[96] Texting and calls from your own phone in the air

TRAVEL NEWS WIRE…

Texting and calls from your own phone in the air: A new in-flight mobile phone service was put into operation on a Singapore-to-London flight this Autumn. The service used AeroMobile’s connection service, which can be accessed through the major UK phone networks as well as Singaporean networks. The service allows travellers to make calls and send text messages, as well as update social media sites while in flight worldwide. Users can connect to their provider’s roaming service, and pay through their normal mobile phone network. The inflight phone and text services are also available on other airlines such as Etihad, Emirates, and Virgin Atlantic.

THIS WEEK’S NATURAL PHRASE

below the radar

Tomoko: How is your new music band going? Are you going to perform soon?

Andrew: I hope so. We wrote three songs, but we don’t really have any fans yet. We don’t even have a manager or a website, so we’re still below the radar.

Explanation: When you say that something is “below the radar” or “off the radar” it means that it’s not popular, and there isn’t much information available yet. It describes a small operation that doesn’t have much publicity or advertising.

THIS WEEK’S MEDICAL PHRASE

black eye

Mrs. Berry: My son was hit by a baseball at school. His face is swelling up and his eyelid is turning purple. I’m so worried about him.

Doctor Watanabe: The black eye usually doesn’t pose any direct danger to the eye itself. We’ll bring down the swelling and check his eyesight. He should be better in a few days.

Explanation: A “black eye” is a common phrase that describes the periorbital purple or blue discoloring of blood and swelling after a patient suffers a blunt trauma around the eye. The correct medical term is “ecchymosis” which is an ancient Greek term meaning “escaping blood” but most people use the simple term “black eye.”

THIS WEEK’S EMAIL PHRASE

the market is flooded

Dear Mr. Angelo:

I don’t think that we should start a new brand of energy drink. There have been many brands that have entered the market in the past few years, and they are struggling to gain market share. To put it frankly, the market is flooded.

Explanation: When we say that a market is “flooded” it means that there are too many suppliers trying to get the attention of the consumer. So it becomes a situation like water overflowing from a river.