Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life

Impr
ov
e Y
our Englis
h: Englis
h in Ev
er
yda
y Life
64
calculator. I always did calculation with my hand and 
break it down and make it easy. But, uh, my son was ask-
ing me how he needs a calculator, so I just said, “No,” 
even though the teacher said it’s OK. So I-I-I, there some 
good things in India, but I think mostly the overall edu-
cation system here is good. I hope it continues to be like 
that when he goes to middle school or high school.
DEFINITIONS
access exam:
An entrance exam that is required for 
entry into a particular school or fi eld of study.
bad spellings (
usually
 bad spelling
or 
poor spelling):
Th
e inability to spell words correctly.
book reports:
Reviews of books that a student has been 
required to read.
come out:
In this context, published.
fi fth:
Fifth grade in an elementary education.
fi fth grader:
A child in the fi fth grade.
fl ew me out there:
A phrase that means “to arrange for 
one’s transportation by plane.”
gosh:
An exclamation. 
gym:
Short for 
gymnasium
; also used to refer to physical 
education class in schools. 
hick town:
A rural, unsophisticated, or backward town.
Ivy League:
An athletic conference in the northeast-
ern United States comprising eight universities: Brown, 
Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princ-
eton, and Yale. Th
e term is also synonymous with aca-
demic excellence and prestige.

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