環(huán)球英語 — 595：Listener Mail 108

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Welcome to Spotlight's listener mail program. I'm Joshua Leo.

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And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Spotlight listeners write emails to us from around the world.

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They leave comments on our website, and discuss many issues on the discussion board.

They join us on Facebook for the word of the day, and country week.

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In today's program, we will join these conversations!

We start today with comments from listeners on our website. These listeners visit a program page. There, they can write a comment for other listeners to see. This month, listeners responded to many different programs.

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One of those programs was "Physical Activity". This program looked at the importance of physical activity for health.

On the website, Iu wrote:

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"I think physical activities are good for your health!

Everybody should do exercises, especially young people!

Young people often spend a lot of time working with computers, so they walk or do exercise little. This can affect their health."

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Reno shared his favourite activities to stay healthy. And user Reflexivo added:

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"This program is a big motivation to have so much exercise in our lives."

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Thanks for these interesting comments, and good ideas. We encourage all of you to exercise. If you would like to share your favourite exercise, visit our website: https://www.radio.english.net.

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In a recent Spotlight program, we talked about an unusual place in Singapore. Most people on this island live in the city. But a small group of families live in a village - the last village on the island. We asked, is it better to live in a city or a village?

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Listeners had many answers to this question.

Adem wrote:

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"I lived in a small village when I was child. But I am living in a big city now. For me there are huge differences between living in a village and in a city. Which one is better? Of course the traditional is better. Living in the village is simple, friendly and healthy.

"You can find more time for yourself and for your friends, family, neighbours. That can help you feel better. As humans we can be happy if we help other people. Village life gives you more opportunity in that."

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But another listener seemed to disagree. He wrote:

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"I do not have a wife and I do not have children. Now I live in a big city. I live with my friend on the tenement. I can have more time for my friends and family, everybody. Live great!"

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So listeners, what do you think? Do you like living in cities, or villages? It sounds like there are many ways to live a good life!

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Listeners also left comments about this program on our Facebook page. In fact, listener Lina Hong visited the village! She posted a picture too. To see it, go to facebook.com/spotlightradio.

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There have also been many interesting discussions on the discussion boards on our website. There, listeners talk about the programs. They also discuss many issues of language and learning.

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One recent discussion started with a question about talking to foreigners. Jenny Nguyen asked about talking to foreigners and native English speakers. In these situations, how do you create confidence? How do you trust your own ability?

Dat wrote:

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"I used to be fearful when I talked to foreigners. But now, that is better, I feel more confident. Maybe, I will not have enough words to talk. In these situations, I use my body language. It is powerful and very useful."

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Using body language is an excellent way to communicate - for example, by using your hands. This method communicates across languages.

Julia wrote:

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"What I noticed is that people get more confident when they face their fears. They improve if they just keep talking, no matter what happens.

"You cannot be confident when you just start something new. But you can believe everything is going to work out just fine! There is a saying: "Practice makes perfect"!

"So just speak. Do not think about shyness, age or whatever you are afraid of."

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This is a great attitude! Robert had one more idea:

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"There is a big difference when I talk with native speakers and people who use English as a second language. I am much more confident when I am talking with other learners. I have noticed that they make the same or similar mistakes as me. Pronunciation is sometimes very similar to mine. And they sometimes do not know meanings of some words. I am more calm and our talk is easier for me."

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This is a good idea. Using English successfully can help you to trust your ability. Starting with other learners can build that confidence!

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Do you have an idea to share? Visit the discussion boards and read other listeners ideas. Then, write your own idea!

Finally, Myriam wrote an email to us from Colombia:

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"I wanted to say many thanks for this page. This kind of method is very good for me. I would like to know if you have material related to business English. Specially, are there readings that I can use to listen? This is my main

weakness in English."

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Thank you for writing to us Myriam! Spotlight does not teach English. But many listeners like to listen to Spotlight to practice English. And business English is an important area for many people. We have many programs about business and business people. You can search for "business" in our search box. These are a few of the programs you might find:

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Lijjat: Women in Business Together. In this program, we look at a group of women who started a food business together.

World Business Leaders. This series tells the stories of important business leaders and their work, including Guler Sabanci, Jamsetji Tata, Bill Gates and Andrew Carnegie.

Big Ideas and Small Businesses. We look at the World Challenge Competition, and the small businesses who have won.