Reading Passage with New Words
Make sure to look up the new words:
Sneakers: A Multibillion-Dollar Industry
Accord: harmony: agreement
Corroborate: verify: confirm
Entrepreneur: someone who starts a new business or arranges business deals in order to make money, often in a way that involves financial risks
Conservative: conformist: traditional
Renegade: traitor
Epitome: embodiment
Radical: extremist: fanatic
Thrive: flourish: prosper
Supplant: replace
Liberal: open-minded
Defer: delay @aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Catastrophic: disastrous
Ominous: ill-omened: gloomy
Intervene: interfere: intrude
Once used only for sports, sneakers are now everywhere. Urban teenagers, sports figures, and rap stars have changed the lowly athletic shoe to a world cultural symbol and luxury item.
Back in 1964, Motown rocker Tommy Tucker’s hit song “Put on Your High-heeled Sneakers” for “going out tonight” seemed ridiculous. But today high-heeled sneakers are a well-accepted dress-up shoe. In fact, nearly everybody wears some form of sneakers, whether they are at the gym or at a party. Within the business community, there is general accord that sneaker sales are a powerful market force. People buy about $10 billion dollars worth every year, although sales reports can be difficult to corroborate.
Sneakers were invented in 1899, when Humphrey O’Sullivan got a
patent for a rubber heel that could be hardened through a new heating
process. These new heels were more durable than leather ones. The first rubber-soled shoes were produced by Keds, a company that is still in business.
They were called “sneakers” because the heels were so quiet that
wearerscould “sneak up” on other people.
After World War I, the German Dassler brothers started making the
sneakers in their backyard. When Jesse Owens, the African-American
runner, stunned the world by winning the 1936 Olympics, he was wearing Dasslers. The two Dassler brothers separated, and each became a successful entrepreneur. Rudolf started the Puma Company. Adolf became head of Adidas.
For years, sneakers were used only as sports shoes, but slowly, things
began to change. The 1950s were a conservative time with rigid fashions in clothes and shoes.
So people were thrilled when renegade James Dean appeared in the movie Rebel without a Cause wearing sneakers on the street. Suddenly, the shoe was in fashion, and by the 1970s,
People were commonly using sneakers as everyday shoes. Clever promotion turned sneakers into a multimillion-dollar business. In 1980 Philip H. Knight founded a company named Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory, and imported a shoe from Japan. He paid an Oregon artist $35 for the now-famous “swoosh” design. Then he hired Michael Jordan, the epitome of a great basketball player, to promote the shoe, and coined the phrase “Just do it.” Overnight, Air Jordan™ shoes became a sensation.
Local neighborhood traditions also helped to popularize sneakers.
Basketball was, and continues to be, an important sport in urban neighborhoods.
And the new music of rap and hip-hop emerged from these very
same neighborhoods.
Words and music were clever, radical, and at times violent. Neighborhood kids often imitated great basketball players by buying the shoes they wore. No longer just a shoe, sneakers became an
important status symbol. As rap and hip-hop thrived, their music and
fashion spread to the rest of America. What the artists wore was hot!
When a famous Paris fashion house started designing “Ghetto Fabulous” clothes, they became best-sellers. Soon everyone was listening to rap and hip-hop—and wearing sneakers.
Popular musicians celebrated sneakers in such songs as Nelly’s “Air
Force Ones.” Run DMC’s “My Adidas” thanked the company that introduced new sneakers named after their favorite Cadillacs: the Eldorado, Brougham, and Fleetwood. Gradually, sneakers supplanted leather shoes as the most popular footwear in the United States.
Make sure to look up the new words:
Sneakers: A Multibillion-Dollar Industry
Accord: harmony: agreement
Corroborate: verify: confirm
Entrepreneur: someone who starts a new business or arranges business deals in order to make money, often in a way that involves financial risks
Conservative: conformist: traditional
Renegade: traitor
Epitome: embodiment
Radical: extremist: fanatic
Thrive: flourish: prosper
Supplant: replace
Liberal: open-minded
Defer: delay @aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Catastrophic: disastrous
Ominous: ill-omened: gloomy
Intervene: interfere: intrude
Once used only for sports, sneakers are now everywhere. Urban teenagers, sports figures, and rap stars have changed the lowly athletic shoe to a world cultural symbol and luxury item.
Back in 1964, Motown rocker Tommy Tucker’s hit song “Put on Your High-heeled Sneakers” for “going out tonight” seemed ridiculous. But today high-heeled sneakers are a well-accepted dress-up shoe. In fact, nearly everybody wears some form of sneakers, whether they are at the gym or at a party. Within the business community, there is general accord that sneaker sales are a powerful market force. People buy about $10 billion dollars worth every year, although sales reports can be difficult to corroborate.
Sneakers were invented in 1899, when Humphrey O’Sullivan got a
patent for a rubber heel that could be hardened through a new heating
process. These new heels were more durable than leather ones. The first rubber-soled shoes were produced by Keds, a company that is still in business.
They were called “sneakers” because the heels were so quiet that
wearerscould “sneak up” on other people.
After World War I, the German Dassler brothers started making the
sneakers in their backyard. When Jesse Owens, the African-American
runner, stunned the world by winning the 1936 Olympics, he was wearing Dasslers. The two Dassler brothers separated, and each became a successful entrepreneur. Rudolf started the Puma Company. Adolf became head of Adidas.
For years, sneakers were used only as sports shoes, but slowly, things
began to change. The 1950s were a conservative time with rigid fashions in clothes and shoes.
So people were thrilled when renegade James Dean appeared in the movie Rebel without a Cause wearing sneakers on the street. Suddenly, the shoe was in fashion, and by the 1970s,
People were commonly using sneakers as everyday shoes. Clever promotion turned sneakers into a multimillion-dollar business. In 1980 Philip H. Knight founded a company named Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory, and imported a shoe from Japan. He paid an Oregon artist $35 for the now-famous “swoosh” design. Then he hired Michael Jordan, the epitome of a great basketball player, to promote the shoe, and coined the phrase “Just do it.” Overnight, Air Jordan™ shoes became a sensation.
Local neighborhood traditions also helped to popularize sneakers.
Basketball was, and continues to be, an important sport in urban neighborhoods.
And the new music of rap and hip-hop emerged from these very
same neighborhoods.
Words and music were clever, radical, and at times violent. Neighborhood kids often imitated great basketball players by buying the shoes they wore. No longer just a shoe, sneakers became an
important status symbol. As rap and hip-hop thrived, their music and
fashion spread to the rest of America. What the artists wore was hot!
When a famous Paris fashion house started designing “Ghetto Fabulous” clothes, they became best-sellers. Soon everyone was listening to rap and hip-hop—and wearing sneakers.
Popular musicians celebrated sneakers in such songs as Nelly’s “Air
Force Ones.” Run DMC’s “My Adidas” thanked the company that introduced new sneakers named after their favorite Cadillacs: the Eldorado, Brougham, and Fleetwood. Gradually, sneakers supplanted leather shoes as the most popular footwear in the United States.
Today, companies produce sneakers in every imaginable color, shape, and finish. Rappers have become designers. Figures like Kanye
West and 50 Cent sell their ideas to such companies as Louis Vuitton and Reebok. Prices have skyrocketed as designers have issued “limited editions.” The diamond-encrusted Solitare Kicks, for example, go for $50,000. Used sneakers that have been worn by famous athletes have become collector’s items. One pair that belonged to basketball great Wilt Chamberlain sold for $55,000.
Teenaged “sneakerheads” collect pairs by the hundreds, spending countless hours in specialty stores. They beg their parents for ever more liberal allowances so they can buy the most desirable pairs. (8)
Some defer wearing their new shoes, storing them in closets until they become rare and valuable.
But is all of this a good thing? Some of the effects of sneaker
popularity have been. When “fly” sneakers became desirable,
teens started stealing them from each other.
There have even been incidents of people who were killed for their shoes. School administrators have intervened by requiring dress codes limiting what studentscan wear. But in a truly ominous sign, the hit song “My Adidas” was sung by pallbearers, wearing matching white Adidas sneakers, for the funeral of Run DMC’s murdered Jam Master Jay.
It has also been reported that several big sneaker companies employ
workers in poor nations at low wages and under harsh working conditions. The Christian Aid society has worked to reach accords
between producers and factories to ensure that workers are treated fairly.
Despite these problems, new sneakers continue to set fashion trends—and record-breaking prices. A style largely popularized by urban teenagers has become a multibillion-dollar business. Thanks to them, conservative middle-aged people throughout the United States wear sneakers to business lunches, to the opera, and to formal dinners. Some of us even “put on our high-heeled sneakers” when “we’re going out tonight.”
Source: The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success
EIGHTH EDITION
Margaret Ann Richek
Northeastern Illinois University
West and 50 Cent sell their ideas to such companies as Louis Vuitton and Reebok. Prices have skyrocketed as designers have issued “limited editions.” The diamond-encrusted Solitare Kicks, for example, go for $50,000. Used sneakers that have been worn by famous athletes have become collector’s items. One pair that belonged to basketball great Wilt Chamberlain sold for $55,000.
Teenaged “sneakerheads” collect pairs by the hundreds, spending countless hours in specialty stores. They beg their parents for ever more liberal allowances so they can buy the most desirable pairs. (8)
Some defer wearing their new shoes, storing them in closets until they become rare and valuable.
But is all of this a good thing? Some of the effects of sneaker
popularity have been. When “fly” sneakers became desirable,
teens started stealing them from each other.
There have even been incidents of people who were killed for their shoes. School administrators have intervened by requiring dress codes limiting what studentscan wear. But in a truly ominous sign, the hit song “My Adidas” was sung by pallbearers, wearing matching white Adidas sneakers, for the funeral of Run DMC’s murdered Jam Master Jay.
It has also been reported that several big sneaker companies employ
workers in poor nations at low wages and under harsh working conditions. The Christian Aid society has worked to reach accords
between producers and factories to ensure that workers are treated fairly.
Despite these problems, new sneakers continue to set fashion trends—and record-breaking prices. A style largely popularized by urban teenagers has become a multibillion-dollar business. Thanks to them, conservative middle-aged people throughout the United States wear sneakers to business lunches, to the opera, and to formal dinners. Some of us even “put on our high-heeled sneakers” when “we’re going out tonight.”
Source: The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success
EIGHTH EDITION
Margaret Ann Richek
Northeastern Illinois University
Topic: People think that old buildings should be knocked down and give way to the new buildings. Do you agree or disagree? How important are old buildings to us?
Along with the rapid pace of urbanization, city authorities are now faced with a heated debate: whether an old building should be deconstructed or maintained. As far as I am concerned, it depends upon whether aged buildings can provide various kinds of values, such as cultural values, economic values as well as social values, by weighing the cost of maintaining the targeted buildings against the benefits they will bring.
There is no denying the fact that a long history, coupled with architectural values, has made these buildings very popular. Some old buildings are not only the cultural resources, but are also regarded as a symbol and emblem of a city or country. Demolition of such buildings will lead to damage of cultural heritage, while to protect these old architectural works is in fact to preserve cultural values. Moreover, if protected well, many archeological sites, especially those that have played important historical roles, are very likely to accelerate the development of tourism, which will become a source of income to the city. That is to say, old buildings of this kind may play a much more important role in the city than any new buildings do.
Other old buildings, however, may possess no specific value, becoming entirely dilapidated. Low in quality and poor in condition, some old buildings are actually dangerous both for the residents who live in them and for pedestrians who happen to walk by them and renewing them will cost a great deal of money. Therefore, replacing these aged buildings with new ones will meet the needs of city planning.
From the points listed above, it seems obvious that old buildings must not be demolished, extended or altered without a careful evaluation of their values and conditions. Only by carefully weighing up all their values can we reach a right decision concerning their fate. @ibtil
Along with the rapid pace of urbanization, city authorities are now faced with a heated debate: whether an old building should be deconstructed or maintained. As far as I am concerned, it depends upon whether aged buildings can provide various kinds of values, such as cultural values, economic values as well as social values, by weighing the cost of maintaining the targeted buildings against the benefits they will bring.
There is no denying the fact that a long history, coupled with architectural values, has made these buildings very popular. Some old buildings are not only the cultural resources, but are also regarded as a symbol and emblem of a city or country. Demolition of such buildings will lead to damage of cultural heritage, while to protect these old architectural works is in fact to preserve cultural values. Moreover, if protected well, many archeological sites, especially those that have played important historical roles, are very likely to accelerate the development of tourism, which will become a source of income to the city. That is to say, old buildings of this kind may play a much more important role in the city than any new buildings do.
Other old buildings, however, may possess no specific value, becoming entirely dilapidated. Low in quality and poor in condition, some old buildings are actually dangerous both for the residents who live in them and for pedestrians who happen to walk by them and renewing them will cost a great deal of money. Therefore, replacing these aged buildings with new ones will meet the needs of city planning.
From the points listed above, it seems obvious that old buildings must not be demolished, extended or altered without a careful evaluation of their values and conditions. Only by carefully weighing up all their values can we reach a right decision concerning their fate. @ibtil
Forwarded from ibtil_ IELTS
Some speaking expressions:
1. we chatted =talked
2. to get together with =meet
3. to catch up with =talk to someone you haven't seen for a while
4. what my friends had been up to -had been doing
5. to wind down =relax after something tiring
1. we chatted =talked
2. to get together with =meet
3. to catch up with =talk to someone you haven't seen for a while
4. what my friends had been up to -had been doing
5. to wind down =relax after something tiring
COVET (v.)
To strongly desire; to crave
What do Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), The Wicked Witch of the West (Wizard of Oz), and Megatron (Transjorme1•s) all have in common? All three are villains who COVET something they can't have but desperately want. Lord Voldemort COVETS the Elder Wand, the Wicked Witch of the West COVETS Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, and Megatron COVETS the All Spark.
Quick Quiz
Their play has won many awards, including three highly coveted royal television society awards. This sentence implies that the royal television society awards —---------.
A. can be easily won
B. are given to non-artistic works
C. are valued in artistic circles
Answer: C
@ibtil
To strongly desire; to crave
What do Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), The Wicked Witch of the West (Wizard of Oz), and Megatron (Transjorme1•s) all have in common? All three are villains who COVET something they can't have but desperately want. Lord Voldemort COVETS the Elder Wand, the Wicked Witch of the West COVETS Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, and Megatron COVETS the All Spark.
Quick Quiz
Their play has won many awards, including three highly coveted royal television society awards. This sentence implies that the royal television society awards —---------.
A. can be easily won
B. are given to non-artistic works
C. are valued in artistic circles
Answer: C
@ibtil
Reading Passage with New Words: Make sure to look up the new words:
@aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Appalling: dreadful: shocking: horrendous
Undermine: weaken
Condemn: censure: denounce
Bland: tasteless: insipid
Skeptic: doubter: cynic
Contend: state: argue
Contemplate: consider
Harassment: annoyance
Boisterous: noisy: lively
Elicit: provoke: stimulate: obtain: bring about
Belligerent: aggressive: quarrelsome
Articulate(v.): state: utter
Flamboyant: showy: flashy
Elated: thrilled: overjoyed
Concise: short: terse
Emulate: imitate
Thwart: hinder: obstruct: stop
Jackie Robinson, Baseball Hero
As incredible as it may seem today, at one time African Americans were forbidden to play baseball in the major leagues. The ban was first broken by Jackie Robinson, a star athlete from the “Negro Leagues” who went on to enrich major league baseball with his exciting and competitive style. This is Robinson’s story, but as you read it, you should also think of Satchel Paige, “Smokey” Joe Williams, Rube and Willie Foster, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, “Bullet” Joe Rogan, and other African American greats who were long denied the chance to play major league baseball.
Almost sixty years ago, a quiet man made baseball history. In 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play major league baseball in the twentieth century. He bravely faced appalling persecution and helped undermine racial prejudice in the United States.
Jackie Robinson “broke the color line.” For years before Robinson’s brave act, blacks could not play in the majors. Although they had their own leagues, the games were not well publicized. So, although many black players were as good as, or better than, white major league players, blacks were condemned to receive almost no national attention.
But in 1947, the Dodgers’ management made a historic decision to sign an African-American player—Jackie Robinson. The team issued a purposely bland announcement: “The Brooklyn Dodgers today purchased the contract of Jackie Roosevelt Robinson from the Montreal Royals.”
The baseball world reacted strongly. Some applauded the move to end discrimination. Skeptics, though, predicted disaster.
How could an African American succeed in white baseball? Some critics contended that Robinson would never be able to live peacefully with white teammates or tolerate the insults of fans. Still others doubted Robinson’s ability as a baseball player.
All the doubters were wrong. The Dodgers’ general manager, Branch Rickey, had contemplated the problems before he acted. Rickey ensured Robinson’s success in the major leagues by working with him on how to respond to harassment. “Hey,” he would say, impersonating a hotel clerk. “You can’t eat here.” He imitated a prejudiced white ballplayer and charged into Robinson, saying, “Next time get out of my way, you bastard.” Robinson was puzzled. Rickey explained, “I’m looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back. Those boisterous crowds will insult you, harass you, do anything to make you start a fight. And if you fight back, they’ll say, ‘Blacks don’t belong in baseball.’ ”
Of all the struggles Robinson was to have, the hardest one would be to keep calm in the face of insults. Nobody would be able to elicit an outburst from Jackie Robinson. This fiercely proud man, who had refused to sit in the back of an army bus, found the ultimate courage—the courage to be quiet.
In the 1947 season, Robinson was to face trouble that would have defeated a lesser man. Roars of “Go home!” and “Kill him!” were heard from belligerent crowd members. Robinson was hit in the head by more “beanballing” pitchers than any other player in the major leagues.
Sometimes it became too much for his friends. Robinson’s teammate Pee Wee Reese once challenged some harassers by shouting at them to take on somebody who could fight back. But Robinson never articulated his grievances publicly.
@aalaeeTOEFLiBT
Appalling: dreadful: shocking: horrendous
Undermine: weaken
Condemn: censure: denounce
Bland: tasteless: insipid
Skeptic: doubter: cynic
Contend: state: argue
Contemplate: consider
Harassment: annoyance
Boisterous: noisy: lively
Elicit: provoke: stimulate: obtain: bring about
Belligerent: aggressive: quarrelsome
Articulate(v.): state: utter
Flamboyant: showy: flashy
Elated: thrilled: overjoyed
Concise: short: terse
Emulate: imitate
Thwart: hinder: obstruct: stop
Jackie Robinson, Baseball Hero
As incredible as it may seem today, at one time African Americans were forbidden to play baseball in the major leagues. The ban was first broken by Jackie Robinson, a star athlete from the “Negro Leagues” who went on to enrich major league baseball with his exciting and competitive style. This is Robinson’s story, but as you read it, you should also think of Satchel Paige, “Smokey” Joe Williams, Rube and Willie Foster, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, “Bullet” Joe Rogan, and other African American greats who were long denied the chance to play major league baseball.
Almost sixty years ago, a quiet man made baseball history. In 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play major league baseball in the twentieth century. He bravely faced appalling persecution and helped undermine racial prejudice in the United States.
Jackie Robinson “broke the color line.” For years before Robinson’s brave act, blacks could not play in the majors. Although they had their own leagues, the games were not well publicized. So, although many black players were as good as, or better than, white major league players, blacks were condemned to receive almost no national attention.
But in 1947, the Dodgers’ management made a historic decision to sign an African-American player—Jackie Robinson. The team issued a purposely bland announcement: “The Brooklyn Dodgers today purchased the contract of Jackie Roosevelt Robinson from the Montreal Royals.”
The baseball world reacted strongly. Some applauded the move to end discrimination. Skeptics, though, predicted disaster.
How could an African American succeed in white baseball? Some critics contended that Robinson would never be able to live peacefully with white teammates or tolerate the insults of fans. Still others doubted Robinson’s ability as a baseball player.
All the doubters were wrong. The Dodgers’ general manager, Branch Rickey, had contemplated the problems before he acted. Rickey ensured Robinson’s success in the major leagues by working with him on how to respond to harassment. “Hey,” he would say, impersonating a hotel clerk. “You can’t eat here.” He imitated a prejudiced white ballplayer and charged into Robinson, saying, “Next time get out of my way, you bastard.” Robinson was puzzled. Rickey explained, “I’m looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back. Those boisterous crowds will insult you, harass you, do anything to make you start a fight. And if you fight back, they’ll say, ‘Blacks don’t belong in baseball.’ ”
Of all the struggles Robinson was to have, the hardest one would be to keep calm in the face of insults. Nobody would be able to elicit an outburst from Jackie Robinson. This fiercely proud man, who had refused to sit in the back of an army bus, found the ultimate courage—the courage to be quiet.
In the 1947 season, Robinson was to face trouble that would have defeated a lesser man. Roars of “Go home!” and “Kill him!” were heard from belligerent crowd members. Robinson was hit in the head by more “beanballing” pitchers than any other player in the major leagues.
Sometimes it became too much for his friends. Robinson’s teammate Pee Wee Reese once challenged some harassers by shouting at them to take on somebody who could fight back. But Robinson never articulated his grievances publicly.