illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 2 » Lesson 15 - At school

Word List
  • as soon as
    right after; when
    I'll be there as soon as I can!
    As soon as you delete a worthless file,you'll need it.
    As soon as the sun rises in the morning, the farmer starts working.
    A: Are you coming to lunch?
    B: I'll be there as soon as I finish this.
  • attribute A to B
    say A is a result of B
    Most people attribute the good economy to the new president.
    Scientists attribute the warm weather to pollution.
    Many of the deaths in the earthquake were attributed to poor construction.
    A: Why are your shoes in my yard?
    B: I attribute that to your dog!
  • be apt to
    be likely to; will probably
    He is apt to be late for class because he has a night job.
    Without a map, you are apt to get lost on the small, confusing streets.
    He is apt to fail the test because he didn't study.
    A: Let's go shopping!
    B: It's a holiday. Stores are apt to be closed.
  • cut down on
    reduce; do/have less
    After that night, he decided to cut down on alcohol.
    We cut down on driving because the price of gasoline is too high.
    he cut down on eating snacks between meals.
    A: Why don't you want some cake?
    B: My dentist told me to cut down on sugar.
  • end up
    finally be; be in the end
    The ice-cream ended up on the floor.
    They ended up working on the project all night because of the deadline.
    The extra food at the party ended up in the garbage.
    A: Let's climb over the fence and touch the tiger!
    B: a thanks. I don't want to end up as lunch.
  • get over
    recover from; overcome
    Buddy, get over it.
    It took her almost a week to get over her jet lag from the long flight.
    She got over her old boyfriend very quickly and started dating a new boy.
    A: How did you get over your cold so fast?
    B: I ate 30 oranges a day for 3 days.
  • get used to
    be accustomed to; be familiar and comfortable with
    It will take a long time to get used to her!
    After I got used to waking up early, I enjoyed my extra time in the morning.
    How long did it take you to get used to living in your new apartment?
    A: It's almost midnight. Aren't you tired?
    B: No. I'm used to going to bed late.
  • in comparison with
    looking at in order to see the difference
    The weather in the South is usually wetter in comparison with the North.
    In comparison with her first book, the author's second book was not very good.
    This rock is heavy in comparison with its size.
    A: Your house is so small.
    B: Yes, but in comparison with my old house, it's a palace!
  • in no time
    very quickly
    The police arrived in no time.
    If you make a few American friends, you can improve your English in no time.
    In no time, the firefighters arrived at the fire.
    A: Are we almost there? I am so hungry!
    B: Don't worry. We'll be there in no time.
  • used to
    occurring or existing in the past
    She used to have straight hair.
    My family used to eat dinner together, but now we are too busy.
    The excuse for missing homework used to be "the dog ate it." Now it's "the disk was erased."
    A: What is your favorite sport?
    B: I used to like squash, but now I like racquetball.
Practice

Choose the best answer.

  1. He is trying to ________ his smoking, but he doesn't plan to quit completely.
    • a. be apt to
    • b. cut down on
    • c. get used to
  2. I will never ________ the way people drive in this city.
    • a. attribute to
    • b. cut down on
    • c. get used to
  3. She ________ the fact that she failed the exam and began studying for the next one.
    • a. is apt to
    • b. got over
    • c. in no time
  4. She called her parents ________ she heard the good news.
    • a. as soon as
    • b. in no time
    • c. used to
  5. The food is much better at this restaurant ________ the restaurant where we usually eat.
    • a. attribute to
    • b. end up
    • c. in comparison with
  6. My father ________ work in a large company, but he started his own business.
    • a. got used to
    • b. ended up
    • c. used to
  7. The movie ________ selling out before we got to the theater, so we couldn't see it.
    • a. as soon as
    • b. ended up
    • c. got over
  8. The lower number of people flying overseas this year was ________ the slowing economy.
    • a. attributed to
    • b. in comparison
    • c. used to
  9. This picture frame ________ break if we try to mail it, so we should find another gift to send.
    • a. is apt to
    • b. cuts down on
    • c. gets over
  10. We could finish this job ________ if we had the right tools.
    • a. attribute to
    • b. in no time
    • c. in comparison with
Answer Key
Choose the best answer.
  1. b
  2. c
  3. b
  4. a
  5. c
  6. c
  7. b
  8. a
  9. a
  10. b
Answer Key
Dialog

Fill in the blanks.

  • as soon as
  • in comparison with
  • end up
  • in no time
  • get used to
  • used to

At school:

Mary: How do you like our new teacher, Tom?

Tom: I don't like her. She doesn't teach very well Ms. Smith.

Mary: Why do you say that?

Tom: Ms. Smith take her time and explain the lessons with lots of interesting examples, but our new teacher goes too fast.

Mary: Maybe you just need some time to our new teacher's style of teaching.

Tom: I'll probably failing this class. I can't even do the homework for Monday.

Mary: I can help you. I'm sure I can explain the homework to you . It probably won't even take an hour.

Tom: That would be great, Mary! Can we meet on Saturday?

Mary: I'm going to see a movie with a friend Saturday afternoon, but I can call you I get back from the movie.

Tom: Thanks! See you on Saturday, Mary.

Read the following story

Research has found that as soon as a man and a woman get married, they start putting on weight. Men usually gain about four pounds. Women gain about five.

Researchers attribute the weight gain to changes in the exercise habits of newly married couples. A newly married man who used to spend several hours each week exercising is apt to stop exercising in order to spend more time with his new wife.

After the couple gets used to their new life together, they may begin to exercise again. However, usually the couple ends up exercising for a shorter time together in comparison with the time they exercised separately before marriage. One way a husband and wife can get over this problem is to begin to exercise together soon after the wedding.

The food a couple eats can also help the couple control their weight. In general, most people need to cut down on the foods which are high in fat. Couples who are used to eating a lot of beef, fried food, and deserts should try to eat more vegetables, chicken, and fish.

Couples who start putting on weight after marriage can get back to their old healthy weight in no time with the proper diet and exercise.

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