A Musical Genius For many people Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is the most (0) influential figure in the

history of western classica l INFLUENCE music. His (1) ..... talent was already clearly evident as a ORDINARY young man, (2) ..... surviving a somewhat unconventional MERCY (3) ..... during which his eccentric father would often force BRING him to take music lessons in the middle of the night. The young Beethoven's ability won him the admiration of the leading contemporary musical figures. Throughout the 1790s he worked hard to secure the interest of wealthy patrons. Such patronage (4) ..... him to concentrate on becoming a ABLE successful composer. Whatever his awe-inspiring musical (5) ....., however, his ACHIEVE personal life was something of a disaster. His day-to-day (6) ..... with people invariably turned out to be rather RELATE turbulent. Although he apparently fell in love with a number of society women, the identity of the girl who lay closest to his heart remains (7) ..... to this day. ELUDE However, just at the point when Beethoven was beginning to reap the rewards of his early endeavours, he had to come to terms with the crushing (8) ..... that his increasing REALISE deafness was (9) ..... . From that point on, his music CURE displayed a (10) ..... change in style, becoming both heavier STRIKE in tone and larger in scale.

Answers: 1. extraordinary 2. mercifully 3. upbringing 4. enabled

5. achievement 6. relationships 7. elusive 8. realisation 9. incurable 10. striking

A 'ball park figure' is a rough estimate. If a company 'goes belly up' it goes out of business. A 'number cruncher' is an accountant. If you are 'running a temperature' your body temperature is higher than normal. If you 'take a turn for the worse' your illness or condition gets worse. If you are 'in rude health' you are very healthy. If you 'teach your grandmother how to suck eggs' you try to teach someone who already has lots of experience how to do something. If you 'work your way through college or university' you take on a job in order to pay for your time studying. If you buy something that has 'fallen off the back of a lorry' you have bought stolen goods If you 'come clean' you admit to doing something wrong. If you 'get off scot free' you avoid being punished for doing something wrong. If you 'bet your bottom dollar' on something you are very sure it will happen If you 'make money hand over fist' you earn a lot quite easily

If you 'throw your money around' you spend money freely and extravagantly. If your car is 'playing up' it isn't working properly. If you 'fall asleep at the wheel' you fall asleep while driving If you 'make tracks' you leave a place to go somewhere else If you 'beg to differ' with what someone has said you disagree with them. If you 'settle a score' you take revenge on someone who has done something to harm you in the past. If you have 'a bone to pick' with someone, they have annoyed you and you want to speak to them about it. If you have to 'fork out' money on something you have to spend it, usually on something you are obliged to pay for. A 'nest egg' is money saved. If you 'strike it rich' you become wealthy all of a sudden. If you 'set the wheels in motion' you get a process started. If you 'balance the books' you check that money spent is not more than the amount of money received. If you take a 'calculated risk' you take an action that might not work but that has a reasonable chance of being successful. 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks' means it's difficult to get someone to change their ways or to learn a new way of doing things. To 'live and learn' means you have just learnt something you never knew before. If you have 'a good head' for something you find it easy to learn. To be 'full of beans' means to have lots of energy and have a feeling of well-being.

To 'recharge your batteries' means to take a break from stressful or tiring activities in order to feel refreshed when you return to them If you feel 'under the weather' it means you're not feeling very well To 'work up an appetite' means to become hungry following physical exercise or exertion. To 'eat like a horse' means to eat a lot. If you 'pick up the tab' it means you pay the bill. If you 'blow the whistle on someone' you inform the authorities they have been acting illegally or immorally because you object to their behaviour and want them to stop To 'point the finger at someone' means to accuse them of doing something wrong. If you 'get caught red-handed' it means you are caught in the act of doing something wrong. To pass 'with flying colours' means to pass easily and very successfully. If you 'rack your brains' it means you try very hard to remember something. If you 'play hard to get' you give the impression to someone who is attracted to you that you're not interested in order to make them even more attracted to you. If someone 'has a crush on someone' it means they have strong, but not very long-lasting romantic feelings towards them. If you go on a 'blind date' you go out with someone you've never seen before for the first time.

to besot= a tampi attire = tinuta utter = a vorbi,a pronunta, a pune in circulatie bani falsi = absolut danty= gingas, gratios, rafinat wrap up = a incheia reckon=a estima, a crede, a presupune accurat= precis eat up= to use more resources or money than was expected whirl= vartej nag= a cicali motion= miscare steer clean= a evita eager= dornic, nerabdator ebb= a se atenua, a fi in declin lapsed into silence= cazut in tacere unsatisfactory= nesatisfacator dissatisfaction= nemultumire label= eticheta to shop around= to go to different shops to compare prices before buying piece together= to gradually discover or deduce the truth about something regardless= indiferent de itself= in el insusi/in ea insasi to brim over= to be full of emotion or feeling to scrape through= to be successful in a test but with a low grade to provide for= to make arrangements for something to be snowed= to have more work to do than you can manage to duck out= to avoid doing something you have agreed to do get the hang of it= you are familiar with it and know how to do it. to sail through= to deal with an experience successfully to tuck away= to be somewhere not easily found to muck about= to behave in a stupid way especially when it wastes time

Continue 1. The product has been discontinued and is now no longer available. 2. If there is a continuation of your attitude we will have to consider your position with the company. 3. The satellite orbits the Earth continuously sending messages back to the control centre.

Reading: John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men Donna Leon: Through a Glass, Darkly

Quotes: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that take our breath away.

I love you in the way I understand love. I love you in my own peculiar way

to besot= a tampi attire = tinuta utter = a vorbi,a pronunta, a pune in circulatie bani falsi = absolut danty= gingas, gratios, rafinat wrap up = a incheia