February 2010
10 posts
Fear prompts bobsledders to quit Olympics
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/02/25/olympics.bobsled.driver.quits/index.html
Vocabulary:
1. Macho: Macho behavior emphasizes a man’s physical strength, lack of sensitive feelings, and other qualities considered to be typical of men.
2. Split: A serious disagreement that divides a organization or group of people in to smaller groups.
3. Steer: To guide someone’s behavior or the way...
Speaking Reflection for Week 6
I went to American family last Saturday night, I talked with the host of the American family. They are a old couple. We talked about the differences of education system between China and America. They told me they teach their children by themselves, they didn’t go to school still high school. They said a lot of American students are study at home. However, almost Chinese students are go to...
Haiti students fear future buried in rubble
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/17/haiti.students/index.html
Vocabulary:
1. Aspiration: A strong desire to have or achieve something.
2. Tatters: Clothing or pieces of cloth that are old and torn.
3. Inconsolable: So sad that it is impossible for anyone to comfort you.
Questions:
1. How do you feel if your child buried in rubble?
2. What things happened will let you worry about...
Speaking Reflection for Week 5
I talked with my Math classmate during the break time on Monday, and our topic is about the public transportation in Richmond. I told her many international students think the public transportation system in Richmond is not so developed, if you don’t have a car, there are lot of places you cannot get to. There is just bus, no subway in Richmond, sometime people need to wait for bus for a...
Why France is best place to live in world
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/11/france.quality.life/index.html
Vocabulary:
1. Maternity: The money that a woman is given by a employer or government when she has a baby.
2. Infrastructure: The basic systems and structures that a country or organization needs in order to work properly, for example transport, communications, and banking systems.
3. Bureaucracy: A complicated official...
Reflection of week 4
This week I talked with my classmate of UNIV 102 before the class started. We talked about the different kinds of foods we like and we dislike. I told her I really like Sushi right now, and I do know how to do it. I told her I’m very picking, when she knew what I eat and what I never eat, she felt supervising, she said”How can you so picking!” I told her in this weekend is...
Listen
Speaking Reflection
On Thursday afternoon, I met my math classmate in Oliver Hall and we talk about math. First, we started talk about how do we think about math. I told her I really don’t like math since I was in middle school because I’m not good at it. However, she was confuse because she told me that she heard that Chinese are very good at math, why I said I’m not good at math. Then I explained...
U.S. zoos bid farewell to giant pandas
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/04/pandas/index.html
Vocabulary:
1. Christen: To invent a name for someone or something because it describe them well.
2. Repatriate: To send someone back to their own country.
3. Replenish: To fill something again or put new supplies into something.
Questions:
1. How do you think about panda?
2. If pandas are extinction, will you feel sad? Why?
January 2010
5 posts
Green Tea
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Green_Tea.asp?sitearea=ETO
Vocabulary:
1. Cholesterol: A chemical substance found in fat, blood, and other cells in your body, which doctors think may cause heart disease.
2. Vessel: A tube that carries blood through your body, such as VEIN, or that carries liquid through a plant.
3. Placenta: A thick mass of flesh that joins an unborn child...
QUESTIONS
ashort:
Do you speak a lot of English outside of class? If yes, with whom? What kinds of topics do you discuss?
bowenzhang:
Why are you study English? What is the best way to improve your speaking ability?
English is one of the most useful language in the world. It’s very important to us, I should learn it well. The best way to improve my speaking ability is live in the environment with...
When I was in middle school, I had the same goals...
Listen
Jie Yu
My name is Jie, I come from Hunan province which is located in the south China.
When I was in China, I study English in order to go to the university or go abroad to study. When I come to the U.S., I need to improve my English skills to pursue my bachelor degree, because my major is Mass Communication, it needs very high English writing skills, so I need to work hard to improve my English.
I...