How healthy living nearly killed me

Vocabulary

neglect - to fail to take care of somebody/something
She denies neglecting her baby.
The buildings had been neglected for years.

indulge - to allow yourself to have or do something that you like, especially something that is considered bad for you

For a special treat, indulge yourself with one of these luxury desserts.
She was free to indulge in a little romantic daydreaming.

mind-boggling - very difficult to imagine or understand
It’s mind-boggling to me that this is allowed to happen.

Thinking about how much I have to do is just mind-boggling.

5 dangerous things you should let your kids do

Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School, spells out 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do — and why a little danger is good for both kids and grownups.



Vocabulary:

stringent - very strict and that must be obeyed

Licences are only granted under the most stringent conditions.

We live in a world full of stringent regulations.

pivotal - of great importance because other things depend on it

Accountancy, law and economics are pivotal to a successful career in any financial services area.

Learning to read is pivotal moment in every child's life.

combustion - the process of burning
Poisonous gases are produced during fossil fuel combustion.

Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids

Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.

Vocabulary:

a prodigy: someone unusually intelligent or skillful for their age
Mozart was an infant prodigy, composing music at the age of four.The 12-year-old prodigy will play America’s reigning chess champion next week.

to abolish: oficially end (a law, a statement etc)

This tax should be abolished.

Thinking that children are irrational should be abolished.

to hamper: to prevent sb from easily doing or accomplishing sth 

Our efforts were hampered by lack of money.

Kids are not as hampered as adults when it comes to imagination.

audacity: brave or rude but shocking behaviour

He had the audacity to say I was too fat.

The sheer audacity of the plan amazed everyone.

inherent: that is basic or permanent part of sth/sb and cannot be removed 

Violence is inherent in our society.

Children have an inherent ability to push the boundaries of possibility.

5 ways to listen better

In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening — to other people and the world around you.

Vocabulary:

cease - to stop happening or existing
You never cease to amaze me!
Bullying in our school ceased after lecture of a psychologist.


savouring - enjoying the full taste or flavour of something, especially by eating or drinking it slowly
He ate his meal slowly, savouring every mouthful.
She took a sip of wine, savouring the fine vintage.

mundane - not interesting or exciting
I lead a pretty mundane existence.
There is nothing more mundane than listening to her stories.

Why thinking you're ugly is bad for you

Vocabulary:

instantaneously = immediately
The show sold outinstantaneously.
The police came instantaneously.

relentless: someone who is cruel, evil, merciless, and that never ceases to be bad to others
The enemy was relentless, they shown no mercy.
Teachers were relentless in demanding our homeworks everyday.

flagrant: shocking because it is done in a very obvious way and shows no respect for people, laws, etc.
He showed a flagrant lack of respect for anyone else's feelings.
Your rude behaviour during the meeting was clearly flagrant.

chiseled: The sculpted features of a man's face.
The hero in the romance book had a handsome chiseld face.
A chiseled cheekbones are what many girls like the most,.

peer: Someone who is your age or close to it.
She enjoys the respect of her peers.
Children are worried about failing in front of their peers.

How to spot a liar

liespotter - a person who has the ability to spot a lie

Thanks to this TED talk I am now a better liespotter.
My mum is an excellent liespotter, she always knows when I'm trying to hide the truth.


telltale - a sign, indication of something

That clue was a serious telltale so I knew right away what was going on.
Body language can be a telltale to spot a lie.

duping delight - being actually pleased with commited crime

Psychopats often smile when confessing their crimes, showing the duping delight.
A woman was smiling in duping delight evem though she killed her husband a few hours ago.

veracity - truthfullness, honesty

Veracity of those emotions was confirmed by her crying.
You seem to be lying, I don't believe in veracity of what you're saying.

Not all cultures believe in burying the dead in the ground. 

Here are 10 unique ceremonies from around the world.

the article

Vocabulary:

decease - the death of a person
entourage - a group of people who travel with an important person
incense - a substance that produces a pleasant smell when you burn it, used particularly in religious ceremonies

TED talk - week one: How to speak so that people want to listen

Click here to see the TED talk.

Vocabulary:

dogmatic - being certain that your beliefs are right and that others should accept them, without paying attention to evidence or other opinions

It is very hard to listen to someone who is being dogmatic in conversation.
She was bombarding us with her opinions as if they were facts, I hate when somebody is that dogmatic.



rummage - the act of looking for something among a group of other objects in a way that makes them untidy

Have a rummage around in the drawer and see if you can find a pen.
I'd like to have a little rummage in there with you now and just mention a few things.



cornerstone - the most important part of something that the rest depends on

This study is a cornerstone of the whole research.
Honesty might be the cornerstone of a good relationship.



hail - to call to somebody in order to say hello to them or attract their attention

She hailed us enthusiastcially when we first met.
Promise me you'll hail her if you see her, she deserves it.



timbre - the quality of sound that is produced by a particular voice or musical instrument

The deep timbre of his voice sent shivers down my spine.
It is known that people vote for politicians with lower voice timbre.


prosody - the patterns of sounds and rhythms in poetry or in speech

The monotonous prosody of his voice made us nearly fall asleep.
People who speak all on one note are really quite hard to listen to if they don't have any prosody at all.