Monday Morning EnglishTRAVEL NEWS WIRE…
A fire aboard a Boeing 787 aircraft parked at Heathrow Airport in London had nothing to do with the GS Yuasa battery systems, according to initial reports. The aircraft had been parked at the airport for more than eight hours before smoke emerged from the galley area and the air circulation systems. Investigators indicated that there was no sign of fire in the section of the aircraft that housed the battery compartments. The plane belonged to Ethiopian Airlines, and had arrived at Heathrow from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. JAL and ANA operate the 787, as well as Poland’s LOT, and the U.S. carrier United Continental, formed from the merger of United and Continental in 2010.
THIS WEEK’S NATURAL PHRASE
step on (someone’s) toes
Brenda: Our friends Peter and Jessica are getting married, but they are paying a lot of money for the wedding clothes. I want to tell them to contact my cousin, who can supply the clothes for a lower price.
Samir: Are you sure that you want to do that? Jessica has been handling it, and she might not want you to interfere. I think it’s better if you stay quiet and don’t step on her toes.
Explanation: To “step on someone’s toes” means to do something that is the responsibility of someone else. They might think that you shouldn’t interfere, even if you are trying to help. The phrase carries the idea of dancing with someone, but stepping on their toes by accident.
THIS WEEK’S MEDICAL PHRASE
empathy
Doctor Martin: I’m tired of Mr. Garcia coming to the hospital again and again. We have to spend so much time with his little problems. There are other patients that we need to care for.
Doctor Wu: I know that it can be annoying to see many non-urgent cases, but we have to show empathy with each patient. Try to remember that each person needs your medical help as well as your personal understanding.
Explanation: The term “empathy” describes the idea of understanding the pain of the patient, and wanting to help them.
THIS WEEK’S EMAIL PHRASE
SEO (search engine optimization)
Dear Wei Long:
We are going to ask an IT consultant to join our Monday meeting. We have a good website, but we need to increase our search engine optimization. We expect the consultant to come up with an effective SEO plan by the end of the week.
Explanation: The phrase “search engine optimization” or “SEO” means that a company is making sure that their website information comes out high on web searches from Google or other websearch services. The word “optimization” means to get the best result out of an action.