The ySAGS

RETREAT (n)
a private, safe place to get away from everyday life
DISMANTLED (v)
taken apart piece by piece

When there's no space for a garden, the only way is up.
There was a garden like that in China.
One Chinese doctor has built a rocky RETREAT on top of the Beijing blocks of flat.
But his villa is now being DISMANTLED after neighbours complained it was noisy and dangerous.

CONTROVERSIAL (adj)
(here) causing disagreement
TO EASE
to make a problem less difficult

The mysterious site of Stonehenge.
It's captured the imagination of British people for centuries. Even today it's the place to go for tourists and druids.
Now, there are CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a tunnel under the Stonehenge area. It's part of a big scheme TO EASE congestion.

DRONES (n)
unmanned flying machines
CHARTED (adj)
planned or mapped out

Today, we are going to talk about "Flying food".
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a flying waiter.
Due to a lack of staff, restaurateurs in Singapore have started to use DRONES to get food from the kitchens to the diners.
he robots fly over the heads of customers on paths CHATRED by a computer.

ITINERANT (adj): moving, migrant, traveling.
RESILIENT (adj): hardy, strong, tough, resistant.

Eminem was raised by his mother as his father abandoned the family. She never managed to hold down a job for more than several months at a time, so they moved frequently between Missouri and Detroit, Michigan. He had no close friends, kept almost entirely to himself and was treated like an outcast at each new school. At the age of 13, having to live in the black slum that only his family was white soon turned him into a RESILIENT child. This ITINERANT lifestyle left a large impact on his personality and his songs.

OBSTACLES (n)
(here) objects that the freerunners have to move around or over
SPECIALISED(adj)
concentrating on a particular area

Parkour is almost a kind of sport, which requires the "freerunner" to jump through urban OBSTACLES. Parkour started in the streets in France and now is becoming well-known in Britain. The country's first SPECIALISED academies have opened their doors, to encourage people to learn how to do it in a safe environment. There is about 35,000 people practise 'freerunning' regularly.

[ VOCAB ]
GLORIOUS (adj): outstanding, wonderful, magnificent.
EXPEDITION (n): excursion, trip, journey.

Even the most glorified men in human history are all looking forward to showing their importance .The billionaires only agreed to sponsor an expedition to Antarctica in 1928 with the sole request: their names must be set for the mountain ranges there. Geogre Washington wanted to be called "Germany, Mr. President of the United States". They wonder why a talent like Christopher Columbus also desire to get the title of "Admiral of the Ocean and the Viceroy of India". And Shakespeare, who was dubbed as the greatest among the great, also wanted to make his name more GLORIOUS by applying for a Royal patrician.

[ VOCAB ]
AGASTOPIA (n.)
In her song “Style”, Taylor sings:

“You got that James Dean day dream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like”

We can see that she has a strong feeling about of his eyes and he’s really into her red lips. Those admirations of a particular part of someone’s body called “AGASTOPIA”.

BEDGASM (n.)

A feeling of complete happiness and relaxation which experiences when climbing into bed at the end of an 20-hour workday, a long road trip or hours of extremely intense physical activity.

[ VOCAB ]

PHENOMENAL (adj.)

Very great or impressive

BATTY (adj.)

Slightly crazy

2008 was such a successful year for Katy Perry, she released one of her PHENOMENAL songs " I kissed a girl ". The main lyrics of that song:

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
it felt so wrong
it felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight.

This song described "the magical beauty of a woman" through the BATTY action of the main character. She kissed a girl when she even didn't know her name. However, she just wanted to feel the attraction of a girl and her act was just for fun. That BATTY kiss made "I kissed a girl" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven consecutive weeks and became one of the best-selling singles worldwide.

[ VOCAB ]
EMINENT (adj): well-known, famous, outstanding, accomplished.
ARROGANCE (n): haughtiness, egotism, conceit.

Eg: Few people know that the EMINENT President Lincoln used to not only like harsh criticism but also often wrote the letter and poem mocking other people and then spread out on the street for everyone to read. His ARROGANCE and extravagance could continue unless he had to face with a life-or-death duel.

[ VOCAB ]

ATROPHY (n.)
withering, shrinking, decline, wasting.
DUMMY RUN (n.)
A practice or rehearsal, trial run.

Eg: The result of 3 months without sufficient trainings was the gradual ATROPHY of Jack’s running skills. But now he’s having a couple of DUMMY RUNS every day in order to prepare for the upcoming competition. He’s officially back in the game!

[MONEY: FACT]