F2F Class Notes (Ben)
Vocabulary
the ’80s = the 80’s = the 1980 years
exotic = foreign and exciting, like a tropical place
I was born in the Caribbean, a very exotic place full of forests, rivers and beautiful beaches.
In the ’20s, European populations considered China and Japan to be exotic places.
communism = the state comes first
capitalism = liberalism = the individual comes first
The Republican Party (Trump) and the Democratic Party (Obama)
Currently, the ruling party is the Republican Party, whereas the Democratic Party is the opposition party.
rival = oppose, to be good enough to oppose
Shanghai used to be a small city, but now it rivals with New York and Tokyo. = Now, these cities can be rivals.
knots = a speed unit for boats and planes
A big ship can go at 20 knots (=36 km/h)
Some African countries are developing at the speed of knots. (=very fast)
conversely = on the other hand
an icon = a symbol
Mao Zedong is the icon, the symbol of the Cultural Revolution.
He is a very iconic figure in China, like Confucius孔子 or Lei Feng.
Grammar
Adding -y to a noun can mean “a bit like”
-y
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