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Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Reading

Care of the elderly - A family matter

Read the passage and do the task that follows

Many people wrongly believe that when people reach old age, their families place them in nursing homes. They are left there in the hands of strangers for the rest of their lives. Their grown children visit them only occasionally, but more often, they do not have any regular visitors. The truth is that this idea is an unfortunate myth; a fictitious story. In fact, family members provide over 80 percent of the care that elderly people need.

Because Americans are living longer than ever, more psychologists and social workers have begun to study care-giving to improve the care of the elderly. They have found that all caregivers share a common characteristic: All caregivers believe that they are the best persons for the job, for different reasons. One caregiver said that she had always been close to her mother. Another was the oldest child. Another was the youngest child. In other words, they all felt that they could do the job better than anyone else. Social workers interviewed caregivers to find out why they took on the responsibility of caring for an elderly, dependent relative. They discovered three basic reasons. Many caregivers believed that they had an obligation to help their relatives. Some stated that helping others made them feel more useful. Others hoped that by helping someone now, they would deserve care when they became old and dependent.

When people care for elderly relatives, they often do not use available community services, such as adult day care centers. If the caregivers are adult children, they are more likely to use such services, especially because they often have jobs and other responsibilities. In contrast, a spouse, usually the wife, is much less likely to use support services or to put the dependent person in a nursing home. Social workers discovered that the main reason for this difference was the fear of poverty. An ill, elderly person may live for years, and medical care and nursing homes are very expensive. An elderly couple's savings can disappear very quickly. The surviving spouse, usually the wife, can be left in poverty. As a result, she often tries to take care of her husband herself for as long as she can.

Researchers have found that caring for the elderly can be a very positive experience. The elderly appreciated the care and attention they received. They were affectionate and cooperative. However, even when care-giving is satisfying, it is hard work. Social workers and experts on aging offer caregivers and potential caregivers help when arranging for the care of an elderly relative. One consideration is to ask parents what they want before they become sick or dependent. Perhaps they prefer going into a nursing home and can select one in advance. On the other hand, they may want to live with their adult children. Caregivers must also learn to be assertive and ask for help from others, especially siblings. Brothers and sisters are often willing to help, but they do not know what to do.

We can expect to live longer lives than ever before in American history. Caring for the elderly and being taken care of can be a mutually satisfying experience for everyone involved.

Task

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Pronunciation

The pronunciation of the ending "s"

Introduction

Cách phát âm các từ tận cùng bằng đuôi -s

Các từ tận cùng bằng đuôi -s được phát âm theo quy tắc như sau

Chữ -s được đọc là /iz/ khi theo sau một trong các âm /s/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/, /dʒ/, /z/, /ʒ/
Eg: bridges , roses 

Chữ -s được đọc là /s/ khi theo sau một trong các âm /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/ 
Eg: books , cats 

Chữ -s được đọc là /z/ khi theo những phụ âm còn lại hay một nguyên âm 
Eg: plays , flags 

Ta sẽ luyện tập 2 âm /s/ và /z/

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

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Reading

Wedding Custom

Read the passage and do the tasks that follow

Marriage is an ancient religious and legal practice celebrated around the world. Although the reasons that people marry are similar in many places, wedding customs vary from country to country.

In many countries, it is customary for the bride to wear a white dress as a symbol of purity. In traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies, the bride wears a white kimono. The tradition of wearing a special white dress only for the wedding ceremony started around 150 years ago. Before that, most women could not afford to buy a dress that they would only wear once. Now, bridal dresses can be bought in a variety of styles and fabrics, and many brides have their dress specially made.

In different countries, colors other than white are worn by the bride or used as part of the wedding ceremony. In certain Asian countries and in the Middle East, red and orange are considered symbols of joy and happiness. In Chinese cultures, wedding invitations are usually red and gold as these are colors symbolic of wealth and happiness. Wedding guests give gifts of money to the newlyweds in small red envelopes. Not all cultures, though, consider money a suitable gift. In many Western countries, especially the U.K, wedding guests give the bride and groom household items that they may need for their new home.

As part of many traditional wedding ceremonies, a bride wears a veil. Wearing a veil that covers the head and face is a tradition that is over 2,000 years old. Veils were originally worn as a sign of secrecy and modesty and could only be removed by the husband after the ceremony. Today, many brides wear a veil, but only for decoration. In some countries, a veil is placed between the bride and groom during the wedding ceremony so that they cannot see or touch each other until they are married.

In many cultures, couples exchange rings, usually made of gold or silver, during the marriage ceremony. The circular shape of the ring is symbolic of the couple’s eternal union. In Brazil, it is traditional to have the rings engraved, with the bride’s name on the groom’s ring, and vice versa. The wedding ring is usually worn on the third finger of the left or right hand, because it was once believed that a vein ran directly from this finger to the heart.

Flowers play an important role in most weddings. Roses are said to be the flowers of love, and because roses usually bloom in June, this has become the most popular month for weddings in many countries. Ivy is also used in wedding bouquets because in early Greek times, it was thought to be a sign of everlasting love. After the wedding ceremony, it is customary in many countries for the bride to throw her bouquet into a crowd of well wishers-usually her single female friends. It is said that the person who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry. In Turkey, when a woman gets married, her female friends write their names on the inside of the shoes the bride will wear on her wedding day. After the ceremony, if someone’s name has rubbed off and cannot be read, it is said that this person will be the next to marry.

Many wedding customs that originated in one part of the world have been incorporated into marriage ceremonies in other countries. Today, couples can choose from many of the world’s traditional customs to create their own special ceremony.

Task 1

Grammar

Tense Review - Ôn lại các thì

Nhấn vào các đường link dẫn đến các bài ngữ pháp để ôn lại những thì đã học

Present continuous

Present simple

Present continuous and present simple

I am doing and I do

Past simple (I did)

Past continuous (I was doing)

Present perfect (1) I have done

Present perfect (2) I have done

Present perfect continuous

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of "ed" endings

Introduction

Cách phát âm các từ tận cùng bằng đuôi -ed

Các từ tận cùng bằng đuôi -ed được phát âm theo quy tắc như sau:

Chữ -ed được đọc là /id/ khi theo trong các âm /t/, /d/
Eg: wanted , needed 

Chữ -ed được đọc là /t/ khi theo sau một trong các âm /p/, /k/, /f/, /s/ , /tʃ/, /ʃ/
Eg: missed , watched 

Chữ -ed được đọc là /d/ khi theo những phụ âm còn lại hay một nguyên âm 
Eg: played , cleaned 

Ta sẽ luyện tập 2 âm /t/ và /d/

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Vocabulary

Vocabulary

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Reading

Speak English with Body Language

Read the passage and do the task that follows/do the tasks that follow

When we speak, we use much more than just words. We also use a kind of communication called "body language" or "non-verbal communication". Non-verbal communication not only includes how we move our body, but also hand gestures, facial expressions including eye contact, and how we use our voice. Psychologists estimate that between 60% and 80% of all of our communication with other people is non-verbal. We communicate a wide range of information non-verbally. We also show our feelings, attitudes, moods, hopes and wishes far better with non-verbal language than with words.

Not only is a large quantity of communication non-verbal in nature, but the quality is high as well. For example, if a person says something positive while his face looks negative, which are we more likely to believe? In most cases, we will believe the non-verbal facial expression. In the end, his words will not succeed in communicating his message. If we want to succeed in our everyday conversations, we really must learn to "speak" with our body well!

Let me begin by giving you some general advice. The main thing is to relax and be natural. Just allow your body language to naturally follow your words. If you say something positive, then your face, body and hands should show it too. If you are expressing a sad or worried feeling, then your face, body and hands should change with that feeling. As you think about it more and consider how you can use your body to communicate, you will become more and more natural.

More specifically, let's talk about hand gestures. Using our hands, we can emphasize our main points and let our listener know when we are changing topics. A dramatic movement of the hand or moving our hands wide apart can signal how important something is. To show very strong feeling we could clap our hands together loudly or make a fist and hit a desk. To show that we welcome someone, we can hold our hands out with the palms up, and maybe move them towards a chair to invite someone to sit next to us.

Facial expressions are a very common way that we use to communicate every day. When speaking English, it's generally good to smile at your listener, especially when he or she has made an interesting comment. Also nod your head up and down to show you are really interested. From time to time, you can add a sound of agreement, such as "Uh huh" or even just "mmmm", to show you are listening. Above all, it is important to maintain eye contact while listening. Sometimes it is okay to move your eyes away when you are speaking, because you do have to think about what you want to say. However the listener should almost always look at the speaker without moving the eyes away.

Besides all of the physical ways to communicate non-verbally, we have our voice. We use intonation, loudness and pitch to change our meaning. Combined with the words we use, our voice can be a very powerful way to express what we mean. A strong voice can communicate confidence while a quiet voice communicates intimacy or some secret message. A loud, high pitched voice can communicate nervousness or excitement, while a deep voice might mean we are tired or not enthusiastic.

Body language is one of the basic skills that all students need.

Task