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BARRON'S
Murray Bromberg and Melvin Gordon
5th. Edition
WEEK 1 <> DAY 1
READING WISELY
The youngster who reads voraciously, though indiscriminately, does not necessarily gain in wisdom over the teenager who is more selective in his reading choices.
A young man who has read the life story of every eminent athlete of the twentieth century, or a coed who has steeped herself in every social-protest novel she can get her hands on, may very well be learning all there is to know in a limited area.
But books are replete with so many wonders that it is often discouraging to see bright young people limit their own experiences.
SAMPLE SENTENCES
1. The football game was replete with excitement and great plays.
desiring or consuming great quantities.
2. The eminent author received the Nobel Prize for literature.
of high reputation, outstanding.
3. My cousin is so steeped in schoolwork that his friends call him a bookworm.
soaked, drenched, saturated
4. After skiing, I find that I have a voracious appetite.
desiring or consuming great quantities.
5. Modern warfare often results in the indiscriminate killing of combatants and innocent civilians alike.
choosing at random without careful selection.
TODAY'S IDIOM
to eat humble pie---to admit your error and apologize
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voracious
desiring or consuming great quantities.
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indiscriminate
choosing at random without careful selection.
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eminent
of high reputation, outstanding.
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steeped
soaked, drenched, saturated
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replete
completely filled or supplied with
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WEEK 1 <> DAY 2
SOLVING THE SERVANT PROBLEM
The worlds of science-fiction abound with wonders. Yet modern technology progresses so rapidly that what may be today's wild dream may be next year's kitchen appliance.
A British scientist has prognosticated that within ten years every suburban matron will have her own robot servant.
One task this domesticated automaton will not have to contend with will be scouring the oven because even today the newest ranges can be "programed" to reduce their own baked-on grime to easily disposed of ashes.
SAMPLE SENTENCES
1. The mayor refused to prognosticate as to this margin of victory in the election.
to predict or foretell a future event
2. The time is approaching when human workers may be replaced by automatons.
a robot; a mechanical "person"
3. A clever salesman will always ask a matron if her mother is at home.
an older married woman
4. The western plains used to abound with bison before those animals were slaughtered by settlers.
to exist in great numbers
5. Man may be freed from backbreaking labor by the products of scientific technology.
branch of knowledge dealing with engineering, applied science, etc.
Today's Idiom
a pig in a poke --- an item you purchase without having seen; a disappointment
The mail order bicycle that my nephew bought turned out to be a pig in a poke, and he is now trying to get his money back.
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abound
to exist in great numbers
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technology
branch of knowledge dealing with engineering, applied science, etc.
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prognosticate
to predict or foretell a future event
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automaton
a robot; a mechanical "person"
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matron
an older married woman
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Today's Idiom
a flash in the pan --- promising at the start but then disappointing
The rookie hit many home runs in spring training, but once the season began he proved to be a flash in the pan.
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WEEK 1 <> DAY 3
IT'S A MAN'S WORLD
How paradoxical that the world's greatest chefs have all been men!
Cooking would clearly seem to be a field that lies exclusively within women's realm, yet the annals of cookery are replete* with masculine names: Brilliant Savarin, Ritz, Diat, Larousse.
To compound the puzzle, there has rarely been a tinge of rumor or scandal casting doubts on the masculinity of these heroes of cuisine.
SAMPLE SENTENCES
1. His gloom was now compounded by the failing mark on his geometry test.
to increase or add to
2. The annals of sports are replete with the names of great black athletes.
historical records
3. One of the great paradoxes of Americans life is that though minority groups have suffered injustices, nowhere in the world have so many varied groups lived together so harmoniously.
a statement that at first seems to be absurd or self-contradictory but which may in fact turn out to be true
4. A tinge of garlic is all that's necessary in most recipes.
a trace, smattering, or slight degree
5. The cruel king would not allow the prince to enter his realm, restricting him to the forest, which abounded with wild animals.
special field of something or someone; kingdom
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paradox
a statement that at first seems to be absurd or self-contradictory but which may in fact turn out to be true
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realm
special field of something or someone; kingdom
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annals
historical records
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compound (v)
to increase or add to
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tinge (n)
a trace, smattering, or slight degree
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Today's Idiom
a flash in the pan --- promising at the start but then disappointing
The rookie hit many home runs in spring training, but once the season began he proved to be a flash in the pan.
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WEEK 1 <> DAY 4
HOW NOT TO GET YOUR WAY
It is difficult to change someone's opinion by badgering him.
The child who begs his mother to "get off his back" when she implores him for some assistance with her household drudgery, may very well plead interminably for some special privilege when he wants something for himself.
How paradoxical* that neither is able to perceive that no one likes being nagged.
TODAY'S IDIOM
to pour oil on troubled waters --- to make peace, to calm someone down
When I tried to pour oil on troubled waters, both the angry husband and his wife stopped their quarrel and began to attack me.
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Sample Sentences
1. She does her homework on Fridays to save herself from the drudgery of having to do it during the weekend.
2. The teacher continually badgers the pupil for the missing assignments.
3. The eminent scientist perceives difficulties in putting the invention into practice.
4. The sick child's mother implored the doctor to come immediately.
5. I listened to the boring lecture for what seemed an interminable fifty minutes.
DEFINITIONS
badger
to pester, nag, annoy persistently
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badger
to pester, nag, annoy persistently
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implore
to plead urgently for aid or mercy
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drudgery
unpleasant, dull, or hard work
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perceive
to understand, know, become aware of
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