Assignment #7 English Song

Taylor Swift - Mine

Artist: Taylor Swift

Album: Speak Now (Deluxe Edition)

Song: Mine

Lyrics:

Uh, Uh ,Uh oh

You were in college working part time waiting tables

Left a small town, never looked back

I was a flight risk with a fear of falling

Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts

I say can you believe it?

As we're lying on the couch

The moment I could see it

Yes, yes, I can see it now

Do you remember we were sitting there by the water?

You put your arm around me for the first time

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Flash forward and we're taking on the world together

And there's a drawer of my things at your place

You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded

You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes

But we got bills to pay

We got nothing figured out

When it was hard to take

Yes, yes, this is what I thought about

Do you remember we were sitting there by the water?

You put your arm around me for the first time

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Do you remember all the city lights on the water?

You saw me start to believe for the first time

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

You are the best thing that's ever been mine

And I remember that fight, 2:30 a.m.

As everything was slipping right out of our hands

I ran out crying and you followed me out into the street

Braced myself for the goodbye

'Cause that's all I've ever known

Then you took me by surprise

You said I'll never leave you alone

You said I remember how we felt sitting by the water

And every time I look at you, it's like the first time

I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter

She is the best thing that's ever been mine

Hold on, make it last

Hold on, never turn back

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Do you believe it?

We're gonna make it now

I can see it

I can see it now

Background: When I face a lot of pressure of examination in high school, my classmate suddenly playing this song. This song's melody is very appealing to me, let me go home listening on the Internet over and over again. After that, I began to explore the content of the lyrics, but also knowing Taylor swift for the first time. 

My comments: This song reflects couple from honeymoon period to get married, facing different challenges by each stage. The contents of each word presented to unfold in our life. Whenever humming along with the lyrics, will have the impulse to want to love. 

And my favorite lyrics is about three lines:

I was a flight risk with a fear of falling, wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts.

And I remember that fight, 2:30 a.m., as everything was slipping right out of our hands.

Hold on, make it last. Hold on, never turn back. We're gonna make it now.

When there is no fall in love, often do not know the taste of love. But after falling in love, are often unable to extricate themselves. After marriage, the most realistic problems is faced overhead. Quarrels between lovers is a necessary process, also the most sweet burden. Love is so, let people love to hate. This song written life, even more written into people's hearts, and this is why I love it!  

Assignment #6 Steve Jobs' Talk

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Every successful man, there is always behind many memorable stories. University for four years, it can be a long or a short time. How to enrich our college life is an important issue. As Steve Jobs said,” you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” Now we are learning courses, maybe just theory, there is no way to immediately link with practices. But I think the ability is cumulative. We will be able to apply immediately, when the need for such expertise.

Everyone wants to be successful, but ultimately tend to successful only a few people. What is the difference? Persist, perseverance, vision, etc… Who possess these qualities is often comes from accumulated experience. Bravely try different things, which may be very strange or never been challenged. This requires positive and decisive attitude. In short, just do it!

Failure exists in life, how to adjust failure to successful power? Do not give up, work tirelessly. The moment which you do not see the success, but perhaps we can see another angle that like the time is not enough, rather than crestfallen. Keep yourself optimistic, because this helps their positive thinking. There are always ups and downs in life, Success is not easy, but more difficult to maintain. Just keep working and maintain a positive, it not far away from success.

       Steve Jobs, the lifetime contribute to information technology. Although his life due to health problem suddenly to a full stop, his struggle for the technology and spirit will keep everyone's mind. Open-minded to face death rather than escape it. Steve Jobs brings people unlimited nostalgia and admiration.

       Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Keep learning enthusiasm is the only way to success.

Assignment #5: How do you like ESL Randall's Cyber Listening Lab as a language learning resource?

Beginning of the study English seems to start from reading. Although it make my reading ability in English be improved, there are some problems emerge gradually. I think my lack of ability is Listening, because we don't have the kind of environment to enhance listening ability. But now has changed. ESL Randall's Cyber Listening Lab is the best website I have ever seen to learning English listening.
I found that this website has the following advantages:

First, they use life dialogue to express different situations. Second, conversations between two persons about speed and response are similar to the daily lives of foreigners. Third, they are attentive to the ease of doing classification, this facilitate in accordance with our ability to do incremental learning. 

Maybe my English isn't very well, but I will do my best to learning English, especially listening.

Learning is not talking without doing, only sustained learning, is the only way to succeed.

Assignment #4: Two clips from Randall's Cyber Listening Lab

Apartments for Rent (Easy part)

1.Campus (noun):

Definition: the area and buildings around a university, college, school, etc.

Example: Rallies were held on college/university campuses across the country.

2.Commute (noun):

Definition: the journey that you make when you travel to or from a place that you go to regularly (such as the place where you work.)

Example: There is always a lot of traffic on my morning commute.

3.Utilities (noun):

Definition: a company that provides electricity, water, etc.

Example: Notify the utility if there's an outage.

4.Complex (adjective):

Definition: having parts that connect or go together in complicated ways.

Example: A complex system.

5.Vacancies (noun):

Definition: a room in a hotel, motel, etc., that is available for use.

Example: There were no vacancies at the hotel.

A Student Credit Card (Medium part)

1.Stereo (noun):

Definition: a piece of electronic equipment that plays the radio, CDs, etc., and that uses two speakers for the sound.

Example: Let me show you my stereo.

2.Dough (noun):

Definition: informal (money.)

Example: I don't have much dough.

3.Spend yourself in a hole (idiom):

Definition: spend too much that leads to heavy debt

Example: Some people spend themselves in a hole because they can't control their shopping habits.

4.Impulse (noun):

Definition: a sudden strong desire to do something.

Example: He has to learn to control his impulses.

5.Sky-high (adjective):

Definition: extremely high (expensive.)

Example: The interest rates of student credit cards are usually sky-high.

6.Mess (noun):

Definition: a situation that is very complicated or difficult to deal with.

Example: I don't know how the economy got to be (in) such a mess.

Assignment #3: Concordancer Exercise

The name of the food has a variety of claims. Like Chinese food name "粽子" are the following statement：

1. A pyramid-shaped mass of glutinous rice wrapped in leaves.

2. Glutinous rice and choice of filling wrapped in leaves and boiled.

3. Rice dumplings.

4. Zong-zi.

5. Tzung-tzu.

Assignment #2: Dictionary Exercise (The unfamiliar vocabulary from BBC Learning English.)

I remember watching English News from the Internet is in senior high school. Now we have the opportunity to learn from the news in English. Although there are some words are not familiar with, I consult the dictionary to understand the meaning of words on the Internet. The following is some words.

1. Cabbie
Definition : a person who drives a taxi.

An example sentence : My uncle is a cabbie.

2. Prime Minster 

Definition :  the head of the government in some countries.

An example sentence : Prime Minster always respected by the people.

3. Incognito

Definition : with your true identity kept secret (as by using a different name or a disguise).

An example sentence :He remained incognito while living there.

4. Moonlight 

Definition : to work at a second job in addition to your regular job.

An example sentence : She is a secretary who moonlights as a waitress on weekends.

5. Rusty

Definition : not as good as usual or as in the past because you have not done or practiced something for a long time.

An example sentence : My tennis skills are a little rusty.

Assignment #1: Greeting

My name is Shang-Cheng Hsu(徐上程). I graduated from National Jhongli vocational school of commerce majoring in business administration. Currently studying at the National Taipei College of Business majoring in Finance and Taxation. There are four people in my family. My father works in a factory; my mother is a housewife; and my elder brother and I are still students. My parents’ education is very democratic and they often emphasize the importance of moral character, which contributes to my well-behaved and easygoing personality. Hoping my English language skills will improve, during the four years of college. I will do my best to learn English!