Think about your friends and family. Who are you similar to? Who are you different from? Each of us has many people in our lives. However, we most enjoy being with those who we have things in common with. For example, if you and your sister both love New Year’s, you might enjoy hosting a New Year’s Eve party together. Or you and your best friend might both love gardening. Next time he is working in his garden, you might enjoy giving him a hand.

When you have something in common with another person, you both enjoy the same things. You might even look or act the same. If you share a characteristic or experience, then you have something in common. We usually love it when we get to spend time with those who have things in common with us. But it can be awkward to be with people who don’t have anything in common with us.

Dominique recently learned that her family will travel to visit her soon. Find out if this is good news in today’s English soap opera. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you like science? Do you enjoy reading about new kinds of technology? Perhaps, you already heard about Vantablack. Vantablack is like nothing you’ve ever seen before… because there’s nothing to see. Vantablack is a special coating that was developed in a laboratory. Because it blocks almost all light, it looks like absolute darkness.

Why is it called Vantablack? The name comes from Vertically Aligned NanoTube Arrays. Because Vantablack is so difficult to grow, it will be a very, very, very expensive coating. You won’t find Vantablack for sale in your local hardware store. In fact, it’ll be much farther away. It will be sent to space! Vantablack can help satellites give us more accurate information.

Gary thinks Vantablack is mind boggling. Listen to him telling Romeo all about it in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

There are many good reasons to keep an eye out for something. For example, you and your friends might want to go skiing during the holidays. To enjoy skiing, you will need good snow. So, you should keep an eye out for snowstorms near you. On the other hand, you might be going on a tropical vacation with your family. You may love shopping with your mom. But you probably don’t want to spend too much money. So, you should keep an eye out for good sales.

When you keep an eye out for something, you look for that thing. You might use all your time and energy to look for this thing, or you might be more casual and wait to see or hear about this thing. You could even talk other people into helping you to keep an eye out. Then, you could cozy up and relax while your friends help you.

Sheila is worried because she heard some news about a storm. Her holiday vacation could be canceled! Kelsey will help her keep an eye out in today’s soap opera. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you like creepy places? One famous creepy place is the Bermuda Triangle. This is the name of a large area in the Atlantic Ocean between Florida, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. Ships and planes are disappearing in this area. Vessels go into the Bermuda Triangle, and they never show up again. This started happening a long time ago. People have many different theories about why it happens.

Some people say that aliens are making things disappear in this area. Other people believe there’s a portal to another dimension here. Not everyone thinks that there’s a sci-fi reason. After all, it could be the result of something simple, like bad storms or big waves. But until everyone can agree on what’s happening in the Bermuda Triangle, it’s likely that the rumors about this place will continue.

The Bermuda Triangle is one of Andy’s favorite topics. Listen to this English lesson to hear what he thinks about all the rumors. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Does your country have a national pastime? For the United States, it is the game of baseball. People sit in stadiums, watch TV in bars, or gather together at home to watch this exciting game. Most people have a favorite team from their hometown or their home state. At the end of the season, the two best teams in the country play against each other in the World Series.This year, the World Series was very interesting. The two teams playing were the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs. Both teams had not won the World Series in many years, so their fans were very excited. In fact, it had been so long since the Cubs had won that many people believed the team was cursed! Even though the Cubs have not won in a long time, they still have many fans. In baseball, people love to cheer for the underdog.

During the last game of the World Series, it seemed like the Cubs would lose again this year. They were behind by 2 runs. Then, something crazy happened! Listen to Andy and Marni talk about the amazing final game of the World Series. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

I am constantly thinking about my own health and making sure that I’m eating right, and getting exercise, and watching the aches and pains. I want to be this really fly 80-90-year-old.—First Lady Michelle Obama, speaking about staying healthy (brainyquote.com) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Have you ever been betrayed? How did you feel? You probably had hurt feelings. Maybe, your best friend told one of your secrets to someone, and now everyone knows the secret. Or perhaps, your significant other promised to help you and then never came to help. It can be difficult not to hold a grudge when someone acts like this.

People have different opinions about grudges. Sometimes, holding a grudge reminds you not to trust a person. Sometimes, this is an important thing to remember. You can just act like they are invisible and continue to live your life. However, many people think that this is unhealthy. They say you should forgive and forget. If you can let your hurt feelings go, your perspective may become happier.

Gary doesn’t want to hold a grudge, but he’s having trouble letting something go. Listen as Dominique shares her thoughts in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Sometimes, a project or activity can drive you crazy. Maybe, you are trying to write an essay for school, but you have writer’s block. You can’t think of any good ideas, and you just aren’t feeling it. Or perhaps, you are trying to concentrate on a project for work, but you just can’t come up with any new thoughts. What do you do in situations like this? Do you keep working, or do you throw in the towel?

When someone throws in the towel, they stop trying. They give up. Sometimes, this is a good idea. Taking it easy and getting your mind off of your work can be healthy for your mind. Often, people will spontaneously think of new ideas while they are relaxing. However, you might throw in the towel and never return to your work. This is dangerous because you may never finish your project.

Kelsey has been working so hard to remember her song. Is it time for her to throw in the towel? Find out in today’s English video lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

It’s hard to be an airplane pilot, but it’s easy to fly a drone. A drone is a tiny aircraft that anyone can learn to use. People often put small cameras on their drones. This way, they can take pictures from very high in the sky. So, what’s the danger of drones? There are a few things you should know about these toys.

Before an airplane leaves, the pilot needs to give a flight plan to the FAA, or Federal Aviation Administration. Drone pilots don’t need to document a flight plan yet. Because of this, there were several incidents in which planes and drones almost collided. Also, drones have injured people by falling on their heads. Now, the government is thinking about making new restrictions for drones.

Andy is telling Gary about a drone that nearly missed a plane. Listen to today’s English lesson to find out what they think about the danger of drones. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

In June 2016, there was a vote in Britain. The big question was: Should Britain stay in the European Union? The outcome of this vote surprised many people. The majority of British voters wanted to get out of the EU. Now, Britain must go through a process to leave the EU. This process is being called Brexit. The word Brexit combines the word Britain with exit.

Many people look back on this vote and want to know what happened. In fact, there was a large divergence of opinions inside Britain during the vote. England and Wales strongly wanted Brexit, but Ireland and Scotland wanted to stay in the EU. The majority of younger voters wanted to stay in the EU, too. With so many dynamic opinions, it will be interesting to watch Brexit happen.

Andy and Gary were both surprised by Brexit. Hear their thoughts in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com