Monday Morning EnglishTRAVEL NEWS WIRE…
The world’s longest commercial flight – Singapore Airlines’ non-stop flight 19-hour flight from Singapore to Newark, N.J. – will be discontinued by the end of 2013. The flight has been operating with 100 seats, all of them business class. While the flight was useful for business travelers, the high fuel costs made it difficult for Singapore Air to make a profit from the flight. Newark is also a very unpopular airport, far from New York City. After Singapore cancels the Singapore-Newark flight, the world’s longest flight will be a Quantas flight linking Sydney, Australia and Dallas/Fort Worth in the U.S.
THIS WEEK’S NATURAL PHRASE
put up with
Howard: What is your new apartment like? Are you enjoying it?
Miyako: Well, the rooms are very comfortable, but the family in the apartment next door is always having loud fights until late at night. It’s really hard to put up with the noise.
Explanation: When you “put up with” something, it means that you try to tolerate it, or that you try to be patient in a difficult situation. Sometimes people say “I can’t put up with this any more!”
THIS WEEK’S MEDICAL PHRASE
booster shots
PMrs. Marcus: My son had his vaccinations at school, but we left the country for five years. Does he need new shots?
Doctor Azara: We’ll check his vaccination record. If he needs any booster shots we can give them to him right away. There’s no need to worry.
Explanation: A “booster shot” is a renewed vaccination shot given periodically to children. In many countries the shots are given regularly at schools.
THIS WEEK’S EMAIL PHRASE
narrow the gap
Dear Stephanie:
Our competitor company has just released a cell phone that is 25% cheaper than the one we produce. We need to find cheaper parts and lower our price. Please try to find a way to narrow the gap in price between our phones and our competitor’s phone.
Explanation: The phrase “narrow the gap” means to reduce the difference in price, speed, or some other factor. If a runner in a race narrows the gap with the person in front of him, it means that he decreases the distance between them.