Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Word bank

inflation(n)
If the price level continuously rises and you are always paying more for the same amount of goods, there is inflation, which means your money buys less than it used to.

entrepreneur(n)
Entrepreneurs generate wealth in an ecnonmy.

trade deficit(n)
With the decline in overseas trade, the country now has a trade deficit.

condemn(v)
People always condemn the government for spending so little money on educayion.

wardrobe(n)
I must stop buying clothes - my wardrobe is already full.

majority(n)
The majority of teenagers love computer games.

frustrating(adj)
It's vary frustrating when computers don't work, you waste so much time.

English Learning for Vocabulary

Website: BBC Learning English Learning English Words in the News

Address: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/index.shtml

Content: This website offer many different aspects world news talk about the current issues and situation arround the world, no matter the earthquake in Sichuan province, rice harvest threat around the world, and so on.

Strengthens: At the buttom of the news, it also provide the vocabulary notes that explain what's the word's mean. Also, you can listen the whole news and the vocabulary once you click the button. BBC is one of the biggest world broadcasting cooperation in the world, so it provides and gives us a variety nesw sources.

Weakness: I don't think this website has any weekness for Learning for Vocabulary. It's convenience, interactive in some aspects. If you really want me to say the Weakness(also the shortcomings) of this website, I'll tell you that maybe it's a little bit difficult for those who dosen't that good enough in English, because I think maybe it's designed for those advanced English users, however, I still like this website!

Five-star grading: ☆☆☆☆☆

Online Travelling

Manchester is the city that I like the most, for the reason that I've studied there for two months in the program which called "Intertional Summer School" in the University of Manchester.

1. The distance

The distance between between Taipei, Taiwan and Manchester, England, United Kingdom, as the crow flies:6074 miles (9775 km) (5278 nautical miles)

2. Map














Manchester is in the middle of UK, which means it's vary convenience for travelers, no matter you want to go to London, York, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Lake district, Newcastle, and so on, wherever you want to go.

3. Weather

















4. Flight

There's no direct flight from Taiwan to Mancheste, therefore, you need to take connect-flight in Hong Kong and London. I suggest that you must choose CX+BA, for the reason that BA and CX is one of the best airlines in the world, the services is excelent, the food is great, and the most important: it's vary SAFE. Here are the flights that you can choose.

(From:TPE to Man date:06/28/2008 *one-way ticket*) $958

Taiwan (TPE) 08:20pm - 28Jun Sat
Hong Kong (HKG) 10:00pm - 28Jun, Sat
(Nonstop Coach Cathay PacificFlight 531 )

Hong Kong (HKG) 11:15pm - 28Jun, Sat
London Heathrow (LHR) 05:05am - 29Jun, Sun
(Nonstop Coach British AirwaysFlight 26 )

London Heathrow (LHR) 07:40am - 29Jun, Sun
Manchester (MAN) 08:35am - 29Jun, Sun
(Nonstop Coach British AirwaysFlight 1384 )

5. Hotel or accomodation















Surrounded by the Manchester Ship Canal, the Express by Holiday Inn Manchester Salford Quays Hotel offers easy access to the city centre and to the main tourist attractions.Providing high-speed Internet access in all guest rooms and offering value for money accommodations, this hotel is the perfect choice whether travelling on business or pleasure.The Express By Holiday Inn Manchester-Salford Quays Hotel also features a fully licensed bar, meeting facilities, a 24-hour reception desk, and a parking area.

Room type: 1 DOUBLE BED WITH SOFABED NONSMOKING
Price per night: £ 75

6. famous spots

Forming part of the English Core Cities Group, often described as the second city of the UK and the "Capital of the North", Manchester today is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education and commerce. In a poll of British business leaders published in 2006, Manchester was regarded as the best place in the UK to locate a business.A report commissioned by Manchester Partnership, published in 2007, showed Manchester to be the "fastest-growing city" economically. It is the third most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors.

1.Manchester United Museum & Tour

Re-live the clubs triumphs, tragedies and trophies at the Manchester United Museum. Follow the history of the club from 1878 to the present day, including the Hall of Fame and dazzling Trophy Room. Delve behind the scenes at the Theatre of Dreams by taking the Stadium Tour. Stand in Sir Alex Ferguson's spot in the dug out, sit in the home changing room at your favourite players peg and emerge from the player's tunnel to the roar of the crowd. Not what you would expect from a museum and tour. Everything you would expect from Manchester United.

2.The Royal Exchange Theatre
There is a varied programme of plays and other special events, the theatre also houses the Craft Shop and Craft Shop Gallery, recognised as a major focal point of contemporary craft work in the North West. Overlooking the theatre an extensive function and conference can accommodate up to 160 people in a unique setting unrivalled for interior design, location and service. The coffee bar and brasserie offer an alternative to the bustle of the city.



3.Manchester Cathedral
An essential visit in the City sporting a gorgeous interior with the best late medieval woodwork in the north - the quire and the ceiling are splendid and full of life in the carved details. Also very special for its modern glass. Guided tours available. New refectory and visitors centre opened in 2002 partially housed under a 14th century bridge. A venue for concerts and the beautifully sung evensong - call for details.



4.The Straight Mile' - Leeds and Liverpool Canal

The Straight Mile is one of the 'seven wonders of Britain's Waterways', here you can sail along the embankment 60ft above the town centre enjoying the splendid views all around and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is an ideal place for walking, cycling and fishing.




5.Imperial War Museum North

One of the most celebrated Museums in Britain today, Imperial War Museum North is about people and their stories, about how lives have been and still are shaped by war and conflict. The award-winning building by international architect Daniel Libeskind is a symbol of our world torn apart by conflict and is situated at The Quays, a waterfront destination 2 miles from Manchester city centre. Imperial War Museum North uses thought-provoking and innovative display techniques such as the Big Picture, which puts you right in the centre of the experience using a dramatic display of projected images and sound. The Main Exhibition Space also houses thousands of objects from a T34 Russian tank and Harrier jump-jet to clothing, diaries and works of art, as well as a series of family interactive Action Stations. In addition, the varied exhibition and event programme offers activities for adults and families, daily tours and object-handling sessions.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The website about English listening

Name of the website:
BBC Learning English│Watch and Listen

Web address:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/index.shtml

Content:
After teacher subjected us an assignment to find a website about listening and grammar, the first thing came to my mind is BBC. For the reason I choose this website is that I really love British, no matter its culture or accent. BBS is not only a world-known media broadcasting cooperation, but also has a lot of internet-based resources, no matter the news, sports, radio and so on. You can find almost everything you want in this website. If you take a good look on it, you can not improve your English but also learn a lot of new things.

Strengthens:
We Chinese students are good at grammar and having test, but not good at listing and speaking. “BBC Learning English│Watch and Listen” this website whit the BBC as backing, provides any kind of criteria you want on it, especially listening. This website is very organization, all the criteria and topic is given in a few clear words on the left side of the page, with this comfortable design, you won’t be confusion by too much text or pictures like Yahoo.com.tw. Besides, “BBC Learning English│Watch and Listen” has many options(links, quizzes, grammar and vocabulary and FAQ) all the bottom and resources you can use only on this page. If you like everything links to British like me and want to improve your English, just go to the website.

Weakness:

Although I’m very satisfied with the website I choose, but there’s some minor defect in something otherwise perfect. You can learn fast with the help by pictures with the article, but there have not enough pictures with the article, and it was confusing to see other pictures on the page for the article. Besides, not every can get used to British accent immediately.