VOCABULARY NOTES _ LESSON 10

1. My conversational skills were limited to asking everybody how many brothers and sisters they
had.
2. I toyed with the idea of taking a language immersion course abroad, but two little words always
stopped me: home stay.
3. The opportunity to realize two long-held ambitions in one holiday to improve my Spanish and to
see Machu Picchu proved irresistible.
4. My misgivings evaporate the moment I am met by my home-stay family at Cusco airport.
5. Then Im whisked off to a family friends birthday party, where I understand nothing apart from
the bit where they sing happy birthday.
6. The following morning, Im off to school and get to know my new school chums.
7. We had all clearly hit it off with our new families, though one of us is disconcerted to find that his
host mother is actually six years younger than he is.
8. Although some find the prospect daunting, to my mind this is a pretty impressive ration.
9. Cusco will supply anything it can to lure the feckless student away from his or her homework.
10. Once the seed of rebellion has been planted we queue up like nervous teenagers outside the
phone box plucking up the courage to ring our Mums and ask if we can stay out late.
11. The dinner table chatter, which at first was so much white noise, starts to have some meaning
and, miraculously, I can follow the thread of the conversation.
12. Perhaps television shouldnt be blamed, though.
13. As telecommunications have developed, the world has got smaller and smaller.
14. Satellites have been put into spaces to beam programmes down to us and cables have been put
underground to bring us news and entertainment.
15. Almost all the facts, figures and faces that we see on our TV screens are instantly forgotten.
16. We can turn over, or turn the TV off, but we cant stop its effects on our lives.
17. A sitcom is funny and each programme usually lasts for half an hour with the same characters in
every show.
18. A documentary is a factual programme and it might be about the environment, or politics.
19. On a chat show, famous people are interviewed about their careers and their recent work.
20. A soap opera is a show about different characters who live in the same area or who work
together.
21. On a game show, members of the public play games or answer questions to try to win prizes.
22. On a reality show, we watch members of the public living together, follow their relationships and
one of them leaves each week.
23. Do you think you could turn on the TV for me, please?
24. Sorry, but I cant hear the radio if you carry on making so much noise.
25. I hated this programme at first, but now its growing on me.
26. There are two people on Lift in the House who just dont get on with each other at all.
27. I dont think they should put on violent programmes in the early evening.
28. Sarah turned down my offer to take her to the cinema.
29. The factory workers have gone on strike because they want more money.
30. It really gets Michael down when he loses a tennis match.