Babies. Just hearing the word makes us want to cuddle those adorable little infants. They’re cuteness is potent, they can calm any anger, and allay any sadness. As they grow older, their faces change and we no longer feel the overwhelming urge to cuddle and care for them. 
All babies have a few things in common: a large, rounded head, a big forehead, large eyes, chubby cheeks, a rounded body and soft, elastic skin. These features of cuteness make adults and children want to care for babies. It isn’t only an emotional, but a physical urge to protect and nurture. Our bodies appear to be hardwired to respond affectionately to cuteness.
Without adult caretakers, babies wouldn’t make it into adulthood. Human babies are especially vulnerable since they require care for a much longer time.

cuddle - обнимать, прижиматься
infants - младенцы
potent - мощный
allay - успокаивать
overwhelming urge - непреодолимое желание
chubby - полные
nurture - воспитывать
hardwired - запрограммированный


#intermediate

Photography is a great way to capture memories, as well as provide evidence for how you live your life. It’s also an outlet for creativity and artistry that can inspire people. Additionally, photography is sometimes just fun to do—and sometimes even therapeutic!
Photography helps you document what you do and where you go. It’s great for personal memories as well as for distribution to friends and family. And when you take a picture, it captures an instant of yourself—your thoughts, emotions, and creativity.
Photography is a form of artistry that can inspire people. It’s also an outlet for creativity that can help people relax and be creative in their own lives. Additionally, some find it therapeutic because they can feel like they are taking in the world around them without everything feeling chaotic or stressful.

capture - захватывать
evidence - доказательство
therapeutic - терапевтический
document - документировать
instant - мгновенный
artistry - артистизм
chaotic - хаотичный


#intermediate

Humans have lots of bones - the flat bones that form our skull, curved bones that form our chest, long bones in our arms and legs, stacked bones in our backbone, small bones in our hands and feet, and tiny bones in our ears. Why do we have all these bones?
Our bones protect our insides. Our skull wraps around our brain like a helmet. Our cage of ribs protects our heart and lungs - the spaces in between the ribs allow our chest to get bigger and smaller with each breath. Our kidneys are tucked up under the ribs at the back; our liver is under the ribs on the right and our spleen under our ribs on the left. All these organs are kept safe by the hard armour of our bones.

stacked bones - сложенные кости
insides - внутренности
cage of ribs - грудная клетка
kidneys - почки
spleen - селезенка
armour - броня

Speaking Club
#elementary

Should you wear a raincoat or a sweater today? Should you go to the office or work from home? These are all everyday questions we might only be able to answer with the help of a weather forecast.
Weather forecasting is the prediction of what the atmosphere will be like in a particular place by using technology and scientific knowledge to make weather observations. In other words, it's a way of predicting things like cloud cover, rain, snow, wind speed, and temperature before they happen.
Weather forecasters use all kinds of tools to achieve this goal. We have instruments called barometers to measure air pressure, radar to measure the location and speed of clouds, thermometers to measure temperature, and computer models to process data accumulated from these instruments.

weather forecast - прогноз погоды
prediction - прогноз, предсказание
observations - наблюдения
barometers  - барометры
air pressure - давление воздуха
thermometer  - термометр, градусник

Speaking Club
#intermediate

Everybody wants to look beautiful. However, just like a garden, beauty needs maintenance and care, that can be best provided by a professional. Going to a beauty salon can provide many benefits that you simply cannot receive at your home. Such a visit can do miracles for your looks and self-confidence. That is why you should not hesitate and put off taking care of your appearance.
A visit to a beauty salon will relieve you of stress. With the busy lives people lead today – career, children, school and managing household duties, opportunities for rest and recreation should not be missed. Whether you are having your hair styled, a facial, a manicure or pedicure, you will feel the pleasure of the massage, water, heat and the application of gentle pressure on your skin.

maintenance - уход
benefits - преимущества
hesitate - колебаться
relieve - облегчать
recreation - отдых
application - применение


Speaking Club
#intermediate

It’s not exactly clear who invented carpet, but some of the first carpets came about in the Middle East. They contained sheep wool or goat hair, and their purpose was to make the ground more comfortable for sitting.
Before the 1950s, most carpets contained woven wool, which was significantly expensive at the time. American homeowners wanted carpeting in their living spaces, but only the wealthy could afford to have it. In 1947, the invention of synthetic fibers such as nylon revolutionized the carpet and flooring industry. These new materials provided a quicker way to manufacture carpeting than woven, woolen ones. By the early 1950s, carpeting became so affordable that it was the most popular flooring option for homeowners.

the Middle East - Ближний Восток
woven wool - тканая шерсть
significantly - существенно
carpeting - ковровое покрытие
synthetic fibers - синтетические волокна
manufacture - производить
woven - сотканный
affordable - доступный, по средствам


Speaking Club
#intermediate

Wolves live in groups called packs. A pack is a family of seven to eight wolves with a mom, dad, and offspring. The wolves' communication skills are very important to the pack's survival.
Wolves work together to hunt, raise their young, and protect their territory. Wolves communicate with more than howls. They whimper and whine, growl and bark, yelp and snarl. They also use scents produced by their bodies to communicate. A wolf’s sense of smell is 100 times stronger than a human’s. One source of scent is urine, which they use to mark territory and to tell other wolves in their own pack where they are. Another way wolves communicate is through body language. If a wolf feels confident, it will approach another wolf with its head and tail held high and ears perked up.

pack - стая
offspring - потомство
survival - выживание
howl - вой
whimper - скулить
growl - рычать
snarl - рычать
scents - ароматы
approach - подход


Speaking Club
#elementary

A sense of humor is a personality trait that allows people to understand funny things, appreciate jokes, and see the funny side of life in general.
What each of us considers funny and to what degree may vary greatly, but the ability to appreciate comedy, in general, is a sign of a healthy sense of humor.
Having a good sense of humor helps reduce stress, builds empathy, and helps us cope with pain more easily. It is one of those assets which matter a lot in both relationships and friendships.
However, when a person has difficulty trying to make other people laugh, their discomfort may rise and make them feel less worthy.
The good thing is that you can practice and learn humor just as any other skill. In other words, you can acquire the skill of a good sense of humor.

sense of humor - чувство юмора
appreciate - ценить
consider - рассматривать
vary - отличаться
reduce - уменьшать
empathy - сочувствие, сопереживание
assets - активы, ресурсы
worthy - достойный
acquire - приобретать


Speaking Club
#intermediate

Humans have always envied birds for their ability to fly. In the 1700s and 1800s humans flew in lighter-than-air ships such as balloons, but not until 1903 did people build the first heavier-than-air craft—the airplane.
The term airplane, which is often shortened to plane, usually refers to any type of power-driven aircraft that has fixed wings and is heavier than air. An airplane moves through the air with the help of its engine and wings. The wings are shaped in a particular way so that air flows over them and gives them lift. By contrast, balloons and airships are lifted by gases that are lighter than air. Helicopters are lifted by spinning blades.

envy - завидовать 
term - термин
shortened - укороченный
power-driven - механизированный
flows over - обтекать
by contrast - напротив
spinning blades - вращающиеся лопасти


Speaking Club
#elementary

When someone gets hurt in any point of time, they can get angry which can sometimes lead to violence and also can sometimes bring other effects at times. Therefore, when a person fights, it makes him stronger and also strengthens his resolve. A strong person is always helpful when faced with difficult situations and as soon as a fighter comes to his rescue he becomes so helpful to everyone around him. As a result, fighting helps and improves your physical health and boosts your confidence.
This is just one way in which fights help people and gives them energy and courage to face anything in life. When you fight you gain self-confidence, you improve your body condition and your mental stability. A fighter needs to stay focused, calm and patient during the entire process and once he wins his game that’s it.

violence - насилие
therefore - следовательно
resolve - решимость
improve - улучшать
gain - обретать
mental stability - психическая устойчивость


Speaking Club
#intermediate