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Page 247
2nd Day
New Words
staunch opprobrium |
Machiavellian |
unconscionable |
pandemonium |
stônch
The Good Guys vs. The Bad Guys
The international adventure stories prevalent* on television follow meticulously* a plot that is inexorable* in its development. Those on the side of law and justice face perfidious* men and organizations. These are anathema* to those values the staunch heroes would defend. These infamous* men have no capacity for compassion,* and they treat the lovely women with opprobrium. The intrepid* heroes are placed in deleterious* situations as a result of the Machiavellian maneuvers of their opponents. One unconscionable act of duplicity* follows another until the total destruction of the "good guys" seems at hand. At the last moment, usually amidst the pandemonium of a battle, the cause for which the heroes strive triumphs. However, evil is ubiquitous,* and next week another fracas* will erupt.
Sample Sentences
Insert the new words in these sentences.
1.The coach heaped __________ upon the fledgling* ball player.
2.We are ready to rationalize* __________ activities on the part of our side if they are to the detriment* of our adversary.*
3.It was __________ to Abraham Lincoln to keep a book he had borrowed without making tenacious* efforts to return it.
4.There was __________ as the presidential nominee entered the convention site.*
5.She is such a __________ friend, my reprehensible* actions do not cause a schism* between us.
Definitions
Match the new words with their definitions.
6. staunch |
____ a. scorn, insult |
7. opprobrium |
____ b. strong, trusty, firm |
8. Machiavellian |
____ c. without conscience, unreasonable |
9. unconscionable |
____ d. governed by opportunity, not principled |
10. pandemonium |
____ e. disorder, uproar |
Today's Idiom
through thick and thinin spite of all sorts of difficulties
He decided to stick with his fairweather friends* through thick and thin.
Answers are on Page 318
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Page 248
3rd Day
New Words
flay |
demeanor |
delineation |
vindicate |
heinous |
A Famous Mutiny
One of the most repugnant* names in popular legend is that of Captain William Bligh. He was the captain of the H.M.S. Bounty in 1789, and the mutiny that erupted* aboard that ship was the basis for a film in which Charles Laughton portrayed Bligh as an awesome* bully and an unmitigated* villain. He would flay both the body and the spirit of anyone who crossed him. The crew developed such an aversion* to Bligh's mortifying actions and demeanor that, led by Fletcher Christian, they set the captain and 17 shipmates off in a lifeboat in the South Pacific. The ship continued to the Pitcairn Islands where the crew remained to live with the islanders. Laughton's delineation of Bligh remains as the image we have of him. Only recently has any attempt been made to vindicate Captain Bligh and to remove the heinous reputation that permeates* history.
Sample Sentences
Insert the new words in these sentences.
1.The mayor tried to __________ his actions that had been called capricious* and irrational* by critics.
2.He castigated* his opponents and went to great lengths to __________ them with accusations of megalomania.*
3.His __________ was atypical*; usually phlegmatic*, he was belligerent* and garrulous* during the broadcast.
4."The most __________ thing I have done," he said in a stentorian* voice, "is eradicate* the untruth that my party is not compatible* with progress."
5.Then he gave an incisive* __________ of his fulsome* opponents as an antiquated* group, complacent* about the noisome* conditions in a moribund* city.
Definitions
Match the new words with their definitions.
6. flay |
____ a. hatefully evil |
7. demeanor |
____ b. absolve, justify |
8. delineation |
____ c. sketch, description in words |
9. vindicate |
____ d. conduct, bearing |
10. heinous |
____ e. strip off skin, scold harshly |
Today's Idiom
to take by stormto make a fast impression
The new opera star took the critics by storm and carried the day.*
Answers are on Page 318
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Page 249
4th Day
New Words
turpitude |
infraction |
callous |
redress |
vituperation |
ri dres′
Fair Play!
Recently, there has been an attempt to improve Captain Bligh's tainted* image. Historians maintain that there was no turpitude in Bligh's actions aboard the H.M.S. Bounty. Perhaps he was imprudent* in failing to keep his temper under control. While an infraction aboard ship was quickly criticized, Bligh never carried out those callous actions the movie dramatized in order to depict* an evil man, say his defenders. After the mutiny, Captain Bligh astutely* navigated the lifeboat with the other 17 men for over 3,000 miles to safety. This prodigious* feat alone, say those who would restore Bligh's good name, should be enough to allow for a full redress of the wrongs that have been blamed on him for over 150 years. While the coterie* defending Captain Bligh do not ask the public to praise him, they do request a more benevolent* attitude toward this traditionally* reprehensible* figure, and an end to the vituperation heaped upon him for these many years.
Sample Sentences
Insert the new words in these sentences.
1.We do not condone* or tolerate* an __________ of even the most trivial kind.
2.It takes a __________ person to watch with equanimity* as a gullible,* naive* girl falls for the line of a loathsome* boy.
3.How easy it is to heap __________ upon someone at the nadir* of his career.
4.There seems to be no way to __________ a grievance against at omnipotent* ruler.
5.From any facet* of his life, the acme* of moral __________ was reached by Adolph Hitler.
Definitions
Match the new words with their definitions.
6. turpitude |
____ a. unfeeling |
7. infraction |
____ b. vileness, evil wickedness |
8. callous |
____ c. to right a wrong, remedy |
9. redress |
____ d. violation |
10. vituperation |
____ e. blame, abuse |
Today's Idiom
to be in fine fettleto be in high spirits, or feeling well
He did a lot of woolgathering* and was in fine fettle during the whole of the Indian summer.*
Answers are on Page 318
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