Fans Feast on Tatarstan Pastries in Kazan

When in Kazan, eat like the locals do. When in Kazan, eat like the locals do. Since the beginning of the World Cup, football fans have gobbled up some 21,000 echpochmaks in Kazan alone, the Tatarstan tourism department has said.Shaped like a triangle (треугольный) and filled with mushrooms, potatoes and spices (специи), echpochmaks are the…

Business Communication Skills Tip

Successfully Using English at Work. Tip #6: Practice Common Scenarios with a Native Speaker When you first begin your job, find a native speaking friend or teacher and practice common work scenarios with them.This will help you feel more comfortable speaking in English at work. You will be able to think about how you want…

Grammar Tip

Future Perfect Continuous. Use #2 : Cause of Something in the Future Using the future perfect continuous before another action in the future is a good way to show cause and effect. Example: Jason will be tired when he gets home because he will have been jogging for over an hour.- Джейсон будет уставшим, когда…

Сatnap (n.)

Today’s Word of the Day is: “catnap” (n.) Transcription: [kæt.næp] Translation: короткий сон Meaning: a short sleep, especially  during the day Example: Overcome with exhaustion, he lies down on the bed for a catnap.- Охваченный невероятной усталостью, он ложится на кровать, чтобы вздремнуть. Synonym: nap

Midlife Fitness May Protect Against Later Depression

The fitter you are, the lower your risk of depression and death from heart disease. Physical fitness in middle age is tied to a lower risk of later-life depression and death from cardiovascular disease (сердечно-сосудистые заболевания), a new study reports.Both depression and cardiovascular disease are common in older people, and rates of depression are high…

Business Communication Skills Tip

Successfully Using English at Work. Tip #5: If Your Co-workers Didn’t Understand You at First, Try Saying It a Different Way You know the situation. You start explaining something to a co-worker or boss, and when you are finished, they shake their head and say “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand.”When that happens, don’t just repeat…

Grammar Tip

Future Perfect Continuous. Use #1 : Duration Before Something in the Future Future perfect continuous has two different forms: “will have been doing ” and “be going to have been doing.” Unlike simple future forms, future perfect continuous forms are usually interchangeable. We use the future perfect continuous to show that something will continue up…

Blizzard (n.)

Today’s Word of the Day is: “blizzard” (n.) Transcription: [blɪzəd] Translation: метель Meaning: a storm with strong winds and snow Example: The blizzard made travel an impossibility. – Из-за метели /из-за снежной бури/ путешествие стало невозможным. Synonyms: snowstorm, snow blast

Russian Railways Says Goodbye to Historic Carriages

The platzkart, doorless sleeper coaches with open-plan rooms, have long been a cheap and popular way to travel Russia by rail. Russian Railways reportedly plans to phase out (постепенно отказаться от) the legendary Soviet-era economy class carriages (вагоны) with stacked beds by 2025. The overhaul is part of the state-owned railways’ effort to battle airline competition (конкуренция)  by attracting 1.4 billion…

Business Communication Skills Tip

Successfully Using English at Work. Tip #4: It’s OK to Say “I Don’t Understand” and Ask for Help Most bosses and co-workers will prefer you say “I don’t understand” or “I don’t know what you just said” than pretend like you understand. Not admitting that you didn’t get something will cause problems later, and honesty…