absolute:  100 percent, complete
No teacher has absolute control over her students.
He pushed his body to the absolute limit to win the race.

awesome: excellent, outstanding
That movie was awesome; I think I’ll go see it again.
The view from the top of the mountain was awesome.

desperate:  having an urgent need
She was desperate to find a summer job before school ended.
The fireman gave a desperate attempt to save the life of the child.

firm:  solid, unchanging
He had a firm belief that people would help when asked.
The seller was firm in his asking price.

illegal:  against the law
It’s illegal to smoke in any public building in Canada.
Gambling is illegal in that country.

nutritious:  having good food value, healthy
They always start their day with a nutritious breakfast.
Junk food is not very nutritious.

patriotic:  loyal to your country
The soldier feels a patriotic sense of duty.
They played patriotic music at his funeral.

romantic:  very loving, passionate
They had a romantic dinner by candlelight.
On a summer’s evening you can see many romantic couples walking hand in hand.

sore:  hurting a little
His legs were sore after a long hike in the mountains.
Lemon tea is a good cure for a sore throat.

thrifty:  not wasting money
Both she and her sister are thrifty shoppers.
Since he lost his job, they’ve had to be more thrifty.

tidy:  neat, clean, organized
Everything in her bedroom is tidy, including her closet.
I’m afraid my work space is not very tidy.

widespread:  happening in many places, over a wide area
There is widespread poverty in that part of the world.
Tsunamis can cause widespread destruction.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

by Virginia to Vegas, featuring Alyssa Reid

Virginia To Vegas is Derik Baker, a 24-year old singer and songwriter from small-town Ontario, Canada.  Based in Toronto, Derik was discovered on YouTube by Canadian Indie label Wax Records in 2013.  This song was released in January of 2014 and features Alyssa Reid, who at age 15 first appeared on YTV’s 2008 singing competition “The Next Star.”  She is also a Toronto-based singer and songwriter.

Everything’s so small when you’re on top of the world
It’s hard to understand what’s still yet to unfold
Pretending to be who you’re not is a waste of what you’ve got
Keep dreaming, keep dreaming, keep dreaming
Keep on, keep believing

We are the kings and queens of hearts that break
We may fall in between the cracks
Living life like it’s just a game of blackjack
I don’t know how but we always find our way back

Looking back when I was just a little girl
With a big dream living in a lonely world
It seems life is impossible
So believe that you‘re unstoppable, hey!

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are into loving

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are built for loving

O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh [x4]

It’s hard to see the light when you’re caught up in your life
You’re scared and insecure ’cause now it’s fight or flight
Can’t think of giving up
You don’t know how much you’re loved
Keep dreaming, keep dreaming, keep dreaming
Keep on, keep believing

We are the kings and queens of hearts that break
We may fall in between the cracks
Living life like it’s just a game of blackjack
I don’t know how but we always find our way back

Looking back when I was just a little girl
With a big dream living in a lonely world
It seems life is impossible
So believe that you‘re unstoppable, hey!

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are into loving

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are built for loving

O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh [x4]

We are stars, we are stars, we are stars, we are stars

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are into loving

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are built for loving

O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh [x4]

Vocabulary:

unfold:  happen in the future
fall in between the cracks:  become hopeless
blackjack:  a game of chance
‘re unstoppable:  can’t be stopped by anything
caught up in:  concentrating too much on
insecure:  feeling unsafe
flight:  running away
giving up:  stopping trying to win

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only

by Salman Khan
the founder and faculty of the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org), a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere.  He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an M.Eng and B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in mathematics from MIT.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

montage:  series of pictures
blow your mind:  give you great joy
remotely:  from a distance
feedback:  saying what’s good and what’s bad
profound:  important
automated version:  recorded video
notion:  idea
concept:  idea
viewership:  people who watch
dawned on me:  was realized or understand by me
supplement:  addition to a person’s learning
home schoolers:  students who are educated at home
one size fits all:  every student does the same thing
humanize:  make more gentle and kind
primitive:  simple
paradigm:  model, pattern
analogous to:  similar to
unicycle:  a one-wheeled bicycle
mastery:  being able to do something well
gutted:  threw away, got rid of
proficient:  able to do it
data:  Information
diagnose:  figure out, find out
grandiose:  including everything
self-paced learning:  learning at the speed of each student
gifted:  smart, intelligent
remediate:  learn things you should have already learned
peer:  student
merit badges:  indications of success
leaderboards:  lists of the top students
collaboration:  working together
radical:  so very different

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

People all over the world enjoy eating pizza.  Here in Vancouver there are many pizza places where you can buy a single slice if you want a snack or a whole pizza if you want a meal.  The ten most popular toppings you can choose are pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, sausage, bacon, extra cheese, black olives, green peppers, pineapple, and spinach, in that order.  Did you know that pizza is a very old food whose history goes back at least 4000 years?  At that time people added ingredients to a flour and water flatbread to make it more tasty.  In the 16th century in Naples, Italy, flatbread was called pizza, a modern word for the old Latin word “pinsa,” and it was common food for the poor.  When tomatoes were first introduced into Europe from the Americas, many people thought they were poisonous, but by the 18th century it was common for poor people around Naples to put them on pizza.  Pizza was mostly sold outside, but pizzarias sprung up in and around Naples to meet the demand of this popular food.  Even tourists would come from other areas to sample Neopolitan pizza.  The first major type of pizza was called the Marinara, which had tomatoes, oregano, garlic and olive oil.  The second major type, dating from 1889, was the Margherita, which had the colors of the Italian flag – basil leaves for green, mozzarella cheese for white, and tomatoes for red.  The mozzarella cheese was specially made from the milk of the Indian Water Buffalo, and no other cheese was allowed.  In 1984, the True Neapolitan Pizza Association set the rules for a true pizza of Naples.  The dough had to be made by hand and not rolled, it had to be 35 centimeters or less in diameter and no more than .33 centimeters thick at the center, and it had to be baked in a wood-fired oven.  When you eat your next slice of pizza, you can have an appreciation of its long history.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:

slice:  triangle-shaped piece
snack:  a little bit of food
toppings:  things put on top
pepperoni:  a bright red sausage made from pork and beef.
sausage:  a food made from ground meat with a skin around it
spinach: a green-leaf vegetable
flour:  a powder made from wheat or other grains
tasty:  delicious
common:  usual
the poor:  poor people
pizzarias:  pizza restaurants
sprung up:  were built
demand:  wanting
tourists:  travelers
sample:  taste
Neopolitan:  from Naples
oregano:  a savory spice
garlic:  a spicy vegetable
basil:  a savory spice
dough:  the flour and water mixture
in diameter:  across the center
appreciation:  thankfulness

Pronunciation Exercise:  Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Ben Lee

an Australian musician and actor.  He began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, which broke up in 1995.  He has released nine solo studio albums since that time.  This song is from his fifth album, Awake is the New Sleep.

Woke up this morning, I suddenly realized
We’re all in this together
I started smiling ‘cause you were smiling
And we’re all in this together

I’m made of atoms, you’re made of atoms
And we’re all in this together
And long division just doesn’t matter
‘Cause we’re all in this together

I saw you walking in the city
We’re all in this together
The city’s changing ‘cause we are changing
And we’re all in this together

Every twelve seconds someone remembers
That we’re all in this together
In the kitchen of your rent-control apartment
We’re all in this together

C’mon baby
I don’t mean to rush you
I only wanted to reach out and touch you
I’ve got to start to open my heart

I know you think about jumping ship before it sinks
But we’re all in this together
Ask a scientist, it’s quantum physics
We’re all in this together

And on the subway we feel like strangers
But we’re all in this together
Yeah I love you, and you love her, and she loves him
But we’re all in this together

You know, baby
There’s never been protection
In all the history of human connection
Come on darling
It’s alright to show me
You don’t ever need to be lonely
Once you start to open your heart

I saw you crying, I started crying
‘Cause we’re all in this together
And then religion, it’s a big decision
But we’re all in this together, yeah

We are all in this together
We’re all in this together
We’re all in this together
We’re all in this together …

Vocabulary:

realized:  knew for the first time
this:  this life experience
‘cause:  because
atoms:  tiny, tiny particles that are in everything
long division:  an old way of dividing one number into another
doesn’t matter:  isn’t important
rent-control:  cheap rent controlled by the government
c’mon / come on:  do this
rush you:  make you go faster
jumping ship before it sinks:  getting out of something before it ends
quantum physics:  a science that tells us that everything is waves and possibilities
subway:  underground train
protection:  safety
once:  when

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only

by Vanessa Hudgens

an American actress and singer. She became famous playing Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical series.  This song, originally sung by Tammin Sursock,  is from her album V , released in early October 2006.

Sometimes I feel like I’m a bird with broken wings
At times I dread my now and envy where I’ve been
But that’s when quiet wisdom takes control
At least I’ve got a story no one’s told

I finally learned to say whatever will be will be
I’ve learned to take the good, the bad and breathe
‘Cause although we like to know what life’s got planned
No one knows if shooting stars will land

These days it feels naïve to put your faith in hope
To imitate a child falling backwards on the snow
‘Cause that’s when fears will usually lead you blind
But now I try to under-analyze

I finally learned to say whatever will be will be
I’ve learned to take the good, the bad and breathe
‘Cause although we like to know what life’s got planned
No one knows if shooting stars will land

Is the rope I walk wearing thin
Is the life I love caving in?
Is the weight on your mind
A heavy black bird caged inside?

Say whatever will be will be
Take the good, the bad just breathe
‘Cause although we like to know what life’s got planned
No one knows if shooting stars will land

I finally learned to say whatever will be will be
I’ll learn to take the good, the bad and breathe
‘Cause although we like to know what life’s got planned
Things like that are never in your hands
No one knows if shooting stars will land

Vocabulary:

dread:  hate
envy:  want to have
wisdom:  good thinking
whatever:  anything, everything
’cause:  because
shooting stars:  meteorites
land:  hit the ground
naive:  stupid
faith:  belief
imitate:  copy, do the same as
blind:  not able to see
under-analyze:  not think about very much
wearing thin:  getting dangerous
caving in:  being destroyed
caged:  trapped
in your hands:  under your control

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only

allergic: making the body react badly
He had an allergic reaction to his medication.
Many people are allergic to nuts.

awful: very bad, terrible
When he entered the room, he smelled something awful.
That’s an awful restaurant; the food is terrible and the place is dirty.

cruel: hurting (someone) physically or mentally
Saying she was fat was a cruel thing to say to your sister!
Don’t be so cruel to your dog. Bring him inside on this rainy night.

dizzy: feeling like falling down
This medication can make you feel dizzy, so don’t drive.
I have to sit down; I’m feeling a little dizzy.

fierce: wild and dangerous, violently strong
The fights that couple has are sometimes fierce.
A fierce storm battered the coast for three days.

heroic: done without regard for your safety, bold
Saving that drowning child was very heroic of you.
Firemen often do heroic deeds bringing people to safety.

humble: having a feeling of not being important.
In my humble opinion, I think you should go to the police.
In the presence of these famous writers, I feel quite humble.

inevitable: certain to happen
If he continues to drink and drive, an accident is inevitable.
No matter how long we manage to live, death is inevitable.

insane: not mentally normal, crazy
It’s insane to think that you’ll be a millionaire by the end of the year.
The jury found the man insane and therefore not responsible for the crime.

popular: liked by many people
She’s the most popular girl in school.
I mostly listen to popular music.

responsible: having the duty (to do something)
Nobody else is responsible for the way you feel.
He is responsible for buying the boss a birthday present.

temporary: for a short time
She got a temporary job for the summertime.
The aspirin gave him only temporary relief from his pain.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

by Nick Noorani

a well-known authority on the successful integration of immigrants in Canada.  He’s originally from Mumbai, India.  His book, Arrival Survival Canada, is a best seller among immigrants to this country.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

founder:  the person who starts an organization or business
author:  writer
resources:  the things that are necessary
guide:  source of information
flip burgers:  have a low paying job
faced with:  have something in front of you
my take:  my understanding
gleaned from:  learned from
qualified:  able to do the job
invaluable:  very expensive
value:  importance
brushing up: practicing, learning (idiom)
skills: abilities
embrace:  take into your heart
resume:  information about yourself that helps you get a job
take a deep breath:  relax (idiom)
positive:  hopeful for a better future
been there:  I’ve had that same experience (idiom)
sociable:  friendly
network:  large group of people you know and who they know
negativity:  hopelessness
risks:  things that you’re afraid to do
play safe:  not take any risks (idiom)
volunteering:  working for no money

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Jordin Sparks

an American singer and actress.  In 2007, she rose to fame after winning the sixth season of American Idol at age 17.  She was the youngest winner ever on that TV show.

There was a time I packed my dreams away
Living in a shell, hiding from myself

There was a time when I was so afraid
I thought I’d reached the end
Baby that was then
But I am made of more than my yesterdays

This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment
As I look around, I can’t believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubt
That was then, this is my now.

And I have the courage like never before, yeah
I’ve settled for less, now I’m ready for more
Ready for more

This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment
As I look around, I can’t believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubt
That was then, this is my now

I can’t believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubt
That was then, this is my now.

This is my now

Vocabulary:

in a shell:  without showing any emotions
behind me:  not effecting me anymore, in my past
shadows:  bad things that could happen
doubt:  not believing in herself
courage:  willingness to do something scary
settled for:  gotten comfortable with

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only

appropriate: the right thing at the right time, expected by others
When someone says “thank-you,” the appropriate response is “you’re welcome.”
It is not appropriate to shake the Queen’s hand.

beneficial:  good (for someone)
Drinking a liter of water everyday has beneficial results.
It’s beneficial for most people to get eight hours of sleep per night.

considerate:  thinking of the welfare of someone else.
It was considerate of you to give me a ride home last night.
Please be considerate and let the elderly woman sit down on the bus.

feeble:  weak, with no energy 
His grandfather is getting more and more feeble.
She made a feeble attempt to answer him in German.

idle:  not active or moving, still
His brother has been idle ever since he lost his job.
I’ve finished all my work, so now I can be idle for the rest of the day.

infinite:  never ending, limitless
There are an infinite number of stars in the universe.
The Internet give us access to an infinite amount of information.

miniature:  very small compared to a normal one
He has a large collection of miniature cars.
Miniature golf is a sport that is enjoyed by many families.

mysterious:  unknown, confusing
They were speaking a mysterious language that she couldn’t understand.
A mysterious man was standing on the corner watching the house.

neutral:  not favoring one side or the other
Switzerland was a neutral country in World War II.
He tried to remain neutral in the argument between his wife and his mother.

scarce:  not common, rare
Five star restaurants are scarce in this city.
Fresh water is scarce in that part of Africa.

suspicious:  causing people to think bad things
The man had been waiting outside the bank for an hour, which was suspicious.
You should be suspicious of any get-rich-quick schemes.

synthetic:  not made naturally
Nylon is a synthetic material used to make parachutes.
Synthetic diamonds are manufactured for the construction industry.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot