A Difficult Week
Wow! What a week! Sometimes it seems that our world is falling apart. In this last week we’ve seen Ghadaffi’s Libya falling apart, which has meant bad luck for many Koreans and Korean companies doing business there, earthquakes like the one in Christchurch, New Zealand that bring everyday lives of thousands to their knees, oil prices shooting through the roof, and escalating food prices. When these things happen we are reminded how fragile life is. We make our plans for tomorrow’s life, but we can’t be sure what tomorrow will bring. Maybe that is why we need to plan for tomorrow, but live for today. For me, one of the most inspirational business leaders is Apple’s Steve Jobs. Even though he had some personal disasters he weathered his difficulties and stayed positive. He realized that now we can’t see anything good from bad luck, but if we look back on our lives then we might see how events changed our lives. We might see that when one door closes another door opens.
Guessing the Meaning From Context
Match the letter to the number that has the closest definition. The answers are below the table.
|
falling apart |
A |
1 |
We don’t know or aren’t sure what will happen in the future |
|
to their knees, |
B |
2 |
Someone or something that makes us want to do great things |
|
shooting through the roof |
C |
3 |
A bad situation. As if we have fallen over. |
|
escalating |
D |
4 |
Increasing, like can’t be stopped |
|
what tomorrow will bring |
E |
5 |
Not give up, a fighting attitude. Survive |
|
plan for tomorrow, but live for today |
F |
6 |
We lose something, but this means that a new opportunity for something new and good comes |
|
inspirational |
G |
7 |
Increasing very fast |
|
weathered |
H |
8 |
Prepare for the future, but enjoy our life now |
|
one door closes another door opens |
I |
9 |
Being destroyed. Crumble, break apart. |
A=9, B=3, C=7, D=4, E=1, F=8, G=2, H=5, I=6
Some Questions to Practice Your New Words & Phrases
1. Tell me about a time you felt your life, or someone or something, felt like it was falling apart. Explain your experience and what you did.
2. What brought the stock market to its knees in 2008?
3. Why are oil prices shooting through the roof?
4. What is your opinion about the escalation of violence in countries like Libya?
5. What do you think tomorrow will bring for your company and the market they are in?
6. What are you doing to plan for tomorrow? How are you living for today?
7. Describe and inspirational person or leader for you.
8. How has the company you work for weathered things in the last few years?
9. Talk about a time in your life when one door closed, but another opened? What did you learn?
Some Example Sentences
In the last 20 minutes of the game our team’s, the LG Twins, game plan seemed to fall apart. They didn’t seem to know what to do.
The construction company was brought to its knees because it owed too much money.
I’ve seen the world prices of wheat shoot through the roof because of so many natural disasters in the world.
Problems between the two countries escalated because neither was prepared to change their mind.
I plan for tomorrow by saving for my retirement, but I live for today by enjoying my money by buying some things that I really love.
Guus Hiddink inspired the Red Devils soccer team to do more than they thought they could do.
In the past people would weather a bad marriage, but these days it is easier to get divorced that do that.
Although our company didn’t win the contract and that door closed, another opened with another company and we made more money finally.
ECK Education
