Filed under: quotes
Is it not enjoyable to learn and practice what you learn?
-Confucius
Filed under: words
shopaholic
Pronunciation: \ˌʃɒpəˈhɒlɪk\
Function: adjective
Etymology: abstracted from alcoholic, 1984
1 : a slang term for oniomania, a compulsive desire to shop : an addiction to shopping
(I chose this word because today is Black Friday in the United States.)
- Do you consider yourself, or anyone you know, a shopaholic?
- Have you heard anything about Black Friday before, or taken advantage of any Black Friday sales?
- How do North American shopping habits compare to those back home?
- Do you have any other thoughts about consumerism in general?
Filed under: quotes
To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.
-Lao Tzu
Filed under: poems
November Night
Listen. .
With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break from the trees
And fall.
courtesy of The Poetry Foundation
Filed under: videos
Here is a video highlighting the talents of Scottish street cyclist Danny MacAskill, filmed by David Sowerby in the area around Edinburgh. MacAskill has been practicing for more than twelve years, and recently gave up his job as a mechanic to focus on cycling full-time.
- Do you enjoy biking? Have you ever done any street cycling similar to Danny’s?
- What other sports do you know of that can be done on the streets and in the midst of communities?
- What are your favourite ways to exercise and/or spend your free time?
This recent piece from American Scientist: Multitasking to Distraction, draws attention to the dangers of attempting to multitask (to do more than one thing at the same time), a common habit in our generation of high-speed internet access, cellphones, and wifi technology.
This article is about on par with what you would find on the Academic Reading portion of the IELTS exam. You probably will not be able to fully comprehend the passage easily, but you should be able to glean a general understanding.
- Do you consider youself a multitasker? How so? What things do you tend to do at the same time?
- We obviously choose to multitask for a reason. In what ways can multitasking be beneficial?
- Have you ever considered the dangers of multitasking? Has multitasking ever impeded on your efficiency?
Filed under: videos
Life through the eyes of an Armadillo:
The Museum of Animal Perspectives
Things to Consider
- Choose one of the videos at the museum and describe what you see. What does it feel like to view the world form the perspective of that animal?
- Consider an animal that isn’t included in the museum. What do you imagine it would be like to “see” from its perspective?
- If you could choose to be reincarnated as any animal, what would you choose? Why?
Filed under: Uncategorized
Download the audio file for the listening portion of the IELTS practice exam by following this link.
Filed under: words
loquacious
Pronunciation: \lō-ˈkwā-shəs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin loquac-, loquax, from loqui to speak
Date: 1663
1 : full of excessive talk : wordy
2 : given to fluent or excessive talk : talkative
- Do you consider yourself a loquacious person?
- Have you had experience with a loquacious individual?
- What else could you describe as loquacious, besides an overly talkative person?
Filed under: quotes
“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”
- Edgar Allen Poe (pictured above)
“Horror is the natural reaction to the last 5,000 years of history.”
