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Page 132
2nd Day
New Words
lush |
destitution |
ponder |
supplication |
decadence |
lush
Siddhartha's Eyes Are Opened
One day, Prince Siddhartha expressed the desire to leave his lush surroundings and ride out among his people. He was profoundly shaken by the misery, destitution, disease, and excruciating* pain with which his people were constantly afflicted.* Retiring to his room to ponder over what he had seen, he remained there for several days, deaf to the supplication of those who pleaded with him to come forth. It seemed to Siddhartha that his life had been redolent* with decadence, and he was determined to make amends.
Sample Sentences
Use the new words in the following sentences.
1.The __________ stage setting drew applause from the theater buffs.*
2.In the hospital, the alcoholic had time to __________ over the need to be abstemious.*
3.As the traveler followed the tortuous* path up the Kentucky mountain, he was sickened by the __________ which he saw.
4.Through __________, the fraternity head hoped to end the strife* among the members.
5.Rumors of Rome's __________ were rife* among the barbarian tribes.
Definitions
Match the new words with their meanings.
6. lush |
____ a. decay |
7. destitution |
____ b. extreme poverty |
8. ponder |
____ c. to consider carefully |
9. supplication |
____ d. earnest prayer |
10. decadence |
____ e. luxurious, elaborate |
Today's Idiom
on tenter hooksin a state of anxiety (cloth used to be stretched or ''tentered" on hooks) The indicted* clerk was kept on tenter hooks by the district attorney.
Answers are on Page 312
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Page 133
3rd Day
New Words
penance |
ascetic |
desultory |
disciple |
metamorphosis |
The Enlightened One
Siddhartha exchanged his sumptuous* garments for a monk's yellow robe and went out into the world to do penance for what he considered to be his previous life of sin. First he would cleanse himself by becoming an ascetic; then he would study Hindu wisdom in order to be prepared to help his suffering people. After six years of desultory wandering and attracting only a handful of disciples, Siddhartha came to a huge tree near the Indian city of Gaya. For seven weeks he sat beneath its branches, seeking an answer for his personal torment. Finally, it is said, he underwent a metamorphosis, becoming the Enlightened Onethe Buddha.
Sample Sentences
Use the new words in the following sentences.
1.Billy the Vampire is the only extant* __________ of Count Dracula.
2.In a remarkable __________, her lugubrious* mood changed to one of levity.*
3.Following a lengthy diatribe* against mendacity*, the priest imposed __________ upon the sinner.
4.The cave of the __________ lacked the opulence* and lush* decoration of his former mansion.
5.Larry's compositions proceed in a __________ manner despite the supplication* of his English teacher. Definitions
Match the new words with their meanings.
6. penance |
____ a. change |
7. ascetic (n.) |
____ b. atonement for sin |
8. desultory |
____ c. occurring by chance, disconnected |
9. disciple |
____ d. one who practices self-denial and devotion |
10. metamorphosis |
____ e. follower |
Today's Idiom
the fat is in the firethe mischief is done
We implored* him to desist* but he said that the fat was already in the fire.
Answers are on Page 312
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Page 134
4th Day
New Words
bona fide |
salvation |
materialism |
nurture |
nirvana |
Love Over Hatred, Goodness Over Evil
Buddha outlined the three paths that men might travel: worldly pleasure, self-torment, and the middle path. Only through the middle path could man achieve bona fide peace and salvation. One had to repudiate* materialism, keep his self-control, restrict speech, be open-minded, never lie or steal, reject selfish drives, nurture goodness, etc. Buddha continued to preach until the age of eighty, spreading the philosophy that man has the power to shape his own destiny. Through good deeds and pure thoughts man may reach nirvana. Interestingly enough, the man who objected to traditional religious worship was to become idolized by millions throughout the world.
Sample Sentences
Use the new words in the following sentences.
1.In order to __________ good will, the management will do anything to accommodate* its guests' special needs.
2.When we saw the hundreds of __________ petitions, we realized that the number of people who supported the candidate was legion.*
3.The megalomaniac* believed that he alone had the answer to mankind's __________.
4.Rosalie found solace* in the conviction that one day mankind would reach Shangri-la, Utopia,* __________.
5.Disciples* of __________ may know the price of everything but the value of nothing.
Definitions
Match the new words with their meanings.
6. bona fide |
____ a. to nourish, support |
7. salvation |
____ b. attention to worldly things and neglect of spiritual needs |
8. materialism |
____ c. freedom from care and pain, Buddhist heaven |
9. nurture |
____ d. genuine |
10. nirvana |
____ e. deliverance from ruin |
Today's Idiom
like Caesar's wifeabove suspicion
Mrs. Drake would have to be like Caesar's wife so that no tinge* of scandal would embarrass her husband, our new mayor. Answers are on Page 312
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