środa, 11 grudnia 2013

VOCABULARY OF PRESENTATION

1. A TRIGGER (n) - a part of a gun that causes the gun to fire when pressed,
2. A RIFLE (n) - a type of a gun with a long barrel (=part shaped like a tube), fired from the shoulder and designed to be accurate at long distances,
3. A CARTRIDGE (n) - a small tube containing an explosive substance and a bullet for use in a gun,
4. A BLACKMAIL (n) - the act of getting money from people or forcing them to do something by threatening to harm them or their relatives,
5. TO BLAST OFF (v) - to use or detonate explosives.
6. David Gallo: "Underwater astonishments"

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_shows_underwater_astonishments.html

1) FIREFLY (n)
1. an insect that is active during the night and whose tail produces light:
Fireflies are often called lightning bugs.
Fireflies use bioluminescence to attract mates or prey.

2) A PREY (n)
1. an animal that is hunted and killed for for food by another animal:
A hawk hovered in the air before swooping on its prey.
2. the action or habit of preying: a beast of prey.

3) CEPHALOPOD (n)
1. an animal such as an octopus or squid that has tentacles around the head:
Cephalopods are characterized by bilateral body symmetry and a set of  arms or tentacles (.
Sometimes fishermen call cephalopods inkfish, referring to their common ability to squirt ink.

4) DROOPY (adj)
1. bending or hanging down heavily: I can see you're tired because your eyelids are droopy.
2. sagging downwards: a droopy moustache.

5) A BLEND (n)
1. a mixture of different things or styles:
a rich blend of the finest coffee beans
Their music is a blend of jazz and African rhythms.

środa, 4 grudnia 2013

5. Bastian Schaefer: "A 3D-printed jumbo jet?"

http://www.ted.com/talks/bastian_schaefer_a_3d_printed_jumbo_jet.html

1) DISRUPTIVE (adj)
1. causing trouble and therefore stopping something from continuing as usual:
His teacher described him as a noisy, disruptive influence in class.
2. causing disruption:
My friend's sister is a disruptive girl who annoys us every time we want to share our secrets.

2) AN AVIATION (n)
1. the activity of flying aircraft, or of designing, producing and keeping them in good condition:
the British Civil Aviation Authority; the US Federal Aviation Administration; aviation fuel

3) INCORPORATE (v)
1. to include something as part of something larger:
Suggestions from the survey have been incorporated into the final design.
2. to become or form a legal corporation: San Antonio incorporated as a city in 1837.

4) ALIGN (v)
1. to put two or more things into a straight line:
Align the ruler and the middle of the paper and then cut it straight.
2. to adjust (e.g. parts of a mechanism) to produce a proper relationship or orientation:
Aligning the wheels of a truck.

5) EMBED (v)
1. to fix firmly in a surrounding mass: embed a post in concrete.
2. to cause to be an integral part of a surrounding whole:
"a minor accuracy embedded in a larger untruth"

poniedziałek, 25 listopada 2013

4. Robin Nagle: "What I discovered in New York City trash"

http://www.ted.com/talks/robin_nagle_what_i_discovered_in_new_york_city_trash.html

1) QUOTIDIAN (adj)
1. ordinary: Television has become part of our quotidian existence.
2. recurring daily, used especially of attacks of malaria: quotidian fever.

2) SUSTAINABLE (adj)
1. able to continue over a period of time: That sort of extreme diet is not sustainable over a long period of time.
2. causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue  for a long time:
A large international meeting was held with the aim of promoting sustainable development in all countries.

3) PREVALENT (adj)
1. existing very commonly or happening often
2. widespread or current
These diseases are more prevalent among young children.
Trees are dying in areas where acid rain is most prevalent.

4) SCORN (n)
1. a very strong feeling of no respect for someone or something that you think is stupid or has no value
2. an object of derision
She has nothing but scorn for the new generation of politicians.
Why do you always pour scorn on (=criticize severely and unfairly) my suggestions?

5) INHERENT (adj)
1. existing as a natural or basic part of something
2. existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
There are dangers inherent in almost every sport.
I have an inherent distrust of lawyers.


środa, 20 listopada 2013

3. Arthur Benjamin: "The magic of Fibonacci numbers"

http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_the_magic_of_fibonacci_numbers.html

1) A STANDPOINT (n)
1. a set of beliefs and ideas from which opinions and decisions are formes
2. a point of view
From my standpoint , 3.00 p.m. would be a suitable time.
I have to put aside my emotions and consider it from a professional standpoint.

2) CONSECUTIVE (adj)
1. describes events, numbers, etc. that follow one after another without an interruption:
This is the fifth consecutive weekend that I've spent working, and I'm a bit fed up with it.
2. successive: consecutive numbers such as 5, 6, 7, 8.

3) TO SQUARE (v)
1. SQUARE OFF (phrasal verb): to prepare to fight , compete or argue with someone:
The two giants in the fast-food industry are squaring off this month with the most aggressive advertising campaigns.
2. to agree or conform: A story that does not square to with the facts.

4) A RATIO (n)
1. the relationship between two groups or amounts, which expresses how much bigger one is than the other:
The ratio of men to women at the conference was ten to one.
The school is trying to improve its pupil-teacher ratio (=the number of teachers compared with the number of students).

5) TO FIGURE (v)
1. to conclude, believe: I never figured that this would happen.
2. FIGURE OUT (phrasal verb) - to finally understand sth or sb, or find the solution to a problem after a lot of thought: I find him really odd - I can't figure him out at all. 

środa, 13 listopada 2013

2. Kid President : "I think we all need a pep talk."

http://www.ted.com/talks/kid_president_i_think_we_all_need_a_pep_talk.html

1) A PEP TALK (n)
1. a short speech intended to encourage people to work harder or try to win a game or competition
2. an enthusiastic talk designed to increase confidence, production, cooperation, etc.
The boss gave the staff a pep talk this morning in an attempt to boost sales.
The Kid President gave the people a pep talk in order to prevent them from being boring.

2) A CEREAL (n)
1. a plant that is grown to produce grain: The farmers have an enormous amount of cereal crops this year.
2. a food that is made from grain  and eaten with milk , especially in the morning:
My children eat cereal breakfast almost every day.

3) TO DIVERGE (v)
1. to follow a different direction:
They walked along the road together until they reached the village and then their paths diverged.
2. to be or become different:
Although the two organizations have worked together for many years, their objectives have diverged recently.

4) SOULFUL (adj)
1. expressing deep feelings, often sadness: The dog looked at me with its big, soulful, brown eyes.
2. soulful eyes - when talking to a person and the eye contact seems too intense:
A stranger told me that I had soulful eyes.

5) (TO/A) PEP (v/n)
1. to cause somebody to be full of energy: The good news pepped him up.
2. an informal word for energy: Yesterday Jason was full of pep.

sobota, 26 października 2013

1. Ramsey Musallam: "3 rules to spark learning."

http://www.ted.com/talks/ramsey_musallam_3_rules_to_spark_learning.html

1) TO SPARK (v)
1. to set in motion, activate:  The incident sparked a controversy. 
2. to rouse to action, spur:   A cheering crowd sparked the runner to triumph.

2) TO NOD (v)
1. to move the head up and down, sometimes several times, especially to show agreement, approval or greeting:  Many people in the audience nodded in agreement.
2. to express or indicate by nodding: She looked up and  nodded for me to come in.

3) A BEAKER (n)
1. a wide, cylindrical glass vessel with a pouring lip, used as a laboratory container and mixing jar:
The chemist teacher poured the mixture into a beaker.
2. a cup, usually with no handles, used for drinking: Mother gave the children beakers of juice. 
                            
4) TO EMBRACE (v)
1. to accept something enthusiastically: This was an opportunity that he would embrace.
2. to surround, enclose: We allowed the warm water to embrace us.

5) TO PERPLEX (v)
1. to puzzle or confuse someone; to make someone unable to understand:
She was perplexed by his questions.
2. to hamper complications, confusion or uncertainty:
They find the company's attitude perplexing and unreasonable.