Assignment 10: MIT Open Courseware

I think I was lucky to live in 21 century. That's because the invention of Internet has made the world become global village. Now, I can learning with MIT's professors at home without being in MIT. The MIT open course helps me make it real.

The MIT open course contains lots of information of various field. I think the "complete information" of this open course is the reason that attracts me.
Not only the words on the paper, it also provides us with videos which are recorded in MIT's class. Especially, we can really feel these teachers's passion in teaching with their exaggerated body language and powerful voice through the videos.

I am major in Electronic Engineering, and there are many courses that I have learned in this website. Now, this website can be my best tutor when I have questions during reviewing those subjects. At the same time, I can prove my reading ability as well.

Assignment 10: MIT Open Courseware

Assignment 9: New Year Reflections & Hope

Belive it or not. We are about to say good-bye to 2009 and welcome 2010!

Looking back to this year, there many good things and also many bad things.The most exciting thing that I want to remember is I got the right to live in the dormitory for one year. I felt that I was very lucky to get the right. This is really a good news to me.

One thig that I have to improve in 2009 is time management. I usually sleep late and wake up late. This results in missing classes and bad concentration. And the problem is I don't do the time management well.I realize that I have to use scrappy time well in the next year.

In the new coming year, I have several hopes. First, I start to take the monogragh
course next semester, and I wish myself to put more efforts on it. Second, I want to
take exercise every day to have a healthy body so that I could face many challenges.

In the end, I want to thank every one and wish every one have a happy new year!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane, 1943

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.





Wish you all

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Assignment 8: Listen to ESL Podcast 528

ESL Podcast 528 – Negotiating Salary

Note:

negotiation: formal discussion between people who are trying to reach an agreement
e.g. The rent is a matter for negotiation between the landlord and the tenant.

jump at sth: to enthusiastically accept an opportunity, offer, etc.
e.g I would jump at the chance to visit America with you


walk away(from sb/sth): to leave a difficult situation or relationship, etc. instead of staying and trying to deal with that.
e.g. If you walk away from a problem or a difficult situation, you do nothing about it or do not face any bad consequences from it.

be delighted to: very pleased
e.g. If someone invites or asks you to do something, you can say that you would be delighted to do it, as a way of showing that you are very willing to do it.

compensation package 補償方案
e.g. Perhaps we can give you an attractive compensation package if the salary isn’t quite what you’re looking for.

Reflection:
I think the ESL Podcast can really improve my English. Since teachers explain the conversation in detail, and I can easily get the main idea. Especially, the speed of ESL Podcast is not fast, and it is just fine for me.

Assignment7: Listen to Steve Job's talk

(a) Write down the expressions you learn from his talk.

stmble into something: to become involved in something by chance
e.g. I stumbled into acting when I left college.

screw up: to do something badly or spoil something
e.g. You really screwed up there.

start over: to begin again
e.g. She wasn't happy with our work and made us start over.

hitch-hike: to travel by asking for free rides in other people's cars, by standing at the side of the road and tring to get passing cars to stop
e.g. They hitch-hiked around Europe.

entrepreneur: a person who makes money by starting or running business, especially when this involves taking financial risks
e.g. An entrepreneur is a person who sets up businesses and business deals.

(b) Reflect on his thought

I like the way Jobs shared his life experience. Being a listener, these three stories really interested me. Some good words he said may help me in my life.

For example, "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." This is one of the sentences that inspired me in his speech. Because knowledge, like a sea, is boundless. We just cannot satisfied what we learn so far. Using this sentence in the ending, I think that is very motivational. Since audiences are graduated students, Jobs hoped them keep learing and never break off.

In a word, I think it is a fascinating speech.

Assignment 6:2 audio clips at Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

Topic: Missing Children: Lost in a Crowd
Level: Easy
Type: Announcement
Speakers: Man
Length: 20 sec.

The quiz script as below

Store Announcement:

"Hello Shoppers. We have a lost boy named Marshall who was found in the sporting goods section of our store, and he's looking for his mom. He's five years old, and he's wearing a blue and white sweat shirt, tan pants, and a black and white baseball cap. You can find him at the check-out counter at the main exit. Thank you."Store Announcement:
"Hello Shoppers. We have a lost boy named Marshall who was found in the sporting goods section of our store, and he's looking for his mom. He's five years old, and he's wearing a blue and white sweat shirt, tan pants, and a black and white baseball cap. You can find him at the check-out counter at the main exit. Thank you."

tan: 1.a yellowish-brown color
2.(also sun•tan) [C] the brown colour that sb with pale skin goes when
they have been in the sun.
e.g. to get a tan
e.g. My tan’s fading already.

sweat shirt:A sweatshirt is a loose warm piece of casual clothing, usually
made of thick stretchy cotton, which covers the upper part of your body and
your arms.

cap: 1.a type of soft flat hat with a peak (= a hard curved part sticking out in front).
Caps are worn especially by men and boys, often as part of a uniform
e.g. baseball cap, cloth cap, mob cap

counter: 1.a long flat surface over which goods are sold or business is done in a
shop/store, bank.
e.g. I asked the woman behind the counter if they had any postcards.

section: 1.any of the parts into which sth is divided
e.g. That section of the road is still closed.



Topic: College Textbooks
Level: medium
Type: conversation
Speakers: man - woman
Length: 01:51

The quiz script as below

Carl: Hey, Sis. Are you interested in buying some used books for school? You can really save some money that way.
Ashley: Well, what do you have?
Carl: Well, let's see. I have a science book called, Today's World, and I'm selling it for thirty dollars.
Ashley: Thirty? That's a little expensive for a beat-up book like that.
Carl: Maybe so, but I bought it for sixty. Plus, I wrote a lot of notes in the book that should help you with the class . . . if you could read my writing.
Ashley: What else are you selling?
Carl: Okay, I have English writing textbook for fourteen dollars, a math book for twenty-three, and a novel for only seven bucks.
Ashley: Uh, Hmmm.
Carl: It's up to you. You know, these things go fast. I mean you have to listen to my advice as your older brother.
Ashley: Psh. I'll take the English book and the novel. I need both of those for sure. I think I'll hold off on buying other books for now. [Okay.] Teachers are always changing their minds about textbooks. [Alright.] And, what are those books?
Carl: Which ones? Ah, ah, nothing. Never mind.
Ashley: Wait, wait, wait. Finding Your Perfect Someone. You're selling it for forty dollars? What's, what's this all about? And the price?
Carl: Well. You . . It's a . . . It's just a marital relations class. You know about finding a partner. You know, mom's always, you know, on me about that. What does it matter to you anyway?
Ashley: Forty dollars? That's a little expense.
Carl: Well, they guarantee results, but ah, never mind. You would never understand.
Ashley: What about this one? Introduction to Gourmet Cooking? Why did you take this class? You hate cooking.
Carl: Well, um, I have a friend who's into cooking, and she's [She?] . . . I mean, my friend's taking the class. I mean, ugh, does it really matter?
Ashley: A marriage class . . . a close female friend . . . a cooking textbook . . . I think I get the picture. Mom's going to be excited about this.
Carl: Ah, you got it all wrong. So, do you want to buy any of these textbooks or not?

be on someone: complain about someone or something that a person does
e.g. His wife is always on him for spending so much money on textbooks and then not attending classes regularly.

be into something: be interested in something -
e.g. My brother is really into swimming. He goes to the pool everyday.

get the picture (idiom): understand
e.g. Kathy says she doesn't want to go out with me, but I think I get the picture now. She's just not interested in me.

hold off on: wait
e.g. My daughter decided to hold off on attending college this semester.

beat-up (adjective): in bad condition
e.g. I don't care if the book is all beat-up as long as it is cheap.