Pac dalaed Reta trens MICHIGAN PROFICIENCY SKILLS BUILDER : —— | ran i vig Sia mL it ri nil N ean DIANE FLANEL PINIARIS %* 5 thematic units that build up ECPE vocabulary, Mae eMC RECT RL eS Dae Ur Rus eee LAL) Dee U aU AU RC UNA edd Pee nee Renee acy SO NES ac RLU CLS that train students to think critically about the exam English Language Teaching— Perspectives on personality (reer titi tt ccc crac RRR Introduction Vices versus virtues (and vice versa) = In small groups, discuss the following, 1. What positive characteristics do you lock for in a friend? What negative traits do you disapprove of? 2. Ifa triend displays negative traits, would you end the friendship? Why or why not? ~ A primer is a book that contains basic tacts about a subject. Read the text, taking special note of the boldfaced words. Then check the accuracy of tne summary statements below. Ifa statement is rue, write TF, Ifit\s false, correct it. Since the dawn of civilization, philosophers have struggled to make sense of human nature (our general character) and human conduct (behavior). tn fact, an entire branch of philosophy, known as ethics (or moral philosophy), is devoted te the study of questions such as “When is an act right?”, “When is an act wrong?" and "What is the nature of good and bad?" Ethics or morals are the principles or standards of beltavior that people live by. A person who has principles is ethieal or moral; a person who lacks them is unethical or immoral. Generally speaking, we can reler te moral goodness as virtue and moral wickedness or evil as vice. Our personality is a combination of a wide range of qualities, which are also known a8 characteristics, traits, or attributes. These can be divided into positive qualities called virtues and negative qualities called vices (also known as jaults, flaws, shortcomings, ot bad habits). The unique combination of tliese ebaracteristics Setermiaes our temperament (the general way in which we ave inclined to Chink and behave), If we're lucky, we might bave one cr more outstanding virtues, and. people may recognize us as a paradigm (a fine example or model) ar, even better, the epitome of a certain quality (i., the perfect example of something}, Everyone has flaws, however, which means that none of us is perfect. Most people would never dream of claiming to be a paragon of virtue (2 perfect example af 2 person who lives by the highest moral standards}. _Moraisis the branch of philosophy thar deals with the nature of good and evil Ethics Anothar word tor behavior is nature. ‘A person who fails to live by high standards of behavior is immoral Negative traits are known as virues, anc positive rats are called vices. A flaw is another wore for a sherteaming, fault, or bad habit ‘A person who lives by the highest moral standards is an opitome of viog. egeees = Underline the words that best complete the sentences, Are our actions always leary ‘moral’ of “immoral’? Discuss the morality of the following: cheating on a test - helping someone chest on a test robbing a bank ~ robbing @ bank 3. Anne's teachers consider her the epitome/the paradigm of a hard- to pay for your chiles life-saving ‘working student, They always hole ner up as an epitome/a paradigm tor ‘operation other students, 1. Devils are traditionally associated with viee/virtue, and angels with vice/virtue. Ed has a wondertul characteristic/personality anc is widely admired for his easy-going temperament/human nature. A warm sense of humor is his most outstanding character/attribute. telling police avout: a neighbor His lack of eoncem for others is @ major trait/law in his character. you suspect ot murder ~ & ‘The child was sent to his room for being evil/bad. relative you suspect of murder In fairy tales, witches represent evilivices ang tatty gocmothers stand! tor going to war to deere your virtusfothies courtty - refusing te fight in a ‘war you believe is unjustPerspectives on personality A sampler is a collection of typical examples of something. This one is sketchy {or two reasons: frst, as the word suggests, the sampler is incomplete and nat vary detailed (more vioes and virtues could be added to each section); anc, secondly, itis - quite iterally - accornpanied by sketches (or drawings). Why have sketches? Experts claim that they are great mnemonic devices (or memory aids). The more mantal associations you have wih a word, tho more likely you are to remamber it Using a sketch to create a strong mental mage of a word is just one way for you 16 form a memorable association. ~ Study the definitions. Then label each sketch with the narne of the vica It lustrates, Noun Adjective The quality of... pride proud hhaving teo high an opinion of yourself and your achievements arrogance — arrogant treating others as worthless inferiors greed greedy having an extreme desire for wealth or gain; same as avarice ~ avaricious envy envious being jealous of other peopie; wanting what others have gluttony gluttonous eating and drinking to excess indolence indolent being lazy, idle, and inactive; same as sloth ~ slothful (after the slow-moving South American animal that spends most of the lime sleeping in trees) % = Study the definitions. Then label each sketch with the name of the virtue it illustrates. Noun Adjective The quality of... Integrity - having high moral standards; being upright and moral'y complete honesty honest ‘being truthful or forthright; same as candor - candid : moderation — moderate_——_being seli-controlled, avoiding extromes; same as temperance - temperate i prudence prudent bbeing careful and exercising good judgment; same as caution - cautious valor valiant being brave or courageous, especially in war tolerance tolerant ‘being open-minded and patient loyalty loyal staying firm in friendship of support of something; similar to talth ~ faithful diligence diligent working hard and conscientiously; same as industry ~ industrious. resolve resolute making firm, lasting decisions; same as determination ~ determined igs iPerspectives on personality ig (1) Paragraph development ‘Supporting a tople sentence with generalizations and specific examples, Ace cme ing scion fhe EE nein nes your ayo ganna don areas ina. Seven of clear, weltstuctated paragraphs, A well-writton paragraph usually begins with a clesrtopio sentence Wie D that states your main Idea. Tho paragraph then ceveloas with a seres of ene or "More general satements, ach a x cthich is supoertee by specie examples or reasons. Along the way, linking words are used to help the water move trom one sentence io the ret. You and your classmates have deen asked to write a paragraph on the following topic: ‘As the saying goes, “it takes all kinds to make the world go round”: honest and dishonest, diligent and lazy, loyal and disloyal, to name just a few. Write a paragraph describing a person you know ‘who epitomizes a specific quality or trait. The trait may be negative or positive. In the model answer below, the linking werds have been left out. Use the choices 10 fill in the blanis. remember the time when I say this because Needless to say Then thera was the day that When thoy came home Whenever PARAGRAPH OUTLINE “Tony, the 17-yearcold boy who lives next door 40 us, is the epitome of indolence | Topic sentence a) he's one of the faziest, most unmetivated Restatement for clarificatio: people | know. (2) he's not at school, you can General examples count on hits to do cbsolutely nothing but sleep, ext, stay alued to the TV, and create messes for others to clean up. (3) bis parents Specific example + had 40 leave him alone far a week when they went to help out a sick relative. i 4) they found dirty dishes all ever the house and a week's worth of garage piled up. His room was so messy they could barely see the floor, (5) “Tony's mom came Specific example 2 home from the hospital after a briet illness. His dad had asked him to buy seme groceries ard straighten up the house while he went to pik up his wife, but when the couple came ome, they found Teny fast asleep in front of the TV, the shopping stil not done, and the house looking like a cyclone hod hut # (6) ‘Conclusion ‘there is not much to admire about a person who is so totally indolent that he won't ‘even lend « hand when his family needs his help. ~ Look back at the viees and virues on page 9. Chaase one qualily from each group and write a ene-paragraoh description for each one, Follow the paragraph autline given in the modal. Remember to connect your sentences with appropriate linking words. 19Perspectives on personality Vocabulary (1) | takes all kinds (Part |) ‘The three Vocabulary sections in this unit have two aims: + to introduce you to a wide range of personality adjectives; and + to.give you practice in using context clues to work out tho meaning of unknown words. Using context clues Here are some points to remember when you mest untamillar wards in written material: The meaning of a word is often suggested by the words surrounding it (.e., by the context). Rereading the clauses immeciately before and ater the phrase in which an unkriewn word appears wil offan give you a good idea of what a word means. Writers oten use repetition or examples to add emphasis to their descriptions and to ensure that thelt readers understand what they mean. They also uso contrast to show qualities that a person or thing does not have. Being aware of this will help you use the contoxt to your advantage. Remember: Don't panic when you meet unknown words, Getting the overall meaning of a sentenice or paragraph is often all you need to answer questions on 2 typical reading test = The texts in this section are a series of character portraits with boklfacad words, many of which have appeared in vocabulary questions on past ECPE tests. Your joi is to: (8) Use Ine clues in each portrait to match the boldfaced words with their meanings: (b) decide whether each adjective has @ positive (+) or negative (-) meaning; ane (6) be ready to explain which phrases heloed you to determine the meaning of each word. Amiable Anty is extremely likable and easy to get on with. At parties, when she’s nat on the dance floor, 23 —_ you'll find her engaged in lively conversation with her friends; always the life of the party, she’s the most S _Aimated person | know. Articulate as well, she has a flsir for writing and loves <0 speak in public, She's *F also an ardent {and effective) fund-raiser for the local orphanage; it’s hard to say no to someone who argues ~F so passionately for a good cause, She rarely gets agitated, and if she does lose her temper, you can bet ste'll <3 _ feel bad alterwards. By nature, she’s not at all aggressive; she'd do anydhing to avoid an argument & animated — (+) energetic, active, tulot lite ARTICULATE — be ~ (friendly, good-naturecs Memory in: ART ef able to speakiwrite clearly 4 ____~ (upset, disturbed () unttienaly, argumentative (> enthusiastic, passionate For each of the cartoons in this section, fi! in the 7 i meaning of the word in the space provided He's an ARTICULATE artist who has mastered the ART of expressing himself, "Perspectives on personality 2. Antagonistic Algernon fas a talent for starting quarrels. An amazingly arrogant maa, he is. a ~ ( ) serious, seltcontrolled . firm believer in his own supervority, and be : . ~ () annoying, irtating oe shows an appalling disregard for almost everyone » (annoying, tating © = () greedy, wanting more () horrible, awful (.) snobbish. conceited 4 he encounters, This is why he is so aloof and : unwilling to mix with otters. (It is not that he is abgentminded and caught up in his own thoughts, as he'd have you believe!) What's worse, te’s a cold, austere man witit no sense of humor. Avaricious as well, he is not at all satistied with o the vast wealth he recently inherited from a rich uncle, and he'll do anything to acquire more. ‘The +3 mere mention of him makes most people see red; he is a. most aggravating fellow. () preoccupied, forgetful {) hostile, attacking () uncommunicative, distant Bafiling Bernice is a puzzling character. In private, she seems biased, siting her views on politics, ieminisin, - and other controversial issues in @ most arrogant and dogmatic way. She can also be terribly belittling: she has a bad habit of putting down thase who disagree wish her and making ther feel very small. In public, however, she comes across as amazingly benevolent, helping cut at shelters for the homeless and volunteering at the local ozphanage, The truth is that, despite her flaws, she is admirably broad-minded. : Not only does she champion world peace and human rights, but she ls also a boisterous supporter of animal : riphits: st protests you'll find her waving signs and sttouting slogans like a noisy. playful child () kind, humane BOISTEROUS - __ ~~ (} mysterious, puzzling Memory link: BOYS = TERRORS: (} ingutting, humiliating ( ) noisy, cheer, rough () prajudices. intoferant sp eao oe 1 1 (} open to new ideas Bernice is batting because she is one way in private and BOYS are TERRORS, which is why we call them another in public. Do you know anyone like this in real BOISTEROUS. 4. Commendable Carl has won the praise of everyone at the office. A congenial person who is well-liked by his colleagues, he also has a reputation for being, cooperative: people like working with hii because he's a real team player. There is nothing coercive () pleasant, agreeable (} calm, in convo! . = { helpful, working welt about his style; he would never think of bullying wath others people or pushing them to do things against theit d __~ { } praiseworthy, admirable will, He is also ¢ highly conscientious worker, e ~ { Jusing force or threats whose work is always as good as he can get it, 2 F Although his job is stressful, he always manages to { ___~ { } toraugh, devoted to doing a jab well appear composed and never loses his temper. oa) 12— = { ) separate, cut off —__ ~ { ) unable to concentrate —. __ ~ () sad, depressed — ~ () stripped of false hope Perspectives on personality 5. Dejected Debbie has been down in the dumps ever since her flaneé broke up with her. Without a man, she feels detached and cotally alone. After the breakup, ske made up her mind that she had to find someone: hife was passing her by and she was determined 1101 10 die an old maid. She became so desperate that she even placed an ad in a Lonely Heazts column, But nothing came of it. Once a hard-working, conscientious employee, she is now too distracted to concentrate, Last week she announced that she is sick of men and is giving up om them. The whole affair has left her totally disillusioned. = () streng-minded, resolute — = () wile with pain or anger Are Lonely Hearts columns and internet dating : services a good way to meet people? i i Debbie is DEJECTED because she was REJECTED What advice would you give Debble to help her lift by her boytriend! her mood? 6. Exuberant Eddy is always brimming over with enthusiasm. An enchanting storyteller, he will, capture your imagination for hours on end with his a ______— { }wellspoken, articulate fascinating, well-told stories, As you might have b. = ¢) hard-working, ambitious guessed, he’s also an eloquent publle speaker. At work, he’s an enterprising young man who has ~ () excited, full of joy quickly moved up the corporate ladder. Unlike his 4 unpredictable, inconsistent inconsistent colleagues whe should have been fired — () charming, fascinating long ago for their wildly inaccurate work, there’s ~ — nothing erratic about Eddy’s performance. When > f/~—___ _____ ~ { } fast effective, competent his boss needs a job done (ast and well, it's Eddy fhe calls on: there's nobady more efftelent 7. Having grown up in poverty, Frugal Fran watches every penny she spends, Not one to hide her a = () able to plan ahead feelings, Fran is frank about her spending habits = ( ) careful with money She considers it foolhardy to throw away hard- earned money. She admits she’s comfortable now, ° () anary, disappointed but she believes in being farsighted: fate, like — ~ (overly risky, footisn % Esiends, can be fickle, she says; if her luck should e. (open, honest change, she wants (@ have money put aside. : She feels frustrated when some of her so-called |! ~—_. ______() changing, unstable friends don’t understanc. 13Perspectives on personality Choose the word that best compietss each sentence. 4. Ifyou want to succeed in life, it helps tobe a. agitated 'b. antagonistic . enterprising 4. belitting 2. I's ikely that your best triend Is al! of the following, except a. fickle b. congenial fc. amiagie amusing 3. You would expect a valued employee to be all of these, except _ a. etticient b, cooperative © conscientious erratic, 4. You've been out of work for six months, How would you not feel? a. dejected b. exuberant c. frustrated 4. desperate 5. Philanthropists are kind, charitable people whe are known for their gestures, a. cisillusioned b. austere ce. erratic 4d. benevolent 6. Bullies use their strongth to hurt or frighten people. They are all af the following, except a. coercive antagonistic e, enchanting d. aogressive 7. Daredevils enjoy doing dangerous things, They are usually rather a. biased b. fooinarcy ¢. distracted dd. absentminded 8. Misers are money-hunary, stingy, avaricious individuals. People like this are to a fault. 2. broad-minded b, animated fe. frugal boisterous, = Fill in the blanks to form nouns that derive from the boldfaced adjectives. 41, The festing of hatred and resentment that antagonistic poople have A 2. Angry, hostile behavior displayed by aggressive poople A 2. The distant, uncommunicatie ai that an aloof person gives off A 4, The greed or desire for money and things felt by someone avaricious A 5, The ovarly proud and snobbish air of an arrogant person 6. The pleasant, agrozable quality that @ congenial person has, 7. ‘The feeling of calmness and self-control that a composed person has . The feeling of excitement and joy that an exuberant person feels, E Dejected Debbie has finelly found a man and is now. planning her wedcing. She sees the reception as a chance to do some matchmaking, but she needs your help, Using her categories, sort the guest ist inte five potentially compatibe couples who should be seated together. Aggressive Agatha Agitated Ann Aloo! Algernon Cosrenve Clive Gongenial Cathy Conscientious Conn’o Desperate Dan Deiachod Dina Enterprising Ed Exuberant Axel Laoles GENTS 1. Unpleasant ang bullying 2. Nervous, high-strung oe - Warm and outgoing _—___. a Most likely to succeed a 5. Quiet and withdrawn. eePerspectives on personality (Grammar (1) What tules do native speakers of English fallow when they go into 2 restaurant and order “two, nice, big, thick, juicy, rnedium- rare Thane steaks"? The answer is simple. They don't follow any rules. The string of adjectives just rolls off their tongues, ‘This ability takes years to develop, which is why learners tend to avoid using such phrases. But what happens if you have to discriminate benween right and wrong strings of adjectives on a multiple-choice test. .. or you want to use such a string yourself to describe an object? Here's a mnemonic device thet will help: NOSAS,COMKU!, — where NO stands for Number - Opinion SAS. stands for Size Age Shape coMKU stands for Color ~ Origin ~ Material ~ Kind - Use ‘The phrase may seem silly at fist, but the cartoon belew should help you remember it. The word sass in American slang. ‘means “disrespectiul, rude talk or behavion." Comku is the name of ihe robot in the cartoon, a isten up, Comku Em having guests for, tne, end T want you to be polite to them T dorit want ery sass. Now repeat after me: NO SASS, COMKUINO SASS, COMKU!" — AC SG — Here are three simple rules based on the three parts of the mnnemonic NO SAS, COMKU. Each one is followed by a group of scrambled examples. Use the rule to help you rewrite the examples in the right order. NO ~ Adjectives that express number and personal opinion always go first in an adjective string, 1. doctors middle-aged arrogant five 2. several cakos delicious chocolate ee 3. sunset reddish-gold beautiful a ee SAS - Size, age, anc shape words occur in that orcier. They come after number/opinion words and before others (Note: size includes bigness, height, woight, or length; shape includes farm ar relative wrath.) 4. tre0s slender tall 5. chubby child short a _— 6. two tables old wooden ugly round COMKU Color, origin, material, kind, and use words occur in that order. They come after all other types of adjectives and ‘closest to the noun they describe. 7. glasses wine German six orystal a 8, woolen lovely swoators several red 9. Italian cinner white table a gless-topped . —16 Perspectives on personality Nouns, past and present participles, and various hyphenated combinations of adverbs, aciectives, nouns, and participles can algo be used as adjectives, as in these examples. computor programs tiring jobs. a bearded fady ‘8 204oo-high ladder a badly-it room action-packed novels, earth-shaking news 2 three-hour alive = Adjectives do not have & plural form in English. When using nouns as agjectives, always use the singular form, Keep in mind, though, that some singular nouns end in-s. Study these examples: asixfoottali man afivemanband news broadcaster a mathematics teachor = Do not confuse the above rule for adjectives with the rules for possessive nouns and apostrophes. Compare these forms, all of which are correct. two-hour dive 2 drive of wo hours atwo hours" drive + When used as adjectives, past participles Ged) cescrive how someone feels, while present participles. (ing) produce an etfect or feeling in someone, Note the following examples: The audience laughed at hus amusing jokes. The disappointing results discouraged the student. The amused audience iaughed at his jokes. ‘Tho disappointed student dropped out of school. — Convert the phrases to an akemative form, as shown in the example, 4. _evening classes ~ classes in the evenings 6. a family with six children 2 —_____aiesson in physics 7 ___ = ane hour's drive 3 — ahouse made of bricks a a dog with three legs a atjod that pays weil a baby wth biue eyes 5. _ = acenter that handles crises 10, ~ novels that are best-sellers Choose the latter that nest answers the question. 1. What is true of a bored teachor? He needs a change b. He makes his studerts fall asieep. 2. What is true of an infuriating wornan? ‘She is very angry. b. She makes others angry. 3. You walk down the street on your way to a Halloween pany. Why does ovaryane scream when they see you? a. They think you look frightened b. They think you look frightening. 4, What is probably true of a cultivated farmer? a, Ho is welheducated. 'b. He has just plowed his field. = Explain how the meanings of the boldlaced words differ in each group, 1, agold ring - golden hair - 2. asilk tie a silky voice _ 3, a storm window — a stormy life 4. stone wali 2 stony silence ~ 2 stoned rack starAs in Vocabulary (1), read through the portraits and match each boldlaced word with its meari (2) . I the adjective has a positive meaning, put a plus sign (+) in parentheses; if has a nogalive meaning, add a minus sign (-), Be ready to explain which Phrases helped you determine the meanings, wea Gregarious Gerty loves being around people. A gractous hostess, she enjoys Inviting friends to her heme and entertaining them with her generous hospitality. Feel free to drop by as she's never gloomy or down in the dumps, On the contrary, she’s a genial gal who cheers up everyone she meets. And if you'te looking for someone to fool con April Fool's Day, Gerty is so gullible that your tricks are bound to sueceee. Hopeless Harriet has been driving for years, ‘but she's not getting any better with age. She's heedless of traffic bighls and never pays attention to road signs. Hesitant to a fault, ste can never decide when It’s safe to pass, and she feels helpless if she gets caught in a rainstorm. What's curious is that poor Harriet is blind to her own, foults. Rather than being humble about her lack of skill, she never stops bragging about how well she dives. Imagine how humiliated she snust have felt | when a policeman pulled her over last week and informed her that she was a menace (© society! : For a smart man, Ignorant izzy has 2 jot to learn. intolerant is his middle name, If you happen to have a different point of view, brace yourself for his impertinent insels; worse, if you zeturn his insults, he'll become indignant and refuse to speak to you for months, He's also incredibly impetuous: you never know whet he’s going to say or who he'll attack next. Frankly, I'm fed up| with his opinionated outbursts; he's by far the most irksome person | know. sep we rudeness will astound you, What's = () 100 trusting, easily ticked ~ (sad, melancholy. dejected () charming and polite (} cheertul, good-tempered = () sociable, loving company —_ - () giving freely anc Lnsetishly ___ = ( J eareless, not attentive = { )uncenain, hestating ( } totally embarrassed {} unable to help eneseil () modest, unpretentious () without hope for Improvement ~ () morally offended, angry ~ ( ) annoying, irritating ~ ( ) rude, offensive, bold ~ () unaware, uninformed ~ () narrow-minded, biased = (.) acting hastily, unpredictably INDIGNANT — Memory link: DIGGING ANT A DIGGING ANT will make any gardener INDIGNANT. WPerspectives on personality Jovial Judy is a bappy soul, though some people 5 find her breezy, youthful ais 4 bit too juvenile. : Most of her tities ave gloomy individuals who L wish she weren’t so Jubilant all the time, but i they're undoubtedly jealous of her exuberant ain. [ke her because she's Just. 1 have never scen her teat anyone unfairly, What's moze, she prides herself an being judicious: “Look before you leap" is the motto she lives by: 5. Kindheasted Kenneth is a compassionate man. A Knowledgeable pediatrician, he has also worked hhard to develop a keen!"? understanding of the children he treats. That's why you'll see keen?) rather than keyed-up patleats in bis waiting room: they know they'll be greeted with a big teddy bear and a knowing smile as they enter his office. a ~ ¢ ) morally right, fair b. = () cheerful, pleasant ° ~ () showing good judgment 4. ~ () childish, chitaike e = (yenvious £ = { ) Joyful, exuberant a ___ = (enthusiastic = (J having secret knowledce: ee ~ () weltintormed _ = ( ) sireng, sharp; deepy teit - = () anniousty excited, nervous: { = € J caring, considerate 6. Liberal Linda is interested In socal change. To her cred, she’s beet a loyal supporter ofthe buman rights tnovenent for more than two decades and isa ueld spokesperson forthe causes it’s hal not to be influenced | by ber articulate ideas. A highly literate woman, se has a Ph.D. In sociology and teaches atthe Tocal junior | college, Civen her potlical clenation, you'd think she would be a lenient instructor, but her students say she | te qulle demanding. All inal, she is widely espected, and mi0x people tnd her bighly laudable. () gentle, not strict, () welleducated ( ) progressive, tolerant 1) devoted, faitaful (} clear, easily understood = () deserving praise, approval 7. Modest Madeleine is truly wonderful, but she'd never think of bragging. She’s outstanding in every way, which means there is nothing mediocre i about her. A kind and gentle person, she’s not at ali malicious; she never thinks badly of people nor wishes them harm, Although she's financially well off, she’s not at all materialistic, “Why buy a Porsche,” she says, “when a bicycle will do?” She's also quite magnanimous: she donates generousiy ta charity, and she volunteers at a children’s hospital, which appeats to her maternal side, LAUDABLE - Memory link: LAUD (TO PRAISE) - APPLAUD Everyone LAUDED and APPLAUDED the actor's LAUDABLE performance. — - () motherly () generous, big-hearted () ordinary, commonplace _—_______ ~ ( ) desiring money, things ¢) humble, not arrogant () with bad intentions, spiteful rp ap oeCOGCaCe ge th € amusing in a clever ways () cautious, suspicious: _— ~ () complaining, ietating () indecisive, vague () shy deceptive, sneaky () strange yet amusing WHINY — — Memory link: WHINY about WINE x roo ory There’s nothing worse than dining out with a WHINY type who thinks o's an expert on WINE. 8. Exasperating Xenophon Is a very irzitating fellow who takes exception to things beginning with the tetter X. Not only does he have an excessive hatred of X-treme sports, but he detests xylophones and loathes X-rated movies. He aiso despises X-ray technicians, though T've never figured out why. Needless (o say, he’s xenophobic and abhors anyone who isn’t 100% American, Apart {rom these negative iaits, there's not much else to say about him. Take away his extreme dislikes, and you're left with a person who is not at all exceptional. ~ (outstanding, special () fearingynating foreigners ‘A.nol very valiant type, Yellow Yolanda would never volunteer (o join the army. Nor is she one to stand up for herself in an argument. A ytelding person, she will rarely put up a fight against more aggressive types. Even though she's almost 30, : she’s still young and has a lot to learn. To her credit, though, she has a youthful spirit and is a Jot of fun to be with, es a “3