The BIG MEC4 review

Chosen from the lesson plan, some of the best questions that could possibly provide the richest sample of their oral production. There you go.

REVIEW BEFORE THE MID

One of our few registered moments this semester.

ALOHA, guys from the LAKE CENTER

Let me help you out with what you are possibly looking for:

BRUNA - GAPS FOR LESSON 145

ALL OF YOU GUYS - TEXT FROM LESSON 147

Warm UP before VIDEO lesson 145

I haven't been able to get them to pose for a first picture. The classes began last week and this is a little bit of what happened on Thursday.

ANSWERS FOR THE FINAL REVIEW vocabulary

Hi, Juliana. As you can see, I haven't posted all the answers yet, I just organized the page so I could do that later. I'll probably continue doing it later, as I get the book. You can help me, if you like:

1. a person/organization to whom money is owed - CREDITOR

2. a priest believed to have magical powers and be able to cure people - SHAMAN/MEDICINE MAN

3. a person, team, etc that is expected to lose in a competition with another - UNDERDOG

4. sickness - MALADY - DISEASE

5. to only be able to make enough money for one’s basic needs - TO MAKE ENDS MEET

6. to make a search (for); try to find or get something - TO SEEK

7. a written plan for a law - A BILL

8. to resolve; to end a disagreement - TO SETTLE

9. to destroy by violently breaking into pieces -

10. a difficult or painful experience - AN ORDEAL

11. native - INDIGENOUS

12. able to be sold - MARKETABLE

13. small; slight - SLIM

14. cancel - CALL OFF

15. to get worse -

16. to provide anything wished for or desired - TO CATER FOR

17. to win the top prize money in a lottery or other game - TO HIT THE JACKPOT

18. a short oral or written test - POP QUIZ

19. to flunk - TO BOMB

20. requiring caution or skill - TRICKY

21. the popularity of a TV or radio program as estimated by a poll of segments of the audience - RATINGS

22. a period of play in some games and sports that occupies a specified time -

23. to play the leading role in a film or theatrical production - TO STAR

24. the feeling that something (often unpleasant) is going to happen - PREMONITION

25. to have some points in the game - TO BE ON THE BOARD

26. burning with little smoke and no flame - SMOLDERING

27. clear and detailed - VIVID

28. to be with us again; watch this program - TUNE IN

29. not enough in quantity or quality - POOR

30. to cause to be unable to breathe comfortably -

31. no straight; twisted - CROOKED

32. to dry completely - DEHYDRATE

33. during the same period of time - MEANWHILE

34. to walk slowly with difficulty - PLOD

35. to give too little attention or care to - NEGLECT

36. intended, esp., by fate, for some special purpose - DESTINED

37. thin - SCRAWNY

38. unable to pay one’s debts - BANKRUPT

39. any of the 12 pairs of bones running round the chest of a person or animal from the spine to where they join at the front - RIB

40. (usu. Animal) descended from parents of one very good breed - THOUROUGHBRED

41. very near -

42. to greatly impress someone - TO BLOW SOMEONE AWAY

43. a shape or area which one cannot see clearly because it has no distinct outline or because it’s moving too fast - A BLUR

44. to get ahead -

45. to state -

46. to prevent someone from doing something -

47. to do something better or more impressively -

48. to master something - GET THE HANG OF SOMETHING

49. to take apart - TO DISASSEMBLE

50. to know nothing about something - NOT TO HAVE A CLUE

51. to put in time on something and to keep a record of that time - TO LOG

52. something or someone that is essential, especially for something or someone else to succeed - THE CORNERSTONE

53. role or position - CAPACITY

54. idea or notion -

55. always, constantly - INVARIABLY

56. to advance or proceed in an event or through life with little or no effort - TO COAST

57. a small container of glass or plastic used to hold liquids - A VIAL

58. a patient sent by his/her doctor to see another doctor, presumably a specialist who will better diagnose and treat his/her problem or condition - REFERRAL

59. a powerful and important business - AN EMPIRE

60. to make a book/report from facts/information found in various places - TO COMPILE

61. to treat in a proper way -

62. not careful -

63. words printed over a film in a foreign language to translate what’s being said - SUBTITLES

64. simple -

65. certain to happen -

66. express in clean and forceful way without using more words than necessary - STRAIGHTFOWARD

67. formal statement -

68. to be certain -

69. printing error - TYPO

70. to wait for something to happen or for a good opportunity before doing something- TO BIDE ONE'S TIME

71. to give oneself up to another’s power or control, especially as a prisoner -

72. remember, keep in mind -

73. to retain; to hang on -

74. a person completely under the control of another -

75. to continue to be -

76. to go with -

77. to become healthy and normal again -

78. a crowd of noisy, disorderly people -

79. to make a loud, high-pitched sound by forcing one’s breath through the lips -

80. a large body of troops -

81. a method, instrument or process which makes something possible -

82. close by -

83. the amount of confidence or optimism one feels in a difficult or important situation-

84. to interpret or understand in a particular way -

85. the crime of betraying one’s country, for example, by helping its enemy or enemies -

86. not doing anything -

87. British English - guy; fellow -

88. the state of being held prisoner -

89. British slang - to get either killed or seriously injured -

90. the general opinion held by a group of people about a subject or about how something

should be done -

91. at the same time -

92. at full speed -

93. true -

94. to remain suspended within or on the surface of a fluid, like water, without sinking -

95. a town or city by the sea or on a river having a harbor for ships - A PORT

96. a person thing whose arrival or appearance is a cause for joy or relief -

97. stimulating to the senses -

98. to be heading for -

99. to have a strong, pleasing sensation or feeling -

100. to move back and forth or from side to side with a swinging motion - TO SWING, TO SWAY

101. to make lively or spirited -

102. the narrow opening in a machine or container, for example, the hole in a pay phone

where you place the coins - THE SLOT

103. to really enjoy oneself -

104. a port where a ship docks in the course of its voyage - A PORT-OF-CALL

105. a life preserver in the form of a jacket - A LIFE VEST

106. a special tube that enables a swimmer to breathe underwater at a certain depth - A SNORKLE

107. friendly, welcoming the generous to guests or strangers - HOSPITABLE

108. a self-governing nation or state that is voluntarily associated with the USA - A POSSESSION

109. the act of traveling around in order to see place of interest, for pleasure, education, etc- TO SEE THE SIGHTS, TO DO SIGHTSEEING

110. a strategic or ideal place for observation - VANTAGE POINT

111. exciting and impressive - BREATHTAKING

112. cheerful and rhythmical - LILTING

113. amazing; wonderful - ASTOUNDING

114. a contest in which contestants compete for prizes - TOURNAMENT

Welcome, Guilherme

Hi, Guilherme

Welcome to this blog. You're probably the only reader now, but it was built by several students and this teacher and is a tool for many purposes. At the moment, it would be really helpful if you took a look at the text for lesson 457 by clicking on this link. There you'll find links to the vocabulary with explanatory notes in parentheses telling you which definition from the on-line dictionary corresponds to the sense used in the text. Have a nice study. See you next class.

Kleber

MINDLESS GAME SHOWS

Here, Ana and Carol reproduce the situation in which the women discuss how low television has gone.

30 MIN-PROM

Congrats, Mec4, you've done it. Celebrate. Luckily, we've just got the perfect bottle opener.

Everybody turned up to be really well in the picture. I wish you stayed with us in some conversation group.

MIDTERM TEST REVIEW

CLICK HERE for the PDF version of Francisco Nakajima's midterm review for MEC4. They are printable and were part of the review class, the last one we had before your test. Enjoy it.

REVIEW before lesson 148

Check out the students' and the teacher's performance upon an unprepared review phase.

LESSON 148 situation 3

Telma and Rafael play a very familiar situation, for many mothers and many sons.

GAPS FOR LESSON 145

Those are the answers for the Filling in the Blanks exercise for lesson 145, the video in which Balki finds a box full of money and...

WAS THERE A NAME ON THE BOX

THE RIGHTFUL OWNER

BUT I GOT TO WARN YOU

PLEASE COME AND GET THE MONEY

IF YOU HADN'T MENTIONED AT WORK

CAFFEINE

JUST STAY OUT OF THIS

WE'LL SPLIT THE MONEY THREE WAYS

GREED

POLICE

WHAT IF THERE WAS ORIGINALLY

THEY'LL WANT THE OTHER

HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SEND YOU

IN A SAFE DEPOSIT BOX

EVERY CENT

WE'LL CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN WE COME TO IT

CARIBBEAN CRUISE

BEAT IT

I'M OUT OF YOUR HAIR FOREVER

HAVE A GOOD FEELING ABOUT HIM

LET THE NEXT LIAR IN

I KNOW IT'S A LONG SHOT

HOW DO I KNOW YOU'RE A PRIEST

ORPHANAGE

BUT YOURS TAKES THE CAKE

WAS WRAPPED WITH RED RUBBER BANDS

HE'S GUESSING

I AM SO RELIEVED

YOU WILL BE RICHLY REWARDED

IN TERMS OF SPIRITUAL REWARD

2nd semester 2010

As you check out this historical picture of a moment everybody was in class, don't forget that today we started studying the text for lesson 147, the most important one for vocabulary before your midterm exam. Use that post to study for that lesson.

FINAL REVIEW

Try those review exercises from Francisco Nakajima's site. If you like, you could post the exercises on this blog so we can try to do them together during the week. Send-me an e-mail in case of doubt. See you.

Kleber

lesson 148 pic 3

You know when children are about to cry, or at least making such a face that gives us the impression they will, projecting their lower lip forward. Get to study the meaning of to pout.

lesson 148 pic 2

Important vocabulary for when you have to explain your failure as an actor or an actress.

LESSON 148 pic 1

Very good vocabulary for when you're down in the dumps.

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

It's next week, March 17. What do you know about this feast day? Find out what the thing is all about by clicking HERE. Let's celebrate, tchin tchin baby...

LESSON 152

Newspaper Article

The Caracas Cannonball

Twenty years ago, Canonero II blew 'em away

by Steve Haskin

(Copyright by Daily Racing Form Inc.)

It has been 20 years since the racing world was shocked by Canonero II’s improbable victory in the Kentucky Derby. Though hardened handicappers regarded his triumph as a defiance of logic, it was much deeper than that.

Canonero II was on a mission and not even a series of many obstacles could stand in his way. Perhaps it was a higher power that guided him trough his incredible journey to Churchill Downs, where he was destined to turn his owner’s vision into reality.

In April 1971, a cargo plane took off from Caracas, Venezuela, bound for Miami, Fla. Accompanying hundreds of chickens and ducks heading for market was a thoroughbred racehorse named Canonero II.

No one knew it at the time, but the most incredible odyssey in the history of the Triple Crown was about to begin.

But let’s back up a little. Canonero II was purchased as a yearling at the Keeneland fall sale by agent Luis Navas for a meager $1,200. He was a scrawny-looking thing with a crooked right foreleg, and had previously been rejected for the Keeneland summer sale.

Navas brought the son of Pretendre – Dixieland II, by Nantallah, to Venezuela, where he tried unsuccessfully to sell him. After dozens of rejections, he finally sold the colt to Caracas businessman Pedro Baptista for $10,000.

When Canonero II was sent to Baptista’s trainer, Juan Arias, the colt, was suffering from a bad case of worms and split right forefoot.

Baptista, meanwhile, was having his own problems. His manufacturing business was failing and he was on the verge of bankruptcy. To protect Canonero II, he raced the horse in the name of his son-in-law, Edgar Caibett.

By the following spring, Canonero II had won several races, including one at a mile and a quarter, but nothing of great importance.

Then one night, Baptista had a dream in wich his deceased mother told him Canonero II was going to win the Kentucky Derby. Despite his financial situation, Baptista soon had Canonero II on the cargo plane heading for United States.

During the flight, one of the plane's engines caught fire and it was forced to return to Caracas. After finally arriving in Miami, it was discovered that Canonero II did not have the proper papers, and he was not allowed to disembark.

Instead, Canonero II was flown to Panama, where he became dehydrated waiting in the stifling heat for his papers to arrive.

After arriving in Miami once again, he had to spend four days in quarantine because Baptista had neglected to send the colt's blood samples. Canonero II by now had lost 70 pounds. To make matters worse, there wasn't enough money to pay for his plane fare to Louisville, so Canonero II had to van 1,100 miles to Churchill Downs.

As a final indignity, when Canonero II arrieved at the track he was not allowed entrance to the stable area, as no one on the van could speak English and nobody at the track knew who the horse was.

When his identity was confirmed, Canonero II's nihghtmare journey was finally over. The Kentucky Derby was less than a week away.

Meanwhile, in Tijuana, Mexico, future book oddsmakers were quoting Canonero II at 500-1. After he was entered in the race, the odds dropped to a mere 100-1.

At Churchill Downs, Canonero II had people wondering, "Who is this horse?" His trainer spoke no English, the colt worked a half-mile in an unbelievably slow 0:53 4/5, all of his ribs were showing and - nealty-trimmed bangs - he resembled Moe of Three Stooges.

Derby day arrived and Arias was so nervous he had to have an assistant saddle the horse. Despite his nervousness, Arias was confident of victory because he claimed Canonero II told him six days before the race that he would win.

For most of the running, Canonero II, who was part of the mutuel field, was plodding along in 18th place, 20 lenghts off the lead under jockey Gustavo Avila. Then came the explosion. On the far turn, Avila's brown silks were a blur, sweeping by horses at incredible speed. Nearing the three-sixteenths pole, Canonero II was drawing away.

At the finish, it was Canonero II by three and a quarter lenghts. Arias ran to the winner's circle in tears, unable to comprehend the magnitude of his achievement. His misfit was now "The Caracas Cannonball", a national hero of Venezuela.

And where was Baptista during all this? He was back in Venezuela, where he heard the news of Canonero II's victory over the radio...while visiting his mother's grave.

Let's see Hollywood top this one.

LESSON 150

NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

FIRST HEADLINE

WORKERS' COMP DIDN'T COVER EXPENSES FOR FAMILY OF FOUR

José Maestres, a manager of a restaurant, suffered an on-the-job accident when he slipped and tore up (def 2 as a v. intr.) his knee. After nine operations and almost three years on crutches (def 1), Maestres' life is still not back to normal.

During his painful ordeal (def 1), Maestres was constantly harassed by creditors (def 1). His workers' compensation checks were his only source of income. Unfortunately, they weren't enough to make ends meet (type on "Search" - Ctrl + F - make ands meet).

After hiring a lawyer to file a petition (def 1) for him, Maestres finally obtained a workers' compensation settlement (def 4) which will enable him to pay off his debts.

SECOND HEADLINE

ILLEGAL ALIENS RUSH HIGHWAY TO BEAT PATROL

In order to enter the U.S. to work, large groups of illegal aliens from Mexico are rushing the border (noun 5) and running headlong (adjective 6) into highway traffic. The aliens have adopted this terrifying, yet effective new tactic, because they know the Border Patrol (3ª definiçao na web) isn't allowed to make arrests in the open highway for fear of causing accidents. In the past, illegal aliens slipped into the country alone or in small groups, usually by jumping a border fence.

THIRD HEADLINE

SCIENTISTS AND SHAMANS SEEK CURES IN PLANTS. THE PROBLEM: PLANTS - VICTIMS OF TROPICAL DEFORESTATION - ARE DISAPPEARING

FASTER THAN THEY CAN BE INVESTIGATED

In the never-ending search for cures for such maladies(Def. 1) as AIDS, cancer, and heart disease, a few U.S. drug companies have recently begun studying the curative properties(Def. 5) of the tropical plants and herbs used by the medicine men(Def. 1) of indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, deforestation is causing widespread(Def. 1) extinction of many of those plants.

If the research shows that the plants can be used to produce marketable(Def. 1) drugs, the companies intend to invest some of their profits in order to promote conservation in those areas threatened.

FOURTH HEADLINE

SPORTS BETTING BILL IS AN UNDERDOG

A bill that would allow the state lottery to legalize sports betting is expected to be approved by a Florida House subcommittee. Florida's Governor is opposed to including sports betting in the state lottery because he claims it would contradict the moral code he's trying to impress on young people. Chances are slim the bill will become law because even if the Florida Legislature approved it, a two-thirds vote in favor would still be needed to override the governor's veto.

LESSON 147 NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

EUROPE ON FIVE VOWELS A DAY
By Dave Barry
From “Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits”
Fawcett Columbine – New York (1988)


Americans who travel abroad (def. 3) for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the past 30 years, many foreign people still speak foreign languages. Oh, sure, they speak some English, but usually just barely well enough to receive a high-school diploma here in the United States. This can lead (def. 3) to problems for you, the international traveler, when you need to convey important information to them, such as “Which foreign country is this?” and “You call this toilet paper?”
To their credit, some countries have made a sincere effort to adopt English as their native language, a good example being England, but even there you have problems. My wife and I were driving around England once, and we came to a section called “Wales,” which is this linguistically deformed area that apparently is too poor to afford vowels. All the road signs look like this:
LLWLNCWNRLLWNWRLLN – 3 km
It is a tragic sigh (def. 2) indeed (def. 1) to see Welsh (def. 1 as an adj) parents attempting to sing traditional songs such as “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” to their children and lapsing (def. 13) into heart-rending (def. 1) silence when they get to the part about “E-I-E-I-O.” If any of you in our reading audience have extra vowels that you no longer need, because for example your children have grown up, I urge (def. 1) you to send them (your children) to: Vowels for Wales, c/o (def 1) Lord Chesterfield, Parliament Luckystrike, the Duke of Earl, Pondwater-on-Gabardine, England.

But the point I am trying to make here is that since the rest of the world appears to be taking its sweet time about becoming fluent in English, it looks like, in the interest of improving world peace and understanding, it’s up to us Americans to strike the bull on the horns while the iron is hot and learn to speak a foreign language.

This is not an area where we are strong, as a nation: A recent poll showed that 82 per-cent of the Americans surveyed speak no foreign language at all. Unfortunately, the same poll showed that 41 percent also cannot speak English, 53 percent cannot name the state they live in, and 62 percent believe that the Declaration of Independence is “a kind of fish.” So we can see that we have a tough educational row (def. 9) to hoe (def. 3) here, in the sense that Americans, not to put too fine a point on it, have the IQs of bait. I mean, let’s face it, this is obviously why the Japanese are capable of building sophisticated videocassette recorders, whereas we view it as a major achievement if we can hook them up correctly to our TV sets. This is nothing to be ashamed of, Americans! Say it out loud! “We’re pretty stupid!” See? Doesn’t that feel good? Let’s stop blaming the educational system for the fact that our children score lower on standardized tests than any other vertebrate life from our planet! Let’s stop all this anguished (sense 2) whiny self-critical fretting (def. 10) over the recently discovered fact that the guiding hand on the tiller (Nautical sense) of the ship of state belongs to Mister Magoo! Remember: We still have nuclear weapons. Ha, ha!
Getting back to the central point, we should all learn to speak a foreign language. Fortu-nately, this is easy.

How to speak a Foreign Language

The key is to understand that foreigners communicate by means of “idiomatic expres-sions,” the main ones being:

German: “Ach du lieber!” (“Darn it!”)

Spanish: “Caramba!” (“Darn it!”)

French: “Zut alors!” (“Look! A lors!”)

Also you should bear in mind that foreign person for some reason believe that everyday household objects and vegetables are “masculine” or “feminine.” For example, French persons believe that potatoes are feminine, even though they (potatoes) do not have sexual organs, that I have noticed. Dogs, on the other hand, are masculine, even if they are not. (This does not mean, by the way, that a dog can have sex with a potato, although it will probably try.)
Pronunciation Hint (def 3): In most foreign languages, the letter “r” is pronounced in-correctly. Also, if you are speaking German, at certain points during each sentences you should give the impression you’re about to expel (def. 1) major gob (def. 1).
Ok? Practice these techniques in front of a mirror until you’re comfortable with them, then go to a country that is frequented by foreigners and see if you can’t increase their international understanding, the way Jimmy Carter did during his 1997 presidential visit to Poland, when he told a large welcoming crowd, through an official State De-partment translator, that he was “plesed to be grasping your secret parts.”