Thursday, January 14, 2016

A Crash Course in Winter Sports (2)

Sports for snow
While some like the slippery, hard ice others prefer soft snow. Of course, when they are shooting sown a mountain on skis, the snow isn't always gentle. Skis dominate snow sports and are used for many different games. People race down a course in alpine skiing or launch into the air for a ski jump. All a skier's best moves and tricks are on display in freestyle skiing. Snowboards are also popular, allowing for many of the same results.

Other snow choices
Growing tired of the snow sports already mentioned, athletes have developed many more. Lonely skiers tie themselves behind a dog or horse in high-speed skijoring. Others exercise their artistic side with ski ballet, much like figure skating on snow. However, some prefer to take off their skis, racing downhill in kayaks or on shovels. Players without anything to ride on can enjoy yukigassen, basically organized snowball fights.

No matter what is chosen - snowballs, skis or shovels - a world of fun is waiting.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Animal Similes 與動物相關的明喻

A simile is a figure of speech that compares one thing with something else of a different kind. Often introduced with the words like or as.

In English there are quite a few similes that compare humans to animals. For instance, busy as a bee, this is a good way to describe someone who is constantly running around from one activity to another.

If you have a dog, you’ll be able to relate to this next simile, sick as a dog. Now dogs will eat anything, right? And sometimes what they eat makes them sick. So when you eat something that makes you throw up you’ll become sick as a dog.

Know anyone who can lift heavy things, then they are strong as an ox.

Someone who can’t see without their glasses might be blind as a bat. Now interestingly, this simile leads people to think that bats are blind but they are not, it’s just that their vision is terrible in broad daylight.

Okay, here’s another animal simile that can enrich your English, stubborn as a mule.

Hey, I know some people like that, okay, finally how about quiet as a mouse and proud as a peacock.


Language Lab
slippery adj.
difficult to stand on, move on, or hold because of being smooth, wet, icy, etc.
- The roads are quite slippery after the rain . You'd better drive slowly.
- Pam fell on the slippery tile floor in her bathroom.
not able to be trusted : tricky
- This con man is too slippery; you can't get any truth from him.

ski n.
one of a pair of long narrow pieces of wood, metal, or plastic that curve upward slightly in front, are attached to shoes, and are used for gliding over snow
- These professional skis are made of special material so they are lighter and faster.
- The ski resort is closed due to bad weather.
ski v.
to move or glide on skis over snow or water
- Sean skies every winter.

athlete n.
a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength
- Henry is determined to become a professional athlete.
- A good athlete must have a strong will and be self-disciplined.
athletic adj.
/æθˈlɛtɪk/
of or relating to athletes
- Jonah got the scholarship because of his athletic ability.

artistic adj.
/ɑɚˈtɪstɪk/
relating to art or artists
- Nina's impeccable skills and artistic talent made her a top designer at a very young age.
artistic adj.
having or showing the skill of an artist
- an artistic furniture arrangement

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Monday, January 11, 2016

Be Creative - On Your Own (1)

Borrowing ideas isn't a good idea 

Adam Reynolds owns and manages Owl Media, a media production company that designs innovative products.

Right now, they are working on several new mobile apps for news and entertainment publications as well as new game app. At present, 40 people, including writers and artists, computer programmers, art and design people, work at Owl Media. There are also advertising, sales and accounting people.

Nicole Robins is Adam's executive assistant. Laura Mason, the design director, oversees all the designs for the products.

Business has been good, and the company is growing, but all is not smooth sailing.

[Conversation A]

Hey, Adam. The designers are making a lot of progress on the new game app. Laura wanted you to see some of the characters they've come up with.

Great! I'd love to see them.

Here is Lucky Lizard.

He's really cute.

And here are Betty Bird and Sam Sloth. Isn't Sam adorable?

Yes. But wait a minute.

Betty Bird looks familiar.

That was Laura's concern.

I'll go and talk to her.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Oversee vs. Overlook 
Let’s take a look at two words today that can be confusing, oversee and overlook. Do they have the  same meaning?

Well, you may think they do as both see and look have similar meanings, but these two words are actually quite different.

Okay for oversee we can think of a boss, or supervisor in a factory who is seated at a high place watching over the workers.

And maybe even giving out commands. When someone oversees you at work, they’re making sure you’re doing your job right. Supervise is another word for oversee.

Overlook, on the other hand, can have two different meanings. It can mean to look at something from a higher place. For example, the house overlooks the beach.

So from the house you could see the beach below.

Right, but overlook can also mean to miss or fail to see as in, the detective overlooked an important clue and the suspect was released.

Okay, now the question is what does the noun “oversight”mean? It can mean either supervision or an unintentional omission.

Yes, but the more common definition is an unintentional omission. So we can say, due to the detective’s oversight the suspect was released.

Two different words with different meanings, don’t overlook them!

Language Lab
production n.
the process of making or growing something for sale or use
- The production of the album took a whole year.
the amount of something that is made or grown for sale or use
- The model didn't go into production because it would have been too expensive for consumers.
produce v.
to make (something) especially by using machines
- The musical was produced on a very limited budget.

publication n.
a book, magazine, etc., that has been printed and made available to the public
- Our latest publication for fitness enthusiasts is quite popular.
the act or process of producing a book, magazine, etc., and making it available to the public
- The book was translated into English for publication.
publish v.
to prepare and produce (a book, magazine, etc.) for sale
- His poems will be published next month.

smooth sailing 
easy progress : progress that is not blocked by anything
Her time at college wasn't all smooth sailing.
[=she had some problems/difficulties during her time at college]
- In the beginning Stuart's business was not smooth sailing.
- The movie is a great success, but it wasn't all smooth sailing during the filming.

adorable adj.
very appealing or attractive : very lovable
- The puppy is so adorable. I want to take it home.
- Mathew has three adorable kids, one boy and two girls.
adore v.
to love or admire (someone) very much
- I adore my little nephew. He's only two years old.

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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Wash Your Hands

  • Why wash your hands?
  • When should you wash your hands?

Where have those hands been?

Do you ever watch hands? Get on a subway train, and be an observer. Hands dip into purses and pockets. Watch them touch cellphones, the train's bars, straps and seats and even other people. You can see the things they touch on the subway but not what they touched before they got on. See that mother over there? She may have changed her baby's diaper and not washed her hands. See that grandma in the seat across the way? She may have just chopped up a raw chicken and not washed her hands well.

She could be leaving bacteria wherever she puts her hands. And see that guy over there? He is picking his nose! Gross!

If you're healthy, your skin is crawling with hundreds of kinds of bacteria. If you're sick, there are even more lethal germs on your hands. They can make your and others sick! OK, here's your stop. Now go directly to the first restroom you see and wash your hands -- with soap. You'll be glad you did -- and so will everyone else!

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Washing One’s Hands Figuratively 洗手的比喻用法

We know how important it is to wash our hands and we should do it often to maintain good personal hygiene.

Now we might also wash our hands figuratively and that has a completely different meaning.

Right, if we wash our hands of someone or something, we stop being responsible for that person or thing. For example, I don’t know how I can for Jennifer, and now I’m washing my hands of her.

Or that car was a real headache; I wash my hands of it a longtime ago.

So that car was causing too many headaches for you.

That’s right. Now this figurative usage of washing one’s hands is from the bible’s account of the trial of Jesus. When the Roman governor punches, Pilate didn’t know what to do with Jesus, he took some water and washed his hands. For claiming that, he’s not responsible for sending Jesus to his death on the cross.

To this day, the phrase “washing one’s hands of something” is used by people to excuse themselves of any responsibility should a situation turn problematic.


Language Lab
observer n.
a person who sees and notices someone or something
- A team of professional observers will be assigned to monitor the R&D department.
- Observers said the robbers took the old lady's purse and got into a van.

cell=cellular n.
a small telephone that people can take with them and use outside their homes
- Mike is talking on his cellphone.
mobile = mobile phone

lethal adj.
/ˈliːθəl/
causing or able to cause death
- The police found lethal weapons in the suspect's garage.
- The spread of the lethal disease was finally curbed because of the invention of the vaccine.

germ n.
a very small living thing that causes disease
- This tiny germ is the cause of this dangerous disease.
- This germ is found in all the patients who were sharing the same room.
virus n.
an extremely small living thing that causes a disease and that spreads from one person or animal to another
- The flu virus can be spread through the air.

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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Life Lessons from Nature (2)

  • Be an encourager
  • Take turns
  • Set a good example
Be an encourager
Some feel that geese honk in flight to encourage those up front to keep up the speed.

Team members should regularly communicate positively with each other while working toward a common goal.

Take turns
The goose out in front has the hardest job as it breaks up the air currents. When it gets tired, it moves behind, and another goose moves into the lead. By sharing the role, the flock can travel great distances.

Teams can benefit from the same idea. Based on their experiences and skills, people can take turns sharing the leadership role.

Set a good example
When geese are on land, if something scares the leader, it might fly off. The flock will then follow. But if the leader remains calm, the gaggle will do the same. Geese and people tend to imitate their leaders.

When leading, we must remember that our actions and emotions are passed on to our followers.

Like geese, when we work together, our burdens are lighter.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic:Actions Speak Louder Than Words 行動確實勝於空談
Do actions speak louder than words? Absolutely! What we do is more important than what we say. People in leadership positions, politicians, business managers, teachers and parents know this for well.

Yeah, let's face it. No matter who we are, it's very difficult to behave in a way, that's consisted with our words. So to compensate, many of us resort to using the phrase, do as I say, not as I do. Which means don't imitate my behavior but obey my instructions.

Because we pick up our behavior or cues more from watching than we do from listening.

Right, a mother who smokes cigarettes might forbid her child from starting the habit by saying, "do as I say, not as I do".

Often kids don't think about why they do what they do, nor do they think about the consequences of their actions. All they know is they want to behave just like their friends or older siblings.

Sounds like a case of a monkey see monkey do. And, this is a kind of kids saying but it doesn't just apply to kids, adults too. Our guilty of acting like monkeys when they imitate other’s actions without thinking.

Language Lab
honk v.
of a goose : to make a loud sound;
of a horn : to make a loud sound;
- The male goose honked to get the females' attention.
- The bus driver honked to warn the motorcyclist in front of him.
honk n.
the loud sound made by a goose also : a similar loud sound
- The honks of the geese can be heard hundreds of feet away.

current n.
a continuous movement of water or air in the same direction;
a flow of electricity;
- They swam against the current and finally reached the shore.
- The design of the wings can help reduce the impact of the air current.
current adj.
always used before a noun : happening or existing now : belonging to or existing in the present time
- The company's current situation is worse than ever.

gaggle n.
a group of geese : a flock of geese
- The gaggle got so excited when the farmer started feeding them.
- These girls were talking so loud they sounded like a gaggle of geese.
a group of people
- A gaggle of kids passed us by, laughing and jumping.

burden n.
something heavy that is carried : load
someone or something that is very difficult to accept, do, or deal with
- Most parents don't feel that parenting is a big burden.
- Buying a house is a great financial burden for us now.
burden v.
to make (someone) hold or carry something heavy or accept or deal with something difficult : to put a heavy burden on (someone)
- I don't want to burden you with my marital problems.

Monkey see, monkey do!
有樣學樣!

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