A Lesson in Culture

I found a foreign land in my home country

上一門文化課 - 我在家鄉發現了異地

I've had many opportunities to experience living in a foreign culture, but my first experience came in an unexpected place - my own country. When I was 20, I got an internship in New York City. It was my first time to live outside of my home state of Texas.

With my move north came culture shock. I grew up in a big city in Texas. But it was no comparison to the tightly packed Boroughs of New York with their 8 million residents. My new home was in Time Square, a hub constantly filled with traffic, noise, people and lights, I was used to life at a relaxed pace; New York moved fast. The saying is true - this city never sleeps. I had to adjust.

My first reaction was fear. Fear I would fail at my new internship in the 54-story office building. Fear of getting lost on the subway. Fear that the locals wouldn't have patience for my frequent moments of confusion. My anxieties ranged from reasonable to ridiculous. But I faced my fears and kept trying.

I learned quickly never to assume a New Yorker speaks English and to be respectful of lifestyles that were new to me. New York is home to people of all walks of life, from all corners of the world. My coworkers were Polish, Colombian, Puerto Rican, Greek and Armenian, to name a few. I ran errands to a shop where all the male employees were Orthodox Jews and wore their hair in traditional curls. I spent hours wandering Canal Street in Chinatown - the closest I'd ever been to an Asian country.

By the end of my internship. I was a little older, a little wiser and sick of big city life. I hated the skyscrapers, tourists and the high price I had to pay for a cheeseburger and fries. But I had grown, too. I was quicker, smarter and more independent. I knew I would miss that feeling of having the world right at my doorstep. But it was good preparation for the life of travel I'd soon begin.

Grammar Gyms:
Fear I would fail at my new internship in the 54-story office building.
Fear of getting lost on the subway.
Fear that the locals wouldn't have patience for my frequent moments of confusion.
Repeat wording because the writer wants people to know how much fear she is facing.
Example:
This past month has been really crazy for Jan and she is tired.
*Tired of all the work she has to do.
*Tired of taking care of the bills at home.
*Tired of being yelled at by everybody.

Vocabulary Tips:
internship -实习的工作，医生的实习阶段。
*Victor completed his internship at the county hospital.
*Joshua got an internship at Microsoft.
intern (n)-实习生，实习医生。
culture shock - 文化冲击。experience something that you are not used to, not very pleasant experience.
culture - 文化，shock -冲击。
*When we first moved to the States, we went through quite a culture shock.
constantly - always, happen often. 不断地，时常地。
*Sherry is constantly checking her cellphone.
constant (adj)-持续的。
*His constant nagging really annoys me.
confusion - not sure, someone tell you this and reality is another. 混乱，困惑
*There was a lot of confusion about who was the head of the project.
foreign - something new you never know or try or outside the country. 外国的，陌生的。
no comparison - can not compare at all, totally different.
tightly packed - very packed, no room between. 拥挤。
hub - crowd, a lot of going on.
moment of something - not always happen,  it happen for a short period of time.
many moments of something-
range - a lot of space between something to another.
respectful (adj)-尊敬的，尊重的。
respect -尊敬。
*You need to be respectful of other people's opinions.
disrespectful -dis + respectful, - not respect. 不尊重的。
errand - common daily work. 差事，
do errands or run errands. 办差事，或是[跑腿做事。
*The boss just sent her secretary out on an errand.
*I have to run some errands for my mother this morning.。。。 我必须为我母亲跑腿办些事。
at one's doorstep - it means that go any where or do anything is very convenience just right in front of your house. 离自己很近。触手可及的地方。
doorstep - the front area of the door.门階。
*When you enter the world of the internet, it feels like all the info you need is right at your doorstep.
preparation (不可数n)-准备
*My experience as a server was good preparation for running a restaurant.
preparation (可数n) -预备工作。
*Mom is really busy with preparations for my sister's wedding.
walk of life - lifestyle and background. (people from all over the world has different living style and background.)
all corners of the world - every area, every parts of the world.
just to name a few - there is a lot, just say or name a few.
curl -curly (adj) -卷曲的，卷的。
sick of - tire of, not want to do it anymore.厌倦。
I hate that - not really enjoy or like it. 讨厌，不喜欢的。
compound words - two word put together to make a word, such as skyscrapers, doorstep, lifestyle, cheeseburger, Chinatown, popcorn......just to name a few.

Language Tips:
urban - 城市。都市
urban families -城市，都市家庭。
suburban (adj) - sub+urban =都市外圈的近郊。
suburbs (n)-都市外圈的近郊。都市外圈有很多的近郊区域，多用复数。。
The suburbs - 整体统称“都市外圈的近郊” 在前面加上定冠词"the"。
rural -乡村，小镇。
rural area -乡村，小镇地区。
megacity - huge, giant city with more than 10 million people live in there.巨型都市，人口至少在1千万人以上。 （全世界只有27个，15个在亚洲）
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assume/ presume : 假设，猜想。
assume - wild guess. 乱枪打鸟，没有任何证据的猜测。
I learned quickly never to assume a New Yorker speaks English. 学会不要随便猜测每一个。。。说英文。
presume -educated guess.依据经验，知识所做的猜测，或是有一定依据才做的假定。例如：看到一位男子无名指上戴有戒子而猜他是已婚的男士。（猜测依据知识及经验，习俗而假设的）

Working for Interpol

A look at the life of a real-life, global crime fighter
你所不知的國際刑警組織 . 一窺真實世界中全球犯罪剋星的生活.

This month Studio Classroom talks to Charles Chang about life as an Interpol agent. Charles is now retired from law enforcement.
SC: What is Interpol?

CC: Interpol is the popular name of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO).

SC: How is it different from other police organizations?
CC: Sometimes people think that Interpol is some sort of international police force, but it isn't. Its agents arrest people, but they don't chase criminals from country to country. Instead, each ICPO member sets up a central bureau that acts as a window for joint operations and exchanging in formation on criminal activities.
Let's say, for example, that police in Australia are looking for a criminal in Thailand. The Australian police might not know which police agencies they should deal with. They might also experience language barriers. Interpol acts as local contact to help police from different countries overcome those problems.

SC: How did you become involved in Interpol?
CC: Originally, I worked as a police lieutenant of the foreign affairs police. Then in 1982, I passed the detective's test for the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and was assigned to the Interpol Division. My first task was to attend an ICPO assembly in Paris, France, with the director of Interpol Taipei. That was my first trip abroad.

SC: What was your role?
CC: I was a police captain from 1982 to 1989. My job was basically to investigate criminal cases that involved a second country. Since criminal cases are usually urgent, I spent a lot of time communicating with agencies from other countries. When we received information on a crime, we took the necessary actions. We made a search or made an arrest or referred the case to the prosecutor's office.

SC: How was the Interpol office run on a local level?
CC: When I was involved, international policing was the responsibility of the CIB. There were two sections at Interpol Taipei. The first was a communications section that kept in contact with other communications sections all over the world. The second provided operational support services. Like other police at the CIB, its officers were all detectives selected from other police organizations or recruited from universities. They had to speak and write in a foreign language like English, Japanese, Spanish or French.

SC: What did you find most interesting about your work?
CC: It was very challenging work, but it gave me lots of opportunities to travel and study abroad. Oh, and I was once responsible for escorting two dangerous criminals back from Japan!

Grammar Tips:
Sometimes people think that Interpol is some sort of international police force.
"some sort of " - is a way to say " a kind of "- we say something we are not very clear in the area.
Sometimes people think that Interpol is a kind of international police force.
I had to fill out some sort of paper work before they interviewed me. (many different forms)
A tangyuan is some sort of Chinese dessert dumpling made from rice.

Vocabulary Tips:
agent -someone is work for an organization. (use it before  or after the name) 特务，特工。
*The movie is about a secret agent who lost his memory.失去记忆力的特务。
*Karl worked as an undercover agent for the CIA.
agent - someone is represent someone or some company. 中介，代理人。
*a real estate agent -房地产中介。
*an insurance agent - 保险经纪，代理人。
bureau - is a government investigation place to collect information. 政府单位的局，处，部，或署。
* the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 联邦调查局。
*The U.S Census Bureau. 人口普查局。
bureau - 办事处，联络处。
*Zack is a reporter who works for Newsweek's  Beijing's bureau. 北京办事处。
assembly (n) -聚会，集会。与会的人。
*The charity organization will hold their annual assembly in Los Angeles, California. 年度大会
*The chairman addressed the assembly on the issue of education reform. 针对与会的人发表有关教育方面的改革。
window - allow the light to come in or pass through. here is refer to access of share or exchange information.
window person = go-between. a middle man, that exchange and share information between two parties. 中介，中间人。媒介。介绍人。
bridge - allow to go across from one place to another.
language barrier - face the problem of communicate, don't understand each other because different language in different counties. 语言交流困难的。
lieutenant - a chief position.
arm - refer to "weapon" here.
abroad - go to other country. 出国。
refer - you sent (bring )to someone else. 提交，交付。
referred/ referring 
*The proposal needs to be referred to the department manager. 提案需要提交给部门经理。
*The customer service referred the complaint to the head office. 提交，或交付给。。
refer - 提及，说起。
*Bill referred to his childhood in his speech. 在他的演讲中提到自己的童年时期。
recruit - hire people. "re" - mean "come back" 聘用，招募。
*The company is recruiting college graduates as their new blood.
*Most of our players were recruited from other states. 大部分的球员都是从外州聘雇来的。
escort (v) - go with someone in a vehicle to a place safely. 护送，解送。陪同。
*Richard will escort his younger sister back to London.
*The superstar was escorted by security officers when she arrived at the airport. 在保安人员的护送下。。
escort (n) -护送。
*The singer left the stadium under escort.。。在护送下离开体育场。
role - is a job or position.
investigation - you search to get more information to solve the case.
urgent - things need to be done right away, can't wait, need to be done now. similar as emergency.
important - thing need to be done.
arrest - take someone to jail.
make a search - take time to looking for information on a specific case.
search - looking for something.
involve - you are in it.
case - a situation. Agent deal with many different cases.
communications -getting info and giving out info to talk or exchange information with each other.
operational - all activities to get things done.

Chat Room:
window -窗户。也指 窗口，平台。
ticket window - 卖票的窗口。
cashier window -银行，邮局的柜台窗口。出纳窗口。
Interpol- 中央局。
acts as a window for joint operations and exchanging in formation on criminal activities.窗口，平台.
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contact -接触，联络。
make contact - 首次接触。first time in touch.
make contact with aliens.- 尝试着去与外星人接触，与外星人接触（联络）。
have not had contact with / have not been in contact with - 好久没有和（好朋友）联络了。
stay in contact with / keep in contact with - 保持联系。
Keep in contact with other communications sections all over the world. 与全世界所有的通信（讯）处保持联络。
touch / contact - 接触，联络
Let's keep in touch.-保持联络。（平常的，口语的）
communications sections - 通信处， 通讯部门。


。

Solo-Travel Safety

It pays to be careful when you travel alone 單人旅遊的安全問題
一個人旅行時,處處小心總是值得的。


SC: Tell us about your travels.
JW: I started  traveling internationally when I was 20. Since then, I've lived in five countries and visited about 21 others. I enjoy traveling because I'm pretty curious by nature. Most of the time, I've had delightful experiences but not always...
SC: Do tell.
JW: Once I went to the Philippines for a weekend trip. While I was there, some local I met put drugs in my food and stole my money.
SC: Really! What happened?
JW: I met some local people who helped me get on the right bus to the beach. I assumed they were safe because most of them were women in their 40s. They showed me around for a couple of hours, and then we stopped at their friend's house to eat.  When we started to eat, they offered me a separate plate, but I thought that might be a cultural thing. I didn't know they had drugged the food, but I was a little wary when they pressured me to finish the entire dish. We weren't in a public place, so I couldn't ask for help or make an excuse and leave. So I ate it and then blacked out.
SC:  Were you OK?
JW: Surprisingly, yes. I woke up the next morning in my hostel in Manila, but I couldn't remember how I had gotten there. Amazingly, they hadn't stolen my phone, so I called my parents right away. Then I went to the American Embassy to report the crime. The authorities told me that the people I had met belonged to a gang that commits this kind of crime all the time. They drug people and then take them to ATMs and withdraw cash with the victim's "help." When I checked my bank accounts, I found out they had taken money out. I must have told them my PIN while I was drugged.
SC: Was there anything you could have done to avoid this?
JW: Yes and no. I couldn't help traveling alone-those were just my circumstances at the time. And I think it's normal to want to go out and explore. But I could have been more cautious and refused their offer to show me around.
SC: Will you continue traveling?
JW: Yes, I'm still curious, and I think that traveling is generally pretty safe. It's just important to be alert and cautious when you travel... and to take precautions.


Vocabulary Tips:
Delightful- very joyful, pleasant.愉快的，开心的。
*We had a delightful evening at the party last night.
*Tina is a delightful travel companion. 很好，很愉快的。。
*You can enjoy your afternoon tea in this delightful garden.
assume- believe to be true without question it. 以为，假设。
*I assume everyone here already knows each other.
assume that - 信以为是，认为是。
*I assumed that you would come to help out today.
*People often assume that women are not as determined as men.
black out - become unconscious, not wake, pass out, fall over for a short period of time, not die.
*After the marathon, one of the contestants suddenly blacked out. 不省人事，丧失意志。
*When he blacked out, he fell from the stairs.
it pays to be careful -處處小心總是值得的
it pays to be something -。。總是值得的  meant that you pay for it to have benefit.
curious - want to learn about..
do tell - please go on, would like to hear more, please tell us more, let us know more about it.
wary - not complete to be sure, not certain, does not fully trust it (them).
pressure - forced to do, push hard.
hostel - a place for people to stay over night, cheap in price but more people share a room with you.
embassy - an office in other country that represent its country.
gang - a group people hang out together.
withdraw - (withdrew, withdrawn) take out, take away.提款。
*Larry withdrew $500 from his account.
withdraw -撤回，取消。
* The troop was withdrawn and sent to another base.
PIN - personal identification number.
Surprisingly - she can walk away with her life.
cautious - to be careful。小心的，谨慎的。
* As an accountant, you have to be very cautious with money.
*Bob is very cautious about what he says.
caution, be caution - be careful. be alert .小心，谨慎。特别小心，非常谨慎
*This machine needs to be operated with extreme caution.
alert - pay attention.，留意，提高警觉
precautions - take cation, do something to protect you, or prepare something that make your sure is safe.
pre-“预先” caution -小心，谨慎。 precaution -预防警惕。留心，警戒。预防措施
take precautions - 采取预防措施。
* The residents along the river bank were informed to take precautions before the hurricane hit.

Grammar Tips:
I enjoy traveling because I'm pretty curious by nature.
"by nature" - having the natural characteristic of what was just said.
Ronald never practices his English because he is quite lazy by nature.
"by nature" -common character.
Cats are territorial by nature.

Word/idiom Tips:
drug / medicine -
drug - can be medicine to cure the body. 也指麻醉药品，毒品。
take medicine - not "eat" medicine.
go to drugstore to get medicine at pharmacy. 药庄店，药品，药局
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help -帮助
help -避免，阻止，通常前面都会加“can't“ - can't help
can't help oneself -不由自主，无法自制。
I couldn't help traveling alone - those were just my circumstances at the time.
I did it because I couldn't help it.

Taking a working holiday


Two people have very different experience during their working holidays.打工度假经验谈。

This month studio classroom talks to two different people, Claire Lee and Vincent Lee, about their working holiday experiences.

Vincent spent 2004-2005 on a working holiday in Australia. Claire is currently completing her working holiday in Canada.

SC: Why did you decided to take a working holiday?
CL: I wanted to experience a different culture, and a working holiday seemed like the best way to do that.
VL:I'd been keen to travel around the world since I was a teenager and kept the idea in my mind about 10 years. Then one day, I got some information about working holidays and knew it would be the beginning of a journey.

SC: Where did you go and why?
CL: I went to Canada because its working holiday program accepts people over the age of 30. I started in Vancouver because I had already established connections there. I'll probably stay in Vancouver throughout my working holiday for the sake of convenience.

VL: I was interested in a lot of different cities, so I made travel a priority on my working holiday. I intentionally spent time in lots of different Australian cities. I spent time in Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin and Perth, for example.

SC: What were you most worried about before you left?
CL: I was, and still am, a bit worried about finding a job when I return home to Taipei.
VL: I was most anxious that my English wouldn't be good enough to communicate.

SC: Where did you stay and work during your working holiday?
CL: I got a house in Vancouver, and I'm working as an assistant to a Chinese medicine doctor.
VL: I stayed wherever I could. Sometimes I stayed in hostels. Other times I shared a house or stayed in a cabin or camped. Sometimes I slept in my car -especially when I was moving between cities. I worked at different jobs as I traveled.

SC: What was the biggest challenge you faced?
CL: I wondered about a lot of things before I left. I got a lot of assistance from my friends at church, though, so since arriving in Canada,  I haven't really run into any huge obstacles.
VL: Talking to westerners in English was challenging. They speak English faster than I can comprehend it. I had to learn to pay close attention.

SC:What was the most important lesson you learned?
CL: I spend a lot of time alone here, so I'm learning to really appreciate who I am.
VL: My working holiday taught me that the world is a big place with limitless possibilities. I learned to love meeting new people.

SC: Would you do it again?
CL: For me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
VL: Definitely. Since my working holiday, I've never really stopped traveling.

Grammar Tips:
I'll probably stay in Vancouver throughout my working holiday for the sake of convenience.
"for the sake of "= for the purpose of .
Mr. Lee grew tired of his noisy neighborhood and finally moved to the mountains for the sake of peace and quiet.
For the sake off time, let's go through the meeting agenda first and have the comments and questions at the end.

Vocabulary Tips:
keen- you want to do something very much. 渴望的，热爱的， 非常有兴趣。对。。很有兴趣。
*Rose has been keen to visit, Paris since she was a teenager.
*We're keen to have more people to get involved in the charity campaign.
*Mr. Frasier is keen on photography.
established-build up or set up for long time. 创办，建立，创立
*Fred established his enterprise in China within years.
*this art college was established in 1952.
*We need to establish a good relationship with our neighbors.
intentionally -do things on purposely.有意地，故意地
*Sherry showed up late for the party intentionally so everyone would notice her.
*I didn't say those words intentionally.
assistance - assist-help.
*He established his business with the assistance of his wife.
*Andy's computer technology assistance is greatly appreciated.
comprehend -理解，了解
*I had a hard time comprehending what the clerk said because of his accent.
*No one seems to be able to comprehend my situation.
*The text is too difficult for elementary school kids to comprehend.
limitless - 广泛不受限制，无限。limit -受限制 less -没有
*You can enjoy a limitless supply of soft drinks at the buffet.
*This boy seems to have limitless potential in mathematics.
anxious -担心
hostel -a large house provide people sleep place with little price. it's a cheap way to stay.

Chat Room:
go on vacation (USA) , go on holiday 休假 (other English speaking country)-
I want to vacation (v) -
holiday-(美国）假日，节日。
the Forth of July.独立记念日。
national holiday.国定假日。
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Where did you stay and work during your working holiday?
live/stay -
live-长时间居住。长期的。
stay -短暂停留。暂时的。
How long are you staying in Taipei?
I am here to stay - 留在此地定居。stay,  not going to move.
也会继续下去
The new cellphone is here to stay.

Adopting Children

One family describes their adoption experience.

This month Studio Classroom talks with Aaron Heidel about adoption. Aaron and his wife, Jean, have written a book about their adoption experiences. They live in Taipei with their four children.

SC: Tell us about your family.
AH: I'm an American and my wife is from Taipei. We have four adopted children. Hannah is 8 and is in second grade. Ellie is 6, Donny is 3, and Andrew is 2. The youngest three spend their time hanging out at home.

SC: Why did you decide to adopt four kids?
AH: We want to have kids and tried everything but couldn't get pregnant. Our friends had adopted two kids, and we were inspired by their example. We applied to adopt, and one year later, we received 11-day-old Hannah. We adopted Elie because it can be lonely being an only child, and we wanted a big family. We thought long and hard about adopting a third child. Eventually we decided we would like a son, so we applied to two orphanages. We got Donny when he was five months old, and nine months later we got Andrew.

SC: How long did it take to adjust to being a family?
AH: At first you feel like a 24-hour babysitter. But within a few days some strong feelings of affection and love begin to develop. Having the other kids be part of adopting their siblings enriches the whole process.

SC: What type of process did you go through before you were able to adopt?
AH: First we had to accept the fact that we couldn't have children. Then we had to convince our families to support us. We also did a lot of research on adoption agencies.

We filled out lots of paperwork and answered some very personal questions. Next come parenting and adoption classes and waiting for what seemed like an eternity. Picking up the new family member is the fun part. But even after that, we had a trial period of three to six months before getting the final acceptance of the adoption.

Once we had approval, we needed to change the kids' last names and update their records.

SC: What was most challenging about adopting?
AH: Parenting in general was and continues to be challenging. It's hard to figure out how to raise healthy kids. The added thing with adoption is getting the kids to understand their adoption. Our policy is to be very open about it, so they don't have to deal with the shock of realization.

SC: What is most rewarding?
AH: Having kids is the rewarding part. Kids are awesome. They change your priorities - usually in a good way.


Vocabulary Tips:
pregnant-怀孕，怀胎
*Natalie and her husband are having a hard time getting pregnant.
pregnant with-怀那一个用"with"。
*Sandy was pregnant with her first child when she got promoted. 怀她第一个孩子
think long and hard -深思熟虑，认真考虑许久。
*Laurence thought long and hard before he decided to change his career.
*I believe you should think long and hard before you get married.认为。
affection -感情，爱慕。 very like, love.
*Bobby is never shy about his affections for his wife.不掩饰对。。爱慕之情
*You can see the strong affection between the nanny and the baby.
inspire-激发 give you an idea want to do something.
enrich- 增添，使丰富， to improve the quality of something.
acceptance-不可数名词，接受，承认，接纳，认可 accept -接受
*His acceptance of the award caused a lot of criticism.
*acceptance -认可
*Her enthusiasm quickly gained acceptance from her co-workers.
realization -领悟，恍然大悟。忽然明白，
*There has been a growing realization of how serious global warming is.
*She was shocked by the sudden realization that she was actually the one hurting others.
reward-给与奖励的现在分词，(adj.) 值得，有回报的，没有白费有价值的。
*Ashley loves to take care of patients. She thinks it's quite rewarding.
*The intense training was rewarding, because we have only lost one game.
challenge and reward.-挑战和回报。
What seems like an eternity- the process take very long time.

Chat Room:
At first you feel like a 24-hour babysitter.
babysitter- 保姆，（不固定，钟点工以钟头计费，请来家看顾，且没受专业。）
nanny -专业全职的保姆。（要提供休假及福利，有的还提供食宿）
baby sister- your younger sister
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trial period/ grace period- 试用期/宽限期。
trial period - 实验期，试用期，通常“商品”或“杂志”有提供免费试用期。新进 员工试用期
probationary period =trial period -新进员工试用期。
grace period -宽限期，尤惠期。信用卡帐单发出到到最后付款日，这期间叫“宽限期”, grace -慈悲，恩惠。

.