Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Are you a fan of Hello Kitty? This popular cat from Japan is everywhere. She’s on t-shirts, suitcases, pencils, stickers, and even cakes. Her fans are obsessed with her. They think she’s adorable! This international phenomenon started in 1974 as something for children. Later, older people became obsessed with this little, uplifting cat, too.
Other people don’t get it. Why pay extra money for a t-shirt with a cat on it? Many of these people think Hello Kitty is childish. It’s OK for a child to like her, but adults are too old to think she’s adorable. They’re convinced that Hello Kitty is just a way for companies to make lots of money. In 2014, Hello Kitty products earned billions of dollars.
Jordin and Marni have different opinions about Hello Kitty. Listen to today’s English lesson to learn why they agree to disagree about this international phenomenon.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Marni: Hey, Jordin, check out my new Hello Kitty socks. Aren’t they adorable?
Jordin: Yeah, those are really cute.
Marni: You don’t sound convinced.
Jordin: Um, I mean, I don’t know. They’re sort of childish, don’t you think?
Marni: I’ve loved Hello Kitty since I was a child. She’s been around for a long time. I’m just obsessed with her. I just think she’s so cute. She’s a little cat with a bow, and it’s an international phenomenon. I’m not alone in this. People love Hello Kitty.
Jordin: I just don’t really get it. It’s this pink cat, and you just put it on everything. What is so cool about that?
Marni: Well, it’s cool because, you know, it’s a cat. I love it. It’s so sweet and it just makes me happy. What’s wrong with that?
Jordin: I mean, nothing is wrong with that, I guess. I just think it’s kind of weird.
Marni: Well, I find uplifting, and I think it’s really neat to have cats on everything. I’ve got a lot of Hello Kitty things.
Jordin: OK, well, that’s cool for you. I think we’re just going to have to agree to disagree.
Marni: Maybe. I’m going to turn you into a Hello Kitty fan.
Jordin: Good luck with that.
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Present Perfect Tense" from this lesson
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Discussion
Marni is a huge fan of Hello Kitty. Like many other people, she fell in love with Hello Kitty as a child. She’s an adult now, but she’s still obsessed. She thinks this little cat is uplifting, and she likes to collect things that have the cat’s face. Marni is happy to be a part of this international phenomenon, and she’s convinced that Hello Kitty is adorable.
Jordin doesn’t get it. Why do people think the cat is so cute? Jordin thinks the cat is childish. Marni wants Jordin to check out her new Hello Kitty socks, but Jordin is not very excited about them. In fact, she thinks it’s weird to put a cat’s face everywhere. Jordin and Marni agree to disagree on this topic for now. Marni hopes to make Jordin a Hello Kitty fan in the future.
Do you think Hello Kitty is adorable? Or do you think she’s childish?
Comments
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