20100531 Coming Home (1)

Coming Home

This is my place, my love, where I belong

After finals, I was ready to move out. It wasn't too hard for me, but for a lot of my friends, it was a big deal. After cleaning up the trash, packing my suitcase, and helping my friends move, it was time to say goodbye. I had reached the end of my freshman year! A friend from Taipei who is studying in Washington, D.C., came to visit, so my brother and I took him singhtseeing. But these were not this month's highlights. The high point was coming back home, a moment I'd been anticipating since the day I left. I arrived home early on the morning of May 15th.

When I saw my parents, I gave them a big hug and kiss. Being close to my parents, standing on this land, and feeling the humidity in the hot air, I knew I was home. The first thing I did was to go to Mei&Mei (美而美) for a big breakfast. It was so much better than the school cafeteria!

Mei&Mei was just a start. There are so many foods I have to eat and so many friends I want to see. The hot air is burning my face and the sweat is evaporating from my skin. I love this feeling. This is where I belong.

highlight n. 最精彩的部分

=> the best/most exciting/entertaining/interesting part of something

eg: Beyonce's singing was the highlight of the show.

=> Beyonce的歌唱是這場表演最精彩的部分。

eg: The highlights from the football game will be shown on today's news.

=> 這場足球賽的精彩畫面會在今天的新聞播出。

humid adj. 潮濕的

humidity n. 濕氣/濕度

=> the amount of moisture/water in the air

=> the percentage of water in the air

eg: The humidity in the room was so high that I felt kind of sick.

=> 這個房間太潮濕了讓我感到有點兒不舒服。

eg: The humidity today is around 60 percent.

=> 今天的濕度大約是60%。

vapor n. 水蒸氣

evaporate v. 蒸發

eg: If you open the window, the steam in the bathroom will evaporate faster.

=> 如果您把窗口打開，浴室裡的蒸汽會蒸發得快一點。

eg: His worries evaporated while playing with his daughter.

=> 當他與女兒一起玩時，他的煩惱都煙消雲散了。

suitcase n. 小型旅行箱/手提箱

=> a square case that you probably use whenever you travel or go some place

sightseeing Un. 觀光/遊覽

=>

final n.

=> final exams

anticipate n. 期望

=> look forward to

=> expect

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big deal 了不得的事情

It's not a big deal. 小事一樁

如果你到了一個地方發現大家都在熱烈討論某件事情

你可以問What's the big deal?

What's the big deal? 什麼事讓大家大叫大嚷的?

=> Why is so important?

=> Why is everyone talking about it?

=> It implies that you want to what it is about

eg: What's the big deal with Facebook

eg: What's the big deal with the celebrity?

big deal 重要人物

eg: He thinks he's a big deal. 他以為自己很重要

//== Grammar on the Go ==//

Mei&Mei was just a start.

=> Mei&Mei was just the first place he is getting food. He still had so many places to go and so many things to eat.

just a start

=> let the reader/audience to know there is more to come and

=> what was mentioned isn't the only thing

eg: Visiting this world famous museum is just a start, we will also be touring a famous cathedral and the presidential palace.

eg: We'll meet at the cafe for a snack but that's just a start, I've planned a lot of other fun activities.

20100529 What's in a Nym (2)

What's in a "Nym"?

Eponyms

These interesting words have their origin in the proper name of a real or fictional person or thing. Examples include sandwich from the Earl of Sandwich, who is credited with the food's invention. And boycott comes from Charles Boycott (1832-1897) an Irish land agent.

Homonyms

This is one of two or more words that haved the same spelling or pronunciation but differ in meaning. For example, some homonyms are buy, bye and by or peek, peak and pique. Homonyms with the same spelling but different meanings would be bank - a place to keep money, and bank - the side of a stream or river. These are also called heteronyms.

Exonyms

Exonyms are place names foreigners use that differ from the place names in the original language. For example, English speakers use the exonym Vienna for the Austrian Wien. Chinese use the exonym Mei Guo(美國) for the United States.

Metonyms

A metonym is a common word or phrase that also has an associated meaning. For example, the White House means the American executive branch of the government. Tongue is a metonym for a language or dialect.

boycott n. 抵制

=> show you don't support something by not using/purchasing

eg: People are boycotting beef products imported from the foreign country.

=> 人們正在抵制從外國進口的牛肉產品。

eg: The union boycotted the private meeting between the owner and some of the workers.

=> 公會抵制這個老闆和部分員工私下舉行的會議。

pique n. 生氣/激怒

=> cause them to be angry

eg: He left in a fit of pique, demonstrating that he was treated unfairly.

=> 他一賭氣就走了，一邊抗議他被不合理地對待了。

pigue v. 生氣/激怒

=> 通常都用被動式

eg: She was piqued by her husband's harsh words.

=> 她被她的先生苛刻的話給激怒了。

dialect n. (區域性)方言/土話

=> a variation of a language

eg: Canonnese 廣東話

eg: Timocthy can speak the regional dialect fluently.

=> Timocthy可以流利地講地方方言。

language 方言, 土話

=> 國家或一個民族所使用的語言

eg: Mandarin 國語

eponym n. 名祖(其名字用來命名人種，土地，時代的人)

homonym n. 同音異義字/同形同音異義字;/同形異義字

=> words have the same spellings or pronunciation but different meaning

exonym

=> place names that foreigners use that differ from the place names in the original language.

metonym n. 換喻詞

fictional adj. 虛構的

=> fictional people/story

earl n. (英)伯爵

=> a person very high rank lives in the England a long time ago

雙關語笑話

Why are movies stars so cool?

=> Because they have so many fans.

//== Chat room ==//

eponym n. 人名名詞

=> 指的是源自於人名的名詞

narcissism n. 自戀/自我陶醉/自我中心

=> 源自於希臘神話的美少年Narcissus，他因為長得太俊美了，

=> 當他看到自己水中的倒影的時候，就被它所迷住

Narcissus

narcissist　n. 自戀的人

20100528 What's in a Nym (1)

What's in a "Nym"?

Have some fun with "nyms"!

How many "nyms" do you know? While you may not know the actual word, you probably know many words that belong to several kinds of "nyms." Words ending in "-nym" often describe different groups of words and the relationship between those words. The suffix "-nym" literally means "name." Let's look at a few:

Synonyms

English would be so simple if there were only one word for one meaning. But then language would also be extremely boring, so we have many synonyms or words that have the same or nearly the same meanings. Roget's Thesaurus lists 50 synonyms for the world beautiful, all with slight variations in meaning.

Antonyms

These are pairs of words that have opposite or nearly opposite meanings. Some examples would be slow and fast, nervous and calm, and abundant and scarce.

Acronyms

An acronym is formed from the first letter of each word in a phrase. For example, NATO comes from North Atlantic Treaty Organization or PIN for personal identification number. Acronyms are one kind of abbreviation, but not all abbreviations are acronyms. Dr. for doctor and km for kilometer are abbreviations - shortened forms of words.

liter- 文字

literally adv. 照字面上地

=> not figurative

eg: The interpreter didn't translate the speaker's words literally, because it would be kind of offensive.

=> 口譯員並沒有逐字翻譯報告人的話，因為聽起來有點兒冒犯。

literally adv. 實在地

eg: The flood literally caused over $5 million worth of damage.

=> 這場洪水確實造成5百萬元的損失。

variation n. 差異/變化

eg: The research team recorded variations in temperature at the North Pole during the last ten years.

=> 這個研究團隊記錄北極在最近十年來度的溫度變化。

eg: There are wide variations in babies' responses to this kind of music.

=> 小寶寶們對這種音樂的反應差異非常大。

abbreviation n. 縮寫

eg: "U.S.A." is the abbreviation for "The United States of America".

=> "U.S.A."是對美國的簡稱。

abbreviate v.

eg: "The United Nations" is abbreviated as "UN".

=> "聯合國"的縮寫為"UN"。

abundant adj. 大量的/充足的

=> there is more than you need

synonym n. 同義字

antonym n. 反義字

acronym n. 首字母縮略字

//== Chat room ==//

thesaurus n. 同義辭典

=> 按照字母順序排列，雖然thesaurus會提供你許多同義字，

=> 但是不同的單字往往有不同的connotations

=> 因此除非你學過的單字，要不然還是避免使用從未聽過的單字，以免用錯。

alphabetical order 字母順序

connotations n. 特別的含意/言外之意

//== Grammar on the Go ==//

While you may not know the actual word, you probably know many words that belong to several kinds of "nyms"

While you may not know..., you probably know...

eg: While you may not know who your speaker is today, you probably know her father who is a famous actor.

eg: While you may not know how to read the commands, you probably know many of the icons on the computer screen.

20100527 Choosing an MBA Program (2)

Choosing an MBA Program

New job, new life

If you want to change careers or industries, working on an MBA full-time may be the way to go. Traditional MBA programs take two years to complete. These programs can be very expensive, but graduates gain special skills, experience and knowledge. Some schools also offer intensive one-year programs.

Advancing your career

Many professionals want to pursure MBA degrees without quitting work. If this is you, think about doing a part-time, distance or online MBA program. But be careful. Many employers prefer traditional two-year programs to these degrees.

Becoming the boss

Those with a lot of experience in their field may wish to pursure an Executive MBA (EMBA). These degrees provide a general business education for upper-level managers. Most EMBA students have jobs and spend 80 to 100 hours on work and study each week. Take your time and choose carefully. Finding the right MBA program may be one of the most important career decisions you ever make.

graduate v. 畢業

=> finish school

eg: Jason graduated from college last summer.

=> 賈森年夏天大學畢業。

graduate n. 畢業生(和動詞的念法不同)

eg: Rick is a graduate of Yale.

=> 瑞克是耶魯大學的畢業生。

eg: Graduates of this major usually get hired before they even graduate.

eg: 這個主修的畢業生通常在他們還沒畢業，就已經被錄用。

intensive adj. 加強的/密集的

eg: The movie star received intensive training in martial arts and boxing before shooting the movie.

=> 這位影星在拍電影之前接受了密集的武術和拳擊訓練。

eg: The intensive treatment was hard on the patient but it proved to be effective.

=> 這個密集的治療對病患來說是很辛苦，但是結果證明是有效的。

pursue v. 追求/繼續深造

=> work toward to your goal

eg: Adam decided to pursue his dream as an actor.

=> 亞當決定要追求他的夢想作為演員。

eg: Laura is pursuing her studies at USC right now.

=> Laura現在在南加州洲大學繼續深造。

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business n. 企業/生意/

business n. (口語上)事情

How's business? 生意如何?

go out of business 關門大吉

Mind your own business.

= It's none of your business.

=> 這不關你的事＝不要管閒事

have no business doing something 不應該做某件事

eg: You have no business reading my journal.

=> 你不應該讀我的日記

//== Grammar on the Go ==//

If you want to change careers or industries, working on an MBA full-time may be the way to go.

the way to go

=> the right choice

eg: Attending the weekly English club might be the way to go.

eg: Creating a good first impression is the way to go.

20100526 Choosing an MBA Program (1)

Choosing an MBA Program

Find the program that's right for you

Choosing an MBA program is a big decision. With thousands of universities to choose from, finding the right program takes time. So how do you find one that is right for you? People attend business school for different reasons. Some want to change careers or advance in their current jobs. Others want to develop contacts, skills and experience in their fields. Before choosing a program, know what you want to get out of your studies. Don't just rely on school rankings.

Learn all you can about the courses you will take and the people who will teach them. Make sure the program you choose offers classes that will help you in your future career. Completing an MBA requires a huge investment of time and money. Know what your MBA will really cost - including living expenses, books and travel. Think about how the program will affect your life. Contact former MBA students to see if they can offer you any helpful suggestions.

current adj. 現在的/目前的

eg: Did you buy the current issue of Time magazine?

=> 您買了這一期的時代雜誌了嗎？

eg: We'll keep you updated on current events at the company.

=> 我們會讓您知道公司目前的活動。

eg: The current price of the product is about $100.

=> 產品的目前價格大約為$100美金

investment n. 投資

eg: Buying real estate can be a smart long-term investment.

=> 購買的房地產可是聰明的長期投資。

eg: There's been a significant investment of time and money in order to complete this project.

=> 為了完成這個計劃投下的時間和金錢都已經相當的多。

suggestion n. 建議

=> an idea that is given to you

eg: I made several suggestions to my boss, but he didn't accept them.

=> 我提出了幾個建議給我的上司，但是他並沒有接受。

eg: We went to Bali Island for vacation at Naomi's suggestion and we had a great time.

我們接受Naomi'的建議去巴里島度假期,結果非常的好玩。

program n. 課程

=> university set/group of require courses/classes

=> the collection of classes that university think it necessary for you to have

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expert n. 專家

field n. 田野/田地

field n. 知識的領域/某一個專業領域

an expert in his field

eg: He is an expert in the field of psychology.

=> 她是心理學領域的專家

discipline n. 紀律/管教

academic discipline 學校的科目