Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Body Language



Body language in the United States

Cultural communication systems
Formal – learned directly
Informal – learned indirectly – observation (e.g. distance/space handling)
Technical – intentional learning, schools, classes, etc.

“Comfort zone” -- distance, use of space that people feel comfortable

(1) When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Vs.
(2) When in Rome, do as you did back home.

Public behavior
Lines -- turn-taking

Conversation patterns – silence uncomfortable for most Americans

“Small talk” – formulas (greetings, inquiries about health; verbal equivalents of gestures)
Inquiries about the weather, sports (mostly men), children, home (women) etc. Fill silences, show friendliness, interest.

Arm’s length: a distance of approximately the length of one arm
Curl: make a circular or curved shape
Forearm: the lower part of the arm, between the wrist and the elbow
Upper arm: between the elbow and the shoulder

Give up: allow (something) to be used by another person

Index finger: the finger next to the thumb

Scold: criticize angrily

Twist: turn back and forth repeatedly


Value:
Work, Puritan tradition
Leisure, Reflection, Life, Harmony
Money, materialism
Tradition
Name, “face” – non-exposure

“Old money” vs. “New money”
Titles

Rugged individualism -- competition
Harmonious collectivism – group cooperation

Frontier experience

History

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Unit 3 Natural Disaster Vocab

Natural disaster

Basement
A part of a building that is below the level of the first floor

Battery-operated
Powered by a device that produces electricity

Board up
Cover (especially a window) with thin, flat pieces of wood

Canned food
Food that is packaged in a metal container

Evacuate
Remove people from a dangerous place

First-aid kit
A small box with bandages and medicine used for emergency medical treatment

Get through
To survive

Jug
A large container for liquids with a handle and a narrow opening at the top

Lawn furniture
Tables and chairs that can be used outdoors

Pick
choose

Prescription drug
A medicine that can only be obtained with a doctor’s prescription

OTC
Over the counter drug

Safety deposit box
A strong box in a bank where you keep valuable things

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Weather idioms

WEATHER - ATMOSPHERE
Once in a blue moon If something happens once in a blue moon, it occurs very rarely.
"Bill has very little contact with his brother. They see each other once in a blue moon."
A bolt from the blue To refer to something as a bolt from the blue means that it happened completely unexpectedly.
"The chairman's resignation came as a bolt from the blue!"
Cloud nine A person who is on cloud nine is very happy because something wonderful has happened.
"When the boss announced my promotion, I was on cloud nine!"

In the dark If someone is kept or left in the dark about something, they are not informed about it .
"The personnel were kept in the dark about the merger until the last minute."-
Reach for the moon If you reach for the moon, you are very ambitious and try to achieve something
even if it's difficult.
"Jenny is talented and ambitious; she always tends to reach for the moon."
Chasing rainbows Someone who is chasing rainbows is trying to get something they will never obtain.
"She's trying to get into Harvard but I think she's chasing rainbows."
Raining cats and dogs If it's raining cats and dogs, it's raining very heavily.
"We'll have to cancel the picnic I'm afraid. It's raining cats and dogs."
It never rains but it pours This expression is used to comment on the fact that when something bad happens,
other bad things often happen too, and make the situation even worse.
"First he forgot his briefcase, then he lost his wallet, and when he reached the car park,
his car had been stolen - it never rains but it pours!"
In the eye of the storm If you are in the eye of the storm you are deeply involved in a situation
which is difficult or controversial and affects a lot of people.
"The minister was often in the eye of the storm during the debate on the war in Iraq."
Storm in a teacup To refer to something as a storm in a teacup means that you think that people
are making a lot of unnecessary fuss or excitement about something unimportant.
Make hay while the sun shines This expression is used as an encouragement to take advantage of a good situation
which may not last.
Successful sportsmen are advised to make hay while the sun shines.
Under the weather If you are under the weather, you are not feeling very well.
Weather the storm If you weather the storm, you succeed in surviving a difficult period or situation.
"Given the current recession, the company is weathering the storm
better than some others."

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Money Idioms Quiz Link

http://www.idiomconnection.com/money.html#BQ

Money Idioms

Money Idioms

Animal--Business--Colour-- Food--Money


Choose the idiom and click on it to go directly to the explanation and example.
A
ante up, at all costs

B
back on your feet, bet your bottom dollar, bet on the wrong horse, born with a silver spoon in your mouth, bottom dollar, bottom line, break even, break the bank, bring home the bacon, burn a hole in your pocket, buy off

C
cash-and-carry, cash in, cash in on, cash in your chips, cash on the barrelhead, caught short, cheapskate, chicken feed, chip in, clean up, cold hard cash, cook the books, cut-rate

D
deadbeat, dime a dozen, down and out, Dutch treat

F
face value, fast buck, feel like a million dollars/bucks, flat broke, foot the bill, for a song, for love or money (usually negative), fork over

G
go broke, gravy train, grease your palm
H
hand-out, hand to mouth, hard up, have sticky fingers, highway robbery, hit the jackpot

I
in the black, in the hole, in the red

K
keep books, kickback

L
lay away money, layaway plan, lay out, live from hand to mouth, live high off the hog, loaded, lose your shirt

M
make a bundle, make a killing, make a living, make ends meet, make money hand over fist, money to burn

N
nest egg

O
on a dime, on a shoestring, on the house

P
pad the bill, pass the buck, pay an arm and a leg for something, pay dirt, pay off, pay through the nose, penny for your thoughts, penny-wise and pound foolish, pick up the tab, piggy bank, pinch pennies, pony up, put in your two cents

Q
quick buck

R
rain check, rake in the money, red cent

S
salt away, scrape together, set one back, shell out, splurge on something, stone broke, strapped for cash, strike it rich

T
take a beating, tighten your belt, two bits, (not worth) two cents, two cents worth

W
(not) worth a cent, worth your salt




ante up

MEANING: pay, produce a necessary amount of money

EXAMPLE:

I had to ante up a lot of money to get my car fixed.


at all costs

MEANING: at any expense of time, effort or money

EXAMPLE:

He plans to go to school at all costs.


back on your feet

MEANING: return to good financial health

EXAMPLE:

My sister is back on her feet after losing her job last year.


bet your bottom dollar

MEANING: bet all one has on something

EXAMPLE:

I would bet my bottom dollar that the accounting manager will be late again today.


bet on the wrong horse

MEANING: base your plans on a wrong guess about the results of something

EXAMPLE:

He is betting on the wrong horse if he continues to support the other candidate for mayor.


born with a silver spoon in your mouth

MEANING: born to wealth and comfort, born rich

EXAMPLE:

The student in our history class was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked in his life.


bottom dollar

MEANING: your last dollar

EXAMPLE:

He spent his bottom dollar on some new clothes to wear for his job interview.


bottom line 1

MEANING: line in a financial statement that shows net income or loss

EXAMPLE:

The bottom line in the company's financial statement was much worse than expected.


bottom line 2

MEANING: final result, main point

EXAMPLE:

The bottom line was that we were unable to attend the conference because of our busy schedule.


break even

MEANING: have income equal to expenses

EXAMPLE:

Our company was able to break even after only six months of operation.


break the bank

MEANING: win all the money at a casino gambling table

EXAMPLE:

He broke the bank at the casino and walked away with a lot of money.


bring home the bacon

MEANING: earn the family living

EXAMPLE:

I have been working hard all month bringing home the bacon for my family.


burn a hole in your pocket

MEANING: money that one wishes or intends to spend quickly (often for something frivolous)

EXAMPLE:

The money had been burning a hole in his pocket when he decided to go to the casino.


buy off

MEANING: give money to someone to stop them from doing their duty

EXAMPLE:

They tried to buy off the politician but he refused to go along with their plan.


cash-and-carry

MEANING: selling something for cash only with no delivery

EXAMPLE:

We were able to get a good price on a sofa in a cash-and-carry deal at the furniture store.


cash in

MEANING: exchange coupons or bonds for their value in money

EXAMPLE:

I cashed in a large number of my savings bonds in order to get some money to buy a house.


cash in on

MEANING: make money from an opportunity

EXAMPLE:

The former football player cashed in on his popularity to open a very successful restaurant.


cash in your chips

MEANING: exchange or sell something to get some money

EXAMPLE:

I decided to cash in my chips to get some money to go back to school.


cash on the barrelhead

MEANING: money paid in cash when something is bought

EXAMPLE:

I had to pay cash on the barrelhead for the used car.


caught short

MEANING: not have enough money when you need it

EXAMPLE:

I was caught short and had to borrow some money from my father last week.


cheapskate

MEANING: a person who will not spend much money, a stingy person

EXAMPLE:

My friend is a cheapskate and won't even go to a movie with me.


chicken feed

MEANING: a small amount of money

EXAMPLE:

His son always wants to borrow money and says that it is only chicken feed but little by little it adds up to a lot of money.


chip in

MEANING: contribute money or pay jointly

EXAMPLE:

Everyone in our company chipped in some money to buy a wedding present for our boss.


clean up

MEANING: make a lot of money, make a big profit

EXAMPLE:

I cleaned up at the horse races last year and still have some of the money left.


cold hard cash

MEANING: cash, coins and bills

EXAMPLE:

I paid for the stereo in cold hard cash.


cook the books

MEANING: illegally change information in accounting books in a company

EXAMPLE:

The accountant was cooking the books for over a year before he was caught.


cut-rate

MEANING: sell for a price lower than usual

EXAMPLE:

We went to a cut-rate furniture store to buy some new furniture for our apartment.


deadbeat

MEANING: person who never pays the money he owes

EXAMPLE:

Recently the government has been making an effort to solve the problem of deadbeat dads who don't support their families.


dime a dozen

MEANING: easy to get and therefore of little value

EXAMPLE:

Used computers are a dime a dozen and have very little value.


down and out

MEANING: have no money

EXAMPLE:

My friend was down and out for several years before he got a job and started making money.


Dutch treat

MEANING: something where each person pays their own share

EXAMPLE:

We went to the movie as a Dutch treat so it didn't cost me much money.


face value

MEANING: the worth or price printed on a stamp, bond, note or paper money etc.

EXAMPLE:

The face value of the stamp was very low but in reality it was worth a lot of money.


fast buck

MEANING: money earned quickly and easily (and sometimes dishonestly)

EXAMPLE:

The company tried to make a fast buck on the property but they actually lost a lot of money.


feel like a million dollars/bucks

MEANING: feel wonderful

EXAMPLE:

Although I have been sick for a few weeks I feel like a million dollars today.


flat broke

MEANING: having no money, penniless

EXAMPLE:

I am flat broke and don't even have enough money to pay my rent.


foot the bill

MEANING: pay

EXAMPLE:

My sister is footing the bill for her daughter's education so she is making sure that she studies hard.


for a song

MEANING: at a low price, cheaply

EXAMPLE:

We bought the car for a song and will try and sell it for a higher price.


fork over

MEANING: pay, pay out

EXAMPLE:

I forked over a lot of money for the painting that is hanging on my wall.


for love or money (usually negative)

MEANING: for anything, for any price

EXAMPLE:

I would not want to have to do that man's job for love or money.


go broke

MEANING: lose all your money, have no money

EXAMPLE:

My uncle started a company last year but it quickly went broke.


gravy train

MEANING: getting paid more money than the job is worth

EXAMPLE:

The job was a gravy train and I made a lot of money when I was there.


grease your palm

MEANING: give a tip, pay for a special favor or extra help, bribe

EXAMPLE:

The waiter was greasing his palm at the restaurant until he was finally fired.


hand-out

MEANING: a gift of money (usually from the government)

EXAMPLE:

After receiving hand-outs from the government for many years they finally had to make money on their own.


hand to mouth

MEANING: having only enough money for basic living

EXAMPLE:

My friend has been living from hand to mouth since he lost his job.


hard up

MEANING: not have much money

EXAMPLE:

His brother is hard up for money and always wants to borrow some.


have sticky fingers

MEANING: be a thief

EXAMPLE:

The new employee has sticky fingers and many things in the store have disappeared.


highway robbery

MEANING: charge a high price for something

EXAMPLE:

The amount of money that the company is charging for its services is highway robbery.


hit the jackpot

MEANING: make a lot of money suddenly

EXAMPLE:

We hit the jackpot at the casino and came home with a lot of money.


in the black

MEANING: profitable, making money

EXAMPLE:

Our company has been in the black since it was first started.


in the hole

MEANING: in debt, owing money

EXAMPLE:

I think that we are going in the hole in our attempts to make our business prosper.


in the red

MEANING: unprofitable, losing money

EXAMPLE:

The company has been in the red for several months now and will soon have to go bankrupt.


keep books

MEANING: keep records of money earned and spent

EXAMPLE:

The accountant has been keeping careful books of all the transactions in the company.


kickback

MEANING: money paid illegally for favorable treatment

EXAMPLE:

The politician received several illegal kickbacks and had to resign from his job.


lay away money

MEANING: save money

EXAMPLE:

I am trying hard to lay away enough money to buy a house.


layaway plan

MEANING: a plan in which one pays some money as a down-payment and then pays a little more when one can and the store holds the article until the full price is paid

EXAMPLE:

We brought our furniture on the layaway plan at the store.


lay out

MEANING: spend, pay

EXAMPLE:

I had to lay out a lot of money to get my car fixed so now I don't have any money to go out.


live from hand to mouth

MEANING: live on little money

EXAMPLE:

My friend has been living from hand to mouth on his savings from his last job.


live high off the hog

MEANING: have the best of everything, live in great comfort

EXAMPLE:

My mother and father have been living high off the hog since they won the lottery.


loaded

MEANING: have lots of money

EXAMPLE:

My uncle is loaded and always has lots of money.


lose your shirt

MEANING: lose all or most of your money

EXAMPLE:

I lost my shirt in a business venture and now I have no money.


make a bundle

MEANING: make a lot of money

EXAMPLE:

I made a bundle on the stock market and have since bought a house.


make a killing

MEANING: make a large amount of money

EXAMPLE:

My sister made a killing when she worked overseas in the oil industry.


make a living

MEANING: earn enough money to live

EXAMPLE:

If you want to make a good living it is necessary to get a good education.


make ends meet

MEANING: have enough money to pay your bills

EXAMPLE:

I have been having trouble making ends meet because the rent for my apartment is too high.


make money hand over fist

MEANING: fast and in large amounts

EXAMPLE:

My cousin has been making money hand over fist with her business.


money to burn

MEANING: very much money, more money than is needed

EXAMPLE:

My aunt has money to burn and is always travelling somewhere.


nest egg

MEANING: money someone has saved up

EXAMPLE:

I made a nice nest egg when I was working and I am now able to go to school.


on a dime

MEANING: in a very small space

EXAMPLE:

I had to turn my car on a dime when I entered the parking lot.


on a shoestring

MEANING: with little money to spend, on a very low budget

EXAMPLE:

He started his business on a shoestring but now it is very successful.


on the house

MEANING: paid for by the owner

EXAMPLE:

We went to the restaurant and all of the refreshments were on the house.


pad the bill

MEANING: add false expenses to a bill

EXAMPLE:

The plumber who was fixing our plumbing system was padding the bill so we got another plumber.


pass the buck

MEANING: make another person decide something, put the duty or blame on someone else

EXAMPLE:

The foreman is always passing the buck and will never take responsibility for anything that he does.


pay an arm and a leg for something

MEANING: pay a high price for something

EXAMPLE:

I paid an arm and a leg for my car but I am not very happy with it.


pay dirt

MEANING: a valuable discovery, the dirt in which much gold is found

EXAMPLE:

We hit pay dirt when we got the rights to distribute the new product.


pay off 1

MEANING: pay and discharge from a job

EXAMPLE:

The company paid off their employees and shut down for the winter.


Pay-off 2

- bribe

EXAMPLE:

The mayor received a pay-off and was forced to resign from his position.


pay through the nose

MEANING: pay at a very high price, pay too much

EXAMPLE:

I paid through the nose when I had to buy gasoline in the small town.


penny for your thoughts

MEANING: tell someone what you are thinking about

EXAMPLE:

"I will give you a penny for your thoughts", I said to my friend who was looking out of the window.


penny-wise and pound foolish

MEANING: wise or careful in small things to the costly neglect of important things

EXAMPLE:

My friend is penny-wise and pound foolish and economizes on small things but wastes all of his money on big things.


pick up the tab

MEANING: pay the bill

EXAMPLE:

I picked up the tab for my sister and her three children at the restaurant.


piggy bank

MEANING: a small bank, sometimes in the shape of a pig for saving coins

EXAMPLE:

The small boy saved up much money in his piggy bank.


pinch pennies

MEANING: be careful with money, be thrifty

EXAMPLE:

My grandmother always pinches pennies and will never spend her money foolishly.


pony up

MEANING: pay

EXAMPLE:

I had to pony up a lot of money to pay to get my car repaired.


put in your two cents

MEANING: give your opinion

EXAMPLE:

I stood up in the meeting and put in my two cents before I was asked to sit down.


quick buck

MEANING: money earned quickly and easily (and sometimes dishonestly)

EXAMPLE:

The company is only interested in making a quick buck and is not at all interested in quality.


rain check

MEANING: a promise to repeat an invitation at a later date

EXAMPLE:

I decided to take a rain check and go to the restaurant another time.


rake in the money

MEANING: make a lot of money

EXAMPLE:

We have been raking in the money at our restaurant and will soon be able to go on a long holiday.


red cent

MEANING: the smallest coin, a trivial sum of money

EXAMPLE:

I wouldn't give a red cent for my neighbor's car.


salt away

MEANING: save money

EXAMPLE:

My father's uncle salted away thousands of dollars before he died.


scrape together

MEANING: gather small amounts of money (usually with some difficulty) for something

EXAMPLE:

We scraped together some money and bought a present for my mother.


set one back

MEANING: cost

EXAMPLE:

My friend asked me how much my new coat had set me back.


shell out

MEANING: pay

EXAMPLE:

My father shelled out a lot of money to get his house painted.


splurge on something

MEANING: spend more money than one might ordinarily spend

EXAMPLE:

We decided to splurge and go to a nice restaurant for dinner.


stone broke

MEANING: having no money, penniless

EXAMPLE:

His brother is stone broke and won't be able to come to the movie with us.


strapped for cash

MEANING: have no money available

EXAMPLE:

I am strapped for cash at the moment so I won't be able to go with you on a holiday.


strike it rich

MEANING: become rich or successful suddenly or without expecting to

EXAMPLE:

My grandfather struck it rich searching for gold but when he died he had no money.


take a beating

MEANING: lose money (usually a lot)

EXAMPLE:

My friend took a beating on the stock market and has now stopped buying stocks..


tighten one`s belt

MEANING: live on less money than usual

EXAMPLE:

We decided to tighten our belt and save up some money for a holiday.


two bits

MEANING: twenty-five cents, a quarter of a dollar

EXAMPLE:

The newspaper was only two bits a copy.


(not worth) two cents

MEANING: almost nothing, something not important or very small

EXAMPLE:

The car that my friend bought is not worth two cents.


two cents worth

MEANING: something one wants to say, opinion

EXAMPLE:

I asked the president for his two cents worth but he didn't want to give us his opinion.


(not) worth a cent

MEANING: not worth anything, not of any value

EXAMPLE:

That antique desk is not worth a cent although everyone thinks it is very valuable.


worth your salt

MEANING: worth what one is paid

EXAMPLE:

Our secretary is worth her salt and is a great asset to our company.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Reading -- Where do you stand?

Where do you stand?

FEET: What do I stand for as a foundation of reading comprehension?
STOMACH: What upsets me about reading comprehension?
HEART: What do I love about reading comprehension?
HANDS: What do I feel about reading comprehension?
EARS: What do I hear about reading comprehension?
EYES: What do I see about reading comprehension?
BRAIN: What do I think about reading comprehension?

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Syllabus

IEP Reading Comprehension is an intensive English course focusing on reading skills development.

Required text:

Richards, Jack C. and Samuela Eckstut-Didier. Strategic Reading 1: Building Effective Reading Skills. Los Angeles, CA: Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN: 0521555809.

Wks/Units

1 1 Music
2 2 Money
3 3 Work
4 4 Sports
5 5 Weather
6 6 Clothes
7 7 Culture
8 8 Outer space
9 9 Animals
10 10 Travel
11 11 The Internet
12 12 Friends
13 13 Gifts
14 14 Emotions
15 15 Food
16 16 Sleep and dreams

Welcome

This blog is dedicated to support of IEP Reading Comprehension class. The site will reflect the content of the class and will enhance in value as the course progresses.