English short

particular reason. He put his hand on the couch and let it glide over as he walked across. There was no dining room table to repeat this action, as he lived by himself and usually ate in the kitchen or out on the balcony.

Before he knew it, it was 10:00 pm. It was time for bed. While he didn't finish the audiobook, he certainly had something new to talk about next weekend when he would go to the family gathering. He could even bring Jenny and introduce her as the one who introduced him to the book.

Vocabulary

• to sleep in

• to catch up on sleep

• household chore

• unpaid bill

• housing

• rent

• electricity

• internet

• student loan

• phone plan

• to have a payment due

• technology

• to pay online

• to leave the house

• laundry

• to pile up

• load

• to sort

• to throw in

• to pour in

• laundry detergent

• fabric softener

• to run a machine

• laundry machine

• productive

• to do the dishes

• to vacuum the house

• by no means

• spotless

• extra work

• kitchen

• to clean out the fridge

• to throw away

• expired food

• to scrub the counter

• disinfectant

• to brush off

• crumb

• floor

• to sweep

• broom and dustpan

• to mop

• the rest of the day

• computer

• strategy games

• single player games

• peer out the window

• to heat up

• gaming

• existential crisis

• wise

• meaningful

• video

• headphones

• bedroom

• instantly

• the right use of one's time

• to open up the opportunity

• self-reflection

• closet door

• for no particular reason

• couch

• to glide over

• to walk across

• dining room table

• to live by oneself

• balcony

• time for bed

• certainly

• family gathering

• to introduce

Comprehension Questions

1. If someone needs to catch up on sleep, it means that...

A) they have been sleeping too much.

B) they have been sleeping too little.

C) they enjoy sleeping.

D) they have trouble falling asleep.

2. Which of the following is not considered a housing utility?

A) Student loans

B) Water

C) Electricity

D) Internet

3. When cleaning the kitchen, John did not...

A) scrub the counters with disinfectant.

B) throw away expired foods.

C) mop the floor.

D) sweep the floor with his broom and dustpan.

4. What's generally the fastest way to cook food?

A) The stove

B) The microwave

C) The oven

D) The toaster oven

5. Where did John find his headphones?

A) In his bedroom

B) In his closet

C) In the laundry machine

D) In the living room

CHAPTER 9:

FAMILY AND OCCUPATIONS

Jenny happily agreed to accompany John on his visit to his family gathering the following weekend. They were now officially a couple, and it would be a good time to introduce her to his mother, father, and brothers.

Also at the get-together was John's uncle, named Doug. Doug was a mechanical engineer, who worked on all kinds of machines, including steam and gas turbines and electric generators. He was an extremely intelligent man, who helped guide John in his younger years.

While chatting with his uncle, he noticed his two cousins Michael and Joanne in the background. The three of them hung out quite frequently as kids and shared a lot of childhood memories. They grew apart as they got older, unfortunately, and lost contact with one another as they entered the workforce. Michael ended up working his way up to a management position at a retail store. And Joanne was a part-time hairdresser but a full-time mom.

Jenny was obviously overwhelmed by all the new faces, but she was able to get to know at least one person at the event. This person was John's sister-in-law Olivia. From the very get-go, the two hit it off and established an instant rapport. Jenny was a journalist by trade, and Olivia was a writer for a TV show that was produced by the same media company they both worked for. While they had seen each other around the office, they had never met until now.

In the end, there were just too many people for Jenny to meet and even for John to catch up with. They briefly said hello to his grandmother and aunts, but they never got the chance to greet his nieces and nephews. All the kids were busy playing together in the backyard.

The family was able to take a group photo, which included Jenny, who was invited to join in. Every year, it's John's dad who is given the task to create the best family photo possible. Leaving the task to him makes sense, given that he's a professional photographer.

The sun started going down, and the day was growing late. As everyone was leaving, John had another opportunity to speak with his Uncle Doug. He voiced his concerns about burning out at his current job at the insurance company and was considering a few possible paths he could take. Uncle Doug advised him that, even though he's not sure where he wants to work in the future, he should definitely start taking classes as soon as possible. Waiting to start was the worst thing he could possibly do.

Vocabulary

• to accompany

• officially

• a good time to

• mother

• father

• brother

• get-together

• uncle

• mechanical engineer

• steam and gas turbines

• electric generator

• extremely intelligent

• cousin

• background

• to hang out

• kid

• childhood memory

• to grow apart

• to get older

• to lose contact

• workforce

• management position

• retail store

• part-time

• hairdresser

• full-time

• mom

• obviously

• overwhelmed

• new face

• event

• sister-in-law

• get-go

• to hit it off

• to establish rapport

• journalist

• by trade

• writer

• TV show

• to produce

• media company

• grandmother

• aunt

• to greet

• niece

• nephew

• backyard

• group photo

• photographer

• to burn out

• possible path

• to advise

• to take a class

• as soon as possible

Comprehension Questions

1. What is John's uncle's profession?

A) Electrical engineer

B) Civil engineer

C) Chemical engineer

D) Mechanical engineer

2. Michael and Joanne's parents are John's...

A) grandfather and grandmother.

B) mother and father.

C) aunt and uncle.

D) brother and sister.

3. John's sister-in-law is married to whom?

A) His brother

B) His father

C) His cousin

D) His boss

4. Where were the kids playing during the family gathering?

A) At the school

B) In the house

C) In the backyard

D) In the toy room

5. When you are highly qualified to do a job you are called...

A) an amateur.

B) the workforce.

C) an occupation.

D) a professional.

CHAPTER 10:

EDUCATION

With a full-time job and a girlfriend, John's schedule was pretty tightly packed. But for the sake of a better future, he enrolled in a graduate program for economics at his local university. John had already completed an undergraduate program and graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, yet like most liberal arts degrees, it was not the greatest choice for seeking employment and starting a career.

This time would be different. With much more experience and wisdom, this opportunity to further his education would not go wasted. A graduate program in economics was going to be a formidable challenge, but if he succeeded, the rewards would be great. The classes he took at community college would be a cakewalk compared to this. Intense study and perseverance would be required.

The textbooks would often prove to be much more useful than the lectures. Some of the professors he had talked with such long-winded delivery that it was incredibly difficult to maintain focus in class. He could spend half the time reading chapters from the book and come away with double the information he got in the lecture hall. The teacher assistants, however, were most helpful, as they could explain complex concepts using very basic language.