window on the world

11/2 Small Cabins:

Cabin –
A small, simple house or shelter, usually made of wood.
Usually, a cabin most people think that is a vacation home, in other words, people will have a tiny, little cabin on a lake, or in a mountain where they go for a week or two with their family for a vacation.

Recession [countable, uncountable] --
A period when a when the economy of a country is not successful and conditions for business are bad.
A difficult time for the economy of a country, when there is less trade and industrial activity than usual and more people are unemployed.
A period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.
Ex 1. His factory closed down during the period of recession.
     2. The country is sliding into the depths of a recession.
     3. These industrial have been hard hit by recession. 

What are some of features American have in their homes?

-- Some people like to have special home theater with a big television and speaker, so they can watch those DVDs or netflix movies; another common feature is a big bathroom with a big, huge bathtub, and a big, huge shower. In fact, some bathrooms are bigger as other people's living rooms.

To have a one room devoted to watching movies.

     devote + to – 把...專用於

[passive] to use a space, area, time, etc. for a particular purpose.

Ex 1. Over half his speech was devoted to the issue of unemployment.

     2. The report recommends that more resources be devoted to teaching four year olds.

Mortgages –
An agreement which allows you to borrow money from a bank or similar organization, especially in order to buy a house or apartment, or the amount of money itself.


Carbon footprint –
Someone's foot print is a measurement of the amount of carbon dioxide that their activities produce.
The amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization, or community.

Scale (something) back (phr v) –
[synonyms] reduce, cut down, cut back, cut, make cutbacks in..., etc.
To make something smaller than it was or smaller than it was planned to be.
Reduce (or increase) something in size, number, or extent
Ex 1. Manufacturing capacity has been scale down.
     2. A shortage of money has forced them to scale down the project.

Downsize (something) [intransitive, transitive] –
If you downsize a company or organization, you make it smaller by reducing the number of people working for it.
Ex 1. The worsening situation forced the company downsize from 39 employees to 7.

     2. The plight of Asian economy is forcing businesses to downsize.

Cave Houses –
Monastery --
A place where people live and learn and work for religious reasons, particularly men.
A building in which monks live together.
Ex 1. In his youth he had stayed in the monastery.
     2. Before he left, he said good – bye to each member of the monastery.
** Female version of monastery is convent.

Sedimentary rock –
A type of rock that has been formed due to particles that had been left by water, ice or wind, it has combined together over time.

Rocks made from sediment left by the action of the water, ice or wind.