Monthly Archives: July 2012
Crossword – TOEFL 3 (solution)
Posted on 2012/07/30
Crossword – TOEFL 3
Posted on 2012/07/29
Across
1 to sleep lightly (4)
5 tear (3)
7 a wrong or unsuitable name (8)
9 to inflict disfiguring damage on (3)
10 happiness, joy (9)
11 an introduction at the beginning of a book (7)
13 to disappear gradually; to lose brightness, loudness, color, or brilliance gradually (4)
14 not calm, uneasy, without rest (8)
16 independent (4-7)
19 to give or send out (4)
20 declare, say something firmly because you are certain it is true (4)
21 extremely large (4)
22 a public entertainment or performance to celebrate a special occasion (4)
23 impossible to dispute; unquestionable; undeniable (16)
27 colorful and quickly changing (13)
29 anger, wrath (3)
30 vigorous enjoyment, zest (5)
31 legendary (6)
Down
2 to make a mistake (3)
3 specific; perceptible by the senses (8)
4 to make predictions about the future (13)
6 potent; having a lot of influence (8)
7 mild, gentle, quiet (4)
8 a mark on a surface differing sharply in color from its surroundings (4)
9 moving indirectly, by taking many twists and turns (7)
11 very careful, with attention to detail (11)
12 to commit a wrongdoing (10)
15 to hold back, to not give someone something (8)
17 to give up or do without (5)
18 to make bitter; to arouse bitter feelings in (8)
19 a period of time characterized by particular circumstances (3)
24 to urge to action through moral pressure; drive (5)
25 clear, easy to understand (5)
26 a prophetic sign (4)
28 have a tendency to do something (3)
Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 32
Posted on 2012/07/28
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
take the bull by the horns: stop avoiding a problem and take action
Example:
Well, I’m not fond of yard work, but let’s just take the bull by the horns and get it done.
talk until the cows come home: talk for a long time
Example:
It’s been over ten years since Mom saw Aunt Jean, and they stayed up all night talking till the cows came home.
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Crossword – Basic Vocabulary 22
Posted on 2012/07/22
Across
1 a black and yellow flying insect that makes honey and can sting you (3)
3 not difficult (4)
5 a building where Christians go to worship (6)
10 to see or overhear something meant for somebody else (9)
12 an animal like a mouse, only bigger (3)
15 underwear; clothes that you wear next to your body under your other clothes (13)
17 preposition (2)
18 to employ for some purpose (3)
19 a way in which two or more people or things are not like each other (10)
20 a joint in your leg (4)
22 how something feels when you touch it (7)
25 a dry, brown fruit inside a hard shell that grows on a tree (3)
27 having to do with doctors or medicine (7)
30 large, or important (5)
32 a thought or suggestion (4)
34 a thick flat object made of cloth or rubber, used to protect or clean something, or to make something more comfortable (3)
36 the mixture of gases that we breathe (3)
38 the outlying region surrounding a city or metropolitan area (9)
40 a conjunction used between two words or phrases to show that either of two things is possible, or used before the last in a list of choices (2)
41 sick (3)
42 unhappy (3)
43 a three-sided shape (8)
Down
2 what you hear with (3)
3 what a scientist does in a laboratory (10)
4 an adverb used when emphasizing the degree or amount of something by saying what the result is (2)
6 to look for a wild animal and kill it (4)
7 a color of the rainbow (3)
8 reflexive form of “he” (7)
9 a whole number that is either positive or negative (7)
11 someone who instructs others (7)
12 normal, common (7)
13 making an animal able to work for people or live with them as a pet (13)
14 mirror (7-5)
16 a knot, or a joint in a stem (4)
21 a strong, alcoholic drink made from sugar (3)
23 a preposition used to indicate towards a higher place or position (2)
24 the final part; opposite of the beginning; to conclude an event, etc (3)
26 definite article (3)
28 the direction from which the sun rises (4)
29 small (6)
31 also (3)
33 the fourth month (5)
35 a child’s toy that looks like a small person or baby (4)
37 a long thin pole or bar (3)
39 a salty body of water (3)
Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 31
Posted on 2012/07/21
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
straw that breaks the camel’s back: a small trouble which follows other troubles and makes one become angry or do something
Example:
Mr. Jones is a patient teacher, but when Steve came late for class for the eighth time this month, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
tail between one’s legs: feel beaten, ashamed (after a scolding etc.)
Example:
Widow Douglas gave the boys such a talking-to when their baseball broke her window that they all went home with their tails between their legs.
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Writing Assignment: Vacation (Solution)
Posted on 2012/07/21
1. Is the landscape mountainous or flat?
The landscape is mountainous.
2. In the picture do you see an ocean or lake?
In the picture we see a lake.
3. Is the beach good for sunbathing?
No, the beach is not good for sunbathing. It’s too rocky.
4. What kind of trees are growing here?
There are pine trees (evergreens) growing by the lake.
5. Is the sailboat sailing towards the right or towards the left?
The sailboat is sailing towards the left.
6. What is jumping out of the water?
A fish is jumping out of the water.
7. What are the men in the canoe doing?
The men in the canoe are fishing.
8. What else besides birds are flying in the air?
In addition to birds flying, we also see a plane flying in the air.
9. Who is taking a walk on the road?
A man is taking a walk on the road with a couple of dogs.
10. Are the people on the right driving a sports car or a family car?
The people on the right are driving a family car.
11. How many people in the picture are on foot?
We see one person on foot in the picture.
12. Why don’t you need an umbrella?
We don’t need an umbrella because it’s not raining.
13. Can you go mountain climbing here?
You can probably go mountain climbing in the mountains that you see in the distance.
14. Is it possible to go camping with a tent here? To go on a picnic?
You could have a picnic alongside the lake under the trees, but it is not possible to camping with a tent here. You’d have to go to the mountains in the distance to find a good camping place.
15. Can you play golf here? Tennis? Baseball?
There aren’t any fields on which to play golf, tennis, or baseball here.
16. What else can you do here on a summer vacation? How about on a winter vacation?
On a summer vacation we could go sailing, canoeing, swimming, or fishing here. On a winter vacation, we could go ice skating, ice fishing, or skiing in the mountains in the distance.
17. What kind of wild animals would you find in this forest?
In this forest we could find squirrels, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, snakes, perhaps bears, woodpeckers, sparrows, robins, cardinals, bluebirds, or quail.
18. When does the water turn into ice?
The water turns into ice in the winter, when the temperature goes below freezing.
19. In which season do many students go on vacation?
Many students go on vacation in the summer, when they have summer break from school.
20. Where do you spend your summer vacations?
I like to spend my summer vacation by the lake or in the mountains.
Paragraph: My Vacation
Write a brief paragraph about a vacation that you took. Where did you go? What did you do? Would you recommend a friend to go there for his vacation?
When I was in my 30s, I went on a backpacking trip in Europe. I bought a Eurail pass, which allowed me unlimited travel by train throughout Europe for thirty days. First I traveled around Germany, visiting different cities such as Eisenach (where J.S. Bach was born, and where Martin Luther attended Latin school as a young boy), Chemnitz (formerly known as Karl Marx Stadt when it was a part of the former East Germany), and Kiel. At night I stayed in youth hostels. The hostels were very inexpensive, but sometimes it was difficult to find how to get to the hostel from the train station.
From Kiel I left Germany and took an overnight ferry to Oslo, the capital of Norway. I then traveled around Norway by rail, visiting cities such as Stavanger and Bergen. In Norway I didn’t stay in youth hostels, but I traveled by night on the trains and slept on the train instead. When I got tired of traveling, I went to visit relatives before going back home to the United States.
I had a lot of fun traveling around Europe and seeing many famous and historical places. Since I stayed in hostels and traveled by train, I was able to meet a lot of local people and talk to them. I would recommend anyone who likes to travel “off the beaten path” (= go to places that most tourists don’t see or don’t visit) to take a vacation like this. Be sure to take a lot of pictures so you can have some nice memories of your travel adventures!
Writing Assignment: Vacation
Posted on 2012/07/20
Vocabulary
mountain
left
sunbathing
to consist of
to the left
such a
to climb
sky, air
to need
to do
else
to need
a walk
vacation
possibility
shore
to go on vacation
ocean
animal
flat
to spend (time)
to fly
car
woods, forest
on foot
picnic
to become
mountainous
sports car
turn into
canoe
umbrella
wild
coming
lake
to camp (in a tent)
landscape
sailboat
to go sailing
for camping
1. Is the landscape mountainous or flat?
2. In the picture do you see an ocean or lake?
3. Is the beach good for sunbathing?
4. What kind of trees are growing here?
5. Is the sailboat sailing towards the right or towards the left?
6. What is jumping out of the water?
7. What are the men in the canoe doing?
8. What else besides birds are flying in the air?
9. Who is taking a walk on the road?
10. Are the people on the right driving a sports car or a family car?
11. How many people in the picture are on foot?
12. Why don’t you need an umbrella?
13. Can you go mountain climbing here?
14. Is it possible to go camping with a tent here? To go on a picnic?
15. Can you play golf here? Tennis? Baseball?
16. What else can you do here on a summer vacation? How about on a winter vacation?
17. What kind of wild animals would you find in this forest?
18. When does the water turn into ice?
19. In which season do many students go on vacation?
20. Where do you spend your summer vacations?
Paragraph: My Vacation
Write a brief paragraph about a vacation that you took. Where did you go? What did you do? Would you recommend a friend to go there for his vacation?
Culture Focus: Going on Vacation
Posted on 2012/07/18
For many Americans, summertime is vacation time. Part of the reason for this is because the traditional American school year includes a three-month break for the summer. This makes it easier to take an extended trip of a week or two with the kids. Additionally, the weather is warmer than other times of the year, making travel easier.
There are different ways to take a vacation:
- Road trip. The whole vacation is a road trip – for example, drive around Lake Michigan or Lake Superior.
- Hotel / resort. Travel to a destination – such as a hotel or resort – and then relax at that destination for several days.
- Visiting family. Take the opportunity to visit the grandparents or other relatives, especially if Grandma and Grandpa live out-of-state.
- “RVing.” RVing means “living on the road in an RV,” or recreational vehicle (= camping car).
- Camping. Spend your vacation in the great outdoors, making your vacation a camping or fishing trip.
- Rent a vacation home. Rent a vacation home for a week or so and unwind.
- Educational trip. Combine vacation with education, and take the children to visit famous historical sites, such as Civil War battlefields or the numerous historical attractions around the Washington, D.C. area.
- Amusement park. Take a trip to Disneyland (in California) or Disneyworld (in Florida).
- College Visits. If you have teenagers who are thinking about going to college, include a visit to check out several college campuses as part of your summer vacation.
- Staycation. If you don’t have the money to travel, or you don’t want the hassle of traveling, take a “staycation” (= stay vacation) and relax at home.
Regardless of your preference, a vacation is a great time to step aside from the daily grind of work or your normal routine, and “recharge your batteries.” In this day and age of instant, constant communication (email, internet, cell phones, etc.), it’s perhaps more important than ever to take some sort of break – whether physical (going away somewhere) or mental (“unplugging” from electronics) – and spend some time in self-renewal. So, let your friends and colleagues know that you’re going on vacation, and you’ll be unavailable for several days. Hang out a virtual sign, as it’s sometimes put in the vernacular:
Gone fishing ~
Education Focus: School Subjects – Elementary School
Posted on 2012/07/16
Today’s Education Focus will take a quick look at the subjects typically covered at the elementary school level. Originally called “grammar school” or “grade school,” elementary school historically has covered the basic subjects, sometimes called “The Three R’s”: Reading, ’Riting (writing), and ’Rithmetic (arithmetic). These subjects still form the foundation of elementary education, but the scope of elementary school has been expanded to include:
• Basic Science – i.e., basic biology, basic chemistry, basic earth science;
• Social Studies – including not only basic history, but basic geography and learning about other societies or cultures;
• English – which includes basic grammar and spelling as well as reading and writing;
• Art;
• Music; and
• P.E. – physical education, also called “gym,” since students go to the gymnasium for this class.
Historically, elementary school consisted of grades 1 – 8, but sometime after World War I there began a shift towards taking the last two or three years of elementary school (grades 7 – 8 or grades 6 – 8) and converting them into a “bridge” phase of education, helping to transition students between the elementary school educational structure and the high school educational structure (grades 9 – 12). This transitional school was originally called “junior high school,” but in later years it has become more common to call it “middle school.” Next week we’ll take a look at the curriculum focus of the junior high / middle school.