Kikokushijo Academy Wordcast

In the 2014 award-winning movie The Imitation Game, British actor Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Alan Turing, the inventor of a code-breaking machine that was used during World War II at Bletchley…

In today’s lesson, entitled The Lion King Debate, you will be listening to a passage about Cecil, the African lion that was recently shot and killed by an American hunter.  You will also learn why so…

The basic practices of “teaching” and “learning” probably haven’t changed much in the last twenty or thirty years.  But that’s not quite true, because, as you know, teachers and students these d…

In today’s passage, entitled “Burning Man,” you will learn about a festival held in the Nevada desert every year that offers its attendees an experience that can only be described as unique.  Li…

On the evening of October 11, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus was patrolling the deck of his ship Santa Maria when he saw a “light glimmering at a great distance.” He later claimed that i…

In today’s lesson, entitled“The Winton Children,”you will listen to a passage about a remarkable Englishman named Nicholas Winton who is often called “Britain’s Schindler.” When the Second World…

In today’s lesson, entitled A Mammoth Effort, you will be listening to a passage about the possibility of resurrecting animals that have long been extinct using modern advanced science and techn…

In today’s lesson, entitled A Trip of a Lifetime, you will be listening to a passage about some of the exciting, but costly school trips many pupils and students are going on these days.    Listen…

In today’s lesson, entitled Melting Away, you will be listening to a passage about how global warming is affecting weather patterns all over the world.  You will also learn about how some archeolo…

In today’s listening passage, entitled “When I Grow Up,” you will learn why some skilled occupations are being phased out and also learn about some of the specialized courses that many universit…

In today’s lesson, entitled Elon Musk: Watch This Space, you will be listening to a passage about one of the most innovative and visionary businessmen of the 21st century.   Listen carefully to th…

In today’s lesson, entitled To Binge, or Not to Binge, you will be listening to a passage about how cable and satellite television networks have changed the way viewers watch television and why “j…

In today’s lesson, entitled Lights Out, you will be listening to a passage about how a simple act like turning off lights at night could save the lives of millions of migrating birds.   Listen car…

In today’s lesson, entitled The People’s Princess, you will be listening to a passage about how a shy English assistant kindergarten teacher became known to people everywhere as the “People’s Prin…

In today’s lesson, entitled A Thousand Million, you will be listening to a passage about some of the wealthiest people in the world and the various ways a billion dollars could be spent. Listen …

In today’s lesson, entitled Have You Heard ...?, you will be listening to a passage about why so many people indulge in gossiping and how the Internet has changed the nature of gossip. Listen ca…

In today’s lesson, entitled Happy Mother’s Day, you will be listening to a passage about how as a child a West Virginia schoolteacher got the idea to begin setting aside a special day to honor a…

For our final lesson, we will be looking at eighteen phrasal verbs and related idiomatic expressions based on the word “fall.”  By the end of the lesson, you should have a good grasp of all of t…

In today’s lesson, entitled Seeing Double, you will be listening to a passage about why two complete strangers can look nearly identical to each other. Listen carefully to the passage and then a…

In today’s lesson, entitled Up, Up, and Away!  you will be listening to a passage about a company in England that is taking an old idea and combining it with green technology to build a lighter-…