“Vacation at Home“
The two-week vacation at the end of summer
school ended yesterday. Kevin had gone nowhere during his vacation. He had the
money, but he hated to travel alone. He used to take vacations with Gary, his
youngest brother, but they had a big argument at the end of their last
vacation. Each of them had spent the last three years waiting for the other to
apologize. Kevin did not feel good about being on non-speaking terms with his
favorite brother. But he was not going to ask for forgiveness when, in his
mind, this whole misunderstanding was his brother’s fault. So Kevin’s summer
vacation was spent in his own “back yard.” As usual, he had planned to clean up
his apartment. As usual, two weeks later his apartment looked just as it had
two weeks before. He did do one thing new and different during his vacation. He
went to a new coffee shop on Foothill Street. It served 25 varieties of
delicious coffee at reasonable prices, and the staff were genuinely friendly.
The coffee shop had a do-it-yourself counter near the entrance. On the counter
were lids, straws, and wooden stirrers. There were wraps to insulate your hands
against the hot coffee inside the cup. There were also individual servings of
sugar, sweeteners, and creamers. Kevin used the lids and wraps, but drank his
coffee black. The shop was air-conditioned at a slightly chilly temperature.
About eight small round tables were inside. Outside were four bigger tables.
Each had four white metal chairs around it, and several big umbrellas provided
shade. Even on hot afternoons, there was usually a pleasant breeze. Kevin
visited the coffee shop four times during his vacation. He always sat at a
table outside by himself and read the free daily paper. Each day he was there,
he read most of the newspaper articles while he enjoyed two cups of coffee.
Between articles, he took breaks by watching the nearby traffic and pedestrians.
The coffee shop was next to a huge parking lot. The lot was for customers of a
grocery store, movie rental store, pharmacy, bank, and restaurant. Kevin
considered his outdoor seat the perfect place for one of his favorite
activities—people watching. The coffee shop, with its excellent location and
coffee, had helped make his vacation a pleasant one. But he knew in his heart,
had his brother been there to join him just one day, his vacation would have
been a perfect one.
Reading…
Vocabulary
|
Phonetic-symbol
|
Meaning
|
1.argument
(N.)
|
/ɑːrɡjumənt/
|
- เหตุผล
- a conversation or discussion in which two or
more people disagree, often angrily
- Ex. After some heated argument a decision was finally taken.
|
2. apologize
(V.)
|
/.əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz/
|
-ขอโทษ
- to say that you are sorry for doing something
wrong or causing a problem
- Ex.We apologize for the late departure of this
flight.
|
3. temperature
(N.)
|
/temprətʃʊr/
|
- อุณหภูมิ
- the measurement in degrees of how hot or cold
a thing or place is
-Ex.The temperature has risen (by) five degrees.
|
4. pedestrian
(N.)
|
/pəˈdestriən/
|
- คนเดินเท้า
- a person walking in the street and not
travelling in a vehicle
-Ex.Two pedestrians were
injured when the car skidded.
|
5.insulate
(V.)
|
/ɪnsəleɪt/
|
-ป้องกัน
-to protect something with a material that
prevents heat, sound, electricity, etc. from passing through
-Ex Home owners are being encouraged to insulate their homes to
save energy.
|
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