics for Study Groups

1. Have you ever been to a conveyer belt sushi place?

2. What's your favorite type of sushi?

3. How often do you go to get sushi?

Talk about the growing popularity of netbooks.

## Talk about the growing popularity of netbooks.

## The English you can speak, 09 April 2010

Nowadays, it is common to see people hunched over a netbook. Netbooks are lighter and less expensive than conventional laptops. Netbooks were first conceived in 2007. They usually have less powerful hardware and storage capacity than their larger laptop counterparts. All netbooks on the market support wireless networking, and many can be used on mobile telephone networks. Most computer companies carry a netbook model, although the line between netbooks and laptops is beginning to blur. Last January, Apple Inc. unveiled their long-awaited iPad. While the iPad is technically a tablet PC, many consider it comparable to a netbook. The popularity of netbooks will only grow in the future as people's need for a light portable computer is on the rise.

# My opinion

I love to play with the newest gadget such as iPhone, netbook, PMP and so on. I think the iPhone, an all-in-on gadget is the best smart phone in the world I've ever used. Using the iPhone, I can call to my friends, check my email, watch video clips, listen to music, or keep in touch with others through instant messager, Facebook or twitter, at any time, and anywhere. It is also small enough to carry on in my pocket. It is a portable advantage. I bought a small netbook, Asus EeePC 701, which is 512 memory, 7 inch screen, 4GB hard disk, and only 0.89kg in Taiwan duty free shop when I traveled by bicycle. It surely is lighter and smaller than normal laptops. It is a chore for me to carry on anywhere because of a weight and size. I am eager to use the iPad in the near future. I am convinced that iPad absolutely change our life style, for example reading a book, surfing the web, watching TV, checking email and related computer things. For men and women of all ages, it is easy to use it. Without reading the manual for iPad or iPhone, we can use them intuitively. I am look forward to getting the iPad in Korea as soon as possible.

# If you hunch forward, you raise your shoulders, put your head down, and lean forwards, often because you are cold, ill, or unhappy.

# A conventional method or product is one that is usually used or that has been in use for a long time.

# If you conceive a plan or idea, you thing of it and work out how it can be done.

# Someone's or something's counterpart is another person or thing that has a similar function or position in a different place.

# When a thing blurs or when something blurs it, you cannot see it clearly because its edges are no longer distinct.

# Inc. is an abbrevition for Incorporated when it is used after a company's name

# Extra Topics for Study Groups

1. What kind of computer do you use?

2. Do you prefer netbooks to laptops?

3. Are you considering buying an iPad?

Talk about the Subway Line Number 2 in Seoul.

## Talk about the Subway Line Number 2 in Seoul.

## The English you can speak, 22 April 2010

Seoul's Subway Line 2, or the Green Line, began construction in 1978 and was completed in 1984. Line 2 is a circular line that loops around the city. It is the most heavily used line in Seoul. At 60.2 km, it is the longest circular subway line in the world. There are 53 stations on Line 2, 19 of which are transfer stations. At some point, Line 2 intersects with all of the other 8 subway lines. Beginning in 2005, platform screen doors were installed on Line 2 for safety reasons. One of the most well-known stations on Line 2 is Gangnam, which is on the south side of the Han River. Gangnam Station is the busiest station in the entire Seoul Metropolitan Subway system. Approximately 126,000 people use Gangnam Station every day.

# My Opinion

I prefer taking the subway to taking the bus. I can easily find where I am and which station is on the subway to watch the board. I think the Green Line is always crowded because of a circulating line that loops around the Seoul. Taking the transportation, it is very convenient to move around the capital area in Korea. When I visited in Malaysia, I couldn't understand that I should pay a fare again to transfer another subway line. I wasn't accustomed to pay a fare per one subway line, so I spent a lot of times to find the best way looking the subway map. I think the easiest way is taking the bus to move, I didn't want to get lost in KL. Anyway, the good thing for me taking subway is that I can read books and see video clips on the subway, but I can't on the bus. I could be dizzy on the bus if I read something. To prevent that, I just look out the window or think trivial matters.

# Extra Topics for Study Groups

1. How often do you take the subway?

2. Which line do you use most often?

3. What is your favorite thing about the subway?

Talk about some drinking games Koreans like to play.

## The English you can speak, March 23 2010

Koreans just love to play drinking games. It's a great way to spice up the mood or even break the ice at drinking sessions. Many of these games require quick thinking ability, so they get harder as you get drunker. Some number games, like 369, involve keeping track of numbers. If you mess up, you have to drink. The game "Titanic" is another classic people like to play. We fill up a beer glass about two-thirds full, then float an empty shot glass in the beer. Players take turns pouring a couple drops of soju into the empty glass until someone sinks it. That person has to drink the whole thing. People who are not good at drinking can always ask someone else to drink for them. But they have to grant that person a wish in return.

# If you pour someone a drink, you put some of the drink in a cup or glass so that they can drink it.

# If a boat sinks or if someone or something sinks it, it disappears below the surface of a mass of water.
# If someone in authority grants you something, or if something is granted to you, you are allowed to have it.

# My opinion

When I drank with university friends at the year of my freshman, I loved to play hundreds of drinking games such as 369, baskin robbins 31, double motions, koongkoongta, strawberry and so on. I thought there was nothing to do together and drinking and drinking games were a perfect way to familiar with new buddies because we didn't know each other well. During the games, we were happy without any worries. The more some of friends got hard, the more I tried to concentrate on the drinking games not to drink much. The one who is the last drinker was able to change next game he liked or was good at. Whenever I think about the old days, it makes me smile. Without any drinking games, I can break the ice at drinking session now, talking about my travel, hobbies and some common interests. I regret that why I drank too much in past years, sometimes in past days. I am happy and regretful at the remembrance of my drinking happenings.

# Extra Topics for Study Groups

1. How often do you drink with your friends or colleagues?

2. What do you think about playing drinking games?

3. What are some common drinking games you play?