2016/12/26

英語聽力練習- 舞蹈治療

I.) 一位結合表演藝術和身心治療的編舞家和學者:


Dance As Therapy: Natalia Duong at TEDxStanford
"Performance artist Natalia Duong sees art as the space where cultures coalesce.

A San Francisco Bay Area native, Natalia Duong is a performance artist, choreographer and scholar. Her interdisciplinary research
explores kinesthetic empathy as a resource for conflict resolution, community theater and the embodied transmission of trauma in people affected by Agent Orange. Duong has collaborated with artists to perform internationally in Edinburgh, Paris, Uganda and Vietnam, where she recently led a community-based devised
theater piece that was performed at the U.S. consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. Duong is also the founder and artistic director of PAO, a movement collective interested in how war is inherited in the body. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University, Duong is currently living in Brooklyn and pursuing a master's degree in performance
studies at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University."


II.) 這位演講者以前是專業芭蕾舞者,後來研讀心理學和計算神經科學:


TEDxObserver - Peter Lovatt - Psychologist and dancer
"Dance and the mind Peter is a reader in psychology and principle lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, but his first love was dance. Before entering academia, he trained at the Guildford School of Acting and the Cecchetti Ballet, and worked as a professional dancer. Later, he went to study psychology and computational neuroscience and in 2008, he set up the first Dance Psychology Lab. This has enabled him to combine his twin passions of dance and psychology and, through experimental work, to explore the ways in which dance, and different types of dance, can affect the brain. His most recent work, and the subject of his talk, has involved investigating the effects of dance on people suffering from Parkinson's Disease. Dr Peter Lovatt's talk at TEDxObserver (http://www.guardian.co.uk/tedx) 2010 was cited by many in the audience as one of their highlights of the day."

2016/12/24

英語聽力練習- Dance Injury

訓練舞蹈學生的英語聽力,看幾段和 dance injury 有關的 Youtube. 首先, 一位芭蕾舞者敘述她的親身受傷歷程: How to Deal with & Prevent Dance Injuries - My Injury Story




紐約一個職業舞團的舞蹈傷害經歷:




一些預防性觀念和措施: Dance injury prevention - with Dr Lisa Schoene



職業芭蕾舞團如何做復健: Physical Therapy | city.ballet | Bonus Clip

2016/12/16

美國前100大城市

Rank Large US Cities State Population
1 New York NY 8,491,079
2 Los Angeles CA 3,928,864
3 Chicago IL 2,722,389
4 Brooklyn NY 2,538,705
5 Queens NY 2,277,251
6 Houston TX 2,239,558

美國 50 州

Region State Capital
Deep South Alabama Montgomery
Deep South Florida Tallahassee
Deep South Georgia Atlanta
Deep South Louisiana Baton Rouge
Deep South Mississippi Jackson

出國留學英語- 美國地理歷史, 50 州 Youtube

英語學習要進步,對美國的地理和歷史該有一些基本理解。這裡整理一些 Youtube 影片,幫助學生學習。

1) 幫助學習美國歷史的地理知識:



2) 幫助學習美國50州的名字和位置:



2016/12/09

留學英語聽力- Meet Florida State University's Karlanna Lewis




Florida State University's Karlanna Lewis is not your average student, for starter, a professionally trained dancer double majored in creative writing and Russian and is now taking graduate level courses.

And did I mention she did all of this by the age of twenty?

"If you don't try for something, you're never going to get anything."

A true academic, her first love remains dance.

"If anything is, you know, bothering
or going like on kind of
chaotic

"It's always a huge passion of mine.
And I see it uh like as a time to renew me
sort of like if anything, you know, bothering me or like going on kind of chaotic, if I, like, can take dance up and I just focus ..."

In her spare time, the Tallahassee native gets back to the community by teaching children to express themselves through dance.

It's part of her honor service learning project.

While the project is complete, she is still volunteering. The kids are the only ones finishing it.

"It's really positive and I have a lot of love with them. And um being around them is just always a really nice. Into a day if I did not have school day or doing other things, running around, and maybe I have the exams earlier then I come here and it's so nice. And um it doesn't feel like work. You know, it's just feel like fun for me."

Karlanna feels strongly about working with children, building their confidence through dancing.

"It's a very beautiful thing just to be able to move and we have the ability to celebrate that because it's really liberating and um I think there is so much we can say in dance."

Taking her love for dance and community service even further, she recently started a not-for-profit organization called Dancearth.

"We are about trying to use dance to help about environment and in my vision it was like I like it to be an international movement"

Dance isn't Karlanna's only means of artistic expression. This summer she published her own book of poems, many of referencing the art she loves."

"I specially like trying to, um, write about thing that maybe don't usually have words that I try to find words for saying like dance, which is traditionally a wordless art.

So I like, um, trying to find some way to express dance in writing, um, sort of move, um, the motion of dance to the motion of the poem."

"Child quiet down now and lift up their feet from the corner of my eyes"

Not only did she author the book, she illustrated it too.

"... a good time"

If mastering English wasn't enough, Karlanna speaks four other languages, Russian, Spanish, French, and Polish.

Now let us hope that more doors will be open by her success and the Rhodes process.

"I was hope that (would) just be the start that
the emphasis wouldn't be that it is so amazing that I had this opportunity but that I was hopefully going to do an amazing thing after because of this opportunity that's what I would hope. It wouldn't be all great things, you know, that a combination of everything, that it would be a start of something much much better than I could, you know, I could do in the future."

Dancer, poet, linguist, author, and illustrator, Lewis does it all, a truly amazing scholar.

2016/12/03

英語聽力教材- Classifying Animals


How do we classify animals?
classify (v.) 分類
classification
sort things into groups
All animals are divided into two main groups, vertebrates and invertebrate.
backbone ~ spine ~ vertebra

mussel

Mammals are vertebrates that get milk from their mothers when they are very young.
They breathe air with lungs and have hair or fur.
The smallest mammal in the world is the bumblebee bat.
It's about the size of a thumb.

bird
beak
lay eggs
Penguins are flightless birds.
hunt for fish

fish
Fish have gills to help them breathe and take in oxygen out of the water.
Many have scales, which help them move through the water.
shark
stingray
Their bodies are made of cartilage.

cartilage 軟骨
It's the same stuff in our nose and ears.

Amphibians are animals that have adapted to living on water and land.

They hatch from tiny soft eggs in the water.
When they are tadpoles, they breathe through gills and live under water.
As they get older, most frogs grow lungs to help them breathe on land.
Many amphibians can breathe under water through their skin which takes oxygen out of the water.
toad
salamander
newt
caecilian

Cold-blooded animals use the environment to help control their own body temperatures.
to warm up
to cool down

reptile
Most reptiles lay eggs, kind of like birds.
Snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and tortoises are all reptiles.
They've adapted to living in their ocean environment.

2016/11/27

申請美國大學部, common application 的 essay prompts

UMass 系統, SUNY 系統 和不少美國大學都可以透過單一 common application 窗口申請。今年的 essay prompts 短文提示(題目) 有 5 個。申請的學生挑一個寫,字數限制為最少 250 words, 最多 650 words.

 

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
(特別的家庭背景或個人才華)

2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
(從失敗中學到寶貴經驗)

3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
(挑戰一個既成觀念)


4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
(解決過的一個問題)

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
 (讓你轉大人的成就,事件等)

 
Among the more than 800,000 unique applicants who have submitted a Common App so far during the 2015-2016 application cycle,
47 percent have chosen to write about their background, identity, interest, or talent (47% 學生寫第一題)
22 percent have chosen to write about an accomplishment, (22% 寫第 5 題)
17 percent about a lesson or failure,(17% 寫第 2 題)
10 percent about a problem solved, and (10 % 寫第 4 題)
4 percent about an idea challenged.(4% 寫第 3 題)

2016/10/26

Lesson Plan- 'Greek Self-Government'


GREEK SELF-GOVERNMENT 

THE GREEKS WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO TRY THE DIFFICULT EXPERIMENT OF SELF-GOVERNMENT

from The Story of Mankind by H. Van Loon

Lesson Plan

1. Listen to the audiobook track corresponding to this passage and read along the passage.

2. Give an oral summary of what you understand about this passage from your first reading.

3. Collect the words and phrases that are unfamiliar to you.

4. Look up those unfamiliar words and phrases in your favorite dictionary.

5. Choose some of them to make sentences.

6. Discuss the main points and line of thought.

7. Write a brief summary of this passage.

8. Think of a topic related to self-government and write an essay.

IN the beginning, all the Greeks had been equally rich and equally poor. Every man had owned a certain number of cows and sheep. His mud-hut had been his castle. He had been free to come and go as he wished. Whenever it was necessary to discuss matters of public importance, all the citizens had gathered in the market-place. One of the older men of the village was elected chairman and it was his duty to see that everybody had a chance to express his views. In case of war, a particularly energetic and self-confident villager was chosen commander-in-chief, but the same people who had voluntarily given this man the right to be their leader, claimed an equal right to deprive him of his job, once the danger had been averted.

But gradually the village had grown into a city. Some people had worked hard and others had been lazy. A few had been unlucky and still others had been just plain dishonest in dealing with their neighbours and had gathered wealth. As a result, the city no longer consisted of a number of men who were equally well-off. On the contrary it was inhabited by a small class of very rich people and a large class of very poor ones.

There had been another change. The old commander-in- chief who had been willingly recognised as ``headman'' or ``King'' because he knew how to lead his men to victory, had disappeared from the scene. His place had been taken by the nobles--a class of rich people who during the course of time had got hold of an undue share of the farms and estates.

These nobles enjoyed many advantages over the common crowd of freemen. They were able to buy the best weapons which were to be found on the market of the eastern Mediterranean. They had much spare time in which they could practise the art of fighting. They lived in strongly built houses and they could hire soldiers to fight for them. They were constantly quarrelling among each other to decide who should rule the city. The victorious nobleman then assumed a sort of Kingship over all his neighbours and governed the town until he in turn was killed or driven away by still another ambitious nobleman.

Such a King, by the grace of his soldiers, was called a ``Tyrant'' and during the seventh and sixth centuries before our era every Greek city was for a time ruled by such Tyrants, many of whom, by the way, happened to be exceedingly capable men. But in the long run, this state of affairs became unbearable. Then attempts were made to bring about reforms and out of these reforms grew the first democratic government of which the world has a record.

It was early in the seventh century that the people of Athens decided to do some housecleaning and give the large number of freemen once more a voice in the government as they were supposed to have had in the days of their Achaean ancestors. They asked a man by the name of Draco to provide them with a set of laws that would protect the poor against the aggressions of the rich. Draco set to work. Unfortunately he was a professional lawyer and very much out of touch with ordinary life. In his eyes a crime was a crime and when he had finished his code, the people of Athens discovered that these Draconian laws were so severe that they could not possibly be put into effect. There would not have been rope enough to hang all the criminals under their new system of jurisprudence which made the stealing of an apple a capital offence.

The Athenians looked about for a more humane reformer. At last they found some one who could do that sort of thing better than anybody else. His name was Solon. He belonged to a noble family and he had travelled all over the world and had studied the forms of government of many other countries. After a careful study of the subject, Solon gave Athens a set of laws which bore testimony to that wonderful principle of moderation which was part of the Greek character. He tried to improve the condition of the peasant without however destroying the prosperity of the nobles who were (or rather who could be) of such great service to the state as soldiers. To protect the poorer classes against abuse on the part of the judges (who were always elected from the class of the nobles because they received no salary) Solon made a provision whereby a citizen with a grievance had the right to state his case before a jury of thirty of his fellow Athenians.

Most important of all, Solon forced the average freeman to take a direct and personal interest in the affairs of the city. No longer could he stay at home and say ``oh, I am too busy today'' or ``it is raining and I had better stay indoors.'' He was expected to do his share; to be at the meeting of the town council; and carry part of the responsibility for the safety and the prosperity of the state.

This government by the ``demos,'' the people, was often far from successful. There was too much idle talk. There were too many hateful and spiteful scenes between rivals for official honor. But it taught the Greek people to be independent and to rely upon themselves for their salvation and that was a very good thing.


2016/10/15

College-Ready Writing, October Week 3 and 4, lesson plan outline

Principle
Good writing is based on acute sense of speech sound.

Warm-up
- words from sound in the head. Use them to create sentences
- words with /th/ sound in the end

Check homework from last week
- Discuss literal and interpretative translations for Mark 5:1-17
- Discuss voices in the head and 'hearing voices'. What are the differences?
- Talk about voice of narrator.

Adjective noun and adverb adjective sentence, time: 20-40 minutes
1) Listen to Ann Cook CD 1, track 38. Echo exercise.
It's a short nail. It's really short. ...

2) Now write your own adjective noun and adverb adjective sentences.
It's a sweet cake. The cake is amazingly sweet.


Descriptive Writing, 'David Goes to School'
- Who is talking?
- Fill the gap with words in what is communicated by the images.
- Choose your favorite character as the voice of narrator.

Insightful Writing
What toy has given me a sense of growing-up, changed me or opened a new world to me?


Homework
Preview 'Story of Mankind- Mesopotamia'
Ready to write a summary.
Ready to talk about the differences between historical and biblical accounts.

高中生出國留學英語班 October Week 3- lesson plan outline

Leg 1: accent exercise warm-up, 10 min


Leg 2: weak-strong syllable pattern, 40 min
- echoing Ann Cook Track 32 segment
- write words and phrases with weak-strong stress pattern
- create sentences from those words and phrases
- talk about what iambic is

goal: re-organization of personal vocabulary by stress and syllable


Leg 3: check homework, 40 min
- one from last week and a week before
- individual discussion


Leg 4: American culture
- Daily Drill social studies, 30 min
- 'David Goes to School': reading and descriptive writing exercise, 30 min


Homework for this week:
- Preview TOEFL exercise - task 1, opinion about a familiar topic, listen, write and tell

2016/10/12

我喜歡的英語歌曲- Nina Simone, "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair"

'Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair' 據說原來是蘇格蘭民謠 (folk song), 傳入美國後, 流行開來。Nina Simone 有兩個 cover (打譜版本)。我很喜歡這一個版本, 她的鋼琴彈著一些旋律線, 在男歌手的歌聲和節奏吉他之間穿梭, 非常耐聽。


Black is the color of my true love's hair
His face so soft and wondrous fair
The purest eyes
And the strongest hands
I love the ground on where he stands
I love the ground on where he stands

Black is the color of my true love's hair
Of my true love's hair
Of my true love's hair

Oh I love my lover
And well he knows
Yes, I love the ground on where he goes
And still I hope
That the time will come
When he and I will be as one
When he and I will be as one

So black is the color of my true love's hair
Black is the color of my true love's hair
Black is the color of my true love's hair

2016/10/08

dash 二三事

— em dash 最長
– en dash  次長
- hyphen  最短

em dash 可被     ;   :   ,     其中一個取代
Mary hates Jim—everyone hates him.
= Mary hates Jim; everyone hates him.
= Mary hates Jim and everyone else hates him as well.

Mary hates Jim—she hates everyone.
= Mary hates Jim; she hates everyone.
= Mary hates Jim but she hates everyone.
= Mary hates Jim—oh, but she hates everyone.

Mary hates three men—Jim, Sam and Tom.
= Mary hates three men: Jim, Sam and Tom.

Mary hates her boy friend—Jim—kindly.
= Mary hates her boy friend, Jim, kindly.

range, distance  用 en dash
1–9
March–October
Taipei–Manila flight

compound words 用 hyphen
non-applicable
mid-October
yes-no question

Notes:
以上 em dash, en dash 的電腦輸入, 我用 Microsoft Office New Phonetic IME 2010 輸入法。 全形中打hyphen - , 會跳出選單, 可選長短兩種 dash。

2016/10/06

TOEFL 口說, 台灣學生的普遍弱點

TOEFL Speaking 評分, 看三個部分。台灣學生比較常出現的弱點如下:
I) 發音部分
  • 講話太小聲
  • 嘴巴離麥克風太遠
  • 語調太平板
  • 長母音發得太短
  • 學術性單字發音錯誤

II) 文法部分
  • 不完整的句子。例如 'I think that he should' 講一半就結束, 又換下一個新句子。
  • 有子句的句子, 講得很不順或錯誤
  • he, she 分不清

III) 論述部分
  • 時間管理不好。尤其後面的問題, 有三段結構的,沒有時間講最重要的重點。
  • 搞混題目要你闡述的角色
  • 閱讀或聽力能力太弱
論述部分的問題需要大篇幅解說, 今天先提三個主要弱點就好。

每個人口說有每個人獨特的弱點和障礙, 建議你根據上述三大部分, 找出自己減分的原因, 想想那種 discourse type (話語類型) 覺得特別困難, 分析原因, 再針對原因去突破。以上是我批改模擬考口說部分的心得, 希望有助於學生提升這部分的分數。

2016/10/04

我常用的英英字典 The English dictionaries I am using

學習英語不能只用一本英語字典, 必須根據不同使用目的和程度, 而使用不同字典。 底下是我目前自用和教學比較常用到的幾本。

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (iPad App)
我買 iPad 版 (約 900 台幣)。這是我最常用的字典,優點很多。
- 幾乎所有單字都有英國腔和美國腔兩種發音。
- 很多例句也有音檔, 也是英腔和美腔並列。
- 可片語搜尋, * 搜尋, 等數位搜尋技術。
- 軟體設計善用了平板電腦的優點。
- 沒有字彙遊戲, 有點可惜。

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (online)
朗文當代英語字典,我以前當學生時, 用朗文的紙本字典, 很喜歡。它的免費線上版有廣告干擾。 例句豐富, 文法講解也不錯, 非常適合英語學習者。App 版 沒用過, 不曉得軟體設計的品質如何。對我而言, 朗文的例句甚至比牛津還生動, 因為牛津的例句,主詞傾向用代名詞, 少掉了一些情境資訊。而朗文沒有使用代名詞的傾向。

New Buryhouse Dictionary of American English (online)
初學者友善字典。這是我會推薦給我學習英語寫作的學生用的字典。
- 單字定義簡潔易懂。
- 例句的文法結構不複雜, 很適合學造句。
- 它的網頁有時候會當掉。

Scholastic First Dictionary (Print 紙本)
擔心英語程度不好看不懂英英字典的人, 可從這本開始。這也是我會推薦給我學習英語寫作的學生用的字典。
- 單字解釋簡單生動, 我自己讀起來都覺得很有趣。
- 很適合學習如何用英語解釋英語。
- 例句的文法結構簡潔清楚, 非常適合學習造句。
- 音標重音節用粗體字標明, 真是令人讚賞。

Webster (Android App)
免費 App 板, 我裝在 Android 手機上, 沒帶平板時, 應急之用。有字彙遊戲。

2016/09/27

英語的連音. 舉例 It's in March /i tsin Mar tʃ /

母語人士的英語發音用很多連音

對這個 '秘密' 的無知, 害大家英語聽力, 再怎麼努力還是無法提升。我用 Ann Cook 的書 'American Accent Training', 其中一小小段音檔, 為各位說明英語的連音。希望幫助大家英語學習往上提升。(聽力好, 讀說寫省煩惱)


這個句子的文字是
It's in March.
可是實際發音真是如此?

測驗

你聽得出  [耳多所聽] 和 [眼睛所讀] 兩者差別何在嗎? 試說明之!

解說
真實發音用字典常用音標 (/r/ 非 IPA 標準符號) 註記下來, 大略為
/i     tsin     Mar tʃ/
- 重音在 Ma
- t's in 被連起來發音 /tsin/
- /i/ 和 /ts/ 中間有很短的休止符

我把 /tsin/ 特別獨立出來, 你們再仔細聽聽看。試著訓練耳朵去抓這個連音!


2016/09/22

Syllabus of College-Ready English Writing (高中生的大學英語寫作- 課程大綱)

Course Title: College-Ready English Writing

Instructor
Dr
. Simon Shauming 吳老師, ESL/Math Tutor
E-Mail: simon.shauming@gmail.com
Mobile: 0975-237-356 (Taipei)

Target Students
Taiwan high school students with interest in overseas college study

Format
1 on 1, small group
two hours/week

Objects
- joy in writing
- awareness as a young writer
- one's own unique voice
- independence in college application and study
- how to give and receive criticism

Principle
- spend more time on actual writing than talking about writing theory
- listen to other writers' voice and write in one's own voice
- gradually turn free narrative writing into structural analytic writing

Class Session
A) Warm-up for writing
- listen to tracks of audiobooks
- turn voice into words
- turn words into sentences
- mutual criticism

B) Writing in three levels
- personal perception
- personal insight
- public issue
- mutual criticism

C) Purposeful writing
- writing for college admission
- writing essay or statistical analysis
- mutual criticism

Materials
(Depending on the level and progress of the students, the following materials may be taken out or new materials may be added as the course goes.)
- Various audiobooks
- College application guidelines for
  • Resume/CV,
  • Personal Statement,
  • Personal Insight Questions (Univ of California),
  • Statement of Purpose,
  • Cover Letter
  • Other Essays
- IELTS, SAT, TOEFL writing tests

2016/09/17

高中生出國留學英語班- learning 'Mesopotamia'

Syllabus of Learning 'Mesopotamia'

This page puts together the materials and my plan of teaching the 'Mesopotamia' chapter in H. Van Loon's book. Dr. Simon Shauming, ESL/Math Tutor

Objects 
  • Increase listening ability for ancient history contents. 
  • Increase word power.
  • Learn how to describe events, places, and time.
  • See the parallel and contrast structures of the text.
  • Become curious how human civilizations began.
  • Expand geographical knowledge of West Asia. 
  • Appreciate the relevance of the lesson to current news events.
Class Time   3 hours

I. Pre-class activity

The students listen to the audio track and read the text at least once before coming to the class.


MESOPOTAMIA
THE SECOND CENTRE OF EASTERN CIVILISATION

I AM going to take you to the top of the highest pyramid and I am going to ask that you imagine yourself possessed of the eyes of a hawk.

Way, way off, in the distance, far beyond the yellow sands of the desert, you will see something green and shimmering.

It is a valley situated between two rivers.

It is the Paradise of the Old Testament.

It is the land of mystery and wonder which the Greeks called Mesopotamia the "country between the rivers."

The names of the two rivers are the Euphrates (which the Babylonians called the Purattu) and the Tigris (which was known as the Diklat).

They begin their course amidst the snows of the mountains of Armenia where Noah's Ark found a resting place and slowly they flow through the southern plain until they reach the muddy banks of the Persian gulf.

They perform a very useful service.

They turn the arid regions of western Asia into a fertile garden.

The valley of the Nile had attracted people because it had offered them food upon fairly easy terms.

The "land between the rivers" was popular for the same reason.

It was a country full of promise and both the inhabitants of the northern mountains and the tribes which roamed through the southern deserts tried to claim this territory as their own and most exclusive possession.

The constant rivalry between the mountaineers and the desert-nomads led to endless warfare.

Only the strongest and the bravest could hope to survive and that will explain why Mesopotamia became the home of a very strong race of men who were capable of creating a civilization which was in every respect as important as that of Egypt.

II. Classroom activities


Listening
Audio echoing exercise.
Notice speech pattern, emphasis, and so on.

Reading
List proper names, such as Old Testament, the Greeks.
List words and phrases that you are not familiar with.
  • First, guess what the strange words mean from the context.
  • Don't write Chinese translation next to them.
  • Look the unfamiliar words up in an English-English dictionary, such as Longman Dictionary.
  • After that, explain them in your own words.
  • Finally, create sentences with your favorite strange words.

Text analysis
Condition of nature vs human activity.
Two parts separated by the sentence containing 'fertile garden'.
What rhetoric purpose does this structure intend to serve?
What conflicts can you detect in this article?
Break down a few very long sentences into clause trees.

Discussion
Imagine a desert. Describe what it is like. What does it have? How does it feel to you?
Have you ever been to an arid area?
Have you ever been to a fertile farmland?
What differences between them have you noticed?

III. After class

review the following words and phrases:
centre (Br) = center (Am)
civilisation (Br) = civilization (Am)

imagine yourself
possess, possessed of, possessed by, possession
the eyes of a hawk
Way, way off in the distance
shimmer, shimmering
situated between

amidst (lit.) = amid
turn ... into ...
arid regions
fertile garden

it had offered them ...
roamed through the southern deserts
claim this territory as their own
exclusive possession
rivalry between
desert-nomads

... lead to ...
lead, led, led (verb)
lead (noun)
LED light

endless warfare
that will explain why ...
in every respect

IV. Extension Learning


A) Cradles of Civilization - The First Cities l Lessons of Dr. David Neiman


B) Biblical account of Adam created in charge of the Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:7-15
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

2016/09/12

SAT Reading- 小說分析舉例

這是 SAT 閱讀練習題的一小部分, 節錄自官方網站的練習範例。這一題考小說閱讀, 文學分析的能力。

這裡我簡單示範, 如何閱讀故事型考題。重點是迅速釐清幾個元素:
- 角色, 角色彼此的關係,
- 場景的時地, 季節, 經濟條件, 社會階級, ...
- 角色的動機: 感情聯繫的, 精神超越的, 事業發展的, 物質報酬的, 社會正義的, ...
- 完成目標的阻礙

Questions 1-10 are based on the following passage.
This passage is from Lydia Minatoya, The Strangeness of Beauty. ©1999 by Lydia Minatoya.
The setting is Japan in 1920. Chie and her daughter Naomi are members of the House of Fuji, a noble family.
題目文本摘自於一本小說。 上面提示說這是講一對日本母女的故事, Chie 是媽媽, Naomi 是女兒, 出身於貴族家庭。
注意: Chie 是比較東方名字, 而 Naomi 是西方名字。所以讀者可以猜想,是否關於隔代文化衝突?

Akira came directly, breaking all tradition. Was that it? Had he followed form—had he asked his mother to speak to his father to approach a go-between—would Chie have been more receptive? He came on a winter’s eve. He pounded on the door while a cold rain beat on the shuttered veranda, so at first Chie thought him only the wind.
開頭有一個角色 Akira 出現。Akira 是 男的 (he),
場景: 冬天晚上, Akira 去拜訪 Chie 家。
Akira 想要是如果先請他媽媽去問他爸爸, 做 go-between 來找 Chie 談, 會不會比較有效?  (點出新生一代, 對老一代之間注重傳統的應對進退, 這些規矩, 很難取捨)
拜訪動機: 他要 Chie 接受甚麼?

The maid knew better. Chie heard her soft scuttling footsteps, the creak of the door. Then the maid brought a calling card to the drawing room, for Chie. Chie was reluctant to go to her guest; perhaps she was feeling too cozy.
貴族家庭所以有 maid, 做開門迎接不速之客的工作。 而 Chie 坐著不動, 享受女主人的地位。
She and Naomi were reading at a low table set atop a charcoal brazier. A thick quilt spread over the sides of the table so their legs were tucked inside with the heat.
場景: 母女坐在有烤爐的房間取暖, 和室。

“Who is it at this hour, in this weather?” Chie questioned as she picked the name card off the maid’s lacquer tray.

Shinoda, Akira. Kobe Dental College,” she read. Naomi recognized the name. Chie heard a soft intake of air.

“I think you should go,” said Naomi.
這段對話, 很短, 可是暗示一些 Naomi 和 Akira 的過往。你有聽到女兒 Naomi 倒抽一口氣嗎?
(考題還有其它段落)

衝突還沒出現, 但敏銳的讀者, 讀到這裡應該 對 Akira-Chie-Naomi 三者之間可能發生的衝突有些預感了!
小說讀很多, 對文學類型熟悉的人, 可能會在猜, 這個故事發展下去, 會不會是 羅密歐/茱麗葉 類型? 家族間的衝突, 世代間的隔閡造成年輕戀人的阻礙?
透過文類 (genre) 預期性的思考, 是老練的讀者, 自然而然會發展出來的讀書技術。

TOEFL 聽力的兩支腳: 1 英語腔調, 2 西方歷史

不少人覺得 TOEFL 英語聽力是無解的問題。即使花了時間, 金錢, 心力, 聽力一直低標。那是因為缺乏練習聽力的兩隻腳: I) 英語腔調, II) 西方歷史。

I. 英語腔調
成人的語言細胞, 會自動把外國口音聽成母語口音 => 所以成人聽力很難突破

- 高低音不敏感, 聽不到句子的重點資訊
- 不懂連音, 不懂省略音
- 混淆 語音片段 (sound segment) 和 文本片段 (text segment)
- 講快, 不是聽不清楚的原因
- 聽力突破要靠語音學
- 教聽力過程必須點出 高低音, 連音, 省略音的地方

II. 西方歷史
文史一家, 聽讀西方歷史, 練高級學術聽力

- TOEFL 聽力雖然 五花八門的主題, 但以西方歷史和科技為主
- 隨機亂聽效果不佳
- 從古希臘到現代歐洲的西方歷史是基礎
- 科學史, 工業革命史 的相關英語人名, 地名, 專業字詞的發音, 要聽得懂
- 英語歷史, TOEFL 出題很多, 例如 貝武夫 Beowulf 古英語的源流傳播
- 美國歷史. 這個國家的社會,經濟, 政治變遷 等

給自己計畫一年的時間, 練習 I 和 II。想要臨時補一下讓聽力進步, 不可能。 腔調+西方史 兩支腳站穩了, 練考古題的效果才會出得來。沒錢請老師教的人, 推薦一個 Youtube Rachel's English, 自己研習 「英語腔調」


西方歷史部分, 推薦 The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Van Loon 有聲書。 

2016/09/08

SAT Math- 個位數的英語

consecutive: 連續的
integer: 整數

consecutive integers: 連續整數
例如 玩 '喜巴辣' 丟三顆骰子, {1, 2, 3} 通賠, {4, 5, 6} 通殺 的點數。
{-5, -4, -3}  或是 {-2, -1, 0, 1}  或是  {4, 5, 6} 也都是 consecutive integers

the units digit, the ones digit: 個位數

the product jn: j 和 n 相乘的結果

what is the units digit of k: k 的個位數是甚麼?

解答提示
1 ~ 9 中哪兩個整數相乘, 結果個位數會得出 9?
j < k < n, (j, n 這兩個整數中間隔另一個整數 k)

Quiz
十位數, 英語是甚麼?
百位數, 英語是甚麼?

2016/09/07

TOEFL 說寫的高分要求 是趨勢

現在美國研究所, 對英語寫作和口語能力 要求非常高, 這是一個普遍趨勢。
以 UCLA 研究所為例, TOEFL iBT 最低分:

Writing: 25
Speaking: 24
Reading: 21
Listening: 17

這兩者不是靠大班補習, 可以短時間補救起來的。
如何開始準備, 請繼續閱讀本版相關文章:
聽和說練習- 腔調的三元素

SAT 考試系列 (3)- 註冊和考試日期

版主吳博士叮嚀: 要申請明年秋季入學的人, 最好報考今年僅剩的 2 次考試

SAT 考試日             最後一天可以註冊
Nov. 5, 2016            Oct. 7, 2016
Dec. 3, 2016            Nov. 3, 2016

Jan. 21, 2017          Dec. 21, 2016
March 11, 2017       Feb. 10, 2017
May 6, 2017           Apr. 7, 2017
June 3, 2017           May 9, 2017

成績寄出日期 Score Delivery Dates
Nov. 5 test date: Nov. 29 score delivery
Dec. 3 test date: Dec. 23 score delivery

SAT 官網

UC 加州大學部 明年秋季入學 申請期間: 11 月

November 1-30, 明年秋季入學 申請期間 Filing period for fall 2017 admission application

March 1-31, 錄取通知寄出期間

May 1, 被錄取學生,寄信學校註冊組要不要來讀的期限 Statement of Intent to Register (SIR).

UC 官網

2016/09/06

SAT 考試系列 (2) 申請 UCLA 大學部, SAT 12月底前要考過!

台灣學生申請 UCLA 大學部, 必要這些考試成績:
  • SAT 必含 essay session 或是 ACT + ACT Writing Test
  • 理工科的, 強烈建議考 SAT Subject Test: Math Level 2 + a science test (Biology E/M, Chemistry, or Physics) 
  • IELTS >= 7.0, 或 TOEFL iBT >= 83, 或 TOEFL PBT >= 550 (成績要從考試單位, 直接送 UCLA Undergraduate Admission Office)
  • 明年秋季的入學, 今年 12 月底就要考過
Simon 老師建議:
- 三種英語考試: 建議考 iBT
- SAT vs ACT: 建議考 SAT. (ACT 在中西部大學中比較流行)
- UCLA 的 SAT 入學成績: 1750 贏過 25%, 2160 贏過 75% 的入學新生.
- 要補救 SAT, TOEFL 家教效果最好: 聯絡本部落格版主 吳博士(SAT Subject 也有教)

2016/09/04

聽和說練習- 腔調的三元素

What is accent? Accent is a combination of three main components: intonation (speech music), liaisons (word connections), and pronunciation (the spoken sounds of vowels, consonants, and combinations).

Ann Cook, 'American Accent Training'

英語的聽和說要進步, 第一關是腔調。
知道腔調的構成要素是甚麼嗎?

聽的時候, 分辨得出這些元素嗎?
說的時候, 能夠模仿嗎?

如果你的聽力想突破, 不僅托福考題聽得懂, 電影電視的對話也聽得懂。如果你希望你的 說英語, 比較省力, 慢慢可以接近英美母語人士的腔調? 你需要知道語音腔調三元素。

I.) intonation (音調, 話語的音樂性):  也就是 語音 的 pitch (高低), length (長短), volume (大小)

單一個字, stress (重音) 不對, 單字失去意義, 別人聽不懂。
一個句子 聽不到音調變化, 抓不到其中關鍵訊息, 或是情緒。

II.) liaison (語音如何連, 如何分段)

英語靠 reduced sound, linked sound, 短暫的停頓音 (通常是 glottal sound) 來連接或分段 語音。
語音的分段 (sound segment) 和 寫出來的單字, 句子, 差異很大。
不知道這個知識的人,聽英語電影電視日常生活對話, 好像都糊在一起。

III. pronunciation (母音, 子音, 及多樣性的組合)

schwa (弱中央元音) 中文沒有, 偏偏英語幾乎每個字裡面都有, 這是學習時老師要特別教的。

2016/09/03

2015 年 IELTS 分數統計分配

2015 年 IELTS 分數

I. 按考試國家分配

Place of origin
Listening Reading Writing Speaking Overall
China 5.9 6.1 5.3 5.4 5.7
Germany 7.7 7.5 6.6 7.3 7.3
Hong Kong 6.9 6.7 5.9 6.2 6.5
India 6.1 5.7 5.6 5.8 5.9
Japan 5.9 6.1 5.3 5.6 5.8
Korea 6.2 6.2 5.4 5.7 5.9
Taiwan 6.2 6.2 5.6 6 6.1
Viet Nam 6.1 5.9 5.8 5.9 6

source
https://www.ielts.org/teaching-and-research/test-taker-performance


II. 計畫念高等教育的考生中, 分數等級的分配
For higher education extended course (three months or more)

分數 <4 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9
比例 1% 3% 7% 15% 22% 21% 14% 9% 5% 3% 1% 0%
贏過 1% 4% 11% 26% 48% 69% 83% 92% 97% 100% 100% 100%

source
https://www.ielts.org/teaching-and-research/demographic-data


雖然這是 2015 年的成績統計,今年的考試也可參考。

台灣學生普遍而言
1. 強於閱讀, 贏過全球 70%

2. 聽力英國腔不熟悉, 但考得也還不錯

3. 聽力字彙不夠豐富

4. 口說練習不夠。目前口說題目的出題有個結構, 以個人生活經驗為核心,
分三個層次, 層層問答:
A. '個人經驗敘事型表達',
B. '反省式意見表達',
C. '和公共議題關聯的表達'

5. 寫作練習太少。尤其不會統計圖表的分析寫作, 這部分需要單獨的教導。統計分析寫作有常用的術語。

"September marks the peak of Atlantic hurricane season..."


Hurricane (颶風) 是 TOEFL, TOEIC 聽力考試喜歡出的主題。這段 Youtube 介紹 hurricane 如何形成, 很棒的練習材料, 因此被我選用為聽力教材。



How Do Hurricanes Form? | Seasonal Science | UNC-TV
Seasonal Science

"September marks the peak of Atlantic hurricane season..."

Exercise
- dictation
- echoing
- composition
- discussion

廣告時間
只想學這一個單一教材的人, 歡迎聯絡 Simon ESL Teacher, 教你
- 聽懂
- 字彙

提供的教材
- MP3 檔
- 逐字稿

1 on 1 家教
單次 2 hours
費用: NT$1,200
地點: 面對面 或 Skype

2016/09/02

DFS 懲處兆豐銀行的新聞稿英語

August 19, 2016,  紐約州 DFS (Department of Financial Service)  發布懲處兆豐銀行紐約分行的 consent order 的 新聞稿 (press release). 這是一個機會學習美國財金官員談論嚴厲懲處銀行的英語。
“DFS will not tolerate the flagrant disregard of anti-money laundering laws and will take decisive and tough action against any institution that fails to have compliance programs in place to prevent illicit transactions,” said Financial Services Superintendent Maria T. Vullo. 
這句話是 DFS 首長 (Maria T. Vullo) 說的, 一句話裡面就用不同的片語來表達堅定的執法意志, 列舉如下:

A. 進級字彙
flagrant = obviously offensive
the flagrant disregard of ~ (挑釁式輕視)
compliance: 遵循法規

B. 洗錢相關用語
anti-money laundering laws (反洗錢法, 注意: law 是複數 laws, 表示多個具體法律篇章)
illicit transactions (非法轉帳, 注意: 不是用 illegal 這個字, illicit 強調有不道德意涵)

C. 表達強烈意志用語
~ will not tolerate + 名詞片語 (決不容許) 
will take decisive and tough action against ~
any institution that fails to ~ (any 是一個強烈的意志字眼)

D. 好用的句型
have ~ in place to prevent ~~ (設立~ 來防止 ~~)

造句是記憶英語的好方法, 但是不要只用單字造, 而是用片語或句型造。 有興趣的英語學習者, 可以就上面四組用語自行練習造句。

這個首長的第二句話如下:
“The compliance failures that DFS found at the New York Branch of Mega Bank are serious, persistent and affected the entire Mega banking enterprise and they indicate a fundamental lack of understanding of the need for a vigorous compliance infrastructure. DFS's recent examination uncovered that Mega Bank's compliance program was a hollow shell, and this consent order is necessary to ensure future compliance.”
此句英語學習重點:
compliance failures
found ~ are serious, persistent, and affected ~
indicate a fundamental lack of ~
understanding of the need for ~
a vigorous compliance infrastructure
recent examination uncovered ~
was a hollow shell
this consent order
to ensure future compliance

短短兩句話, compliance 出現 6 次, 懲處事由和目的的大結構如下:

兆豐銀行犯了
compliance failure

因為輕忽
compliance program
compliance programs (複數, 表示具體施行措施)
compliance program (單數, 表示整體集合意涵)
compliance infrastructure (infrastructure 表示設立明確的法遵人員, 部門, 獨立性... 等)

這個懲處的目的是要讓你未來守法
future compliance

閱讀測驗
In the phrase 'future compliance', what set of laws does the DFS demand Mega Bank to comply with?

2016/08/28

高中生出國留學英語班- 第一個 12 週課程

高中生出國留學英語班  
課程設計與授課教師 Teacher and Course Designer
吳曉明博士 Dr. Simon Shauming Wu
手機: 0975-237-356
E-Mail: simon.shauming@gmail.com

時間: 每週 3 小時, 每回合 12 週, 共計 4 回合
(3 hours x 12 weeks x 4 terms = 144 hours)
地點: 舞蹈教室
一班10人
2016年9月開始上課

【目標學生 Target Students】
針對計畫去美國, 英紐澳 讀大學的國高中生而設計。
適用英語程度分布不均的班級, 但最好至少有 TOEIC 400/900, , TOEFL ITP 350/677, TOEFL iBT 40/120, IELTS 3/9 的程度。(僅供參考: 台灣近年平均分數 TOEIC 536, ITP 494, iBT 80, IELTS 6.1)

【一年期目標 One-Year Goal】
take TOEFL, IELTS, and maybe SAT and have good scores in a year
have successful communication in the future college admission interviews
develop fluent English communication skills for living in the US, UK or Europe
develop proper Academic skills for western campus

【第一個12週的課程目標 Goal of the first 12 weeks】
listen well and sound good (intonation, stress, pitch, length, volume, reduced and linked sounds)
think critically and write with structures (phrase, grammar, thought organization, fact finding)
learn natural and social sciences as in English classroom
understand western history from ancient civilizations to Roman Empire

【第一個12週的每週課程分配, Class Sessions】
聽和發音 listen well and sound good (50+10 分鐘)
美國課堂習作 language arts, critical thinking and sciences (50+10 分鐘)
西方歷史 western history (50+10 分鐘)
以上三節課之中, 會隨時有造句練習(口說和寫作兩種形式)
每週會有 homework, 下次來會個別訂正

【第一個12週的教材, Text and Audio Materials】
TOEFL ITP, ASSESSMENT SERIES, Practice Tests, volume 1
Publisher: ETS
ISBN 978-0-88685-410-2

Daily Learning Drills, Grade 2
by Vincent Douglas, Publisher: Brighter Child
ISBN 0-7696-3092-8

American Accent Training (book and DVD)
by Ann Cook, Publisher: Barrons
ISBN-13: 978-1438071657

The Story of Mankind by Hendrik van Loon
下載有聲書: MP3 或 其他格式 
下載電子書: pdf, epub, 或其他格式檔

【教學特色軟硬體, Computer Technology for the Course】
iPad + Anytune (非常有效的聽力訓練 App)

【對學生的要求, Requirement for the Students】
每次上課攜帶筆記本+筆
上課之前完成前一週的 homework

2016/08/25

SAT 考試系列 (1)

最近我有學生(台灣高中生) 因為申請的美國大學要求, 而要考 SAT。我為學生整理了基本的報考資訊, 現在 po 在這裡, 也許可以幫助其他想考, 卻不曉得去哪裡報名的人。

SAT 的主辦單位是美國 Collge Board  www.collegeboard.com
必須去這個單位的網站報名考試, 報考 SAT 費用美金 $45

一年會有好幾次 SAT 考試, 上網註冊考試時, 要先挑日期。然後網站會提供那天的考場供選擇。
查看考試日期和考場
Register for the SAT (報名考試)

即將來到的兩次考試的註冊截止日, 以及考試日期。
- Registration Deadline: Sept. 1, 2016, Test Date: Oct. 1, 2016
- Registration Deadline: Oct. 7, 2016, Test Date: Nov. 5, 2016

台北有數個考場, 蠻便利的。其他城市也有考場,例如新竹的考場有
- National Experimental High School, Bilingual Department (國立科學工業園區實驗高級中學 雙語部, 新竹市介壽路300號) Center Code:70120

- PAS PACIFIC AMERICAN SCHOOL (美國學校)
3f No 151 Section 2 Guangfu Rd, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Center Code: 70122

__________
考試當天,
A. 必備證件及用品
Your Admission Ticket (事先要登入報名網站列印)
Acceptable photo ID (有照片身分證)
Two No. 2 pencils with erasers (2B鉛筆 2枝)
An approved calculator (計算機)
備用電池可帶但不可放桌上


B. Nice to Have: A watch (without an audible alarm, 可帶沒有鬧鈴的錶入場)

C. What Not to Bring (不可帶入考場):
Audio players/recorders, camera, smart phone, ....
Separate timers of any type
Protractors, compasses, rulers
Highlighters, colored pens, colored pencils
Pamphlets or papers of any kind
Dictionaries or other books — there are no exceptions, even if English is not your first language
Food or drinks (except for during breaks),

__________
以後再寫 SAT 考試形式和內容。如果你有 SAT 考試的任何問題, 歡迎用 comment 發問, 或是 email 給我也可以。

2016/08/12

TOEIC 考 650 的學生, 去考TOEFL 大約可以考幾分?


TOEIC 考 650 的學生, 去考TOEFL 大約可以考幾分?

答案是很難換算。因為 TOEIC 商業用語多, 而學術性字彙少。而 TOEFL 商業用語少, 學術性字彙多。

TOEFL 聽力題目的情境有三種
一般生活
校園生活
學術場景


TOEIC 聽力也有一般生活的情境, 所以可以 完全 轉換成 TOEFL 一般生活聽力
(例如 機場廣播, 電台專訪, 問候, 請託 ... 等)

也可以 部份 轉換成 TOEFL 校園生活聽力。例如, 就會話結構而言, 學校註冊選課等活動~和商業會議的註冊等活動。尤其目前美國校園的運作越來越趨向於一般商業的運作模式。所以 TOEIC 的商業活動聽力, 對TOEFL 聽力的訓練蠻益處很多。

TOEFL 有教授講課, 師生討論學術論文, ... 等聽力情境, 自然而然會出現學科性格強烈的用語。可能上一段師生在討論袋鼠的胚胎, 下一段考題跳到教授演講奈米碳管的原子排列。

從以上分析得知, 有 TOEIC 基礎的學生準備 TOEFL 時必須加強學術型演講的聽力練習。
學術行聽力的進步必須兩路並進 - 1. 基礎英語腔調聽力, 2. 補充各學科的常識和相關字彙發音。

TOEFL 閱讀部分, 學科專業性格更強烈。死背那些罕見的學術單字的效果很差, 尤其是對程度普通的學生而言。
最有效的準備方式是 「精聽法」。用敏銳的聽覺熟悉各學科常識, 這時候再記憶字彙才會迅速又牢固。


學術演講的「精聽法」培養出來的英語邏輯感, 也對 writing, speaking 很有用。

2016/08/03

TOEFL ITP (紙筆) 和 IBT (電腦) 比較

托福 (TOEFL) 有兩種型態:
ITP 紙筆考
IBT 線上考

報名方式
ITP 台灣區代理商網站 https://www.examservice.com.tw
IBT 美國ETS網站 https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about

2016/04/29

Richard Burton (李察波頓) 朗讀 Dylan Thomas 的詩 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night'

Richard Burton (李察波頓) 朗讀 Dylan Thomas 的詩 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' (link)
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

2016/03/09

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary is great except one thing

I bought the the app of Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 9th edition, for my iPad last year. I like this dictionary very much and use it everyday. It has many useful features for learning English as a foreign language. That's why it was selected from a lot of competitors.

2016/02/16

字尾加 s 意義改變的單字系列 – times

time 加 s 變成 times 意思爲時代,通常加形容詞限定歷史階段。例如

prehistoric times 史前時代
ancient times 古代
earlier times 早期
Roman times 羅馬帝國時代
Medieval Times 中世紀 (The Middle Age)
Victorian times 英國維多利亞時期
modern times 現代
end times 末日 (End Times, later days, last days)


用法舉例

warfare in ancient times
structures from Roman times
life in Mideval Times
The end times are near. 末日近了。
The earthquake is a sign that the end times are near.


有時侯 times 不強調歷史階段,而強調時代特徵。例如

Times are hard for the unemployed.
Times have changed since Grandma was young.
the violent times we live in
Be hopeful in hard times. 在艱困的時代要保持希望。
the most significant health problems of our time(s).


但是注意下面的例句,time 指的是某段時光而非歷史時期,不加 s
Mary had a hard time in school.
People had a good time at Tom's birthday party.


times 也用在報紙名稱,我猜是要宣傳他們報導的時代性。例如

The Times 時報/泰晤士報
New York Times 紐約時報


這個系列文章目的在幫英語學生,學習字尾加 s 而意義改變的英語單字。
這源自於英中語言的核心差異,必須深入掌握,英語才會道地。
聯絡 Simon 老師學習英語,E-Mail:simon.shauming@gmail.com