Words to use in the gaps: economic necessity, family matters, time-consuming, domestic chores, the lion's share, keep house, breadwinner, pattern, teasing, family unit, maid, fair share
English learning log
GOSSIP - reading comprehension (fill in the gaps)
A: I was encouraged to think of human beings in terms B: so instead we can bond by
C: Having noted that D: you would talk to E: Or alternatively have
F: someone had told her that I live in Bromley
G: it can be helpful and some early definitions of gossip
H: as an old Irish saying suggests
I: And the power of gossip J: So rumours began
Somebody told me recently that I live in Bromley. Or rather she told me that (1) ... This was strange for two reasons. First, I don't (no offence to Bromley) live in Bromley, and second, as gossip goes, it was monumentally dull.
(2) ..., I then felt both relieved and disappointed. Relieved because no major wrongdoing on my part had been suggested and disappointed that my life isn't thrilling enough to produce a single incident of louche athleticism worth reporting. I'm a workaholic typist - that's not thrilling. Then I felt sad that I'm boring, paranoid because people are talking about me and angry that one of them told me.
In other words, even the most banal bit of gossip did what it always does - it distorted my relationship with myself and others. My ego was toyed with and (3) ... of salacious titbits and areas of weakness.
Which would be why philosophers and religious thinkers throughout the ages have counselled against gossip. The general opinion holds that gossip damages the speaker, the listener and the victim. And, (4) ..., "who gossips with you will gossip of you." But we continue to gossip. Murmur something to me about a complete stranger and I will listen.
This is partly because talking about each other can be useful. If you murmured that the man beside me was a notorious pickpocket the information could save me money. Human beings live in large social groups and if we're to coexist successfully we need to know who can fix our boiler and who'll steal our credit cards. And we have deeper imperatives that gossip fulfils. We no longer search through each other's fur as happy primates should, (5) ... sharing stories about ourselves and others.
So gossip isn't just hateful - (6) ... have mirrored that duality. The ancient Greeks had a female - yes, I know, because men never gossip - personification of rumour called Pheme who went about with wings and a trumpet, spreading information that could bring infamy, or could bring renown. The Roman equivalent Fama was more disturbing - lots of eyes and tongues and feathers - but again she sent information, good and bad, rippling outwards and growing louder as it spread.
In English the word "gossip" comes from the Old English "godsibb", a term for godparents or the parents of godchildren, or later just close friends - people (7) ... and with whom you'd exchange useful facts and amusing tales and exemplary stories of others' failings, or spite aimed at those you already don't like.
Which may be one way negative gossip gets a foothold. That girl we all didn't like at my school was blameless, but not liking someone can feel bad and inventing reasons for our loathing seemed necessary. (8) ... of stolen pencils, playground incidents, until she faced us down, angry and tearful, and made us - quite rightly - thoroughly ashamed. Our gossip wasn't useful. Like workplace rumours amongst adults, it was aggressive and caused stress. And when we look at reported causes of stress at work, relationships with others and communications are always highlighted - with gossip there, poisoning and demeaning while claiming to entertain.
Our school gossip wasn't just spoken. I recall little notes - not from me, of course. (9) ... has been increased by the possibilities of publication. The fervour which sparked the French revolution, for example, was partly fuelled by pamphlets filled with scurrilous and pornographic rumours. Words of mouth are more authoritative on paper.
And with a growth in power came a growth in negativity. So by the early 19th Century gossip came mainly to define a negative - idle chatter, expressions of hatred. We were less ambivalent about something which may have been becoming more unpleasant. The 20th Century saw increasing mass media flirtations with gossip and I would argue that, here at the start of the 21st Century we are living in the age of gossip.
Some of this can seem fun. I'm not following the World Cup, but a bit of rumour about injuries, or what's really going on with Rooney - well, it could spice things up. (10) ... made you sick of the whole thing before the first match. Then there are the papers, magazines and TV shows which adore sniping about the cellulite, dodgy cosmetic procedures and behaviour of total strangers. Their phrasing is generic. Teens must always be "troubled", there have to be "demons", perhaps imperfectly battled, "loved-up" couples must become singles confessing their "secret torments" while everyone gets scrutinised in venomous detail.
A: I was encouraged to think of human beings in terms
B: so instead we can bond by C: Having noted that
D: you would talk to E: Or alternatively have
F: someone had told her that I live in Bromley
G: it can be helpful and some early definitions of gossip H: as an old Irish saying suggests
I: And the power of gossip J: So rumours began
If you're in any way insecure, the media's emphasis on bodily perfection (11) b........... debilitating. As someone who embraces low self-esteem I can see the appeal of clawing the rich, visible and successful to pieces, so I can feel better about myself. But as a major cultural influence this - in my (12) o.......... - is horrendous.
A constant flow of gossip normalises nastiness. A (13) g........... has grown up being shown forcefully and repeatedly that verbal abuse and personal comments are the jolly, bantering norm. Online insults and the calculated use of sexual gossip to (14) a......... women can become more acceptable.
It's not just the tone of gossip that has affected our public discourse - it's corrupted our content. In an unpleasant self-fulfilling prophecy, gossip is seen as something which sells well and is (15) t.......... increasingly all we get, from news of royals walking about and wearing clothes, to reports on spats between entirely fictional characters in soaps.
And gossip is economical - it's supplied free by promoters, PR firms and amateur sources. This means it edges out real news and information, large and especially small, supplied more expensively by (16) j........... and researchers. So it's hard for me to find out how many air miles my dinner involves, or if there's a higher-than-usual meningitis risk, but a breeze for me to know all about George Clooney's progress towards marriage, or how Dean Wicks is getting on.
Dean Wicks doesn't even exist. But manufactured East Enders gossip is just another part of the noise drowning out things I may need to know.
And gossip has taken control of our political lives. When Michael Foot was brought down by wearing what was rumoured to be a donkey jacket at the cenotaph in 1981, in a way it marked the end of politicians as primarily intellectuals, ideas-men, and was a triumph for gossip. Gossip didn't care about his policies, it wanted to (17) c........... his coat. We've moved from dismay over Tony Blair's makeup bill to taking it for granted that our leaders can be light on content, as long as their faces are HD ready.
And if the type of behaviour gossip loves is what gets your attention, then, guess what - shoddy behaviour is glorified as a path to quick success. Gossip appears to have the winning (18) h............ Even if it's toxic, even if it leaves no room for facts. And even if it's factually wrong - the donkey jacket was a short, substantial overcoat, I don't live in Bromley. But why not stick (19) w........... the winners, join the gossips - start the rumour I helped gang up on that girl in Primary Three, because usually I was the odd one out and it was good to be part of a team - albeit a horrible team?
I did a bad thing and it still makes me feel bad. But that isn't gossip, it's simply a useful bit of truth - that being unpleasant to other human beings isn't smart or glamorous, doesn't haul us up as equals to celebrities we'll never meet but love to mock. Gossip obscures truth, sours our outlooks on each other and can trivialise any debate. It might be tempting, but we really could (20) d........... with less of it.
Reading comprehension - fill in the gaps
A: available machines made by other manufacturers
B: was romantically involved with
C: was being used by the US military
D: being fully aware the tests were "plagued by issues
E: the black turtleneck she had become famous for
F: deceiving investors and patients by claiming
G: after big pharmaceutical firms declined
H: all the charges against her
I: self-made female billionaire
J: she may feel it's a risk worth taking
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes "lied and cheated" for money and fame, prosecutors alleged on the first day of the former Silicon Valley star's trial.
Ms Holmes faces 12 fraud charges over her role at the now-defunct blood-testing firm which was once worth $9bn.
She is accused of (1) ................ Theranos could detect common illnesses using just a few drops of blood from a finger prick.
Her lawyers said she was simply a naive businesswoman whose firm failed.
"Failure is not a crime. Trying your hardest and coming up short is not a crime," Lance Wade, a lawyer for the defence said in his opening statement on Wednesday.
In what will be a closely watched trial in San Jose, California, Ms Holmes denies (2) ........... but could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
Former Theranos executive Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani - who (3) ................ Ms Holmes for years - faces the same charges but will be tried separately next year. He has also pleaded not guilty.
'Fame and adoration'
Ms Holmes, who founded Theranos in 2003 aged 19, was dubbed the world's youngest (4) ............... and the "next Steve Jobs" thanks to her technology.
However, she fell from grace in 2015 when it emerged her blood-testing devices did not work and Theranos was doing most of its testing on commercially (5) .................. .
On Wednesday, prosecutor Robert Leach said Ms Holmes and Mr Balwani turned to fraud in 2009 (6) .................. to back Theranos and they ran out of cash.
They lied about the tests and exaggerated the firm's performance to secure millions of dollars of investment between 2010 and 2015.
This included falsely claiming the tests had been vetted by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and that the technology (7) .................. in the field, Mr Leach said.
Ms Holmes came into the court surrounded by her legal team. There's huge interest in the case here.
Journalists had been queuing up since 5am to try and get into court. Many didn't get in.
Eschewing (8) ..............., Ms Holmes wore a grey suit and blue mask. In court, she sat bolt upright, poised, attentive, as she listened to the case against her.
The prosecution didn't mince its words. The word "lies" was mentioned liberally. Ms Holmes watched on passively.
The case will probably take months and at some point it's possible that Ms Holmes herself will take the stand.
If she does it will be a huge risk for her defence. But with so much evidence that the tech she flaunted didn't work (9) ...................
Ms Holmes also "dazzled" firms such as Walgreens, the pharmacy chain, into agreeing testing partnerships, despite (10) ................. and repeatedly failing quality control", he said.
It brought her fame and adoration, Mr Leach added.
"She had become, as she sought, one of the most celebrated CEOs in Silicon Valley and the world. But under the facade of Theranos' success there were significant problems brewing."
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(11) H................. , the defence's Mr Wade said Ms Holmes did not intend to defraud, but instead "naively underestimated" the challenges her business faced.
" (12) I.............. the end, Theranos failed and Ms Holmes walked away with nothing," he told the jurors in San Jose.
He (13) a............ that the former executive was motivated by Theranos's mission, not money, and "committed to that mission until that very last day".
" (14) B............. the time this trial is over, you will see that the villain the government just presented is actually a living, breathing human being who did her very (15) b......... each and every day. And she is innocent."
(16) A............... to court filings unsealed last month, Ms Holmes has alleged Mr Balwani abused her emotionally and psychologically for years. Mr Balwani has (17) d............ the allegations.
Her lawyers have said she is "highly likely" to take the witness (18) s............. and testify about how the relationship affected her mental state.
As boss of Theranos Ms Holmes is (19) a.............. to have duped a host of powerful people who invested around $700m in the company. Henry Kissinger and four star general James Mattis sat on the company's board while Rupert Murdoch invested £120m.
Her story has (20) b................ the subject of documentaries, podcasts and books. A TV miniseries and a Hollywood film based her life are in the works.
The defence and prosecution have identified more than 140 potential witnesses in the case, (21) i.............. investors and former Theranos employees.
source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58494912
Finish the proverbs and sayings.
A: to tango B: as the Romans do C: a fiddle D: be choosers E: a book by its cover
F: spoil the broth G: flock together H: mother of invention I: shouldn't throw stones
J: as its weakest link K: over spilt milk L: starts with a single step M: eggs in one basket
N: you preach O: but you can't make him drink P: before they hatch Q: the bold
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1. When in Rome do ... 2. Practice what .. 3. As fit as ...
4. Birds of a feather ... 5. Beggars can't ... 6. Too many cooks ...
7. Fortune favors ... 8. Necessity is the ... 9. It takes two ...
10. You can't judge a ... 11. Don't put all your ... 12. A chain is only as strong ...
13. Don't count your chickens ... 14. A journey of a thousand miles ... 15. You can lead a horse to water ...
16. People who live in glass houses ... 17. It's no use crying ...
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A: to tango B: as the Romans do C: a fiddle D: be choosers E: a book by its cover
F: spoil the broth G: flock together H: mother of invention I: shouldn't throw stones
J: as its weakest link K: over spilt milk L: starts with a single step M: eggs in one basket
N: you preach O: but you can't make him drink P: till they hatch
Q: the bold
Health - fill in the gaps
If you a.. me, it is easier to p...... diseases than treat them. So, first, I w... talk about health, diet and exercise, then I will say a couple of words about n............. remedies and alternative medicine.
We usually talk about physical h..... (how our body functions) and m..... health (how we feel emotionally, how we cope with problems etc.) There is a connection between physical and mental health. There is an old proverb: a sound m... in a sound body.
If you feel tired after activity or you are out of b..... after climbing the stairs you are probably out of s...... (unfit, your health is poor, you are unhealthy). Maybe you spend too much time watching TV or you work long hours in an office. The food you eat is also very important. Many of us eat too much food containing fat and sugar. If you eat too much j.... food, you will gain weight and become obese.
Your blood pressure will also rise and you will have heart problems. You also run the risk of suffering from diabetes or you might have a heart a...... or a stroke.
I think it is very important to listen to people who stay healthy and e........ in their seventies or eighties, or sometimes even longer. I saw some videos about old people who look much younger than their actual age. There is a woman, who is in her early seventies (first I thought she was in her mid-thirties), who has been a vegetarian (and vegan) for d.......
Cardio-vascular exercises will make your heart b... fast and help b... calories. You can work out in a gym, lift w..... to build muscles. There are different types of exercise: you can start with light exercises such as walking or stretching, moderate exercise, for example jogging or walking fast, then there is v....... exercise like running, playing squash, tennis or badminton.
If you want to stay healthy, you shouldn't drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes because they d....... your liver and lungs. Smoking and drinking can cause c..... and many other serious health problems. But, a habit can be broken and with a little willpower you can get r.. of these bad habits.
Although I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit and exercise regularly, sometimes I c.... a cold or have a headache. I do not run to my G. for a prescription drug, I turn to a.......... medicine. I like herbology for example. I believe that some simple herbs, such as chamomile, thyme, rosemary or lavender can cure simple problems like a s... throat, coughing or a headache.
Sometimes I need specialists. I am short sighted, so I have to see my O............. regularly.
I think people should have regular check-ups if they want to make sure that they are in perfect health.
I have a good dentist and an excellent gynecologist, but I hope I will never need an oncologist, a cardiologist or a surgeon.
In Hungary people do not have to pay for medical services if they have 'medical insurance' (it is called 'social security fee or tax'. But the quality of this service is not too high; so many people choose private doctors and hospitals if they can a..... them.
... DO YOU THINK ...
Who invented the telephone? + DO YOU THINK = WHO do you think invented the telephone?
What do you think was invented by bell?
How much do you think a kilo of onions costs?
When do you think the first call was made ...?
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Mit gondolsz, hol van Zaire?
Mit gondolsz miért sír az a gyerek?
Mit gondolsz mennyit fizettem ezért a cipőért?
Mit gondolsz ki fog a szomszédba költözni?
Mit gondolsz hogy vezet Péter?
LESSON OF AUG 04
HOMEWORK:
KEY:
https://englishexam.blog.hu/2021/07/01/match_interview_questions_and_answers_joost_bakker
1F 2B 3H 4G 5E 6A 7C 8D
Additional exercise:
https://englishexam.blog.hu/2021/07/09/vocabulary_from_zero_waste_reading
https://englishexam.blog.hu/
At the beginning of the video we were shown a black and white portrait and we were asked a question.
Random people were asked about the man in the photo.
Only one woman was able to guess when the photo was taken.
The women were astonished when the correct answer was revealed.
The 23-year-old lady, who introduces herself, comes from Brazil.
A digital colorist restores and colorizes black and white photographs.
The man whose portrait we saw at the beginning of the video wanted to kill an American president.
Lewis Powell is probably still alive.
If you colorize black and white photos you make them look more real.
The colorist changes many things in the photos.
The last portrait shows a girl who lost everything.
How many languages are there in the world?
How many languages DO YOU THINK there are in the world?
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LISTENING:
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INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD:
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BRITISH AND AMERICAN WORDS:
BRITISH AND AMERICAN PHRASES
WOULD YOU RATHER:
https://www.hias.org/sites/default/files/conversation_starters-would_you_rather_questions.pdf
https://jimmyesl.com/would-you-rather-questions/
My best friend
We met at the elementary school when we were 12 years old. We didn't go to the same school but we played volleyball together. It was a good practice and we enjoyed it very much.
I think she is very helpful. I remember that in high school we studied together for history because she is very good at this subject and she helped me a lot. She is always very happy, she is always in a good mood and she makes me laugh. No matter how tired we are, we can always laugh at everything. She is always ready to do something interesting if I call her at 9 o'clock in the evening. (113 szó)
JOB APPLICATION LETTER
WORDS TO USE IN THE GAPS: additional, apply, believe, candidate, experience, have, references, service, strengths, strong, via
John Donaldson
8 Sue Circle
Smithtown, CA 08067
909-555-5555
john.donaldson@emailexample.com
August 15, 2020
George Gilhooley
Times Union
87 Delaware Road
Hatfield, CA 08065
Dear Mr. Gilhooley,
I am writing to ......... (1) for the programmer position advertised in the Times Union. As requested, I enclose a completed job application, my certification, my resume, and three .......... (2).
The role is very appealing to me, and I .......... (3) that my strong technical experience and education make me a highly competitive ........... (4) for this position. My key ........... (5) that would support my success in this position include:
- I ........... (6) successfully designed, developed, and supported live-use applications.
- I strive continually for excellence.
- I provide exceptional contributions to customer ........... (7) for all customers.
With a BS degree in Computer Programming, I have a comprehensive understanding of the full lifecycle for software development projects. I also have ...........(8) in learning and applying new technologies as appropriate. Please see my resume for ........... (9) information on my experience.
I can be reached anytime ........... (10) email at john.donaldson@emailexample.com or by cell phone, 909-555-5555.
WORDS TO USE IN THE GAPS: additional, apply, believe, candidate, experience, have, references, service, strengths, strong, via
(https://www.thebalancecareers.com/job-application-letter-sample-2062548)
VOCABULARY FROM 'ZERO WASTE' READING
advocate, beverage, biodiversity, decentralize, endeavor, nourishment, ox , plough, self-sustaining, sustainable, tame, zero waste
Mother's milk is the best .......... (1) for a baby.
The manuscript for the musical was a collaborative ......... (2) that included two writers, a composer, and a lyricist.
He became a strong .......... (3) for parliamentary reform.
.......... (4) development implies a long-term perspective.
All these organizations push forth to make our world clean and producing ........... (5).
The Pueblo Indians live in adobe houses, are quiet and usually .......... (6), and have been converted to the forms of Christianity.
She brought the vegetables in an .......... (7) cart.
If we .......... (8), the provinces will have more autonomy.
The newcomers can pose a threat to ........... (9) by altering ecosystems.
Farmers occasionally .......... (10) up old Indian relics.
Lunch includes dessert, and soup or a .......... (11) .
The government needs to do something to ........... (12) inflation.
advocate, beverage, biodiversity, decentralize, endeavor, nourishment, ox , plough, self-sustaining, sustainable, tame, zero waste
