F2F Class Notes (Raph)[R]

Vocabulary

Ordinary (adj): 1- not different or special or unexpected in any way; usual.
E.g.: Readers of the magazine said they wanted more stories about ordinary people and fewer stories about the rich and famous.

Extraordinary (adj): 1- very unusual, special, unexpected, or strange.
E.g.: He told the extraordinary story of his escape.
E.g.: His voice is extraordinary (= very beautiful and special).

Fed up (adj): 1- bored, annoyed, or disappointed, especially by something that you have experienced for too long:
E.g.: I’m fed up with my job.
E.g.: He got fed up with all the traveling he had to do.

Collision (n): 1- an accident that happens when two vehicles hit each other with force:
E.g.: There has been a collision on Jiaozhou Road last night.
E.g.: Two drivers were killed in a collision between a car and a taxi last night.
E.g.: The cyclist was in a collision with a bus

Parking lot (n): 1- an outside area of ground where you can leave a car for a period of time.
E.g.: I left my car in the mall parking lot.

Host (n/v): 1- someone who has guests. 2- to receive guests in your house or in a place you own.
E.g.: We thanked our hosts for a very enjoyable evening.
E.g.: I enjoy hosting dinner parties at my apartment.

Diverse (adj): 1- including many different types of people or things.
E.g.: New York is a very culturally diverse city.

Take matters into your own hands (phr. v): 1-  to deal with a problem yourself because the people who should have dealt with it have failed to do so.
E.g.: When the police failed to catch her son’s murderer, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Restriction (n): 1- an official limit on something.
E.g.: The president asked other countries to end the trade restrictions.
E.g.: There are speed restrictions on this part of the road.

Gentrification (n): 1- the process by which a place, especially part of a city, changes from being a poor area to a richer one, where people from a higher social class live. When that happens, ordinary local people are forced to move to other areas because they can’t afford to live there anymore.
E.g.: Working people have been priced out of East London by gentrification.

Glorious (adj): 1- deserving great admiration, praise, and honor.
E.g.: He was very proud of his daughter’s glorious achievements.
E.g.: They remembered the country’s glorious past.

Activism (n): 1- the use of direct and noticeable action to achieve a result, usually a political or social one.
E.g.: The levels of political activism in this country have greatly declined.
E.g.: Human rights activists have accused the country’s government of violence against minority groups.

Prosecute: 起诉

Man Paints Own ‘No Parking’ Lines Outside His House
(Source: breakingnewsenglish.com/1708/170802-parking-restrictions.html)

A man in New Zealand has taken road traffic safety into his own hands. For the past 20 years, Russell Taylor has been illegally painting yellow parking-restriction lines on the road outside his house. Mr Taylor told the BBC news agency that the reason for his actions was to improve traffic safety in his neighborhood in the capital, Wellington. He also wanted to protest against gentrification. Mr Taylor said he initially painted the yellow lines after becoming fed up with the local council’s lack of interest in following up residents’ complaints about road safety. He explained that he had seen numerous accidents and near-collisions on his narrow street and that his actions have made the road safer.

Wellington City Council confirmed it was aware of the road markings and that they would be removed. It pointed out that it was illegal to install “fake traffic devices,” such as Taylor’s homemade yellow lines. It said: “We’re aware of problems and complaints about parking in Holloway Road, and that the fire service had trouble getting to a house fire there in the past year because of parked vehicles.” It also said it would be meeting residents to discuss the idea of installing no parking signs. The council added that Mr Taylor would not be prosecuted for his illegal road markings. It said: “Given the glorious and healthy history of civic activism in Holloway Road, we would rather not pick an unnecessary fight.”

Pronunciation

Extraordinary: /ɪkˈstrɔːr.dən.er.i/

Collision: /kəˈlɪʒ.ən/

Vehicles: /ˈviː.ə.kəl/

Sign: /saɪn/

Gentrification: /ˌdʒen.trə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/

Activism: /ˈæk.tɪ.vɪ.zəm/

Prosecute: /ˈprɑː.sə.kjuːt/