This year has been pretty eventful. With the Covid-19 outbreak we were all forced to stay home and do school online. This really played a toll on everybody as no one was used to it. After a while, the schools were made safe again and we attended them with masks on. This year in our English class we learned many new words and verb tenses that helped expand our vocabulary and express ourselves better. We did many fun activities to make classes more eventful and interesting and to get everybody to engage. We worked on different projects such as introducing Armenian foods and sharing our culture. We also did listening practices where we would listen to audios and fill up the blanks of the story in the workbook. I am looking forward to my English classes next year and I’m hoping Covid will be gone by the time we go back.

The perfect job for me should have the perfect balance between a high salary and a field that I am interested in. So far, the two main jobs that I am considering are a lawyer or a psychotherapist. I would want to be a lawyer because it includes defending human rights which is something I am very interested in. In the modern world of social injustice, it is important to stand up for people who’s voices aren’t being heard. My reasons for becoming a psychotherapist are that I am fascinated with human emotions and how they work. I want to be able to help people who are dealing with traumas, toxic relationships, ect. Qualifications for being a lawyer include having knowledge of history, having critical thinking, being able to act quickly and efficiently in situations where you’re under a lot of pressure, and having some knowledge from psychology to be able to distinguish signals from the suspect that are not visible at first glance. To be a psychologist, you need to know biology, human behavior, the way the human brain works, responses to trauma. You also need to be patient and emotionally stable to be able to help your patients. You need to be able to put yourself in their situation and understand them. There are downsides to these jobs. As for lawyers, there is a lot of memorization you need to do and each of the court cases that you lose will stay with you forever. For psychologists, there are enormous amounts of psychological burden that is passed down to you from your patients.

Next morning, when I was looking at the paper (on the Internet), I happened to see this small article. “Police last night finally arrested the serial killer who had gone on a killing spree, making the people of this city terrified their homes at night. The killer’s first victim was rumored to have been his ex-girlfriend, who had ended up dead due to her attempt to break up with him because of the strange behavior he had been displaying lately. He would come home late every night, with red stains on his hands, which the police would later discover was animal blood. When trying to confront him about it he would just brush it off or refuse to talk about it. She felt he was getting obsessive and controlling over her, demanding to know where she is at all times and not letting her do the things he enjoyed. So that is how she became his first victim. Seeing as to how his first attempt was a success, the killer went on to continue looking for victims. He felt no remorse and no empathy for those he killed. First would cut their dead bodies into small pieces, boil them, and blend them. Then he would dispose of them in toilets of popular restaurant bathrooms and pour bleach in the toilets afterwards to make sure they wouldn’t leave a smell. The pieces that were too big to blend would be buried 9 feet deep in the forest 40 minutes from his house, then he would put corpses of dead animals halfway through the grave so that even if police dogs traced the body by smell, the police would think that it was coming from the dead animal. The way he got caught was quite pathetic really. While trying to dispose of the body of his latest victim at the restaurant, one of the waiters noticed the suspicious bag he was carrying and asked what was inside. When the killer refused to answer the waiter thought he was carrying a weapon and called security. Upon looking into the bag, security called the police and that is how the killer was found and arrested.

New Headway pg. 109

Exercise 1

To: reservations@seaviewb&b.com

Subject: Reservation

To fax no.: 01326 230579

Exercise 2

1. I would like to reserve two rooms at your bed and breakfast.
2. We are arriving on 27 August.
3. We hope to stay for six nights departing on September 2.
4. My husband and I would like a double room preferably with an en-suite bathroom.
5. I would also like to reserve a room for our two teenage daughters.
6. Both should be non-smoking rooms.
7. Would it be possible to have rooms facing the sea?
8. Do you have available rooms for these dates?
9. Could you also tell me the price of each room?
10. I look forward to hearing from you.

Exercise 3

Dear Janet, thank you for your enquiry. We are pleased to confirm your reservation for the rooms you asked for from the dates of August 27 to September 2. I can assure you that all of our rooms are non-smoking rooms. Lucky for you, all of our rooms come with en-suite bathrooms and gorgeous views of the sea and our surroundings. Our breakfast menus include a variety of options for all types of people. We even have a separate section for vegan breakfast options. As for prices, each room is $50 per night, and you will have the option to access premium benefits, such as baskets of goods, for only $20 dollars more. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to our B&B, and hope you enjoy your stay.

Yours Sincerely, Anne Westcomb

Fill In The Blanks

1. Each of our workers is trained to give your car a thorough/comprehensive examination.
2. Tom jones was undoubtedly the best singer in the choir when he was young.
3. He could approach the problem from all angles.
4. Mrs. Spector always wanted to be popular with her friends.
5. Why did you neglect cleaning your room today?
6. The employee bought his boss a birthday present.
7. Rocco’s only defect was that he walked with a slight limp.
8. None of the other poker players suspected that their friend would deceive them in order to win.
9. When Cynthia realized that nobody liked her, she knew she had been decieved.
10. I could detect from the tone of his voice that he was in a bad mood.
11. His client was happy with the work Terence had been doing for him.
12. I do not want to do anything less than a thorough job on my term paper.

Choose The Correct Word

1. Many of today’s popular songs will become tomorrow’s Golden Oldies.
2. My boss insists that all of the employees punch a time clock each morning.
3. I detected a hint of sarcasm in your seemingly innocent reply to the sales clerk who
   apologized for the long lines.
4. As the car approached the bridge, we could see the dense* fog coming in off the
   water.
5. Our weekly vocabulary quizzes are comprehensive including not only that week’s new
   words, but words we learned in past weeks as well.
6. Even a small defect in an electric appliance can be the possible* cause of a fire.
7. Ms. Rodriguez undoubtedly felt she had been unjustly accused of showing
   favoritism, but most of her students felt otherwise.
8. Her thorough description of the missing bracelet helped police find it.
9. We’ve all learned that if you neglect your teeth, you will surely develop dental problems
   of one kind or another.
10. It is probably still true that the majority* of Americans do not think our political leaders would
    knowingly defraud the government.
11. To deceive someone into thinking you are a friend when you are only along for the ride
    is selfish and unfeeling.
12. Since your livelihood depends on pleasing them, clients, like customers, are always
    right.

---

Word Review

A.

1. It was a typical day in July, hot and sticky.
2. I could tell that Matt was coming because I knew his vapor of tobacco.
3. Please realize that if you try to climb the icy mountain peril awaits you.
4. The mechanic detected an oil leak in the engine.
5. How could you neglect paying the rent?
6. Felix made a sinister remark that sent chills up and down my spine.
7. Many questions had to be answered before Mrs. Soto could qualify for the job.
8. I am unaccustomed to receiving gifts from people I don’t know very well.
9. Factory-made goods are plentiful, but farm products are scarce.
10. When he got to the jail, the people in charge tried to reform him.

B.

1. approach – leave
2. expensive – cheap
3. visible – unseen
4. popular – hated
5. vacant – filled
6. keen – dull
7. descend – climb
8. humid – dry
9. vanish – be seen
10. essential – not needed

C.

1. Sailors Abandon Sinking Ship
2. Congress Votes to Raise Minimum Wage
3. Dense Fog Covers Bay Area
4. Unfit Parents Arrested for Child Neglect
5. Escaped Convict Continues to Evade Police
6. College Campus Quiet After Demonstration
7. Mayor Takes Oath of Office on Steps of City Hall
8. Rescuers Descend into Mine to Find Lost Workers
9. New Apartment House to Rise on Vacant Land
10. Poll to Predict Outcome of Election

D.

1. Wholesale
2. Villain
3. Majority
4. Probe
5. Defraud
6. Abandon
7. Assemble
8. Eliminate
9. Conceal
10. Tact

E.

1. Annual
2. Expensive
3. Detected
4. Defects
5. Essential
6. Enormous
7. Wholesale
8. Employees
9. Neglected
10. Essential

F.

1. I bought a different blend of spices this time.
2. It was different to blend my smoothie with the broken blender.

1. The child was faced with neglect from his parents for most of his childhood.
2. The customer was being neglected by the store clerk.

My country is full of people who will make you feel very welcome and belonging, especially if you are a tourist. It is full of Armenian culture and traditions. If I had to give advice to someone moving to this country for the purposes of work, I would tell them that there are many job opportunities here and it is easy to make connections with people. Armenians are often characterized as hospitable, friendly, and kind people who respect elders, have a gentle attitude to children, and have strong family values. In here, it is considered impolite to see elderly people carrying heavy bags and not help them. Some other things that are considered impolite are showing up empty-handed as a guest and forgetting to tip waiters. Overall, Armenia is a very hospitable country with friendly and kind people.

The saying “When in Rome, do as the romans do” means when visiting a foreign land, follow the customs of those who live in it. It can also mean that when you are in an unfamiliar situation, you should follow the lead of those who know the ropes.

A few years ago my family and I visited my uncle from Los Angeles. There wasn’t a special occasion he just wanted to see me and my siblings since he last saw us when we were still little kids. The first difference I had noticed was the fridge with drinks he had in his basement. In Armenia I never saw anyone having a separate fridge for drinks. What I really liked about the food was that he had some pizza and french fries apart from traditional dishes. He also made us try ranch dressing which i had never tried before. Overall I really enjoyed having dinner at my uncle’s. In my country inviting people over for dinner is a lot more usual. We may even invite people over without any special occasions. When we know that we are going to have guests my mother usually cooks delicious meals. My grandmother is really good at baking and sometimes she makes fantastic cakes.The difference between Armenia and abroad is that abroad staying at someone’s house for too long is considered impolite but in Armenia people like staying for a long time. In conclusion being guests abroad and having guests in Armenia has a lot of differences and similarities but I enjoy both.

I love traveling since it lets you discover new places and different countries. I try to travel as much as possible, but this year with the Corona Virus that has been hard. In the past, I have lived in Russia and USA, visited Mexico and been on holiday to San Francisco and Malibu beach. I lived in Russia for 4 years and in the USA for 3 years. This has helped me improve my English and has allowed me to be able to communicate with more people. I visited Mexico, Cancun for 2 weeks and it was really nice. The beaches had a lot of palm trees and the sunsets were very beautiful. While visiting San Francisco we visited the Golden Gate bridge and took pictures. I have also been in Greece but I was little at the time so i don’t remember much. I would really like to visit Italy and the UK sometime in the future, and revisit USA again.

A New Year symbolizes a new start for everyone, a year to set their goals and achieve what they have always wanted to achieve. Some prefer to spend it by having dinner with their family, following traditions that trace back to their ancestors, playing Christmas games, or partying with their friends. Some people may prefer to spend it alone by going Christmas shopping, making hot chocolate and Christmas cookies, or watching Christmas movies.

One way I can think of improving my life in the new year is by living more in the moment. Not worrying about insignificant things, and working on being the best version of myself that I can be. Focus on my goals and where I would want to see myself years from now. If I could have one New Year’s wish, I would wish for COVID to be over, so that life could go back to normal, and no more families would have to grieve the loss of their loved ones. If I could celebrate the New Year from anywhere in the world, I would go to New York. I would go to New York because I love the way every street is decorated for the holidays, the snow, the shopping centres full with presents and candles that remind you of Christmas.

At some point, every teenager deals with issues in their life, whether it’s being misunderstood, not fitting in, not feeling like you’re good enough, or family issues. The standards that society has enforced on us often keep us from loving ourselves for who we are and make us feel like we need to change in order to please those who are around us. 

Every individual has different needs, whether it is to feel loved, to have someone to talk to, or to have self-confidence. The perfect environment would be a place where everyone is accepted for who they are, there are no beauty standards, no racism, homophobia, or sexism, people don’t judge others based on stereotypes, and everyone gets to be who they want to be and love who they want to love.

There is also the stress from being pressured to do well in school or else you’re going to fail and live a miserable life. Because of this, most students just memorise what they are told to in hopes of passing their exams, but later on in life are not able to utilize the knowledge that they were supposed to learn. If we could create a program that would actually try to help students and teach them the things they need to know in a way that would make them want to learn, we could change the world. Students wouldn’t have to go through so much stress thinking of ways to pass that one test at the end of the year that will determine their future.