glossary_ESL

card reader – a machine that electronically “reads” plastic cards and decides whether a person should be allowed to do something

• If you pass your card through the card reader too quickly, it might not read it correctly.

security arm – a long and heavy metal or wooden bar that blocks a road, but can be moved up to let people drive by if they have permission

• The driver didn’t see that the security arm was down, so she drove into it and broke it.

parking structure – a concrete building with many floors for cars to park on

• Whenever Gisela parks in a parking structure, she always forgets which floor her car is on.

parking spot – a place for one car to be parked, usually marked with painted white or yellow lines

• The president of the company has a private parking spot near the building’s entrance, but the rest of us have to drive around looking for a spot.

parking permit – a piece of paper or plastic that gives a person permission to park his or her car in a specific area

• At many universities, students have to pay more than $50 per month to get a parking permit.

windshield – the glass window in the front of a car that lets the driver see where the car is going

• A small rock hit Kayla’s windshield while she was driving behind a large truck yesterday, but fortunately the glass didn’t break.

to lock up – to lock the door on one’s car or home; to close the locks on the doors to one’s car or home so that other people cannot get in without a key

• Did you remember to lock up your house before you came to work this morning?

in no time – very quickly; with very little delay; right away

• If you work hard you can finish your homework in no time.

badge – a piece of identification, usually with a photograph, that shows that a person works at a specific organization or business

• If you have a question about something at a museum, you should look for an employee who’s wearing a badge.

main entrance – the front door to a building; the primary place for people to enter a building

• National Geographic’s main entrance is on M Street, but you can enter through 16th Street or 17th Street, too.

at all times – all the time; always

• When you are in a big city in another country, I suggest paying attention to what is happening around you at all times.

security guard – a person who decides who can and cannot enter a building for safety reasons

• The security guard lost his job because he fell asleep while he should have been watching the entrance.

visitor’s pass – a piece of paper or a badge that lets a visitor enter a building where he or she does not work, usually because he or she has a meeting there * Please give your visitor’s pass back to the guard when you leave the building.

to make fun of (someone) – to laugh at someone or to make other people laugh at someone in a way that isn’t very nice

• When Jeremiah gave the wrong answer, his classmate made fun of him and all of the other students laughed.