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Page 150
2nd Day
New Words
taboo |
imprudent |
prohibition |
imperative |
taint |
im prüd′ nt
Forbidden
An outgrowth of the idea of a fetish* is the closely related practice of taboo. Whereas the gods or supernatural powers merely inhabit an object that is a fetish and lend it magic, they will punish the imprudent native who violates their prohibition of an act or use of an object or word that has become taboo. If a taboo has been broken, it becomes imperative for the offender to be punished. In many cases, however, the taint on the community may be removed after the priests have performed a special ceremony. Often, the violator of the taboo will be punished or die merely through his own fears of the terrible thing he has done.
Sample Sentences
Has the context in which your new words appear given you clues to their meaning? Try now to use them in these sample sentences.
1.Unsanitary conditions in the bottling factory caused hundreds of cases of soda to be __________ by dirt and foreign objects. The health department refused to allow the soda to be sold.
2.Although a New Jersey high school principal placed a __________ on boys wearing their hair long, one student fought in the courts and won his case.
3.It is considered __________ to give your computer code word to anyone not fully known to you.
4.It is __________ for certain South Seas islanders to eat some foods before they marry.
5.In the nuclear age it has become __________ for the nations of the world to learn to live in peace.
Definitions
Now is your chance to test your knowledge of your new words by matching them with their definitions.
6. imperative |
____ a. contamination, undesirable substance that spoils something |
7. imprudent |
____ b. the act of forbidding certain behavior |
8. prohibition |
____ c. urgent, necessary, compulsory |
9. taboo |
____ d. forbidden by custom or religious practice |
10. taint (n.) |
____ e. unwise, not careful |
Today's Idiom
the first waterof the best quality, the greatest
Michael Jordan is obviously a basketball player of the first water who would be of enormous value to any team.
Answers are on Page 313
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Page 151
3rd Day
New Words
universal |
contemptuous |
absurd |
bigot |
abhor |
ab hôr′
An Absurdity
Although it is probably universal human behavior to be contemptuous of the bizarre* superstitions practiced by inhabitants of unfamiliar cultures, it seems to be somewhat imprudent* to laugh at others before one takes a good, hard look at the absurd taboos* and fetishes* one accepts as part of one's everyday life. Isn't it somewhat absurd when the "dyed-in-the-wool" bigot, who illogically fears the taint* of close association with blacks (behavior that resembles fear of a taboo), spends most of the summer lying in the sun trying to acquire the color he claims to abhor? Since doctors tell us that excessive sun-tanning may be a cause of skin cancer, our strange yearning for sun-darkened skin has all the qualities of a fetish.*
Sample Sentences
Did the starred review words seem familiar to you? Yet, how many were totally foreign several days ago? Keep up the good work now by using your new words in the following sentences.
1.Bob felt __________ of his best friend after he saw him cheating during an exam.
2.The teacher felt like laughing after he heard Sally's __________ excuse for not having done her homework.
3.One politician, a notorious __________, hopes to get support as a presidential candidate on the basis of his prejudices and intolerance.
4.I __________ some one who is constantly changing channels with a remote while I'm trying to read in the same room.
5.Would relations between countries be simpler if a __________ language were spoken rather than hundreds of separate ones?
Definitions
Match your new words with their definitions.
6. abhor |
____ a. ridiculous |
7. absurd |
____ b. present everywhere |
8. bigot |
____ c. expressing a feeling that something is worthless |
9. contemptuous |
____ d. a person who is intolerant of other people or ideas |
10. universal |
____ e. to detest, to despise |
Today's Idiom dyed-in-the-woolset in one's ways
He was a dyed-in-the-wool Republican who would not consider voting for a Democrat.
Answers are on Page 313
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