READING

The following list are the readings (as numbered in the document provided by Stan):

1. Rodeo cowboys stay true to their roots - corrected
2. An amputee sprinter: Is he disabled or too-abled? - corrected
3. Hackers could skew US elections - corrected
4. Amid the buzz of tech show, can gadgets get smarter? - corrected
6. Elite U.S. students told to try harder - on lunch - corrected
7. Poker: a big deal --- WIP
10. Fair trade branded 'unfair' - corrected

AUDIO: Minding the Summer Learning Gap

This recording was started on Thursday 30 September - end of session - but all the questions were not completed. Stan will answer the remaining questions and we will review at our next session.

Vocabulary: "mind the gap", setback, at last count, spread out, fall behind.

Technology Increases Income, Reduces Poverty in Developing Countries

Stan will do this topic on his own.

PRONUNCIATION

1. listen - British pronunciation click here and American pronunciation click here.

AUDIO: Britney's Haircut

Sometimes the script and the audio recording are NOT identical (so listen closely!).

Vocabulary: rehabilitation (rehab), mood, hairdressing salon (not saloon), talk out of, already, make up, stick to, to suit, to draw attention to oneself, magazine,

Ended at question #11 (19h10).


NOTES:
It is "salon" ... not "saloon" for hairdressing.

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentcontinuous.html

AUDIO: Politicians and Words

This audio recording is easy according to Stan. However, he expresses concerns about answering certain questions. Suggestion: listen to the audio again, but reading the transcript of the topic.

Vocabulary: proven track record, own (to own - verb; owner, ownership), supporters, February, challenge.

Possible follow-on: http:// www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2008-10-09-voa1.cfm

NOTE: Stan should pay more attention to capitalization and spelling.

TOOLS

1. http://www.wordreference.com
2. http://www.systran.fr
3. http://www.thefreedictionary.com
4. http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com