Das menschliche Gehirn

1. Das menschliche Gehirn "Das Gehirn ist nicht nur ein Gefäß, das gefüllt werden muss, sondern ein Feuer, das gezündet werden will." – (Plutarch)

2. What's a common example of an octagon? a) a star b) a stop sign c) a pyramid Question 1

3. b) a stop sign Answer 1

4. Vok. „common“, „octagon“; What‘s the adjective (>octagonal)? What‘s the rule for putting the stress in words of Greek origin (>second to the last syllable)? Do you know other examples with „octa“ (>octave)? What does „gon“ mean (>angle)? Do you know other examples with „gon“ (>Pentagon)? Discussion 1

5. What award, founded in 1901, is funded with the help of the Bank of Sweden? Question 2

6. the Nobel Prize Answer 2

7. Voc. to found (regular) + to fund (regular) + to find (irregular) • transl. exercise: • Sie gründeten eine Bank. • Er fand eine Münze. • Die Eltern unterstützten ihre Kinder finanziell beim Studium. Discussion 2

8. Do you know the meaning of the verbs "to assure", "to ensure" and "to insure"? Can you make sentences with these words? Question 3

9. to assure = versichern (jemandem etwas versichern); to ensure = sicherstellen, gewährleisten, sich darum kümmern; to insure = versichern (was Versicherungen tun) Answer 3

10. Discussion 3 "We assure you that we will ensure the punctual delivery of the insured goods."

11. How much must a movie gross in U.S. ticket sales to be considered a blockbuster? Question 4

12. one hundred million dollars Answer 4

13. Discussion 4 to gross = in Brutto einbringen, blockbuster = Kassenschlager, Straßenfeger; „to bust“: sprengen, Pleite machen, jemanden verhaften, kaputt gehen

14. How many boroughs make up the city of New York? Question 5

15. five Answer 5

16. The Bronx (northern, on the North American mainland), Brooklyn (most populous, Manhattan, Queens (the largest and most ethnical diverse), Staten Island (South West of the other boroughs). Harlem River separates The Bronx from the island of Manhattan. Discussion 5

17. Disc. 5: New York

18. What score out of 800 did future Microsoft founder Bill Gates get on his math S.A.T.? Question 6

19. 800 Answer 6

20. SAT = Scholastic Assessment Test, auch “aptitude”: ability, skills, talents, German: Eignung, Befähigung etc. Discussion 6

21. Question 7 What's the term for a plant that lives more than two years?

22. perennial Answer 7

23. from Latin "perennis": durable, sustainable, persevering, persistent, arduous; from the Latin elements "per" = through, lasting for a period of time, and "annus" = year/s Discussion 7

24. If your teacher says "use your noggin," what is he asking you to do? a) smile b) think c) speak loudly and clearly Question 8

25. b) think Answer 8

26. Discussion 8 noggin = slang expression for brain; auch 'kleiner Holzkrug'

27. What is an acronym? • a word formed from the initial letters of the words of a compound term, e.g. UNO • an open access encyclopedia which can be used by internet users, e.g. Wikipedia, • an invertebrate animal with strong grasping forelegs, also called 'praying mantis' Question 9

28. a word formed from the initial letters of the words of a compound term, e.g. UNO Answer 9

29. Discussion 9 invertebrate = wirbellos Do you know more acronyms (>NAFTA, ASAP etc.)? Do you know more words with the ending „-ym“ (>pseudonym, synonym, homonym)?

30. How high up in the sky do you need to go to be in space? a) 93 miles b) 423 miles c) 1209 miles Question 10

31. a) 93 miles Answer 10

32. 1 mile = 1,609 km; that means it‘s approx. 150 km up to reach space Discussion 10

33. What does Las Vegas, which is originally Spanish, mean in English? a) the stars b) the meadows c) the vegetarians Question 11

34. b) "the meadows" Answer 11

35. meadow = grassland, hayfield; word order in the question: „What does .... bla, bla, bla ..... mean?“ Discussion 11

36. What was red about the Red Baron, the WWI flying ace? a) his beard b) his plane c) his complexion Question 12

37. a) his plane Answer 12

38. complexion = Teint, Hautfarbe Manfred von Richthofen, flew a Fokker Albatros, did not survive the war Discussion 12

39. What is another name for a lumberjack? a) a logger b) a loggerhead c) a tree surgeon? Question 13

40. a) a logger Answer 13

41. Discussion 13 A loggerhead is an idiot, log is wood, lumber (wood for con- struction purposes), a logger is a man who works with log (e.g. who makes log cabins)

42. What is known as "the Royal Disease"? Question 14

43. hemophilia Answer 14

44. Discussion 14 a bleeding disorder; low levels or complete absence of the blood protein for clotting

45. What period of time is known to scientists as a nychthemeron? Question 15

46. twenty-four hours, or, in other words: a day and a night Answer 15

47. The adjective is nychthemeral (not nychthemeronal!) Discussion 15

48. What food does half the world's population subsist wholly or partly on? Question 16

49. rice Answer 16

50. to subsist (on s.th.) = to be able to continue to exist, to survive; subsistence: means of obtaining the bare necessities of life Discussion 16