Audio Time:
5 min 53 sec
Level: Intermediate and up
Vocabulary: To help
learners fully understand the audio and transcript, most vocabulary that might
be unknown for this lesson’s level is provided. Vocab in bold is more useful for learners at the
lesson’s target level. Try to choose 8 to 10 new words to learn from the story
(in general, it’s best to try to learn no more than 8-10 new words a day).
Definitions
are written with the help of various sources including Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s
Dictionary
Adult: a fully grown person
or animal.
To
add up: to be added together
and equal the expected or correct total.
Challenge: a difficult task or
problem; something that is hard
to do.
Immigrant:
a person who comes to
a country to live there.
Poverty:
the state of being
poor.
Integrate: to combine (two or
more things) to form or create something.
Society: the people of a
particular country, area, time, etc., thought of especially as an organized
community.
To Make
it (somewhere): to reach or go to (a
place).
To
break out: to begin happening suddenly.
Desperate:
having a strong need
or desire for something or to do something.
Off and
on: starting, stopping, and starting again; not constant or steady over a period of
time.
Gap: a hole
or space where something is missing.
Juggle:
to
do (several things) at the same time.
Child
Care: the things that are done to take care of children especially
when their parents are away or at work.
Household:
of or relating to a
house or to the people living in a house.
Principal: the person in charge
of a public school.
Incredible:
difficult or
impossible to believe.
Sacrifice:
the act of giving up something that you want to keep
especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone.
Bartender: a person who serves
drinks at a bar or restaurant.
Attendant:
assistant;
an employee who serves or helps customers.
Yep: (informal)
yes.
To get out (of somewhere): to leave.
To grow
up: to
become an adult.
To hold
back: to
stop (someone) from doing something.
Limited:
not high or great in number, amount, etc.
Stepchild:
your wife's or husband's child by a past marriage or
relationship : a stepson or stepdaughter.
Research:
careful study that is
done to find and report new knowledge about something.
Acquisition:
the
act of getting or acquiring something.
Equivalent: having the same
value, use, meaning, etc.
To require:
to make it necessary
for someone to do something.
Competence:
the ability to do something well.
To keep
at it: to continue doing or trying to do something.
Confused:
unable
to understand or think clearly.
Obvious:
easy to see, notice,
or understand.
Road Trip: a long trip in a car, truck, etc.
Longingly: a strong desire for something or someone.
Cohesion: a condition in which people or things are
closely united; unity.
Fabric:
woven or knitted material; cloth.
Grammar
Tip: Using Make and Do Collocations
One of
her classmates says longingly, she'd love to make American friends.
…many
of his adult students make incredible sacrifices to come to class.
Using do and make collocations can be a challenge for
English learners. The truth is that there often is no way to know whether to
use do or make besides memorizing the proper collocation. However, the good
news is that there are a few guidelines that can help learners know when to use
each word.
Guidelines for using DO:
We often use do for daily activities or jobs that do not
produce a physical object.
Do
homework, do the dishes, do the laundry, do a job, do the shopping
We also use do when we speak about things in general, but
don’t specifically name this activity. Instead the words used are something,
nothing anything, everything, etc.
He has
done nothing all day.
She
would do anything for her Mom.
Guidelines for using MAKE:
Make is often used for constructing, building and creating
something you can touch.
Make
food, make a cup of tea, make clothes, make a mess
As already noted, like much of English, there are many make and do collocations that do not follow these guidelines, and must
simply be memorized.
Make
money, do someone a favor, do business, make a decision, do good, make a plan
Discussion
questions:
1. What challenges do you have for learning English?
2. What sacrifices have you made to learn English?
3. What are the rewards for learning English?
4. What are the positive and negatives sides to learning
English as a child or as an adult?
5. What are some of the differences between learning English
as a child and as an adult?
6. How can busy
people learn English or other languages more easily?
7. What’s the best age to learn a language?
8. Can learning another language make someone have more
understanding or patience with someone who tries to speak this person’s native
language?
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