Monday Morning English with Mai

Week

108

 
Travel News wire...


SampleFierce storms close airports throughout America: A snowstorm on the East Coast of North America has closed airports and caused a knock-on effect of thousands of flight cancellations around the U.S. In the state of Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C., more than 15 inches of snow have fallen in the past few days. All travellers wishing to travel through airports near New York, Washington, Baltimore, Boston and other cities on the East Coast should consult their travel agents before beginning their journeys.

This week's Natural Phrase

service charge

SampleRussell: I'm so sick of using these credit cards. Every time I check the account statement, there are a bunch of service charges that they never told me about.

Amy: Those hidden service charges are getting more and more common with credit cards and bank services. I prefer to just pay in cash to avoid losing money to those companies.
Explanation: A "service charge" is a fee that banks, telephone companies, credit card services, and other companies charge when you use their services. They can be called "transfer fees" or other names.


This week's Medical Phrase

post-partum depression

SampleRosa: After delivering my baby, I started to feel very down. I don't know the reason why.

Dr. Delon: Sometimes, after giving birth, a new mother can suffer from what is called post-partum depression. I can schedule an appointment with a counselor who can talk with you about it.

Explanation: The phrase "post-partum depression" is a medical term that describes the depressed feeling that a mother can have a few weeks after birth of their child.

 

This week's Email phrase

It's a tough call

SampleDear Lindsay:
We have to decide whether to keep our marketing manager, or fire him and hire a new one. He hasn't been showing any good results this year, but as you know, it takes a long time to train a new manager. It's a tough call, but we have to decide soon.

Explanation: The term "tough call" is similar to saying that there is a tough decision that has to be made. It is similar to a sports referee making a difficult decision in an important game.

 

 

 

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