Online Class Notes (Ally)[R]

Vocabulary

manicure：美甲 (for hands)
ie. I think all girls like manicures and pedicures.

manual: 手工的
ie. I don’t know how to drive this car because it is manual.

pedicure: 美甲（for toe nail）
ie. I think all girls like manicures and pedicures.

pedestrian： 行人
ie. You can find a lot of pedestrians on the road near Jingan Temple.

metabolism：新陈代谢 （look at it as a number）
ie. I have a high metabolism. Exercise increases your metabolism.

fragile: 脆弱
ie. The flower is fragile in winter.
ie. Never lie to your loved ones because trust is very fragile.

supplement：增补(物); 补充(物); 添加物
ie. As a middle-aged woman, I need to add some supplements to my diet.

cereal: 玉米片 (the one you add cold milk)

oatmeal: 麦片 （the one you add hot water）
ie: Ally says she likes cereal with cold milk whereas oatmeal is for old people.

cyber bullying： 网络暴力
ie. It’s hard to believe that cyber bullying can happen to myself.

seasoning: 调料
ie. I always mix up the Chinese seasonings in my kitchen.

savvy: 有见识的 street smart (for women)
ie. He has very savvy opinions on this matter because he has been to Europe lots of times.

array: 系列 variety, range
ie. You should use an array of sentences in your essay.

exotic: 特殊的 难找的
ie. That African-American woman is an exotic beauty.

Grammar

He is an eye specialist.
He specializes in the eye.

小部分的人： small fraction of people/minority of people

太麻烦了 不值得：It’s not worth the trouble

快餐/快食：quick bite

set you back/put you ahead

Are you planning to eat out tonight or are you going to stay in to save the pennies? A meal out at a good restaurant or even a pizza parlour can set you back a small fortune, so cooking for yourself makes financial sense. But with the rise in food prices, it’s important to be a savvy shopper to keep your food bill in check.

These days our supermarket shelves are packed with a tempting array of food items: from the daily staples, like bread and milk, to the exotic, like mangoes and saffron. There’s also the option of buying ready meals – convenient food that comes at a price. However, if you’re feeling the pinch, there are things you can do to make the money you spend on food go further.

According to the BBC Food website, it’s all about changing your habits. It claims that cooking filling and tasty meals on a budget is easy. It suggests a number of ‘tricks’ such as using cheaper cuts of meat, “bulk out small amounts of meat with less expensive proteins” and “transform small amounts of leftovers into a filling meal”.

A favourite pastime of mine to help when money is tight is to stock up on items that are on special offer – such as BOGOF deals (Buy one, get one free). However, this is more of a problem when it comes to perishable items like fresh fruit and vegetables. In the UK, about 39% of household food waste is fruit and veg. So it’s a good idea not to stock up on too much of these things. Store them carefully and make the most of them in all your recipes.

Food waste is a big problem generally so shopping carefully can also reduce the amount we throw away. And in Edinburgh in Scotland, it’s possible to reduce waste and not break the bank by visiting a recycled food shop, which has been set up to prevent surplus food from shops ending up in the bin. The Food Sharing Hub allows people to pay as much as they want for the rescued food, which is past its ‘best before date’.

Of course, the biggest thing you can do to help your cash flow is to cut back on takeaway coffees and lunches. Making your own is usually healthier for you and your finances!