Week 1 : Vocabulary

I started my first practicing for vocabulary skills from http://www.englishpage.com.

Here's my scores after testing:

Unique personalities : 80%

Higher education: 92%

Changing job: 100%

Entertaining Film: 86%

Unique Personalities  

A. = Adjective   ADV. = Adverb   IDM. = Idiom   N. = Noun   V. = Verb
cynical	A. seeing little or no good in other people, believing that people do good things for bad reasons
eccentric	A. having strange, unusual or abnormal habits or tastes This term is less insulting than strange, weird or bizarre.
egotistical	A. thinking too highly of oneself, considering oneself better than others
imaginative	A. creative, having much imagination
indecisive	A. unable to decide quickly, not knowing what choice to make
picky	A. hard to please, too careful in choosing something
sensible	A. practical, reasonable, something that makes sense
sensitive	A. easily feels emotion, easily hurt emotionally can be positive or negative
sophisticated	A. representing high culture, very experienced in life
thoughtful	A. often doing things to make other people feel good

Exercise

Fill in all the gaps using the new vocabulary, then click the "Check" button to check your answers.

   cynical      eccentric      egotistical      imaginative      indecisive      picky      sensible      sensitive      sophisticated      thoughtful   

Robin: Did you meet that guy, Richard, at the party last night?


Michele: Oh my God, he was so . He kept talking about how intelligent he was and how much money he made. He even said he was thinking about becoming a professional model. Like that's ever going to happen!


Robin: And Brad, the artist from New York, he was rather ! He told me he sculpts and paints nothing but frogs. He even said he wanted to introduce a new line of frog jewelry. That's a little odd.


Michele: He wasn't strange at all. I thought he was very . You have to be really creative to become such a successful artist. He was also incredibly - he almost started crying as he told me about his art. By the way, look at the ring he gave me.


Robin: He gave you a frog ring? That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen!


Michele: It is not! I think it's really . He said his jewelry is the latest trend among the New York elite. Wasn't that of him to give me one of his creations?


Robin: Not really, I think he just wanted some free advertising.


Michele: My God, you are so ! Wasn't there anybody you liked at the party?


Robin: Yeah, Bill was really nice. He was the only , clear-thinking person I met there.


Michele: Oh, the waitress is coming. Have you decided what to order?


Robin: I'm not sure what to order. I just can't decide what I want.


Michele: You're so . Nothing is ever good enough for you.


Robin: That's not true! I'm just a little .


Michele: Well, you need to decide soon so we can order. I'm starving!

 

Higher Education

A. = Adjective   ADV. = Adverb   IDM. = Idiom   N. = Noun   V. = Verb
apprenticeship	N. training in an art or a trade This word is also sometimes used to describe educational training programs, common in Europe and much of the world, in which young people learn their profession through on-the-job training in companies and organizations. Often this includes one or two days a week of in-class training. This kind of education is uncommon in the United States.
to be funded	V. to be paid for, to supply the money for
a degree	N. a title given by a university
facilities	N. services or conveniences
to major	V. to specialize in (a particular academic field)
a major	N. the main field of study in which a university student specializes
to minor	V. to have a secondary specialization in (a particular academic field)
a minor	N. the secondary field of study in which a student specializes
to stand for	V. to be the short form of, to represent, to mean
terminology	N. specialized words or expressions used in a particular field, activity, job, science, etc.
to transfer	V. 1) to change schools 2) to move from one place to another said of people or things
B.A.	N. Bachelor of Arts, an undergraduate degree in a humanities-related subject
B.S.	N. Bachelor of Science, an undergraduate degree in a science-related subject
master's	N. the graduate degree after a bachelor's and before a Ph.D. There are also different kinds of master's, including M.A. (Master of Arts), M.S. (Master of Science), M.B.A. (Master in Business Administration), etc.
Ph.D.	N. doctorate, highest graduate degree Although Ph.D. stands for Doctor of Philosophy, it is commonly used to refer to a doctorate in any field.

Exercises

Fill in all the gaps using the new vocabulary, then click the "Check" button to check your answers.

   apprenticeships      are funded      B.A.      B.S.      degree      facilities      majored      master's      minor      Ph.D.      stands for      terminology      transfer   

Lars: Tina, I'm trying to fill out this job application, and they want to know about my educational history. It's a little confusing because I don't understand the they are using. I don't really know much about the American educational system.


Tina: In America, all students basically study the same thing until they are around 18. After high school, students have the choice to start working or to go to college.


Lars: What is the difference between a college and a university?


Tina: In the U.S., there isn't a big difference between the two. Colleges tend to be smaller schools, and universities are usually larger schools with more ; however, we often use these words interchangeably.


Lars: Can Americans do to prepare themselves for their future careers? Many people do that kind of job training in my country.


Tina: That's not very common in the United States. Americans usually learn on the job; however, some junior colleges offer shorter, more practical career training programs.


Lars: What are junior colleges?


Tina: Colleges and universities in the United States are extremely expensive. Even schools which by the government can cost thousands of dollars a year. Most states have created junior colleges, which are inexpensive schools where students can complete the first two years of their education. Afterwards, students can to a four-year college or university to complete their bachelor's . And, as I mentioned, they also provide career training and continuing education courses.


Lars: What does mean? Is that the same thing as a bachelor's?


Tina: That Bachelor of Science. You also often hear the abbreviation , which is short for Bachelor of Arts. For example, I in chemistry, so I have a Bachelor of Science; but, my brother studied philosophy, so he has a Bachelor of Arts.


Lars: I thought you studied German literature.


Tina: That was my - my secondary field of study.


Lars: What about after you finish your bachelor's?


Tina: Students can continue studying and receive a , which usually requires an additional two years of study. And of course, the highest degree is called a , which is another word for doctorate.

Changing Jobs

A. = Adjective   ADV. = Adverb   IDM. = Idiom   N. = Noun   V. = Verb
to be bought out	V. to be purchased, taken over by another company
to be laid off	V. to lose your job because the company wants to reduce the number of employees
competitive	A. 1) liking competition, always competing with other people used to describe personalities 2) having intense competition used to describe markets, industries or businesses
dedicated	A. 1) very loyal 2) working hard for a person, company or idea
to downsize	V. to reduce the number of employees in a company in order to lower costs
to get rid of	V. to throw away, remove, eliminate something or someone
outdated	A. too old, antiquated
to retrain	V. to reeducate someone for a job, train again
to streamline	V. 1) to form into a smooth shape which can easily move through air or water 2) to improve the performance of something 3) to simplify a process
to update	V. to make more modern
an update	N. the latest information or news

Vocabulary in Conversation

Fill in all the gaps using the new vocabulary, then click the "Check" button to check your answers.

   competitive      dedicated      downsize      get rid of      outdated      retrain      streamline      update      was bought out      was laid off   

Barbara: Did you hear Lars lost his job?

Tim: Really? He has been working for that advertising agency for almost five years. He was such a employee - I can't believe he was fired!

Barbara: He wasn't fired, he . Terra Advertising by some Internet marketing firm from the East Coast.

Tim: That's terrible! Why didn't the new company keep him? I'm sure they could use someone with his skills.

Barbara: Lars said the new company needs to .

Tim: Why?

Barbara: They need to reduce the number of employees they have if they want to remain .

Tim: Why did they Lars? He's great at what he does.

Barbara: They hired a specialist to come in and help the company. Lars is creative and very respected in the advertising industry, but his skills have become . He can't use a computer and he doesn't know anything about the Internet. He is no help to an Internet marketing firm.

Tim: He needs to go back to school and . The career center downtown offers free classes to people who need to their skills and training.

Barbara: You should suggest that to him.

Entertaining Films

A. = Adjective   ADV. = Adverb   IDM. = Idiom   N. = Noun   V. = Verb
alternative	A. something which is done in a different way, not done in the normal way In the U.S., alternative films are usually artistic films or foreign language films.
artsy	A. extremely artistic, overly artistic, too artistic This often suggests that someone tried too hard to make something artistic.
entertaining	A. something which entertains; amusing and interesting
hilarious	A. something which is very funny; something which makes you laugh
intense	A. 1) containing strong emotions or feelings 2) extreme An intense film is one which emotionally drains you or makes you tired. Intense is not necessarily negative, it just means that a movie is not light or relaxing.
light	A. relaxing, amusing, not too intense This is the opposite of "intense."
mainstream	A. something which is usual, or commonly done Mainstream films are those which are usually high-budget, popular, and made for entertainment. "Mainstream" is the opposite of "alternative."
superficial	A. 1) not deep or profound; lacking real content 2) only on the surface
suspenseful	A. something which makes you keep guessing or makes you question how something will end
thought-provoking	A. something which makes you think used to describe many different things, such as movies, books, conversations, ideas, issues, etc.

Vocabulary in Conversation

Fill in all the gaps using the new vocabulary, then click the "Check" button to check your answers.

   alternative      artsy      entertaining      hilarious      intense      light      mainstream      superficial      suspenseful      thought-provoking   

Christine: What did you think of the movie? Did you like it?

Sarah: Not really, it was a little too for me. It seemed like the director was trying so hard to impress us with strange close-ups and avant-garde dialogue that he forgot to include a story. I thought it was really boring.

Christine: I thought the movie was really . I love it when a movie makes you think. It's a nice change from the dialogue and two-dimensional characters you usually see in films these days.

Sarah: I don't really care for films. They are so dark and depressing. The characters are always so . Why does a movie have to be sad to be deep?

Christine: Yeah, I know what you mean, but cinema is nothing but gunfights and exploding cars. I get so sick of movies like that. I prefer movies with substance.

Sarah: But sometimes, you don't want to think; sometimes, you just want a movie. Like that comedy with Billy Crystal - that was so . I laughed so hard that I cried.

Christine: Movies have to be more than to me.

Sarah: Did you see that new mystery movie with Nicole Kidman that came out last month? That was so . I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Christine: I loved that movie. The plot was great, and the acting was incredible. I wouldn't be surprised if it were nominated for an Academy Award.

Sarah: Well, at least we agree on something. I guess we'll have to stick to mysteries in the future.