WeChat ESL Class on July 2, 2016

A. High Lights of your week

B. Discussion Topic: superstition

· Are you superstitious? Why or why not?

· What is the difference between superstition and science?

· Do you believe in witches?

· Do you believe in ghosts?

· Have you ever seen a ghost?

· Do you usually have good luck or bad luck?

These are some common Western superstitions. Many of them originated during a time when there were no scientific explanations for events that happened. People used to believe in witches, magic, dragons, and fairies. There are still people who continue to believe in superstitions and live their lives according to these beliefs.

Superstition Meaning Baseball Bat Spit on a new bat when using it for the first time to make it lucky. Bed It’s bad luck to put a hat on a bed. Bell When a bell rings, an angel has received its wings. Cats If a black cat crosses your path, you will have bad luck. Clover It’s good luck to find a four-leaf clover. Knives If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him/her a coin. Ladybugs It is bad luck to kill a ladybug. Ladder It’s bad luck to walk under a ladder. Mirror If you break a mirror, it’s seven years bad luck.

C.  Common English Idioms. Give the meaning and make a sentence.

1. “24/7”: Twenty-four hours a day; seven days a week; all the time; constantly
   My little sister irritates me 24/7!
2. “A short fuse”: A quick temper
   Jamie is known for his short fuse; just a few days ago he screamed at his coach for not letting him play.
3. “A taste of your own medicine”: Bad treatment deservedly received for treating other people badly
   After constantly being prank-called, Julian decided to give Juan a taste of his own medicine and ordered twenty-seven pizzas to be delivered to Juan’s house.
4. “Butterflies in my stomach”: To be nervous
   Liam had butterflies in his stomach before he went on stage to play the violin.
5. Hit the nail on the head
6. You can’t judge a book by its cover
7. Bite off more than you can chew
8. Scratch someone’s back

D.  Bible Lesson: Jesus Taught His Dsiciples How to Pray in Matthew 6:5-13

The Lord's Prayer

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they loveto stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Explore the passage

1. What things did Jesus say to do and not to do when we pray? Why?
2. Why do you think it's important that our prayer begins with praise for God?
3. What do we ask to be done on earth and in heaven?
4. What does "daily bread" mean here?
5. How do we ask God to forgive us?
6. Who is the evil one?
7. What will he try to do?
8. What are some of life's daily needs that we take for granted?
9. If God gives us these things whether we ask for them or not, why do we have to pray for our daily needs?
10. If God wants us to live for Him, why does He let temptation fall in our path?
11. What can you learn about prayer from Jesus' example?

WeChat ESL Class on June 25, 2016

A. High Lights of your week

B. What's about:

About Reader's Digest Magazine:

Readers Digest Magazine has been at the heart of American culture since 1922. It offers everything from travel and vacation information to articles about healthy eating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For more serious readers, Readers Digest provides insightful articles on the news and politics of the day.

Readers Digest is one of the few publications that truly offers something for every member of the family. Health, for instance, is a topic that is written about often in the magazine. Recent articles explore healthy eating, explaining the advantages of eating organic foods. Other articles in the magazines health section are dedicated to doctors and determining if your health care provider is kept up to date with modern practices.

Cooking and Advice are two more major sections of Readers Digest. In the cooking section readers can find information meant for anyone from the expert chef to the beginner. The advice columns are written in response to questions posed by readers, so you know that the information will most likely be relevant to your own life. The magazines position as the largest paid circulation magazine in the world confirms that what appears on all of its pages, not just the advice column, are the things that you think about every day.

C. Short Story: Eat, Sleep and Think Burgers

Burger Queen flew Billy and his Bronx coworkers to its training center. After returning, Billy told his cousin about his trip. "Boy, was it great! I made tons of money in overtime. We were in training 12 days straight. We worked almost 16 hours a day. We learned how to make ten new menu items. You'll see them on the menu next month. Everything was free! I had my own private room in the hotel. The food was fantastic. The hotel had six different restaurants. I ate all I could eat three times a day. I can't wait to go back there again." Jill asked."Go back where? Where did you go?" He said." They said we were in Texas." she asked."They 'said'? Where in Texas? What city?" He said."I don't know. I didn't even see a city. All I saw were the hotel and the training center."

D. Bible Lesson: Romans 8:12-17

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 

13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 

15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 

16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 

17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

E. Idioms Quiz 

Directions: Choose the best idiom to complete each sentence. 1. An angry driver wasn't able to ______, and so he got into a fight with another driver. a. keep in touch b. keep in mind c. keep it up d. keep his cool 2. Monica _____ seeing her boyfriend next week. He went on a two-month trip to India. a. points out b. makes sure c. looks forward to d. keeps in mind 3. There's just one piece of pizza left, so you ______ eat it instead of taking it home. a. more or less b. might as well c. make sense d. keep it in mind 4. _______ Abdi is late to work, but his boss doesn't know, so he never gets in trouble. a. Of course b. More or less c. Now and then d. No matter what 5. How ______ are you to the the idea of getting a second a job? a. open b. kind c. near d. against 6. Alexandra is going to _______ some Chinese food on her way home from work. a. put away b. put out c. pick out d. pick up 7. There were ______ people attending the meeting--about 50 or 60. a. once again b. quite a few c. of course d. so far 8. Driving that SUV feels _______ like driving a truck. It's really big, slow, and noisy. a. kind of b. once again c. right away d. as if

-- 

Blessings!
wendy

WeChat ESL Class on June 18, 2016

A. High Lights of your week
B. So That's What That's For ...

That tiny poicket on your blue jeans ...

... Is for your pocket watch. Well, maybe not yours, but the cowboys who made blue jeans famous in the 1800s were plumb grateful for it. Typically, watches were carried on chains and worn in waistcoats, but hard field labor made that a lot less practical. Outdoors, the "watch pocket" on any pair of jeams did just the trick - even after the watches moved to the wrist. This extra pouch has served many functions, evident in its many titles," the Levi Stratuss website reminds us: "frontier pocket, coin pocket, match pocket, and ticket pocket, to name a few."

C. Short Story:  Father's Day - A Day to Honor Fatherhood

Father's Day is a holiday observed in the United States to honor fathers, fatherhood and other paternal figures like grandfathers, stepfathers, and uncles. It is observed on the third Sunday in June.

In the early 20th century there was a mining accident in West Virginia that killed almost 400 men. A push for a day to remember the men killed, who were mostly husbands and fathers was the start of a push for a national holiday. This was in 1908. It wasn't until 1972, however, that Father's Day was recognized by law as a national holiday. This is due in part to the fact that people were resistant to what they saw as another overly invented holiday meant to just make people spend money. It wasn't seen as a way to remember the dead or to honor living fathers and father figures. People weren't entirely wrong. Organizations representing men's clothing manufacturers put in a lot of money for the holiday to become popular.

Like Mother's Day, it indeed is a holiday that has become highly commercialized. There are greeting cards to mark the day and stores advertise gifts for Dad. These gifts traditionally include electronics, ties, and tools. In schools, children often make cards and other gifts. Father's Day is not a federal holiday even though it is widely celebrated. Some of the ways Father's Day is celebrated is with meals, especially barbecues since the holiday falls at the beginning of the summer.

D. Word Power Choose the correct definition and make a sentence witht he word.

1. Kafkaesque   a: nightmarishly complex  b:gigantic  c: left-wing
2. atrophy  a: waste away b: wina prize  c:speak out against
3. knavish  a:sticky  b: sharply honed  d: deceitful or dishonest
4. legalese  a:passage of laws  b:strict rules  c: legal language
5. patriarch  a:Roman valult  b: father figure  c:homeland
6. obsolescnet  a: teenage b: quite fat  c:goint out of use
7. solarium   a: sunroom  b: pribate nook  c: answer to a problem

E. Bible Story:   2 Kings 5:18-27

18 But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”

19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said.

After Naaman had traveled some distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”

21 So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

22 “Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent[d] of silver and two sets of clothing.’”

23 “By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.

25 When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”

“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.

26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? 27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.

WeChat ESL Class on June 11, 2016

A. High Lights of your week

B. "Guess Who" game: Ask yes/no questions to find out who Luke's fiance is.

C. Short Story: Please Marry Me!

Jill answered the phone. It was Jack.

"Jill, will you marry me next week?"

"What?"

Jack repeated his question.

"Of course not," she replied. She wondered why he was asking her that question. They had already agreed that when people get married, they immediately start to take each other for granted. They don't do the "little things" like opening the car door or holding hands. They get too comfortable. They treat their partner like an old shoe. And eventually, they get bored with each other and get divorced.

"We already agreed that we don't want to get married because we don't want to get divorced."

Jack agreed. But he argued that they were special. They were different from other couples. They loved each other too much to end up in a divorce.

"Yes, that may be true. But still, why next week? Why can't we think about it for another year or two?"

"Because I had two dreams the last two nights. In both dreams, you left me for another man. In fact, you left me for two different men. I want to get married now so I don?t have these dreams anymore."

"Hmm. What did these men look like?" 

D. Word Power - choose the correct definition and make a sentence with the word1. cryptology  a: raiding of tombs, b: series of puzzles, c: study of codes

2. empathetic  a: showing understanding or sensitivity, b: sad, c: numb

3. ovoid  a: egg-shaped, b: empty, c: passionate

4. deify   a: treat as God, b: bring back to life, c: disregard

5. perspicacious   a: finicky, b: of acute mental vision, c:fortunate or lucky

6. indigenous   a: poor, b: native, c: mixed

7. herbicide   a: greenhouse, b:skin lotion, c: agent used to inhibit or kill plant growth

8. pachyderm   a: elephant, b: jellyfish, c: butterfly

E. Bible Story:
 2 Kings 5:1-9

5 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

² Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels^[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
¹³ Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
¹⁵ Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
¹⁶ The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
¹⁷ “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.