Dependent on alcohol

An alcoholic is someone who has become dependent on alcohol. Though he may never be actually drunk, he becomes progressively poisoned by it, and is physically, mentally and sometimes morally affected. At first, he loses his appetite and feels sick, he grows irritable, disregards his responsibilities, and becomes unpunctual and untruthful. Gradually he loses his sense of adaptability to society, neglects his personal appearance, his judgment is unrealistic and his intellect deteriorates.

disregard 

1) to ignore something or treat it as unimportant

2) when someone ignores something that they should not ignore

total/reckless/complete/flagrant etc disregard

• Please disregard any notes written in the margins. 
• By disregarding speed limits and passing red lights, we somehow got to the airport in time.

disregard for/of

•  his disregard for her feelings
• Local councillors accused the terrorists of showing a complete disregard for human life.

in disregard of something

•  He said the bombing was in complete disregard of the Geneva Convention.

deteriorate

to become worse

• Ethel’s health has deteriorated.
• This state’s deteriorating economy
• Air quality is rapidly deteriorating in our cities.
• Living conditions here have deteriorated in the past few years.

In everyday English, people usually say get worse rather than deteriorate:

• Her health got worse.
• The situation is getting worse.

The Little Man

A large notice in a shop window in Lagos announced a big sale, with sweeping reductions, starting at 9 a.m. An enormous queue had started to form by 7.30am.

Just before the shop was due to open, an inconspicuous little man walked to the head of the queue. Angry women elbowed and pushed him until he was right at the back of the line. Undaunted, the little man went to the head of the queue again. Once more, he was shoved unceremoniously to the back, this time with a few smacks on the face and a couple of thumps from umbrellas wielded by angry women.

The little man walked to one side of the queue and said, "If that's your attitude, I won't open the shop at all today!"

VOCABULARY

sweeping  having an important effect on a large part of sth: sweeping reforms, changes 
Security forces were given sweeping powers to search homes.

inconspicuous not attracting attention; not easy to notice
an inconspicuous little restaurant
She stood by the wall, trying to look inconspicuous.

undaunted not afraid of continuing to try to do something in spite of difficulties or danger
SYN undeterred
Undaunted by the enormity of the task, they began rebuilding the village.

shove /ʃʌv/  to push someone or something in a rough or careless way, using your hands or shoulders
He shoved her towards the car.
Everyone was pushing and shoving to see the prince.

smack to hit someone, especially a child, with your open hand in order to punish them
the debate about whether parents should smack their children

thump /θʌmp/  (informal) to hit someone very hard with your hand closed
If you don’t shut up, I’m going to thump you!
She thumped the table with her fist.

wield /wiːld/ to hold a weapon or tool that you are going to use
The man moved toward them, wielding a stick.

Holiday Vocabulary

Amy: What kind of holiday do you like?

Miguel: I try to avoid tourist traps … I like to get away from it all and prefer going somewhere off the beaten track … last year I had the holiday of a lifetime … a two-week wildlife safari in Kenya.

Amy: What do you like to do when you’re on holiday?

Anna: I enjoy visiting the local places of interest … I like to go sightseeing and always sign up for guided tours as it’s a chance to be shown around and take photographs … one of my hobbies.

Amy: Do you have many tourists in your country?

Amy: Yes … we have a lot of holiday resorts along the coast that are popular with tourists … most people come on package holidays and stay in one of the many hotels and self-catering apartments.

Describe a beautiful place you once visited

Sally: A few years ago I went on a long weekend to the Lake District in the UK … it’s a very popular holiday destination in the north of England … I went on my own and had a wonderful time … I stayed in a youth hostel and met some really nice people … but the most memorable thing about the holiday were the breathtaking views … and lovely picturesque villages … it can get very busy with hordes of tourists so I decided to go out of season in the autumn  … the weather was fantastic and the shops were full of local crafts … a really great holiday … it’s certainly not the kind of short break for someone looking for a busy nightlife but if you want to relax in the middle of stunning landscape I would certainly recommend a holiday to the Lake District.

Suit vs Suite

Suit [suːtˌ sjuːt] means (1.) a set of clothing designed to be worn together because of the cut and similar material, usually a jacket and matching skirt or trousers for a woman, a jacket and trousers and sometimes a vest for men. A suit may also be an outfit used for a specific purpose (2.) a civil petition (lawsuit) (3.) the four sets of playing cards in a deck that correspond to spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs (4.) the act of courting a woman (5.) to be appropriate or convenient (6.) to meet the standards of something or someone 

Suite [swiːt] means (1.) a set of connected rooms that form one unit, such as in a hotel (2.) a set of matching furniture (3.) a group of attendants for a high-ranking person (4.) a set of coordinated computer programs (5.) selected musical works arranged to be performed as one instrumental work.