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2nd Day

New Words

Patent Pending

My buddy Verne, a precocious automotive wizard, and I were inspired to do some inventing on our own. We thought it might be feasible* to park a car parallel to a space on the street. Then, by pressing a button, we could raise the four tires off the ground slightly, while dropping two special wheels perpendicular to the curb. It would then be child's play to roll into the narrowest of parking spaces. We took the idea to Ed Greene who runs the Ford agency in order to elicit* his reaction. After a perfunctory glance at our plans, to our chagrin Ed snorted that our idea was inane,* but we decided that he was just jealous of our brilliance. Tomorrow we are going to start on a computer that will enable us to measure the intelligence of perverse automobile dealers who like to deride the efforts of junior geniuses.

Sample Sentences

Use the clues above to help find the proper words.

1.The children in Shakespeare's plays are so __________ that they all sound like grandparents.

2.Edith gave only __________ attention to the new millennium, skipping our New Year's Eve party.

3.The Wright brothers didn't become distraught* when a skeptic would __________ their work.

4.When I correct my kid brother's math errors, he is __________ enough to insist that he is right.

5.To the __________ of many taxpayers, some citizens seem to cheat the government with impunity.* Definitions

Match the new words with their meanings.

Today's Idiom

red-letter dayday of happiness, time for rejoicing (holidays are red-letter days on our calendars) My red-letter day came when I was chosen as senior class president.

Answers are on Page 307

Page 36

Hold That Nobel Prize!

Speaking of inventions and discoveries, I just learned that an eminent* scientist in Ohio has developed a pill that contains all the nutritive value of three complete meals. In addition to providing us with the vitamins and minerals we need daily, this pill also gives a feeling of fullness. According to its sponsors, the pill will nourish and satisfy. I hate to disparage such a laudable achievement, but to me it seems like a most objectionable discovery. Rather than a scientific triumph, I'd be inclined to label it as an egregious* blunder, a scientific disaster, a laboratory fiasco. Is there anyone in his right mind who thinks that a pill can replace the pleasures of devouring hot corn bread, masticating on a thick steak, biting into crisp french fries, or attacking a chocolate sundae? I'm afraid that this is one pill I'll have to eschew from chewing.

Sample Sentences

Insert the new words in the following sentences.

1.The paradox* is that Javert's inexorable* pursuit of Jean Valjean was both __________ and despicable.

2.The affluent* storeowner __________ the efforts of his small competitor, saying that he could always tolerate* that kind of rivalry.

3.To aid in digestion, you must __________ each piece of meat one dozen times.

4.In an acrimonious* letter, her father described the project as a complete __________.

5.Once he sought the limelight, but now he __________ all interviews.

Definitions

Match the new words with their meanings.

Today's Idiom

to let sleeping dogs lieto let well enough alone, to avoid stirring up old hostilities

The lawyer wanted to open up the old case, but his partner advised him to let sleeping dogs lie.

Answers are on Page 307

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4th Day

New Words

kwel

Perfect Products

I guess we'll never be able to quell those persistent rumors about the invention of auto tires that will never wear out, stockings that cannot tear, and pens that won't run dry. A voluble economist informed me that such products will never be marketed. "Can you imagine," he asked, "a manufacturer cutting his own throat? Why would he sell you an item that you will never have to replace? No," my confidant whispered, "it's part of their scheme of planned obsolescence to sell you merchandise with a limited life span in order to keep you coming back for more." I am dubious about the existence of those perfect products, but then I'm from Missouri.*

Sample Sentences

Use the new words in the proper blanks.

1.When the duplicity* was revealed, the jury became __________ about Ed's innocence.

2.In order to __________ the riot, the police sallied* forth with tear gas.

3.A teenage boy's father should be his true __________.

4.The __________ built into many products could be regarded as a flagrant* insult toward the duped* consumer.

5.I could not doze in the chair because of the __________ barber.

Definitions

Play the familiar matching game.

Today's Idiom

thumb's downsignal of rejection (Roman emperors could condemn a gladiator who fought poorly by turning their thumbs down) My father turned thumbs down on our plan to hitchhike to Florida during Easter.

Answers are on Page 307

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5th Day Review

After reading about these new ideas, you should be inventive enough to handle this review. If there is a necessity for it, you may turn back to the original lesson to check on the meaning of a word. As someone once remarked, "Necessity is the mother of invention."