Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #54. The Road (film, 2009) Following a devastating catastrophe, America has become a bleak and lifeless version of its former self. A man and his young son travel through this desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape, striving to preserve what remains of human civilization. Heading toward the coast, they rely on scavenged resources to survive while steering clear of roaming bands of brutal survivors who might enslave them—or something even more horrifying.   (Father says to his young son): “If you break little promises you'll break big ones." ð     Father wants his young son to maintain integrity and h...

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #53. Michael (biopic, 2026) This biographical film about the iconic “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, is directed by Antoine Fuqua and released this year. It looks back at the Jackson family’s humble beginnings in Gary, Indiana, and follows Michael’s remarkable rise—from his early success with the Jackson 5 to his evolution into a visionary artist driven by an unyielding ambition to become the world’s biggest solo performer.   (Joseph Jackson, father said to the sons): “Let me tell you something. In this life, you're either a winner, or you're a loser. Y'all willing to fight for it?” ð       In this ...

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.   #52. Adam (film, 2009) This is a deeply emotional, serious, and moving story of a man named Adam with Asperger's Syndrome. Despite his difficulties with social interaction, Adam— a lonely man with Asperger’s Syndrome, the high-functioning autism — starts a romantic relationship with his neighbor, Beth. After losing both his father and his job, Adam, who is intelligent but socially awkward, tries to rebuild his life by sticking to a strict daily routine filled with repetitive activities. His orderly world is disrupted when he meets Beth, and their initial friendship gradually grows into a romantic connection. As their bon...

Every answer today is a word that comes from German, but that's also commonly used in English. See if you can identify them from their anagrams.   Ex. REGAL / Beer brewed slowly at low temperature --> LAGER   1. GNATS / Feeling of anxiety or dread 2. PILES / Fast-paced sales talk 3. MUTUAL / Diacritical mark made with two dots 4, ELIDES / Kind of engine or the fuel that powers it 5. WE'RE IN / Sausage 6. GET LAST / Something that's more than the sum of its parts 7. POSTAGE / Brutal secret police 8. BENT OVER / Forbidden 9. ADULT WRENS / Innate desire to travel   Answer Keys     1.   ANGST       2.   SPIEL      3.   UMLAUT       4.   DIESEL        5.   WIENER      6.   GESTALT       7.   GESTAPO     8.   VERBOTEN      9.   WANDERLUST

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it. #51. The Jungle (authored by Upton Sinclair) This novel was written by Upton Sinclair 120 years ago. The story centers on Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant, and his family as they endure the brutal conditions of Chicago’s Packing town. Drawn by hopes of achieving the American dream, they instead find themselves caught in an unending fight to survive. Motivated by his socialist beliefs, the author Sinclair sought to reveal the harsh and exploitative working conditions faced by immigrants in industrial America. To do this, he even undercover in Chicago’s meatpacking plants, gathering firsthand evidence of worker mistreatment. W...

The History of the Route 66 U.S. Highway 66—widely recognized as Route 66—represents a deep and multifaceted history that extends far beyond a simple account of the roadway. Serving as a major transportation route, a catalyst for societal change, and a symbol of America’s heritage, it spans 2,400 miles across roughly two-thirds of the country.     Now, let’s dive into a fun Route 66 trivia quiz!   1.    Route 66 begins in Chicago and ends in what California city?   (2 words) ___________   ____________   2.    Route 66 passes through how many US states?   a.    6   b.    7   c.    8 d.    9   3.    Which state does the road spend the least amount of length in?   K___________   4.    Which John Steinbeck novel details the adventures of the Joad family as they traveled the Mother Road?   The __________ of ______...