Idioms and fixed phrases
1 1.
Sophie
goes to the cinema once in a blue moon. She rarely goes to the
cinema.
(once
in a blue month : rarely نادرا)
2. Angela definitely has green
fingers- everything in the garden grows really well.
(green fingers : has talent for growing
plants(مولع
بزراعة النباتات
3. He is a bit green- he
hasn’t got much experience in this kind of work.
(He
is a bit green: He is inexperienced فتى غر او
عديم التجربة (
4. They knew that if she found out the truth it would hurt her feelings
so they told her a little
white lie.
white lie.
(a white lie : a harmless lie كذبة
بيضاء (
5. She doesn’t want to say anything until she has seen the facts in
black and white.
(in black and white: in writing (مكتوبة
خطيا
6. He is always out and about.
I never see him at home.
(out and about : busy , active outside
the home مشغول
(
7. After the argumentو they both did their best to clear the air.
(clear the air: to remove differences
or emotional tensions ازالة
الخلاف وتنقية الاجواء)
8. I can’t find my keys anywhere - they seem to have vanished into
thin air.
(vanish into thin air: disappear
completely
( اختفوا عن الانظار نهائيا
9. Matt is very determined to buy the
cottage. He won’t take no for an answer.
(won’t
take no for an answer : He will continue asking for something
although his request has already
been refused لا يعرف
المستحيل)
10. They wanted to build a holiday resort
here, but the owners of those beachfront cottages
refused to play ball.
refused to play ball.
(refused to play ball : wouldn't cooperate يرفضون
التعاطي مع الموضوع او التعاون فيه)
Compiled
and translated by: Hassan Naqeeb, ELC
teacher
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Multiple Intelligences Theory in a Nutshell
Are you afraid of being told that
you are not smart? Most people are - this is why some individuals will
literally avoid taking IQ tests because their intelligence might not meet the
standard expectations.
In reality, most IQ tests measure
only a part of our abilities, mainly the verbal-linguistic and
logical-mathematical ones. Are all people language and math-smart? Are the
verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences related to what would
make you a good student? If you are a good student throughout your whole
academic life, is this enough to make you successful in your job, or is there
more to it? Gardner thought there is more to it because he considered that
there are more ways to be smart than the two acknowledged ways in schools.
Basically, Gardner created a theory for everyone, a theory to embrace all human
abilities. He defines intelligence as “the ability to solve problems and create
products of consequence in different cultural settings”. His theory of Multiple
Intelligences is a theory of learning which he first presented in 1983 in his
seminal book “Frames of Mind”. He claims that people are endowed with a series
of proclivities, eight to nine possessing a palette of abilities which he names
multiple intelligences. Not all these
intelligences are developed in people in the same way; each individual has some
strengths and weaknesses. So, everybody can be smart in a variety of ways. The
initial seven intelligences presented by Gardner in “Frames of Mind” are:
verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic,
musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal. In 1999 Gardner added two more to the
above-mentioned seven: naturalistic and existential. The existential
intelligence has however not acquired the status of a full member in the list
of the previously mentioned intelligences because it did not pass all the
criteria established by Gardner.
And now let us see what each
intelligence is about:
If you are verbal-linguistically
smart, it means that you are good at dealing with words; you are able to
express your thoughts both orally and in written fluently and creatively.
Poets, writers, playwrights and lawyers are representatives in this category.
Good abstract and logical thinking,
the ability to understand cause-effect relationships might tell you that you
are logical-mathematically smart.
Scientists, mathematicians and accounts usually show this kind of intelligence.
The ability to remember melodies,
to recognize pitch, rhythm and be able to sing or compose a song would make you
musically-smart. People who possess this
kind of intelligence can be successful singers, composers, music performers.
If you try to create images to
represent things in your mind and manipulate them easily, then you might be visual-spatially smart. Painters, sculptors,
architects, cartographers excel in this type of intelligence.
The ability to use your body and
parts of your body to solve problems and create valuable products in a given
cultural setting relates to your bodily-kinesthetic
intelligence. Dancers, mimes, craftsmen, engineers excel in this
intelligence.
You are interpersonally
smart if you can put yourself in other people’s shoes, understand their
feelings, thoughts and moods, be empathetic. Teachers, actors, salespersons,
political leaders are endowed with this type of intelligence.
The ability to understand yourself,
your moods and feelings and deal with them properly in order to enrich your
life makes you intrapersonally smart. Counselors,
theologians, self-employed people usually abound in this intelligence.
The intelligence which relates to
your ability to recognize and classify samples of flora and fauna, and show
tremendous interest in nature is called naturalistic
intelligence. Biologists, hunters, fishermen and gardeners are
representatives of this category.
If you are interested in the big
questions about life and death, you might be existentially
smart. Philosophers, religious men, magicians are endowed with this type
of intelligence.
Everyone possesses all the
intelligences, but they are not uniformly developed in each human being. Each
individual has his own intelligence profile which might display strengths,
moderate abilities and weaknesses. In rare cases, like that of idiot savants or
prodigies, one or two intelligences can be extremely developed, the others
being barely represented. Two such examples would be Mozart, the musical
prodigy of the 16th century and Christopher, the polyglot who speaks
over twenty languages, but is not able to lace his shoes. In spite of their
diversity, intelligences do not work in isolation; they are orchestrated in
such a way that usually each individual shows some strengths, moderate
abilities and weaknesses.
Intelligences are amoral, there in
no one good or bad intelligence, all are equally precious, but individuals can
put them to good or bad use.
Next time when you think about
yourself, think about where your strengths lie, think that you are smart in
your own way and you can make a change in your life and in the life of the
others. Use your intelligences to “solve problems and create products of
consequence in your cultural setting”!
Adriana Al-Ghoul, ELC teacher
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The Fireworks King
He was
lying on his back in the grass, watching the fireworks exploding in the sky.
He was in the garden celebrating his son’s birthday. He wanted to
take a rest, so he sat on the grass. They were living in a large house: four bedrooms,
a wide living room, two bathrooms with a shower, a dining room, a kitchen and a
toilet. It was air conditioned and well-furnished. They also had a backyard. It
was full of flowers, fruit trees and vegetables. They would celebrate their
son’s birthday there.
While Adam was lying in his bed, he
remembered the time when he was nine. He used to play with fireworks. His
mother was always scolding him, “You are very naughty, and you never listen to
me. I told you many times to be careful when you play with these fireworks.” But he was never injured. His friends used to
call him “The Firework King”. He said in his mind, “I miss the old days. It was
a time full of exciting adventures.” Now Adam is a businessman and the adventures
are gone. Just work.
Childhood memories were flashing through
his mind. His six-year old son was running towards him shouting: “Father, what
are you doing here? We are going to cut the cake.”
Adam replied with a smile, “Okay son. Let’s go!”
Then, they started to cut the cake. It was a four-layer cake. It
was moist and delicious, chocolate- flavored. There were many gifts on the
table. The music was loud and everybody was laughing and dancing. The fireworks
colored the sky. It was a happy night. After the party, Adam and his wife, Jasmine,
gave their son a special present. Adam said, “Murad, it is time to open your
birthday present.”
Murad opened it quickly. Then, he jumped in the air and said, “Wow!
You bought me a cute dog.”
They wished him “Happy Birthday!” They kissed him good night and
went to sleep.
Next morning, the ambulance took Adam to the hospital.
Murad cried and said, “What happened mom? Why did they take my
father away?”
She replied with tears in her eyes, “Your dad is a little bit tired.
Don’t cry. He will come back soon.”
Adam had a heart attack after hearing the stock market news. He
lost his money in the stock exchange and got bankrupt. When he recovered, he
sold his house. Adam, Jasmine and Murad were very sad. After packing their
bags, they looked at the house with tears in their eyes. Murad said, “Goodbye
my dear house, we will miss you.”
Adam put one of his hands on Jasmine’s shoulders and the other one
on Murad’s. He bought a small apartment with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a very
small kitchen and a toilet. It was hard for them to accept their new style of
life.
Murad wondered, “How will I play with my dog in this house?” Jasmine
used to spend her time taking care of her hair, nails, and makeup. She used to
be a member in a women association. She didn’t spend much time with Murad. Now
she had to do the cooking, the sweeping, the ironing and other chores by
herself. She also spent a lot of time looking after her son.
Murad had to play in his room with the dog .He did not like to play
inside the house.
Adam turned from a handsome man to a person with unpretentious looks.
Every morning he would look for a job, but jobs were not easy to find. They
were buying food and other necessary things with the money they got from
selling their previous house.
Adam and Jasmine were sitting in their room thinking of a solution.
Adam said firmly, “I will do anything to buy food for my son.”
She replied, “Don’t worry. It’s going to be better soon. I believe
that.”
She added, “How about asking your friends for help?”
He took a deep breath and answered, “They deserted me when I became
poor.”
One day, Adam was walking
in the street. An old friend saw him, so he shouted, “Adam! Adam!” But Adam
didn’t hear his voice; his mind was elsewhere. Then, he came closer and said,
“Hello! Where is your mind?”
Adam replied, “Hi, Who are you?”
“I am Samer. Don’t you remember me?” Adam didn’t say anything for a
while.
Suddenly, he replied, “Ah! Samer. I missed you. How are you? What are
you doing?”. Samer was a tall, tough
long guy. His cheeks were always red. But Adam’s face looked always pale
despite his shining eyes.
After a long talk, Samer
reminded Adam of their childhood memories, especially of those related to the
firecrackers. Firecrackers – this was their sole hobby.
Samer told Adam, “Here’s my number. If you need any help, just call
me.”
Adam smiled and said, “Thank you. You are a faithful friend.”
An idea came to Adam’s head while he was resting on the couch. He
said loudly, “Why don’t I sell firecrackers?” He continued, “I am going to call
Samer.”
He and Samer started planning for the project. After couple of months,
the project became a reality. It worked well and efficiently.
Year by year, the work
expanded and the economic situation of the family improved. They bought a
bigger house. Murad said happily, “Now I can enjoy playing with my dog.”
Adam laughed and said, “Yes, you will.”
Jasmine commented, “I knew that things would get better. Now we are
back to our peaceful life.”
Adam replied, “Yes. We have a big house with an adorable backyard.
Also, I have an interesting job with my best friend.” He went on, “The most
important thing is that we are all together.”
Samer surprisingly entered the house and said, “Congratulations!”
Adam answered, “A friend in need is a friend indeed. Thank you very
much and thank God.”
Murad said, “Dad, my birthday is going to be next week. We should
be prepared for it, shouldn’t we?”
They looked at each other and said, “Certainly!”
Samer added, “There will be fireworks shining in the sky indeed.”
Areen Hassan Naqeeb, English Language student
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No tree or purple flower
At my gate
I keep it locked
Passers-by write their names on wood
Unfinished talk
I stay awake listening
For their coming back
Mai Tarek Fakhouri, English Language student (Arabic version)
Mohammad Shahdouf , English Language student (English translation)
Adapted
by Adriana Al-Ghoul, ELC teacher
=========================================================================
Oh morning, how beautiful you are
Chatting with my beloved on your porch
Listening to the radio after prayers
What is in store for Gemini?
Morning touching my cheeks
Sidewalks taking pictures of people passing by
Headlines in the morning paper
A cup of coffee Darwish-style
While I sit on the porch
Watching from afar
People coming and going
People drinking coffee, like you and me
I get on the bus
“I don’t like this song”, he says
“It’s the latest”, she replies
The employee: “I want to get off here”.
A poet looking through the window
Watching school children
Passing from one idea to another
I get off the bus
And change my destination
Enticed by the morning fragrance
Mai
Tarek Fakhouri, English Language student (Arabic version)
Mohammad Shahdouf , English Language student (English translation)
Adapted by Adriana AL-Ghoul, ELC
teacher
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An Invitation to Classical Music Lovers
Isn’t this a treat? Music for
Palestine! An Iranian composer, Kayhan
Kalhor, living in Germany wrote a “Symphony for Palestine”. Some teachers and
students of the Arab American University had the privilege to participate in
this event which took place sometime ago at Jenin cinema. We wanted to share
with you this great experience, so we post the recording which was graciously
provided by one of the members of the Dresdner Sinfoniker Orchestra. Enjoy it!
Follow the link or go to You Tube
and watch the video entitled “Symphony for Palestine”.
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Websites which can help you in
getting ahead with your grammar
#5,
Grammar-based Podcast (download to your
iPod)
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All publications were beautiful and I took advantage of them
ReplyDeleteOh morning, how beautiful you are was the simplest one and I liked it because I understood it easily ..Thank you to view these publications and useful websites
Great job indeed!!
ReplyDeleteHow can we take part ?