Blog
New Service!
September 29th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
We are now offering chaperoned trips to Hong Kong for the October SAT. We will make all necessary arrangements for you so your schedule will look like:
Friday, October 9th –
Morning, Fly to Hong Kong
Afternoon, Check-in to hotel and go to nearby location for lunch
Late Afternoon, Tips and Tricks review session with SAT teacher
Evening, Dinner at nearby location
Night, Pep talk by Chaperone and SAT Teacher
Saturday, October 10th –
06:30, Breakfast at hotel
07:00, Depart for test center
07:30, Arrive at test center
13:00, Finish test, meet Chaperone and go to lunch
15:00, Peak Tram
18:00, Dinner
Sunday, October 11th –
Morning, Fly to Chengdu
Afternoon, Meet parents at Peter’s Tex Mex on Tong Zi Lin Dong Lu
The cost for the chaperone service will depend on how many students register. For more information contact the PFA office.
Word of the Day
September 29th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
Easy
colleague
Pronunciation: : \ˈkä-(ˌ)lēg\
Function: noun
Definition: A co-worker.
Example: My colleagues at school bought me flowers for my birthday.
Difficult
abrogate
Pronunciation: \ˈa-brə-ˌgāt\
Function: verb
Definition: to abolish, repeal, or nullify
Example: The new law will be unable to abrogate the former, well established law.
Word of the Day
September 28th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
Easy
skeptical
Pronunciation: [skep-ti-kuhl]
Function: adjective
Definition: doubtful; disbelieving.
Example: I was skeptical when I read the advertisement for the apartment because the price seemed too low for such a big place.
ebullient
Pronunciation: [i-buhl-yuhnt, i-bool-]
Function: adjective
Definition: bubbling with excitement, exuberant
Example: The student’s ebullient attitude lifted the mood of the entire class.
Word of the Day
September 18th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
Easy
adapt
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈdapt, a-\
Function: verb
Definition: To adjust or make usable.
Example: Many animals can adapt their feeding habits according to changes in the food supply.
cite
Pronunciation: \ˈsīt\
Function: verb
Definition: To quote or refer to a person’s speech or writing.
Example: In his paper, Josh cited Martin Luther King, Jr. and Clarence Darrow.
Difficult
coy
Pronunciation: \ˈkȯi\
Function: adjective
Definition: shy, reluctant to make a commitment
Example: She was coy in her response.
Word of the Day
September 17th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
Easy
awe
Pronunciation: \ˈȯ\
Function: noun
Definition: An emotion combining fear and wonder.
Example: The crowd was in awe as the king came out to give his speech.
characterize
Pronunciation: \ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz, ˈka-rik-\
Function: verb
Definition: To describe the qualities of
Example: Lisa had been characterized as a shy person, so it was surprising when she started to speak out in class.
Difficult
yeomanly
Pronunciation: : \-lē\
Function: adjective
Definition: dependable, hard-working
Example: Farmer Smith was described by the community as being a yeomanly figure.
Word of the Day
September 16th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
Easy
analysis
Pronunciation: : \ə-ˈna-lə-səs\
Function: noun
Definition: The process of looking at something carefully and methodically
Example: My teacher’s analysis of my paper was not very favorable.
chaos
Pronunciation: \ˈkā-ˌäs\
Function: noun
Definition: Disorder
Example: Kim’s mother was shocked by the chaos in her room.
Difficult
zeitgeist
Pronunciation: [ˈtsaɪtɡaɪst] (German)
Function: noun
Definition: the mood or spirit of the times
Example: The book was the perfect representation of the 90s zeitgeist.
Word of the Day
September 15th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
Easy
application
Pronunciation: \ˌa-plə-ˈkā-shən\
Function: noun.
Definition: the act of using something.
Example: Our math teacher used today’s class to teach the application of the formulas he had taught the day before.
bizarre
Pronunciation: \bə-ˈzär\
Function: adjective
Definition: very strange; unusual.
Example: I could not explain his bizarre behavior at the party on Friday.
Difficult
colloquial
Pronunciation: \kə-ˈlō-kwē-əl\
Function: adjective
Definition: ordinary, informal speech.
Example: I found the Englishman's colloquial expressions confusing.
Word of the Day
September 14th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
Easy
accessible
Pronunciation: \ik-ˈse-sə-bəl, ak-, ek-\
Function: adjective
Definition: Able to be reached or used.
Example: Buildings today must be accessible to people in wheelchairs.
benefactor
Pronunciation: \ˈbe-nə-ˌfak-tər\
Function: noun
Definition: Someone who takes care of or gives money to another person.
Example: Mr. Warbucks was Annie’s benefactor; he took care of her.
Note: Mr. Warbucks is a character from the popular American movie, Annie. For more information about this movie please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_(film).
Difficult
zenith
Pronunciation: : \ˈzē-nəth\
Function: noun
Definition: the highest point; peak; pinnacle
Example: After many years of hard work, she had reached the zenith of her career.
First Blog post
September 9th, 2009 — Kirsten Allen
If you're reading this blog that means that you are either a PFA client, or you're interested in going to university in America. In any case, welcome to our blog, and our first blog posting.
This blog is where we will be posting any information that is relevant to our services, to our clients, our clients' parents, and anyone else who would like to keep up with our rambling. For instance, this is where you'll find out that for the month of September we are offering:
Take a FREE SAT Assessment Test in September
And WIN* the ultimate SAT Prep or University Guidance Package *restrictions & conditions apply
If you're interested in registering for the free assessment test and subsequent lottery please call our office at (028) 8611 1275, or email us at sat@prepforamerica.cn as soon as possible. Places are limited.
We will be posting regular features including:
Word of the Day
A Student's Life in an American University
English, English, English (for both ESL students and native speakers)
American Culture
Writing for the blog will be our knowledgeable and friendly staff:
Walter Brown
Kirsten Allen
Jenny Mast
Sofia Song
Walisha Wang
In addition we will have several guest writers who will be posting articles about being a student at an American university.
We encourage you, our readers, to send us your thoughts in response to our blog. Is the information helpful? Do you have a question you would like to have addressed? Do you have something to add to a post? Please let us know!
Unfortunately, I must reveal that at the moment our blog is relatively low tech and does not allow for comments or interaction directly on the site. But don't worry! As our technological skills begin to improve we'll be improving both our blog and the website to accommodate comments, a message board, and other tid-bits that should make spending time on the website both fun and educational. In the meantime please email your thoughts to us and we’ll try to make sure that they get addressed within the blog posts. You can email your thoughts and comments to info@prepforamerica.cn.
Finally, if you would like to be a guest writer for our blog please contact me at kirstenallen@prepforamerica.cn. Be sure to let me know why you would like to write for us, what you have to say about either the SAT or attending an American university, and how often you would like to contribute.
— Kirsten AllenFall schedule update
August 19th, 2009 — Director
You can view our updated fall schedule here.
Fall schedule update
July 28th, 2009 — Webmaster
You can view the fall schedule for our courses here.
Our beta site is now up and running.
July 26th, 2009 — Webmaster
The site will be updated during these few days.