The John J. Roe

Mark Twain's boat was so slow no other steamer would condescend to race with it. With the utmost candor, Twain comments that his boat moved at such a pathetic* pace, they used to forget in what year it was they left port. Nothing would mortify Twain more than the fact that ferryboats, waiting to cross the river, would lose valuable trips because their passengers grew senile* and died waiting for his boat, the John J. Roe, to pass. Mark Twain wrote in a jocose manner about the races his steamer had with islands and rafts. With quiet humor he continued to malign the riverboat, but his book is replete* with love for this sort of life.

Sample Sentences: Insert the new words in these sentences.

1. He had such disdain* for us, he would not _______ to speak before our

group.

2. It is most common to ——— the wealthy for their avarice*.

3. It is difficult to be_________in the presence of so many doleful * people.

4. When we cannot speak with —————, we utilize euphemisms.*

5.Good sportsmanship requires that one not ——— a defeated adversary.*

Definitions: Match the new words with their definitions.

6. condescend ___ a. humorous, merry.

7. candor ___ b. abuse, slander

8. mortify ___ c. stoop, lower oneself

9. jocose —— d. frankness, honesty

10. malign —— e. embarrass, humiliate

Today's Idiom: from pillar to post— from one place to another

The company was so large and spread out, he was sent from pillar to post before he found the proper official.

30th Week 3rd Day

New Words: omnipotent zenith fledgling peremptory precedent

The Riverboat Pilot

The riverboat pilot was a man considered omnipotent by all. Mark Twain once held that high position. He writes that he felt at the zenith of his life at that time. Starting out as a fledgling pilot's apprentice, he could not abjure* dreams of the time he would become, "the only unfettered and entirely independent human being that lived in the earth." Kings, parliaments, and newspaper editors, Twain comments, are hampered and restricted. The river pilot issued peremptory commands as absolute monarch. The captain was powerless to interfere. Even though the pilot was much younger than the captain, and the steamer seemed to be in imminent* danger, the older man was helpless. The captain had to behave im­peccably,* for any criticism of the pilot would establish a pernicious* precedent that would have undermined the pilot's limitless authority.

Sample Sentences: Insert the new words in these sentences.

1. Under the aegis* of an adroit* master, he reached the ________ of his career.

2. We would scoff * at anyone calling himself ________.

3. There is no ________ for voting when there is no quorum.*

4. The ———— poet lived a frugal * life.

5. No one had the temerity* to disobey the officer's ——— order.

Definitions: Match the new words with their definitions.

6. omnipotent ___a. summit, top, prime

7. zenith _______b. little known, newly developed

8. fledgling _____c. absolute, compulsory, binding

9. peremptory ___d. custom, model

10.precedent ____e. almighty, unlimited in power or authority

Today's Idiom: in the lap of the gods— out of one's own hands

I handed in my application for the job, and now it is in the lap of the gods.

30^th week/4^th day

New Words: wheedle rustic jubilant decorum charlatan

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30