California Here I Come (3)

• An old Mexican village
• Union Station
• L.A. City Hall
• Walt Disney Concert Hall

Downtown Los Angeles
The day before going home, our alumni decided to take a city tour of Los Angeles. We weren't seeing movie scenes anymore; we were seeing real ones.

First we went to an old Mexican village in the middle of the city. We saw how the earliest people's lifestyle and architecture differed form that of the Americans.

The second stop was Union Station, which is over 75 years old but still operational.

The third place was city hall. We went to the top floor, and the scenery of LA was before us. Never will I forget the feeling when I opened the balcony door -- "A dream come true."

The last place we went was an impressive structure -- The Walt Disney Concert Hall. We didn't have time for the concert, so we just took some pictures and left.

I learned so many new things from this trip and have a reason to study hard. I hope one day to visit America -- by myself.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: America’s Expanding Language Landscape 美國語言的多元化
monolingual 只會講一種語言

Language Lab
differ v.
differ from
- The new manager's management style differs from the previous one greatly.
different adj.
- The director's new movie is quite different from his other works.

operational adj.
working and ready to be used:
- The new airport is not operational yet.
operation n.
- All our production lines are in full operation, so we can deliver our goods on time.

impressive adj.
something that is impressive makes you admire it because it is very good, large, important etc:
- The young girl's performance is very impressive.
- The stunts in the movie are quite impressive.

concert n.
a performance given by musicians or singers:
- Alice is performing at the school concert tonight.
- The pop concert attracted over 20,000 fans.
- The new concert hall can hold more than 5,000 people.

mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20150328baa5ca07bf589d1eeb46062f12a21a959fc1cd9e11484f01f76e7dcf62861bfcfe7.wma

California Here I Come (2)

• A NASA structure 
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
• Fort Irwin

The trip was awesome! The trip not only fulfilled my dream but also broadened my horizons. We visited fantastic places like the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex. This NASA structure is located in a military base in the Mojave Desert. Civilians usually don't have access since it's a restricted area. But one of our graduates who works at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) applied for us to visit.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Located in Los Angeles County, JPL sits on a lovely hillside where deer wander around. JPL's main tasks are to make and launch satellites. The most famous is Curiosity, which is now on Mars.

Fort Irwin
This stop wasn't in the original plan. However when I saw the weaponry, I begged our guide to drive around the fort. He told us that this camp belongs to the United States Army. There are some cool signs there like "Tank crossing." Many vehicles used in movies were there: Hummers, M1 Abrams, Cobra gunships, etc.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Repurposed English 英文單字的再利用
tank 坦克車
water tank 水箱
第一次世界大戰英國海軍把秘密武器運往法國時,
在運輸時上面寫water tank 以防止敵人發現,
後來tank就變成戰車的名稱,
戰車的車身跟船身都叫做 hull,
進入戰車的入口叫做hatch也是船的入口
炮塔都叫做turret

Language Lab
fulfill v.
if you fulfill a hope, wish, or aim, you achieve the thing that you hoped for, wished for etc:
- As a teacher, my desire is to help students fulfill their potential.
- Marian is still learning how to fulfill all her duties as a mom and a business owner.

civilian n. [civ字根-人民]
anyone who is not a member of the military forces or the police: 平民
- Hundreds of civilians were injured in the bombing.
- Civilians are not allowed on this military base.
—civilian adjective [only before noun]
- The fugitive fled in civilian clothes.
fugitive n.
someone who is trying to avoid being caught by the police

propulsion n. [pro字根-往前]
the force that drives a vehicle forward
- The astronauts need to know how to control the propulsion system of the spacecraft.
- Mark is interested in studying jet propulsion.

crossing n.
a place where you can safely cross a road, railway, river etc:
- The boy stood at the crossing, waiting for the green light.

mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20150327baa71e755a8ce8743c46e805841076abf227f882ded645869be28b71b289e1a86fc.wma

California Here I Come (1)

• How did the opportunity arise?
• A paper, an exam, and an interview

A dream come true

When I was a kid, I saw a lot of American cartoons and movies. Some friends had traveled to or studied in the U.S., and I wanted to visit America. I thought I’d have to wait many years, but miracles happen.

One day, I received a notice from my high school alumni association. It was about an all-expenses-paid study tour to California. Everyone in high school could apply, and the association would choose four winners.

First, I had to write a paper titled “What’s the influence of information digitization in modern life?” Ten students would proceed to the next level. I had never written a paper before so I was very surprised my paper was selected! Second was a written examination and interview. I just did a self-introduction for the interview. And I didn’t find the written exam hard because I’ve been reading Studio Classroom for years. I had no problem with the vocabulary or listening.

A month later, I burst into tears of joy when my dream came true!


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: What are You Afraid of? 克服對英文的恐懼
把英文學好需要下功夫, 每天讀英文就會有幫助 :-)

Closer Look
I didn’t find the written exam hard.
find: to feel or have an opinion about something
to find [something] [description]
- I find his actions silly.
- I find the story ridiculous.

Language Lab
alumni n. [單數形alumnus]
[plural] the former students of a school, college etc:
- My college's alumni association held a banquet last night at the Hilton.
- Hank is an alumnus of Boston University.
- Several alumni established a fund to help disadvantaged students.

all-expenses-paid 全額的, 包含一切費用的
having all of your costs for hotels, travel, meals etc paid for by someone else:
- Chloe's vacation to Paris is an all-expenses-paid trip.
- Tommy's all-expenses-paid vacation in Maui really refreshed him.

digitization n. 數位化
- Digitization has changed the way music albums are produced.
- Digitization of patients' medical records is time-consuming but worthwhile.

proceed v.
to continue to do something that has already been planned or started
- We will proceed to the next stage of our plan when we're ready.
to move in a particular direction
proceed to/towards/into etc
- Please proceed to the boarding gate as soon as possible.

mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20150326baaf240aa707fca39faaa29a4412d34558d6d5fcf4821f1ce60e2026a47a10095aa.wma

Holidays

Sharing cultures is fun

Thanks to my host family, I had the opportunity to experience American culture during my stay. Two of my most remarkable experiences were Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving, a traditional American festival, means the family gets together and has a feast. I tried a lot of food that I'd never had before such as mashed potatoes, turkey and zucchini. Everything was very tasty. Then it was Christmas. We had an enormous dinner on Christmas Eve. Then we sat in front of the fireplace, and my host father told me the story of Jesus' birth. After that we gave each other presents and chatted. It was great!

Besides experiencing their cultural events, I shared some of mine with them. First I introduced Mid-Autumn Festival to them. I made pineapple cakes and served tea. We watched the moon, too! At Chinese New Year, I prepared a traditional meal for them. One dish was dumplings. After I taught them how to wrap them, we did it together!

I am glad I got to experience that culture and share some of my own.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: When Exactly is Christmas Eve?
Christmas Eve: night before Christmas 平安夜 聖誔節前一日或前一晚
New Year's Eve


Grammar Gym
Thanks to my host family, I had the opportunity to experience American culture during my stay.
thanks to: because of 
- Thanks to the sudden rain, we were forced to end our picnic early.
- The airport was closed thanks to the heavy snowstorm.


Language Lab
remarkable adj. 特殊的, 非凡的, 引人注目的
unusual or surprising and therefore deserving attention or praise:
- The research team's finding is a remarkable achievement.
- The boy's remarkable singing talent made him famous.

chat v.n. 閒聊, 聊天chatted/chatting
to talk in a friendly informal way, especially about things that are not important:
- Emily is chatting on the phone with her best friend.
- Cindy chatted with her mom about the latest film.
- I had a chat with my neighbor this morning.

cultural adj. 文化的, 與文化有關的
belonging or relating to a particular society and its way of life:
- When Tom first moved to Asia, he had serious cultural shock.
- The team is formed by people from different cultural backgrounds.

culture n. 文化
- The ideas of Confucius play an important part in Chinese culture.
- Teenagers are greatly influenced by pop culture.


mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20140607baaf212766329a2c38919c33d79d043ba3a18279516fe0e9fe717b0047ac80ff281.wma

Taking Up a Challenge

A big challenge becomes a valuable experience

Extracurricular activities also contributed to my exchange experience. Besides the basketball and football teams, there was a speech team at school. As a foreigner I was afraid that I wouldn't be good enough to compete. But after several discussions with my host family, I decided to take up the challenge. I wanted to improve both my English and my public speaking skills. The hardest part was conquering my fear of speaking in front of people. At first, I would just go blank because I was so nervous. But gradually, I became less fearful when I looked at the audience.

After two months of daily training, the speech meets began. Surprisingly, I started winning awards! As the season progressed, I felt more confident and enjoyed speaking in front of people. At the season's end, I even got into a subsection in the Minnesota high school league competition!

I really grew a lot during this time. I conquered my fear of speaking in public. Also, I learned how to communicate with an audience. It was a very valuable experience.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Stage Fright 上台恐懼症
沒有人是天生的演說家,
無論是政治人物, 歌手,
所以都是要經過練習,
平常也許在朋友的婚禮需要give a toast,
public speaking 是要經過練習


Grammar Gym
At first, I would just go blank because I was so nervous.
to go blank: to become empty
- The screen went blank.
- After working hard all day, Fred's mind goes blank.
- It's easy to go blank when you have had to deal with so much stress.


Language Lab
extracurricular adj.
/ˌɛkstrəkəˈrɪkjəlɚ/
extracurricular activities are not part of the course that a student is doing at a school or college
- Millie's parents encouraged her to participate in some extracurricular activities.
- Timothy's involvement in extracurricular activities is a big plus for his college application.

conquer v.
to gain control over something that is difficult, using a lot of effort
- It took a lot of effort for Mike to conquer his stage fright, but he did.
to get control of a country by fighting:
- Alexander the Great conquered many countries when he was alive.

subsection n.
a part of a section, especially in a legal document
- Our overseas subsection is located in Singapore.
- Eric's basketball team won the subsection title last night.

communicate v.
to exchange information or conversation with other people, using words, signs, writing etc:
communicate with
- Preschool teachers have their ways of communicating with young kids.
communication n.
- Janet's communication skills need to be polished.

The Decision

I’m going to America!

In ninth grade I was preparing for the Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students. Life was busy but not interesting. Then one day, my parents asked if I would be interested in attending an exchange program sponsored by Ayusa. This organization offers high-school students the opportunity to study abroad for one year. The students stay with host families.

So I obtained some information and decided this would be a great chance to improve my English. I could also experience different cultures and broaden my vision.

But first I had to pass the SLEP (Secondary Level English Proficiency Test). Then I had to fill out many forms and get a health check. That helps the families decide which student to host. Ayusa helped with other procedures like flights.

There was some fun during the process, too. For example, Ayusa held a prom. We practiced asking girls to dance. At first, we were all shy, but eventually everyone tried and had a great time! Now, off I go!


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: You Reap What You Sow
種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆 [reap v. 收割/sow v. 播種]
今天課文說到作者有機會去交換學生,
而且是跟接待家庭一起住, (host families)
這是一個難得的機會!
許多人到國外讀書, 卻跟自已國家的人住在一起,
這樣失去了學英文的好機會,
如果可以跟host family 住在一起,
決對可以提升英文程度,
因為你在花時間sow,
之後你得到的reap一定會比跟花時間跟同鄉混在一起的多


Grammar Gym
At first, we were all shy, but eventually everyone tried and had a great time! 
1. At first we were all shy.
2. Eventually everyone tried and had a great time.
- We can go to the beach to watch the sunset, or we can drive into the mountains instead.
- Timothy will handle the guest list, and Maurice is in charge of the food and decorations.


Language Lab
competence n. 能力, 技能
/ˈkɑ:mpətəns/
the ability to do something well : the quality or state of being competent
- Every new student is required to take an English competence test before the semester begins.
學期開始前, 每位新生都必需考英文學力測驗
- Bob's professional competence in computer software is unquestionable.
Bob在電腦軟體的專業是無庸置疑的

broaden v. 變寬, 變闊; 擴大 [broad寬大的]
/ˈbrɑ:dn̩/
to make (something) wider or more general
- The trip to Europe really broadened my horizons.
歐洲之旅擴展了我的視野
- Brad's voluntary work in Afirca broadened his life experiences.
Brad在非洲志願服務擴展了他人生的閱歷

procedure n. 程序; 手續; 步驟
a series of actions that are done in a certain way or order : an established or accepted way of doing something
- All of the procedures required to apply for college are quite complicated.
申請大學一切的程序還滿複雜的
a medical treatment or operation
- This minor surgical procedure took only an hour.
這個非常小的外科手術只花了一個小時的時間
proceed v. 進行
to continue to do something
- The meeting proceeded after the short break.
短暫的休息之後, 會議繼續進行

eventually adv.最後, 終於
at some later time : in the end
- After months of practicing, Timothy eventually was accepted by the team.
經過幾個月的苦練Timothy 終於進入球隊
- Even though the couple is apart now, they believe they will be together eventually.
即使這對情侶是分開的, 但是他們相信他們終究會在一起


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mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20140113baa5d6c27250d6721082d815817b7c83f2971c94dc7ddc9830d66b82bd2d48c45c3.wma