Monthly Archives: May 2013
Crossword – Basic Vocabulary 43 (Solution)
Posted on 2013/05/27
Crossword – Basic Vocabulary 43
Posted on 2013/05/26
Across
1 Part of a pair (4)
3 Chief officer of a corporation, CEO (9)
7 Liquid used in cooking (3)
8 Opposite of odd (4)
9 Pot and ____ (3)
10 Honed (5)
13 It’s no ____ crying over spilt milk (3)
14 Spirituality (8)
15 A polite word used to address a man (3)
17 Subject studied by medical students (10)
18 When countries fight (3)
19 Jar part (3)
20 Place to mail a letter (4,6)
21 Dirty city animal (3)
22 A word used for hypothetical situations (2)
23 To make something press against something else and move it around (3)
25 Beam (3)
28 Eleventh month (8)
30 Circus animal (4)
32 Cordial (7)
34 Question word (2)
35 Agent (14)
Down
1 Old unit of measuring power (10)
2 Two pairs (4)
4 Extent (5)
5 Compactness (7)
6 At a particular time (4)
8 Everyone (9)
9 Captive (8)
11 The act of absorbing (10)
12 Reason (7)
14 The act of making something stronger (13)
16 A joint in a plant stem (4)
19 Comes from a volcano (4)
24 Next to (2)
25 Ash or fine powder (7)
26 365 days (4)
27 Lollipop (6)
29 Thing for controlling the flow of liquid (5)
31 ____ of coffee (3)
33 Decay (3)
Idiom Focus: Business Idioms 3
Posted on 2013/05/25
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.
carry over: transfer financial data (like a profit or a loss) from one accounting period to the next
Example:
Your yearly expense account is $400, but you can carry the cost of that tablet over to next year’s expense.
fair play: playing by the rules, acting ethically
Example:
I heard that that company doesn’t engage in fair play – they only award contracts to businesses that make contributions to the boss’s favorite charity.
Crossword – Irregular Verbs 16
Posted on 2013/05/19
To complete this crossword, use the appropriate past tense / past participle of the verb in the parentheses.
Across
1 It’s been a long time since we (sit) down and talked, hasn’t it? (3)
2 Mitch (become) aware that everyone else had finished, and he was the last one still taking the test. (6)
5 Maybe if you (write) down your grocery list, you wouldn’t forget items when you went to the store. (5)
7 The ladder (lean) against the house and put a scratch on the siding. (5)
8 Although she was unhurt, the woman was visibly (upset) and shaking after the car accident. (5)
11 You (bid) too low to win that auction – next time, you should be prepared to make a better offer. (3)
12 He has taken a blood oath and (swear) to avenge his father’s death. (5)
14 Jack (redo) all his knots when the scoutmaster told him that his tent wasn’t set up properly. (5)
15 Fulfilling his campaign promise, the newly-elected official (rid) his department of corruption by firing all the employees of his predecessor. (3)
17 In preparation for the big party, Mother (premake) canapes and hors d’oeuvres the night before. (7)
19 Fuzzy Wuzzy (be) a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. (3)
20 When questioned by the teacher, Sam said he (forget) to do his homework. (6)
21 The wedding invitations had to be redone because they were (typeset) incorrectly. (7)
22 The large oak tree (overhang) the patio and provided much-appreciated shade. (8)
23 Thanks to Mother’s wise financial stewardship, we (underspend) our vacation budget by 15%. (10)
25 At this time of year there are maple seeds (strew) over the entire lawn. (6)
26 Aunt Mattie hasn’t (keep) house since she fell ill several weeks ago. (4)
27 The symbol of the raven was (weave) throughout the book’s plot. (5)
28 Jack (run) out of gas, and had to walk three miles to the nearest gas station. (3)
29 With the help of physical therapy, Uncle Clarence (relearn) how to speak again after suffering a stroke. (8)
Down
1 The rare painting was (sell) to the highest bidder at a private auction. (4)
2 The drunk (bet) his last dollar on a broken-down racehorse, and lost all he had. (3)
3 Father (cut) himself while shaving this morning. (3)
4 I’m sorry, I must have (misunderstand) your directions, and therefore got lost. (13)
5 (Be) you aware that Mrs. Darcy resigned last week? (4)
6 As soon as Mike got home, he took off his suitcoat and (undo) his necktie. (5)
9 I must have (sweat) at least three pints of water yesterday – it was so hot out. (5)
10 Steve was afraid to go home to his mother because he (tear) his jacket. (4)
11 The nomad chieftan (bid) the strangers stay with them a while. (4)
13 Uncle Jack’s toes were badly (frostbite) when he got lost in the wilderness. (11)
16 As far as I know, that conjecture was never (disprove). (9)
17 Grandmother never buys clothes that are not (preshrink). (9)
18 This particular album happens to be highly (seek) after, believe it or not. (6)
19 Mother and Father were (wed) on a hot August day. (3)
20 Most taxpayers (foresee) that the new program was nothing but a money hole. (7)
24 I would love to try a piece of your cake, but I’ve just (eat). (5)
Idiom Focus: Business Idioms 2
Posted on 2013/05/18
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.
sell like hotcakes: sell very quickly.
Example:
This new smartphone is selling like hotcakes.
buy out: buy another company, or at least buy a controlling share
Example:
Have you heard? The bankrupt snack cake company was bought out by a major retail brand.
Crossword – Basic Vocabulary 42
Posted on 2013/05/12
Across
1 Feeling suspicion (10)
5 Not feeling well (3)
8 Conquer (8)
9 A word used when talking about something that might happen (2)
10 Exchange (5)
11 Spectator (8)
12 Handle on stairs (4)
14 Fireproof mineral (8)
16 The earth spins on this (4)
18 Ability to react to stimuli (11)
19 Question word for location (5)
20 Breakfast food (3)
22 Part of the nervous system (5)
25 Salty body of water (3)
26 Normal (7)
29 Restricted to a particular place (5)
30 Use a knife (3)
32 The state of being impure (8)
34 Nighttime (7)
37 Foe (5)
38 Something that is lost (4)
39 Either… ____ … (2)
Down
1 Lucky number (5)
2 Somber (7)
3 Practical (11)
4 Place of higher education (10)
5 Involving two or more nations (13)
6 Opposite of “asset” (9)
7 Not shallow (4)
13 Fastener (5)
14 Something else that can be chosen (11)
15 Foundation (4)
17 Lightning bug (7)
21 Big (5)
23 Speed contest (4)
24 To grow to be (6)
25 Therefore (2)
27 Nothing there (5)
28 Fourth month of the year (5)
31 Part of the foot (3)
33 Affirmative answer (3)
35 Yes or ____ ? (2)
36 To move from one place to another (2)
Idiom Focus: Business Idioms 1
Posted on 2013/05/11
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.
in black and white: in writing
Example:
Before you sign the lease, make sure you get the after-hours heating schedule in black and white.
cut one’s losses: stop doing something that is causing you to lose money
Example:
Expanding the franchise was a mistake. We need to cut our losses and sell the unprofitable restaurants.
Education Focus: School Nurse
Posted on 2013/05/06
Sometimes, a student might not feel well at school. Perhaps he hurt himself on the playground, or in gym class. What happens then?
Schools have a nurse on staff to take care of these situations. She has a small office with basic medical needs, like a medicine cabinet, basic first aid equipment, and a cot or couch on which a sick or injured student may lie down. If a student becomes ill or gets injured, he may go to the nurse’s office to rest while the nurse notifies the mother or father, who will then come and pick the student up. Of course, if there is a medical emergency then the nurse will act accordingly and provide emergency treatment until help comes, but generally speaking, most situations are not life threatening, and the student is able to wait until his mother arrives to take him home.
Besides taking care of sick students, the school nurse has other duties to tend to. She can also dispense medication for students who require it – for example, asthmatic students or diabetic students might need such attention. Generally, the parents must give written permission for the nurse to perform this duty, although the exact procedure can vary from school district to school district. The school nurse may also have a basic medical history for each student, indicating allergies or other medical conditions that school personnel should be aware of. Students may also be weighed and have their height measured each year, and this information would be included in the student’s school record. A school nurse could also conduct a basic vision and hearing screening. Students who don’t pass the vision or hearing screening would have a note sent home alerting the parent to the problem, with a recommendation to make an appointment with the eye doctor (optometrist), ear doctor (otologist) or audiologist.
A school nurse might also give health and hygiene presentations to students as well, particularly in grade school. She might give a talk about oral health and demonstrate the proper way to brush and floss. For female students approaching puberty, she might give a talk to the girls about the changes their bodies will soon go through. (Boys would probably be given a similar talk by a male teacher, since school nurses are usually women, and thus would be an inappropriate speaker for boys on the subject of “the facts of life.”)
It used to be that some vaccinations (for example, vaccinations against smallpox) were given to the students at school, but now most schools require that students be up-to-date on their vaccinations before they are allowed to register for school. Most parents follow a schedule of recommended and/or mandatory vaccines for children attending public schools, so this is generally not an issue these days.