🎧 Intermediate ESL Listening #11: City Life vs. Country Life – My Story
👂 Improve your English listening skills with real-life stories!
We released a brand-new episode in our Intermediate ESL Listening series — and it’s a special one!
In Episode #11, your host Mark shares his real-life experience growing up in a small American town and moving to one of the busiest cities in the world: Tokyo, Japan! 🌎🇺🇸🇯🇵
Whether you live in the countryside or a big city, this episode will help you:
✅ Understand key lifestyle differences
✅ Learn real vocabulary and expressions used to describe places
✅ Practice natural, spoken English
✅ Gain cultural insight into American and Japanese life
✅ Enjoy fun, personal storytelling that makes English learning exciting!
🏡 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – “The Christmas City”
Small-town charm, green spaces, and friendly neighbors.
🌆 Tokyo, Japan – One of the world’s busiest cities
Fast trains, crowded streets, endless entertainment — and peaceful temples!
🗣️ Big comparisons covered:
Big houses vs. tiny apartments
Quiet nights vs. noisy streets
Driving everywhere vs. public trains
Close-knit communities vs. polite distance
Early closing vs. 24-hour convenience
💬 We want to hear from YOU!
Do you live in a city or the countryside?
What do you love (or not love) about it?
Struggling to keep up when native speakers talk fast? Feel like you know the words but still miss what’s being said? This episode of Advanced Ears is for YOU!
🔊 In this 8–10 minute lesson, Mark shares powerful tips to boost your English listening speed, helping you train your ears to follow real-life English naturally and confidently.
🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ Why listening speed matters for fluency ✅ 5 practical tips to train your ears ✅ How to use shadowing, chunking, and repeat-listening ✅ Smart ways to use speed controls on podcasts and videos ✅ Fun activities like Listening Bingo & Movie Line Training ✅ How to stop translating and start thinking in English
🎯 Perfect for: Intermediate to advanced English learners EIKEN, TOEIC, TOEFL, or IELTS students ESL teachers looking for listening activities. Anyone who wants to understand movies, podcasts, or native speakers better.
