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.

Assignment 5:listening diary-Decorating for the Holidays

My Notes(10/22):

Time form October through January, many homes are decorated for the holidays.
And Americans enjoy decorating their houses for holidays.

Particularly: It is the same as "especially"

Knickknack: a small decoration made out of paper or plastics

For most Americans, the most they do on holiday is eating.

For Summer holiday, Americans often go BBQ traditionally.
Or some people may take a trip to a cabin in the mountains to go fishing or go to beach.

Grill out: cooking on the grill. A grill is an object that the food is cooked done.

Fourth of July: independent’s day. People go seeing fireworks on this day.

In fall, football is popular.

Bomb fire: fires are built outside and use it to cook food

Extravagant: something is very fancy.

My Notes(10/23):

Jack: where in the basement?
This sentence means that there are lots of decorations in Jack’s house.

Jack: We have way too many boxes of different decorations if you ask me.
If you ask me: it just means in my opinion.
This expression is often used in spoken situation.

Get everyone in the mood: get everyone into the feeling to do something.

Sledding: it’s an activity that you sit on a sled which is a long and flat object that slide across the snow.
And this activity is popular in the colder part of America

Thanksgiving: Many families get together to eat turkey and lots type of food.
Christmas: Some families may only see each other during this time of the year.
Of course Christmas is the holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ.
These two holidays are important days to Americans.

String: It’s the measure word. It is used when describing long and thin things.

Sky-high: very high.

Lighten up: relax

Get into the act: Everyone participates in the specific activity.

Assignment 4: Use the concordance tools to answer the question

Question: Is there any rule governing the use of "big" and "large"? If yes, what is it? Use evidences to explain the major difference between the two words. Please limit your answer to 70 words.


First,the following are definitions of big and large I found in Macmillan Dictionary.

definition of big:

1.large in size

e.g.He kept all his secret papers in a big box.

2.large in degree, or having a strong effect

e.g.The concerts have been a big success.

3.important or major

e.g.I had never been involved in making the big decisions before.

definition of large:

1.bigger than usual in size

e.g.The house had an exceptionally large yard.

2.bigger than usual in number or amount

e.g.They had lent large sums of money to two companies in Northern Ireland.

Then I use TOTALrecall to find the differences between big and large through sentences.

Here I list several sentences from TOTALrecall.

1.First, this business wouldn't require a large initial investment.(def.2 of large)
2.If this be the case, how can they be imported in such large volume?(def.2 of large)
3.How do you keep the large amount of material you have collected in order?(def.2 of large)

1.Widespread lack of concern is another big problem.(def.2 of big)

2.But remember also that today's his tory was once big news.(def.3 of big)

3.Big Banyan trees, tall and shady, make people feel very cool.(def.1 of big)

I also try WEBCALL, I found the top 5 of "large" which are frequently used,they are:

number 12617

amount 4316

part 3514

city 2912

scale 2135

Afeter reading information above,we can see that "large" is usually used by describing one object's size or describing one thing in number or amount.
I think this statement can be proofed by the evidence from WEBCALL.

And "big" not only be used by describing object's size but also describing how important the thing can be.
e.g. I had never been involved in making the big decisions before.

Also,"big" can sometimes be used in describing that one thing has a strong effect.
e.g.The concerts have been a big success.

Combine the comparison above,I can conclude that

Large: Descibe the practical thing's size in amount or number.

Big: In addition to describing practical thing's size,it can also describes other meanings about the impractical things.

Assignment3:Listen to Studio Classroom (10/16)

avatar
Def.1.(in Hinduism and Buddhism) a god appearing in a physical form.
2.picture of a person or an animal which represents a person,
on a computer screen,especially in a computer or chat room

Cyber Village
http://www.cybervillage.com.tw/
It's Studio Classroom's online English-learning tool.

"Today,thousands of people can do things they never thought possible."

• The sentence is shorten from"Today,thousands of people can do things they never thought that's possible."
  
  
  
  

Assignment2:Dictionary Exercise: Olympic Sport

Equestrian/ɪˈkwes.tri.ən/ n. [C] formal

Chinese translation:騎馬者;馬術家

English definition:a person who rides horses, especially as a job or very skilfully.

Example sentences:People interested in horses can attend any of the equestrian events held during the fair.

Archery n. [U]

Chinese translation:箭術,箭藝;射箭運動 ;弓箭手;射手用器,弓箭English definition:the art or sport of shooting arrows.

Example sentences:Cupid is an expert at love and archery.

Javelin/ˈdʒæv.lɪn/ n. [C]

Chinese translation:1.(運動所用的)標槍 2.擲標槍項目 3.(打獵等用的)投槍

English definition:a long stick with a pointed end which is thrown in sports competitions.

Example sentences:She was first in the javelin.

Fencing/ˈfent .sɪŋ/ n. [U]

Chinese translation:劍術;擊劍柵欄;籬笆;圍牆築柵欄的材料;買賣贓物

English definition:the sport of fighting with long thin swords.

Example sentences:I did a bit of fencing while I was at college.

Hurdle n. [C]

Chinese translation:(賽馬或賽跑用的)欄;跳欄;跨欄賽跑;障礙,困難;移動式柵欄

English definition:a frame or fence for jumping over in a race.

Example sentences:She cleared (= jumped over) all the hurdles easily and raced to the finishing line.

Water polo n. [U]

Chinese translation:水球

English definition:a game played in water in which two teams of swimmers try to get the ball into the other team's goal.

Example sentences:Modern water polo was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1900.

Wrestling/ˈres.lɪŋ/ n. [U]

Chinese translation:摔角;扭打

English definition:a sport where two people fight and try to throw each other to the ground.

Example sentences:Wrestling is a sport that requires strength and grim determination to win.

Gymnastics /dʒɪmˈnæs.tɪks/ n. [U]

Chinese translation:體操課;體操技巧

English definition:physical exercises and activities performed inside, often using equipment such as bars and ropes which are intended to increase the body's strength and the ability to move and bend easily.

Example sentences:The US women's gymnastics team won the champion in Olympic games.

Martial art [C usually plural]

Chinese translation:武術(源於東方的幾種搏鬥技巧,如空手道、柔道等)

English definition:a sport that is a traditional Japanese or Chinese form of fighting or defending. yourself

Example sentences:Kung fu and karate are martial arts.

Boxing/ˈbɒk.sɪŋ/n. [U]

Chinese translation:拳擊;拳術

English definition:a sport in which two competitors fight by hitting each other with their hands.

Example sentences:He's a former world heavyweight boxing champion.

Assignment1:Self Introduction

Hello! My name is Andrew Chen. I come from Yunlin country.

This is my third year in NTUST. I am th one of students in Honor Department.

Maybe you seldom hear of this department,but it's OK. I major in Electronic Engineering

I live in the NO.2 Student Dormitory. Any one also live in the dormitory?

Playing basketball is one of my favorite hobbies. By the way,I love watching NBA games.

I just can't wait the new season in November coming.

And T-MAC,the Houston Rocket gurad is my idol.

In this new semester,I set a goal that I decide to take TOEIC test.

Hope all of us enjoy this class!!

DONE!!