F2F Class Notes (Raph)[R]

Vocabulary

Worth (adj): 1- having a particular value, especially in money. 2- having a particular amount of money:
E.g.: Our house is worth £200,000.
E.g.: She must be worth at least half a million.

Worth it: 1- enjoyable enough or producing enough advantages to make the necessary effort, risk, pain, etc. seem acceptable.
E.g.: It was a long climb to the top of the hill, but it was worth it for the view from the top.
E.g.: Don’t tire yourself out, Geri, it’s really not worth it.
E.g.: After the plastic surgery I had two black eyes and my face was very swollen. But I knew it would be worth it.
E.g.: Forget him, sweetheart, – he’s just not worth it.

Be worth sth: 1- to be important or interesting enough to receive a particular action:
E.g.: I think this matter is worth our attention.
E.g.: When you’re in Reykjavík, the National Museum is worth a visit.

Be worth having/doing sth: 1- to be important or useful to have or do:
E.g.: There’s nothing worth reading in this newspaper.
E.g.: If you are a young, inexperienced driver, it is worth having a more expensive insurance.
E.g.: It’s worth remembering that prices go up in February.

Adequate (adj): 1- enough or satisfactory for a particular purpose.
E.g.: Have we got adequate food for 20 guests?
E.g.: I didn’t have adequate time to prepare.
E.g.: It’s not a big salary but it’s adequate for our needs.

Revolutionary (adj): 1-  completely new and having a great effect.
E.g.: Penicillin (青霉素) was a revolutionary drug.
E.g.: The 20th century brought about revolutionary changes in our lifestyles.

Reinforce (v): 1- to make something stronger. 2- If something reinforces an idea or opinion, it provides more proof or support for it and makes it seem true.
E.g.: The pockets on my jeans are reinforced with double stitching.
E.g.: The final technical report into the accident reinforces the findings of initial investigations.
E.g.: His behavior only reinforced my dislike of him.

Join forces (v): 1- to work together with someone else in order to achieve something.
E.g.: Teachers joined forces with parents to prepare the hall for the school play.

Fraction (n): 1- a number that results from dividing one whole number by another. 2- a small part of something, or a small amount.
E.g.: ¼ and 0.25 are different ways of representing the same fraction.
E.g.: ​They can produce it at a fraction of the cost of (= much more cheaply than) traditional methods.

Conventional (adj): 1- traditional and ordinary; normal.
E.g.: His behavior is not very conventional. He seems a bit weird!
E.g.: The policeman was wearing conventional clothes, so the criminals wouldn’t notice them.

A drop in the ocean (n): 1- a very small amount compared to the amount needed.
E.g.: My letter of protest was just a drop in the ocean.

Slum (n): 1- a very poor and crowded area, especially of a city.
E.g.: She was brought up in the slums of Lima.

Plastic Surgery (n): 1- 整容手术

El Salvador (n): 1- 萨尔瓦多

Cement (n): 1- 水泥

Reading

3D-printer Homes to Reduce Homelessness
(Source: www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1803/180315-3d-printer-homes.html)

Having a roof over your head is a basic human need, but there are 1.2 billion people in the world without adequate housing. This may change thanks to a revolutionary, low-cost use of 3D printers to construct houses. With 3D printing, materials are joined together or reinforced by using a computer-controlled device to create a three-dimensional object. Two companies have joined forces to try and ease homelessness around the world by building affordable homes using 3D printing. Tech company ICON has developed a method for printing a one-floor, 60-square-meter house out of cement in a day for just $10,000. This is a fraction of both the time and cost needed to build a similar construction using conventional methods.

ICON has teamed up with the non-profit, international housing organization New Story. Together, they will start building homes in developing countries. Their joint venture will see 100 new homes constructed in El Salvador next year. New Story’s co-founder Alexandria Lafci acknowledged that the 100 homes were just a drop in the ocean. She said: “There are over 100 million people living in slum conditions, in what we call survival mode.” She also saw possibilities for 3D-printed houses to become common in richer countries in years to come. However, she said that for the moment: “The tech is ready now to print very high-quality, safe homes in the places we’re building.”

Grammar

I just have a meeting with my client and then turned back to the office. – I just had a meeting with my client and then went back to the office.

On the Saturday I slept all day because I have a terrible week last week. –  On Saturday I slept all day because I had a terrible week last week.

Pronunciation

Revolutionary: /ˌrev.əˈluː.ʃən.er.i/

Adequate: /ˈæd.ə.kwət/

Reinforce: /ˌriː.ɪnˈfɔːrs/

Material: /məˈtɪr.i.əl/

Fraction: /ˈfræk.ʃən/

Method: /ˈmeθ.əd/

El Salvador:  /ˌel ˈsæl.və.dɔːr/