In this month’s edition we’re going to learn some very basic terms and phrases that will help you understand what’s going on in the world.
The world around us is changing every day. Think of all the news items people have to digest on a daily basis if they want to keep up to date with the never-ending political, social, economic and environmental developments taking place right now. The news we watch on TV and read about in the newspapers isn’t just a bunch of stories about events taking place thousands of miles away that don’t have anything to do with us. Actually those events have a direct impact on our lives, because we live in an interconnected world, where local developments can quickly turn into international crises.
The example that’s usually given for this is the way rising tensions in the Middle East have a direct impact on the international price of oil. The price of oil has a direct impact on the price of almost all products and services that we consume; so a man that sets himself on fire in Tunisia (sparking The Arab Spring) can quickly change economic realities in New-York, Paris, London and Tokyo.
Learning languages in general and English in particular is a great way to widen your perspective on current events. It allows you to get your news directly from the horse’s mouth.
Are you familiar with terms and phrases that have to do with international affairs? Connect the following words to their Hebrew translation and then check your answers at the bottom of the page.
1. Recession פליטים
2. (Economic) growth משא ומתן
3. Earthquakes רעידות אדמה
4. (International/foreign)aid גזי חממה
5. Negotiations מרגלים
6. Revolution מיתון
7. Greenhouse gases מהפיכה
8. Refugees צמיחה
9. NGOs (=Non-Governmental Organizations) סיוע חוץ
10. Spies עמותות
To get information about something “straight from the horse’s mouth”, means to learn about something directly from the source.
If you bet on horse races and want some inside information about which horse has the best chances of winning the race, the best person to ask would be someone who works with the horses and knows which horse is healthy and strong. It would be even more helpful if you could ask the horse himself. Hence the phrase: “straight from the horse’s mouth”.
That’s it for now!
Thanks for taking the time to read this Newsletter. We hope you found it useful and interesting.
See you next time!
ANSWER KEY
1. Recession מיתון
2. (Economic) growth צמיחה
3. Earthquakes רעידות אדמה
4. (International/foreign)aid סיוע חוץ
5. Negotiations משא ומתן
6. Revolution מהפכה
7. Greenhouse gases גזי חממה
8. Refugees פליטים
9. NGOs (=Non-Governmental Organizations) עמותות
10. Spies מרגלים
Terms – מושגים | Phrases-ביטויים | Digest – לעכל |
Items – פריטים | Social – חברתי | Economic –כלכלי |
Environmental – סביבתי | Developments – התפתחויות | Bunch of – מקבץ של |
Direct – ישיר | Impact – השפעה | Interconnected – קשורים זה בזה באופן הדדי |
Local – מקומי | International – בינלאומי | Crisis- משבר |
Crises – משברים | Rise – לעלות, להגביר | Tensions – מתחים |
Middle-East – מזרח התיכון | Consume – לצרוך | Spark – להצית |
Reality – מציאות | Widen – להרחיב | Current events –אקטואליה |
Source – מקור | Bet – להמר | Hence – על כן… |
לינגולרן הינו אתר ללימוד שפות באינטרנט, המאפשר לכם ללמוד אנגלית לרמת מתחילים או לשפר את מיומנויות האנגלית שלכם וללמוד אנגלית עם מורים מנוסים וחומרי לימוד מעולים, בכיתה וירטואלית מתקדמת.