Can 100% renewable energy power the world?
TED-Ed video (6 minutes)

Some vocabulary:

🟠a barrel — a large container, made of wood, metal, or plastic, with a flat top and bottom and curved sides that make it fatter in the middle (бочка):
Every year, the world uses 35 billion barrels of oil.

🟠fossil fuel — fuels, such as gas, coal, and oil, that were formed underground from plant and animal remains millions of years ago (ископаемое топливо):
This massive scale of fossil fuel dependence pollutes the Earth and it won't last forever.

🟠to run out (of something) — to finish, use, or sell all of something, so that there is none left (что-то закончилось):
According to present estimates, at this rate, we'll run out of oil and gas in 50 years or so, and in about a century for coal.

🟠abundant — more than enough (изобильный, в изобилии):
On the flip side, we have abundant sun, water, and wind.

🟠renewable energy — energy that is produced using the sun, wind, etc., or from crops, rather than using fuels such as oil or coal (возобноляемая энергия):
These are renewable energy sources, meaning that we won't use them up over time.

🟠ample — more than enough (обильный, богатый, широкий):
The great news is that our technology is already advanced enough to capture all that energy from renewables, and there's an ample supply.

🟠to radiate — to produce heat and/or light, or (of heat or light) to be produced (излучать, испускать):
The sun continuously radiates about 173 quadrillion watts of solar energy at the Earth.

🟠a hurdle — a problem that you have to deal with before you can make progress (препятствие, сложность):
So why don't we build that? Because there are other hurdles in the way, like efficiency and energy transportation.

🟠a solar plant — a place where electricity is produced from the sun (солнечная электростанция):
To maximize efficiency, solar plants must be located in areas with lots of sunshine year round, like deserts.

🟠densely populated (area/city/region) — with a lot of people in the same place (густонаселённый):
But those are far away from densely populated regions where energy demand is high.

🟠room temperature — the temperature that is normal inside a building, neither very hot nor very cold (комнатная температура):
To benefit from that technology, we'd need to discover new superconducting materials that operate at room temperature.

🟠a multifaceted problem — having many different parts or sides (многогранная проблема):
Priorities on how to tackle this challenge depend on the specific assumptions we have to make when trying to solve such a multifaceted problem.

Some words with tricky pronunciation:

🟢drastically /ˈdræs.tɪ.kl.i/ (no sound between tic and ly)
🟢to transport /trænˈspɔːt/ (second syllable is stressed)

#vocabulary #material

➡️ In times of trouble ⬅️

A common and idiomatic phrase, referring to difficult situations that occur repeatedly or over a period of time (в трудные времена).

It’s a phrase from the Bible (Psalm 9:9):

“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Some examples from everyday context:

🟢Mentally strong people tend to have the support of family and friends to help bolster them up in times of trouble.
🟢Even gold, the precious metal that investors rush to in times of trouble, fell 5%.
🟢The measure of any civilization is how we treat the needy in times of trouble.
🟢He came out of a ski resort in Serbia to become a great player in times of trouble.
🟢In times of trouble they sacrifice domesticated pigs to the spirits of the ancestors.
🟢In times of trouble, Obama often looks to his predecessors for guidance.

#vocabulary #idioms

А мы вчера наконец встретились офлайн с учениками Виталием и Николаем, которые тоже живут в Тбилиси. Да, нас мало, но у нас хинкали 🙃

Каждый день благодарю судьбу за чудесных людей, которые есть в моей жизни ♥️

➡️ to murmur vs to mumble vs to mutter ⬅️

🟢to murmur — (~to whisper) to speak or say something very quietly (шептать):

"I love you," she murmured.
He was murmuring to himself.
He murmured sweet nothings (= romantic talk) in her ear.

🟢to mumble — to speak quietly and in a way that is not clear so that the words are difficult to understand (невнятно говорить, бормотать):

She mumbled something about being too busy.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

UPD Thanks to Roma Viatkin:
🟢to mutter — to speak quietly and in a low voice that is not easy to hear, often when you are worried or complaining about something (бормотать себе под нос):
Stop muttering and speak up!
He was muttering (away) to himself.
Laurence muttered something about his wife and left.
He muttered something under his breath to the person next to him.

#vocabulary #vs

First World Problems: are they actually important?

Watch the video to find out 🙃

Some vocab:

🟢A first-world problem — a usually minor or trivial problem or annoyance experienced by people in relatively affluent or privileged circumstances especially as contrasted with problems of greater social significance facing people in poor and underdeveloped parts of the world (проблема первого мира).

🟢to belittle - to make someone or something seem less impressive or important (унижать, принижать):
We've grown used to belittling things that don't happen to be important to us right now with the powerful term: "First World Problems."

🟢tough-minded - having or showing a practical, strong, or determined character that can deal successfully with difficult situations (твердый, решительный)

🟢counter-productive - having the opposite effect to the one which was intended (контрпродуктивный, обратный по результату):
This kind of tough-minded response is understandable, but a bit counter-productive.

🟢genuine - real; exactly what it appears to be; not artificial (подлинный, настоящий):
Just because an issue isn't connected to life or death doesn't mean it doesn't cause genuine pain.

🟢life-threatening - likely to cause death (угрожающий жизни):
A problem can be important without being life-threatening.

🟢oddity /ˈɒd.ɪ.ti/ - someone or something that is strange and unusual (странность, необычность):
First-world problems aren't an unnecessary oddity. They're a form of time travel.

🟢a glimpse into (something) - a quick and usually short look at someone or something that gives you some information about them or it (представление о чем-либо):
They're a glimpse into what we'll one day all have to worry about.

🟢a sob story - a sad story that someone tells you because they want you to help them (душещипательная, слезливая история)

🟢to beg - to make a very strong and urgent request (молить, умолять):
But there are a lots of other problems. Not sob stories of the well-to-do begging sympathy because the wine isn't properly chilled.

🟢in the immediate vicinity - in the area very close to a particular place (в ближайшем окружении):
We ask whether we have enough by looking at other people around us, in the immediate vicinity, and especially people we see on TV.

🟢a pervasive cause (of something) - a cause that is spread throughout every part (распространенная причина чего-либо):
But it's also responsible for one of the oddest, the most pervasive causes of modern unhappiness what we now call "being stressed".

🟢poignant - causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness (пронзительный, трогательный):
The things that make us unhappy in rich countries give us a poignant picture of unmet needs for relationships, meaning, beauty and sense of purpose.

🟢to rely on (somebody/something) - to trust or depend on someone or something to do what you need or expect them to do (полагаться, доверять):
Today we can't rely on organized religions to do this.

🟢aspirations - a strong desire to achieve something, such as success (стремления, амбиции):
The kinds of cities we live in has vast implications for the quality of our lives, but at present, our collective aspirations are undeveloped.

#vocabulary #material

📌 НЕДЕЛЬНЫЙ ДАЙДЖЕСТ

Это улиточка, которая тихо, тихо ползет по склону Фудзи вверх, до самых высот. И вам желает того же!

А сейчас — дайджест:

🟢Моя статья о лени на Хабре
🟢Видео о renewable energy + разбор лексики
🟢Рейтинг стран по знанию английского
🟢Идиома in times of trouble
🟢murmur, mumble, mutter — в чем разница
🟢First-world problems: видео + разбор лексики

Хорошей вам уже почти летней недели ♥️

#дайджест

DEPENDENT PREPOSITIONS
По мотивам квизов 🌵

Dependent prepositions — это предлоги, которые зависят от слова, которое ими управляет (существительного, прилагательного или глагола).

С большинством из них всё понятно: никакой логике (на взгляд русскоговорящих людей) они не подчиняются, мы просто их заучиваем. Например:

🟢to be similar to (something)
🟢to listen to (something/somebody)
🟢a change in/of (something)
🟢to have allergy to (something)
🟢to pose a threat to (something/somebody)
🟢a ban on (something)
🟢a cure for (something)
🟢to wait for (something/somebody)
🟢increase in (something)
🟢a recipe for (something)
🟢to be married to (somebody)
🟢to complain about (something)
🟢to apply for (something)
🟢to depend on (something/somebody)

Но в некоторых случаях не всё так просто: предлоги зависят еще и от значения.

🟢to be angry at/with (somebody):
He's really angry at/with me for upsetting Sophie.
I got really angry with her.
I was angry with my dog when he ran away.
I’m angry at him for lying to me.

🟢to be angry about (something)
She is angry about the way the company treats its employees.
He is angry about the sudden price rise of essential goods.
They’re angry about the lack of action on climate change by world leaders.
His parents were angry about his poor grades.

🟢to be concerned with (something) = interested in something:
Dave works for an engineering company concerned with bridge construction.
They are very devoted volunteers and just recently started up a charitable organization concerned with helping the homeless.
Both Britain and France were concerned with their own serious economic troubles.

🟢to be concerned about (something) = worried/scared about somethnig:
In Tunisia, activists are concerned about the potential rise of political Islam.
The family was living paycheck to paycheck and concerned about making ends meet.
I'm concerned about climate change.

Если вам нужно больше предлогов, то вот здесь есть таблички (вкладка explanation) и упражнения:

🟢Noun+preposition collocations
🟢Adjective+preposition collocations
🟢Verb+preposition collocations

#vocabulary #prepositions

One aircraft — many aircraft

Надеюсь, за прошлую неделю вы немного отдохнули от всяких странных штук, потому что у меня теперь запас шок-контента, присланного подписчиками:)

Спонсор сегодняшнего поста — замечательная Альвина 💗

Интересно, что сам по себе craft образует вполне обычную форму множественного числа: rural/ancient/traditional crafts 💁‍♀️

Еще заодно напомню, что слово vehicle читается как /ˈvɪə.kəl/.

#vocabulary #Iwastodayyearsold