Crystal Ball Gazing into 2011
As we begin 2011 we have a chance to think about our individual goals and hopes, and wonder what will happen in the next year. For personal goals we sometimes call these “New Year Resolutions.” New Year resolutions are a time when we make a promise to ourselves to break an old habit like give up smoking or begin a new one like improve our TOEIC score or learn a new language.
It is also a time when we might crystal ball gaze. What this means is we try to figure out what will happen in the future and this is what I read in every business newspaper on the first two days of each new year. Will the world economy pick up, or will it continue to stutter? Will economic woes in Europe and the USA continue? What lies in store for those of us who have to save money for the increasing jeonsei or housing deposit prices in Seoul? Do you think the government will step in and take action? And what about market volatility? Do you think that the Korean Won will flounder or appreciate against the Greenback (the U.S. dollar)?
For me, I have shares in commodities, (examples are iron, oil, food) so I wonder how demand will continue with expanding markets like China, which have helped the value of my shares rise over the past two quarters (a quarter is 3 month period).
On a personal note, my New Year’s resolution is to be able to hold a basic conversation in Korean for ten minutes, lose 3 kilograms, and read one interesting and educational book every month.
Guessing meaning from context
Read the text and match the words to the closest definitions (there can be two answers because many words have similar meanings, but these are the closest in meaning). The answers are at the bottom of the page.
| 1 |
New Year’s resolution |
A |
Stop doing something |
| 2 |
Break a habit |
B |
Increase/begin to go faster |
| 3 |
Crystal ball gaze |
C |
Not go anywhere/nothing happen |
| 4 |
Pick up |
D |
Goes up and down easily. Dangerous. Explosive. |
| 5 |
Stutter |
E |
A plan or goal you make at the beginning of a year |
| 6 |
Lies in store |
F |
Take action to stop something. |
| 7 |
Will step in |
G |
What is waiting for us that we don’t know about |
| 8 |
Volatility |
H |
Predict the future/fortunetelling |
| 9 |
Flounder |
I |
Stopping and starting |
| 10 |
woes |
J |
Worry/anxiety/concern |
1=E, 2=A, 3=H, 4=B, 5=I, 6=G, 7=F, 8=D,9=C, 10=J
1. What are your New Year's resolutions? Have you made any?
2. Are there any habits that you need to break this year?
3. If you were to crystal ball gaze, what do you see in the future for you personally or for the world?
4. Do you think that the world economy will pick up this year, or will it continue to flounder, if so, in what quarter? Why do you think so?
5. Do you think that the U.S. economy will continue to stutter in Oh 11 (2011)?
6. What lies in store for you this year?
7. Do you think that the Korean government will step in if the Korean won increases in value?
8. Do you think the situation with North Korea will continue to be volatile this year?
9. What economic woes can you see in 2011?
Some example sentences: You could make your own following the same patterns.
My New Year’s resolution is to get a TOEIC score of 850.
I hope to break the smoking habit this year.
In my crystal ball I see me making money in buying oil shares.
Things are picking up in the new car sales market.
Business is quiet, sales of new cars are stuttering along.
I think success lies in store for those who work hard.
I think China needs to step in for the North Korean problem.
There has been a lot of volatility in oil prices this last year.
I bought shares in LG, but they seem to be floundering.
European countries like Ireland and Greece have had economic woes this last year.
ECK Education
