F2F Class Notes (Raph)

Vocabulary

Monk (n): 1- a member of a group of religious men who do not marry and usually live together in a monastery or a temple.
E.g.: Some monks who live at the Shaolin temple study kung fu.

Crime (n): 1- an illegal act.
E.g.: He has admitted committing several crimes, including robbery (抢劫) and murder

Criminal (n): 1- someone who commits a crime.
E.g.: Today’s problem child may be tomorrow’s criminal.
E.g.: The police officer told the criminal that he had the right to remain silent.

Gang (n): 1- a group of young people, especially young men, who spend time together, often fighting with other groups and behaving badly. 2- a group of criminals who work together.
E.g.: Fights among rival gangs account for most murders in the city.
E.g.: A gang of armed robbers took all the money from the store.

Mafia (n): 1- a criminal organization that began in Sicily and is active in Italy and the US.
E.g.: The police arrested a 10 people in connection with the Italian mafia.

Constitution (n): 1- the set of political principles by which a state or organization is governed, especially in relation to the rights of the people it governs. 2- 宪法
E.g.: Britain has no written constitution.
E.g.: Under (= as part of) the  constitution, a new committee is elected each year.

Minor (adj): 1- having little importance, influence, or effect, especially when compared with other things of the same type.
E.g.: It’s only a minor problem.
E.g.: There’s been an increase in minor offenses, such as traffic violations and petty theft.
E.g.: She suffered only minor injuries.

Major (adj): 1- more important, bigger, or more serious than others of the same type.
E.g.: All of her major plays have been translated into English.
E.g.: Sugar is a major cause of tooth decay.
E.g.: There are two problems with this situation, one major, one minor.

Minority (n): 1- a smaller number or part. 2- any small group in society that is different from the rest because of their race, religion, or political beliefs, or a person who belongs to such a group (ethnic/religious minorities, etc.)
E.g.: It’s only a tiny minority of people who are causing the problem.
E.g.: Children with single parents at my school were very much in the minority (= there were very few).
E.g.: The plan was designed to help women and minorities overcome discrimination in the workplace.

Majority (n): 1- the larger number or part of something.
E.g.: The majority of the employees have university degrees.
E.g.: In Britain women are in the majority.

Congress (n): 1- 国会

Grammar

The factory was cut the power. – The was a power cut/outage at the factory.

I work ten hours for one day continued five days. – I worked ten hours a day for five days.

He came Shanghai last week. – He came to Shanghai last week.

He went back Guangxi last day. – He went back to Guangxi yesterday. 

Pronunciation

Martial Arts: /ˌmɑːr.ʃəl ˈɑːrt/

Gang: /ɡæŋ/

Constitution: /ˌkɑːn.stəˈtuː.ʃən/