Ruby's Blog

Why do we choose to text instead of talk? 1. intonation → the sound changes produced by the rise and fall of the voice when speaking, especially when this has an effect on the meaning of what is said ★The end of a sentence that is not a question is usually marked by falling intonation . 2. intention → something that you want and plan to do ★I've no intention of changing my plans just to fit in with his. 3. phrase → a short group of words that are often used together and have a particular meaning ★We are governed, in Lord Hailsham's famous phrase , by an "elective dictatorship". 4. in person → If you do something or go somewhere in person, you do it or go there yourself. ★If you can't be there in person , the next best thing is watching it on TV. 5. get annoyed → become angry, upset or irritated ★I told her to take it easy , but she just got annoyed all the more.  6. minefield/ treading on → an area of land or water where mines (= bombs that explode when they are...

Working for free 1. internship → a period of training spent in a hospital by a young doctor in order to finish their medical qualification ★Two weeks ago she had finished her internship at St Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. 2. social mobility → the ability to move from one level of society to another ★Last week, he made a controversial speech about economic growth and social mobility . 3. to rule out → to prevent something from happening ★This recent wave of terrorism has ruled out any chance of peace talks. 4. established connections → previous or pre-existing links ★Methods are called to establish connections between controls. 5. well-connected → having friends or family members who are important or powerful people ★Research shows personality rather than education or having a well-connected family is the key. 6. to open doors → allowing people and goods to come freely into a place or country ★But we will only lose more if this country continues an open door poli...

COVID：One year on 1.   pandemic  →   a disease that spreads over a whole country or the whole world. Y   History teachers could set their pupils researching the influenza  pandemic  of 1918, a grim but fascinating topic. 2.   take hold  →   to become strong ; to be established Y   The economic recovery is just beginning to  take hold  now. 3.   wimpy  →   not strong, brave or confident. Y   She was too  wimpy  to say what she really thought. 4.   sheer  →   used to emphasize the size, the degree or amount of something. Y   The area is under threat from the  sheer  number of tourists using it. 5.  kick in  →   to start to have an effect or to happen. Y   The painkillers  kicked in  and he became sleepy. 6.   genome  →   the complete set of genetic material of a human, animal, plant, or other living thing. Y   For the las...

✔Name of the podcast：BBC Learning English Drama ✔ Link to the podcast： https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/drama ✔ What is the podcast about? It's BBC World Service prepare for those who want to learn English. This podcast is to retell some classic or new stories. Each story has 10 episodes, and each episode is about 6-10 minutes. ✔ Why you recommend this podcast I recommend it because I like to read in my free time, so if I can combine study with leisure, I will be more motivated to do it. Besides, this podcast provides transcripts, so if you can’t listen clearly, you can read the transcript to know the content.