Toilet Paper and Paper Towel

Verbs: go, to be, wait, sit, put, need, flush, have to, use, turn, dry

Nancy goes to the restroom at school.  Many people are in the restroom.  She waits in a line.  Before she sits on the toilet, she puts a toilet seat cover on top of the toilet seat.  Toilet papers are in every restroom.  She doesn’t need to prepare toilet papers.  In the United States, you can flush toilet papers and used tampon.  The used pads and plastic tampon applicators cannot be put in the toilet.  You have put used pads and plastic tampon applicators in the trash can.

After she uses the restroom, she turns the water faucet and washes her hands with hand soap.  Then, she dries her hands with paper towels.  In the United States, you cannot put paper towels in the toilet.  Used paper towels need to put in the trash can.

How to clean the house

Part 1 – Kitchen and living room

Verbs: clean, go, put, make sure, face, add, close, choose, turn, use, clean, vacuum, sweep, mop

Bob cleans his house.  He goes to the kitchen and puts dirty dishes in the dishwasher.  He puts forks, spoons, and knives in the basket.  Cups, glasses, bowls, and small plates go on the top rack.  He puts larger plates, pots, and pans into the bottom rack.  He also makes sure dishes are facing upside down.  He adds dishwasher detergent to the detergent dispenser and closes the door.  He chooses the proper washing cycle and turns it on.  He uses a rag to clean the counter top.  He uses a vacuum cleaner to vacuum the carpet and sweeps the kitchen floor with a broom. He adds water to the bucket and mops the floor with a wet mop. 

Part 2 – Bathroom

Verbs: go, wear, pour, brush, spray, scrub, rinse, use, wipe

Mike goes into the bathroom.  He wears a pair of rubber gloves.  He pours the toilet bowl cleaner into toilet bowl.  He brushes the toilet with a toilet brush.  He sprays the all purpose cleaner on the bathtub and the shower wall.  He scrubs the wall and the bathtub and rinses with hot water.  He uses a wet mop to clean the floor.  Then, he sprays the all purpose cleaner in the sink and counter area.  He uses a sponge to rinse and wipe the areas.

Conclusion

Verbs: empty, take

Empty all waste baskets in the house and take out the garbage to the garbage bin.

Places to Live

Verbs: to be, have, want, talk, rent

Part 1 – Apartment

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An apartment is a set of rooms or units for living.  It has many homes in a building.  An apartment is usually for rent.  People who want to rent an apartment always talk to the leasing office.

Part 2 – House

Verbs: to be, live

A house is a building.  A small group of people or a family lives in a house. 

Part 3 – Townhouse

 

Verbs: to be, have

(click image to enlarge)

A townhouse is a row house.  A townhouse is one of a group of similar houses in one row. 

A townhouse usually has two or three floors.

Recipe - Key Lime Pie

Verbs: serve, to be, consider

Dessert – Dessert is usually served after the meal.  There are many different kinds of dessert, such as cakes, cookies, ice cream, candy and pie etc.  In America, a meal is considered incomplete without desserts.

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

·         1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

·         3 cups sweetened condensed milk

·         1/2 cup sour cream

·         3/4 cup key lime juice

·         1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream if desired.

Reference: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Key-Lime-Pie-VII/Detail.aspx

Recipe - Classic Meatloaf

Verbs: to be, make from, form, save, add to, prepare, depend on

Classic Meatloaf – It is a classic American dish.  It is made from ground beef and formed into a loaf shape.  Meatloaf is common and popular because it is a way to save money.  Leftovers, spices, cereal grains, or crackers are added to the meatloaf to stretch the meat.  Nowadays, there are different ways to prepare the meatloaf and it depends on personal preferences and family tradition.

Makes: 8 servings

Preparation time: 10 minsBake: 60 mins

Ingredients

·      1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secret® Onion Soup Mix

·      2 lbs. ground beef

·      3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

·      2 eggs

·      3/4 cup water

·      1/3 cup ketchup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine all ingredients

2. In 13 x 9-inch baking or roasting pan, shape into loaf.

3. Bake 1 hour or until done. Let stand 10 minutes.

For Ketchup Topping: Buy ketchup for topping or combine ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar.

Reference: Lipton® Recipe Secret® Onion Soup Mix

Recipe - Spinach Salad

Verbs: serve, call, to be, introduce

Appetizer - In the American culture, the food or drink served before the main course is called appetizer.  It is light food and usually is a small portion.  We will introduce you to a simple recipe for spinach salad.  It is very easy and convenient. 

Spinach Salad

Preparation time: 30 mins

Ingredients

·         8 to 10  cups fresh spinach

·         3/4  cup  radishes

·         1/2  cup  sliced red onion

·         1/2  cup  shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

·         1/3  cup Italian Salad Dressing 

·         6    slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled

Directions

1.      In a large bowl, combine spinach, radishes, red onion,
    and cheese.

2.      Pour the Italian Salad Dressing over salad; toss evenly.

3.      Top with bacon. Makes 6 to 8 side-dish servings.

Reference: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/salads/spinach-salad/

Groceries - II

Verbs: to be, look, decide, go, think, should, buy, have, need, let, get, make, would like to, want, can, should, sound, bring, pay, check out

May and Anna are roommates.  May is looking in the refrigerator and pantry in their apartment.  There are few things left in the fridge and pantry.  So, they decide to go grocery shopping at the farmer’s market.

May:  What do you think we
          should buy?

Anna: We are out of vegetables and
          fruit. We only have short
          ribs left.

May:  Do you think we need to buy
          noodles?

Anna: Yeah, I think we have some but not enough for both of us.

May:  Then let’s go to the produce section first and get some
          vegetables and fruit.

Anna: Let’s get a bag of onions, a bag of potatoes, one pound of
          carrots, 1/3 of peas, a bag of Shanghai Bok Choy, and some
          ginger and garlic.  With these vegetables, we can make curry
          for our meal next week.

May:  I would like to get some fruit too.  I want to buy cantaloupe, 
          a box of strawberries, a grapefruit, bananas, and 2 pounds of 
          cherries.  So we can make some fruit salad.

Anna: Let’s go to the meat and poultry sections and get chicken
          drumsticks and pork chops.

May:  Let’s get a carton of eggs.  What should we get for breakfast?

Anna: How about a box of cereal, a gallon of whole milk, a loaf of
          bread and a jar of peanut butter?

May:  That sounds good.  Can we get some ice cream too?

Anna: Sure. Do we need anything else, like soda or snacks?

May:  I think we have plenty at home.  We are fine with them.

Anna: That's everything. Let's go to the checkout.

May:  Oops! I only have five dollars. Did you bring your credit card
          or debit card?  I will pay you back later when we are home.

Anna: Yes, I have my debit card with me.  I can check out first and
          that is not a problem.  

Groceries - I

Verbs: can, go, based on, include, prepare, go

In Atlanta area, you can always grocery shop at different places based on your needs.

Asian grocery stores include,

·         Buford Highway Farmer’s Market

·         HMart

·         Assi

·         Great Wall Supermarket

·         Dinho Market of Atlanta: Located in Chinatown

American grocery stores include,

·         Publix

·         Walmart

·         Kroger

·         Target

·         Trader Joe’s: Specializes in organic food

·         Whole Food’s Market

·         Harry’s Farmer’s Market

In the US, people always prepare their shopping list before they go grocery shopping.

Restaurant - Tips

Verbs: to be, pay, include, say, keep, bring, write, want, give, add, forget, sign, show 

The standard tip is 10-15% for lunch and 15-20% for dinner. If you are paying cash and you are including the tip, you say “Keep the change.” But normally, the server should bring your change.

If you pay with a credit card, there is a separate line where you can write in the tip.

Write in the amount of the tip you want to give, add that to the amount of your meal, and then write the “total”. Don’t forget to sign your name at the bottom where it says “signature.” The restaurant will give the tip to your server.

Generally, if you have a party of 6 or more, the gratuity will show automatically on your total amount.  You can pay extra tips if  you wish.

* Gratuity = tip

Restaurant

Situation 1

Making reservations at a restaurant

Verbs: to be, help, like, make, plan, arrive, let, confirm and call

Host:  Good evening. Villa Cristina. This is Brian. May I help you?
You :  Hello, Brian. I would like to make a reservation for dinner
           for this evening.
Host:  Certainly. What time are you planning to arrive?
You :  At 8:30.
Host:   How many people will be in your group?
You :  There will be six of us.
Host:  What is the name of the group?
You :  Hills.
Host:  Let me confirm. The Hills group of six arriving this evening
          at 9:30.
You :  That's right.
Host:  Thank you for calling. Good bye.
You :  Good bye.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situation 2

How to Order

Verbs: to be, order, drink, need, have, think, get, serve, finish, keep

Kim is at MM restaurant and she is ordering dinner. 

Server: Hello, welcome to MM.  I am your server today and my
           name is Jason.  What would you like to drink, Ma’am?

Kim:    Yes, I'd like a Coke, please.

Server: Ok.  Are you ready to order or do you need a moment?

Kim:    I am ready to order.

Server: Would you like to have an appetizer?

Kim:    Yes, I'd like a bowl of chicken soup, please.

Server: And what would you like for a main course? Our today’s
           special is roast chicken.  It is really tender.

Kim:    Well, I think I will get a grilled cheese sandwich.

Server: All right.  Your dinner will be served shortly.

~~~ Right after Jason serves the meal ~~~

Server: How’s everything?

Kim:     Everything is good.

~~~ After Kim finished her dish ~~~

Server: Would you like to have some dessert?

Kim:     No, thank you. Just the bill, please.

Server:  Certainly.

Kim:     I don't have my glasses. How much is the dinner?

Server: That's $10.50.

Kim:    Here you are and keep the change. Thank you very much.

Server: You're welcome. Have a good day.

Kim:    You too.

Money

Verbs: to be, live, explain, would like to, help, recognize, have, equal, see, find, understand, work, can, pay, sound, know, work, come, take, charge.

 

Jenny is an exchange student from Beijing. She lives with her host family in Atlanta. Her host mother, Tracy is explaining her currency now.

Tracy: We would like to help you recognize the American currency.

Jenny: OK. How many types of coins do we have?

Tracy: There are six coins. A penny is one cent; it equals $0.01.
           A nickel is five cents; it equals $0.05. A dime is ten cents; it
           equals $0.10. A quarter is twenty-five cents; it equals
           $0.25. A half dollar is fifty cents; it equals $0.50. A silver
           dollar is one dollar; it equals $1.00.

Jenny:  I see.  How many bills do you have?

Tracy: There are also six bills, a one-dollar bill, a five-dollar bill, a
           ten-dollar bill, a twenty-dollar bill, a fifty-dollar bill, and a
           one-hundred-dollar bill. However, it is hard to find
           fifty-dollar bills and one-hundred-dollar bills.

Jenny:  Since I understand how the American currency works, how
           do I pay for my daily expenses?

Tracy: Well, it is simple. You can pay by cash, a credit card, a debit
           card, and a personal check.

Jenny: It sounds simple, but I would like to know the difference
           between a credit card and a debit card.

Tracy: The main difference is a debit card takes it from your
           checking account and a credit card charges it to your line of
           credit. By the way, you can use personal checks to make
           most of the payments.

Jenny: Thank you so much for your help! I am ready to go
           shopping!

Weather in Atlanta

Verbs: have, to be, happen, cause and move

Atlanta has a special name, “Hotlanta”.

In the summer, the temperatures are between 80°F (27°C) and 90°F (32°C).  Thunderstorms or hail may happen.

In the fall, temperatures are between of 63°F and 82°F.  It doesn’t rain much in October. 

In the winter, the temperatures are between mid 20°F to mid 30°F.  It doesn’t snow much in December, January, and February.  The severe snowstorms may cause icy roads so driving is not easy.

In the spring, the temperatures are between mid 60°F and the
upper 70°F.  March and April are pollen and rain shower months.

 *In the spring, there is a Daylight saving time (DTS).  It is when you move the clocks one hour forward. And in the fall, you move the clocks one hour backwards.

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