8/5 Talk about public baths or saunas in Korea.

Koreans are fairly used to going to public bathhouses.

* public bathhouse: 공중 목욕탕

ex> My son like to go to public bathhouses.

Some places have a communal area where people can mingle.

* mingle: 섞여서 어울리다

ex> I mingled with people who came to the party.

* communal area: 공용 구역

You can kick back and relax or just watch television there.

* kick back and relax: (두 다리를 쭉 뻗고) 편히 쉬다

ex> I just kick back and relax when I got home.

These public facilities are relatively cheap.

ex> Outlet malls are relatively cheaper than department stores.

Some places are open around the clock.

* around the clock: 24시간 내내

ex> I worked around the clock to finish my assignment.

@ I want to get a body scrub.  때 밀고 싶어.

<HOMEWORK>

1. There are some people who don’t like to go to public bathhouses.

2. They mingled well just as soon as they met.

3. I’m too busy to kick back and relax.

4. I’m looking for a pharmacy that is open around the clock.

@ Related Topics>> Public baths (2011.2.4), Saunas (2012.7.19)

8/4 Talk about your relationship with your siblings.

I’m the youngest in my family.

ex> He is 9 years old and the youngest in his family.

Note> the oldest in one’s family: 첫째, the youngest in one’s family: 막내

second oldest; third oldest; an only child (외동)

She’s always been a bit protective.

ex> All mothers tend to be a bit protective of their kids.

She used to play a motherly role.

* motherly role: 어머니 같은 역할

ex> My sister played a motherly role in my family.

As I started to get older though, we got quite close.

* get quite close: 매우 가까워지다

ex> I want to get quite close with her, but I don’t know how.

I started to look up to her as a mentor.

* look up to: 존경하다, 우러러보다

ex> Many young people look up to him as a role model.

@ I’m an only child.  나는 외동입니다.

<HOMEWORK>

1. He doesn’t look like the youngest in his family.

2. My boyfriend is too protective of me.

3. We got quite close with each other.

4. My boss is a person whom I can look up to.

@ Related Topics>> Siblings (2011.1.18)

8/1 Talk about the pros of having breakfast.

Many people tend to skip breakfast for various reasons.

ex> I woke up late yesterday morning so I had to skip breakfast.

Some people can’t squeeze in a meal in their hectic mornings.

* squeeze in: ~할 짬을 내다

ex> If you come this afternoon the doctor will try to squeeze you in.

* hectic morning: 정신 없이 바쁜 아침

Some just don’t eat because it has become a habit.

ex> Once it becomes a habit, it’s difficult to quit.

Eating breakfast can help you get off on the right foot.

* get off on the right foot: 순조롭게 시작하다

ex> The trainer helped me get off on the right foot with my workout.

Eating breakfast will facilitate your metabolism.

ex> Spicy food is said to facilitate your metabolism.

We should not underestimate the power of having breakfast.

* underestimate: 과소평가하다

ex> Don’t underestimate the effects of a healthy diet.

@ My stomach is growling.  배에서 꼬르륵 소리가 나.

<HOMEWORK>

1. I never skip breakfast.

2. Waking up early has become a habit of mine.

3. Vitamin B facilitates your metabolism.

4. Don’t underestimate the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

@ Related Topics>> Breakfast (2011.1.22), Breakfast (2012.9.19)

PE 8/21 National Parks of North America: The Everglades!

I’m so glad we finally escaped the hustle and bustle of the city for the day. This airboat tour is amazing.

* hustle and bustle: a hectic pace

ex> Paul enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city because, he said, it made him feel alive.

Well, they did get a little smaller, but they’re still at the top of the food chain. Can you imagine if they were still 15 meters long!

* the top of the food chain: the strongest predator in an ecosystem

ex> Although humans are at the top of the food chain, we aren't the fastest or strongest.

Yeah, the birds are cool, but what stole the show so far have been the dugongs we saw near the dock when we just got in the boat.

* steal the show: to attract more attention during an event than the main attraction

ex> John stole the show with his impersonation of President Obama.

I read that at least 50 of them are taken out by boats every year.

* take out: to kill or injure something/someone

ex> The bus driver took out three sheep who were crossing the road at the wrong time.

People take rare animals for granted, but look at what happened to the pink river dolphin and the dodo. Those extinctions should have been a wake-up call for everyone.

* wake-up call: a shocking event that makes people take notice

ex> The disappearance of the aircraft was a wake-up call for tighter security.

PE 8/20 Surprise Health Inspection of a Restaurant

The whole point of a surprise inspection is to keep restaurant owners on their toes and ensure that they keep their restaurants clean and safe at all times.

* keep one on one’s toes: to make someone be prepared for the unexpected

ex> A good CEO always keeps his executives on their toes by challenging them daily.

I’ll take the shipment into consideration. But I’ll be looking at the whole ball of wax – the proper storage of food, clean surfaces, everything. Hmm… it looks like you’re keeping raw chicken and lettuce in the same refrigerator drawer.

* the whole ball of wax: everything

ex> For her wedding, Sheila had a white dress, a horse-drawn carriage – the whole ball of wax.

We’ll fix that now. To be on the same side, I’ll throw away the lettuce because of cross-contamination.

* to be on the safe side: to take precautions

ex> To be on the safe side, drive with your headlights on during the day, too.

Yeah, please get on that right away. I see some broken glass in the corner. I assume that just happened during the lunch rush and it will be cleaned up soon?

* get on: to do something

ex> If you don’t get on it now, the leak will only get worse.

I’ll just be checking out your dining area and your restrooms and then I’ll be on my way. The restrooms are the Achilles heel of most restaurants.

* Achilles heel: a weak point

ex> My Achilles heel has always been my inability to see the big picture.

PE 8/19 Randy Pausch’s Speech: The Last Lecture –Part 3

Never give up. I didn’t get into Brown University. I was on the wait list. I called them up and they eventually decided that it was getting really annoying to have me call everyday so they let me in.

* wait list: a list of the people who were not the first selected for or the first to sign up for something

ex> Give me your name for the wait list and we will call you when a table is available.

All my good students go to Carnegie Mellon. Yeah, you know what’s coming. And so he said, you’re going to go to Carnegie Mellon, no problem.

* what’s coming: the next thing

ex> You have no idea what’s coming in the movie, so don’t leave your seat!

And he also didn’t know I was going to tank my GRE’s because he believed in me. Which, based on my board scores was a really stupid idea.

* tank: to fail in a big way

ex> Randy’s first business tanked badly and he went bankrupt.

And I was a bit of an obnoxious little kid. I went into Andy’s office and I dropped the rejection letter on his desk. And I said, I just want you to know what your letter of recommendation goes for at Carnegie Mellon.

* obnoxious: rude and aggressive

ex> The salesman was obnoxious in his attempts to get me to buy a car.

And he said, look, Carnegie Mellon’s where you’re going to be. He said, I’ll tell you what, I’ll make you a deal.

* (I’ll) tell you what: an opening phrase used to make an offer

ex> I’ll tell you what, if you work hard for the next 90 days, I guarantee you will see results.

<Practice Makes Perfect>

1. The wait list for Harvard University is only around 50 names annually.

2. You won’t know what’s coming if you don’t go to your company’s event.

3. Bob tanked his driving test and now he has to wait another month to try again.

4. His obnoxious behavior got him kicked out of the restaurant.

5. I’ll tell you what, you drop the price by 50 dollars and I’ll take it.

PE 8/18 Two Very Different Vacations

Hey Jenny! How was your epic surfing vacation in Bali?

* epic: memorable; extreme

ex> It was an epic sunrise over the Pacific Ocean.

Note> An epic is a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.

That’s so cool. On the off chance you’re in the movie, let me get your autograph now.

* on the off chance: although it is unlikely

ex> On the off chance you see Carl, can you please tell him to call me?

My mates and I made our way over to the Southern Alps and skied our butts off for a week, then we went north to Auckland and partied for a while.

* make one’s way: to go somewhere

ex> The three hikers made their way over Corona Pass and into Copper Canyon.

I think that’s a bit far-fetched. But if it does come to pass, you’ll be a bit too long in the tooth to do any of it, unless, of course, it’s virtual reality.

* far-fetched: unlikely

ex> His story seemed so far-fetched that it must have been true.

All I’m hoping for is Christmas vacation to get here so I can go scuba diving in Australia. Or if worst comes to worst, I’ll just take a Caribbean cruise.

* if worst comes to worst…: should there be no other choice…

ex> If worst comes to worst, you’ll need to buy a new plane ticket.

<Practice Makes Perfect>

1. That was the most epic motorcycle stunt ever.

2. On the off chance I win the lottery, I’ll buy you a new car.

3. I made my way to Tibet and met the Dalai Lama.

4. The idea of UFOs is pretty far-fetched.

5. If worst comes to worst, I’ll borrow money from my parents.