#6 TED talks

The reason I like this TED video is that the speaker illustrates not only his father's story but also other interviewees' , which touches my soul very much. Dave Isay opened the first StoryCorps booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal in 2003 with the intention of creating a quiet place where a person could honor someone who mattered to them by listening to their story. His TED Prize wish is to grow this digital archive of the collective wisdom of humanity. Hearing his vision can make StoryCorps global  and we can be a part of it by interviewing someone with the StoryCorps app. It goes without saying that this video is very charming and inspiring. As the speaker states: "we can create an archive of the wisdom of humanity, and maybe in doing so,we'll learn to listen a little more and shout a little less." We must remain human being's  friendly essence and intelligent wisdom.

http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_isay_everyone_around_you_has_a_story_the_world_needs_to_hear

#5 Little story-My Studying Process

My Studying Process

Junior high school:

    In my junior high school, I started to experience the pressure of school work. For me, it seemed that many of the classmates are better than me in study. This really upset me because I used to get good grades in my elementary school. What’s more, as some courses were more difficult, I spent more time on my studies and spared no efforts focusing on all subjects.

Under the pressure of entering a better school, it is important for me to know how to relieve it. At that time, I met a mentor. He not only provided me with lots of information of choosing the ideal school but also told me, “You would rather spend your time enhancing your ability than being downcast. Just believe in yourself and there will be a chance.” On the day of the Basic Competence Test, I overcame my fear, and then got admitted to an ideal school－Shilin High School of Commerce. After experiencing this process, great strides have been made in my study because I always keep a faith, that is, “Success belongs to those who persevere to the end.”

Senior high school:

    Full of curiosity and interest in English, I decided to study in Shilin High School of Commerce. After entering the school and facing all the lessons and difficulties, I wished that I could challenge myself and find out my potential. For it, I joined a lot of contests which I had never joined before, like speech contest, English writing contest, and took many jobs from which I would gain useful experiences. For example, I volunteered to be the assistant class leader. I always tried my best to seek the utmost contribution.

After becoming a senior-high-school student, I truly started to value my own life and realized that I have to take responsibility for myself. Joining those competitions is like a test for me. By this, I can understand where the limitation of my ability is and make up for the disadvantages so that I will be a perfect language learner.

#4 The expressions I learn from Steve Job's address

1. You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking  backward.

2. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something-your gut, destiny, life , karma, whatever.

3. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.

4. The only way to do great work is to love what yo do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.

5. Stay hungry. Stay foolish.


※ Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUUjU4Om0KI

#3 Podcast

     After I used Podcast, I found it very intriguing to enhance listening skills for English learner. In the Podcast, there are quite a few commercial articles for readers to surf. More importantly, we can use the function of listening player to train our listening ability at the same time. When we read the newspaper or magazine in our daily life, it is impossible to hear someone repeating the content of the article simultaneously. As a result, Podcast plays an essential role in strengthening  listening and reading ability. Also, the listening player will repeat the article from slower speed to normal speed with detailed descriptions, which is the significant difference compared to the common materials.
     In my opinion, using Podcast is beneficial not only for listening but also for reading skill. I can learn plenty of new vocabularies from the essay as well. That is "two birds with one stone" ! It goes without saying that I benefit a lot from using Podcast !

#2 homework-useful online dictionaries

1. significant
having an important effect or influence, especially on what will happen in the future
e.g. There will be a significant increase on sales within the next two years.

2. splendid
beautiful and impressive
e.g. All rooms in this hotel have a splendid view.

3. treacherous
ground, roads, weather conditions etc that are treacherous are particularly dangerous because you cannot see the dangers very easily
e.g. Strong winds and loose rocks made climbing more treacherous.

4. eye-catching
something eye-catching is unusual or attractive in a way that makes you notice it
e.g. Your booth in this trade show is very eye-catching.

5. ecstatic
feeling extremely happy and excited
e.g. He was ecstatic at the views that his father survived.

The inner thoughts after I use the online dictionary :

I have never known that there are quite a few useful dictionaries on the Internet. After taking the course of CALL, I find it intriguing to learn English in a more convenient way. Since I studied in my high school period, I have used traditional way to learn English such as looking up the dictionary and searching for related handouts or essays in the library. I don't know there are a lot of beneficial online resources for us to explore until I participate in the CALL course ! I can use some reputable online dictionaries such as Oxford, Cambridge or Longman for free, which is very beneficial for my journey of English exploration. These online dictionaries have their own features. Some have examples for readers to know. Others provide synonyms and antonyms for readers to distinguish the difference. I highly recommend these excellent online resources for my everyone who is interested in learning English !

#1 Self Introduction

My name is Kao, Ming-Yang, a lively student raised in an ordinary family in Xizhi District, New Taipei City. There are four people in my family, including my mother, my father, an younger brother, and me. Since I was young, my parents have told us to be frugal and cherish everything we have. Whenever I have any difficulties in my life, they always encourage me with a smile and giving  me a hug, which gives me strength and turns me into a positive, diligent person.

Motivation to major in English:

The importance of English:

        English is one of the most important languages in the whole world. Many schools now demand their students to have English certifications, like TOEIC and GEPT. What’ more, once you go abroad to travel or to study, the first language you communicate with people is definitely English.

Academic training:

    When I was a sophomore in high school, there was a course named project learning. Its content was mainly about how to carry out a research. We followed the steps, including finding out the problems, coming up with a topic, collecting the data, analyzing the data, and drawing a conclusion. And the topic of our group was Practice—a traditional event of Shilin High School. During the research, I learned lots of professional knowledge and sharpened my writing and speaking skills. What’s more, I realized that sometimes a group is better than a person alone. Since then, the relationship between my classmates and I were closer.