World Oceans Day

Did you know that 71 per cent of our planet is covered in ocean? That’s why we call Earth the
‘Blue Planet’. People around the world wear blue to celebrate World Oceans Day on 8 June
every year. United Nations World Oceans Day is a special day for learning about oceans, why
they’re in danger and how essential it is to protect them.

The world’s oceans

There are five oceans on Earth: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the
Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the biggest of them all and is even
bigger than all the land on Earth combined. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and is frozen for
much of the year. But because of global warming the ice is melting. Scientists predict that
Arctic ice will soon disappear during the summer if we don’t limit the rise in global
temperatures.
Why we need oceans
Without oceans, life couldn’t exist. Scientists don’t know the exact number, but they think that
oceans are home to 50 to 80 per cent of all species on Earth, from gigantic whales to
microscopic plankton. Oceans hold about 97 per cent of all the water on our planet and give
us rainwater and drinking water through the water cycle. Did you know that at least half the
oxygen we breathe comes from the plants in the ocean? Oceans absorb carbon dioxide and
give out oxygen.

How we use oceans

Humans use the ocean in many different ways. A lot of our food comes from oceans, and
millions of people worldwide have jobs related to fishing and fish farming. Oceans also provide
us with much of our energy. We’ve been getting oil and gas from beneath the ocean floor for
a long time, but now we realise that renewable energy is essential for the future. We can use
the power of waves and tides to produce electricity, and many wind farms are located
offshore. We even rely on oceans for international communication – 99 per cent of internet
traffic between countries goes via submarine cables!

Plastic pollution
Our oceans play an essential part in our lives, but sadly they are in danger. You’ve probably
heard of plastic pollution. Billions and billions of pieces of plastic are floating around in our
oceans, and there are five enormous patches of plastic in the oceans around the world. The
biggest one, the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, is seven times the size of the UK! Plastic
pollution is harming and killing sea creatures like fish, birds and turtles. It’s also dangerous for
our health too, because fish eat the tiny pieces of plastic and then humans eat the fish.
What we can do to help
For World Oceans Day you could join in a beach clean-up to help prevent plastic and other
rubbish getting into the sea. If you don’t live near the coast, you can still get involved! You
could use social media platforms to share posts, photos or videos that show how important
oceans are and why we need to protect them. You could take part in a photo, art or writing
contest around the theme of the ocean or watch ocean-related films and documentaries.

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2. Collocations

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 Family

Let’s begin our study of collocations by learning some common expressions about
the family. Your parents and siblings (brothers and sisters) are your immediate
family – and your extended family includes all your relatives – uncles, cousins,
great-aunts, etc.

You can use a family tree to diagram the relationships among your family members.
A person who is related to you by a long series of connections can be called a distant
relative.
If you’re lucky, you have a loving family or a close-knit family – these expressions
refer to a family that has good relationships, where everyone loves each other and
helps each other. If you were raised in a loving family, then you probably had a
carefree childhood – that means you had nothing to worry about when you were
young.

On the other hand, a family in which the relationships are bad or unhealthy can be
called a dysfunctional family. If the children experience abuse, poverty, or problems
with the law, we can say they had a troubled childhood.

Perhaps the parents went through a bitter divorce – that means a separation in which
there were bad/angry feelings between the husband and wife. It’s also possible to
have a messy divorce, with a prolonged legal battle involving lots of conflicts about
the separation of the former couple’s assets (money and possessions). The decisions
about the separation of assets are made in the divorce settlement. A family in which
there are divorces or separations is sometimes called a broken home.

Sometimes the mother and father fight over custody of the children – that refers to
who has the primary responsibility of caring for the kids. A judge can grant joint
custody – that means the exhusband and ex-wife share the responsibility – or sole
custody to only one parent. For example, a judge might award sole custody to the
mother, and the father has to pay child support – regular payments to help with
expenses for the kids.

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If it was a mutual divorce/separation – that means the ex-husband and ex-wife
agreed to separate without fighting – then they will probably stay on good terms
with each other (meaning to have a polite relationship without conflicts).

If a woman gets pregnant without being married or in a relationship, then she will
become a single mother. Some women in this situation choose to have an abortion,
and others prefer to give the baby up for adoption. The time when the baby is
planned to arrive is called the due date – you can also say the baby is due in mid-
October, for example.

After the woman has the baby (or gives birth to the baby), the baby is given to the
adoptive parents, who will raise the child or bring up the child as if it was their
own. Sometimes, when the adopted child is older, he or she tries to find their birth
mother (biological mother).

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 Quiz

Circle the best word to complete each sentence:

1. A friend of mine gave / took / went birth to her son at home with the help of
a nurse.
2. A number of the kids in my classroom come from broken / damaged / hurt
homes.
3. After a hostile / cruel / bitter divorce from his wife of 20 years, the actor
married a woman young enough to be his daughter.
4. I see my excepted / expanded / extended family once a year, during our
annual family vacation.
5. I was raised in a very joyful / loving / tender family, in which everyone
helped each other.
6. I was created / grown / raised by my grandparents after my parents passed
away.
7. I'm on good friends / relations / terms with all my former boyfriends.
8. John had a carefree / careful / careless childhood, growing up with happily
married parents and three brothers.
9. Many women regret giving / having / taking an abortion years afterwards.
10. My aunt's going through a messy / sloppy / untidy divorce; she's paying a
fortune in legal fees.
11. My husband doesn't get along with a few of my family people / individuals /
members.
12. Although my salary is low, I get child assistance / provision / support from
my ex-husband.
13. My sister got / had / made pregnant immediately after she got married.

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14. My son is making a diagram of our family roots / tree / web for a school
project.
15. My wife is pregnant with twins. They're come / due / here in February.
16. Sally was granted sole custody / guardian / keeping of the children from her
first marriage.
17. Teenagers who had a distressed / troubled / worsened childhood often have
behavior problems in school.
18. The celebrity wrote a book about his debilitated / defective / dysfunctional
family.
19. The divorce contract / reimbursement / settlement awarded the wife
$500,000.
20. There are four people in my close / immediate / neighboring family.
21. They have three biological children and two adopted / adoptive / adopting
children.

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 Relationships

When you move to a new city, it can be hard to make friends. You’ll probably have
a number of casual acquaintances – people who you know on a basic level, but
with whom you don’t have a significant relationship. Over time, some of these may
become good friends or close friends – these collocations refer to friends with
whom you have an especially strong relationship.

Do you believe in love at first sight? That’s when two people meet each other and
immediately fall in love – perhaps because they have strong chemistry – this
expression describes strong compatibility or connection between two possible
romantic partners. Some people believe that their significant other (their boyfriend,
girlfriend, husband, or wife) is their soul mate – this is a poetic expression that
means that two people are destined to be together.

It’s possible for one person to have feelings for another person – this expression is
an indirect way to describe romantic feelings – but if the other person doesn’t feel
the same way, then the feeling is not mutual. The other person might say
“he’s/she’s just not my type” – meaning that they are interested in people of a
different type of personality/appearance. Ah, there’s nothing sadder than unrequited
love!
(Love that is not returned)
Some people marry their childhood sweetheart or high school/college sweetheart
– this expression refers to a boyfriend or girlfriend from your childhood, teenage, or
college years. Other couples are introduced by a mutual friend – one friend that the
two people have in common. When the couple is ready to make a commitment, the
man proposes to the woman – he asks her to marry him. If the marriage is good,
then we say the couple is happily married.

Unfortunately, not all love stories have a happy ending. Sometimes a husband or
wife has an affair – they have sex with a different person. We can also say that they
are cheating on their husband/wife. The expression “have an affair” is typically
used only for married couples, and the expression “cheating on” can be used for
married couples or for boyfriends/girlfriends.

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 Quiz

1. The process of creating friendships is called...

a) getting friends b) earning friends c) making friends

2. A "close friend" is someone...

a) who lives near you b) who is similar to you c)with whom you have
a strong friendship

3. When you develop romantic feelings for another person, you're...

a) becoming passionate b) falling in love c) giving your heart

4. If only one of the two people has romantic feelings, we say the feeling is not...

a) mutual b) returned c) together

5. A polite way to say you're not attracted to someone is: "He/she's not my..."

a) kind b) style c) type

6. A man who marries a woman who he met when both were very young, has
married his childhood...

a) darling b) lover c) sweetheart

7. When two people get married, they make a ___________ to each other.

a) commitment b) compromise c) guarantee

8. Many men try to find a creative and romantic way to __________ to their
girlfriends.

a) propose b) proposition c) purpose

9. A lot of marriages end when one member of the couple has an...

a)affair b) experience c) intimacy

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10. If you catch your significant other in bed with another person, then he/she is
_________ on you.

a) betraying b) cheating c) deceiving

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 Appearance

My best friend Joanna is absolutely gorgeous (extremely beautiful). She has long,
sleek, jet-black hair (sleek = smooth and straight, jet-black = perfectly black), pale
blue eyes (pale = light color), and a radiant complexion (skin that appears healthy
and full of energy).

People always compliment her on her hourglass figure (when a woman has large
breasts and hips, but a small waist) and ask her what the secret is to maintaining
such a slender waist (a thin waist). She has a round face with an upturned nose,
and she actually bears a striking resemblance (looks extremely similar) to a famous
singer.

Joanna could get any guy she wanted – so I was really surprised when she introduced
me to her latest boyfriend, who I think is hideously ugly. He has curly, shoulder-
length hair that looks rather unkempt (unkempt hair = messy hair, it appears that
the person doesn’t take care of their hair).

He has a square face and a ruddy complexion (reddish skin). His deep-set eyes
(eyes that are far back in the person’s face) are almost hidden under his bushy
eyebrows (big eyebrows with lots of hair), and he sports a thick mustache and a
huge, shaggy beard (a beard with lots of hair). I guess Joanna doesn’t mind his
facial hair (facial hair = beard and/or mustache).

His body isn’t bad – he has an athletic build (body with a lot of muscles), with broad
shoulders (wide shoulders) and muscular arms. If he would only trim his beard
(cut his beard a little shorter) and comb his hair, I suppose he could be considered
somewhat attractive (more or less beautiful/handsome).

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 Quiz

comb / curly / deep-set / facial / medium / muscular / radiant / slender / striking

/ trim

1. This moisturizer will give you a __________________ complexion.

2. She has a __________________ waist and wide hips.
3. He bears a __________________resemblance to a good friend of mine.
4. I've never liked my __________________ hair; I wish it was straight.
5. His __________________eyes make him look very pensive.
6. I love men with __________________ hair - I think it's sexy.
7. Would you please __________________your hair? It looks like you've just
gotten out of bed.
8. I’m not changing my hairstyle – I’m just getting a __________________.
9. He has a __________________ build - he's not particularly strong, but not
especially skinny either.
10. My soccer coach has very __________________ legs.

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 Character & Behavior

When I was a teenager, I was painfully shy (extremely shy). I loved reading books,
and I had a vivid imagination (had a creative and colorful imagination). My best
friend had a more outgoing personality (she liked to be friendly and sociable) and
a good sense of humor (ability to make other people laugh). Unfortunately she was
also brutally honest, and sometimes her comments hurt my feelings (made me sad,
upset, or angry).

Although I was fiercely loyal to her, she showed her true colors (revealed her true
personality) when she played a prank (did a trick) that humiliated me in front of
the class. I bore a grudge (continued feeling angry) against her for years afterwards.
Now that I look back on it, I can see that she had low selfesteem (she considered
herself inferior) and a bit of a mean streak (a “streak” is a tiny bit of someone’s
personality).

I've come out of my shell (become less shy) since those days; I have a thicker skin
(I’m less sensitive to criticism) and it doesn't bother me when people speak their
minds (say exactly what they think, without considering the effects of the words on
others).

My biggest flaw is that I have a tendency to be arrogant – some say I have a

superiority complex (consider myself superior to others). I’ll admit that it is hard
for me to swallow my pride (stop being arrogant) and recognize when I've been
mistaken about something. My resolution for the New Year is to make a more
concerted effort to put others first (consider the needs of other people more
important than my own).

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 Quiz

1. A lot of successful entrepreneurs have not only a bright / lucid / vivid

imagination, but also the willingness to work hard.
2. He really hurt my emotions / feelings / senses when he called me an idiot.
3. His superiority belief / complex / tendency makes him impossible to work
with because he won't listen to suggestions.
4. I had to chew / eat / swallow my pride and apologize to Janet for overreacting
to her criticism.
5. I like to date men with a great feel / sense / touch of humor.
6. In some cultures, it's considered very rude to say / speak / talk your mind.
7. It's good to get / put / set others first, but not at the expense of your own well-
being.
8. Most people who work as comedians have very outgoing / tendency /
upcoming personalities.
9. My brother is brutally / carefully / painfully shy, but I'm trying to encourage
him to come out of his case / shell / skin.
10. My daughter gets along with her classmates, but she has a competitive spot /
streak / strip when it comes to academics.
11. My husband forgives other people very easily; he's not one to bear / hurt /
swallow a grudge.
12. She would never cheat on her husband; she's angrily / brutally / fiercely loyal
to him.
13. The kids were suspended for playing a grudge / prank / streak on the teacher
- they put a live snake inside her desk.

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14. Working with a therapist has helped me overcome my problems with deep /
low / small selfesteem.
15. You need to develop a fatter / harder / thicker skin; you can't let every little
comment upset you.

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 Feelings

I experienced a roller coaster of emotions when my son was born (many different
emotions one after another). During my wife’s pregnancy, I was ridiculously
excited about the prospect of becoming a dad. On the big day, I’d imagined that
everything would go smoothly and we’d be blissfully happy – but there were
complications during the delivery and my wife had to have emergency surgery while
I waited in the reception area, worried sick (very worried).

As time went by, I got increasingly anxious because the doctors weren’t telling me
anything. After two hours I was seething with anger (ready to explode with anger),
and I and shouted at one of the nurses. Then the security guards came and escorted
me out of the hospital.
My wife was visibly disappointed (it was obvious that she was disappointed) that I
wasn’t by her side when she woke up from surgery. She didn’t say anything – she’s
not really one to show her feelings; she prefers to bottle up her emotions (keep her
emotions hidden inside her) – but I knew I had let her down and I was terribly sorry
that I had lost my temper (lost control and shown anger).

The months that followed were tough. My wife became deeply depressed, and I too
was an emotional wreck (a person who is very sad, confused, and upset) as I tried
to juggle the demands of work and family life. But now things are starting to turn
around – I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the all help we’ve gotten from our
friends and neighbors.

I’m just immensely grateful that my wife and son are healthy, and sometimes I’m
overwhelmed with emotion as I reflect on how lucky we are (when emotion is so
strong that it’s difficult to think or speak).

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 Quiz

1. At his mother's funeral, he was so incapacitated / overwhelmed /seething with

emotion that he couldn't finish his speech.

2. I was deeply / pleasantly / significantly surprised by the excellent customer

service - that company really cares about its customers.

3. I'm sorry I forgot / lost / wrecked my temper with you yesterday. It was a really

stressful day at work.

4. Instead of confronting his issues, he bottles / guards / rolls up his emotions and

tries to pretend everything's OK.

5. It's normal to go through a helicopter / roller coaster / ocean wave of emotions

after the end of a long-term relationship.

6. My mother was worried bad / ill / sick when it passed midnight and my brother

still hadn't come home.

7. The boss was pleasantly / sickly / visibly annoyed when the employees told him

about the problems.

8. The fans were seething with anger / disappointment / temper when the team

lost the game in the last 5 minutes.

9. We're badly / horribly / terribly sorry, but we won't be able to go to your

graduation.

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10. We're blissfully / immensely / largely grateful for all the help you've given us in
this project.

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 Houses and Apartments

I recently spent a month on vacation – but instead of staying in a hotel, I looked for
a short-term rental (a place to live that can be rented for a short period of time). I
ended up sharing a two-bedroom apartment – that’s an apartment with two
bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen – with some friends. It was actually cheaper
than renting a studio apartment (an apartment with only one big room) all by
myself.

The apartment was on the top floor of a five-story building (that’s a building with
five floors) and it had a balcony overlooking the ocean (that means you can see the
ocean from the balcony). From the roof, we also had a nice view of the city skyline
(this is another expression used when you can see something from a certain place).

The apartment had recently been remodeled/renovated – meaning it was fixed up

and improved – and was fully furnished, so it already had furniture (beds, tables,
etc.) and appliances (refrigerator, stove, etc.)

We loved the spacious living room (the room was big), but unfortunately the
bedrooms were rather cramped (small and uncomfortable). It was nice to spend a
month there, but by the end of the trip I started to feel homesick – that’s when you
feel sad because you miss your life at home.

I’d really like to have a place of my own so that I’m not throwing away money on
rent every month, but there’s a real shortage of affordable housing
(houses/apartments that are reasonably priced) in my city. Even if I stay away from
the upscale neighborhoods (areas where rich people live), I’d still have to take out
a mortgage (borrow money from the bank, in order to buy a house) and it’ll take me
more than 30 years to pay it off.

But still, I’m gonna start saving up for a down payment (an initial payment on a big
purchase). Someday, when I do move into a new place, I’ll be sure to throw a
housewarming party (a party to celebrate living in a new house/apartment).

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 Quiz
1. Her father paid the affordable / down / studio payment on her apartment.

2. I can't stand living with my parents; I need a place of my independent / own /

short-term.

3. I hope the apartment is decorated / furnished / upscale, because I can't afford

to buy appliances.

4. I was having so much fun during my semester abroad that I didn't feel cramped

/ homesick / housewarm at all.

5. It's a ten- level / room / story building with two elevators.

6. My bedroom window overlooks / oversees / overviews the mountains.

7. My parents finished paying off their borrow / budget / mortgage after 25 years.

8. This weekend I'm helping my cousin change / move / turn into his new place.

9. We're going to need a more short-term / spacious/widespread apartment now

that we're going to have a baby.

10. We're regenerating / rejuvenating / remodeling the bathroom, so you'll have to

use the one on the second floor.

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