A Roman gladiator was a man (rarely a woman), typically a convicted criminal or enslaved person, who participated in one-on-one battles with each other, often to the death, for the entertainment of crowds of spectators in the Roman Empire. 

Gladiators were mostly either convicted criminals or first-generation enslaved people who had been bought or acquired in war, but they were a surprisingly diverse group. They usually were common men, but there were a few women and a few upper-class men who had spent their inheritances and lacked other means of support.
 
However they ended up in the arena, in general, throughout the Roman era they were considered "crude, loathsome, doomed, and lost" men altogether, without worth or dignity. They were part of the class of moral outcasts, the infamia. 

convicted - осужденный
enslaved - порабощенный 
diverse - разнообразный 
inheritances - наследство 
crude - грубый 
loathsome - отвратительный 
doomed - обреченный 
moral outcasts - моральные изгои 



#intermediate

Online education, in its simplest definition, is a self-explanatory term. It is the process of teaching and learning through technological means. You attend, participate, and engage in classes using your laptop or phone. Basically, all you need is a laptop and a willingness to learn.  

Online degrees give students the opportunity to graduate without having to attend face-to-face classes. Furthermore, the curriculum of an online degree contains all the essentials that a traditional degree offers, including lectures, quizzes, as well as assignments and exercises that require active participation.  

However, online courses include rich content which incorporates many technological advances into the curriculum, such as audio, video, animations, and live chats with professors – making it as effective as possible.

self-explanatory - говорящий сам за себя
willingness - готовность 
curriculum - учебный план 
assignments - задания 
require - требовать 
incorporate - включить, объединять 



#intermediate

The giving of gifts may be one of the oldest of human activities that pre-dates civilization and may go back to the origin of our species. Even in primitive cavemen culture, the giving of gifts was fairly common as it was used to show love and affection towards one another. The bestowing of gifts was also inferred as a status symbol when leaders of tribes or clans would show their appreciation for the contributions of those who were part of an important achievement.

Whether it was an unusually shaped rock, a tooth from an animal, the bark from a tree or some other item that was natural in origin, the giving of gifts was certainly common behavior long before we became an advanced civilization. As tools were developed, the gifts started to become more elaborate, for example holes were drilled into animal teeth and stones so they could be displayed on necklaces.

pre-date - предшествовать
affection - привязанность
bestowing - дарование
contribution - вклад
bark - кора
elaborate - продуманный


#intermediate

Take a look at the most popular electric cars on the market. Now take out all the Tesla vehicles. What do you see? Most likely, you see a few supercars made by BMW and Porsche and a bunch of practical but dull economy cars.

Tesla cracked the code. They started off as an electric car company and made their own rules about form and function. They did away with dashboard instrument clusters - why bother when there's no temperature or oil pressure to monitor?

And the body styling of Tesla vehicles is flashy enough to give off a premium essence without going over the top. Tesla cars retain just enough of what we are used to - but eliminate just enough to let us know it's the car of the future.

vehicle - средство передвижения
dull - скучный
crack - взломать
dashboard - приборная панель
monitor - контролировать
flashy - роскошный
essence - сущность
retain - удерживать, сохранять


#elementary

If there’s an iconic fruit, it’s the apple. From the Big Apple to “American as apple pie” to your sweetheart being the “apple of your eye,” this delicious fruit has captured our imaginations like no other. It’s both revered for its health benefits and reviled for its contribution to original sin.
Apples fill not just our thoughts and religious traditions, but our shopping carts as well. The apple and its comical buddy, the banana, are the most consumed fruits in the world.
And no wonder apples are popular. They’re not only delicious but convenient as well. They’re portable, pre-wrapped, long-lasting, relatively inexpensive, and widely available. And, as we’ve seen, they’ve been imbued by our collective imagination with both wholesome and health-giving properties.

iconic - культовый
revere - почитать
contribution - вклад, взнос
original sin - первородный грех
consume  - потреблять
pre-wrapped - предварительно завернутый
long-lasting - долгоиграющий
imbued - проникнутый
wholesome - полезный


#intermediate

The major source of fuel throughout the world is coal. Coal is a black or brown rock that, when burned, releases energy in the form of heat. One of coal’s main uses is the production of electricity.
People get coal by mining. In one process, miners take coal from just below the surface. In deep mining, miners dig long tunnels to get to coal that is buried far underground.
Mining coal can be dangerous for the miners. Coal miners can be injured or killed when mine roofs collapse. Gases trapped in coal sometimes cause fires or explosions. Many miners have health problems from breathing in coal dust over the years.

fuel - топливо, горючее
release - выпускать, высвобождать
mining - добыча, горное дело
below the surface - под поверхностью
buried - захороненный
miners - шахтеры
injured - пострадать (получить травмы)
collapse - обвал
explosions - взрывы
breathing - дыхание


#elementary

For hudnerds of years, warroirs, kngiths, and mercenaries used swords to kill, maim and fight across various continents. During the Middle Ages, dueling, a sword fight bewteen two individuals, became standard practice for setting disagreements and arguments amongst nobility.
Though it comes from a bloody background, modern fencing is a sport of skill, intelligence and emotional control. It is now practiced in clubs around the world and training can lead to being a member of an Olympic team.
Being a form of exercise, it of course builds muscle and burns calories. However, it also increases agility and flexibility much more than other sports.
This sport activates the mind. Sparing and matches are as much about stategy as ability.

mercenaries - наемники
maim - калечить
dueling - дуэль
nobility - благородство
agility - ловкость
sparing - спарринг (тренировочный бой)


#advanced

When I say ‘discrimination’, some of the words that may commonly strike your minds are ‘racism’, ‘religious biases’, ‘cultural prejudices’, and ‘gender-based discrimination’ among others. While these are concepts that have been famously acknowledged by the masses over the years, it is not all that there is to discrimination. As people part of a complex world, it is important that we not only identify, but also attempt to understand the less prominent ways in which people discriminate among themselves.
Discrimination as a whole refers to the act of making fine distinctions between individuals based on the category to which they belong in terms of appearance, place of origin, or socio-economic status. It is generally used in a negative sense, and usually takes place when a person wants to portray oneself as superior to another.

religious biases - религиозные предубеждения
prejudices - предрассудки
acknowledged - признанный
prominent - заметный
distinctions - различия
portray - изобразить


#advanced

Babies. Just hearing the word makes us want to cuddle those adorable little infants. They’re cuteness is potent, they can calm any anger, and allay any sadness. As they grow older, their faces change and we no longer feel the overwhelming urge to cuddle and care for them. 
All babies have a few things in common: a large, rounded head, a big forehead, large eyes, chubby cheeks, a rounded body and soft, elastic skin. These features of cuteness make adults and children want to care for babies. It isn’t only an emotional, but a physical urge to protect and nurture. Our bodies appear to be hardwired to respond affectionately to cuteness.
Without adult caretakers, babies wouldn’t make it into adulthood. Human babies are especially vulnerable since they require care for a much longer time.

cuddle - обнимать, прижиматься
infants - младенцы
potent - мощный
allay - успокаивать
overwhelming urge - непреодолимое желание
chubby - полные
nurture - воспитывать
hardwired - запрограммированный


#intermediate

Photography is a great way to capture memories, as well as provide evidence for how you live your life. It’s also an outlet for creativity and artistry that can inspire people. Additionally, photography is sometimes just fun to do—and sometimes even therapeutic!
Photography helps you document what you do and where you go. It’s great for personal memories as well as for distribution to friends and family. And when you take a picture, it captures an instant of yourself—your thoughts, emotions, and creativity.
Photography is a form of artistry that can inspire people. It’s also an outlet for creativity that can help people relax and be creative in their own lives. Additionally, some find it therapeutic because they can feel like they are taking in the world around them without everything feeling chaotic or stressful.

capture - захватывать
evidence - доказательство
therapeutic - терапевтический
document - документировать
instant - мгновенный
artistry - артистизм
chaotic - хаотичный


#intermediate