Vocabulary
 

Vocabulary in Conversation

Use the above vocabulary to fill in the blanks in the following conversation. Your answers can be checked by clicking at the bottom of the page.

Dennis: What do you do for a living, Frank?

Frank: I am an ________________________ engineer. I have been working for NASA for over fifteen years.

Dennis: Wow, that sounds fascinating. What projects have you been involved in?

Frank: Well, until recently, I was heavily involved in the Cassini ________________________. I don't know if you're familiar with it or not - it's one of NASA's most expensive and ________________________ projects. We are sending a ________________________ to explore Saturn and its moons.

Dennis: That sounds really interesting. Are you in any way involved in the construction of the international space station?

Frank: Actually, that's what I'm working on now. I'm currently a technical ________________________ between NASA and several European space agencies. It's an interesting job, but it can be a bit too much at times. The international space station is probably the largest international ________________________ ever attempted, and I am constantly dealing with technical difficulties, budget problems, and delays. It's not easy ________________________ the efforts of all those countries. I have been to Europe three times in the last month, and I have to go to Kazakhstan next week.

Dennis: And I understand there's some ________________________ surrounding the space station. Don't some people worry that NASA is spending too much money on the project?

Frank: Many experts have complained that the project has grown out of control and become far too expensive. But I look at it as more than a space station; I believe it's helping ________________________ international scientific cooperation. It's nice to see the scientists of the world working together to create ________________________ to the future.
 

Vocabulary Follow-Up

Use the above vocabulary to fill in the blanks in the following sentences. Your answers can be checked by clicking at the bottom of the page.

1. The employees knew that the joint ________________________ between their company and the computer manufacturer involved a great deal of change, but they had no idea it would cause them to be laid off.

2. She acts as a cultural ________________________ between the government of Quebec and the government of Belgium.

3. Mei Ling used her internship at the advertising company as ________________________ to a great position with a web design firm.

4. The government is sending a robotic craft ________________________  the polar regions of the moon. They are trying to determine whether or not there is sufficient ice on the moon to provide water for a permanent base.

5. In the next twenty years, the United States intends to send a manned ________________________ to Mars.

6. He is young, very bright, and very ________________________ - I am sure he will be successful. I just hope he finds a little happiness as well.

7. Boeing is a leader in the ________________________ industry; they manufacture many of the world's commercial aircraft.

8. There is a great deal of ________________________ over the new oil road being constructed. Many environmentalists warn it will disturb the animals in the nearby wildlife refuge.

9. That public relations firm ________________________ the preparations for the huge millennium celebration. The celebration was very successful, so I would recommend using them for our upcoming project.

10. Many parents complain that television doesn't do enough ________________________ a good sense of morality in children. They feel that TV programs have become too violent and sensationalistic.
 

Check + Prepositions

Complete the following text by filling in the blanks with the appropriate preposition.

Use the following prepositions: out, for, back, with, through, on, by, over, off, into

1. First, we checked _______________ the hotel, and then we took a taxi over to the convention center.
check ______________ : to register in a hotel, to tell the hotel you have arrived for the night

2. I am just going to make a quick call to check _______________ the kids and make sure that everything is OK.
check _______________ : to see if a person is OK

3. Your luggage will be checked _______________ to Los Angeles, so you don't need to worry about it when you transfer planes in Houston.
check _______________ : to send (a piece of luggage) to its final destination

4. We are going to check _______________ the new dance club downtown. Do you want to come along?
check _______________ : to investigate, take a look at

5. Danny has been sick for over a week. We are going to check _______________ later to see how he is doing.
check _______________ : to quickly visit someone to see how they are doing

6. Dinner at Fillipi's sounds like a great idea, but let me check _______________ my wife first to see if she has already made plans for Friday. If we are free, we would love to join you.
check _______________ : to ask someone if something is all right, to verify information or plans with someone

7.  Health professionals suggest women regularly perform self examinations to check _______________ early indications of breast cancer. If cancer is detected early, treatment is highly effective.
check _______________ : to look for or try to find  (an illness, a problem, mistake...)

8. After Burt dropped his camera, he carefully checked it _______________ to make sure it wasn't damaged.
check _______________ : to look at all parts of something to make sure they are in the proper condition

9. Patricia always keeps a detailed list of her daily tasks. As she completes each task, she checks it _______________ her list and moves on to the next one. Talk about good organization!
check _______________ : to write a check mark next to a word or sentence

10. Doctor Evanson gave Lucy some medicine for her stomach condition and told her to get plenty of rest. He said he would check _______________ in a couple of days to see if she's feeling better.
check _______________ : to return to a place to see if everything is OK
 

Focus on Verbs

The following passage should be completed by putting the verb in parentheses in the Simple Present or Simple Future. Hint: Remember that future forms cannot be used in time clauses. If you are confused, you should refer to the English Page's Verb Tense Tutorial.

1.
Michael: After you (leave) _________________________ work, will you please drop by the grocery store and pick up some milk and bread.
Marie: No problem, I (pick) _________________________ up the groceries and be home by 6 o'clock.
Michael: Great. You will probably get home before I (do) _________________________.

2.
Ari: By the time we (get) _________________________ to the movie theater, the tickets are going to be sold out.
Sarah: Don't worry. I  told Jane we might be arriving just before the movie (start) _________________________. She (buy) _________________________ our tickets and meet us in the lobby.
Ari: That place is huge! We (find, never) _________________________ her in that crowded lobby.
Sarah: Calm down, we (meet) _________________________ each other near the entrance.

3.
Terry: If the weather (be) _________________________ good tomorrow, maybe we should go to the beach.
Jennifer: I have a better idea. If it (be) _________________________ nice out, we'll go to the beach; and if it (rain) _________________________, we'll see a movie.
Terry: I guess we will have to wait until we (get) _________________________ up in the morning to find out what we are going to do.

4.
Max: What are you going to do tomorrow after work?
Sean: I (meet) _________________________ some friends at the cafe across the street. Would you like to come along?
Max: No thanks! My brother is coming to town and I (pick) _________________________ him up from the airport at 7 o'clock.
Sean: We (be, probably) _________________________ at the cafe until 9 o'clock. Why don't you join us after you (pick) _________________________ him up.
Max: Sounds good. We (see) _________________________ you around 8 o'clock.

5.
Lucy: I (call) _________________________ you as soon as I arrive in Dublin.
Dwain: If I am not there when you (call) _________________________, make sure to leave a message.
Lucy: I will. And please don't forget to water my plants and feed the cat.
Dwain: I promise I (take) _________________________ care of everything while you are in Ireland.
 
 

Go to Weekly Lesson Answers

 
Vocabulary in Conversation

Dennis: What do you do for a living, Frank?

Frank: I am an aerospace engineer. I have been working for NASA for over fifteen years.

Dennis: Wow, that sounds fascinating. What projects have you been involved in?

Frank: Well, until recently, I was heavily involved in the Cassini mission. I don't know if you're familiar with it or not - it's one of NASA's most expensive and ambitious projects. We are sending a probe to explore Saturn and its moons.

Dennis: That sounds really interesting. Are you in any way involved in the construction of the international space station?

Frank: Actually, that's what I'm working on now. I'm currently a technical liaison between NASA and several European space agencies. It's an interesting job, but it can be a bit too much at times. The international space station is probably the largest international venture ever attempted, and I am constantly dealing with technical difficulties, budget problems, and delays. It's not easy coordinating the efforts of all those countries. I have been to Europe three times in the last month, and I have to go to Kazakhstan next week.

Dennis: And I understand there's some controversy surrounding the space station. Don't some people worry that NASA is spending too much money on the project?

Frank: Many experts have complained that the project has grown out of control and become far too expensive. But I look at it as more than a space station; I believe it's helping to foster international scientific cooperation. It's nice to see the scientists of the world working together to create a stepping stone to the future.
 

Vocabulary Follow-Up

1. The employees knew that the joint venture between their company and the computer manufacturer involved a great deal of change, but they had no idea it would cause them to be laid off.

2. She acts as a cultural liaison between the government of Quebec and the government of Belgium.

3. Mei Ling used her internship at the advertising company as a stepping-stone to a great position with a web design firm.

4. The government is sending a robotic craft to probe  the polar regions of the moon. They are trying to determine whether or not there is sufficient ice on the moon to provide water for a permanent base.

5. In the next twenty years, the United States intends to send a manned mission to Mars.

6. He is young, very bright, and very ambitious - I am sure he will be successful. I just hope he finds a little happiness as well.

7. Boeing is a leader in the aerospace industry; they manufacture many of the world's commercial aircraft.

8. There is a great deal of controversy over the new oil road being constructed. Many environmentalists warn it will disturb the animals in the nearby wildlife refuge.

9. That public relations firm coordinated the preparations for the huge millennium celebration. The celebration was very successful, so I would recommend using them for our upcoming project.

10. Many parents complain that television doesn't do enough to foster a good sense of morality in children. They feel that TV programs have become too violent and sensationalistic.
 

Check + Prepositions

1. First, we checked into the hotel, and then we took a taxi over to the convention center.
check into : to register in a hotel, to tell the hotel you have arrived for the night

2. I am just going to make a quick call to check on the kids and make sure that everything is OK.
check on : to see if a person is OK

3. Your luggage will be checked through to Los Angeles, so you don't need to worry about it when you transfer planes in Houston.
check through : to send (a piece of luggage) to its final destination

4. We are going to check out the new dance club downtown. Do you want to come along?
check out : to investigate, take a look at

5. Danny has been sick for over a week. We are going to check by later to see how he is doing.
check by : to quickly visit someone to see how they are doing

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