F2F Class Notes (Raph)[R]

Vocabulary

Reunion (n): 1- a social event for a group of people who have not seen each other for a long time.
E.g.: We’re having a family reunion next week.
E.g.: The college has an annual reunion for former students.

Script (n): 1- he words of a film, play, broadcast, or speech.
E.g.: Bruce Robinson wrote the script for “The Killing Fields”.
E.g.: Two writers collaborated on the script for the movie.

Interrupt (v): 1- to stop something from happening for a short period. 2- to stop a person from speaking for a short period by something you say or do.
E.g.: We had to interrupt our trip when we heard John’s mother had had an accident.
E.g.: She tried to explain what had happened but he kept interrupting her.

Pilot (n): 1- a person who flies an airplane.
E.g.: The pilot was able to avoid the accident and land the plane safely.

Bonus (n): 1- an extra amount of money that is given to you as a present or reward for good work as well as the money you were expecting.
E.g.: All employees receive an year-end bonus.
E.g.: He received a bonus for the good results he was able to achieve.

Pledge (n): 1- a serious or formal promise.
E.g.: All the candidates have made pledges not to raise taxes if they are elected.
E.g.: Thousands of people made pledges (= promised to give money) to the charity campaign.
E.g.: I give you this ring as a pledge of my everlasting love for you.

Address (v): 1- to give attention to or deal with a matter or problem. 2- to speak or write to someone:
E.g.: The issue of funding has not been addressed yet.
E.g.: They have failed to address the problem.
E.g.: He addressed the audience with a very nice speech.
E.g.:He likes to be addressed as “Sir” or “Mr Partridge”.

Satisfied (adj): 1- pleased because you have got what you wanted, or because something has happened in the way that you wanted. (≠ Dissatisfied)
E.g.: Some people are never satisfied!
E.g.: Are you satisfied with your current job?
E.g.: If you’re dissatisfied with the service, why don’t you complain to the hotel manager?
E.g.: The manufacturers received thousands of complaints from dissatisfied customers.

Uniform (n): 1-a particular set of clothes that has to be worn by the members of the same organization or group of people.
E.g.: She has to wear a uniform to work everyday.
E.g.: I love a man in uniform!

Atmosphere (n): 1- the character, feeling, or mood of a place or situation.
E.g.: There’s a very relaxed atmosphere in our office.
E.g.: There has been an atmosphere of gloom in the factory since it was announced that it would be closing.

Toxic (adj): 1- 有毒的

Airline boss promises pilots bonus to keep flying
(Source: breakingnewsenglish.com/1710/171009-pilots.html)

The boss of Europe’s biggest low-cost airline has promised to increase the pay and working conditions of pilots to stop them leaving the company. Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, made a personal pledge to the budget carrier’s 4,200 pilots to address concerns that pilots are dissatisfied and want to quit the company. Pilots have been offered salary increases of up to $11,700 and loyalty bonuses of $14,000. A long-serving pilot told the BBC this was, “too little, too late.” He said: “There is a lack of basic benefits [for pilots] – no free bottles of water, coffee or tea and no crew meals.” He said pilots also had to buy their own uniform. He added: “People have just had enough of the toxic atmosphere.”

Mr O’Leary is attempting to repair the damage done to Ryanair’s reputation after a scheduling error with pilot holidays. The costly mistake meant more than 20,000 flights have been cancelled recently because of a lack of available pilots. This has affected over 700,000 passengers. An industry analyst said the airline made this costly error, “by initially disrespecting the skill set of pilots”. He added: “In a rare move, [Ryanair] is being forced to backpedal, apologize and meet [pilots’] pay demands.” O’Leary is confident that pilots will stay. He said: “I urge you to stay with Ryanair for a brighter, better future for you and your family.” He added: “We are a very secure employer in a very insecure industry.”

Grammar

One week ago I fly to Shenzhen. – One week ago I flew to Shenzhen.

He’s a famous second rich people in China. – He’s famous for being the second richest person in China.

Pronunciation

Criticism: /ˈkrɪt̬.ɪ.sɪ.zəm/

Pilot: /ˈpaɪ.lət/

Address (v): /əˈdres/

Address (n): /ˈæd.res/

Atmosphere: /ˈæt.mə.sfɪr/