Improve English listening today (Native audio – QUARANTINE)

This post contains audio to Improve English listening. It talks about my quarantine here in Japan with lots of new vocabulary to learn.

• Below you will find an audio player so you can listen to the post and improve your English listening skills.
• Definitions for all the words from the story in bold blue text are also listed at the bottom of this post.

Improve English listening QUARANTINE

Natural English Listening QUARANTINE – text

The Japanese prime Minister has extended the quarantine until the end of May. (2020)

[has extended is the past perfect tense. Learn/review this grammar HERE]

This means that many shops, restaurants, and cafés in Japan will remain closed. I understand that this is difficult news for some. Store owners and their employees would like to open their stores again.

Some stores are essential (this means that they are necessary; they need to be open). Grocery stores and drugstores are necessary, people need to eat and buy medicine. Essential services like banks will stay open, and in Japan, even hair salons are thought of as essential, so they can also remain open.

[even hair salons are thought of as essential – Learn/review EVEN grammar HERE]

Of course, hospitals and clinics are open, and I think this is why the quarantine was extended. Hospital staff are working very hard to handle the large number of COVID-19 patients, and also take care of all the other patients who need hospital care for other things. Hospitals have too many patients right now.

One of my private students is a midwife, a midwife is a nurse who takes care of new born babies, and helps the doctor and mother during delivery. Babies are still being born, and people still need to visit hospitals for many reasons. Emergencies, rehabilitation, and treatment for other kinds of illnesses besides coronavirus.

[The plural countable noun illnesses has 3 syllables – ILL-NEH-SIZ – Use my syllables method to help your English pronunciation HERE]

Some people have the chance to work from home, they are lucky. The schools that I teach at are closed, but I still have many students who take lessons on Skype. I feel like I am lucky too.

I understand that this is a challenging situation, we are all trying our best to make the right choices. I want to support everyone who is going through this challenge. I hope this listening resource is good for you.

How about you? What is happening where you live? Let’s share our stories in the comment section. As a community of English students, we can practice while we support each other in this difficult time.

New Vocabulary from the post – with meanings

Click the words to visit their definition page on Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary website.

quarantine noun a period of time when an animal or a person that has or may have a disease is kept away from others in order to prevent the disease from spreading

essential adjective completely necessary; extremely important in a particular situation or for a particular activity

midwife noun a person, especially a woman, who is trained to help women give birth to babies

patient noun a person who is receiving medical treatment, especially in a hospital

rehabilitation noun the process of helping somebody to have a normal, useful life again after they have been very ill or in prison for a long time

illness noun the state of being physically or mentally ill

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