Many of my friends have dyed their hair different colors. I don’t mean normal hair colors like brown or black. My friends have dyed their hair orange, purple and blue. I told my mother that I would like to dye my hair green. I explained to my mother that I would only use food coloring. The green would not last forever. My mother said that dyeing your hair was a silly fad. She said that I would not look good with green hair. I said that if I couldn’t dye my hair green, maybe I could get a nose ring. My mother said “no.” I said that maybe a tattoo on my arm would be nice. My mother said “no way”. My mother said that she did some crazy things when she was a young girl. said that she used to iron her hair to make it straight. That sounds quite boring to me. My friend Joan came over. Her hair is dyed bright pink. My father said “nice hair, Joan.” I don’t think that he really meant it. My mother says that when I am an adult I can dye my hair whatever crazy color I like, but for now she would like me to leave my hair its natural color. I tried to tell her that all my friends were doing it. My mother asked, “if all your friends were jumping off a cliff, would you do it too?” I said “no.” I think I’ll have to wait to have green hair, but maybe by the time I’m old enough to dye my hair green, I won’t want it that color. My mother says that fads change all the time. One day something might be popular, and the next day it’s not in style at all. I’ll just have to live without green hair for now. I wonder what the fad will be next month.
dye
to give something a different colour using a dye dye something black/blue/blonde etc
Priscilla’s hair was dyed jet black.
I’m bored with this skirt. I’m going to dye it. Wool and silk are the materials that are easiest to dye. dye something blue/yellow/red etc She’s dyed her hair red — it looks so unnatural.
Food coloring (colouring) is any substance that is added to food or drink to change its color. Food coloring is used both in commercial food production and in domestic cooking. Due to its safety and general availability, food coloring is also used in a variety of non-food applications, for example in home craft projects and educational settings.
fad
something that people like or do for a short time, or that is fashionable for a short time
Interest in organic food is not a fad, it’s here to stay. meant
the past tense and past participle of mean
Some people don’t like other people just because they look different.
I think that is silly.
I don’t think that it is fair to judge someone by the way they look.
Some people look very nice, but they are mean or cruel.
Some people look very ordinary, but they are incrediblynice.
I remember when I was in grade one; I saw a girl across the room.
She had a mean look on her face.
I thought to myself that she was probably not a very nice person.
I stayed away from her, and played with the other children.
Then, we had to play a game, and the teacher said that she would pick partners for us.
The teacher picked the girl with the mean face as my partner.
I didn’t think that the game would be much fun at all with a partner who seemed as mean as that girl.
I walked up to her and said hello.
The girl’s face changed.
She smiled at me, and she began to talk to me.
Her mean face disappeared.
We had lots of fun playing the game.
We laughed a lot and enjoyed each other’s company.
That girl became my best friend.
Now when I look at her I see what is inside her.
Sometimes she doesn’t smile, but I know what she is like.
She is a kind and funny person.
I have learned that you can’t “judge a book by its cover.”
It is not fair to dislike someone just because they don’t look like you want them to look.
You have to get to know a person.
It doesn’t matter to me what color a person’s skin is.
It doesn’t matter to me if they are short or tall, skinny or fat or happy or sad looking.
I judge people by how they treat me, and I try to treat people like I would want to be treated.
▶CRUEL◀
cruel or not kind
That was a mean thing to do. I felt a bit mean asking him to help. It’s a mean trick to play on someone. It was mean of him not to invite her.
mean to
Don’t be so mean to her! incredibly (informal): extremely Nicotine is incredibly addictive. company:
when you are with other people and not alone
The two men enjoy each other’s company . Rita’s husband is away for the week, so I thought I’d go over and keep her company (=be with her so that she doesn’t feel lonely) . Come over for dinner – I could use the company (=would like to be with people) . James is good company (=a cheerful person who is enjoyable to be with) .
It is going to be my father’s birthday.What can I give him? I don’t have much money. I have looked all through the stores, and I have not found anything that I think he would like, or that I can afford. I have thought very hard about what to buy for him. I thought that he might like some candy, but my father really doesn’t eat many sweets. I thought that he might like a new shirt, but he has lots of clothes. I can’t afford a new car or computer for him. I was watching him on the weekend. He cut the grass, washed the car, took out the garbage, weeded the garden and watered the plants. I got an idea. I went to my room and took out some paper. I cut out pieces of paper, and I wrote on them. I wrote on one piece of paper that I would wash the car every weekend for the summer. I wrote on another piece that I would take out the garbage every week for the summer. I also wrote that I would cut the grass, weed the garden and water the plants every week for the summer. I made a birthday card for my dad, and I put the pieces of paper inside it. I went downstairs and gave my gift to my dad. My dad thought that the gift was very thoughtful. He said that it was a gift from the heart. I did all those things for my dad all summer. He said that he had a lot of free time because I helped him so much. My dad and I are good friends. I don’t mind doing things for him because I know that he is always there to help me out. A good gift doesn’t have to be something that costs a lot. My dad says that the best gifts are the ones that show how much you care for the other person. I’m glad my dad liked his gift.
On New Year’s Day people start a new year.
Many people make resolutions.
They resolve to be better people.
Some people decide that they will lose weight so that they can be healthier.
Some people decide to give up smoking.
They also want to be healthier.
There are all kinds of resolutions that people make.
Some people try not to lose their tempers.
Some people say that they will work harder.
There are people who try to give up bad habits.
Every year, my brother says that he will stop biting his nails.
He stops biting his nails in January, but by February he always starts again.
That is the thing about New Year’s resolutions.
People seldom keep them.
Everybody starts out with good intentions, but it is very hard to stick with them.
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.
I find that I just break them.
I just work day by day to break my bad habits.
I know that I eat too many sweets.
Every day, I just try to resist them.
I think that every day is a new day regardless of whether it is New Year’s Day or not.
Bad habits are hard to break.
The best thing is never to start any bad habits.
I don’t know if my brother will ever stop biting his nails, but I know that each January he intends to stop.
Maybe one of these New Year’s Days he’ll get over that habit. resolutions: ▶PROMISE◀
[countable]a promise to yourself to do something
ￚsee also resolve resolution to do something
*Carol made a resolution to work harder at school.
*New Year’s resolution (=a resolution made on January 1st) _______________________________
resolve: (formal)
to make a definite decision to do something resolve to do something
*After the divorce she resolved never to marry again.
resolve that
*Mary resolved that she would stop smoking. _______________________________
start out phrasal verb
1
to begin happening or existing in a particular way, especially when this changes later
start out as
‘The Star’ started out as a small weekly newspaper.
The leaves start out a pale green, and later get darker.
2
to begin your life or profession, or an important period of time
When the band first started out, they played at small clubs.
start out as
She started out as a model.
start out on
young couples starting out on their life together
3
to begin going somewhere
Oliver started out at five, when it was still dark. _______________________________
resist: to stop yourself from having something that you like very much or doing something that you want to do
cannot resist (doing) something
I just can’t resist chocolate.She can never resist buying new shoes.
it is hard/difficult/impossible to resist something It’s hard to resist an invitation like that. resist the temptation/urge to do something She resisted the temptation to laugh. They only wanted 3 dollars for it, so how could I resist?
_______________________________
regardless of:
without worrying about or taking account of: They decorated the house regardless of cost. | All our proposals were rejected, regardless of their merits.
*The law requires equal treatment for all, regardless of race, religion, or sex.
_______________________________
break: ▶PROMISE/AGREEMENT◀
[transitive]to not do something that you have promised to do or signed an agreement to do
I never break my promises .You betrayed me. You broke your word . break an agreement/contract He was worried that he might be breaking his contract. _______________________________
break: ▶END SOMETHING◀
[transitive] to stop something from continuing
We need to break the cycle of poverty and crime in the inner cities. We took turns driving, in order to try and break the monotony. New talks will begin on Monday in an effort to break the deadlock .
I sometimes imagine what it would be like if I could fly like a bird.
Just imagine what it would be like to soar into the sky, flying high above the trees.
You could stand on high rooftops and never be afraid of falling.
You would see so many things as you flew over rooftops and forests.
You would feel incredibly free as you traveled from place to place, not bothered by road signs or traffic jams.
If I could fly like a bird, I would start from my back yard and travel through town.
I would look down on the houses and factories.
When I got tired, I would land in a field and take a nap.
I would travel above rivers, and follow them as they wound along and emptied into lakes and oceans
I would fly above parks, and I would call out to the children as I flew high above them.
I would dip and dive as I flew.
I would soar up high and dive down low so that I could almost touch the treetops.
Have you ever flown?
I know that you can’t fly like a bird, but you might have taken an airplane ride.
When you’re in an airplane, you pass through clouds.
It is exciting to take an airplane ride.
I love taking airplane flights.
I like to look down at the Earth.
When you are up that high, everything below you looks tiny.
That’s the closest I’ll get to flying like a bird.
But I can still use my imagination and spread my wings and soar high above the world just like a bird.
soar: ▶IN THE SKY◀
to fly, especially very high up in the sky, floating on air currents
She watched the dove soar above the chestnut trees. _________________________
wound / waʊnd / past tense and past participle of wind if a road, river etc winds somewhere, it has many smooth bends and is usually very long
wind (its way) through/along etc something
Highway 99 winds its way along the coast.
a winding path _________________________
call out phrasal verb to say something loudly
call something ↔ out
‘Hi there!’ I called out.
call out to
The firemen called out to him. _________________________
dip: ▶MOVE DOWN◀
[intransitive and transitive] to move down, or to make something move down, usually for just a short time
We watched the sun dip below the horizon. She dipped her head and spoke into the microphone. _________________________
treetop:
the branches at the top of a tree
What is it that makes somebody your friend?
Some people are nice, and you have fun with them.
Some people are nice to talk to, but they don’t become special to you.
Some people become very close to you.
Those people are the ones who become your good friends.
Did you ever wonder why certain people do become your good friends?
Friends usually have something in common.
Often, friends enjoy doing the same things as each other.
Maybe they like the same sports, or the same music, or maybe they can even talk about problems or schoolwork.
Friends usually find a common bond.
Friends share ideas and listen to each other.
Sometimes, people who don’t have similar interests even become friends.
You can learn a lot from a person who likes different things than you.
The most important thing about friends is that they must communicate with each other.
A good friend is a person who takes the time to listen to the other person.
One of the most important things that I think a friend should have is a sense of humor.
I like to laugh with my friends.
I like to feel comfortable around my friends.
It is nice to be able to talk and laugh with people who have similar interests.
It is nice to share things with people and learn about their interests.
You become a better person if you are able to learn things from others.
Life is a journey.
On that journey you meet many people.
Some of those people will change your life.
You have to choose your friends with care.
A good friend is worth more than all the gold in the world.
A good friend will make your journey through life more pleasant.
Make friends along the way, and the path through life will be very rewarding.
▶RELATIONSHIP◀
something that unites two or more people or groups, such as love, or a shared interest or idea
ￚsee also tie
bond between
the emotional bond between mother and child
bond with
the United States’ special bond with Britain
bond of
lifelong bonds of family and friendship Another Source something that unites two or more people or groups, such as a shared feeling or interest: There’s a close bond between them. | two countries that are linked by bonds of friendship ______________________________
rewarding: making you feel happy and satisfied because you feel you are doing something useful or important, even if you do not earn much money
ￚsee also satisfying, worthwhile Teaching can be a very rewarding career.
Another Source
(of an experience or action) worth doing or having; giving satisfaction, but perhaps not much money: Nursing can be a very rewarding career.
Last Friday it was very windy.
I was walking down the street with my friend John.
We were having a difficult time walking against the wind.
The wind was pushing against us, and we felt the force of it pressing against us.
We even had a hard time breathing.
We were walking slowly.
We watched the leaves as they danced and twirled in the wind.
We watched a plastic bag as it flew by us.
We saw a little boy whose baseball cap flew right off his head.
His cap flew along the sidewalk, and he had to chase it.
He finally caught it, and he held it in his hands tightly after he got it back.
The trees were swaying frantically.
Their branches swished and waved in the wild wind.
John and I were hit by flying bits of paper and leaves.
We laughed when a garbage can lid rolled along and hit John in the leg.
We saw another garbage can rolling along the road as if it was alive.
Everything was moving because of the wind.
Then, the funniest thing happened.
I wasn’t paying any attention, and a paper bag came flying up the street toward us.
It hit me right in the face and covered my whole face.
At first, I didn’t know what had happened.
I was blinded.
I couldn’t see where I was going.
I stopped and held out my hands.
When I stopped, the bag fell off my face.
I looked at John.
He was laughing very hard.
He was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down his cheeks.
He said that I looked very funny with the brown paper bag stuck to my face.
I started to laugh too.
We laughed about it all the way to school.
John said that he wished he had a camera.
He would have taken a picture of me with the bag on my face.
twirl / twɜːl / to turn around and around or make something do this
twirl around/round
Couples were twirling around the dance floor.
twirl something around/round
She twirled the liquid around in her glas sway
to move slowly from one side to another
The trees swayed gently in the breeze. frantic:
infml
hurried, excited, and disordered: I’ve had a frantic rush to get my work done. | the frantic pace of modern life
—~ally /kli/ adv swish 1 [I+adv/prep;T] to (cause to) move quickly through the air making a sharp whistling noise: The whip swished through the air. | The cow swished its tail.
2 (esp. of clothes) to make a soft sound in movement: Her silk dress swished as she passed.
Sometimes my mother gives me advice.
She tells me to save my money for a rainy day.
She says that I should eat my vegetables if I want to be strong when I grow up.
She says that you reap what you sow.
I didn’t know what that one meant, so I asked her.
She said that if you are good to people, they will be good to you.
If you do bad things, then bad things will come back to you.
My mother is always giving me advice.
She says that a penny saved is a penny earned.
I am still thinking about that one.
Some of these things are difficult to understand.
My mother is very wise.
She says that she has learned from her mistakes.
She tells me that she would like me not to make mistakes, but she says that everyone does make mistakes.
The important thing is that we learn from our mistakes.
My mother says that nobody is perfect.
My mother tells my sister that time is precious.
My sister wastes time, and my mother doesn’t like that.
My mother tells me to be true to myself.
She says that I should not follow the crowd.
I should listen to my own conscience and do what I think is right.
She says that it doesn’t matter if you fail at something, the important thing is that you try.
If you’ve done your best, then that is all that matters.
I listen to my mother.
I think she gives very good advice.
My mother has a lot of common sense.
I hope I am as wise as she is when I have children of my own.
Sometimes I wish that she would not give me so much advice.
I think that I know what I’m doing.
But, in the end, I always remember what she has said, and I try to live by the standards that she has set for me.
Take the advice that your parents give you.
They only have your best interests at heart.
save something for a rainy day:
to save something, especially money, for a time when you will need it you reap what you sow:
used to say that if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you, and if you do good things, good things will happen to you
I have to get my tonsils out.
I’m not really happy about it, but I’m tired of being sick and having sore throats.
I have to go to the hospital two hours before my surgery.
My mother will go with me.
The nurses will take my temperature and check my blood pressure.
They will make sure that I am ready for my operation.
I will be dressed in a white gown, and I will be wheeled down the hall to the operating room.
I can’t have anything to eat or drink for a long time before my surgery.
My mother will walk down the hall with me; then she will wave goodbye as theywheel me into the operating room.
The doctor and the nurses will be busy in the operating room.
They will be getting ready to perform my surgery.The doctor will say hello to me and tell me that he is going to put me to sleep.
He will put something into my arm. He will tell me to count backwards from ten. I think that I will only say “ten, nine,” and then I will be fast asleep.
I won’t be awake for the surgery.
When I wake up, I will be surprised that the surgery is over.
My throat will hurt, and I probably won’t feel very good.
My mother will be there with me.
The nurses will give me a drink and try to make me comfortable. I won’t be in the hospital overnight.
I will go home later in the day.
My parents will have to make sure that I have a lot to drink.
I can’t eat any hard foods or they will hurt my throat.
I will sleep a lot, because I will not feel very well for a couple of days.
It won’t take long before I recover from my surgery.
Sometimes, we need surgery to make us feel better.
Hospitals can be a bit frightening, but the doctors and nurses are very nice, and their job is to make you better.
This entry was posted by سلام زبان. Bookmark the permalink.[h=2]ONE THOUGHT ON “A TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL”[/h]
your tonsils are the two small round pieces of flesh at the sides of your throat
If you keep getting throat infections you might have to have your tonsils out (=have them removed) . go:
Please notice that don’t compare between Persian and English language, when we are not in a place that we are going to go we don’t say “come” and we use “go”
My mother will go with me. gown:
a long loose piece of clothing worn in a hospital by someone doing or having an operation
a hospital gown
wheel:
to push something that has wheels somewhere
Kate wheeled her bike into the garage. backwards: towards the beginning or the past
ￚopposite forwards
*Count backwards from 100.
One day I was sitting in a chair drinking a cup of tea.
My cat came into the room and sat on my lap.
She was quite content, and she sat there purring.
My cat likes to drink water, and sometimes she drinks milk.
I would never give her tea to drink.
Cats just don’t drink tea.
We were sitting there quietly when suddenly my cat stood up.
She was looking at something on the floor.
She crouched down low and got ready to pounce.
It was a huge centipede.
I think that centipedes are ugly.
They have many legs, and they move very fast.
I would hate to have one crawl over me.
I was surprised that she caught the centipede.
She put her paw on it, and then she reached down and ate the centipede.
The centipede must not have tasted very good.
My cat got a funny look on her face, and she looked like she was trying to get a bad taste out of her mouth.
I was thinking that I would be sick if I ate a centipede.
My cat looked at me and jumped back up in my chair.
She stuck her face in my teacup and took a big drink of tea.
I was shocked.
I had never seen a cat drink tea before.
I think that the centipede must have tasted so bad that my cat just needed something to wash the taste out of her mouth Guess what?
I didn’t finish my tea.
I threw it out and washed out the cup.
My cat has never had a drink of tea since that day.
She has also never eaten another centipede.
If a centipede walks by, she just pretends that she doesn’t see it.
This entry was posted by سلام زبان. Bookmark the permalink.[h=2]ONE THOUGHT ON “WHAT MY CAT DID”[/h]
سلام زبان on 11/20/1391 at 11:07said: content:
happy and satisfied
Andy was a good husband, and Nicky was clearly very content.
content with
We’ll be content with a respectable result in tomorrow’s match.
_____________________________
purr:
if a cat purrs, it makes a soft low sound in its throat to show that it is pleased
_____________________________ crouch:
also crouch down
to lower your body close to the ground by bending your knees completely *He crouched in the shadows near the doorway. *Paula crouched down and held her hands out to the fire.
*the cat was in a crouching position, ready to attack
*he crouched and slid under the table
_____________________________
pounce: to suddenly move forward and attack someone or something, after waiting to attack them
The cat was hiding in the bushes, ready to pounce.
pounce on
Kevin pounced on Liam and started hitting him. ￚpounce noun [countable]
pounce on somebody/something
phrasal verb 1
to criticize someone’s mistakes or ideas very quickly and eagerly
Teachers are quick to pounce on students’ grammatical errors.
2
to eagerly take an opportunity as soon as it becomes available
When they offered O’Leary the chance to become manager, he pounced on it. _____________________________
centipede:
a small creature like a worm with a lot of very small legs
Imagine what life would be like if you were two inches tall.
You would have to be careful that nobody stepped on you.
You would have to watch out for cats, dogs and birds.
It would be very dangerous, but just think of the things that you could do.
You could live in dollhouse, or even a shoebox.You could use a bottle cap for a plate.
You would have to wear dolls’ clothes.
A stamp would make a lovely picture to hang on your wall.
You could hide in a mouse hole or a drawer.
You wouldn’t need much food.
You could probably live comfortably on the crumbs that people would leave on the table.
A thimble would make a good cup. If you went outside, the grass would seem like a jungle. An insect would be huge and frightening.
A puddle would seem to be an ocean.
You could cross the puddle in a paper cup and use a spoon for an oar.
A matchbox would make a good bed with a handkerchief as a bedspread.
You’d brush your hair with a toothbrush, but you’d never find anything small enough to brush your teeth with.
You could take a ride on the back of a mouse.
You wouldn’t find any books that were small enough to read, but you might read the back of a pill bottle.
You could ride in a toy car and have a soup bowl for a swimming pool.
A leaf could be your umbrella, and a mitten would make a great sleeping bag.
If you used your imagination, you could think up something to use for almost all your purposes.
Being small might be fun, but then again, it would be frightening.
I’d be afraid of my pet cat.
I wouldn’t want a book to fall on me.
I would be afraid of being swept away by a big gust of wind.
I think I’d rather be my size.
bottle cap:
__________________________________
crumb:
a very small piece of dry food, especially bread or cake
*She stood up to brush the crumbs off her uniform.
*the kids ate the dry bread and did not clear the crumbs off the table
*eat the cake but don’t spill the crumbs!
_____________________________
thimble:
a small metal or plastic cap used to protect your finger when you are sewing
_____________________________
handkerchief:
a piece of cloth that you use for drying your nose or eyes
_____________________________
then/there again:
spoken
used to introduce an idea or fact that is different from something you have just said, or makes it seem less likely to be true
She says she’s thirty-five. But then again she might be lying.
_____________________________
gust:
a sudden strong movement of wind, air, rain etc gust of
A sudden gust of wind blew the door shut.
Gusts of up to 200 kph may be experienced.
If I were a giant, I wouldn’t be able to fit in my house.
I’d have to live in a building that had a high ceiling, but I’d probably have a hard time getting through the door.
I’d have to make my own clothes, but where would I get a giant needle and thread to sew with?
I couldn’t ride in a car or a plane.
I suppose I would just have to take giant steps to get from place to place.
I would have to be very careful not to step on anybody or anything.
When I talked, people would cover their ears.
My voice would sound very loud to them.
I wouldn’t find shoes to cover my feet.
I wouldn’t find a knife and fork to eat my dinner with.
I might have to use a rake as a fork.
My dinner would be huge.
What would I cook my dinner in?
I certainly wouldn’t find an oven big enough to put my dinner in.
If I sneezed, it would be like a hurricane.
If I fell down, it would be like an earthquake.
I wouldn’t have any friends because everyone would be too tiny for me to talk to.
I think that being a giant would be very lonely.
I couldn’t have just one apple.
I would have to have a lot of apples to fill me up.
I would have to drink gallons and gallons of water to quench my thirst.
I could never relax under a tree.
I would be taller than all the trees.
I don’t think that being a giant would be fun.
I won’t ever make a wish to be a giant.
I would rather be my height.
I’m very happy the way I am.
cover: protect
________________________
fill (yourself) up:
phrasal verb
informal to eat so much food that you cannot eat any more
fill (yourself) up with/on
Don’t fill yourself up with cookies. He filled up on pecan pie.
________________________
quench / kwentʆ / [transitive] formal
1
quench your thirst
to stop yourself feeling thirsty, by drinking something
We stopped at a small bar to quench our thirst.
2
quench a fire/flames
to stop a fire from burning
a desperate bid to quench the raging flames
[h=1]Do People Have the Right to Smoke in Public?[/h]دریافت فایل صوتی
My father used to smoke
He got very ill.
The doctor told him that he had to quit smoking.
My father tried for a long time to quit.
It was very difficult for him.
Smoking is an addiction.
After many months, my father finally gave up smoking, but he still craved a cigarette once in a while.
He says that quitting smoking is the hardest thing that he has ever done.
When my father did smoke, he smoked everywhere.
He smoked in restaurants, stores and many public buildings.
Now, you are not allowed to smoke in a lot of public places.
When my father smoked, the rules were not so strict.
People could smoke just about anywhere.
It really wasn’t fair to the people who didn’t smoke.
Their clothes always smelled like smoke, and they breathed in second-hand smoke.
Some people think that second-hand smoke is actually worse for you than if you smoke yourself.
People would smoke in their houses, and very young children would inhale the smoke that was in the air.
Some people still smoke in their houses, and their children breathe in the smoke.
Some restaurants have areas for smokers and nonsmokers, but usually the smokedrifts from one area to the other.
There are some businesses that have banned smoking altogether.
Personally, I think that smoking in public places should be completely banned.
I don’t think that I should have to breathe in another person’s smoke if I choose not to smoke myself.
It wouldn’t be fair for a nonsmoker to get lung cancer because they had to be in a place where smokers were allowed to light up.
I know that smoking is a powerful addiction and that it is very difficult to quit, but smokers should restrict their smoking to places where there is nobody else around.
Lung cancer is an awful disease.
Nobody should have to suffer with lung cancer.
People should be educated about the dangers of smoking.
Smoking should be banned in public places, but eventually I would like to believe that fewer people will smoke.
It would be nice to live in a smoke free environment.
crave:
to have an extremely strong desire for something
She’s an insecure child who craves attention .
*he craved our forgiveness
*it was hot and I was craving for a glass of ice water
*love and understanding were what he had always craved
*orders craving immediate attention
drift:
▶MOVE SLOWLY◀
to move slowly on water or in the air
drift out/towards etc
The rubber raft drifted out to sea. Smoke drifted up from the jungle ahead of us.
restrict:
to limit someone’s actions or movements
The cramped living conditions severely restricted the children’s freedom to play.
Every night when I was little, my mother would read me a bedtime story.
My favorite story was Tom’s Midnight Garden.
This was a story by Philippa Pearce.
It was quite a long book, and it took quite a few nights for my mother to read the entire book to me.
In Tom’s Midnight Garden Tom moves to the city to stay with his aunt and uncle.
He is very bored at their apartment.
They have no children, so Tom has nothing to do.
One night, the clock strikes thirteen times.
Tom knows that this is impossible.
A clock can only strike up to twelve times.
He sneaks downstairs and goes outside.
When he gets outside, there is a wonderful garden that wasn’t there the day before.
The next day, Tom goes outside and finds that there is no garden.
The garden only seems to appear at night.
Every night, Tom slips out to this wonderful garden, and he meets some people in the garden.
He meets a girl named Hattie.
Hattie and Tom become very good friends in this garden.
Some very strange things happen in this book.
There are some coincidences that keep you guessing about what is really going on.
The surprise ending is wonderful.
I really enjoyed Tom’s Midnight Garden and I was very sad when my mother and I came to the end of the book.
I felt that I had visited the magical garden with Tom.
It is a book that I will remember all of my life.
clock strike: sounds the hours audibly
________________________
coincidence:
when two things happen at the same time, in the same place, or to the same people in a way that seems surprising or unusual
‘I’m going to Appleby tomorrow.’ ‘ What a coincidence !I’m going up there too.’
by coincidence
By coincidence, John and I both ended up at Yale.
sheer/pure coincidence (=completely by chance) I didn’t set out to find you – it’s sheer coincidence that I should walk along the same street. not a coincidence/more than coincidence After the fourth attack on her car she was convinced that the vandalism was more than just coincidence.It seemed to her a happy coincidence that Robert should invite her for the weekend.
If I was walking down the beach on day, and I happened to bump my toe on a magic lamp, I would pick it up and rub it.
If it was a real magic lamp (but I don’t believe that there really is a magic lamp), a genie would popout in a cloud of smoke, and he would call me master.
He would say that he would grant me three wishes.
I would have to think very hard about those wishes because I wouldn’t want to waste them.
I don’t think I’d want millions of dollars.
Money doesn’t buy happiness, or so they say.
I might wish for good health, because if your health isn’t good you won’t be able to enjoy anything.
The injury may keep him out of football for good.
Some people might wish for beauty, but beauty is only skin deep.
Some people would wish for a mansion, or a beautiful car or a big boat.
I don’t want any of those things.
Some people would want fame.
Some people would want talent.
Some people would wish for happiness.
That might be a good thing to wish for.
Yes, maybe I’d wish for health and happiness, but what would my third wish be?
I could wish for something enormous, something global.
I could wish for world peace.
That would be a wonderful thing if somebody could grant me that.
Yes, that would probably be my third wish.
It’s too bad there aren’t any genies inside magic lamps.
I won’t get my three wishes.
I can still work toward getting my wishes.
I can eat well and exercise to stay healthy.
I can be involved with a lot of things and be with my friends to stay happy.
I can volunteer my time to different organizations to help achieve world peace.
I can do my fair share in my community to help others.
That’s how I can get my three wishes, not through a magic lamp.
I can only get what I want through self-determination and hard work.
That is the key to getting your wishes fulfilled.
genie:
a magical creature in old Arabian stories that will do what you want when you call it
___________________________
pop:
▶COME OUT/OFF◀
[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to come suddenly or unexpectedly out of or away from something
pop out/off/up etc
The top button popped off my shirt.
The ball popped out of Smith’s hands and onto the ground.
___________________________
mansion:
a very large house
*a beautiful country mansion
___________________________
fame:
the state of being known about by a lot of people because of your achievements win/achieve/gain/find fame
*Streisand won fame as a singer before she became an actress.
rise/shoot to fame
*Plant shot to fame in the seventies as the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.
international/worldwide/national fame
*At that time, the Beatles were at the height of their fame .
*The town’s only claim to fame (=the only reason why it is well known) is that Queen Elizabeth I once visited it.
*He set off to find fame and fortune . of … fame
(=used to show what someone is famous for) Hugh Grant, of ‘Notting Hill’ fame
___________________________
volunteer:
1
to offer to do something without expecting any reward, often something that other people do not want to do
volunteer to do something
Helen volunteered to have Thanksgiving at her house this year.
volunteer for
Sidcup volunteered for guard duty.
I volunteered my services as a driver.
2
[transitive] to tell someone something without being asked
Michael volunteered the information before I had a chance to ask.
3
[intransitive] to offer to join the army, navy, or airforce
When war broke out, my father volunteered immediately.
___________________________
self-determination:
the right of the people of a particular country to govern themselves and to choose the type of government they will have
___________________________
fulfill:
if you fulfil a hope, wish, or aim, you achieve the thing that you hoped for, wished for etc
*Visiting Disneyland has fulfilled a boyhood dream .
*Being deaf hasn’t stopped Karen fulfilling her ambition to be a hairdresser.
*It was then that the organization finally began to fulfill the hopes of its founders.
fulfil an aim/a goal/an objective
*an analysis of how different countries are attempting to fulfill their political goals
I am not superstitious, are you?
Yesterday was Friday the thirteenth.
Some people think that Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day.
I think that it is just like any other day.
Some people believe that if a black cat crosses your path, you will have bad luck.
I don’t believe that either.
My mother always gets upset if I open an umbrella in the house.
She says that it is bad luck.
She is probably right about that one because an open umbrella would take up a lot of
space, and you might knock things over.
If your left hand is itchy, you are supposed to get money.
I have had an itchy left hand before, but I haven’t received any money because of it.
It is bad luck to walk under a ladder.
This is probably true because you might knock somebody off the ladder, or have a can of
paint fall on top of you.
If you are acting in a play, it is bad luck if someone says “good luck” to you.
This is very confusing.
You are supposed to tell an actor to “break a leg.”
It doesn’t mean that you want the actor to break his leg.
It means good luck to the actor.
Actors have a lot of superstitions that are very unusual.
I am not superstitious.
I don’t believe in superstitions at all.
It is just fun to learn about superstitions.
Some of them are very old and have been passed down from generation to generation.
I once did a project at school on superstitions.
It was a very interesting topic, and I got a good mark for it
Did you ever have to call for help?
Were you ever in a situation that was an emergency?
It is good to know what to do in case of an emergency.
You should always know how to get in touch with the police and fire departments.
I have read stories where very young boys or girls have called the police and saved their
friend’s or family member’s lives because they knew just who to get hold of.
If you see a fire, you should call the fire department.
A lot of tragedies have been prevented because the calls have been made quickly.
It is important that emergency vehicles arrive very quickly.
That is why those vehicles have sirens.
When their sirens go, it means to get out of the way.
Policemen, firemen and ambulance attendants are trained to handle very difficult situations.
They often save peoples’ lives.
They go through a lot of training to become good at what they do.
They never panic in emergencies.
For your part, you should keep emergency numbers near the phone, or know what the
emergency numbers are.
Where I live, there is a special number that you call for any emergency.
We teach that number to everyone, even very tiny children.
It is important to remain calm if you need help.
If you call an emergency number, you have to be able to speak clearly, and tell the person
you are talking to exactly what the problem is.
I hope you are never in an emergency situation, but it is a good idea to be prepared.
fire department:
the organization that works to prevent fires and stop them burning
British Equivalent: fire service
_____________________
get hold of somebody:
also
get a hold of somebody
to find and speak to someone about something
*I must get hold of Vanessa to see if she can babysit.
______________________
attendant:
someone whose job is to look after or help customers in a public place
a carpark attendant
When I was very young, I lived near a peach orchard.
Now, there is a park where the orchard used to be.
I always remember the peach orchard because my grandmother and I used to go there and pick peaches.
The owner of the orchard would let all the neighbors pick peaches.
It’s not the fact that I used to get many ripe, tasty peaches that I remember; it’s the time
that I used to spend with my grandmother that I remember.
My grandmother was very old, but she was very healthy.
She used to walk a lot.
I think that is what kept her fit.
She had a lot of energy so she liked to go to a lot of places.
She would get a fruit basket, and then she would ask me if I wanted to go to the orchard.
I always said yes because I enjoyed walking through the orchard on a sunny day.
We never climbed up on a ladder to reach the peaches;
we just reached for the low hanging fruit.
My grandmother and I used to talk all the time that we were out there.
It was nice to spend time with her.
She told me many stories about when she was a young girl.
We laughed and got to know each other better.
My grandmother only visited us during the summer.
She lived in California, and I lived in Niagara Falls, so we didn’t get to spend a lot of time with each other.
We enjoyed the hot summer days in the orchard.
You could smell the peaches, and the bees buzzed lazily by us.
My grandmother would point out different insects and birds to me.
I learned a lot about nature from her.
We would end up with a big basket of peaches.
When we got home, my mother would wash the peaches, and often she would bake a peach pie for us.
Nobody bakes a peach pie like my mother.
It’s good to have memories like that.
Childhood memories of time spent with my grandmother are very precious to me.
Sometimes, it’s just the simple things that you do in life that leave you with the nicest memories.
orchard:
a place where fruit trees are grown
a cherry orchard
I went to England with my mother.
She used to be a singer in a band.
We went to the hotel that she used to sing at.
It was a big fancy hotel.
Some of the people that she knew when she sang in the band were still there.
They remembered my mother, and they had a good time talking to her and remembering old times.
Many people told me that I looked like my mother.
In the hotel, they had a fancy hall where they had ballroom dancing.
I am not used to that kind of dancing.
I always dance to rock music.
A man told me that he would teach me how to dance.
It looked very easy.
I held one of his hands, and put my other hand on his shoulder.
He told me exactly how to move my feet.
I was very clumsy, and I stepped on his toes.
He was patient with me, and he counted “one, two, three.”
I tried to waltz with him.
I would start out pretty well, but then I would get mixed up and stand on his toes again.
The man laughed about it.
I told him that I wasn’t a very good dancer, but he said that I was good for a beginner.
I think he was just being polite.
The man asked my mother to dance.
My mother is a very good dancer.
I didn’t know that about her.
She never stepped on the man’s toes once.
The man thanked us for dancing with him, and I thanked him for giving me dancing lessons.
I don’t think I’ll ever be very good at that type of dancing.
Each generation has a specific type of dancing.
The way that I dance is different from the way that my mother dances.
The way that I dance doesn’t involve moving your feet too much.
I’m not too good at fancy steps.
ballroom:
a very large room used for dancing on formal occasions
clumsy:
awkward and ungraceful in movement or action; without skill or grace:
He’s too clumsy to be a good dancer.
You clumsy oaf ! You’ve knocked over my coffee!
waltz:
to dance a waltz
They waltzed elegantly around the dance floor.
When my brother was very young, he loved super heroes.
He collected plastic figures of all the super heroes.
I think he had every super hero figurine that there was.
He used to tie a towel over his shoulders and run through the back yard.
He pretended that he was rescuing people.
One time he stood on the roof.
He really thought that he could fly with his super hero capeon.
He would have hurt himself if he had jumped.
My dad saw him and told him to get down.
My dad explained to my brother that super heroes are not real.
Real people cannot fly from rooftops.
My brother was disappointed.
He thought that the super heroes really existed.
My dad explained that most super heroes were created as comic book characters.
Somebody used their imagination to make them up, and then an artist drew them.
My brother was not impressed.
He said that he wanted to meet the super heroes.
My father told him that he might meet someone dressed up as a super hero, but it
wouldn’t really be a super hero in the costume.
It is hard to explain to small children that the things that they see in comic books and on
television aren’t really real.
My brother still pretends that he is a super hero.
He doesn’t jump from rooftops, but he runs around and makes noises like he is flying.
I look at him and remember when I used to do things like that.
I’m more mature than my brother.
I know that super heroes aren’t real, but I know that he is having fun and using his imagination.
figurine :
A small sculpture
Towel in this audio file has British form of pronunciation.
cape:
a long loose piece of clothing without sleeves that fastens around your neck and hangs from your shoulders
Disappointed:
unhappy because something you hoped for did not happen, or because someone or something was not as good as you expected
*Dad seemed more disappointed than angry.
*disappointed customers. disappointed at/with/about
*Local residents were disappointed with the decision. disappointed (that)
*I was disappointed that we played so well yet still lost. disappointed in
*I’m very disappointed in you. bitterly/deeply/terribly disappointed
*The girl’s parents were bitterly disappointed at the jury’s verdict.
disappointed to hear/see/find etc
*Visitors were disappointed to find the museum closed.
impressed
mature :
someone, especially a child or young person, who is mature behaves in a sensible and reasonable way, as you would expect an adult to behave
ￚopposite immature
* She’s very mature for her age.
* a mature attitude
* We’re mature enough to disagree on this issue but still respect each other.
Many of my friends have dyed their hair different colors.
Many of my friends have dyed their hair different colors.
