!!April Fools!!
Hey, thanks for coming! Enjoy the remains of the break!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Argue for Animal Rights
In Sarah Wells’s article, Radical but Right, she claims that animals should have rights to be afforded the protection from cruelty and death at our hands, especially being killed for food. The reason she argues for that is followed by several parts.
Firstly, as the result of Sarah’s researches shows, if we do not stop bad treatment on animals, more and more animals will disappear on the earth. For example, she has cited a case describing elephants’ situation from a magazine. In the second part of the article, she proofs that most of animals have not only intelligence, but also compassion and even sentience. In other words, animals have right to be protected from harms because they are able to feel pain, as the human does. Finally, Sarah states that there is no need for human beings to hunt animals for food. On one hand, several studies have proved, as she cites, we can find all necessary types of nutrients from other places rather than animals. On the other hand, people will enjoy better health from the vegetarian diet because it provides the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
In my opinion, due to the straightforward structure and proper wording, this article is persuasive and is also good for readers to learn something about animals’ rights and the reasons for protecting them from our diet. Besides, the article is dressed well because the author uses a lot of specific evidence and examples to proof her argument.
Firstly, as the result of Sarah’s researches shows, if we do not stop bad treatment on animals, more and more animals will disappear on the earth. For example, she has cited a case describing elephants’ situation from a magazine. In the second part of the article, she proofs that most of animals have not only intelligence, but also compassion and even sentience. In other words, animals have right to be protected from harms because they are able to feel pain, as the human does. Finally, Sarah states that there is no need for human beings to hunt animals for food. On one hand, several studies have proved, as she cites, we can find all necessary types of nutrients from other places rather than animals. On the other hand, people will enjoy better health from the vegetarian diet because it provides the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
In my opinion, due to the straightforward structure and proper wording, this article is persuasive and is also good for readers to learn something about animals’ rights and the reasons for protecting them from our diet. Besides, the article is dressed well because the author uses a lot of specific evidence and examples to proof her argument.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Quotation and Paraphrasing from Timothy Barranco’s Essay
The Timothy’s essay mainly talks about the usage of languages in Instant Message and its effects on people, especially teenagers.
After reading this paper, I realize that the author quotes a lot in his paper and most of quotations come from surveys and researches. For instance, when he argues that students could hardly use txt language in formal writings, he directly lists some data from Sali Tagliamonte and Derek Denis from the university of Toronto, written as “the use of short forms, abbreviations, and emotional language is infinitesimally small, less than 3% of the data” (Tagliamonte and Denis 24).In my point of view, the reason why the author does so is that the statistic here shows much details about how low level of effects the IM spelling makes to young students. Obviously, using the original data here is much better than just listing several opinions from the researchers.
On the contrary, comparing to the amount of quotations, the numbers of paraphrasing looks like small corners of a huge iceberg because I only found two paraphrasing in the paper. For example, the author paraphrases some scholars’ opinion toward the benefit of txt spelling as “some scholars have noted that the popularity of txt can recall poetic examples of non-standard spelling (Shortis).” I think the author wants to extract the main point from the original theory which may be complex in order to make readers understand his opinion.
After reading this paper, I realize that the author quotes a lot in his paper and most of quotations come from surveys and researches. For instance, when he argues that students could hardly use txt language in formal writings, he directly lists some data from Sali Tagliamonte and Derek Denis from the university of Toronto, written as “the use of short forms, abbreviations, and emotional language is infinitesimally small, less than 3% of the data” (Tagliamonte and Denis 24).In my point of view, the reason why the author does so is that the statistic here shows much details about how low level of effects the IM spelling makes to young students. Obviously, using the original data here is much better than just listing several opinions from the researchers.
On the contrary, comparing to the amount of quotations, the numbers of paraphrasing looks like small corners of a huge iceberg because I only found two paraphrasing in the paper. For example, the author paraphrases some scholars’ opinion toward the benefit of txt spelling as “some scholars have noted that the popularity of txt can recall poetic examples of non-standard spelling (Shortis).” I think the author wants to extract the main point from the original theory which may be complex in order to make readers understand his opinion.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Each Corn Has Two Sides
It is convincing that different people take different sights into the same thing, just as an old saying goes, “every corn has its two sides”. When writing about the history, in my opinion, no matter winners or losers, they will more or less trend to hide some truth, which is negative to them, and exaggerate parts of the positive points. There are no more good examples than wars.
For instance, in the Asian battle fields during the World War II, the Japanese government organized by militarist invaded most parts of the East Asia and made this peaceful land full of blood. Especially in China, the Japanese soldiers did not do anything but shooting at Chinese civilian and robbing each village they passed. Millions of people had been killed and lots of cities were ruined in a sea of fires. Those scenes are what I have learned from our history books. Although we Chinese people were winners of the War with people in other part of the world, it seems like the contents of this Anti-Japanese War are a little exaggerating and compel us to agree that all modern Japanese are born to be executioners like soldiers during the War.
On the contrary, as the loser of the War, the Japanese government forced every publication to fix each corner of their history books. That is, all the truth including comments and statistics about the Anti-Japanese should be modified by the government. As a result, officials hided most facts from the young generation and made them think that Invasion was like “a visit by mistake”, as some Japanese history books said.
Above all, both the winner and the loser want the bystander to pay much attention on them. But the truth cannot always be erased or hided by exaggeration. As college students, we should hold different opinions objectively on the history, despite who is the writer, the winner or the loser.
For instance, in the Asian battle fields during the World War II, the Japanese government organized by militarist invaded most parts of the East Asia and made this peaceful land full of blood. Especially in China, the Japanese soldiers did not do anything but shooting at Chinese civilian and robbing each village they passed. Millions of people had been killed and lots of cities were ruined in a sea of fires. Those scenes are what I have learned from our history books. Although we Chinese people were winners of the War with people in other part of the world, it seems like the contents of this Anti-Japanese War are a little exaggerating and compel us to agree that all modern Japanese are born to be executioners like soldiers during the War.
On the contrary, as the loser of the War, the Japanese government forced every publication to fix each corner of their history books. That is, all the truth including comments and statistics about the Anti-Japanese should be modified by the government. As a result, officials hided most facts from the young generation and made them think that Invasion was like “a visit by mistake”, as some Japanese history books said.
Above all, both the winner and the loser want the bystander to pay much attention on them. But the truth cannot always be erased or hided by exaggeration. As college students, we should hold different opinions objectively on the history, despite who is the writer, the winner or the loser.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Three Words Not Familiar From Liu's
1. humble: Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful. --- American Heritage Dictionary 4 th Edition
2. rumble:To make a deep, long, rolling sound.---- Oxford Advanced English Dictionary 6 th Edition
3. graze:To feed on growing herbage, attached algae, or phytoplankton. ------The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11 th Edition
2. rumble:To make a deep, long, rolling sound.---- Oxford Advanced English Dictionary 6 th Edition
3. graze:To feed on growing herbage, attached algae, or phytoplankton. ------The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11 th Edition
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Need help or not
As people start their life in a foreign country, homesick and loneliness will always make them doubt whether they have made a right decision to go abroad. Like Liu said in the reading, he could hardly live in an environment fulfilled with conversations he barely understood and strange attitudes people kept towards him. Therefore, staying with any Chinese people, even with a stranger, could let Liu feel more comfortable. In my opinion, I only agree with part of Liu’s speech on his experience in the US since different people may have different situation.
Sharing some similar experience, I felt a little sympathetic towards Liu because the same situation was encountered during my first week in the US and I also didn’t know what to do. For example, one of the professors in my college made an appointment with me to talk about my transfer course, but because of my poor expression on English, after the one-hour meeting he even could not understand what course I had taken in China. That was how I first communicate with America in an official case and it will last long in my memory.
Although this failed appointment made me dispirited in some degree, I finally did not give up communicating with native students and professors. The reason is simple. To live with other Chinese and speak in Chinese makes our life easy while we are abroad, but that will not contribute to our goal of studying in English spoken countries. More chances to speak in mother tongue, less opportunities to take part in the culture of the country we stay in. As a result, much more misery will come to us when we go to work and study with local people.
Even if we feel a little bitter in the beginning, it is better for us Chinese students to be active to speak in English and stay with foreign classmates. As a Chinese old saying goes, “when bitterness is finished, sweetness begins”.
Sharing some similar experience, I felt a little sympathetic towards Liu because the same situation was encountered during my first week in the US and I also didn’t know what to do. For example, one of the professors in my college made an appointment with me to talk about my transfer course, but because of my poor expression on English, after the one-hour meeting he even could not understand what course I had taken in China. That was how I first communicate with America in an official case and it will last long in my memory.
Although this failed appointment made me dispirited in some degree, I finally did not give up communicating with native students and professors. The reason is simple. To live with other Chinese and speak in Chinese makes our life easy while we are abroad, but that will not contribute to our goal of studying in English spoken countries. More chances to speak in mother tongue, less opportunities to take part in the culture of the country we stay in. As a result, much more misery will come to us when we go to work and study with local people.
Even if we feel a little bitter in the beginning, it is better for us Chinese students to be active to speak in English and stay with foreign classmates. As a Chinese old saying goes, “when bitterness is finished, sweetness begins”.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
At the First Sight We See
In different countries, people share different ways to communicate with each other, even by the means of nonverbal languages, which include facial expression and gestures. However, among two countries I have stayed, China and the USA, the most important difference of nonverbal communication is the eye contact.
No matter when I see films or TV shows from western countries like the US, it is common that people make sufficient eye contact to show the respect and focus while they are talking with each other, even between different genders. Therefore, if one of the two people, who are chatting together, shows careless eye movement or no eye contact, communication barriers will be created in most circumstances. Actually, that is the first feeling of the American people. For example, once I walked on a street near UD and met several citizens through my trip. Some of them said hello to me because of my looking at them, and others didn’t for I never gave a glance on them, so it is considering claiming that eye behavior is interactive.
On the contrary, I was educated a different situation by the Chinese culture, which says direct eye contact could make others feel uncomfortable, even disgusted if the degree is too much. Especially when a guy talks to a lady, it is a guy’s full eye behaviors that will force the lady loose her sense of safety and wonder whether he is thinking something else.
Travelling t between different cultures needs us more attention on the studying of their communication customs. But once we get used to it, our life in a foreign country will be easy and interesting.
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