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20th Week

1st Day

New Words

La Cucaracha-the Cockroach

The poor cockroach has been called the "most reviled creature on the face of the earth." Nobody loves himexcept, perhaps, another cockroach. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are replete* with derogatory references to these ubiquitous* bugs. Public health officials are quick to indict the insects as carriers of viruses that cause yellow fever and polio. Although past evidence has been somewhat nebulous, recent studies also show that an allergy to roaches may contribute significantly to asthma. Little wonder, therefore, that the pesky cockroach is under attack.

Sample Sentences

Use the new words in the following sentences.

1.Because the contract offer was a __________ one, the union leaders balked* at it.

2.Ezra Pound, the expatriate* poet, was __________ for his pro-Fascist remarks.

3.When the grand jury refused to __________ him, the mobster was exonerated.*

4.Every time his accountant called with __________ pecuniary* problems, Ben was very blunt* with him.

5.The columnist was ordered to recant* her __________ statements.

Definitions

Match the new words with their meanings.

Today's Idiom

left holding the bagto be left to suffer the blame

The profligate* businessman left his distraught* partner holding the bag.

Answers are on Page 311

Page 124

2nd Day

New Words

Waiter, Please Take this Bowl of Soup Back to the Kitchen

In addition to menacing our health, cockroaches are smelly, filthy, and ugly. Upon entering a cellar that is redolent with their aroma, you are not likely to forget the odor. And when you spy the foul culprits* creating havoc* in your sugar bowl or in repose atop your chocolate cake, your disposition may be exacerbated.* Roaches are omnivorous and will feast upon such disparate items as wallpaper, upholstery, nylon stockings, and beer. No one can accuse the hungry and thirsty bugs of being abstemious.

Sample Sentences

The words above fit into the blanks below.

1.While the palace guards were in __________, the rebels' coup* began in earnest.

2.Coach Fischer issued a fiat* that required that his players be __________.

3.The __________ scent that came from the bakery created in Eloise a sense of nostalgia* for her grandmother's bread.

4.__________ eaters find the dietary laws in some hotels to be too restrictive.*

5.Regardless of how __________ their crimes were, all the prisoners were freed by the general amnesty.*

Definitions

Match the new words with their meanings.

Today's Idiom

a lick and a promiseto do something in a hasty and superficial manner

The meticulous* housewife was in so much of a hurry that she could only give the apartment a lick and a promise. Answers are on Page 311

Page 125

3rd Day

New Words

or ek stant′

The Roach Lives On

Cockroaches are the oldest extant winged insects, having been traced back over 350 million years. They have endured the vicissitudes of weather, natural disasters, war, and planned liquidation.* They reside comfortably in caves in South America, in transcontinental airplanes, on mountain tops, in Park Avenue edifices, and in television sets. The climate may be sultry or frigid but roaches persevere.* In the words of one writer, "The miraculous survival of the roach is explained by its inherent* adaptability." In fact, a trenchant analysis made the point that any forthcoming nuclear war will be won by roaches, not Russians, Chinese, or Americans.

Sample Sentences

Use the new words in the following sentences.

1.Hundreds of __________ copies of Shakespeare's signature came from the same prolific* forger.

2.The __________ of life in the Medical Corps are not for the squeamish.*

3.We originally planned on a skyscraper but had to settle for a truncated* __________.

4.When he learned that the movie was to be replete* with __________ scenes, the cautious banker refused to underwrite* its cost.

5.General Fox submitted a __________ report on the enemy's latent* strength.

Definitions

Match the new words with their meanings.

Today's Idiom

tongue in cheekinsincerely

Speaking with his tongue in his cheek, the parsimonious* employer promised to double everyone's wages.

Answers are on Page 311