At some point, I think we all ask ourselves, "What am I doing with my life?"
We wonder if we're happy and what we can do about it if we're not.
We're all very different in personality and we lead different lives, and
yet we share the same basic human experience.
That's what this reading is about.
Let's go over some useful words and expressions.
No pain, no gain.
This is a common saying that means you have to work to get things in life.
Rewards don't come easily.
So through some degree of pain you gain something valuable.
No pain, no gain.
When we talk about the future,
we can be a bit more specific and talk about what will happen soon and what will happen much later.
So we can use "in the near future" and "in the distant future."
Listen for one of these phrases in the reading.
Do you know another word for "want"?
How about "desire"?
It's a verb with a similar meaning and they're both transitive. They take an object.
You can want something. You can desire something.
"Want" is somewhat closer to needing, and
"desire" is closer to wishing for something.
Listen for my use of "desire" in the reading.
Here are two conversational expressions: in short...
by the way.
We often use them in speaking, but you'll also see them in writing if the text isn't very formal.
"In short" is a way to give a quick summary. It's much more conversational than "In conclusion."
"By the way" helps us add information that's not really necessary, but interesting.
Oral reading is a good way to build vocabulary skills,
like understanding how words are formed. You hear a word and you see how it's written.
As you read the practice text, pay attention to these words:
"Honesty." If you're honest, then one of your qualities is honesty.
"Kindness." If you're kind, you're able to show kindness.
"Healthy." If you have good health, you're a healthy person.
"Approval." If you approve of someone, you give your approval.
"Basically."
Basic things are the most important things.
We use "basically" as an adverb to talk about what's most important in general.
We'll do a total of four readings. This first time just listen and read along silently.
Focus on understanding the text.
In this second reading, listen and repeat after me.
Try to follow my rhythm and intonation.
In this third reading, we'll read together.
But we're not going to rush. We'll read slowly and smoothly.
We need to link our words together to have smooth, connected speech.
Do you have your own definition of happiness?
Feel free to share what makes you happy in the comments
If you enjoyed this oral reading practice,
please remember to like this video. And if you know someone who's also studying English, share the lesson.
As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!
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