Picture of our class!

This one is not that clear. >"<

This is the best shot among three.

It's really glad to be classmate with you this semester.^.^

Assignment 11 Ask a question

I asked a question on BBC message board. The question was...

Hi there. I am wondering is there any phrase or word to describe the action that one tries to get informaiton or secrect by setting a tricky trap in a conversation so that the other person would easily reveal the truth.Thank you for answering my question.^.^

What I wanted to ask is 套話 in chinese. I'm not sure if it is a right way to ask.
After an hour, I got the answer as following:

Yes, the slang expression which probably won't mean much to you is "being played". You could ask the person who is setting the trap, "Am I being played here?"



Actually, it's not the answer that I am really expecting, but it's more oral. Or maybe it's because I put my question in a wrong way.

Assignment 10 : MIT course

In MIT OpenCourse website, I read throgh a course called Language Acquisition. Unfortunately, they didn't provide video in this course. However, I took a look at their assignment which gave me a really big surprise. One of the problems in their assignment goes as following:


Consider the following interchange.

Child: Nobody don't like me
Mother: No, say "nobody likes me."Child: Nobody don't like me.
(eight repetitions of this dialogue).
Mother: No, now listen carefully; say "Nobody likes me.
"Child: "Oh, nobody don't likes me."

Does this interchange argue for or against the usefulness of negative evidence in language learning? Be brief. Two or three sentences are enough to explain.


This dialogue exists in the textbook "Introduction to language".


MIT also provide the answer to this problem:
Answer: This interchange argues against the usefulness of negative evidence. First, it suggests that children do not pay attention to their parents' correction: the child in the example hears the correction eight times before even attempting to follow it.Second, the example suggests that children do not understand what their parents are correcting them for: the child here does not correct the appropriate part of the sentence, and the child's final sentence is in fact less correct than the original.In order to get full credit, you needed to state both points: that children ignore corrections, and that they don't understand what the correction is for. Both points are arguments against the effectiveness of corrections for language acquisition.


What really surprised me is that the question goes exactly the same as the one in the exam of 清大.If I have known this website earlier, I could write my answer in full credits!

From the Academic Earth Website, I see the video of The American Novel Since 1945 by Amy Hungerford in Yale University. During the first half part of the video, Professor Hungerford introduces the outline the the course in the semester. That is, they are going to read novels, iincluding Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, Jack Kerouac's On the Road, Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior, Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping and so on. What they will talk about in class contains war, race, sex, woman, etc.


From this video, I found that the sound of the lecturer is clear enough that I can understand the content easily.However, during the last 30 mins of the lecture, the literature content becomes difficult to catch on. That's why the scrip is necessary for us.


On the other hand, I think the resource from these OpenCourse websites are quite useful. First of all, I can practice my listening skill from the lecture. Lecturers pronounce clearly and loudly enough. Secong, I can try to do the assignment or exams oflinguistic courses so as to handle my future study in graduate school. But there is a disadvantage. Most of these courses are science and engineering related. There is only one kind of English literature course in Yale university and there is even no video provided in the linguistic course in MIT.

Assignment 9 : Share experience of RadioTime

I listened to the radio called WCBS Newsradio 880. As soon as I turned it on, I heared the weather forecast: it said that the weather will be good in the following few days. And it also gave the forecast of temperature. Then, News report comes. The host mentioned that there were 6 school shut down because of the swine flu. Fortunately, the children were not diagnosed with H1N1 virus. Finally, there were some adverisement of helping you to start your own career and etc.

I think that listening to the on-line radio is quite challenging. Since there is no subtitle on my screen, all I can rely on is my ear to catch the meaning. Also, when listening to News, I found it more difficult to understand because they speak faster and more professional. And the content of the News are various, including politics, health, sports and so on. It's really difficult to understand all of them.

Here is the introduction of WCBS New York Radio:

WCBS Newsradio 880 has been the source for News, Traffic & Weather for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut since 1967. The station delivers news, sports and business, along with traffic & weather on the 8's and is the flagship station of the CBS Radio Network and the radio home of the New York Yankees. When the Yankees are on the air, WCBS continues to provide news on line at WCBS880.com LISTEN LIVE and provides regular longer form and special programming on a second live streaming station at WCBS New York Radio.

Assignment 8 : An English song and lyrics - "Moon River"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOByH_iOn88

Moon River, wider than a mile,

I'm crossing you in style some day.

Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,

wherever you're going I'm going your way.

Two drifters off to see the world.

There's such a lot of world to see.

We're after the same rainbow's end--

waiting 'round the bend,

my huckleberry friend,

Moon River and me.

I think that Audrey Hepburn is the most beautiful girl in the world. Not just her look but also her warm heart for dedicating herself into charity work. This is a beautiful song and the movie "breakfast at Tiffany's" is also worthy seeing. It's the classic!!! By the way, you can also try Andy William's version singing Moon River. It's also beautiful with a different style. As in here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flm4xcOyiCo

Assignment 7 : On The Pulse Of Morning by Maya Angelou in 1993 Bill Clinton Inauguration

Maya Angelou is a well known poet in United State. She can be not only a poet, but also an educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director. She continues to travel the world, spreading her legendary wisdom. What's so special about her is the wisdom within the rhythm and the elegance of her poetry. Maya Angelou has an unique power to help readers of every orientation span the lines of race and captivate audiences through the vigor and sheer beauty of her words and lyrics.

I have read her poem and books before. And I am quite surprising that she gave a speech of her poem in the inanguration of Bill Clinton in 1993. Let's take a look at the video and appreciate her poem.

Here's the poem:

A Rock, A River, A Tree

Hosts to species long since departed,

Mark the mastodon.

The dinosaur, who left dry tokens

Of their sojourn here

On our planet floor,

Any broad alarm of their of their hastening doom

Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.

But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,

Come, you may stand upon my

Back and face your distant destiny,

But seek no haven in my shadow.

I will give you no hiding place down here.

You, created only a little lower than

The angels, have crouched too long in

The bruising darkness,

Have lain too long

Face down in ignorance.

Your mouths spelling words

Armed for slaughter.

The rock cries out today, you may stand on me,

But do not hide your face.

Across the wall of the world,

A river sings a beautiful song,

Come rest here by my side.

Each of you a bordered country,

Delicate and strangely made proud,

Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.

Your armed struggles for profit

Have left collars of waste upon

My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.

Yet, today I call you to my riverside,

If you will study war no more.

Come, clad in peace and I will sing the songs

The Creator gave to me when I

And the tree and stone were one.

Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your brow

And when you yet knew you still knew nothing.

The river sings and sings on.

There is a true yearning to respond to

The singing river and the wise rock.

So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew,

The African and Native American, the Sioux,

The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek,

The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,

The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,

The privileged, the homeless, the teacher.

They hear. They all hear

The speaking of the tree.

Today, the first and last of every tree

Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the river.

Plant yourself beside me, here beside the river.

Each of you, descendant of some passed on

Traveller, has been paid for.

You, who gave me my first name,

You Pawnee, Apache and Seneca,

You Cherokee Nation, who rested with me,

Then forced on bloody feet,

Left me to the employment of other seekers--

Desperate for gain, starving for gold.

You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot...

You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru,

Bought, sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare

Praying for a dream.

Here, root yourselves beside me.

I am the tree planted by the river,

Which will not be moved.

I, the rock, I the river, I the tree

I am yours--your passages have been paid.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need

For this bright morning dawning for you.

History, despite its wrenching pain,

Cannot be unlived, and if faced with courage,

Need not be lived again.

Lift up your eyes upon

The day breaking for you.

Give birth again

To the dream.

Women, children, men,

Take it into the palms of your hands.

Mold it into the shape of your most

Private need. Sculpt it into

The image of your most public self.

Lift up your hearts.

Each new hour holds new chances

For new beginnings.

Do not be wedded forever

To fear, yoked eternally

To brutishness.

The horizon leans forward,

Offering you space to place new steps of change.

Here, on the pulse of this fine day

You may have the courage

To look up and out upon me,

The rock, the river, the tree, your country.

No less to Midas than the mendicant.

No less to you now than the mastodon then.

Here on the pulse of this new day

You may have the grace to look up and out

And into your sister's eyes,

Into your brother's face, your country

And say simply

Very simply

With hope

Good morning.

If you would like to know more about Maya Angelou, you can read her publication - I Know Why the Cage Bird Sing.

Assignment 6: Note of ESL Podcast 466

1. to be cut out to do sth : to be created to do sth, sth that is a good match for you, sth that is intended for you. ex: He is not cut out for that kind of work. (He doesn’t have the talent for that work)

2. patients : people who are receiving medical care

3. bedside manner : the way that a doc or nurse talks to people how they get medical advice or instruction or other information. The general term refers to how doctor treats their patients, how they communicate with their patients.

4. callous : without considering another person’s feelings. Not considerate about others.

5. taking a turn for the worse : to be getting worse. to become more ill or sicker. Opposite : getting better.

6. blurt sth out : to say sth without thinking about it first. Without considering about the result after saying it.

7. diagnosis : The doctor’s conclusion about what the medical problem is, the doctor’s idea about one’s health

8. soften : to make it nice, to make it easier to accept (soften the blow(a punch or a hit) = soften the news)

9. prognosis : The doctor’s opinion about how your health will change in the future. (compare with diagnosis)

10. comfort or reassure : to do or to say sth to make a person feel better. To make a person more confident about sth, less worried about sth.

11. feel sorry for sb / sth : to understand a person’s difficulty

12. faze sb : You are surprised because someone else wasn’t affected by sth or didn’t have strong reaction about sth.

13. hysterics : uncontrol emotions. you can’t stop crying because the emotion is so strong

14. compassionate with sb :to be care, kind and nice to someone.

15. against one's nature : sth that you can’t do because it’s not part of your personality, it’s not part of your character, it’s not part of who you are.

16. anything but : to emphasize the next word by saying that is definitely not ture. ex: The movie is anything but boring = The movie is exciting.

red words refer to those that I am not familiar with

blue ones refer to those that I've seen before but still need to review