Mastering English: Common Idioms and Special Terms
Common Idioms
- At last > Finally – We waited two hours, and then the train arrived at last.
- Find out > Investigate – I will call right now to find it out.
- On purpose > Intentionally – I pushed him down the stairs, and he did it on purpose.
- At all > Absolute – Mary isn’t shy at all about expressing her opinions.
- Look up > Search – Andres suggested that we look up Lee’s telephone number.
- So far > Until now – So far, everything is going as planned.
- Depend on > Count on – You can count
Key Formulas and Concepts in International Finance
Formulas
GDP = GDI
GNI = GDI + Resident’s Net Factor Income from Abroad
%Δ in Foreign Currency Value = [(1/S1) – (1/S0)] / (1/S0)
%Δ in Value of Dollar = (S1-S0)/S0
Bilateral RER = (Foreign Currency / Domestic Currency) / (Pfor / Pdom)
The %Δ in the Real Exchange Rate = %Δ in the Nominal Exchange Rate – the Inflation Differential (from US perspective means US on the bottom or second in the subtraction equation)
Current Account = X-M
Trade Balance (X-M) + Services Balance + Net Factor Income from Abroad
Read MoreMastering Debates, Interviews, and Social Speeches
Debates: Arguments and Counterarguments
- The debate is a type of speech involving arguments and counterarguments, led by a moderator. It involves two or more parties with differing, often competing, opinions, each trying to defend their position and persuade others of its validity.
- In academia, debates often take the form of round tables within scientific meetings such as congresses, conferences, and seminars.
- In recent years, presenting a poster or participating in a panel has become another type of
Bourbon Absolutism and the French Revolution: Causes and End of the Old Regime
Bourbon Absolutism
The first Spanish Bourbons followed the example of their relatives and implemented the French model of absolute, centralized power. All power resided in the monarch, and the courts were rendered void. To govern, the king relied on a few advisors or secretaries appointed directly by the monarch, assembled in what became known as the council or cabinet of ministers. The Cortes disappeared, except for the Castilian one, and legislative work depended exclusively on institutions controlled
Read MorePower Systems: Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
UNIT 1
Power Systems: Generation, Transmission, Distribution
Generation (1-30kV), Transmission (115-800kV), Distribution (2.4-69kV), Consumers (120/240V).
Generated power = Consumed power.
Base demand: Needed all the time (100%).
Intermediate demand: Constant for a long time.
Peak demand: Changing all the time.
Hydro Power (1)
P = 9.8 * q * h
- P (kW)
- q (flow rate)
- h (water head)
V = A * d
Time (t) = V / q
Hydro Power (2)
- Base power: 100MW
- Peak power: 60MW
Thermal Power (1)
η = (1 – T2 / T1)
- η = efficiency
- T1
The Democratic Sexennium in Spain (1868-1874)
The Democratic Sexennium (1868-1874)
The 1868 revolution, known as La Gloriosa, was a military coup with popular support. Local and provincial groups, organized as Volunteers of Liberty, joined the movement. The revolution’s success stemmed from aligning with numerous interests and the conspirators’ promises, including the abolition of unpopular taxes.
However, after Queen Isabella II’s exile, the conspirators, including Serrano, Prim, and Sagasta, moved to halt the revolution. The new government
Read MoreSpanish History: From Charles IV to Alfonso XIII
Charles IV (1788-1808)
Charles IV halted enlightened reforms. Napoleon offered Manuel Godoy the throne of Portugal if Spain joined France against Portugal. Through the Treaty of Fontainebleau, Spain and France agreed to invade Portugal, but the French army occupied Spain, leading to the popular uprising known as the Motín de Aranjuez. Charles IV deposed Godoy and abdicated in favor of Ferdinand VII.
Joseph I Bonaparte (1808-1813)
Napoleon summoned Charles IV and Ferdinand VII to Bayonne, where they
Read MoreSpanish Poetry and Theater Trends: Post-War to Pre-War
Spanish Poetry and Theater Trends
Poetry After G.27
Latest styles = G.27 rescued from the 50s … Topics: rexaza the previous delo concptual cold and for the intimacy and emotion. urban issues, life Cottian, AUTOBIOGRA tone, feelings of love, loneliness .. Prefers + ekilibrada poetry of rhetoric. colokial language. classical meter, free verse.
Trends:
- Neosurrealism: G.27 and related posgu.
- Neorromanticism: Issues (noxe, death)
- Poetry of Silence: Valente’s poetry continuous, short verse, leave verbal exes.
Past Exam Prompts: 2000-2012
June 2000: The Bermuda Islands
- What would your daily life be like if you were the first and only inhabitant on an island?
- Describe any sea adventure you have read or been told about.
June 2001: Abuse of Antibiotics
- How different would life in a world without antibiotics be from life today? Explain.
- Should antibiotics be available without a doctor’s prescription? Discuss and support your arguments.
June 2002: Pointing the Finger
- The integration of children with learning difficulties at school. Discuss.
- Living
Feminist Consciousness: Lerner, Patriarchy, and Women’s Rights
Gerda Lerner and Feminist Consciousness
Gerda Lerner defines feminist consciousness as: “the awareness of women that they belong to a subordinate group; that they have suffered wrongs as a group; that their condition of subordination is not natural, but is societally determined; that they must join with other women to remedy these wrongs; and finally, that they must and can provide an alternate vision of societal organization in which women as well as men will enjoy determination” (The Creation of
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