Russia Sends First Man Into Space

Postcard and stamps showing Yuri Gagarin

Russian cosmonaut Major Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin becomes the first man to fly into space.

(12 April 1961)
In 1961, Russia beat the U.S.A. in the race to get the first man into space, winning the so-called "space race". The spacecraft Vostok (East) was launched from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan in what was then part of Soviet central Asia. Major Gagarin orbited the Earth for 108 minutes travelling at more than 17,000 miles per hour (27,000 kilometres per hour) before returning safely to Earth.
Wordchecker
cosmonaut (noun): a Russian space explorer
so-called (adjective): also known as
launch (verb): send into space
launch pad (noun): the place from which a spacecraft is sent into space
orbit (verb): circle around an object in space

Seven Roman Numerals

You know that 2 + 2 = 4. But do you know that ii + ii = iv?

The numbers that we normally use (1, 2, 3 etc) are called "Arabic numerals". But we sometimes use another system for writing numers - "Roman numerals". The Romans used letters of the alphabet to represent numbers, and even today you will occasionally see this system used for page numbers, clock faces, dates of movies etc.
There are 7 letters used for Roman numerals:
I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M = 1000
In general, letters are placed in decreasing order of value, eg XVI = 16.
Letters can be repeated one or two times to increase value, eg XX = 20, XXX = 30.
Letters cannot be repeated three times, so XXXX is not used for 40. In this case, XL = 40 (50 minus 10).
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Environmental Verbs: Take Action

Do you consider yourself an earth activist? Talking about environmental issues is difficult to do in a foreign language. Learning the following verbs will help you express your thoughts and concerns in English.

Word	Meaning	Example sentence
ban	disallow an action or thing in a specified area	The school banned water bottles because they are bad for the environment.
carpool	when people take turns driving instead of taking two or more cars to the same location	I carpool to work with two of my neighbours who also work downtown.
clear cut or chop down	to remove trees from a forest	It is important to plant new trees in nearby areas after clear cutting.
compost	put certain types of waste (vegetable peels, newspapers, dry leaves) into a large container that will break down into reusable soil	Since we started composting we've reduced our garbage by half.
commute	travel from home to work (either by public transit or driving)	Imagine how much pollution you cause in a lifetime by commuting two hours a day?
consume	take into our bodies or homes	Americans consume more than their share of the earth's resources.
donate	give money or items to an organization or individual in need	When you donate money to this fund, the animals' habit is protected.
emit	to give off or out	Cars emit harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.
fertilize	treat plants and green spaces (lawns and fields) with special chemicals that helps them to grow	If you are going to fertilize your lawn, make sure to use an organic fertilizer.
minimize	make as little as possible	We can minimize pollution by walking instead of driving to work and school.
pollute	put dangerous substances into the ground and the air	Fumes from factories pollute our lakes and oceans.
preserve	keep in its natural state	We need stronger laws in order to preserve our forests.
protect	keep from harm	It is important to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun.
protest	voice concern about; fight against an issue or decision	The environmentalists will protest if the road builders don't make a bicycle lane.
recycle	to take materials from garbage and form it into something new that can be used	Please recycle your junk mail instead of throwing it in the garbage.
reduce	use less	You can reduce your household waste by buying products with less packaging.
reuse	use again	We reuse the inner bags from the cereal boxes inside our small garbage can.
throw away	put in the garbage	Don't throw away your grass clippings; leave them on your lawn.
use up	use until there is no more	We are using up the earth's natural resources faster than ever.
waste	throw away something that is still useful

Seven British And American Spellings

Some British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) words have the same meaning and pronunciation but different spellings. If you are not sure about a spelling, it's best to look it up in a British or American dictionary as appropriate.
Here are seven common differences:
1. ogue/og
BrE: analogue, catalogue, dialogue
AmE: analog, catalog, dialog
2. our/or
BrE: colour, favourite, honour
AmE: color, favorite, honor
3. ence/ense
Bre: defence, licence
AmE: defense, license
4. s/z
BrE: analyse, criticise, organisation (but z is also used)
AmE: analyze, criticize, organization
5. l/ll
BrE: enrolment, fulfil, skilful
AmE: enrollment, fulfill, skillful
6. re/er
BrE: centre, theatre, metre
AmE: center, theater, meter
7. miscellaneous
BrE: jewellery, programme, practise, pyjamas
AmE: jewelry, program, practice, pajamas
NB1: in BrE program is used when talking about computers
NB2: in BrE practise is a verb and practice is a noun

source http://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Power_Of_Seven/Seven_British_And_American_Spellings_2921.htm

This week in History

4 April 1968

Martin Luther King Is Assassinated

US civil rights leader Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1968, black civil rights leader Martin Luther King was shot and killed by an assassin in Memphis, Tennessee. King had struggled for the rights of African-Americans since the early 1950's. He was a powerful public speaker and an inspiring leader of the civil rights movement. James Earl Ray was convicted of murdering King, though to this day many people, including King's family, believe Ray did not act alone. Every year, on the third Monday of January, Martin Luther King Day is a public holiday in the USA.

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Wordchecker
assassinate (verb): target and kill a (usually well-known) person
assassin (noun): person who targets and kills someone
rights (noun): legal and moral entitlement to have or do something
inspiring (adjective): causing one to feel uplifted and ready to act
civil rights movement (noun): people wanting political/social freedom & equal rights for all
convict (verb): decide that someone is guilty (in a court of law)
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Newspaper headline records assassination of Martin Luther King.
Rev. (abbreviation of adjective Reverend): used as a title for a member of the clergy
slay (verb - past slew; past participle slain): to kill in a violent way
sniper (noun): someone who shoots a gun accurately from a long distance
This is a classic newspaper headline, which as a complete sentence would be:
"The Reverend Martin Luther King has been slain by a Memphis sniper."


Answer the Quiz



Quick Quiz:
Martin Luther King was a civil rights leader

in the African-American community from Memphis, Tennessee before the early 1950's

King's family believe he was shot by

an assassin who was acting alone an assassin who wasn't acting alone several assassins acting independently

A civil rights movement is a movement that aims to end

1. equality among races, genders and religions
2. discrimination against certain groups in society
3. laws that favour disadvantaged groups

 adapted from the englishclub.com

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How to Learn English

Tips and ideas on the best ways to learn English faster.

Tips for Beginners

You are like a new baby
Babies learn their language slowly.
First they learn to listen.
Then they learn to speak.
Finally, they can read and write.

Listen to English every day
Listen to English radio.
Watch English TV.
Go to English movies.
Use online lessons.

Make an English/ESL friend                   
Make up conversations.
Practise dialogues.
Use beginner textbooks.

Read English stories
Start with children's storybooks.
Try ESL readers.
Read advertisements, signs and labels.
Try EnglishClub.com for Young Learners.              

 

Keep an English diary
Start with one sentence.
How do you feel?
How is the weather?
What did you do today?
Write another sentence tomorrow.

Visit an English speaking country
Learn English more quickly.
Stay with an English family.
Hear native speakers talk.
Have a fun experience.

Write down new words
Start a vocabulary (new word) notebook.
Write words in alphabetical order (A...B...C...).
Make example sentences.
Always use an English-English dictionary first.
                                                   

                           the text was taken  from Englishclub.com