Laughter is the Best 'Cold' Medicine (3)

• Do people laugh more alone or in a group?
• What are the physical effects of laughter?

Studies in laughter
A study Robert Provine published in American Scientist journal in 1996 showed that people are 30 times less likely to laugh alone than in a group. Provine’s group of 128 undergraduate psychology students listened to a laugh box that played the sound of laughter 10 times, and then students reported how they felt to the laughter. The first time half the students laughed, and 90 percent of them smiled at the least. By the 10th trial, only 3 of the 128 students laughed. According to Provine, hearing and seeing the other students laugh made the laugh box seem funny. It was the combined stimulus of the laugh box and the laughter of other students that evoked continued laughter among the group.

Physical effects of laughter
Wilson, founder and president of the World Laughter Tour, Inc., adds that coughing and sneezing puts strains on all types of muscles, but laughing at something funny can get the fluids flowing.

“If you laugh so hard, tears start flowing and your nose starts running, your airways become clear and it puts your body more at ease to sleep better,” he says. “Everything operates in a healthy way more efficiently when you laugh.”

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Teaching Topic: Magazines, Journals and Periodicals 不同類型的期刊
periodical n. 期刊 (連續性出版刊物的總稱)
/ˌpiriˈɑdɪkəl/
a magazine that is published every week, month, etc.

Language Lab
undergraduate n.
a student at a college or university who has not yet earned a degree
- Oscar is a Harvard undergraduate who is majoring in economics.
undergraduate adj. 大學生的
- Ellen will get her undergraduate degree next year.

evoke v.
to bring (a memory, feeling, image, etc.) into the mind
- The smell of freshly baked cookies evoked many childhood memories.
- The vintage furniture evoked a sense of the golden era of the 50s.

fluid n.
a substance that is able to flow freely : a liquid substance
- The doctor suggested that the patient drink plenty of fluids.
- The fluid in our body is mainly composed of water.
fluid adj.
having or showing a smooth and easy style : graceful
- The tennis player is famous for his fluid strokes.

airway n.
the area in the throat through which air passes to and from the lungs
- The patient's airway was blocked.
- The baby is suffering from a serious inflammation of his airway.
a route along which airplanes regularly fly
- The airways are only for commercial aircraft.

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Laughter is the Best 'Cold' Medicine (1) (2) (3)

Laugh your way to better health

Good-natured fun will make the waning winter colds and flus lose their sting. Here's how to add some lightness until summer and wellness set in By Darcel Rockett

With the weather still on this side of chilly, it might be better to stay in and nest – especially when nursing a cold. Once you’ve got your medicine, pajamas and hot cocoa at the ready, grab something that will tickle your funny bone, because laughing can help speed up the healing process, according to Steve Wilson, a Columbus, Ohio-based psychologist and aptly titled “joyologist.”

“Laughter has its own biology,” says the member of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor. “Laughter increases relaxation, reduces stress and pain. Laughter also reduces adrenaline in the bloodstream, which can interfere with healing.”

That said, here is a recipe that will starve your cold and feed your funny bone:

• Go to the humor section of the library and grab some of your favorite funny authors and pore over it when you’re in your comfy reading chair. If you are too tired to read yourself, have someone read to, Wilson says. “The stimulation will change your brain chemistry, which will pull you along to health.”

• Go to the video store and rent films with your favorite comedian. Once the laughter ensues, remember those who laugh live longer. “Combine laughter with humor and you have a respite from stresses and strains of a cold,” Wilson adds. “When you find humor in something, you can cope with it better.” Having a laughter list of movies and books at the ready will make the cold fighting quicker.

• Start a laughter jar – a jar with numerous funny memories and occurrences from your life that you can access in case of emergency. Pull one out when you need to get a dose of laughter. Even better, call the friend or family member you experienced it with and share the joy. Two laughs are always better than one.

• When in doubt, laugh it out through a CD. Recordings of people laughing can get you smiling and laughing on your own. Laughter in this regard may be more contagious than a cold, which is one of the reasons why TV shows use a laugh track. A study Robert Provine published in American Scientist journal in 1996 showed that people are 30 times less likely to laugh alone than in a group. Provine’s group of 128 undergraduate psychology students listened to a laugh box that played the sound of laughter 10 times, and then students reported how they felt to the laughter. The first time half the students laughed, and 90 percent of them smiled at the least. By the 10th trial, only 3 of the 128 students laughed. According to Provine, hearing and seeing the other students laugh made the laugh box seem funny. It was the combined stimulus of the laugh box and the laughter of other students that evoked continued laughter among the group.

Wilson, founder and president of the World Laughter Tour, Inc., adds that coughing and sneezing puts strains on all types of muscles, but laughing at something funny can get the fluids flowing.

“If you laugh so hard, tears start flowing and your nose starts running, your airways become clear and it puts your body more at ease to sleep better,” he says. “Everything operates in a healthy way more efficiently when you laugh.”


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Christmas in Williamsburg (1) 12/11

Three-hundred-year-old traditions come to life in this historic city

Imagine traveling back in time to experience Christmas in another century. You could see the way people dressed, ate, worked and celebrated holidays.

Colonial Williamsburg, in Virginia, allows you to visit the past without time travel! As soon as you enter the historic town, you are transported back to the 1700s.

Lasting traditions
Compared with today's extensive holiday plans and preparation, a Colonial Christmas was much simpler. A typical Christmas for 18th-century Virginians included church, good food, a dance and visiting friends and family.

Historic Williamsburg offers many of those traditions, and a few more.

Illumination and fireworks
In the 18th century, major events were celebrated by shooting guns and lighting fireworks. Today you can witness Williamsburg's own illumination ceremony in early December, with fireworks displays throughout the town.

Christmas carols
Music was at the heart of 18th-century Christmas celebrations. The historic city still provides traditional music performances on instruments of the time. Best of all, you can participate and sing along with carolers on the streets.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: As Soon As vs. As Soon As Possible 

Today, let’s take a look at two English expressions that sound almost alike, but are used very differently. The first one is as soon as, and the other is as soon as possible.

Yes, you heard correctly, the only difference between the two expressions is the word "possible". Let’s first take a look at as soon as possible.

Okay, we can say as soon as possible when we demand someone to do something immediately or right away. And it’s usually used in urgent situations. Can you give me the book as soon as possible?

Now, if Steve is really eager to get the book, he might say can you give me the book A S A P ?

Or I could combine the four letters and make it a word, I need the book ASAP [ei sa p].

So feel free to say, as soon as possible, A S A P or ASAP [ei sa p].

Now, the other expression “as soon as” is used to refer to twoactions one happening after the other. Can you call me as soon as you get the news from the hospital?

So in this example, the first action is receiving the news from the hospital and the second action is making the phone call.

Another way to say the same thing is by using the word “once”. For example, can you call me once you get the news from the hospital?

Language Lab
Colonial adj.
/kəˈloʊnijəl/
of or relating to the original 13 colonies forming the United States;
in a style that was popular in the U.S. during the American colonial period (before 1776);
- The hotel is a renovated Colonial building.
- The restaurant was decorated with Colonial furniture.
colony n.
/ˈkɑːləni/
an area that is controlled by or belongs to a country and is usually far away from it
- Hong Kong used to be a British colony.

extensive adj. 廣擴的
large in size or amount : very full or complete
- The patient went through several extensive reconstructive surgeries after the accident.
- The director is famous for his extensive use of computer-animated images.

illumination n. [lumin 字根- 光]
/ɪˌluːməˈneɪʃən/
light that comes into a room, that shines on something, etc.
- Insufficient illumination might cause nearsightedness.
- The illumination in the room is too dim.
illuminations [plural] British : lights used as decorations
- The streets were decorated with colorful illuminations.

witness v.
to be present at (an event) in order to be able to say that it happened : to act as a legal witness of (something)
- We're witnessing how social networks are changing our lifestyles.
to see (something) happen
- Many people witnessed the terrorist attack.
witness n.
a person who sees something (such as a crime) happen
- The witness refused to testify.

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Winter Workout Tips

Helpful hints for how to stay healthy and fit during those cold winter months

Keep your fitness on the right track when the mercury [temperature] drops:

Stay hydrated
"People tend to associate dehydration with hot weather," says Andy Fry, a fitness expert at Indiana University. But during the winter months, parts of the U.S. can be as dry as the Sahara desert, so drink up.

Dress smart
If you're exercising outdoors, wear several light layers to trap warm air close to your body. A good combination would be a windproof outer layer with cotton layers underneath.

Warm up
Low temperatures increase the risk of sprains, making a good warm-up especially important.

Assess the weather
Fry says rain, wind, sunset and sunrise all affect the temperature, so take these into consideration when leaving the house. Fry suggests leaving into the wind and coming back with it.

Avoid winter blues
People exercise more when they're having fun, but winter is dark and cold. So "if bundling up isn't your style, try an indoor activity like a group exercise session or ballroom dancing," Fry says. "The important thing is to stay active."

Language Lab
hydrate v.
to supply someone or something with water to keep them healthy and in good condition [≠ dehydrate]:
- It's important to hydrate frequently when running a marathon.
- Long flights dehydrate your body easily.

associate v.
to make a connection in your mind between one thing or person and another
- People tend to associate the entertainment business with glamour.
glamour n.
the attractive and exciting quality of being connected with wealth and success
associate v.
to spend time with someone, especially someone that other people disapprove of:
- I don't want my kids associating with teens who have drug problems.

assess v.
to make a judgment about a person or situation after thinking carefully about it [= judge]
- The doctor needs to assess the patient's condition before releasing him.
to calculate the value or cost of something
- The mechanic assessed the cost of repair to be $500.
assessment n.
- The test is an assessment of the students' academic achievement.

bundle up Phrasal Verb
To dress oneself warmly.
- We bundle up and left the cabin for a walk in the woods.
- It's freezing now. It's wise to bundle up if you want to go outside.

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Make a Little Space to Organize (3)

Once you've decided what to toss, come up with a system for those items you choose to keep, says Jennifer MacDowll, a professional organizer with Organized Space.

With paper, for instance, "get a filing system that really works," she says. For small items, she like plastic containers because they can be stacked one on top of another and are easy to label.

Take advantage of vertical space, too. Tall shelves can make all that empty air work for you.

That's especially true in closets, which tend to have a lot of unused wall space.

Another good idea is multipurpose furniture such as a hollow ottoman with storage space inside, or a bed with drawers underneath.

Don't think you have to sacrifice style in the process, says MacDowell.

"There's some really ugly stuff out there," she says. "Keep looking until you find pieces that work with your decor."

"Everything in my home has a place," Stanley says. "Whenever someone gives me something, right then I'm already thinking whether or not I'm going to keep it."

Realize, too, that decluttering is an ongoing, never-ending process that demands vigilance.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Code-Switching  語碼轉換

You hear all the time people talking when all of a sudden they switch to another language, then just as quickly they return to their original language.

Right, when people alternate between two languages where they, quick word, phrase or sentence, it’s called code-switching. So why do people code switch?

To keep secrets, now how many of your parents have ever done this in front of your kids?

Umm, okay, another reason might be the prestige associated with using foreign words. Code-switching indirectly reminds listeners that I’m bilingual or I’m in the know.

Next, people switch between languages because the proper phrase in their mother tongue is too formal.

Or too embarrassing to say, in this way the form phrasebecomes a kind of euphemism.

People also code switch for economy that is they’ll temporarily jump to a foreign language because it’s just easier. To say the same thing in their mother tongue would take extra time and effort.

Right, finally people code switch for fun to create puns, for instance, Chinese speakers instead of saying “shei, shei”, might say in English “three queue” a play on the words “san kyu”, which sounds similar to the English phrase thank you.

Language Lab
stack v.
to arrange (things) in a stack : to put (things) in a usually neat pile
- The books were stacked neatly along the walls.
- The chairs in the gall were stacked up after the meeting was over.
a usually neat pile : a group of things that are put one on top of the other
- Stacks of files were scattered on the floor.

vertical adj.
positioned up and down rather than from side to side : going straight up
- The painting was composed of many vertical lines.
- This ballpoint pen writes on vertical surfaces.
horizontal adj.
positioned from side to side rather than up and down : parallel to the ground
- the horizontal line 地平線

decor n.
the way that a room or the inside of a building is decorated
- The cafe's simple but elegant decor attracted many customers.
- We were impressed by the extravagant decor of Caesars Palace in Vegas.

vigilance n.
/ˈvɪʤələns/
carefully noticing problems or signs of danger
- Addiction to online games is a problem that requires constant vigilance.
vigilant adj.
/ˈvɪʤələnt/
- Security kept a vigilant guard of the building because of some previous incidents.

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Make a Little Space to Organize (2)

Be ruthless about getting rid of stuff you haven't used in years, said Debbie Stanley, author of "Organize Your Home In No Time." If you keep something, there'd better be a compelling reason.

"I had one client who was recently divorced who had a whole house of stuff crammed into a one-bedroom condo. What it came down to is he didn't want to accept that he was divorced and living alone," she says. "Sometimes, there are underlying issues that make reality hard to face."

If that's the case, the time to declutter isn't immediately after some emotionally jarring event, such as a divorce or a loved one dying or moving into a nursing home. Give yourself some time and emotional distance from the trauma.

"That's not a time when people tend to think clearly," Smith says.

Don't fret. It isn't that sentimental items aren't allowed at all. Smith urges clients to stop deluding themselves that they must have something that no longer serves any practical purpose within easy reach.

Move a sentimental few keepsakes someplace out of the way, perhaps in an attic, says Smith.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Lonely Negatives 沒有反義詞的負面形容詞

Many English words have both positive and negative versions. For example, there are the word pairs, clutter and declutter, important and unimportant, advantage and disadvantage.

But there are also many English words that exist only in a negative version. They have no positive partners, because over time the positive words disappeared, right?

Like the word ruthless, an adjective meaning without mercy or compassion.

Centuries ago ruthless has a positive partner ruth meaning compassion did indeed exist and it was often used, we can see it used in a 17th century English poem, which leach,“Look homeward angel now and melt with ruth.” Now why exactly ruth vanished, while ruthless survived? No one can say.

Yes, the same thing can be said about reck, r, e, c, k. Once a word meaning to care, to have regard for. Today we’re just left with its negative form, reckless.

Here’s another lonely negative, disheveled, which means messy, most often in reference to someone’s hair or clothing.

In this particular case, disheveled has no positive partner because it never existed, which is a shame, I think sheveled would make a great English word to praise neat and tidy looking people. Ken, I have to say you’re looking very sheveled today.

Why, thank you, I guess.


Language Lab
ruthless adj.
/ˈruːθləs/
having no pity : cruel or merciless
- The country's ruthless treatment of the captivated soldiers was condemned by other countries.
- Larry's ex-girlfriend was hurt by his ruthless attitude.

compelling adj.
/kəmˈpɛlɪŋ/
capable of causing someone to believe or agree;
- The defendan'ts alibi is compelling evidence to prove her innocence.
compelling reason 迫不得已的理由
alibi n.
/ˈæləˌbaɪ/
a claim that you cannot be guilty of a crime because you were somewhere else when the crime was committed
compelling adj.
very interesting : able to capture and hold your attention;
- a compelling crime novel
- The novel was so compelling that I couldn't put it down.

jar v. [jarred/jarring]
to hit or shake (something) forcefully
- The impact of the car jarred his broken arm. 車子的衝極力震動到他骨折的手臂
- The whole house was jarred during the earthquake. 地震的時候, 整個房子都震動起來

fret v. [frets; fretted; fretting]
/ˈfrɛt/
to worry or be concerned
- Don't fret! I'm sure everything will be just fine.
- Rose is fretting about not passing the entrance exam.

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Make a Little Space to Organize (1)

To unclutter your small home efficiently and effectively, you must first eliminate your emotional baggage

It's even easy for homeowners with vast amounts of space to get buried alive in clutter. All the more so for those in small apartments and condos. Such places often lack an attic or basement for all those unread books and clothes that don't fit.

Don't let your lack of space serve as an excuse to put off getting organized. The first step in decluttering is to take an objective look at the space you want to straighten up. Identify what
you don’t like about it, and what you do. Imagine how you’d like it to look.

Haul out everything, and start sorting your junk into piles.

The advantage is that you’ll have everything categorized so it will be easier when you put all that stuff back. It’s also helpful for identifying redundancy, said Faith Smith, owner of Smith Organizing Services.

“You may find, once you get all the clothes together, that you have 17 pairs of black pants,” she said. “You can cut that in half.”

Set aside a spot for trash and another for things to be donated to charity.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Cut the Clutter 削減贅字
Clutter can accumulate just about everywhere on your desk, in your closet, in your garage.

And in your writing, as a writer it’s important to keep the clutter to a minimum, because clutter can weigh down your writing, make it longer and more or distract your readers from the main points you’re trying to make.

One way to eliminate clutter is by cutting out needless repetition and redundancy. Did you get that, of course there are times when careful and intentional repetition is effective in establishing and clarifying a point.

Right, okay here is an example of a repetitive phrase that more often than not can be eliminated “foreign imports”.

Because by its very definition, import means coming from another country. So grab an eraser or use your delete key and remove the word foreign.

Okay, how about this one? Unexpected surprise, oh what do you think? If something is expected, can it still be a surprise?

Okay, listen to this sentence and see if you can detect redundancy. We should develop mutual respect for each other.

It’s redundant, because mutual and for each other mean the same thing. So choose one and cut it out.

Language Lab
unclutter v. 整理, 清理
/ˌʌnˈklʌtɚd/
not filled or covered with unnecessary things : not cluttered
- It took us a whole weekend to unclutter our garage.
declutter v. 清理
- We decided to declutter our house before our relatives came to stay for the weekend.

condo n. [= condominium]
a room or set of rooms that is owned by the people who live there and that is part of a larger building containing other similar sets of rooms — compare apartment
- George bought a condo in our community.
- The condos in this area are all luxurious.

vast adj.
very great in size, amount, or extent

haul v.
/ˈhɑːl/
to pull or drag (something) with effort
- The driver spent an hour trying to haul the stuck truck out of the mud.
- After sitting down for hours, she hauled herself to her feet.
- The tugboat hauled the broken-down boat to the harbor.

redundancy n. 多餘的
/rɪˈdʌndənsi/
the act of using a word, phrase, etc., that repeats something else and is therefore unnecessary
- Martha's wardrobe is full of redundancy.
被解僱
the act of ending the employment of a worker or group of workers;
the fact of being dismissed from a job because you are no longer needed;
- The merge means 3000 redundancies.

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That's My Bag! (2)

Ivy looked at the baggage tag. It said, "Melanie Moser, 300 Sky Crest Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715." "Well, at least she's a local," Ivy thought. "I can drive to her house and exchange this bag for mine. But would someone accuse me of stealing the bag if I took it from the airport?" So she went to the airline counter and explained the problem. The clerk took the bag. "But what about my bag?" asked Ivy. "She'll bring yours back when she comes to get hers," said the clerk.

Not wanting to wait, Ivy drove to 300 Sky Crest Drive to get her bag. A man answered her knock and said his wife had just left for the airport. He was slightly annoyed with her for not being more careful.

Ivy returned to the airport. Her bag was waiting for her at the airline counter. "Next time," she thought, "if I think someone is taking my bag, I'll say something!"


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Word Triplets 教學主題: 外來語的三字組
Why are there so many synonyms in English? Because English has borrowed vocabulary from so many different languages, chief among them, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, and French.

Where these three languages contribute words that are synonyms, the three words may be labeled word triplets.

For example, the verb “ask” has Germanic origins, its French equivalent is “question”, while its corresponding word in Latin, is “interrogate”.

Now maybe you’re asking if they’re synonyms, are there any differences between them? And if so, what are they?

Okay, yes, there are differences, first the obvious, the Germanic words are generally shorter, second the Germanic words tend to be used more often in informal speech and writing.

Okay, let’s break down this word triplet a little more. If I ask you something, I’m simply looking for an answer. If I question you, I’m sitting in judgment over something you said or did.

If I interrogate you, the situation is probably pretty serious where likely in a court room, because of some legal problem.

Right, now here’s another word triplet, rest, remainder and residue, now your ability to know when, where and how to use word triplets correctly only grow through reading and listening.

Language Lab
exchange v.
to give something and receive something in return
- These aboriginals exchanged their wild game for food at the market.
exchange with 跟誰交換
- In our club, parents exchange toys with each other.

counter n.
a piece of furniture with a flat surface that workers and customers stand on opposite sides of when doing business in a store, restaurant, etc.
- Press one to call the hotel counter.
- Please check in excess baggage at counter two.
a long, flat surface on which food is prepared in a kitchen
- The kitchen counter was made of a heat-resistant material. 耐熱材料

slightly adv.
in a very small amount or degree : a little
- Nathan is slightly taller than his older brother.
- I was slightly worried when you were late.
slight adj.
very small in degree or amount
- The patient still has a slight pain in his kidney.

annoy v.
to cause (someone) to feel slightly angry
- It annoys me that my neighbor always plays loud music.
annoyed adj.
- Frank was so annoyed with his wife's nagging.
annoying
- annoying attitude


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That's My Bag! (1)

Should she stop the woman or not?

Ivy stood in airport baggage claim waiting for her bag. It had been a long trip, but she was finally home in Bozeman, Montana. She yawned. She couldn't wait to get home, put her things away and relax.

As carousel 2 started to move, she watched the bags drop onto it. She saw her small green bag. She waited for it to come close so she could grab it. Suddenly a large woman took the bag and hurried off toward the exit!

Shocked, Ivy started after her. Then she stopped and thought, "Many bags look alike. That's probably not mine." She returned to the carousel to wait. Finally she saw another small green bag drop onto the carousel. But it was not her bag!

Immediately she knew what had happened. The woman had taken her bag, and this one must belong to the other woman.

She kicked herself for not challenging the woman when she first grabbed the bag. Now what was she going to do?

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: State Name Origins 教學主題: 州名的由來

Studying a location’s name is a great way to learn about that location’s history, culture and geography.

So let’s look at some state names from the US, will start with names that originated with the American Indians.

Okay, Indian names account for almost half of all the state names, the name my home state, Connecticut, for example, is an American Indian word which means something like beside the long tidal river.

Next, if you know your American history, you’ll remember France played a big role in shaping the new nation, its influence can be seen in state name like Vermont which in French means green mountain.

Right, now what about English names? Not as many as you might think. One example, New Jersey is named after Jersey Island in the English Channel.

Moving west, we get into state names with Spanish origins like Montana which means mountainous country, very fitting as Montana has the rocky mountains running through it.

That’s right, now some of you might be wondering about the name California, well we don’t know its exact meaning, but we do know this, it was named after an imaginary paradise described in a popular 16th century Spanish novel.

Language Lab
baggage n.
the bags, suitcases, and personal things that a person carries when traveling : luggage
- The airline lost my baggage on my trip back to Taipei.
baggage claim n.
the area in an airport or bus station where you pick up your luggage after traveling
the feelings, beliefs, problems, or past events that can make life difficult for a person or group
- Fiona has a lot of emotional baggage to deal with before getting married.

carousel n.
/ˌkerəˈsɛl/
= merry–go–rounds
a large round platform that turns around in a circle and has seats and figures of animals (such as horses) on which children sit for a ride;
a machine or device with a moving belt or part that carries things around in a circle
- Passengers of Flight 423 can collect your luggage at carousel 5.
- The ground staff delivered the luggage to the carousels by truck.

kick oneself
to blame or criticize yourself for something you have done
- Willy kicked himself for not confronting the guy who bullied him.
- Amanda kicked herself for not apologizing to her mom for her ad attitude.

challenge v.
to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal
- Some teenagers tend to challenge their parents' values and points of view.
- The governor's statement was greatly challenged by the media.
to test the ability, skill, or strength of (someone or something) : to be difficult enough to be interesting to (someone)
- Our team is being challenged by our long-time opponent.


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The Clothing of the Future is Here (2)

Nanoparticles that block the sun

Nanoparticles of sun-blocking chemicals, when added to fabric, protect it from the sun. The tiny particles scatter the sun's ultraviolet rays, so the person and the garment are safe from the sun.

Antistatic particles

Static electricity can cause clothes to cling, but adding nanoparticles that conduct electricity to the material can prevent static. Nanotechnology is giving clothing manufactures a whole new world of fabrics to work with, resulting in high-tech clothing that previously was found only in science fiction. Some speculate that as more companies use nano-enhanced material, clothing will never be the same again.

Concerns 

People like Natalie von Goetz from the Swiss University ETH Zurich are a bit skeptical about the use of nanotechnology in clothing. She explains, "We tested whether nanoparticles are released into sweat under laboratory conditions, because if they are, they might be taken up by the skin." This means that the nanoparticles form clothing could enter the body. Goetz and others feel that more research into potential dangers needs to be carried out. Otherwise, some will be unwilling to take the risk even though the clothing is cool.

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Teaching Topic: Carry Out 執行

What verb can we use with the noun research? Well, there’s always “do”.

But, to say, do research is very informal. You might be telling your friends that you’re doing some kind of research but in professional settings like in an interview, on a resume or introducing a speaker at a symposium we might want to consider using the verb “conduct” or the verb phrase “carry out”.

Conduct and carry out have very similar meanings. But carryout has the added connotation of completing or accomplishing a task.

Right, if research was carried out, it was done, it was completed. Whereas conduct most often means to perform, completion is beside the point.

Of course, there’s always the verb research, a more direct way to say, Dr. Smith conducts research on marine mammals is Dr. Smith researches marine mammals.

Now, carry out has another meaning we should be aware of, when you order food at a restaurant, instead of eating it inside the restaurant, you can take the food away, that’s called carry out. In this usage, carry out is just another expression for “take out” or “to go”.

Language Lab
cling v. [clings; clung /ˈklʌŋ/ ; clinging]
to stick to something or someone
- We got all wet in the rain, and our clothes clung to us.
to hold onto something or someone very tightly
— usually + to or onto
- The politician clung to the power and money behind his position.

speculate v.
/ˈspɛkjəˌleɪt/
to think about something and make guesses about it : to form ideas or theories about something usually when there are many things not known about it
- Many reporters speculated that the resignation of the mayor was forced.
speculation n.
ideas or guesses about something that is not known
- There is a lot of speculation about the change in cabinet members.
有不少內革成員的改組的意願之深

concern n.
a feeling of worry usually shared by many people
- Concern for the safety of females in this neighborhood is growing.
something that is regarded as important
- The high inflation is the main concern of the country.
concern v.
to relate to (something or someone) : to be about (something or someone)
- This matter doesn't concern me at all.

skeptical adj.
/ˈskɛptɪkəl/
having or expressing doubt about something (such as a claim or statement)
- Many people are skeptical about the new tax policy.
- The critics' skeptical reviews of the restaurant affected its business.

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The Clothing of the Future is Here (1)

Nanotechnology is changing clothing as we know it

Imagine odorless socks and clothes that respond to the climate. Or what about clothing that washes itself? Sound impossible? Well, futuristic clothing like this is here.

Why nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology has been used in clothing since 1998. And recently, more and more companies have started incorporating nano-enhanced properties into their clothing. Why? The increasing demand for more sophisticated clothing is the driving factor behind using nanotechnology in fabrics.

What's it all about?

Nanotechnology involves adding nanoparticles to fabric. When they add them to material, manufacturers move around the atoms and molecules, which changes the characteristics of the fabric. As a result, clothes using nanotechnology have special features like UV protection, wrinkle resistance and more.

Antibacterial fabrics

Manufacturers are also adding silver nanoparticles to clothing. Why? They kill bacteria that cause clothes to become smelly. In addition, they help the clothes stay soft and last longer.

Silica for water and stain resistance

Some companies are adding nanoparticles of silica into the weave of the fabric. Others are spraying the surface of the material with silica nanoparticles. Both techniques create a waterproof coating that prevents stains.

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Teaching Topic: Climate vs. Weather 教學主題: 氣候與天氣的差別

Many people use climate and weather interchangeably, but there are some differences between these two terms.

The main difference is time; weather is used to refer to the state of the atmosphere and region at the specific point in time, whereas climate is measured over a long period.

And how long, is a long period? Maybe around 30 years, that’s the link of time the US National Weather Service set for researchers to come up with the climate of a given region.

Weather, in contrast, is short term day to day, real time.

If you’re talking to someone faraway on the telephone, you might ask the person, “Hey how’s the weather over there?” meaning the atmosphere or the condition where the person is at that moment.

And you may get the response, “it’s nice and sunny out or it’s pouring.”

But if you’re thinking about moving to a place faraway, you might want to first ask a local resident how’s the climate over there?

And the person might reply “in the winter you can expect to be cold and snowy, and in the summer breathy and mild”.

Right, and here’s a good way to remember the difference between climate and weather. Climate helps you decide what clothes to buy, weather helps you decide what clothes to wear.

Language Lab
enhance v.
to increase or improve (something)
- The charity campaign enhanced the reputation of the enterprise.
- After the coach changed his strategy, the team's performance was greatly enhanced.

sophisticated adj.
having or showing a lot of experience and knowledge about the world and about culture, art, literature, etc.;
attractive to fashionable or sophisticated people
- The bride's wearing a beautiful and sophisticated wedding gown.
- Helen Mirren plays a sophisticated lady in the movie.
highly developed and complex
- a sophisticated security system

antibacterial adj.
able to kill bacteria
- antibacterial hand gel
- antibacterial soaps
antistatic adj.
- antistatic hairbrush

waterproof adj.
designed to prevent water from entering or passing through
- waterproof jacket

resistant adj.
opposed to something : wanting to prevent something from happening — usually + to
- People are often resistant to change.
- water-resistant cloth
- a water-resistant watch

driving factor

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Star Wars: Return of the Franchise (3)

The attack of the Internet

The question that everyone wants answered now is whether this month's new film can live up to all the expectations. Trailers for the film have likely been viewed more than any others. They have also sparked many videos, including reviews, LEGO versions and parodies. The public is obviously interested, but will their discontent with the more recent films ruin the new one's chances?

A new hope

Fans seem to be hopeful about The Force Awakens so far. One good sign is the presence of the original trilogy's lead actors, who seem very positive about the project. The filmmakers have also promised a return to practical effects over CGI. Hundreds of creatures have been created, including ball-shaped droid BB8 and Bobbajo, an alien puppet operated by five people. The movie is directed by J.J. Abrams, maker of many hit films and a huge fan of the franchise himself.

All the pieces seem to be in place for success, perhaps except one -- your place in the theater.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Inventing a Language 教學主題: 人造語言

There are lots of movies, in which non human characters speak made up or artificial languages.

Check out Avatar, the Star Wars, and Star Trick movies for examples.

What about those adorable Minions, what language do they speak?

They speak Minionese, a combination of real words, made up words and Gibberish.

Inventing a language, if it’s to be convincing, actually takes a lot of thought and planning, movie makers sometimes use real obscure languages as models to imitate.

Some will hire linguists to help create a language with a real alphabet vocabulary and grammar words.

Movie makers will also take advantage of sound symbolism. That’s the idea that sounds carry their own intrinsic meaning.

Right, let’s say I want to create a sci-fi world with two different alien races, one is cruel and ugly, while the other is beautiful and gentle, so I invent the names Lumarians and Gordanks.

Now based on the sound of those invented names which race would you say is good and which is evil?

Would you say the Gordanks, are the bad guys? I think most people would agree the sound of the word Gordank carries with a harsh brutish quality, right?

Language Lab
spark v.
to make someone feel interested, hopeful etc:
- The science camp sparked Jonah's interest in chemistry.
- The proposal sparked intensive debates between the two parties.

parody n.
a piece of writing, music etc or an action that copies someone or something in an amusing way
- The Scary Movie sequels are successful parodies of many horror movies.
- The painting is a self-parody of the artist's previous work.

intrigued adj.
very interested in something because it seems strange or mysterious
intrigued by
- He was intrigued by her reaction.

trilogy n.
a series of three plays, books etc that are about the same people or subject:
- Jeff watched the entire Blade trilogy because he's a big fan of Wesley Snipes.
- The movie channel played the Mad Max trilogy all in a row last night.
trtralogy 四部曲
- Lethal Weapon tetralogy

droid n. [android n. 的簡稱]
a robot that looks like a person
- The droids were totally controlled by the villain in the movie.
- The little droid can do all kinds of things; it can even tell jokes.

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Star Wars: Return of the Franchise (2)

Mommy, can I have a lightsaber?

One of the biggest influences that Star Wars has had on the film industry is product sales, including toys. Movie products, such as figurines, games and lunchboxes, were hardly a financial draw before Star Wars. While 20th Century Fox received theater profits, Lucas kept other franchise rights, eventually giving him a net value of billions.

The Force is strong with this one

Star Wars was also a landmark in the world of film itself as well.

Filmmaking never turned back after seeing its visual effects, which also led to a higher standard of video games. The film basically began film sound design on its own, receiving a special Oscar for Ben Burtt's audio work. George Lucas also claims that money earned from Star Wars and Jews gave theaters the funds to create multiplexes. The Star Wars films also opened up storytelling in film, as one story was told over three films. Hollywood made movie sequels before the original Star Wars series, but most were stand-alone films that didn't require previous viewing.

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Teaching Topic: The Ambiguous Billion 教學主題: Billion到底是多少？

Most English words have more than one meaning, which can cause confusion sometimes.

Perhaps no other word causes as much confusion as the word "billion." How? Let’s first take a look at the word million.

A million of course is represented by a one with 6 zeros. Most mathematicians in Western Europe, for example, view one million as one functional unit, meaning the next unit up billion; we have twice the number of zeros. In this way, one billion equals a million millions.

Okay, but mathematicians in other parts of the world, don’t agree, they think of one million not as one unit, but rather two groups of three zeros. So for them, the next unit up would be three groups of three zeros. For them a billion is a thousand millions.

Now, think of all the important discussions at the United Nations about populations, statistics, international trade, economics and science where the word billion could be used and you’ll get an idea of the confusion the ambiguous billion could cause.

Yes, today there’s still no agreement among nations about the meaning of billion and many Asian countries, like China and Japan; this is mostly a non issue.

Language Lab
eventually adv.
at some later time : in the end
- After many tries, we eventually found the right freeway exit.
finally adv.
at the end of a period of time
- Finally, put the basil on top of the pasta as garnish.

landmark n.
an object or structure on land that is easy to see and recognize
- Taipei 101 is one of Asia's famous landmarks.
a very important event or achievement
- The invention of Facebook is a landmark in the development of social networks.

visual adj.
/ˈvɪʒəwəl/
relating to seeing or to the eyes
- Howard uses a lot of visual aids in his teaching.
- We had visual contact but never talked.
aural adj.
/ˈorəl/
relating to the ear or sense of hearing
- The movie has astonishing visual and aural effects.

sequel n.
a book, movie, etc., that continues a story begun in another book, movie, etc.
- Jurassic World, the sequel to Jurassic Park, was a great hit in summer.
- The author is working on the sequel to her top-seller novel.

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Star Wars: Return of the Franchise (1)

• I've got a bad feeling about this
• May the gross be with you

Coming to a galaxy near you

Though the Force awakens in just a few days, was it really ever asleep? Since the first film’s release in 1977, the influence of the Star Wars franchise never seems to have faded.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this 

With Episode VII now on the horizon, excitement has reached a new level. Director George Lucas and many others did not feel the same kind of energy leading up to the first film’s opening, however. As a matter of fact, Lucas felt so certain of failure that he went to Hawaii to avoid the first screening. He had no idea that his movie would be the second biggest moneymaker of all time, inflation considered.

May the gross be with you 

According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, the Star Wars franchise has made about $27 billion, all sales included. The six films themselves only account for over $4 billion. A total of 130 video games and 358 books also make up a tidy sum. However, the greatest contribution, about $12 billion, actually comes from toy sales.

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Teaching Topic: Popular Movie Quotes  電影台詞生活化
If you are a movie buff, you may be interested in the top 100 American movie quotes of all time voted by the American Film Institute.

One thing judges were asked to consider when making their decision was, is the movie quote now a part of popular culture? That is, isn’t something people actually say in their own lives.

For example, when people run into an unexpected difficulty,they might say out loud, "Houston, we have a problem."

Now I admit I’ve said that before, that was of course a quote from the 1995 film Apollo 13, and it was listed at number 50. Okay, have you ever said these, "I’ll be back" or "Hastala vista, baby!"

I confess I have. Both phrases were originally spoken by actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the Terminator movies, as famous movie quotes they appear on the list at number 37 and 76 respectively.

So did a quote from Star Wars make the list? you bet. And it landed at the number 8 position, it was spoken by the character Han Solo, and it’s something I think all Star Wars fans have set and continued to say from time to time, “May the force be with you.”

Language Lab
franchise n.
the right to sell a company's goods or services in a particular area
- The company paid a fortune to get the franchise to build railroads and train stations across the country.
- The international corporation owns several fast-food franchisees.

horizon n.
the line where the earth or sea seems to meet the sky
- A truck loomed on the horizon in the fog.
on the horizon 
coming in the near future
- The mega theme park on the horizon will attract thousands and thousands of visitors.
horizontal adj.
positioned from side to side rather than up and down : parallel to the ground
- a horizontal line/beam

inflation n.
/ɪnˈfleɪʃən/
a continual increase in the price of goods and services
- The country's high inflation is the main cause of its recession.
inflate v.
to add air or gas to (something, such as a tire or a balloon) and make it larger
- We used machines to inflate all the balloons.

gross n.
/ˈgroʊs/
including everything
- What was the gross [=total] weight of the shipment?
- The company's gross doubled this year.
gross v.
to earn (an amount of money) before taxes, expenses, etc., are taken away
- Helen's annual gross income is around $100,000.
net
- The net income of the product is about $2 million.

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Holiday Movies (2)

• James Bond; Star Wars
• The Hunger Games
• Creed; I Saw the Light

James Bond fans are eager to see 007 in his latest film, Spectre. A curious message from his past leads Bond to a sinister organization. He must discover the truth behind it and shut it down.

Star Wars fans have a new film to satisfy them – Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. The story takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi.

Katniss Everdeen returns in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay– Part 2. Watch Katniss and District 13 revolt against the controlling Capitol.

Almost 40 years ago, the boxing film Rocky captured people’s imaginations. Now in Creed, Rocky Balboa becomes trainer to the son of his late friend Apollo Creed.

Country music great Hank Williams is the subject of I Saw the Light. He was only 29 when he died, yet he had a significant influence on 20th-century popular music. Don’t miss the adventure, action and laughs at your local movie theater!

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Zero or Oh? 「零」要怎麼讀？
Is it ever okay to pronounce the number zero like the letter o? Yes, there are many times when it’s acceptable to say o like in postal zip codes, 90210.

Also in room numbers, I’m in room 502. What about credit card numbers and phone numbers?Absolutely, 8675309.

And don’t forget double agent titles, it’s double o seven, not double zero seven.

Now as a rule of thumb, we should say zero when discussing things related to math and science.

For example, two minus two equals zero, not o. And when talking about really cold temperatures, we’ll say last night the temperature dropped to forty below zero.

Sounds chilly, now in sports there are lots of ways to say zero, like nil, nothing, and zip. So Ken, what was the score for last night’s game?

Three nothing. Some sports even have their own special words for zero. In tennis, it’s love, in cricket, it’s duck.

Um, okay, you know sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a printed zero and an o, that’s why computers create zeros with a dot in the middle, or a slash through them to help distinguish them on things like airline and train tickets.

Language Lab
sinister adj.
/ˈsɪnəstɚ/
having an evil appearance : looking likely to cause something bad, harmful, or dangerous to happen
- At the end of the movie, the sinister villain was locked up in jail.
- The sinister stepmother pretended to be an old lady and gave Snow White a poisonous apple.
- There's something sinister about the ruined house.

revolt v.
/rɪˈvoʊlt/
to fight in a violent way against the rule of a leader or government
— often + against
- The people revolted against the tyrant and regained their freedom.
revolt n.
violent action against a ruler or government : rebellion
- The troops at the front line were in revolt against their commander.

imagination n.
the ability to imagine things that are not real : the ability to form a picture in your mind of something that you have not seen or experienced
- Alaska was vivid in Alex's imagination before he actually went there.
the ability to think of new things
- The write used her imagination to create a fantasy world.
imagine v.
to think of or create (something that is not real) in your mind
- Sam can't imagine life without music.

late adj.
dead [only before noun] dead late husband/wife
- She gave her late husband's book collection to the public library.
前任的
- The late congressman is now a professor at a university.

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Holiday Movies (1)

• The Peanuts Movie
• The Good Dinosaur
• Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

The holiday season wouldn't be complete without big films on the silver screen

When the end of the year rolls around, movie fans get excited. This year is no exception! Some of the year’s best movies are coming soon to a theater near you!

The Peanuts Movie brings Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all their friends to the big screen. Snoopy is after his nemesis, The Red Baron, and Charlie Brown has his own mission to complete.

The Good Dinosaur takes place in a world where dinosaurs did not become extinct. A dinosaur named Arlo makes a human friend. Together they travel through a dark and mysterious area, where Arlo must face his fears.

Alvin and the Chipmunks return in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip. They misunderstand what their good friend Dave is up to. They think he is going to propose to his girlfriend in New York City and dump them. They have just three days to stop him!

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Teaching Topic: Popping the Question and Getting Engaged 訂婚中西大不同
Today let’s talk about a proposal or more precisely a marriage proposal. So ladies, we apologize that this is a topic that’s more for the guys.

Okay, guys, if you like a girl enough that you want to spend the rest of your life with her, you need to consider popping the question.

That’s right, popping the question simply means asking your girl friend to marry you. But when you say those four words, “Will you marry me?” be sure you produce a ring as well.

And also be sure you do so, on bended knee. If your girlfriend says yes, and we hope she does, then you two would be considered engaged and your girlfriend would become your fiancé.

Now, we know getting engaged in Asia is much more complicated affair that involves family rituals. But in the west, as soon as the woman says yes, and puts on that ring, the couple is considered engaged.

Now, a word about fiancé, fiancé spelled with one e at the end, refers to the man you plan to marry. Fiancée with two es at the end, refers to the woman you plan to marry.

Language Lab
mission n.
a task or job that someone is given to do
- The secret agent was sent on a mission to capture the head of a terrorist organization.
- The new CEO's mission is to create more revenue for the company.
a task that you consider to be a very important duty
- He sees helping the needy as his life-long mission.

nemesis n. [plural nemesises /-ˌsiːz/ /ˈnɛməˌsiːz/]
/ˈnɛməsəs/
an opponent or enemy that is very difficult to defeat
- Superman was captured by his nemesis Lex Luther in the movie Superman Returns.
- The team encountered their nemeses one after the other in the tournament.

extinct adj.
no longer existing
- Wild cats are becoming extinct in many regions.
- The tribe became extinct after it came into contact with civilization.
no longer active
- Employees with this kind of loyalty are extinct now.

dump v.
to leave or get rid of (something or someone) quickly or without concern
- Kathy dumped her boyfriend because he's dull.
to put (something) somewhere in a quick and careless way
- The stolen car was dumped near the train station.
dump n.
a place where waste (such as trash) is taken and left
- His room is a dump. You can't even find a place to stand.

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The Nerdalize E-radiator

A few nerds cutting a lot of costs

When their thermostat stopped working, and they crowded around a computer for warmth, some Dutch startup founders were inspired.

Nerdalize does double duty
Nerdalize, a young Dutch company, hires out the computing power of its servers to groups in need of research calculations. But don’t look for the servers within Nerdalize headquarters – they are spread around private homes providing free heat! These sleek servers are hung on the wall, silently giving off heat produced while running numbers, perhaps for medical research. The cost of any energy used by these “e-radiators” is even covered by Nerdalize.

Everyone wins 
Nerdalize heaters present a benefit to home owners with a cheaper heating bill, but the company insists they are a win for all involved. While some companies have their own data center, Nerdalize claims its clients pay 55 percent less per computing job.

Nerdalize itself avoids expenses to cool their servers, and the whole process serves the environment by using the same energy to compute and to heat. Though Nerdalize’s e-radiators are currently in a trial phase in only five homes, their startup and energy provider partner Eneco is hopeful of success and expansion.

Info Cloud 
Hello, friends! What do you call the place you live in? Is it a house or a home?

Well, most people live in houses, but they don’t all live in a home, which is a place one is attached to emotionally.

In America, the word home has been turned into a euphemism. Realtors no longer sell houses instead they sell more cozy homes does making a house more attractive to potential buyers.

And once someone buys a house, he or she becomes a home owner.

Other examples of home used as a euphemism can be found in retirement home or nursing home, these are not really homes in the traditional sense. A retirement home is really retirement setter. A nursing home is basically a nursing hospital for the elderly, but the word home is used to make these places sound more like warm places and therefore more attractive to people.

And when Christmas comes around many people go home for Christmas, they go back to where their family is.

Right. Have you notice we say home sweet home, and not house sweet house?

Yes, you know when I have guests over, I always say to them make yourself at home, in other words, deal free to act just as you would in your own home, even if that means putting your feet up on the coffee table or helping yourself to whatever is in your refrigerator.

Language Lab
radiator n.
/ˈreɪdiˌeɪtɚ/
a large, metal device that is next to the wall in a room and that becomes hot and provides heat for the room when hot water passes through it
- Each hotel room is equipped with a radiator.
- The car's radiator needs to be replaced.
radiate v.
- The sun radiates heat.

startup n.
a new business
- Startups need to have people with creative ideas and a steady cash flow to survive.
- Thousands of startups have poured into the app market.
adj.
- You need a loan to cover the startup cost.

thermostat n.
/ˈθɚməˌstæt/
a device that automatically adjusts the temperature in a room to a desired level
- I set the thermostat to 68 degrees.
thermometer n.
/θɚˈmɑːmətɚ/
- an instrument used for measuring temperature

win v.
to achieve victory in a fight, contest, game, etc.
- Our team won its second state championship.
win n.
an act of achieving victory especially in a game or contest
- The football team has had nine wins in a row.
- The process of the game is actually a win for all contestants.

phase n.
/ˈfeɪz/
a part or step in a process : one part in a series of related events or actions
- The subjects' reactions to the treatment were carefully recorded during the trial phase.
- Editing is a crucial phase of movies production.
crucial adj.
/ˈkruːʃəl/
extremely important
- Eggs are a crucial [=essential] ingredient in this recipe.

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Happy 90th Birthday to the Grand Ole Opry (2)

During a 31-year span, form 1943 to 1974, the program launched many music careers. Legends such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash performed on the Ryman stage.

As audiences continued to grow, the Ryman Auditorium began to show signs of deterioration. In March 1974 the Grand Ole Opry moved to a 4300-seat auditorium built for the show and named the Grand Ole Opry House. As an indication of the show's importance, then U.S. President Richard Nixon played the piano on opening night.

Changes through the years
Today, most names and faces are different, and the music has changed somewhat. The Opry has welcomed many who have become iconic entertainers, including Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift.

Although early city leaders resented the Opry's musical style, today's leaders are proud of Nashville's most popular tourist attraction. Nashville bears the title Music City and hosts hundreds of thousands form around the world who come to see the legendary broadcast.

Millions more tune in each week to listen to the show that is still dedicated to country music's rich history and its exciting present.

Language Lab
span n.
the period of time between two dates or events
- The life span of a butterfly only lasts a couple of weeks.
- Ricky worked with his dad over a span of ten years.
span v. [spans; spanned; spanning]
to continue throughout (a period of time)
- The patient's treatment spanned more than three years.

deterioration n.
/dɪˌtirijəˈreɪʃən/
the act or process of becoming worse
- Signs of deterioration started to show in his physical condition.
deteriorate v.
/dɪˈtirijəˌreɪt/
to become worse as time passes
- Her mental condition is deteriorating.

resent v.
/rɪˈzɛnt/
to be angry or upset about (someone or something that you think is unfair)
- Harry resents his boss because he always blames others when things go wrong.
resentment n.
a feeling of anger or displeasure about someone or something unfair
- The boy has a deep resentment against his parents.

bear v. [bears; bore /ˈboɚ/ ; borne /ˈboɚn/ ; bearing]
to accept or endure (something);
to assume or accept (something, such as cost or responsibility);
- Because William bears the honor of his family, he has to revive the family business.
- After her husband abandoned her, Sophie bore the responsibility of raising her children alone.

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Happy 90th Birthday to the Grand Ole Opry (1)

Celebrating the legendary radio show that made country music famous!

On November 28, 1925, no one anticipated the enormous success that awaited a small country music program making its radio debut. Yet the Grand Ole Opry would become an international phenomenon, and 90 year later, it is considered to be “country’s most famous stage.”

Opry’s history is a glimpse into country music, its artists and its evolution.

Tremendous growth
In 1925, the show featuring local musicians was broadcast live from a Nashville, Tennessee, radio station. Some area leaders disliked the show because they preferred a more cultured image for their city.

Listeners, though, related to the realistic themes inherent in country music.

The Grand Ole Opry's popularity grew, and people began stopping by to watch the musicians perform. Before long, the audience had outgrown the radio station, prompting a move to a new location.

By the 1930s, families across the United States were gathering around their radios for their favorite Saturday night broadcast, which had expanded to four hours of live performances.

Within 10 years, only one Nashville venue was large enough to hold Opry audiences, and 1943, the Grand Ole Opry made Ryman Auditorium its home.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Happy Birthday to You 教學主題: 收版稅的生日快樂歌
If today is your birthday, then happy birthday! Now Steve and I would like to sing for you the most frequently sung English song in the whole world, “happy birthday to you”. But sorry, we can’t.

Sorry everybody, you see even though “happy birthday to you”was written way back in the 1890s, it’s still not in a public domain yet which means it’s illegal to sing a song in public without permission from the copyright holder.

And getting permission costs big money thousands of dollars for a single use that’s why you really hear the song sung in movies or on TV shows.

Yes, now restaurant employees aren’t allowed to sing a song to customers either because technically restaurants are public places.

And so many restaurant chains have created their own happy birthday song to avoid paying the expensive licensing fee.

Okay, in Europe copyright protection lasts for the life of the composer plus 70 years. Now since the last co-author of the song died back in 1946, you’ll be able to sing “happy birthday to you” in the streets of Paris and Berlin for free starting next year, but if you are in the US where copyright laws are different, you’ll have to wait until 2030.

Language Lab
evolution n. [volut 字根-滾, 捲]
a process of slow change and development
- Nuclear families are the products of social evolution.
- The movie talked about the evolution of the music industry in the 70s.
evolve v.
to change or develop slowly often into a better, more complex, or more advanced state : to develop by a process of evolution
- This tiny company evolved into an international enterprise. 這家小公司後來演變成國際企業

cultured adj.
having or showing good education, tastes, and manners
- He's a cultured man who has very elegant taste.
- Her cultured manner attracted my attention. 她優雅的行為吸引我的注意
grown or made under controlled conditions
- cultured cells/pearls

inherent adj.
belonging to the basic nature of someone or something
- There are inherent risks in any form of investment.
- Elisa's marital problems are due to her inherent distrust of men.

auditorium n.
/ˌɑːdəˈtorijəm/
a large room or building where people gather to watch a performance, hear a speech, etc.
- The band concert will be held in the newly renovated auditorium.
the part of a building (such as a theater) where an audience sits
- Eating and drinking are prohibited in the auditorium.

a glimpse into

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Give Thanks

Take time to say "Thank you" to the special people in your life

Today, in honor of Thanksgiving, many Americans will express their thanks to God. Any day, though, is a great time to show your appreciation to others.

Where to begin 
Parents
Chances are your parents have been putting your needs ahead of their own for years. Let them know how much you appreciate everything they’ve done for you. Tell them face to face or write them a letter.

Brothers and sisters
They were your first friends, and your relationship is one that lasts a lifetime. Why not tell them how glad you are to be in the same family?

Fiends
Unlike sisters and brothers, your friends can be chosen by you. The best ones will be there for you in good times and bad times. They will encourage you when you’re down and celebrate with you when you’re happy. Be an equally good friend and tell them how thankful you are for their friendship.

Teachers
Express gratitude to those teachers who have inspired you. Showing appreciation is a great habit, and today is a good time to start.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Feeling Down vs. Feeling Depressed 感到消沈不一定是感到憂鬱
If someone is feeling down, they’re feeling downcast or depressed?

Now be careful when you use this word depressed. Use in a general sense, depressed just means to be sad or upset about something, but depressed is also the adjective of depression,which is a psychological disorder.

Right, in critical terms to be depressed means to feel chronic, sadness to the point of not being able to function in life. Depression can affect our eating, sleeping and how we act. Adepressed person does not feel like doing anything and that feeling can last for weeks or months, it’s a serious illness that if you have it, you should definitely see help.

But when people say they feel down, they generally don’t mean they’re suffering from depression, they’re just feeling unhappy,other ways to describe this feeling is feel blue or feel blah.

Mm. Now one might also feel down in the dumps, Jonathan is feeling down in the dumps because his girlfriend just left him.

But I’m sure he’ll be okay in a few days. Another related but slightly different expression is down and out, this is originally a boxing metaphor referring to a fighter who was physically falling down and is out or unconscious.

As an idiom, down and out describes someone who is penniless and may be even homeless, someone who is down and out has fallen on hard times.

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Churchill: The Polar Bear Capital of the World (3)

Other fun in Churchill
Churchill may be the polar-bear capital of the world, but the town offers year-round outdoor adventures. Beluga whales swim in the waters near Churchill from mid-June to mid-August. These great white mammals are called "sea canaries" because of all the almost bird-like sounds they make. Boats take visitors out to view the whales.The very adventurous can kayak among them or even snorkel with the friendly whales. Bird watchers also flock to Churchill in the spring and fall. They come to see more than 250 species of birds that nest or pass through Churchill every year.

Churchill is also one of the top three places in the world to see the northern lights. January to March is the best time to catch this colorful dancing curtain of light. Nothing can top the excitement of flying over the ice on a sled pulled by a team of dogs. Breathe the crisp air and enjoy the crunch of the white snow as you travel. Churchill offers experiences of a life time any time of year!

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Palindromes 教學主題: 迴文

Here at info cloud we’ve touched on a few of many ways people play with the English language like puns, anagrams and riddles. Today let’s look at perhaps the most difficult word play to create the palindrome.

Palindromes are words, phrases and sentences that lead the same forward as they do backward, while ignoring any punctuations, spacing and capitalization. Let’s look at some examples.

Okay, the word “kayak”,k, a, y, a, k is a very simple palindrome. It’s spelled the same forward as it is backward. “Race car” is a two-word palindrome.

Good, now let’s move into palindrome sentences. Good palindrome sentences once that makes sense are very rare. Here’s one to get us started. Norma is as selfless as I am, Ron?

Nice, how about “Mr.Owl ate my metal worm.”

Okay, perhaps the most well known palindrome sentence is the greatest, because it tells a little story, “A man, a plan, a canal: Panama”.

Ah, very clever! You know 30 years ago, a British man made it into the Guinness Book of records by writing the longest palindrome ever 65,000 words long. Now, we’re not sure it makes sense, but you have to admire the man’s dedication.

Language Lab
snorkel v.
to swim underwater while using a snorkel
- Alex snorkeled when he was in Hawaii on vacation.
- Many tourists to Penghu Island love to go snorkeling there.
dive v.
to jump into water with your arms and head going in first
- Indonesia has world-famous diving sites.

species n.
a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus
- A new species of butterfly was found in Taiwan.
- The white rhino is listed as an endangered species.
- Asian actresses are a rare species in Hollywood.

sled n.
a small vehicle that has a flat bottom or long, narrow strips of metal or wood on the bottom and that is used for moving over snow or ice
- Tanya's sled broke in half when she hit the tree.
- The light-weight motorized sled cost me a fortune.
sled v.
to ride on a sled especially down a hill
- We sledded to a nearby town to get some food.

crunch n.
the sound made when something hard is being chewed or crushed : a crunching sound
- The crunch of our footsteps was the only sound we could hear in the dark night.
to make the loud sound of something being crushed
- The ice crunched under our feet as we crossed the lake.


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Churchill: The Polar Bear Capital of the World (2)

• What color is a polar bear's hair and skin?
• What do these bears spend most of their time doing?

The amazing polar bear
Polar bears are one of the world’s largest bears and inspire awe. When they stand, they measure 2.2 to 2.5 meters tall. They live in the Arctic, one of Earth’s coldest environments, and roam the ice in search of food. Their excellent sense of smell allows them to detect seals over 1 kilometer away.

The hairs on their snowy-looking coat aren’t actually white; they’re clear and hollow. The hair reflects light and traps heat to keep the polar bear warm.

Their skin is black, which also helps keep them warm. This heating system is very efficient – polar bears actually over heat more often than they suffer from the cold.

These magnificent bears spend most of their time hunting seals, who make breathing holes in the ice. The bears sit by these holes and wait – this can be minutes, hours or days. Then when the seals surface to breathe, the bears catch them. If the hunt is successful, the polar bear will feast. He or she can eat around 45 kilograms of seal blubber in one sitting!

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Awful, Morphing Language : Awful 與 Awesome 的轉變
The words awesome and awful both have the same root and both have neutral suffixes, so it should follow that awful and awesome have similar meanings.

But they don’t, centuries ago the word awful did indeed carry with the positive meanings like amazing magnificent and worthy of reverential fear.

But awful’s connotation gradually turned negative. And it’s not difficult to see why. Worthy of fear and causing fear are two far remove from each other, are they?

No they are not. So from causing fear, awful’s meaning morphed into causing dread and then it took on other connotations like dreadful, ugly and unpleasant meanings that awful still has to this day.

Right, interestingly we can still see a trace of awful’s original positive meaning, but only in its adverb form“awfully,”phrases like, “that dinner was awfully good, or she is awfully pretty” are not uncommon.

Okay, years later the word awesome appeared, some say to fill the void created after awful turned bad. Awesome assumed awful’s original role as a good word, meaning amazing and breathtaking.

But it too is changing, awesome is gradually losing its intensity. Today people casually use awesome to describe anything, they think is pretty good, like a delicious meal or an entertaining movie.

Language Lab
awe n.
/ˈɑː/
a strong feeling of fear or respect and also wonder
- We were in awe of the amazing view of the Grand Canyon.
- People around Edward hold him in awe because he's a true genius.
awe v.
to fill (someone) with awe
- The audience was awed by the brilliant performance of the actor.

reflect v.
to show the image of (something) on a surface
- I saw myself reflected in the water.
- The still water of the lake reflects the moon and the stars in the sky.
to show (something) : to make (something) known
- The figures reflected a steady increase in sales.

magnificent adj.
very beautiful or impressive : very great
- Magnificent Jade Mountain is one of Taiwan's symbols.
- The couple got married in a magnificent castle in France.
- Jessica looks magnificent in that dress.

blubber n.
the fat on whales and some other animals that live in the water
- Whale blubber was used by aboriginals as a food source.
- Their thick layer of blubber helps keep seals warm in cold water.


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Churchill: The Polar Bear Capital of the World (1)

Visit Churchill, Manitoba, for experiences of a lifetime!

Some of the late fall visitors to Churchill, Manitoba, don’t wear down jackets. They arrive in gorgeous white fur coats. These visitors cause quite a bit of excitement as they are the ones that everyone else goes to see. This main attraction – polar bears!

Located in northern Manitoba on the west side of Hudson Bay, Churchill is out in the middle of nowhere. But the bears like it that way. They spend summers on the tundra. In the fall, they wait anxiously along the shore of Hudson Bay for the ice to form. Then they go out into the frozen sea to hunt ringed seals – their favorite food. October and November are the best polar-bear viewing times. From tundra vehicles, visitors observe the bears. Some enjoy day trips or stay overnight on the mobile tundra-buggy lodge. Others stay at a wilderness lodge on the bears’ migration route to view the mighty creatures. These lodges can be reached only by air and feature luxury food and living arrangements.

Language Lab
Teaching Topic: The Boondocks 教學主題: 窮鄉僻壤

It’s not easy to find a language that hasn’t contributed at least one or two words to the English lexicon. Even Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines has added a couple words of its own. One is the word bundok, which means mountain.

At the end of the 19 century during the Spanish American War, US soldiers serving in the Philippines took this Tagalog word and used it to describe a remote or isolated area.

When the soldiers returned to the US, they brought the word back with them, but with the slightly different pronunciation and spelling, boondocks, spelled, b, o, o, n,d, o, c, k, s.

Right. And notice that s at the end, we always say this word in a plural form. Again, boondocks refers to the country side or any out of the way location. I might say, have you ever been to Albert’s house? He lives way out in the boondocks.

A more informal version of boondocks is boonies. If you are hiking out in the boonies, don’t expect to get a 3G signal.

More recently, boondocks has taken on the extended meaning of a town or even city and in the middle of nowhere that is considered backwards and unsophisticated.

Language Lab
down jacket
small and very soft feathers jacket
- a down pillow/comforter/jacket

anxiously adv.
afraid or nervous especially about what may happen : feeling anxiety
- Her parents waited anxiously for her to come home that night.
anxious adj.
/ˈæŋkʃəs/
They are anxious [=worried, concerned] about their son's health.


quite a bit of …out in the middle of nowhere= boondockswilderness

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Free Cash? (2)

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Yep and Nope 教學主題: 口語的肯定與否定

Hello, friends! Do you remember the first English words you learned? I would guess they’d be “yes and no”.

But did you know that instead of yes, some Americans say yep and instead of no, some say nope.

So how are they different from yes and no?

Okay, nope is an informal version of no, besides being informal it’s also a bit friendlier than a straight no. Which may come across as discourteous. Ken, can I borrow twenty dollars?

No, sorry.

Okay, now listen to this, Ken, can I borrow twenty dollars?

Nope, sorry.

Okay. Did you hear the difference, friends? Even though the answer in both instances was negative, nope sounded more light hearted and friendlier.

Now the same thing can be said for yes and yep, spelled y, e, p. Yes is the formal and correct way to convey a positive sentiment. Yep on the other hand is very affirmative and quite cheerful. Steve, did you go see the movie yesterday?

Yes. Now listen to Steve answer in a different way. Steve, did you go see the movie yesterday? Yep.

From this response you should be able to sense that Steve not only saw the movie but he quite enjoyed it.

We should keep in mind however that yep and nope may not be appropriate in some situations. Yes and no, on the other hand, are standard English and they work anywhere, so when in doubt, stick with yes and no.

Language Lab
pocketbook n.
a bag usually with handles and pockets that is used by women to carry money and personal belongings : purse, handbag
the amount of money that someone has available to spend : someone's ability to pay for things
- The restaurant has meals priced to suit every pocketbook. [=it has meals that everyone can afford]

dispute v.
/dɪˈspjuːt
to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal
- You can dispute your bill if you believe it is inaccurate.
to argue about (something)
- We were disputing [=debating] whether we should call the police or look for the thief ourselves.

lofty adj.
very high and good : deserving to be admired
- He set lofty goals for himself as a teacher.
rising to a great height : very tall and impressive
- lofty redwood trees

possession n.
the condition of having or owning something;
- She is old but still has (full) possession of her senses/faculties. [=she is still able to think clearly]
something that is owned or possessed by someone;
- The family lost all of its possessions in the fire.

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Free Cash? (1)

What would you do if you found money on the ground?

Ted and Colby have just left a restaurant after lunch.

Hey, look, Ted! $50! That's a lot of money. If must've fallen out of someone's pocket or purse.

Well, finders keepers! Let's use it to go see a movie!
...


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: It’s Should’ve, Not Should of 為何老外會把should have寫成should of？

Today let’s take a look at a common mistake native English speakers make. Now you may be wondering why focus on something that doesn’t affect students who learn English as a second language.

The answer is simple, from that mistake you can learn to sell more like a native English speaker, thus improving your pronunciation.

All right, so here’s the mistake, listen carefully. Instead of writing, you should have done that, many young people in the US will often write “you should of done that”. Why do they do that?

Because that’s how they say it. “Should have” is normally spoken in a slowed way, so that two words are not distinctly separated but blended together.

Now the proper way to show this blending is should’ve, s, h, o, u, l, d, apostrophe v, e. Which is a contraction of “should have”, but many people hear it, “should of”, and that’s how they end up writing it, wrong.

Besides, should’ve, this kind of construction also occurs in“could have” which becomes “could’ve”, “would have” which becomes  “would’ve”, “must have” which becomes “must’ve”,and “might have” which becomes “might’ve”.

None of these expressions have the word “of” in them, so never write them, using “of”, however when you say them out loud, feel free to blend them and pronounce it like there’s the word “of” in it. I should’ve stayed awake in class 20 years ago when my teacher talked me this.

Language Lab
rightful adj.
according to the law; proper or appropriate
- The property should be returned to its rightful owner.

identify v.
to know and say who someone is or what something is
- She identified the dog as her lost pet.

conscience n.
the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong
- You should decide what to do according to your own conscience.

to kiss something goodbye
to accept the fact that you have lost or will never get something
- They can kiss their vacation plans goodbye now. [=their vacation plans are now ruined]
- If you don't start working harder, you can kiss that promotion goodbye. [=you won't be getting that promotion]

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A Night Out (2)

Should she call the police or call someone to give her a ride? She decided to call someone. She took out her cellphone only to find that her battery was dead! Now what? Walking home was out of the question. But she could take a cab. She checked her wallet and found that she only had $5 in cash. And to her horror, her credit card was missing! Then she remembered. She’d ordered something on the Internet and left the card by her computer.

Maybe she could find a convenience store. She could plug in her phone there to charge it. She headed back toward the theater and the lights on Pike Street. She saw a convenience store ahead. Then she saw something familiar. Her car! Relief surged through her. She realized she’d parked on Pike Street not Pine Street! Once again humming a tune from the show, she got into her car and headed home.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Synecdoche 提喻法

When a word is used to mean something other than what it usually means, we call that a metaphor. Metaphors are used to suggest a resemblance or similarity.

That’s right. Metaphors are figures of speech that make languages fun and interesting, because they add visual imagery to what’s been communicated.

Now there’re many different kinds of metaphors. One involves using a part of something to describe all of it, so then what might we use as a metaphor for say a credit card?

Well, there’s not much to a credit card that we could breakdown into parts; it’s mostly made of plastic and ink, right?

Bingo, plastic. A great metaphor to use in place of the word credit card, next time you go shopping, don’t forget to bring your plastic.

All right, here’s another one. If I said to you, “Hey nice threads”, I’ll be talking about your clothes, because clothes are made up of thousands of threads. Threads is a metaphor for clothes.

And finally this classic, when we need to help doing something we often say, “Could you please give me a hand?”

Umm, just a hand? No, the hand is a metaphor for the whole person.

Language Lab
out of the question
not possible or allowed
- Asking my father for money was completely out of the question.

horror n.
a very strong feeling of fear, dread, and shock
- There was a look of horror on her face.
horrible adj.
causing horror : very shocking and upsetting
- He suffered a horrible death.

plug in [phrasal verb] [plugs; plugged; plugging]
to connect (something, such as a lamp or television) to an electrical source or to another device by using a plug
- The microphone isn't plugged in.

surge v.
to suddenly increase to an unusually high level;
to move very quickly and suddenly in a particular direction
surge n.
a sudden, large increase

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