Archive for the ‘General’ Category

The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World–Flavorwire’s Picks

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

At the following website, you can find the pictures of the 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world with a one-sentence description for each.

Before visiting the website, guess which bookstore in Taipei is on the list. Read the caption under its picture as follows:

“Almost utilitarian but filled with simple old-world grace, this store is a little like what we might imagine our ideal ship’s main cabin to look like. _____________, Taipei, Taiwan”

http://flavorwire.com/254434/the-20-most-beautiful-bookstores-in-the-world?all=1

The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World

by . Posted on 2:00 pm Tuesday Jan 31, 2012

The answer? (more…)

Two Slide Shows from Time for Kids–Lunar New Year & The Road to Civil Rights

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

The following two slide shows are from Time for Kids. You’ll be amazed at the dragon-shaped lantern displayed in the first photo. Browsing through the second slide show helps you review the American civil rights activist Martin Luther King. Make sure to read the captions.

Slide Show 1: Lunar New Year

http://www.timeforkids.com/photos-video/slideshow/lunar-new-year/26926

(more…)

Getting Ready for College Application–開學前備妥資料 甄選不慌

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=368406

開學前備妥資料 甄選不慌

【聯合報╱記者鄭語謙/台北報導】 2012/01/31 (more…)

A Letter to College Graduates–給畢業同學的一封信:代間的省思

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Yesterday I had a gathering with a former student, who is a junior in college now. During our chat, she told me how she missed high school life because everyone in the class had the same goal–to go to a good college. As a college student, she is confronted with the uncertainty of life, which causes anxiety.

Then yesterday evening I came across this article. It is long, with 8941 words, but worth reading. Though the title indicates it is for college graduates, the author Mr. Chen actually intended to get his message across to more people.

http://www.businessweekly.com.tw/webarticle2.php?id=13

給畢業同學的一封信:代間的省思 

撰文者:中華民國紅十字總會會長陳長文 2006-07-19  (more…)

Farewell, Losan (羅珊)

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

My dear friend Losan (羅珊老師), who retired from NHSH around four years ago, passed away on January 17 from cancer. Her funeral will be held at 8:30am on Thursday, Feb. 2 at Hui-en Hall of the Taipei Second Funeral Parlor (台北市立第二殯儀館懷恩廳) on Hsin-hi Road. (more…)

On De-addiction to the Net–及早調適 網路成癮不上身

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

http://udn.com/NEWS/HEALTH/HEA2/6864695.shtml

及早調適 網路成癮不上身

【聯合報╱呂奕熹台北馬偕醫院協談中心諮商心理師】
2012.01.28 02:27 am (more…)

How to Write an Autobiography for College Application–Two Old Entries Rerun

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

A student in Class 301 asked me how to write an autobiography on FB last night. This morning when I woke up, it occurred to me that I might have posted some related articles in my blog. And I found two.

Now I really feel thankful for keeping this blog.  (more…)

‘Flexible’ Taipei charms recent college grad–a Commentary in the China Post “Eye on Taiwan”

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

One way to learn to write is by analyzing a well-organized essay and reproducing its outline. The following is an article I just came across while surfing the Net. Again, it’s about something we are very familiar with: Taipei. Taipei in the eye of a foreigner. Try to speak out or jot down the main idea of each paragraph as I did for the first paragraph, and then “find out” how the main idea was developed into a paragraph, for which writing a detailed outline is certainly of great help. In the meantime, enjoy the content.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/commentary/eye-on-taiwan/2012/01/10/328569/Flexible-Taipei.htm

‘Flexible’ Taipei charms recent college grad

January 10, 2012 11:58 am TWN, By Vanessa Sheu (more…)

“Dragon babies spark spending spree”–a Feature in the BBC News

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16655703

Dragon babies spark spending spree

By Juliana Liu Hong Kong correspondent, BBC News

22 January 2012 (more…)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!

One way to acquire English is by reading something we like or we are familiar with in English. Etta, a former student of mine, told me that during the summer vacation after the high school entrance exam, she read quite a few English readers of stories she already knew because his familiarity of the story would help her guess the meaning of the new words and hence read smoothly.

The following is an online essay introducing the Chinese New Year. Read it as fast as possible for the first reading, which will enhance your readng speed, and read it the second time to pick up some useful English expressions. Enjoy it!

http://www.herongyang.com/chinese/festivals/chinese_new_year_spring_festival.html

Chinese New Year – Spring Festival (more…)