F2F Class Notes (Raph)[R]

Go to www.breakingnewsenglish.com, pick an article, read it, and then write a paragraph about it.

Vocabulary

Certain (adj): 1- sure; knowing exactly that something is true, or known to be true, correct, exact, or effective:
E.g.: Are you absolutely certain (that) you gave them the right number?
E.g.: I feel certain (that) you’re doing the right thing.
E.g.: You should make certain (that) everyone understands the instructions.

Certainly (adv): 1- for sure; used to reply completely or to emphasize something and show that there is no doubt about it. 2- used when agreeing or disagreeing strongly to a request.
E.g.: She certainly had a friend called Mark, but I don’t know whether he was her boyfriend.
E.g.: “This is rather a difficult question.” “Yes, it’s certainly not easy.”
E.g.: “Do you think more money should be given to education?” “Certainly!”
E.g.: “Had you forgotten about our anniversary?” “Certainly not! I’ve reserved a table at Michel’s restaurant for this evening.”
​E.g.: “Could you lend me £10?” “Certainly.”
E.g.: “Did you take any money out of my purse?” “Certainly not!”

Decade (n): 1- a period of ten years.
E.g.: It’s been almost a decade since the last time we met.
E.g.: The 1950s (from 1950 to 1959) were a very difficult decade in his life.

Paragraph (n): 1- a short part of a text.
E.g.: Can you find all the mistakes in this paragraph?
E.g.: Now turn to page 23 and look at the first paragraph.

Technology (n): 1- the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to make new useful things or to solve problems. 2- 技术
E.g.: Smartphones and other communication technologies have changed our lives completely.
E.g.: Recent advances in medical technology have saved countless lives.

Reduce (v): 1- o make (something) smaller in size, amount, number, etc.
E.g.: The medicine helps reduce pain.
E.g.: My weight reduces when I stop eating sugar.

Increase (v): 1- to become larger or greater in size, amount, number, etc.
E.g.: Sales increased this year.
E.g.: Skill increases with practice.
E.g.: The population is increasing [=growing] very fast.

Increasingly (adv): 1- more and more.
E.g.: She thinks that young people today are becoming increasingly selfish.
E.g.: Ben began to get increasingly angry by her questions.

Swipe (v): 1- to move your finger over the screen of a mobile phone or tablet in order to move onto the next page, choose something, etc.
E.g.: Swipe left to see more search results.

Instead (adv): 1- used to say that one thing is done or that one thing or person is chosen when another is not chosen, cannot be done, etc.
E.g.: I was going to write you an e-mail, but I decided to call instead.
E.g.: I decided to call instead of writing. [=to call and not write]
E.g.: I couldn’t afford a new car. Instead, I bought a used one.
E.g.: Instead of buying a new car, I bought a used one.
E.g.: I don’t have any milk—do you mind juice instead?
E.g.: He had juice instead of milk.
E.g.: They chose her instead of [=rather than; and not] me.

Rope (n): 1- 绳

Children lack skill in holding pencils due to iPads
(Source: www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1804/180404-pencils-2.html)

New technology is reducing children’s ability to use a pencil. Researchers from the UK’s health service said that children spend so much time swiping iPads or mobile phone screens that they cannot hold a pencil properly. This means their hands do not have the muscle strength to be able to write properly. Researcher Dr Sally Payne said: “Children are not coming into school with the hand strength…they had 10 years ago. Children coming into school are being given a pencil but are increasingly not able to hold it because they don’t have the…skills.”

Technology is changing the way that children write, draw or make things. Children are now using technology to create. Dr Payne explained that: “It’s easier to give a child an iPad than encourage them to do muscle-building play such as building blocks, cutting and sticking, or pulling toys and ropes [so] they’re not developing the…skills they need to grip and hold a pencil.” Some experts say technology is causing bigger problems. One expert said if a child isn’t strong enough to hold a pencil, perhaps their whole body is weak. She said children needed to climb trees instead.

Pronunciation

Wedding: /ˈwed.ɪŋ/

Certainly: /ˈsɝː.tən.li/

Partially: /ˈpɑːr.ʃəl.i/

Technology: /tekˈnɑː.lə.dʒi/

Expert: /ˈek.spɝːt/

Muscle: /ˈmʌs.əl/

Rope: /roʊp/

Reduce: /rɪˈduːs/