Enjoy Jamaica (2)

Tropical paradise
Hellshire Beach, a short drive from Kingston, is my favorite spot to soak in some sun and enjoy the ocean air. Whether in the sun or the shade, lunch – fried fish and festival (fried bread) – is personally delivered. And the oyster man stops by to serve up cold, fresh oysters.

A honeymoon destination, Jamaica offers newlyweds the perfect tropical escape. Beautiful, white-sand beaches and crystal-clear water provide the ideal setting to rest and relax. The all-inclusive resort was first opened in Jamaica. Therefore, Jamaicans know all about taking care of guests’ every need.

In the mood for adventure
The island also offers plenty for the adventurous traveler. On the north coast in Montego Bay, my cousin and I went ziplining for the first time. Flying through the forest felt fantastic! True risk-takers head west Negril. Besides an amazing seven-mile stretch of beach, Negri has the place to cliff jump –Rick’s Cafe. I watched both experienced and first-time jumpers plunge over the cliff. Then I ended the day viewing a breathtaking sunset over the ocean.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Silent Letters, Why? 教學主題: 不發音的字母
Silent letters are a lot like mosquitoes they’re annoying and you don’t know when they strike next. Just like the other day I was listening to a man gave a fabulous speech. His English was excellent except for one word he kept mispronouncing, debt.

Ah, that silent b can be tricky.

And so it sounded like he kept saying [debit], a related but different word. Fact is no matter how long we’ve been speaking English; silent letters can unexpectedly appear and bite us.

As irritating as silent letters are, there are rational reasons for their existence. One is that during the Renaissance there was a classical language revival, people were rediscovering all the literary treasures from the ancient Greek and Latin languages.

That was when scholars in England began tweaking the spelling of certain English words, so they would conform to the Latin ideal. They fit, they were helping.

Umm, and that’s when the word “dette” got its silent b. Yes, the change made the word look more like its Latin root “debitum”,but it created more headaches for you and me.

Hum. Many other English words acquired silent letters for this same reason, words like reign, receipt and island.

Language Lab
soak v.
if you soak something, or if you let it soak, you keep it covered with a liquid for a period of time, especially in order to make it softer or easier to clean:
- Alex wants to do nothing but relax and soak up some sun in his backyard.
- Soak the red beans for two hours before cooking them.
- After a long day, Samantha just wanted to soak in a hot tub.

crystal-clear adj.
perfectly clear : able to be seen through completely
- The crystal-clear lake makes you want to dive into it.
perfectly easy to understand
- The conman's motivation is crystal-clear: he just wants your money.
conman n.
someone who tries to get money from people by tricking them

bask v.
/ˈbæsk/
to lie or relax happily in a bright and warm place
- We sat basking in the sun.

zipline n.
an inclined cable or rope with a suspended harness, pulley, or handle, down which a person slides for amusement.
- The tour features five different ziplines in the rainforest.
- Max went ziplining when he went to Whistler, Canada.

plunge v.
/ˈplʌnʤ/
always followed by an adverb or preposition : to fall or jump suddenly from a high place
- It's so hot today, I wish I could go to the beach and plunge into the cool water.
- The car plunged over the cliff and fell to the bottom of the valley.

newlyweds n.
a person who has recently married
- They took pictures of the happy newlyweds.

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