LESSON 4- tomado de VOA

CLASS THREE- Tomado de VOA

Summary Anna is in her new apartment. She wants to cook dinner. She tries to call Marsha for help.

Speaking Listen to the teacher in the video. Use your computer or phone to record yourself saying the words. Use this video to practice the new words for this lesson, learn how to answer the telephone, and practice asking for someone.

 Direct link 

Download the worksheet and practice speaking English by asking and answering questions about addresses.

Practice shortened sounds with the verb BE using this video.

Anna: I am in my new apartment! Great!

I live with Marsha. We’re roommates.

I want to cook dinner. Oh! Hmmm. Is there a supermarket near here?

Marsha knows. Marsha's work number is 555-8986.

Man: Hello.

Anna: Hello. Is this Marsha? It is Anna.

Man: I am sorry. You have the wrong number.

Anna: Oh. Is this 555-8986?

Man: No. This is 555-8689.

Anna: Oh. Excuse me!

Man: Okay. 'Bye.

Anna: One more time. 555-8986. Please be Marsha.

Marsha: Hello. This is Marsha.

Anna: Yes, Marsha. I want to cook dinner.

Marsha: Excuse me? Anna? Is that you?

Anna: Oh, yes. I am here!

Marsha: Good. You are there.

Anna: I want to find a supermarket.

Marsha: Oh, okay. The supermarket is at 1500 Irving Street. It is near the apartment.

Anna: Great! Goodbye!

Marsha: Goodbye, Anna.

(Later)

Anna: There is a big supermarket on our street. And Marsha says I am a good cook! Until next time! Bye!

Writing

PARA HACER UN TEST DEL TEMA TRATADO, HAGA CLIC SOBRE ESTE LINK

https://docs.voanews.eu/en-US-LEARN/2016/02/05/3cfc70f8-5f99-43a7-8c9e-c2ec33b986e6.pdf

New Words

cook - v. to prepare (food) for eating especially by using heat

dinner - n. the main meal of the day

excuse - v. to forgive someone for making a mistake or doing something wrong

find - v. to get or discover something or someone that you are looking for

here - adv. in this place or at this location

live - v. to have a home in a specified place

near - adv. close to something or someone

sorry - adj. feeling sorrow or regret

supermarket - n. a store where customers can buy a variety of foods and household items

there - adv. in that place or at that location

want - v. to desire or wish for something

wrong - adj.­ not suitable or appropriate for a particular purpose, situation, or person

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PARA APOYAR LA CLASE, ANTERIOR, TOMAMOS UN TEMA DE GRAMÁTICA: CONJUGACIÓN DEL VERBO SER O ESTAR EN INGLÉS QUE ES BÁSICO EN ESTE IDIOMA

 

OBSERVACIONES: Estas observaciones se hacen porque en el vídeo no aparece.
YOU ARE= TRADUCE: Tú eres (o usted es)  o tú estás (usted está) pero también se usa para el plural es decir que  se usa para ustedes son o ustedes están

LESSON TWO- Tomada de VOA

Lesson 2: Hello, I'm Anna!

Let's Learn English is a course for English learners. Certified American English teachers designed the course for beginners. There are 52 lessons. Every fifth lesson, there is a review of the previous lessons.

Each week, there is a new lesson with video showing the lives of young Americans. The lesson includes instruction in speaking, vocabulary and writing.

There are also printable worksheets, assessments and lesson plans for individual learners and English teachers. We encourage you to follow the weekly lessons and share your progress with us through comments and email.

Summary

Anna moves to Washington, DC. She goes to her new apartment and meets a new friend.

Speaking

Listen to the speaker in the video. Use your computer or phone to record yourself saying the words. Listen to yourself, then listen to the video again. Can you say the words the same way? If not, listen carefully and try again.

CURSO DE INGLÉS TOMADO DE YOUTU BE,COM

https://youtu.be/l58GzaK7R64

LESSON 1- Tomado de VOA

Let's Learn English is a course for English learners. Certified American English teachers designed the course for beginners. There are 52 lessons. Every fifth lesson, there is a review of the previous lessons.

Each week, there is a new lesson with video showing the lives of young Americans. The lesson includes instruction in speaking, vocabulary and writing.

There are also printable worksheets, assessments and lesson plans for individual learners and English teachers. We encourage you to follow the weekly lessons and share your progress with us through comments and email.

Summary

Anna moves to Washington, DC. She meets Pete at her new apartment.

Speaking

Watch the video and record yourself. Listen to yourself. Then listen to the video again.

Pronunciation In careful speech, we say words with a small break. In everyday speech, the sounds come together with little or no break. Watch the video to learn about how the sounds change. Practice the example.

Conversation

Pete: Hi! Are you Anna?
Anna: Yes! Hi there! Are you Pete?
Pete: I am Pete
Anna: Nice to meet you
Anna: Let's try that again. I'm Anna
Pete: I'm Pete. "Anna" Is that A-N-A?
Anna: No. A-N-N-A
Pete: Well, Anna with two "n's" ... Welcome to ... 1400 Irving Street!
Anna: My new apartment! Yes!

Writing Introduce yourself in the Comments section. Download the worksheet to learn the alphabet and numbers.

TOMADO DE YOUTU BE.COM

ALPHABET

https://youtu.be/4_hgFcLM9Rg

SONG

NUMNBERS

https://youtu.be/_amb_OietkA

GRAMMAR: Sentence Relatives

Sentence Relatives: Showing Feeling, Interpreting Information

April 27, 2017

“The Big Lebowski” is an American movie that has developed a large following. Since its release in the late 1990s, the film has been shown at film festivals, colleges, and special events.

Many college students have spent evenings watching this film instead of doing their homework.

One famous quote from the movie is this:

"And even if he's a lazy man - and the 'Dude' was most certainly that, quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide."

NEW SCENE

You can learn a lot from this quote about a lazy man. You can learn about a common feature of everyday speech in America: the use of adjective clauses.

In today's report, we are going to explore how Americans use a type of adjective clause, sometimes called a sentence relative, in everyday speech.

What is a clause?

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate. It does not act as a sentence on its own; instead, it is part of a longer sentence.

One common type of clause is the relative clause. These clauses begin with relative pronouns such as that or which and act as adjectives in a sentence.

For example, consider the sentence "The book that my friend gave me is very boring."

In the sentence, the words "that my friend gave me" make up a relative clause that acts as an adjective for the noun, book.

Today, we are discussing how Americans use adjective clauses that begin with the word which. You will often hear speakers use these clauses to modify an entire idea, not just a noun.

Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber are English grammar experts. They say these special clauses that always use which are called sentence relatives.

If this sounds difficult to understand, don’t worry. We will give you many examples to clarify this point. Today we are going to show you two of the most common uses of sentence relatives.

Words in This Story

lazy – adj. not liking to work hard or to be active

clause – n. grammar : a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb

predicate – n. grammar : the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject

relative – adj. grammar : referring to a noun, a part of a sentence, or a sentence that was used earlier

pronoun – n. grammar : a word (such as I, he, she, you, it, we, or they) that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase

modify – v. grammar : to limit or describe the meaning of (a word or group of words)

interpret – v. to explain the meaning of (something)

academic – adj. usually used before a noun : of or relating to schools and education

NOTE: MOST INFORMATIONS

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/everyday-grammar-sentence-relatives/3828202.html?ltflags=mailer

NEW- August 20-2018

TOMADO DE :

Shhh! The Walls Have Ears!

WORDS AND THEIR STORIES

September 02, 2017

Now it’s time for Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning English. On this program, we explore common words and expressions in American English. Sometimes we tell you their origins, but we always teach you how to use the words in conversation. Today, we are going to talk about something bad; in other words, something naughty. Have you ever listened to a private conversation? Maybe you were standing by a door or in a hallway and you heard people talking about someone else you know. And you could not help it. You paused … you perked up your ears … and you listened. You knew, of course, that these people were not speaking to you. They did not invite you to be part of their conversation. You invited yourself. You eavesdropped. To eavesdrop means you secretly listen to the conversations of others. Some types of people are very good at eavesdropping. Nosy people, people who like to gossip and spies are all good eavesdroppers. The only difference among my examples is that spies get paid and could get killed for getting an earful.

Barbara Feldon and Don Adams played spies in the television comedy "Get Smart." Here they show their weapons and gadgets. (Los Angeles, 1965.)

Originally, however, the word “eavesdrop” had nothing to do with spying or listening to private conversations.

When it was first used in the 1600s, “eavesdrop” was the water that fell, or dropped, from the eaves of a house.

Eaves are the parts of the roof that hang over the walls and shade the outside of a house. After more time passed, “eavesdrop” came to mean the ground near the house where the water fell. After even more time passed, “eavesdropper” described someone who stood near a house to secretly listen to a conversation happening inside.

These days you can be standing anywhere to eavesdrop. The word simply means "to listen secretly to something said in private."

English has another expression related to eavesdropping and the home: the walls have ears. This means be careful what you say as there might be people listening.

Some word experts say this expression may come from story about an ancient Greek ruler (430–367 BC) who had an ear-shaped cave cut and connected between the rooms of his palace. This allowed him to listen to conversations in other rooms.

This form of eavesdropping became common practice with rulers from many cultures. In English, the phrase "the walls have ears" was first recorded in its present form in the mid-1600s.

Now, if you like (or hate) learning English phrasal verbs, there’s a great one for eavesdropping – to listen in on. Usually our phrasal verbs have only one preposition. Not this one. It has two!

When you listen in on something, you listen to people speaking without joining in, usually secretly.

But not always.

You can listen in on a class at university or listen in on a meeting at work. These examples do not suggest that you were listening secretly. But if you are listening in on a private conversation, chances are you are listening to something private that does not concern you. You are not minding your own business.

Now, maybe you were minding your own business. Maybe you just happened to have overheard a private conversation. Overhearing is more innocent than eavesdropping. You can overhear something by being in the wrong place at the right time.

Now, let’s listen in on two people talking to learn how to use these words and expressions in a conversation. And it’s okay. We're not eavesdropping. I've given you permission!

So, Amy, I was listening in on the management meeting today. Our manager said that he’s putting your project on hold. You’re thinking about leaving the company, aren’t you?

I haven’t told anyone that except Ann Marie. Did she spill the beans to you?!

No. She didn’t tell me anything. I just happened to overhear you two talking in the cafeteria yesterday.

Were you eavesdropping on our conversation, Alex?!

No! I was walking behind your table and accidentally overheard what you guys were talking about. Honest.

Alex, it was a really long conversation. Unless you were purposefully listening in on us I don’t see how it could have been an accident.

Okay, I was standing behind your table. When I overheard you and Ann Marie talking about your project my ears perked up. So, I stayed there and listened for a little while … okay, for a long while.

Alex, you’re such a snoop! Look, don’t tell anyone. I didn’t accept the other job offer yet. So no one knows, okay?

No one except Ann Marie … and me and …

Urgh! Alex!

And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.

I'd like to know how you talk about listening to private conversations in your language? Let's talk in the Comments Section ... where the whole world is able to eavesdrop!

I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

naughty – adj. sometimes used humorously to describe an adult who does something slightly wrong or improper

nosy – adj. wanting to know about other people's lives, problems, etc.

gossip – v. to talk about the personal lives of other people

eave – n. the lower border of a roof that overhangs the wall —usually used in plural

snoop – v. to look for private information about someone or something : – n. someone who looks for private information about someone or something

perk up your ears – idiomatic phrase : to listen more closely : to lift (the ears) in a quick or alert way, often used figuratively of a person perked up

 my ears [=I began to listen closely] when I heard his name mentioned.>

spill the beans – idiomatic phrase : to let secret information be known : to give away a secret or surprise

PERMISO DE VOA PARA COPIAR LAS CLASES Y ARTÍCULOS EN ESTE BLOG

Jill Robbins

Dear Emilseh: You have permission to use “A History of Christmas in America” https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/a-history-of-chrismas-in-america/4174019.html as all of our original materials are in the public domain. However, the Assciated Press and Reuters photos are copyrighted and should not be reproduced in the blog. This page: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/p/6021.html tells about our terms of use. I noticed you also commented on the Let’s Teach English course. That definitely should be shared with as many teachers and teacher trainees as possible. Would you mind letting us know where you are located? In case you’d like the whole package to download at one time, I’ve uploaded all of the resources for the course to our Google drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1i0nBypuhdRihCPb5mEb1kL_ccQtT5oin?usp=sharing (the total size is 4.34 GB – so it will fit on a DVD if you want to circulate it that way) These materials are all in the Public Domain and can be freely shared and copied. Sincerely, Jill Robbins, Ph.D. VOA 

Learning English Multimedia eLearning Teacher http://learningenglish.voanews.com/ Zona de los archivos adjuntos
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1i0nBypuhdRihCPb5mEb1kL_ccQtT5oin?usp=sharing

GRAMÁTICA

LET'S LEARN ENGLISH - LEVEL 1 TOMADO DE VOA November 05, 2017

LESSON 9 Summary Anna wants to know about the weather in Washington, D.C. She asks her phone. The phone tells her about the weather - but is the phone right? SHORT ANSWER Anna: Oh, hi, everyone! Here in Washington, DC, the weather changes often. One day is cold and windy. But the next day is warm and sunny! So, every day I check the forecast. Hello, Phone? What is today’s temperature? Phone: Today it is 18 degrees ... Anna: Eighteen degrees! That is cold! Phone: … eighteen degrees Celsius. Anna: Oh, Celsius. That is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s warm. Phone: Yes, Anna. It is warm. Anna: Excuse me, Phone. Is it windy today? Phone: No, it is not windy today. Anna: Is it sunny today? Phone: Yes, Anna. It is sunny. Anna: Excuse me, Phone? Phone: Yes, Anna. Anna: Is it snowy today? Phone: No, Anna. It is not snowy. Anna: Thank you, Phone! Anna: Today the weather is warm and sunny -- great for seeing Washington, D.C. Anna: Phone! It is not warm and sunny! It is cold and windy and snowy! Phone: Anna, it is not cold, windy, or snowy. It is warm and sunny … in Mexico City, Mexico. Anna: Oh. I see. Mexico. Anna: Washington weather changes often. Remember to check the forecast -- the right forecast. Phone: Yes, Anna. Next time remember to check the right fore… Anna: Okay, thank you Phone. Goodbye, Phone. Anna: Until next time!

VOA-LESSON 8:

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-lesson-8-are-you-busy/3253185.html?ltflags=mailer

Summary

Anna wants to apologize to her co-workers. She learns what they do at the same time every day.

Speaking

In this video, learn to say the new words. Learn to talk about three times of the day. You can also download the Activity Sheet and practice with a friend.
Pronunciation ​In this video, you ​learn how Americans make hesitation noises, like um, to give themselves more time to think of an answer. You can also learn how to use emphasis when you apologize and accept an apology. Conversation Anna: Hello, everyone. Here I am at my new job! Yesterday at my first day of work … Well, let’s not talk about yesterday. Today is a new day! Today I want to apologize to my co-workers.
Anna: Hi, Anne. Are you busy?
Anne: Hi, Anna. Yes. At 10 a.m. I am writing. Every day I do my morning show. Sorry!
Anna: Okay. See you later, maybe.
Anne: Maybe I’ll see you later.
Anna: Hi, Jonathan. Are you busy?
Jonathan: Yes, I’m busy. When the studio light is on, I am recording my evening show.
Anna: Right. Sorry about yesterday.
Jonathan: No worries.
Anna: May I see the studio?
Jonathan: Um, maybe another time? Right now I am busy.
Anna: Sure. Okay, ’bye.
Jonathan: ‘Bye.
Anna: Hi, Amelia! Are you busy?
Amelia: I’m a little busy. Anna: I want to say I’m sorry for yesterday.
Amelia: It’s okay, Anna.
Anna: Well, I am sorry.
Amelia: It’s okay,
Anna. Come by this afternoon.
Anna: Okay.
Caty: Anna.
Anna: Yes, Ms. Weaver.
Caty: Are you busy?
Anna: Yes, Ms. Weaver. I am busy.
Caty: My office. 5:00 p.m.
Anna: 5:00 p.m.
Caty: Come in. Co-Workers: Surprise!
Anna: A party! Awesome! And I still have my job! Phew!* Until next time! * Phew! is a sound used to show that you are relieved, tired, or hot

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

VOA PERMISSION

 Esta página: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/p/6021.html dice acerca de nuestras condiciones de uso.

Me di cuenta de que también comentó sobre Teach curso de Inglés de la let. Que sin duda debe ser compartida con tantos profesores y estudiantes de magisterio como sea posible. ¿Le importaría que nos deja saber dónde se encuentra?

En caso de que quiera todo el paquete de descarga de una sola vez, he subido todos los recursos para el curso de nuestra unidad de Google:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1i0nBypuhdRihCPb5mEb1kL_ccQtT5oin?usp=sharing

(el tamaño total es de 4.34 GB - para que quepa en un DVD si desea hacer circular esa manera)

Estos materiales están en el dominio público y pueden ser compartidos y copiarse libremente.

Sinceramente,

Jill Robbins, Ph.D.

VOA Learning Inglés

Multimedia Maestro eLearning

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

VOA-Lesson 12: Meet My Family

Summary Anna is feeling homesick. Marsha helps her by listening to her talk about her family. Speaking In this video, learn to say the new words. Learn to ask a friend to talk about a problem. You can also download the Activity Sheet and practice talking about your family. Pronunciation ​In this video, you ​learn about how Americans pronounce the word "aunt" in different parts of the country. Conversation Anna: Hello! Washington, D.C. has many beautiful parks. In fact, this park reminds me of my home very far away. Marsha: Anna, here's your coffee. Anna: Thanks, Marsha. Marsha: What's wrong? Anna: I'm thinking about my family. I'm feeling homesick. Marsha: Do you want to talk about it? Anna: Sure! I have some photos. Marsha: Yes. Yes, you do! Anna: Photos really help. Anna: This is my mother and this is my father. They are rodeo clowns. Marsha: What do rodeo clowns do? Anna: They make jokes at a rodeo. They make people laugh. Marsha: That-That';s very different. Marsha: Who is that woman in the picture? Anna: That is my Aunt Lavender. She is my mom's sister. She loves gardening and makes spoons. Marsha: She makes spoons? Anna: Of course. Marsha: That, too, is very different. Anna: Oh! This is my Uncle John. He is my father's brother. Marsha: What does Uncle John do? Anna: He's a chicken farmer. And makes guitars. He's awesome, and I'm his favorite niece. Marsha: Who are they? Anna: They are my cousins. They are my Uncle John's daughter and son. Marsha: What do they do? Anna: They raise sheep and make sweaters. Marsha: Yeah, that's not a surprise. Marsha: Thanks for showing me your family photos. Your family is very different. Anna: I do feel better. Thanks for listening. I have many more photos! Marsha: Yeah. Yeah, you do. Anna: Washington, DC is my new home. But I like remembering my old home, too. Anna's Family Tree This is a family tree. Anna tells Marsha about her parents. Her mother and father are rodeo clowns. Her father's parents are from Italy. These grandparents speak Italian. Anna's mother's parents live in California. These grandparents have a farm and raise horses. Anna's mother's sister is Aunt Lavender. She loves gardening. Anna's father has a brother. His name is John. Uncle John makes guitars. Uncle John has a daughter and a son. They are Anna's cousins. They raise sheep. Anna's brother has two children. They are Anna's niece and nephew. Writing Are you from a big family or a small family? Write to us to tell us about two people in your family. What do they do? What do they make? Send us an email or write about them in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice with a friend.

VOA- What Do You Know About 'You Know?'

VOA- In the film Caddyshack, American actor Bill Murray plays a golf caddy. He carries golf clubs for other people and offers them advice on how to play the sport. At one point in the film, Murray tells an outrageous story. He claims to have traveled to the Himalayas and helped the Dalai Lama play golf. After one game, Murray says he asked the Tibetan spiritual leader for money. Here are a few lines from the movie. Today, we will not explore the world of golf. Instead, we will consider the meaning of two words: you know. You heard them used twice in our example. We will show you how and why Americans use this expression. You might be surprised to learn how "you know" has many uses. Acknowledgement markers If you listen to Americans as they speak, you will often hear them say "you know" in strange places in a sentence. You might hear it at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. When Americans say "you know," they might mean it in a literal sense, as in the following: "Do you know that person?" "Yes, I know him." However, today we are talking about how English speakers use "you know" in other ways. These include social uses, such as saying "you know" to soften the meaning of a statement. Language experts have a term for such an expression: an "acknowledgement marker."* You do not need to worry about the term now. Just remember that English speakers choose some words for social uses. They mean more than the individual words suggest. Do not fear: we will clarify these points by giving you examples from popular culture. "You know" in social situations "You know" gives other people the idea that you have some kind of shared knowledge with them. People use it to show that they have a common understanding. Sometimes people use an acknowledgment marker because they want to know if you agree with them. Other times, they use it as a way to fill spaces in a conversation or discussion. Saying "you know" gives the speaker time to think of what to say next. The context tells you which of these purposes "you know" serves. Example #1 Let's study an example. Think back to the line from Caddyshack: “And I say, 'Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something? You know, for the effort, you know.’” Here, Murray is asking for a tip – a small payment. When Murray says "you know" before and after the words "for the effort," he is suggesting that the Dalai Lama knows he has worked hard. Murray uses "you know" to offer a suggestion. He does not want to ask for money directly. He wants to improve his chances of getting the tip by using indirect language. Murray's caddy could have simply said, "Can you give me a tip for helping you?" Such a direct question would be considered disrespectful in American culture. Example #2 Let's look at another example. Consider this exchange from the 1994 film, Leon The Professional. - "My parents died in a car accident four weeks ago. It was terrible." - "You know, we didn't have the time to get to know one another when you first came here. But I want you to know that I'm not the kind of woman who'd let down a child, whatever her situation, whatever her mistake. Here, the second speaker begins her sentence with "you know." In this situation, she wants to gain the trust of the young girl. She begins her sentence with "you know" so that it gives the girl the idea that they have a connection. She wants to give her new information, but she also wants to make her words sound familiar. She also wants to improve her chances of a positive response from the young girl. Example #3 Here is one final example. Imagine two people are staying late at work. One person might tell another person they need to go. She might say: "Hey, Jane, you know, the last train leaves in 15 minutes!" Here the speaker is presenting information about the train, as if it is known information. Jane probably does not know that the train is leaving soon. But her coworker wants to soften the statement by using language that suggests she does know that the train is leaving. History and "you know" The term "you know" is not a new form of slang. "You know" has a long history, according to John McWhorter, a language expert. He says that English speakers have long used words and expressions such as "you know." McWhorter points to lines in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales as an example. Chaucer wrote the now famous work in the 14th century. In the Knight's Tale, the character Emily says the words "thou woost." The word "thou" later became "you" as the English language changed over time. "Woost" is the verb that eventually became "know." McWhorter notes that "thou woost" was the 14th century version of the modern-day "you know."* What can you do? The next time you are listening to an English speaker, try to find examples of "you know." How often does the person use those words? Why do you think they are using them? You should be careful about using "you know." Sometimes English learners become nervous and use "you know" too often. This overuse of "you know" means that they do not practice using other expressions or vocabulary. The point of today's story was to show you how English speakers use certain words and expressions for social uses. There are many others – which we can explore in another Everyday Grammar program. -"You know, I think we should end our report now." -"Ok – I think you are right." I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm John Russell. John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. *McWhorter, John. Words on the Move: Why English Won't – and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally). Henry Holt and Co. 2016. Pg. 34 We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story outrageous – adj. very strange or unusual going to stiff (someone) – expression – to not pay someone the amount of money that you should pay them; to fail to pay a tip consciousness – n. the condition of being conscious; the normal state of being awake and able to understand what is happening around you literal – adj. involving the ordinary or usual meaning of a word context – n. the words that are used with a certain word or phrase and that help to explain its meaning slang – n. words that are not considered part of the standard vocabulary of a language and that are used very informally in speech especially by a particular group of people practice – n. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

NOTICE USA : Extreme Cold Affecting Many Areas Across US

VOA

Extremely cold weather is a problem in many parts of the United States. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that record-setting temperatures have been blamed for at least 12 deaths in recent weeks. Some forecasters say the worst weather is yet to come. On Tuesday, the U.S. National Weather Service announced wind chill advisories and freeze warnings for 40 of the 50 states. The weather service predicted a “period of much-below-normal temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills to the central and eastern U.S. over the next week.” Air temperatures fell to -13 Celsius near Cullman, Alabama, which usually has a mild winter. In the port of Mobile, Alabama, temperatures reached as low as -7 Celsius. City officials opened warming shelters across the southern United States, as the cold weather brought light snow as far south as Austin, Texas. On Wednesday, a winter storm dropped snow, sleet and freezing rain from northern Florida up the Southeast coast. Some cities reported snowfall for the first time in over 20 years. Cars spun out of control on icy roads from Texas to Georgia. Hospitals across the country are reporting an increase in emergency room visits for hypothermia and other conditions linked to extreme cold. The record-setting cold weather began in the central U.S. early last week. Omaha, Nebraska, broke a 130-year record when temperatures fell to -29 Celsius. The city of Aberdeen, South Dakota broke a 99-year record with temperatures of -36 Celsius In Florida, several water parks closed because of the cold weather. New York’s Hudson River froze in some parts, forcing officials to cancel passenger ferry service. At Niagara Falls, people took photographs of the Horseshoe Falls, where flowing water had turned to ice. Frozen sharks were washing up along the coast south of Boston, Massachusetts, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy reported. Forecasters warned that weather conditions could worsen, especially in the Northeast. A winter storm warning extended from the Florida panhandle all the way up the Atlantic coast. Coastal flooding, downed trees and power lines were possible along the East Coast. I'm Susan Shand.