Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The pontine islands: A Mediterranean escape

This island paradise is Italy's hidden tresure. 庞廷群岛:地中海的逍遥聖地,这处岛屿天堂是意大利的隐秘瑰宝。

Just off the coast of Italy, a bit south of Rome, lie the Pontine Islands, a sun-soaked seaside haven. With its calm atmosphere and sleepy little harbors, this small archipelago is not well-known to foreign tourists. But for Italians on summer vacation and the rich and famous keeping a low profile, it's a favorite destination. Lazy sunbathers and adventurous explorers alike can find their perfect holiday here. There are plenty of hiking trails, historic sites and amazing views scattered around.

The Island also boast beautiful beaches, great swimming opportunities and some of the best seafood in Italy. To get to the Pontine Islands, travelers can take a plane from Rome or Naples. It's also possible to catch a ferry from one of the cities on Italy's western coastline. However, only two of the islands - Ponza and Ventotene - are large enough to provide ferry connections and places to stay. But visitors can rent a boat or use their own to travel conveniently between the smaller islands.

Ponza and Ventotene
A tiny island less than 10 kilometers long, Ponza is the most popular among tourists.Visitors can stay at hotels or, for a cheaper option, rent an apartment for a short time. During the day, tourists flock to Chiaia di Luan, a curved stretch of sand on southern Ponza. Swimming is the preferred way to spend the day - there's no shortage of spots for swimming or diving. Tourists can swim either near the beaches or from boasts in quiet coves that can't be accessed by land.

There are also underwater shipwrecks for curious divers to explore. On land, a variety of historic ruins that are centuries old can be explored. The island of Ventotene, Ponza's calmer neighbor to the southeast, has a long history as a prison. Founded in 313 B.C. as a Roman colony, it became the ideal place to confine misbehaving Roman royalty over the years.

In the first century, Emperor Augustus exiled his daughter Julia there. later, Nero sent his 20-year-old wife.Although they were banned from returning home, some of these prisoners stayed in palaces. The ruins of some of these can still be seen. For visitors interested in architecture, Ventotene offers a castle, the Church of St. Candida and a town hall. These, along with many other buildings on the island, were built in the 1700s.

Off the beaten path
There's more to see and do beyond Ponza and Ventotene. On the island of Zannone lies a nature reserve. Only  one square kilometer in size, it has hiking trails, forests and wild sheep that roam freely.
Zannone is open to visitors during the day, but camping is not allowed. Palmarola, called the "Pearl of the Mediterranean Sea," is the second largest of the Pontine Islands.

Trademark clear waters, ocean caves and unusual rock forms make Palmarola a great location to explore by boat. Each of the Pontine Islands has something to offer- history, nature and a chance to enjoy the warm Mediterranean climate. Whether for adventure or just a break, these islands are the perfect escape for a holiday by the sea.

More Information:
In 1768 King Ferdinand IV of Naples sent hundreds of Criminals to Ventotene for an experiment Ventotene was a clean and beautiful island with no problems. King Ferdinand thought that if he sent criminals to such a pure environment, they would become good people. But soon there was so much crime and fighting on the island that he had to take the criminals back. The experiment was a complete failure.

Grammar Tips:
Lazy sunbathers and adventurous explorers alike can find their perfect holiday here.
alike- both or at the same way.
Lazy sunbathers and adventurous explorers alike.
Although the movie is based on a fairytale, it is sure to please children and adults alike.
The fashion designer's new collection has captured the interest of young women and mature ladies alike.

Vocabulary Tips:
haven "e" - safe place, peaceful place. 避风港,避难所
*The boy is safe in the haven of his mother's arms.
*The cafe' around the corner is Pamela's haven. She goes there to relax almost everyday.
profile -质料,姿态,状态。
keep a low profile - 保持低调,低姿态,
*This celebrity is trying to keep a low profile on her family life.
*The new CEO cleverly kept a low profile to avoid any objections.
boast-拥有,以拥有。自豪
*The company boasts its devoted staff and creativity.
*The area boasts its natural resources and wildlife. 天然那资源。。野生动植物。

Chat Room:
port/ harbor  -海港
port -大型的海港,供停泊大型游轮或商船的海港 for commercial use such as loading people or merchandise.
harbor-小型的港湾。供小型以及家庭拥有的游艇停放。也指“海港的水域”
calm atmosphere and sleepy little harbors.
port city -位于海港的城市,如纽约市.
---------------------------------------------
A.D. + yearyear + B.C.
A.D.= Anno Domini 西元。。
B.C. = Before Christ 西元前
A.D. 2011 - 今年是西元2011
3000 B.C. - 主前(西元前)3000 年。
Ventotene - founded in 300 B.C. 监狱之岛-是在西元前300年发现的。
--------------------------------------------
off the beaten path -离开一般人常走的路。冷门,不寻常的路线,不出名的,人们不常去的。
也指“不寻常,打破常规的”
off the beaten path = alternative 令类的。


.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Pasta! An international favorite

Discover why everyone loves this popular food麵食!各国人士的最爱 - 一探大家喜爱这种热门食物的原因。

Which came first, Italian noodles or Chinese noodles? The debate has raged down through the ages. Legend states that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy when he returned from China near the end of the 13th century. Yet nearly 20 years earlier, Italian cookbooks already contained pasta recipes.

A 2005 discovery in northwestern China, though, may have settled the debate. A bowl was found containing noodles that scientists believe are over 4,000 years old! People may never agree on the origin of pasta. But almost everyone agrees that noodles are one of the world's most popular foods.

World Pasta Day
Tomorrow, many will celebrate World Pasta Day, (25th of Oct. each year) honoring the food that's eaten on every continent. The famous food can be found in many different forms in its different locations. Asians eat pasta in soup or stir-fried with vegetables. Europeans and Americans like it with sauce on top. And Brazilians like it filled with meat and cheese. It seems that no matter what's on it or in it, pasta's always the perfect food!

Explaining pasta's popularity
There are many reasons why pasta has become the world's favorite comfort food. It is a food that has remained nearly the same for 500 years. The traditional ingredients are basic - just flour, water and eggs. And processing simply consists of mixing the ingredients together.

After the pasta is produced, it's easy to cook - just boil it or bake it. It can be served hot or cold, and almost any ingredient can be mixed with it. The different - shaped noodles are not only fun, they're also practical, allowing sauces to cling more easily. Most cooks also enjoy the fact that pasta is cheap and quick to prepare for any size group. A pot of spaghetti easily feeds a large crowd or a small family. Best of all, pasta is a heart-healthy food. It contains good fiber and not many calories.

World Pasta Day only happens once a year, but every day is a great day to enjoy some pasta!

Grammar Tips:
A 2005 discovery in northwestern China, though, may have settled the debate.
"have settled something" - end of discussion or disagreement of something.
*Tony and Louis cannot agree as to who is the better athlete, so they will settle the debate by racing each other.
*A hundred volunteers will take a taste test to settle the debate as to which beverage company has the best soda.

Vocabulary Tips:
pasta -泛指意大利的麵食
*My favorite pasta is Lasagna.千层糕。
spaghetti 意大利麵条, macaroni 通心粉, ravioli 意大利麵饺 are pasta.
recipe - 食谱,烹饪法,秘诀,方法。
*Grandma's recipes for desserts are precious to me.
*You have to cook the dish according to the chef's recipe. 把这道菜烧好。
recipe -秘诀,方法
*The recipe for a happy marriage is to spend quality time together.秘诀,方法
honor-光荣,荣耀,或是表示尊敬,敬意,记念。。
*People built this monument to honor the workers who sacrificed their lives while digging the tunnel. 记念碑对。。。表示尊敬。
*The award is to honor this accomplished actor.
rage-happening very strongly, even violently.
process - 处理,食物加工,
*Processing data of this size demands large computer capacity.
*When processing the sausages, you need to add seasonings. 香肠的加工。。。调味料。
Process (n)- 流程
*The process of making hospital appointments on-line is quite simple.挂号的流程
practical -实用的,实际的。实事求是的
*These kitchen gadgets are not only fun to use but also very practical. 很实用的
*Even though Susan is famous and wealthy now, she remains very practical. 名与利(名利双收)。。很实事求是。
cling -黏住,依附clung (p.p.)-
*The little boy clung to his mother's leg and kept crying. 。紧抓住。不断的苦
*The old lady clung to the handrail as she took the escalator. 紧抓住手扶梯。

Chat Room:
recipe- 食谱,烹调的方法,烹调法。
cookbook -食谱,记载很多烹调方法的书(籍)。
to cook the books- "book" accountable, refer to "accounting ledger"
-----------------------------------------------------
boil/ broil
boil- heat the water to bubble. We need to boil some water.
broil- food bake in the oven.
broil/bake
broil - food cook in the oven,  the heat is from the top to bake the food, temperature is very high, only take a short time to cook.
bake - food cook in the oven, but the heat is from the bottom gradually to heat up and cook the food, the heat temperature is not high as broil, and takes much longer time to cook.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Are you on facebook?

你facebook了吗(你有facebook帐户吗)?使用这个乐门社交网站真的是好主意吗?

Nate has been talking to Anna, a friend he has not seen for a few months

It's been really great talking to you, Nate. We should keep in better touch. You're on Facebook, right?
Not anymore. I deleted my account.
Are you insane? Facebook is the best way to communicate with friends, share photos and keep in contact.
Maybe. But it's also a good way to share personal information with people who can harm yo. Anyone can read your profile.
Not really, Facebook has privacy settings, you can choose who you "friend".
True. But many people don't use them.
I know, but that's another problem. What if your boss asked you to friend him?
I guess I'd have to. Probably, or he'd wonder what you were hiding. Then you'd have to really be careful about what you post on the wall. People have gotten fired for posting negative comments about their bosses or jobs.
I'm always careful about what I post. Are your friends?
They can post some pretty damning photos and tag you in them.
True. But that's not likely to happen.
And you're willing to take the risk.
Facebook has revolutionized communication!
It may have revolutionized communication, but it's also creating problems.
Like what?
Like "Facebook depression." For teenagers, Facebook's like a huge popularity contest based on how many friends they have. Plus everybody looks like they're.
Why is that's a bad thing?
Because for kids who already have low self-esteem, Facebook makes the problem worse.
But I've read just the opposite. For shy people, it's actually easier to build Facebook friendships because you don't have to interact face to face.
Well, I'm not so sure that's a good thing.
I just saying Facebook provides a lots of positives for all kinds of people. There are so many groups you can join, and it's a great way to make new friends who share your interests.
Maybe, but I prefer interacting in person.
Me too. But Facebook is still a great way to keep up with people who live far away, like your sister in Singapore.
Yeah, that's true, with a few precautions, it might be worth it. OK, Nate. Let's talk again soon. Face-to-face!

Grammar Tips:
....you can choose who you "friend".
"friend" - (n)朋友 also can be (v)-交朋友。
"brush" -髪梳,梳头发。
*I need a brush to brush my hair.
"cause"- 原因。。造成。
*A is the cause for B.
*A caused B to happen.
"guilt" , "Journal", "email"......

Vocabulary Tips:
delete - 删除 de-去掉
*The important files were accidentally deleted and could not be retrieved.
*The editor deleted two chapters of the book because it was too long.
damning (adj)-非常不利的,有杀伤力的,致命的 damn-严厉的批判。
*Timothy's boss made some damning remarks about him. 有杀伤力的评价(语)
*The damning scandal completely ruined the politician's career. 。。丑闻。。政治仕途。
revolutionize -澈底的革新,改进,改变。 revolution- 革命
*The Android cell-phone revolutionized the world of tele-communication.
*The invention of aircraft revolutionized how people get around the world.
insane- extremely out of mind.
profile- all the information about you.
privacy setting - choose who you want to letting them know about you and share your information with them.
posting- writing something (put) on the wall.
depression - is a medical condition. feel sad and blue.忧虑,沮丧 depress-压抑,压制
*Lots of people lost their jobs during the depression.经济萧条
precaution -预防措施careful, prevent something from danger. "pre"-提前, “caution” - 预防
*The government advised people to take necessary precautions against flooding.
interact-互动作用,互动。 "inter"- 二者之间。

Chat Room:
Facebook-
reconnect -重新联系 re- 再一次,connect-联系。
Are you on Facebook (n)? 你有Facebook 账户吗?do not add "the" before Facebook.
Do you Facebook (v)? 你Facebook没?
Can I add you on Facebook?
Facebook suicide -在。。 自杀,意即把Facebook 删除。
--------------------------------------------------
keep up / catch up -
keep up-(赛跑)跟得上
*Facebook is a great way to keep up with people who live far away.
*Keeping up with the Joneses - (身分地位相当的)跟得上对方的生活享受,如Jones家买了名牌车,自己也跟着买同样的车。
catch up-(落后)追上,或是朋友有一段时间没联络,“找个时间,好好叙叙旧,好了解彼此的近况。

.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Lu Xun - The father of modern Chinese Literature.

Learn about "the greatest writer Asia produced in the 20th century"
鲁迅:现代中国文学之父- 来认识这位“二十世纪亚洲培育出的最伟大作家”


Known as "the Father of modern Chinese literature," Lu Xun (鲁迅) - Zhou Shuren (周树人- is still renowned today. Yet if he had continued with his first career choice, the world might never have heard of him.
The early years
In 1881, Lu Xun was born in Shaoxing (绍兴) in Zhejiang  province(浙江省). His family was educated but poor, and his father was often in need of medical care. This made it necessary for the family to pawn items to pay his bills.

Lu Xun watched as doctors treated his father with traditional methods, which never helped him. As a result, Lu Xun became interested in modern medical treatments practiced in Japan. In 1902, he received a government scholarship to travel to Japan, where he later studied medicine. By 1906, Lu Xun had become concerned about problems within his own country. He decided that the best way to bring about changes in society was through literature. So he quit medical school and turned his attention to writing. This decision changed his life.

Grammar Tips:
Hoping to inspire writers to work toward social change. Lu Xun returned to China in 1909.
"Hoping to"- a sentence start with "hoping to..." is a formal to say or write.
*Hoping to impress his date, Dennis were his best suit to the restaurant.
*Hoping to get the best tickets for the concert, Ellen camped out all night in front of the ticket office.

Vocabulary Tips:
literature -文学,文献,或资料。
*Lawrence is an expert in modern American literature. 当代美国文学家。
*The professor listed the latest literature regarding this medical field for his students. 最新文献
pawn (v)- 典当,抵押,当铺典当东西
*He had to pawn his guitar to pay for his tuition.
*Martha pawned everything she had to buy food for her kids.
pawn (n)-当铺。
*Tina bought this ring in a pawn shop.
*Jason's stereo system is in pawn.
concerned (adj.)-挂虑的,担心的,不安的。 concern -使担心,使关心。
concerned about -对什么事感到担心,接“about
* We're concerned about the financial problems in our company. 担心。。财务状况
literary-文学的,文艺的。 literature 文学.
*The poet won several literary prizes last year.
*Most literary critics praise original style of this new novelist.
purposely- 故意的,蓄意的, purpose -故意,蓄意。
*Mom Purposely left the door open so she could hear what we were talking about.
*The girl purposely came to the party late so everyone would notice her.
preserve-保护,保存,保留“ pre ”- 有“提前”之意 “serv ”- 有“保存”之意。
*The governor promised to do his best to preserve the state's natural resources.
*Private collectors preserve the artist's works.(收藏保存某一位。。。)
renowned - famous.
medical - someone weak or ill needs treatment with medicine.
scholarship - who is need or a reward for student or learner who is very good on something.
world-round= has knowledge in all aspect and area.
philosophy - talk about life, what we think or do.
inspire- give people light or hope.
politics- something relate to government.
madman- crazy person.
movement - a group of people has same idea or goal, try to do something to reach their goal.
influential -影嚮 effected to other people's thinking or doing or behave
quantity- amount, large number.

Chat Room:
interested/interesting -有兴趣的/有趣的
interested -对“东西"感到兴趣 。对什么感到有兴趣,接(in)。
interesting- 有趣的,令人感到兴趣的。
*I'm very interested in science.
LuXun became interested in modern medical treatments practiced in Japan.
This book is so interesting.-。。。。很有趣。
Well, that's an interesting shirt. - 美国人对自己不认同的, 不是自己喜欢的,但不便直说,委婉表示, 也用interesting.
------------------------------------------------
colloquial -白话的, 口语的 standard language.
colloquialism-
slang -俚语,通俗的,非正式的。 informal, is part of standard language, most teen-ager say it, the older one or women don't use or say it.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Inventions of Thomas Edison

There's a reason he was called the wizard.

Have you ever wondered which great minds helped give us the electric light as we know it today? If Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931) was one of your guesses, you were right! But that wasn't the only thing he worked on.

Light
During his lifetime Edison patented more than 1,000 inventions. Let's first take a look at one of his most famous ones.

Did you know that Edison's improvement of the light bulb almost never happened? Needing to keep the carbon from burning up in order to make the bulb work, he sat in his lab wondering what do to. Finally looking up, he saw he had unconsciously rolled some lampblack into a thin thread. He decided to roll the carbon into the same shape. Using this carbon filament, his bulb burned for about 15 hours.

Visual
Edison was probably one of the first movie fans ever. After seeing another inventor's machine showing animals in motion, Edison likewise became interested in moving pictures. He began working on his own motion picture invention. By 1892, Edison and photographer W.K.L.  picture camera and a viewing  implement.

Audio
Edison not only helped give us movies, but he also played a part in the history of music and recording. His first phonograph could both record and play back sound. It amazed the public and brought him international fame.

Communication
From scrutinizing all of Edison's inventions in this field, one sees he was obviously a believer in improving communication between people. In his era, the telegraph was the way to send and receive messages. Edison created the automatic telegraph, a gadget that allowed messages to travel extremely fast. Before, they couldn't go much faster than 40 words per minute, but the automatic telegraph allowed for up to 1,000 !

Edison also played a huge part in creating the telephone. He, of course, didn't invent the telephone, but earlier versions of the machine were limited, and he improved it dramatically. Originally telephones only let people talk to each other over short distances. Recognizing the problem, Edison took it upon himself to invent his own telephone transmitter, which was used up until the 1980s. Edison's inventions changed the world. He once said, " Invention is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." Even a wizard has to work hard!

Vocabulary tips:
patent-取得某项的专利权。专利。
*The scientist patented his newly developed technology of turning salt water into drinking water.取得了专利
* The patent application of this new product is still in process.
unconsciously (adv) -  unconscious-未查觉的,不知不觉地,未意识到的, 失去知觉的
*He was unconsciously biting his fingernails.
*The victim was beat by the robbers until he lay unconsciously in the dirt.
likewise-也,同样的,照样的
*The leading actor of the movie did a marvelous job, and the leading actress did likewise. 同样的好。
*Josh used to complain that his boss was too strict. Likewise, his employees now complain about him.
*"I'm going home now." "Like wise." 同样的。
wizard - a person who can do magic. whiz - very good at something- Math. whiz.天才。
scrutinize - 详细检查或细看。
* The editor scrutinized the final copy of the article to make sure there weren't any mistakes.
*The detective scrutinized all the evidence trying to find any clues.
transmitter - 发射器, 发报器。传遞者,传播播播者。。卓越,越过。
* The whales were implanted with radio transmitters so the scientists could locate them.植入
perspire-汗水,汗珠 要和“bead”一起 sweat, hard work.
*The kids perspired a lot in the summer heat.
Beads of perspiration were on his forehead.汗珠。。额头上。

Grammar Tips:
Have you ever wondered which great minds helped give us the electric light as we know it today.
"as we know it today"=like the ones we use or are familiar with today.
Have you ever wondered which great minds helped give us the electric light as we know it today?
The bicycle as we know it today didn't become popular until half a century after its invention.
Ever since 1700, the piano went through numerous changes to become western music's most popular instrument as we know it today.

Chat Room:
burning up / burning out -都是“燃烧”的意思。但意义不同。
burning up-使某人发怒,火冒三丈。气极了。
burning out-精疲力竭,身心俱疲
Keep the carbon from burning up -碳
You really burn me up! I'm very angry at you! 惹着了我,
Rhonda is completely burned out at her job. 厌倦无力
burn the midnight oil -开夜车,挑灯夜战。
------------------------------------
transmitter was used up until the 1980s.
was used, up until...- 一直到。。。
used up- finished 用尽了。
Up until was a teenager, I didn't know any English.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The art of Yosifu 原住民艺术家-优席夫

A local artist returns to his roots-本土艺术家回归自己的根
SC: How did you begin your career in the arts?
Y: I've always been pretty artistic. Like many aboriginal kids. I enjoyed singing and dancing. After high school in Hualien, I moved to Taipei to work. I worked at different jobs and joined a singing group called Black Pearl. We were participants in a singing competition - and won. The prize was a recording contract. Unfortunately, we ended up having contract problems and were unable to perform or get another contract.

SC: How did you end up in Edinburgh?
Y: After my career as a performer fell through, I was having a difficult time. I blamed God for my problem. I didn't understand that God had just closed the door on my music career so He could open one for me in art. I had been so close to success as a musician that I couldn't bear to return to my village.
Fortunately, I had a friend from Edinburgh who knew about what had happened to me. He suggested I come to Edinburgh to get away and take some time off.

SC: You had never worked as a painter before. Why did you begin painting?
Y: I arrived in Edinburgh during their International Arts Festival. Edinburgh has a big, active artistic community and being there really opened my eyes. I had never had any formal training, but I started painting because I had a lot of free time.

SC: How did you become a professional painter?
Y: One day, a friend of mine was having a dinner party. One of the guests was the director of an art exhibition. He saw one of my paintings on the wall and asked to see my other paintings. Then he asked to show my work at his exhibition. I agreed, and to my satisfaction ended up selling a painting on the first day of the exhibition.

SC: Most of your pictures are portraits. Is there a reason for that?
Y: Yes, I think humans are beautiful. The color of the hair, the eyes, the shape of the body - humans are remarkable pieces of art from God. I like to communicate emotion through my art, and portraits are a good way to convey emotion faithfully.

SC:How do you create a painting?
Y: I usually have people dress in traditional costumes and take photos of them. Then I use the pictures when I sketch out the painting. I choose the colors by thinking about my memories, the environment and the feelings I am trying to convey. At first, I took pictures of my family because they are beautiful people and were willing to model for free. Now I use lots of other pictures, like old photographs, as references too.

SC: How has your art changed over time?
Y: When I started painting, my art was very Western in style. I painted a lot of flowers and landscapes and things like that. I was influenced a lot by artists like Picasso, Chagall, van Gogh and Gaoguin. I was also influenced by South American art because it reminded me of my own village and people. Then a friend from Edinburgh asked why I always told people I was abriginal, but didn't do aboriginal art. That was a wake-up call for me to start on the path I've been on ever since.

Vocabulary Tips:
aboriginal (adj) - "ab" -有“从某个地方开始”的意思。原始的,原住民的。
*These rarely seen aboriginal artifacts are very expensive. 原住民的手工艺品
*The aboriginal inhabitants of this coastal area were driven inland居住在.沿海一带的原住民。。
participate (v)-参与,参加 participation (n)-参与 participant (n)-参与者
*All of the participants in the debate will take turns speaking.辩论。
*The participants of the charity campaign from all walks of life. 慈善公益活动。。各行各业
fortunately-幸运的
*Fortunately, we caught the bus at the last minute.
*Many people were laid off, but fortunately Karl gets to keep his job.
satisfaction -(不可数名词)满足,满意。
* Dad gets a lot of satisfaction from helping other people.
to someone's satisfaction -让某人感到开心满足。
*To my satisfaction, the receptionist changed my hotel room to a non-smoking room.
remarkable -un-usual, unique, special in a good way.卓越,非凡,值得注意的,显著的
remark-评论
*The actor's remarkable performance won his an Oscar. 卓越的表演
*The patient made a remarkable recovery in just a few weeks.恢复的神速,显著的进步。
faithfully - can be trusted. faith-信心,忠心。
*Charles works faithfully for his boss.忠心地
faithfully -如实地,忠实地。
*The article faithfully described the challenges this business was facing.
community - form by a group of people.
exhibition - show, display.
portrait - 人像,人体化像
costumes-某个时期或某个团体的服装。戏服。
*The historical costumes displayed in this museum were handmade.。古装。。。都是手工做的
*the costumes in this movie were designed by a French fashion designer. 电影里的戏服
sketch out something -画素描。或写生。
*The painter sketched out the garden in just a few minutes.
sketch out - 概略的描诉。
*We sketched out the main points of our proposal in our briefing.简报中
reference-叁考或资料出处。refer-查阅,叁考
*References are listed at the end of the report.
*I used several important studies as my references.

Grammar Tips:
That was a wake-up call for me to start on the path I've been on ever since.
a wake-up call- a special call to make someone up, like hotel wake up call service.
that was a realization for me to start on the path I've been on ever since.
*Splitting his parts was a wake-up call for Adam to start thinking about losing weight.
*Having her husband threaten her with a knife was a wake-up call for Teresa to get out of her ten-year relationship with an abusive husband.
Chat Room:
aboriginal (adj)- aboriginal kid
aborigine (n)- 原住民
indigenous - 本土的,原産的,土産的 indigenous people-本地人。
indigenous (to) - +"to" 原産于某一个地方
*The Black bear is indigenous to many different parts of North America.
*The plant is native to America.
endemic -某地方特有的。除了用于“动,植物”也可用于“疾病”
*..diseases endemic to the tropics.热带地方
native = aborigine = native
-----------------------------------------
professional painter-职业画家
Paint a picture - 画一幅画,延伸有“描述,叙述。
painting-
paint a bleak picture of the economy. 将经济描述的很糟糕。
paint a rosy picture of something -把某事描述的很美
watching paint dry-等油漆或油彩乾,意即”枯燥,乏味“”
It is about as exciting as watching paint dry. 形容很无聊,很乏味,很枯燥。
-------------------------------------------
model-可当动词,也可当名词。
to model-当模特儿。
They were willing to model for free.
My son likes to model his behavior on his Dad's behavior。模仿,效仿,向某人看齐
role model- 被效法的人。
The car I bought is last year's model. model (n) -款式

.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The overthrow of a dynasty

The beginning of a new era

The beginning of the 20th century saw the Qing Dynasty (请朝) in a shambles. It was weak and corrupt, and conservatives in the government resisted reform. Wars with foreign powers and the Taiping Rebellion (太平天国) had left it weak.

Dr. Sun Yet-sen a Chinese patriot, saw all this and longed for change. His revolutionary writings, including the Three Principles of the People, laid out his hopes for a new and better country. Unfortunately, his attempts to organize a revolution proved ineffectual. But then came the Wuchang Uprising.(武昌起义)

After 1895, the Qing government began training a new modern army in several locations. However, the army officers and soldiers were heavily influenced by Sun's ideas, and many had joined revolutionary organizations. Some had been constructing bombs to use in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, and one of them accidentally exploded.

When police investigated they discovered name lists of revolutionary organizations with many New Army members. Facing arrest, the army rebelled in Wuchang. The Qing Dynasty failed to respond for two crucial weeks, enabling the rebels to declare a provisional government (临时政府). Over the next 50 days,  15 of the 24 provinces declared themselves independent of the Qing Dynasty. On Jan. 1, 1912, Sun Yet-sen became the president of the new republic. China's new era had begun.

Grammar Tips
Wars with foreign powers and the Taiping Rebellion had left China weak.
"left" - direction -Please turn left.
"left" -leave, go away for doing something - Henry left the office an hour ago.
"left" - to cause a result,  to make.  - use "left" in a formal way, when you give a speech or writing.
informal way we can say "cause/make"
*The beautiful music left me speechless.
*The string of bad business decisions left Daniel broke.
Vocabulary Tips
provisional- temporary, not permanently.临时的,暂时的
*The hotel offered provisional lodging for the accident victims.
*We signed a provisional contract before the formal contract was settled.
ineffectual -没有效果的 effectual-有效果的。
*The government was severely criticized for its slow and ineffectural response to the disaster. 饱受评击。
*The after-school program was proved ineffectual.
shambles - 凌乱,混乱,狼藉不堪。
*The nation's economy was in shambles after the earthquake.陷入混乱
*After the party, the whole house was in total shambles and we spent the whole day cleaning it.
overthrow- remove someone from power. 推翻(政权)某势力。
corrupt- dishonor (mostly refer to money) 腐败,贪污
conservative - very old style, doesn't like to change. 保守派
rebellion - don't like the thing what they want, form a group of people try to change it.叛党
revolutionary - 革命 make change

Chat Room:
patriot (n)-爱国者Chinese patriot
patriotic (adj)-爱国的patriotic song 爱国歌曲
Patriarch (n)- male leader in a big clan, or a oldest male person in a group or organization.
matriarch (n)-female leader in a big clan, or a oldest female person in a female group or organization.

.

Watch where you walk

Look where you are going, not at your phone!
In January Cathy Cruz Marrero was walking through a mall in Pennsylvania, texting on her phone. She wasn't watching where she was going, so she tripped and fell into a fountain! Luckily only her pride was hurt - she quickly climbed out and walked away. But the embarrassment didn't end there. Her accident was caught on mall cameras and posted on YouTube.

The video was viewed almost 2 million times and received national attention. Marrero was angry and ashamed, but she learned her lesson: Texting while walking is dangerous. "I could have been walking into a bus, a car,... anything." she said.

Marrero may be famous for her mistake, but she isn't the only one who's taken a tumble while texting. In 2008 more than 1,000 pedestrians in America visited hospitals for similar reasons. They were walking and texting or talking on cellphones when, suddenly, a wall appeared! Or a hole... a street sign... a train. There were cuts, bumps, broken bones and worse.

When they are texting, people walk more slowly. They weave back and forth and don't notice other pople around them. And texting isn't the only thing people do on their phones while walking. They play games, answer e-mails and use applications as well.

Trying to do these things while walking may be dangerous, but people do it anyway. Some think it should be illegal, like texting and driving is in many places. But others think this kind of law would be hard to enforce. Too many people want to keep using their phones while they walk.

In the worst cases, people have died by accidentally walking into traffic while texting. Would anybody walk down the street with their eyes closed? Probably not, but texting is nearly the same thing. It only takes one quick glance to send a text or check an e-mail. In that instant, a little typing could cause a lot of trouble.

More information:
A professor and his class at Western Washington University did an experiment. They wanted to see what people notice when they are using a cell phone. So one student dressed as a clown and rode a unicycle around a crowded campus square. Then they asked students who walked through the square what they saw. Only 25 percent of the students who were using cell phones remembered seeing the clown!

Crammer Tips:
In the worst cases, people have died by accidentally walking into traffic while texting.
"In the worst cases" - in the worst situations or examples.( 加强其重要性时使用此句子)。
*Getting sick is not the end of the world; the worst case would be having to miss work for a few days.
*After the war, food became very expensive. In the worst cases, the price for bread was a woker's entire salary for a whole month.

Vocabulary Tips:
text- 传简讯 message or word you type on the phone and sent to others.
*David will text me his e-mail address later.
*The boy was caught texting during class.
text -本文,正文
*The text and the graphs of the report are over 50 pages long. 本文与图表。
pedestrian  (n)-行人 "ped" - relate to "feet", "walk"
*The streets are only open to pedestrians during weekends.
pedestrian (adj) walk -人行道,行人道
pedestrian (adj) crossing -行人穿越道
bump-碰撞而引起的腫塊; 碰撞,撞击。
*The boy tripped over a stone, and had a big bump on his knee.跘跌。。腫了一个大胞
*A bump from the truck caused the driver to be hospitalized for two weeks. 撞击
ashamed- feel guilty, did something wrong and feel bad.
tumble - fall over.
weave-迂迴前进。
*The road weaved through the valley and led to the town down the hill. 弯曲迂迴, 山谷,小镇
*We weaved our way through the crowds trying to get out of the parade.穿来穿去, 人群。
illegal -不合法 legal-合法
*It's illegal to open other people's mail without their permission.
*The movie star was charged with possession of illegal drugs.
enforce-使执行,使实施。 "en" -有“使如何”之意,force-力量,强制 force people to follow.
*Traffic rules need to be enforced to protect both drivers and pedestrians.
*The doctor enforces a strict dietary program on his overweight patients.
application - a computer program that design to do some particular task.
glance- take a fast look, look it in a very short time.

Chat Room:
pride -驕傲 how a person think about him/her self.
Pride goes before a fall- 美国的一句名言“骄傲在跌倒之前”,骄者必败。基督教聖经的经句在箴言书中有“骄傲在败坏以先”
Be careful. Pride goes before a fall.
swallow his pride -把骄傲吞下去,即“服下来,服气,忍气吞声,向人低头”. swallow - accept
Luckily only her pride was hurt...有损,伤害,破坏。
------------------------------------------------
SMS (short message service) / text (原本表示书中的文字,现为“传简讯”
SMS language - Textese (短讯文字 ) (如中文,日文Chinese, Japanese)


.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

The Business of BRANDS

How much is a name worth?Look around you. Is there Coke in your refrigerator? Is your computer a Dell or Asus? From toothpaste to electronics, brands and brand-name products are all around us.

It hasn't always been this way. Before the Industrial Revolution and the age of mass media, brands were far less prevalent. But since then, brands have become an increasingly prominent part of our daily lives.

An asset worth protecting
In 2006, a container ship, the Cougar Ace, floundered in the Pacific Ocean. Its cargo included 4,703 brand-new Mazda cars, worth more than US$100 million. None of the cars were damaged, but there was still a problem.

The ship had spent several weeks floating at a 60-degree angle, and nobody knew how that would affect the car's engines, electronics and safety devices. Incredibly, Mazda decided to destroy all of the cars - including the individual parts.

"We couldn't run the risk of damaging the brand name that Mazda worked so hard over the years to develop," explained company spokesperson Jeremy Barnes,

Why would a company go to such great lengths to protect its brand name? The answer is simpler than you might imagine.

Brand benefits
Brands offer benefits to both the consumers that buy them and the companies that make them. They tie the manufacturer's reputation to the product and, as a result, brand-name products are often perceived as being of superior quality.

Brand-name products also tend to have a distinctive look or form. This makes it easier for customers to identify things they are looking for when shopping. It also gives companies a convenient way to get repeat customers and to protect their products through copyright laws.

Thanks to advertising, many brands are associated with certain values, traits and lifestyles. In consequence, the brands we use communicate a message about who we are to others.

The business of brands is huge. Together, the world's 10 biggest brands are valued at more than US$420 billion.  And those numbers don't include the value of the companies - that's the value of the brand names alone! That means that for the corporations that own them, brands are more than just product  names.

They are valuable assets that need to be maintained and protected against devaluation - even if doing so means losing US$100 million.

Grammar Tips:
Thanks to advertising, many brands are associated with certain values, traits and lifestyles
Thanks to advertising - "thanks is appreciated" but "thank to" means "because of"
Because of advertising, many brands are associated with certain values, traits and lifestyles.
Thank to the nice weather, the park clean-up was a pleasant experience for all the participants.
"thank to" also has another negative meaning when native English speakers say "thank to" , it means not giving credit or is blame someone or something.
Our team lost - thanks to Bobby for losing control of the ball.

Vocabulary Tips:
prevalent-盛行,普遍的
*Addiction to on-line games is prevalent among young people.
*This disease is still prevalent in some countries in Africa.
flounder- (n)比目鱼, (v) 在水(雪中,泥地里越陷越深,挣扎的移动。
*Our car floundered in the mud and it took us hours to get the car driving again.
*The swimmer suddenly had a cramp and floundered in the water.
go to great lengths to do something-尽其所能的,无所顾忌的去做某事,费心尽力的。
*The hostess went to great lengths to make us feel welcome.
*The extreme fans went to great lengths to get the singer's autograph.
distinctive -特殊的,独特的。 distinct-使区别,使与众不同的。
*The distinctive taste of cilantro made the dish more delicious.
*The singer's distinctive voice made her easily recognized on the radio.
trait- 特癥,特色。
*This researcher carefully documented the newly discovered species's traits.
*Bob's most agreeable character trait is his sense of humor.
devaluation -价值的降低。 "de"-有“减少”之意, "val"-价值
*The devaluation of the US dollar impacted global economy.
*The failed merger caused devaluation in both corporations.

Chat Room:
generic-普通的,一般的
generic brand -普通的品牌,非品牌商品。
no-name brand - offset of name brand.
no-name brand or store brand are generic brand.自制的,无名气的。
--------------------------------------------------
repeat (v)-重复,反复。 .  (adj.)- more than once,再的,重复的,
repeat offender-贯犯
repeat customers-持续购买的顾客。
the usual - 如往常一样的order the same thing every time when you visit a same store, if the store owner knows you well, you can say " I'll have the usual". 
regular customer - visit very often, regularly come and spend money here. 老顾客

.