feathered and a furry friend

furry - covered with fur

astronaut - a person whose job involves travelling and working in a spacecraft.

forbid - v. - to officially say that sth is not allowed

Sven Olsen - construction worker

slim - adj. - not as big as you would like or expect

The party was returned to power with a slim majority.

(of a person) thin, in a way that is attractive

ballet - /ˈbæleɪ/

a style of dancing that tells a dramatic story with music but no talking or singing

She wants to be a ballet dancer.

a story or work of art performed by a group of ballet dancers

‘Swan Lake’ is one of the great classical ballets.

three dimensional ballet - 

fusing - to blend or combine pieces together to build sth

skyscrapers - huge structures or buildings

Claribel - a tiny canary

assumed - adj. - that you suppose to be true or to exist

intercom - a device that people speak into when they want to communnicate

backward loop - flipping your body 

earthbound - limited to earth

smuggled - to bring sth. secretly or illegally into a place

sheer - complete

thrived - to grow or develop well

on the whole - idiom - considering everything; in genera 

On the whole, I'm in favour of the idea.

as a whole - idiom

as one thing or piece and not as separate parts

Unemployment is higher in the north than in the country as a whole.

The festival will be great for our city and for the country as a whole.

curious peeps and whistles - here it refers to strange, high-pitched sounds (like a bird's chip)

PART - II

vague - adj. - not clear in a person’s mind

vague (about something) -  not having or giving enough information or details about something

The politicians made vague promises about tax cuts.

fitful - sth very disturbing

bunk straps - one of two beds attached together, one on top of the other

bunk n. - a narrow bed that is fixed to a wall, especially on a ship or train

straps - n. - a narrow piece of leather, cloth or other material that is used to fasten something, keep something in place, carry something or hold onto something

crew - on ships and planes

mess  - n. - a dirty or untidy state

mournfully - sadly

apologetically - in a way that shows that you are sorry for doing something wrong or for causing a problem.

‘I'm sorry I'm late,’ he murmured apologetically.

tucked - to push, fold or turn the ends or edges of clothes, paper, etc. so that they are held in place or look neat

trills - a repeated short, high sound made, for example, by somebody’s voice or by a bird

promptly - without delay

lamented - to have or express very sad feelings about somebody/something

cast off - v. - to untie the ropes that are holding a boat in a fixed position, in order to sail away

whirled - v. - moved or spun rapidly in  a circular motion

on the contrary - used to introduce a statement that says the opposite of the last one

‘It must have been terrible.’ ‘On the contrary, I enjoyed every minute.’

to the contrary - showing or proving the opposite

Show me some evidence to the contrary (= proving that something is not true).

HOMEWORK

Use the following words to make sentences of your own.

on the contrary:

to the contrary:

as a whole:

on the whole: