Đọc hiểu lớp 6 · Tổng hợp Đọc hiểu 18

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. Food is a popular subject with many people around the world. It is fun to talk about our favorite dishes. It is even more fun to share a favorite dish with others. Today we talk about the word “dish.” A dish can be the object on which you serve food. But, a dish can also mean a specially prepared food. Do you have a signature dish? Our signature is how we sign our names. So, a signature dish is a dish we are known for making well. In a way, it identifies us. My signature dish is sweet potato rosemary dinner rolls. I am often asked to make them, especially for holiday parties. In my circle of friends, I am known for this dish. When the rolls are on the table, people know that I made them. A tasty dish is something that makes a table look good and inviting. Sometimes the same can be said about a person. Someone who is good-looking can be called a dish. While this usage might be a bit dated, it is still used. Now, let’s talk about the verb “dish.” “To dish” can mean to talk about private or personal information. It might be gossip. But I can also dish about myself. For example, a friend may ask me to dish about my new job. I could also use a phrasal verb form and say my friend want me to dish out all the interesting details. Now, to dish up something means to put food on a dish for someone to eat. However, it can also mean sharing personal details, our own and others. We can also dish out things, like jokes or even insults. Some people like to tease or insult. They can dish out jokes and insults all day long. But sometimes these same people do not like it if you do the same to them. We have a saying for just such people. We say, “They can dish it out, but they can’t take it.” They are able and willing to share harsh thoughts, criticisms, or insults about others, but they do not think they, themselves, deserve such treatment. And that’s Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I’m Anna Matteo.

This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Doyeon in Korea about the usage of three similar words. Here is the question: Hello. I want to know the differences between the beach, . . . coast and shore. Thank you. You ask a useful question, Doyeon. Beach, shore and coast are related words, but they have some important differences. Beach The word “beach” is the most specific of the three words. The Collins online dictionary defines beach as “a nearly level stretch of pebbles and sand beside a sea, lake, etc., often washed by high water.” Ocean beaches are popular places to visit. We often use the phrase “at the beach” to express the idea of spending time in the general area of the beach, as in the following example: They will vacation at the beach this summer. We usually say “on the beach” when describing specific activities we do there: She went for a walk on the beach. They are playing football on the beach. Coast The Learning English Word Book defines coast as “land on the edge of the ocean.” We can use the word to describe a wide area, however. For example, Baltimore, Maryland is an East Coast city even though it is several kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. Here are more examples of how we can use “coast” in a sentence. The Florida coast has many nice towns and beaches. The coast of California extends over 1,300 kilometers. Like the expression “at the beach,” we can say “on the coast” when describing the general area, as in the following example: Her mother has lived on the coast for 30 years. We can use the expression “off the coast of” to describe an area of ocean or sea relative to a place on land: The island is about 60 kilometers off the coast of Africa. Shore The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the word “shore” as “the land bordering a usually large body of water.” Shore can sometimes mean the beach, but not always. For example, you might swim to shore and come out of the water onto a beach. But you could also come to shore at a port with no beach in sight. And we can use “shore” when discussing the general area, just like we do with the word “coast.” The following example shows this meaning: The northern shore has many nice towns and beaches.