Last Words

I can't think of what else promised to put on the blog but I missed out.....
so I guess that's it from me.

Like I said in class you have been an amazing group to teach and its has been fun reading your entries and monitoring this blog. I will be so bored on Mondays....

Take care of yourselves and each other if you are in the same course. Be good.

So bye for now...

Going once
Going twice
GONE !!!

Starter Kit for local music

A while ago, a couple of you (I can't remember who now ) asked me about local music. To be honest I don't know much but I managed to dig around for some information and managed to find some information to start you off, that is if you are still interested. Here is the starter kit on local music.

10 Famous Singaporean performers
Stefanie Sun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alkexxkpJ-I
Tang Quartet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YpV-OJOzs
Jeremy Monteiro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI47aAZFTs8
Tanya Chua
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePsPXlyW8hM
Mark Chan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL7cHXsNZw0
Dick Lee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUYfjwfKPuQ
Vanessa May
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g5Q1p6C7ho&feature=PlayList&p=B9B3B7CF370608BC&index=8
Art Fazil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0VtcjJQlss
Margaret Leng Tan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEwYtUREUVk&feature=PlayList&p=0857723BD0DDB906&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4
Kit Chan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3JFfolZIpk

Others up and coming
Lingkai (Famous via Youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nd_leN_y68&feature=related
Matthew Quek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjTjZTpFoo
Electrico
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt4dvBRGMdE
The Great Spy Experiment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2mpXb14MsQ
Fiona Xie (Actress acting as a singer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgll2rsiDfI&feature=channel

My suggestion is if you want to know more, talk to your Singaporean classmates when you get to NUS.

Highlights of your English course !!!

Sorry one group's work did not turn out well. The flash did not work !!!

More pictures of Group 6

Pictures of group 6

Improving your vocabulary through collocation exercises

Remember the steps in the collocation exercise
1) Gather words related to the theme.
2) Find their meaning
3) Write a passage of your own using as many of the words as you can.

1) Young people today feel a strong sense of camaraderie. This can be a good thing when they give each other positive strokes and laugh hilariously at jokes that only they can understand. However, such relationships have strings attached so that they may have to grapple with their own emotions and their friends as peers interfere constantly in each others lives. Best friends may feel resentful instead of cared for. They hold each other in high esteem but also long for a sense of individual achievement. This means that they may try hard to impress others intellectually and bask in the admiration of their peers. When they are ignored by their peers or rejected, they tend be filled with despair or lose their faith in their friends. When this occurs open lines of communication with their family is important. Parents must not relinquish control of their children to their peers but must try to understand and bond with their child.

2) Hitch is inherently different in nature from his brother. He is a generally positive person. As an abandoned child, he knows well about the importance of a close knit family. He longs for congenial family gatherings and often imagines what his life would be like if he is part of a normal family unit. Someone there to always lend a listening ear and give positive strokes when he is overwhelmed by demands and pressures. However, he knows it is only a dream. It is only after great effort on his part to formulate his own values that he managed to develop good interpersonal relationships and become a well adjusted adult with a high level of maturity.

3) A long time ago there was a boy named Glass who was overwhelmed by the demands and pressures placed on him by his parents that he rebelled and he was soon beyond parental control. He was too busy with his own emotions to grapple with the demands of home, family and school and he wanted to be alone. In contrast, there was another boy called Sun who was cheerful and constantly filled with joy. His heart was filled with a sense of exhilaration and a sense of achievement when ever he made a new friend. He would go around in a triumphant smile on his face.

One day, Sun met Glass in a bus stop. Sun recognised that Glass was at the stage of adolescent depression. His heart reached out to the stranger and he wanted to help Glass and they began to chat. Glass told Sun that the generation gap was a perennial problem and that he did not like the way his parents talked to him. Sun was honest with Glass he talked about how every one felt misunderstood at times and it was normal to feel confused. He taught him strategies of coping with life challenges and low self esteem. He talked about the right way to assert independence and keep happy. Glass was greatly inspired by the talk and deeply appreciated all the advice he received. Glass started to put Sun's advice into practice and his relationship with his family improved by leaps and bounds.

Talk

We share our feelings through communication. We communicate mostly by talking. Usually, the pattern is that one is talking and the other one is listening. Most of the time, the one who was listening should respond to the one who was talking. We can tell whether people like the topic from the response made by the one we are talking to.
Generally speaking, if people are interested in a topic, they are willing to talk. That is to say, the conversation is very easy to continue. Sociable people are often talkative. They can usually find the topic which both people are interested in. For most people, it is difficult to cope with persons who are very silent. Talking to these silent people, these silent people tend to answer your questions or if you do not ask questions, they are likely to give you no response, especially when it is the first time you converse with each other.
As regard response, sometimes we do not want to be disturbed, especially when we are doing our work, in which case we would probably not want to respond to others. However, it is not good if we do not respond to others. Supposing you talk to a person but he gives no response, you will feel very embarrassed.
Anyway, try to respond to people in a proper way.

Ears

Ears are one of the important organs of our body. We hear the world through our ears. They are not only used to hear sound but also to identify directions of sound. If we had no ears, the world would be silent to us and therefore it would be difficult for us to communicate with each other.
Do you know that we are losing our hearing all the time? When we were baby, we had the most perfect hearing in our life. I have to say it sounds very frustrating that we are losing our hearing all the time but it is the truth. Researchers have study this area for a long time but there are still some mysterious problems which can’t be explained reasonably. Generally speaking, it is believed by most researchers that a certain kind of cells which has the function to change sound into information that our brain need is dying all the time because of loud noise and other reasons.
With the development of society, it is not only loud noise but also some technology that does harm to our ears, such as the walkman and mp3 players. It is really convenient to listen to music by headphone but it is harmful to our ears to some extent. Usually we use these digital players at bus station or in a bus or train. But there place are too noise and we can’t help turn up the volume. Although we can’t feel painful or uncomfortable in our ears, our ears are bearing high level volume. So the tip is to listen to music at a quiet place. On the other hand, hearing music for a long time is also bad for our ears. We should avoid listening to music via portable digital players with headphones for more than one hour every time.
What I tell you above is a brief introduction about protecting our ears. It depends on yourselves to protect your ears. Anyway, if you want a good hearing, avoid loud sound. Ears are not so strong as you think.

Interesting websites

My favourite online dictionary
http://dictionary.reference.com/

My favourite English website
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Interesting information that came up in class.

Obama's speech yesterday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XASBldhMOME

Aung San Suu Kyi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi

Thinking on Mondays

I hope to read this children's book about two cows who live on a farm called "Minnie and Moo and the Seven Wonders of the world"written and illustrated by Denys Cazet to you on Monday. It says some interesting things about thinking.........................................................

Minnie and Moo strolled to the top of their favourite hill. They leaned against the old oak tree and watched the summer day give way to the summer night.......

Minnie looked at Moo.”You're thinking again,” she said.
Moo sat down. “How do you know?”
“It's in the air,” said Minnie. “Everyone else is settling in for the night, and your brain is cooking on all four burners.”
Moo sighed. She looked at the grass. She tugged at a tuft of poppies. “I have thoughts,” she said softly.
“Moo,” said Minnie, “it is much too late for thinking. You know what that extra thought does to you in the evenings.”
Moo picked up a dandelion. She held it up against the setting sun and turned it slowly.
“Thinking is not healthy,” continued Minnie. “Thinking leads to sleepless nights, headaches, and torpid bowels.”
Moo lay back on the cool grass. She blew on the dandelion and watched the feathery seeds rise up and float away in the light wind.“Don't you ever think?” Moo asked.
“Please!”said Minnie. “When I am hungry, I eat. When I am thirsty, I drink. I don't have to think about it!”“But, Minnie...”
“Tut-tut!” said Minnie. “When you were sick last winter, I did not have to think about taking care of you. You are my friend. One friend takes care of another. What is there to think about? There is too much thinking going on in the world and not enough doing.”
“That is a thought!”said Moo.
“Moo!”gasped Minnie. “ How can you say such a thing? I am a cow. I am much too busy to think.”Moo touched Minnie's shoulder.
“Minnie,” she said, “I am a cow...and I think.”
Minnie sighed. She looked off into the distance. The hills were black against the fading light. “Mother Nature is an odd duck,” she muttered.
“Aha!” said Moo. “There's another one!”
“Another what?” asked Minnie.“Another thought!”
“Never!” said Minnie. “I was saying what I know. I do not know because I think. I know because I see. I see. I say. I do.”
Moo stared at Minnie for a moment. She put her arms behind her back and paced back and forth. Suddenly she twirled and said,”The farmer thinks and look at all the wonderful things he can do.”
Minnie folded her arms. “He does not do because he can think,” Minnie said. “He do because he has thumbs!”
“And a bigger brain.”............
"I'm telling you, Moo, a bigger brain is not all its cracked up to be.”
“But....Minnie...”“Moo, brains are overrated!”
“Minnie! What could be more important than the brain?”
“The stomach!” said Minnie. “The stomach is much more important.”
“The stomach?” Moo repeated.
“Of course,” said Minnie. “What matters more? Eating or thinking?”
Moo began to pace again. “ If I do not eat,” she muttered. “I will die. If I am dead, I cannot think. When I do not think, I fidget. Therefore, I would rather fidget while I am alive than fidget while I am dead.”
Moo shrugged.”Eating is better than thinking, I think.”
Minnie threw up her arms. “There you have it,” she said “It is why cows have several stomachs and farmers have only one. Now let's have no more of this! It's settled. Thinking is not healthy and....”
"What about dogs?”Moo asked.
“What?”“What about dogs?” Moo repeated.
Minnie sighed. “What about them?”
“Dogs think,” said Moo. “Rosie, Mrs Farmer's cocker spaniel, sits on the back porch and stares off into space for hours at a time.”
“Rosie is not thinking,” said Minnie. “She is waiting for a thought.”
“Okay,” said Moo. “Then how about Labradors?....They think.”
“No,” said Minnie. “Labradors do not think. They please.”
“How about cats?” said Moo. “When Rufus catches a mouse in the barn, he plans , he schemes, he thinks”
“No, “ said Minnie. “Rufus never has to think. He simply does. He knows where the mice live and lies in the sun enjoying a a snooze. If a mouse comes by, he will catch it. If he is in a playful mood, he will tease the bejabbers out of it. If he happens to be hungry, he will eat it. None of that requires thinking.”
“I'll bet the mouse is thinking,” said Moo.
“He shouldn't!”said Minnie. “He should be doing what he needs to do and watch where he's doing it. Forget the thinking and do the doing.”
Moo turned away form Minnie and looked out across the farm toward the distant hills and the setting sun. She sighed and then sat next to Minnie. “I guess you are right,”she said.” I don't know why I have thoughts. They just seem to show up without being invited.”
Minnie smiled. “We are what we are,” she said, patting Moo on the arm. “Some things never change.”
“That's all right with me,”said Moo.
“Me too,” said Minnie.
Together they watched the last rays of the sun fade in the western sky.
"Yesterday,” said Minnie, “the night sky was red. Tonight it is orange.”
Moo put her arm around Minnie.“I wonder why,”she said.

An Important Announcement

Hi class,
1) I have corrected your essays done on Monday and posted them under comments. There may still be some mistakes, help me look out for them. If you don't understand why these changes have been made please ask on Monday. Try to revise this weekend and we will do revision on Monday.
2) On Monday 8th June class monitors/asst monitors/ librarians are to return ALL materials (stationery, library etc) and equipment to your respective Group cabinet at the Part-Timers' Room at CELC. If you do not want your textbooks, please bring them along and they will be donated to a middle school in China.
3) Please bring all the books you borrowed by Monday.
4) Make sure you fill in the online evaluation form.
5) Tuesday's variety show is now in LT27 science block.

See you soon...

Refugees are a problem that needs a global solution. Do you agree?

Have you ever noticed refugees in your own country? What can we do to help them? As we all know refugees are people who flees their homeland to a foreign country because of a bad economy, serious political situation, war or natural disasters. The problem of refugees is one of the toughest problems around the world. As many countries are still poor and the problem of refugees cannot be avoided. Since the problem of refugees exists in almost every corner of the world, so global solutions are needed. I agree that refugees are a problem that needs a global solution.

Firstly, the countries that produce refugees have the responsibility to reduce the numbers of refugees who flee due to poverty, politics and natural disasters. The government of these countries need to develop industries, offer job opportunities and create a system to care for the welfare of the people. The children, elderly and handicapped are particularly vulnerable. Governments need to ensure peace, avoid war and offer political stability. Last but not least, during time of natural disasters, governments are supposed to respond quickly and offer aid so that they do not cross national boundaries to seek for help. Often these countries may need the financial, organisational and practical help of a global organisations like the United Nations, Red Cross and other Non-profit organisations to carry out these tasks.

Secondly, the countries that receive refugees need to take proper care of the refugees. The first and most fundamental solution is to remove prejudice towards the refugees within their own country and abroad. They should welcome them into the country and take steps to help them assimilate into the country. One effective way is to offer them some professional training so that they can find a job in the country. If the receiving country cannot cope with the influx of refugees, another countries should volunteer to accept these refugees. Wealthy, developed countries can afford to accept and help these refugees to resettle in their new homes.

Thirdly, the refugees themselves need to be responsible and take steps to integrate and become good citizens of their new country. Refugees tend to face great deprivation and suffering in their journey to a new home. They may have acquired bad habits that have helped survive in chaotic conditions such as lying, cheating, stealing and scheming. These habits need to be replaced so that trust in a community, legislation and authority can be built. For example, refugees in similar situations could unit and negotiate for long term benefits for themselves. They could regulate their behavior amongst themselves and advocate for each other in cross cultural situations.

Critics against my position may say that a global solution to refugee problem will cause new problems such as countries interfering with local politics. However, it is not true. For instance, when the conflict between Palestine and Israel escalated, thousands of Palestinian refugees fled to Jordan. The local government of Jordan with the help from some global organizations received and sheltered the refugees. Their cooperative efforts were quite successful and limited interference with local politics occurred. From the example we can see that with global help we can better solve the refugee problem and can prevent the problem of countries becoming over dependent on one country for help. In effect combined aid efforts could make it harder for one country to interfere in the local politics of another.

From the solutions offered above, it is clear that the solution lies in a combined global effort to reach out to people who are displaced. The media helps spread a message of the plight of refugees to a global audience as people are made more aware. Governments of developed and undeveloped countries need to cooperate to find refugees a home and make them feel welcomed. Many global aid organisations, such as Oxfam, Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and others often draw expertise from many nations as they try to help refugees. Refugees themselves need to work with their host nations to find suitable solutions to their problems.

The UN Refugee Agencyhttp://www.unhcr.org/basics.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/unhcr

Read the solution offered in the Nobel Lecture 1954http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1954/refugees-lecture.html

Back Review of My Bridging Course

Back Review of My Bridging Course
--Zhou Yuanyi
I have been in Singapore for half a year. Looking back what I have done in Bridging Course, I feel content but not so well-content.
At the beginning of my Bridging Course, I failed to concentrate on my study but the dream of guitar. I was so worried about my guitar dream that I was nearly out of mind. Of course, my study performance is bad.
After I participated in the Jogging Team, I was getting to know a person named Gary, who helps not only me but also many SM3 students a lot. There is no denying that he has a great effect on me. I was moved and touched by him as well as our Jogging Team.
The very first I knew Gary was when I asked him to bring me a birthday present. He gave me the book Everyday Greatness. Later I admired him very much because he could memorize most of the names of SM3 students and he care about everyone in Jogging Team and wanted to make them to bring out the best in us.
He made reconnaissance each time before we jogged. He picked us every early morning to encourage us to take the first bus to school. He prepared papers and exams for us to exercise before formal exams. He sent SMS to everyone to encourage them before progress test. He lent books to us trying to illuminate us to understand many questions out of study. I feel so lucky to know him.
I will remember our Jogging Team forever. There are so many inspiring people who make me feel warm. Their persistence left me deep impression. Like YiDa, ZhangLiang. Our team leader Shuofeng paid a lot in this team. XiaoKang will wait and cared YiDa each time when YiDa run with difficulty. ZhangLiang taught me maths patiently. ShuoFeng was willing to spent time to listen to my complaint and chatted with me for a long time. A SM2 girl named XingXi, whom I want to stress most, is pretty and kind. Every member encouraged each other and walked on until the ultimately goal “Passion Run”. After we finished the ten thousand meters running, we not only achieved the sense of success, but also the deep feelings between each other.
I lived a life meaningful during bridging course. But the not so content part is that I worked hard until the shocking exam result came out. Although it is not too late, I regard it as a reminder for my future life.
I learned to be independent and care about others. I learned that study is not the most important thing in our life, because there are many things that worth doing. I learned that we should live with an attitude of grateful. I learned to be respect to others. I learned thinking is the most important thing for human beings. I also believe that live in your own kind of lifestyle, do not to admire others too much. You can do a lot of things to that kind of person rather than just admiring them.
Like BOWEN said, I also feel the warm in group 6. It is another kind of home. Maybe after we enter NUS, there is little chance for us to gather together. So treasure every second we have now.
I do not know what the future in store for me. My aim is to live a meaningful life.
Happy everyday! Yuanyi; Happy every day, my Jogging Team; Happy every day, my forever Group 6!

Happiness

There is no one who is happy all the time and it is impossible to make every one feel happy. Different people have different ideas of happiness. Some may describe an ideal life and they believe that that is a happy life. but even the dream come true, they cannot feel happy all the time. People’s emotions are changing. It is normal that sometimes we feel happy and sometimes not. On the contrary, if one is in a poor district and can merely get enough food, it is not necessarily that he or she is not happy. A flower or a word may make him/her feel happy, although probably just for a while. Hence, happy is not necessarily connected with the material world; it is rather a product of spiritual or psychological world. Then, happy is just a “small part of one’s life.” it is just a moment, not a lifelong time. In my opinion, it is ridiculous that some people want to live a happy life and it is more ridiculous that some countries set this word as their goal.

Philosophy

Recently, I have read some books about philosophy. I found books about philosophy are really hard to understand. After reading these books, it seemed that I had learned a lot of theories about philosophy. However, I know not what I learned now. I am even more confused than before. What is philosophy is a highly controversial topic. There are much more controversial issues in every theory system. So obviously I need to spend more time and energy to learn philosophy.
Let me introduce some basic knowledge about philosophy.
There are a lot of branches of philosophy. The following branches are the main areas of study:
Metaphysics investigates the nature of being and the world. Traditional branches are cosmology and ontology.
Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, and whether knowledge is possible. Among its central concerns has been the challenge posed by skepticism and the relationships between truth, belief, and justification.
Ethics, or 'moral philosophy', is concerned with questions of how persons ought to act or if such questions are answerable. The main branches of ethics are meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Meta-ethics concerns the nature of ethical thought, comparison of various ethical systems, whether there are absolute ethical truths, and how such truths could be known. Ethics is also associated with the idea of morality. Plato's early dialogues include a search for definitions of virtue.
Political philosophy is the study of government and the relationship of individuals and communities to the state. It includes questions about justice, the good, law, property, and the rights and obligations of the citizen.
Aesthetics deals with beauty, art, enjoyment, sensory-emotional values, perception, and matters of taste and sentiment.
Logic deals with patterns of thinking that lead from true premises to true conclusions, originally developed in Ancient Greece. Beginning in the late 19th century, mathematicians such as Frege focused on a mathematical treatment of logic, and today the subject of logic has two broad divisions: mathematical logic (formal symbolic logic) and what is now called philosophical logic.
Philosophy of mind deals with the nature of the mind and its relationship to the body, and is typified by disputes between dualism and materialism. In recent years there has been increasing similarity between this branch of philosophy and cognitive science.
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language.
There are two kinds of philosophy which are quite different .they are western philosophy and eastern philosophy. Two important nations which contributed a lot are Germany and China.
The main theories of philosophy includes realism and nominalism , rationalism and empiricism, skepticism, idealism, pragmatism and so on.
Some famous philosophers: Plato, René Descartes, Immanuel Kant, Søren Kierkegaard,
Ferdinand de Saussure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy#Existentialism

Bodybuilding

I have kept going to jam since I came here in Singapore. But I am not pleased with my muscles now. One reason may lead to this result is that I have not spend sufficient time on this. And I know this is a long journey and I must have perseverance. Just like the professional body builder, Jiang Haiyuan, once said, “Bodybuilding is not like making instant noodle.” No one can be Mr. Olympia after training for only several months. Apart from this reason, I did not gain enough knowledge about bodybuilding is another major problem. Hence, I want to share some information about bodybuilding with my classmates.
Bodybuilders use three main strategies to maximize muscle hypertrophy:
Strength training through weights or elastic/hydraulic resistance
Specialized nutrition, incorporating extra protein and supplements where necessary
Adequate rest, including sleep and recuperation between workouts
Protein

Protein milkshakes, made from protein powder (center) and milk (left), are a common bodybuilding supplement.
Protein is probably one of the most important parts of the diet for the bodybuilder to consider. Functional proteins such as motor proteins which include myosin, kinesin, and dynein generate the forces exerted by contracting muscles. Current advice says that bodybuilders should consume 25-30% of protein per total calorie intake to further their goal of maintaining and improving their body composition.[11] This is a widely debated topic, with many arguing that 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is ideal, some suggesting that less is sufficient, while others recommending 1.5, 2, or more.[12][13][14][15] It is believed that protein needs to be consumed frequently throughout the day, especially during/after a workout, and before sleep.[16] There is also some debate concerning the best type of protein to take. Chicken, beef, pork, fish, eggs and dairy foods are high in protein, as are some nuts, seeds, beans and lentils. Casein or whey are often used to supplement the diet with additional protein. Whey protein is the type of protein contained in many popular brands of protein supplements, and is preferred by many bodybuilders because of its high Biological Value (BV) and quick absorption rates. Bodybuilders usually require higher quality protein with a high BV rather than relying on protein such as soy, which is often avoided due to its claimed estrogenic properties.[17] Still, some nutrition experts believe that soy, flax seeds and many other plants that contain the weak estrogen-like compounds or phytoestrogens can be used beneficially as phytoestrogens compete with this hormone for receptor sites in the male body and can block its actions. This can also include some inhibition of pituitary functions while stimulating the P450 system (the system that eliminates chemicals, hormones, drugs and metabolic waste product from the body) in the liver to more actively process and excrete excess estrogen.[18][19] Cortisol decreases amino acid uptake by muscle, and inhibits protein synthesis
Rest
Although muscle stimulation occurs in the gym lifting weights, muscle growth occurs afterward during rest. Without adequate rest and sleep, muscles do not have an opportunity to recover and build. About eight hours of sleep a night is desirable for the bodybuilder to be refreshed, although this varies from person to person. Additionally, many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body's ability to build muscle. Some bodybuilders take several naps per day, during peak anabolic phases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodybuilding

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In my opinion, we should not judge a historical figure by the morality or our personal values. There is no right or wrong in history, only truth or lies. Although one person can be very powerful, he or she alone cannot change the trend of history. The Wei Kingdom collapsed 45 years after Caocao died. Caocao kept the words that he would never take the place of Han Emperor, but his son did so soon after Caocao died. Heroes are important in history, but they are not all the history. History has its own principle that cannot be change by human’s willing. In this sense, it is not the royal court of Qing Dynasty that should be responsible for the collapse of the China in the 19th century, but the whole Chinese. It is not the Westerners that are evil, but that history principles are cruel. Backwardness leaves you vulnerable to attack. Although history is cruel, it is its cruelty that pushes human forward.

A Book Review of a Study in Scarlet

“A Study in Scarlet” by Conan Doyle is an enjoyable book. The reason why this is so is because it is a famous detective novel about the famous detector Sherlock Holmes and I like him and detective novels very much and the story is engrossing. The story is mainly about a man who unusual but very sad experience had killed his enemies and then was traced out by Holmes. At the beginning of the book, the author, in the first person of Doctor Watson as the companion of Holmes, impressed us of the unusual character of Holmes and tells about the case of scarlet and how Holmes traced it out. Then, after the murderer was caught, he told Holmes and Watson his sad story which explained why he killed the two persons. The story concludes with a sad but satisfying ending when the murderer died in the prison of disease.
The book is set in London and America of the ending of 17th century. The author paints a clear picture of that time period. This makes it easy for me to visualize the setting of the story. Examples of the sentences that show the setting are “In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London” found on the first page. Another description “In the central portion of the great North American Continent there lies an arid and repulsive desert” found on the first page of the Second Part of this book gives us the picture of hardship. Hence, the book is set in a period very different to our own.
The main theme in the novel is to show us the talent and braveness of Holmes and the author seems to be trying to convey it. This can be seen in the following ways as Holmes used his deductive method to surprise us and Watson. The message is expressed in obvious ways. I tend to agree with the authors views because in my own experience Holmes is a brilliant and brave and I admire him.
The most charming character is of course Holmes. This is because Holmes cracked the case and has sense of good and evil. Furthermore, Watson is really a good assistant. Finally, the murder is really a unlucky and poor. I cannot help but confuse every time Holmes used his deduction method. For example, the first time he met Watson he knew Watson was once in Afghan as a medical office. Hence, showing how brilliant he is.
This author writes in a style that is complicated. The words he uses are just right. Words like deductive and unravel is new to me. The author uses interesting phrases like cut his tongue before he would own it to any third person. These phrases show how skillful Conan is. The dialogue is used in the novel is realistic. For example, at the beginning of the Chapter 3, the Lauriston Garden Mystery, Watson and Holmes are talking.
“How is the world did you deduce that?
“Deduce what?”
“Why, that he was a retired sergeant of Marines.”
“I have no time for trifles …, excuse my rudeness. You broke the thread of my thoughts; but perhaps it is as well. So you actually were not able to see that that man was a sergeant of Marines?”
This dialogue could have been a taped conversation between two people in a reading room. Hence I like the writher’s style and would like to imitate his writing techniques.
I would recommend this novel to people who enjoy reading detective stories because this book is too classical (but most of us have read it). I simply could not put the book down and eagerly look forward to reading the next novel by this author. I simply could not wait for the book to end.

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continue the article http://sm3group6.blogspot.com/2009/05/untitiled.html

For the first, before Caocao took over Han Empire, the capital of Han, Luoyang, had already been burned by a military leader and the Han government had broken up. Caocao welcomed the Emperor of Han to his city, Xudu and used the reputation of Han to call for armies and talented person. The reputation of Han had helped Caocao win many wars in the early years of his career. So what Caocao had done, in my opinion, is political and has nothing to do with morality.
For the second, I would like to show what kind of person he had killed. The most famous one is Kong Rong, who was the 20th generation of Kong Zi, the founder of Confucianism. When Caocao had conquered Yuanshao, another state leader, Caocao took a beautiful girl belonging to Yuanshao as one of his wives. Kong Rong said some satirical words and irritated Caocao, which was considered a capital crime at that time. However, Caocao forgave him. But before the war against Yuanshao, when Caocao was on the frontline, Kong Rong spread the words in Xudu that Yuanshao was undefeatable. Even today it was considered a serious crime. Caocao forgave him again. When Caocao was old, maybe he thought of Kong Rong’s mistakes, he used a ridiculous reason to sentence Kong Rong to death. That is why he was hated by posterity. Another very famous person is called Yang Xiu. He was so brilliant that he can guess what Caocao thought correctly. What is more, he liked to show off his talents. During one war against Shu, Caocao intended to withdraw his troops, Yang Xiu guessed it out and prepared his package and told his friends that Caocao was ready to leave. Caocao then sentenced him to death. In my opinion, Yang Xiu deserved to death according to the law at that time. He killed people not because personal prejudices, but because the people he killed broke his principles. However, Chinese do not believe in law, but believe in power. That is why posterity do not understand him and regard him as a killer.
For the third, I like him personality very much. He likes and dares to tell the truth even though the truth was unacceptable at that time. When the royal court were discussing whether he intent to take the place of Han Emperor, he wrote an article that he ambition grew step by step and he would never give up his power and as long as he was alive, he would not take the place of Han Emperor. This is strongly against the value at that time because it suggested he was actually the ruler of the Kingdom.

The days that we had

“The days we had, the songs we sang together…” Before I wrote this article, I heard this song from my classmate’s mp3. It is a very classic song called “Seasons in the sun”. I was suddenly moved because what the song depicted was just what I was feeling at that time.
After a week, our group 6 will be dismissed. Now I shall say how time flies. When it was only March, I feel I was struggling to come to school for study. I was always looking forward to the university life. However, my feeling is completely different this time. A little dreary, a little dismal may suitably describe what I am feeling now. We will not have such a relaxing and comfortable life after we are in the university.
Now I start to feel that every one in our classroom is quite cute. I will not forget you guys: the days we had, the songs we sang together…I still remember the first day that I came to Group 6. Miss Goh’s smile was unforgettable. Also, every one looked quite nervous when they introduced themselves. But later, as we were more familiar with each other, the studying atmosphere was quite good. In fact, I remembered all our classmates’ name after the introduction. ^_^
As time went by, I gradually found that every one in our classroom had a very unique personality. Some are very active, while some do not like to talk too much; some are very humorous, some are very funny, or rather “thunder”. I think the word “thunder” is the greatest invention in 2009 which is created by our group. ^_^
I watched our group’s variety show just now. I think it is really a good present that is worthy for us to treasure. Every classmate’s cute face is kept in my mind and will not fade away.
The days we “thunder” together…oh yeah!

Powerful PS

I used to hear friends say Photoshop is extremely powerful but never get a chance to try it. When our group prepared for our oral presentation, I finally discovered that Photoshop is really powerful and useful. Besides, it often brings out funny effect.
As we prepared our oral presentation, we found a quite interesting picture. It shows an “SOS” signal piled with plastic boxes. However, the instruction board is written in Chinese. In addition, there was a date on the downright corner of the picture. Since the Chinese characters and the date indicate unprofessionalism, we had to fix the original picture or change it. As the picture is very meaningful and perfectly suitable for our presentation theme, we decided to fix it. Therefore, I managed to “carry” grass from around to cover the date and diminish the Chinese characters and write the English version.
After I showed this picture to my teammates, they all felt it really funny. I think so too. When I observe the two pictures, I believe PS is powerful, useful and funny. While my practice is only a simple use of Photoshop. There is much more to explore in Photoshop. This software is quite popular among university students and helps them a lot in university activities.

A Book Review of The Silver Chair By C.S.Lewis

“The Silver Chair” by C.S.Lewis and published by Lions is one of the most wonderful novels that make up the Chronicles of Narnia Series. It is interesting and exciting because this novel is full of adventures, narrow escapes and leaps of faith. The main plots revolves around the rescue of Prince Rilian. At the beginning of the book, Jill Pole is crying in the gym because the bigger kids are bullying her in school. Then Eustace leads her to Aslan’s country and they begin a mysterious journey. The climax of the book is when Jill has missed three of the four signs given by Aslan and nearly misses the fourth one. But the story concludes with a happy and predictable ending when Prince Rilian is finally found by the boy and the girl.
The book is set in an imaginary place, Aslan’s country, during the time when creatures can talk as human beings. The author paints a vivid picture of the magic period. This makes it easy for me to visualize the setting of the story. Examples of sentences that show the beautiful scenery of Aslan’s country are “On the far side of the lawn, its weather-vanes glittering in the light, rose a many-towered and many-turreted castle; the most beautiful castle Jill had ever seen.” On page 31. Another description “We’re all poor gnomes from Bism whom the Witch has called up here by magic to work for her… We didn’t know who we were or where we belonged. We couldn’t do anything, or think anything, except what she puts into our heads” found on page 159 contradicts the picture of peace and beauty. Hence, the book is set in a period very different to our own.
The main theme in the novel is following the rules. The message the author seems to be trying to convey is the importance of following rules. This can be seen in the following ways: only by following Aslan’s signs can Jill and Eustace find Prince Rilian. The message is expressed in very obvious way. I tend to agree with the author’s views because in my own experience, following rules makes tasks easier to finish and leads to a clear direction.
The most important character is Jill Pole. This is because Jill changes a lot during her journey in Narnia. She becomes more and more mature. I cannot but dislike her when I first read she made Eustace fall off the cliff in order to show off. But when she carries Aslan’s signs on the way to rescue Prince Rilian, she becomes much more responsible.
The author writes in a simple and clear style. The words he uses are easy. Words like “bully” on page 1, “grassy bank” on page 2, “attend to” on page 3, “hopelessness” on page 4 … are very familiar to me. The author uses literary language such as “It made the drops of water on the grass glitter like beads and showed us the dirtiness of Jill’s tear – stained face.” On page 16, “Everything was swimming before her eyes” on page 19. “His beard, white as wool, fell nearly to his waist” on page 31. These sentences show how skillful C.S.Lewis is. The dialogue used in the novel is realistic.
For example on page 35 Dwarf and Owl are talking
“Heh? What’s that” said the Dwarf.
“Two strangers, my lord,” said the Owl.
“Rangers! What d’ye mean?” said the Dwarf, “I see two uncommonly grabby man-cubs.”
This dialogue could have taken place in real life because people tend to use shorter sentences when in conversation. Hence, I like the writers writing styles.
I would recommend this novel to kids who enjoy reading interesting stories. I simply could not put the book down and eagerly look forward to reading the next novel by this author.

joke

Husband Doing Laundry
Funny Jokes Posted on Friday, May 29, 2009 by Author @ 8:54 PM
One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?""It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"He yelled back, "Just do it!!
http://jokediary.com/

XiXian Yuanyi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxa0mnDj0bs&feature=PlayList&p=79CBEE6D07CED5A1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

Jokes

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/georgewbush/George_W_Bush_Jokes_and_Humor.htm
Jokes of Bush

the most popular SLANG dictionary

A monster online dictionary of the rich colourful language we call slang... all from a British perspective, with new slang added every month. If you are unable to immediately find the term you are looking for, try the slang search. A short essay giving an outline of the parameters of this dictionary and brief information on slang can be accessed on the introduction page. Please take the time to read this introduction before submitting any slang for inclusion in this dictionary. Should you wish to do further research I have presented a selection of good source material... books, which can be found on the bibliography page.

http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/frames.htm

Mi Yang's task 2

www.iciba.com/
dict.cn/
www.iselong.com/online/Dictionary.htm
dict.baidu.com/
trans.netat.net/
www.tigernt.com/dict.shtml
zidian.cn.yahoo.com/
These are some websites about dictionaries.

jokes

A man goes to the doctor and says, "Doctor, wherever I touch, it hurts." The doctor asks, "What do you mean?" The man says, "When I touch my shoulder, it really hurts. If I touch my knee - OUCH! When I touch my forehead, it really, really hurts." The doctor says, "I know what's wrong with you - you've broken your finger!"

Two boys were arguing when the teacher entered the room. The teacher says, "Why are you arguing?" One boy answers, "We found a ten dollor bill and decided to give it to whoever tells the biggest lie." "You should be ashamed of yourselves," said the teacher, "When I was your age I didn't even know what a lie was." The boys gave the ten dollars to the teacher.

http://www.jxenglish.com/reading/humor/730.html

joke

I Want to Buy ThatA blonde goes into a nearby store and asks a clerk if she can buy the TV in the corner.The clerk looks at her and says that he doesn't serve blondes, so she goes back home and dyes her hair black.The next day she returns to the store and asks the same thing, and again, the clerk said he doesn't serve blondes.Frustrated, the blonde goes home and dyes her hair yet again, to a shade of red.Sure that a clerk would sell her the TV this time, she returns and asks a different clerk this time.To her astonishment, this clerk also says that she doesn't serve blondes.The blonde asks the clerk, "How in the world do you know I am a blonde?"The clerk looks at her disgustedly and says,"That's not a TV -- it's a microwave!"

http://www.kinglishschool.com/fun.htm

My viewpoints upon the motion

The economy is in a big recession, the country is in danger, and the failing bank is big enough to influence the whole bank system. This is what happened in the United States currently, because of the financial crisis and the huge banks are bankrupt, the savings of millions of people are lost, large amount of unemployment are occurred which leads to demonstrations and social unrest, the confidence of finical system is losing and many even feel upset, many other related systems are influenced and cannot work as well as before. To solve this complex problem, the best way is using government.
First, as a government, it has the responsibility and capability to deal with this situation.according to the functions of government, the government must insure domestic tranquility and stability of the society protect the economic infrastructure, make sure every system are running well and provide sufficient employment.
Second, in this special time, we should look for special solutions. In normal times, we should follow the market mechanisms. However, as the market mechanisms are not always perfect, to be rigid is not a wise choice. Like some seemingly acceptable measures, market mechanisms need a very long time to work. Yet, the situation is so urgent that we cannot wait for that long time. Definitely, using government to rescue the economy is a quicker and more effective method. Hence, government should rescue the economy.
Using government to solve a series of economy, sometimes we must rescue the failing banks. As an organization that provides various financial services, bank, it has become an indispensable part of our lives. It is closely linked with the personal finance and many other occupations. When we meet an economic problem, we can not ignore bank, because it is related with other institutions. As we mentioned above, some failing banks play a very important role in the whole banking. Some famous brands in banking are extremely valuable. If we do not rescue the failing banks, the whole banking will be in danger and we will lose some hard-won brands.

At last, we want to say that in certain condition, the government should rescue failing banks, but it should rescue them wisely, for instance, we can nationalize the bank. The government should supervise the method strictly. In addition, the government should not rescue all the failing banks, because for some, it is too hard to recover.

Not Very Good Jokes haha~~

A guy was trying to console a friend who'd just found his wife
in bed with another man.
"Get over it, buddy," he said. "It's not the end of the world."
"It's all right for you to say," answered his buddy. "But what
if you came home one night and caught another man in bed with
your wife?"
The fella ponders for a moment, then says, "I'd break his cane
and kick his seeing-eye dog in the ass."







A man is in a hotel lobby. He wants to ask the clerk a question.
As he turns to go to the front desk, he accidentally bumps into a woman
beside him and as he does, his elbow goes into her breast. They
are both quite startled.

The man turns to her and says, "Ma'am, if your heart is as soft as
your breast, I know you'll forgive me."

She replies, "If your penis is as hard as your elbow, I'm in room 436."

JOKE

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate
father to start their family. On the day the surrogate father was to
arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife and said, "I'm off. The man should be
here soon" Half an hour later, just by chance a door-to-door baby
photographer rang the doorbell, hoping to make a sale.

"Good morning, madam. I've come to...."
"Oh, no need to explain. I've been expecting you," Mrs. Smith cut in.
"Really?" the photographer asked. "Well, good. I've made a speciality of
babies"
"That's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat"

After a moment, she asked, blushing, "Well, where do we start?"
"Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the
couch and perhaps a couple on the bed. Sometimes the living room floor is
fun too; you can really spread out!"
"Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work for Harry and me"
"Well, madam, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But, if we
try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven different
angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results"
"My, that's a lot of....." gasped Mrs. Smith.
"Madam, in my line of work, a man must take his time. I'd love to be in
and out in five minutes, but you'd be disappointed with that, I'm sure"
"Don't I know it," Mrs. Smith said quietly.

The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his
baby pictures.
"This was done on the top of a bus in downtown London"
"Oh my God!" Mrs. Smith exclaimed, tugging at her handkerchief.
"And these twins turned out exceptionally well, when you consider their
mother was so difficult to work with"
"She was difficult?" asked Mrs. Smith.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I finally had to take her to Hyde Park to get the job
done right. People were crowding around four and five deep, pushing to get
a good look"
"Four and five deep?" asked Mrs. Smith, eyes widened in amazement.
"Yes," the photographer said, "And for more than three hours too. The
mother was constantly squealing and yelling. I could hardly concentrate.
Then darkness approached and I began to rush my shots. Finally, when the
squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just packed it all in."
Mrs. Smith leaned forward. "You mean squirrels actually chewed on your,
um......equipment?"
"That's right. Well, madam, if you're ready, I'll set up my tripod so we
can get to work."
"Tripod?????"
"Oh yes, I have to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big for
me to hold for very long. Madam? Madam? ....... Good Lord, she's
fainted!!"

Acronyms-Abbreviations Coded Really Ominously Null

PCMCIA - People Can't Memorize Computer Industry
SCSI - System Can't See It
DOS - Defunct Operating System
BASIC - Bill's Attempt to Seize Industry Control
IBM - I Blame Microsoft
CD-ROM - Consumer Device, Rendered Obsolete in Months
OS/2 - Obsolete Soon, Too
ISDN - I Simply Don't Know

english jokes

Teacher:Tom,why are you late for school every day? Tom: Every time ,when I come to the corner,a sign says:"shool go slow".



TGIF vs SHIT a man met a blond in the elevator. he greeted her: "T-G-I-F" but got the reply: "S-H-I-T" he was startled, but repeated "T-G-I-F" again the reply was "S-H-I-T" he was frustrated and said: "T-G-I-F, I mean Thanks God It's Friday" the blond looked at him saying: "S-H-I-T, I mean Sorry Honey It's Thursday"http://www.chinaunix.net/jh/33/545296.html

jokes

http://jokediary.com/

Blonde Joke

An Indian Blonde decides to study English. She learns an essay 'FRIEND', but in the exam an essay on 'FATHER' comes.
She replaced friend with father in the essay. It read:
I am a very fatherly person, I have many fathers. Some of my fathers are male and some are female. I have a new neighbor, I wish to make him my new father.
http://fun911.blogspot.com/2008/06/bihari-joke.html

Jokes

Hu Jintao was named chief of the Communist Party in China.
SCENE: The Oval Office. George Bush and Condolezza Rice.
George: Condi! Nice to see you。 What’’s happening?
Condi: Sir, I have the report about the new leader of China.
George: Great . Let’s hear it.
Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.
George: That’s what I want to know.
Condi: That’s what I’m telling you.
George: That’s what I’’m asking you。 Who is the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes
George: I mean the fellow’s name.
Condi: Hu.
George: The guy in China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The new leader of China.
Condi: Hu。
George: The Chinese?
Condi: Hu is leading China.
George: Now whaddya’ asking me for?
Condi: I’m telling you Hu is leading China.
George: Well,I’m asking you. Who is leading China?
Condi: That’’s the man’s name.
George: That’s whose name?
Condi: Yes.
George: Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of
China?
Condi: Yes sir.
George: Yassir? You mean Arafat is in China? I thought he was in the Middle
East.
Condi: That’s correct.
George: Then who is in China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir is in China?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Then who is?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Look, Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China.
Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone. I bet he knows.
Condi: Kofi?
George: No, thanks.
Condi: You want Kofi?
George: No.
Condi: You don’’t want Kofi.
George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And
then get me the U.N.
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi?
George: No, milk! Will you please make the call?
Condi: Call who?
George: Who is the guy at the U.N.?
Condi: Hu is the guy in China.
George: Will you stay out of China?!
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy
at the U.N!
Condi: Kofi?
George: All right! Light with sugar. Now get on the phone.
(Condi picks up the phone.)
Condi: Rice here.
George: Rice? Good idea. And a couple of egg rolls, too


joke about Singapore
http://www.asianjoke.com/singapore.htm

Jokes

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/georgewbush/George_W_Bush_Jokes_and_Humor.htm
This the website that have all the jokes and funny videos of George W Bush.

When Jet Li met Stephen Spielberg

Jet Li walked into a pub in New York with his pal. He says to his pal: “Hey! That’s Steven Spielberg over there! God, I wish he’ll come over to say “hi”.Spielberg suddenly walked over and gave the man a punch on the nose.Li : “Hey!! What that’s for?!”Spielberg : “You bloody Japanese killed my granddad when youbombed Pearl Harbour!”Li : “I’m not Japanese! I’m Chinese!”Spielberg : “Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, you’re all the same!”Spielberg walks back to the other side. Then Jet Li calmly walks over to Spielberg and gives him a really heavy punch on the face.Spielberg : “Hey! What that’s for….. !?!”Li : “YOU BLOODY ASSHOLE! YOU SANK THE TITANIC!”Spielberg : “No, I didn’t, an iceberg sank the Titanic!”Li : “Iceberg, Carlsberg, Spielberg, you’re all the same!”


http://www.gamexeon.com/forum/humor/48647-english-jokes.html

LuanBo‘s task two

English learning website：
www.24en.com/
www.wwenglish.com/
www.hao123.com/campuseng.htm/
www.com10.cn/
www.ncu.edu.tw/~eng/site/learn.htm
www.hao360.com/
www.ebigear.com/
www.putclub.com/
www.hxen.com/
www.ewstudy.com/
http://www.speak2me.cn/main/home/cn/default.php

Whether to save failing banks by government?

"It's our view that regulators are expecting 100 to 200 banks to fail over the next 12 to 24 months.” says Jaret Seiberg, a research analyst for the Stanford Group. Since the advent of recession, a plenty of banks have suffered from failures. Even the prestige banks such as City-Bank cannot escape from the plight. This brutal fact not only triggers people’s intense worry about the current economy, but also deteriorates the recession situation. Furthermore, various fields will be affected by the failing banks to a certain extent, which even may cause social unrest. To revive the economy, it is imperative for the government to take measures to save the failing banks.(Bowen)
Banks must be saved. As we know, people all deposit their money in banks, if the bank which holds their money bankrupts, part of their money is gone. Can you imagine you are told that your money in bank is gone while the economic crisis is getting worse and worse? Moreover, banks are not only the place where people deposit money, but also the resource of money for almost entire industries. Banks give loans to people to consume, which prompts economic development; banks invest companies to help them extend their business, which helps all industries carry on. What if banks are gone? The consumption will decrease at a considerable pace while all industry will face horrible problems since they can’t get enough money to carry on their business, which will not only destroy the financial market but also destroy the real economy. What’s more, when banks go bankrupt, confidence will be gone for an enormously long period of time. One thing you should know is that confidence is the most effective medicine during economic crisis.(Haiyuan)
I will take the City Bank as an example for our further illustration that failing banks must be saved by the government. As we know the City Bank is the second largest commercial bank of the whole America. It owns such a quite enormous amount of money and credits that the government of America cannot wait to save it. It is related to many ceilings’ accounts and many investors’ interest all over the world. Also, quite a large number of companies and enterprises need money flow through City Bank which is very reliable for them. Once City Bank failed, the whole financial system of the world would be severely affected and the whole market would be collapsed. That would be a terrible situation which cannot restore any more. And the government must protect the interest of the citizens and the whole financial system. It is their duty to save City Bank not only because of its great reputation, but also because it has an effect on the others fields and the whole world. Furthermore, the government has truly tried to save it. Government injected 20 billion dollars to rescue City Bank which has more than 350,000 clerks and over 200 million ceilings all over the world. We can see the good effect of the event. America alleviated the depressed situation of the market and citizens began to have their normal life. Saving some great failing banks must be done by the government if necessary.(Mi Yang)
Critics of my position may think that we should believe in the law of the jungle, i.e. we should let the market decide whether the bank survive or not. They may say that if the government interfere, although the banks can be saved temporarily, it will not change the whole economic situation. However, they are wrong. Firstly, market is not the only factor to decide whether a bank survives. As the development of banks will affect the economic trend of a country, the government who should assume the responsibility to control macro-economic of the whole country should save banks. Secondly, saving banks can help reviving the economy. For example, in 2008, during the recession, U.S government spent 20,000,000,000 dollars saving City Bank, which is the second largest commercial bank in U.S.A. After that, the economy of U.S.A began to revive. If the government let City Bank run its course, the whole economy of America will be pounded. Therefore, U.S government made great efforts to save City Bank and thus helped the economy to revive.（Xixian）

In conclusion, it is high time for the government to take actions to save the failing banks. Since the failing banks would trigger off so many serious consequences, it calls for urgent efforts to help those failing banks survive. However, it is almost unpractical to expect the failing banks to bounce back by themselves especially in the current severe situation. The failing banks cannot survive depending on their own capability. To survive in the recession, they need both the policy support and the finance support from the government. Only by the concerted efforts of government and those banks themselves can we expect the coming spring of the failing banks and the coming spring of the global economy.(Bowen)

WangChao,YangXiao,WuLingxue,JinYiping,QiaoLiang

Developing countries should join globalization. Do you agree?
Globalization, by its literary meaning, is the state of different countries’ joining in the economics activities. The concept of “global village” has long been raised by economists, and it remains to be the most heated issue ever since. For the developed countries, globalization is with no doubt profitable. On the other hand, for the developing countries, hazardous as it is, globalization still can do more good than bad to the local economy in the long run.

Those who are against the act of developing countries joining in the trend of globalization may argue that as underdeveloped countries, they can barely be on the equal footing while cooperating with developed countries and being exploited seems unavoidable. However, they neglect the fact that this kind of cooperation is a win-win deal which benefits both sides. Developing countries do not have to beg for the capital and cutting-edge technology from developed countries, since they have advantages which developed countries are longing for, e.g. land, raw material, cheap labors and far-unsaturated domestic market. Hence, to the satisfaction of one and all, cooperation will be formed on the base of equality and both sides will get what they want. For developing countries, particularly, they will benefit from the trend of globalization. Thus, by no means should they shut themselves up and reject the cooperation.
First, economic globalization for developing countries can attract more investment and capital investment opportunities from foreign countries especially from the developed countries. In 1996, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development published the "World Investment Report 1997," pointed out that in 1996, developing countries received 129 billion U.S. dollars from foreign direct investment. The sum of capital inflows that the 48 least developed countries have received has also increased 56% in 1996.
Economic globalization also has promoted the establishment and development of transnational corporations in developing countries and made them adapt to the world market gradually. Some very rapidly developed multinational companies even transformed from trading activities to the field of high-technology and began to participate in international competition in the world market.
Globalization contributes to developing countries’ economy by transferring advanced technology from developed countries to developing countries. For example, technology played a role from the 1950s through the 1970s in the development of a comprehensive (albeit, not technically progressive) industrial economy and an extensive research and development (R&D) system. By the late 1970s, however, the Chinese were prepared to acknowledge that many problems with their industrial and R&D systems were inhibiting the further development of the nation’s technical capabilities. By the pursuit of modern technology from abroad, China’s economy got a ever fast developing. Thus, technology transfer along with the globalization helps developing countries’ economy.

Under the trend of globalization, countries all around the world get benefits, so do the developing countries. With the funds and technology of the developed countries, developing countries use their manpower and resources to develop their economy and narrow the gap between the developed countries and them. Globalization provides a good chance for all the countries in the world to help others and develop themselves at the same time. Choosing to join the globalization is the choice of many developing countries and it is also the best choice for them to make.

Monday class!!

Government should save failing banks, do you agree?
Last year, a nightmare happened. Financial crisis happened. It affects the economy of the whole. The biggest bank in America declared bankruptcy. The global market got a decline period. To save the market, the US government save the failing banks by giving the banks millions of dollars which has already become a heated issue. Hence, we hold the position that government should save banks.
------Wangweibin
Furthermore, bank industry is a symbol of a country. As national economic courage, bank industry definitely leads local economy. Hence, if these optimus collapse, it only bring the country discourage and depression. Though some believe that it is banks themselves that bring them bankrupt because of the greed and lust, government should save banks, concerning the potential effect on the increasing of various industries. Buffet said that, stability and strength of banks are cardiac to not only individuals but also other factories and financial corporations. Therefore, there is no doubt that government should save the banks and make them run stably.
-------Fanxinyu
Bank plays an important role in people’s life. Government should save falling banks for the sake of its people. Bank’s situation can influence people’s money and moods. It is undeniable that almost everyone has a bank account. If we didn’t have banks where would people save their money? It’s the only place to save money, unless it’s an amount which one can put in the locker in his/her home. Of course, people can’t leave the money at home and increase the chances of it getting robbed. If banks are falling, people will lose money. Just like America, people lose a lot of money in the recession. Without any help, people will lose much money, even all. Government should take this responsibility to save its people. Banks can also influence people’s mood. If banks are falling, people will be negative and disappointed for the future. In a long run, the whole nation will face a series of problems. If our government does nothing for the falling banks, citizens will lose courage to overcome these economic problems. The whole country may get into trouble. October 24, 1929, the US suffered the greatest economic crisis. March 4, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the thirty-second President of the United States. He used a series of policies to save the economy. It was reform, recovery and relief. In this case, we can see that it is crucial for government to save the falling banks.
----------Ningchao
Critics against my position may say that the market show live on its own. So they think that it is unfair for the market. However things are not that easy. Banks are financial institutions licensed by governments. In other words they are playing a supporter’s role in the economy. Thus, one bank fail may occur many people and companies. For example, Lehman Brothers causes many companies like real estate companies to bankrupt, because Lehman lend much money to people who invest these companies. These real estate companies cannot get any money as soon as Lehman failed. Therefore, saving failing is fair for most companies. On the other hand, banks are related, because different banks have different functions. Therefore, would suffer a lot if the government refused to save large banks. For example, if people’s bank of China which is the centre bank of China failed, other banks in china could hardly work. As a result, government should safe banks to stabilize the economy and prevent large scale bankrupts.
--------ZhangHaoqiang
Banks really play an important role in the economy. The failing of banks will leave the economy mess and out of order. Meanwhile, it will also delay the revilement of economy. Obviously, the action that the government takes is really acceptable. In the end, we believe that government should save failing banks.
------Wangweibin

Classwork by YuanYi Zhenlei Zhaokun LuanBo

Government should carry out the macroeconomic control, do you agree?
--Zhou Yuanyi, LuanBo, YangZhenlei, Zhaokun
A highly controversial issue has been put forward since China introduced the macroeconomic control policy in 1993 about whether government should carry out the macroeconomic control policy or not? In the point of view of our group, we agree that government should carry out the macroeconomic control policy. The reasons are as follows: firstly, structural macroeconomic control aims to effective allocation of industrial resources, which helps to reduce the margin between the poor and the rich; Secondly, government can completely control the economic trend of the whole country and put an effort in the production that their people need most.
one point that we consider is the distribution of resources. This kind of matter may destroy the balance of the resources’ distribution. Just take China for example. The economy in the west part of China is completely different from the east part of China. There are many impoverished areas like Yun Nan in the West. However, the east part of China like Shanghai shows a very flourishing economy. The San Xia power station, which is the largest power station in China, provides more times of electricity for Shanghai than other areas. That may influence other areas’ development and stagnate the economy of the whole country.

Besides, another function of macro-control is to control the development of all the important industries that closely related with people’s lives. Through this policy, the government can not only guarantee the normal operation of some vital and indispensable industries like telecommunication industries and energy industries, but also prevent the excessive growth of some industries and reasonably boost other industries. For example, in 1993, Chinese government used the macro-control policy to strengthen transport and communication infrastructure to speed up the energy and important raw materials industries, with a focus on coal, electricity, iron and steel, building materials and the development of the petrochemical industry. The results were significant. In 2003, the investment in some industries was overheated and Gasoline Shortages and tension electricity supply were appeared. The government gave priority to ensuring the focus of urban and rural residents living, fully tapped the potential of coal, electricity and oil production, and strived to protect the important material transport. Then the problems are basically resolved.
But some people will say, because the market is the foundation of the economy, so economic regulation should be carried on with the help of the market, rather than relying too much on macroeconomic-control by the government. We cannot say it is wrong, what we want to emphasis is that market regulation needs a long time to change the structure of economy gradually. But in some certain time, such as the economic crisis happened recently, the economic crisis burst out and the economy in American suddenly changed. If at this time, American waits for the market regulation to recover the economy, it will take a long time and at the same time people in American will suffer. So it is a must for government to come out and put up with some policy to help the economy recover. As a result, the economy will recover.
Since government carry out the macroeconomic control policy, the economy and resource can be appropriately distributed and allocated. Government can decide where aspect to focus on in order to develop the economy. It is true that decisive decisions will be made when government faced with urgent issues rather than waiting for the principle of market to adjust. Also carrying out the macroeconomic control will play an important part in decreasing the distinction between the rich and the poor, which, as a result promote the stability of society.

The government should rescue failing banks when necessary

Till May 23rd 2009, 34 of American banks have collapsed in only one year’s time. Some of the collapsed banks such as Washington Mutual Bank, Integrity Bank are big banks in the world, while because of the economic recession more and more banks will collapse in the following years. Should government rescue these banks? It becomes a very hot topic these days. Our group thinks that government should rescue these banks when it is necessary.
(Wu Bo)
Firstly, the government is responsible for national financial system while saving the bank is an active measure to execute its responsibility. It may be argued whether the banks are worth being rescued and if we should follow the market force. However, the government cannot risk suffering the result of breakdown of the whole financial system caused by the collapse of banks. In this sense, government should take every effort to save the bank in certain cases because if the banks collapse, the national economy may breakdown without the healthy financial system. Take Iceland for example, as we know the currency of Iceland collapse because of the collapse of banks of Iceland and the whole nation is suffering the result of it. The Icelandic government did not take any measures to save the banks when there were already some evidences suggesting the danger of the collapse of banks. When the banks collapsed, they began to realize the danger and try to save them. However, it was too late. The failure of national economy is owing to the government. Hence, the government should save the banks to execute its responsibility and it cannot risk the collapse of the banks.
(By Zhou Bin)
Furthermore, the government should rescue banks when necessary to guarantee the benefits of its citizens. As bank is the most important part of financial chain, its collapse will definitely exert great influence on the individuals who have deposit in the bank or have some other financial relations with it. For example, the City Bank was on verge of bankrupt. As one of the greatest banks with branches all over the world, its collapse would have far-reaching impact and would make its customers suffer. Hence, the American government came to rescue the City Bank, which can prevent the recession from running worse and can guarantee more people’s basic benefits. If the government does nothing and leaves all failing banks on its own, it will cause disorder and chaos to society as more and more people are losing money. Actually they are paying for the failure of the banks which should be the government’s responsibility. In short, ensuring the interests of the whole people far overweighs other factors we can consider. It is necessary for the government to rescue some failing banks.
(By Du Fang)
Some critics may mislead that the responsibility of the government is to rescue the financial system instead of some particular institutions. Critics think that the US government has taken enough measures so far, and it should let the weak institutions be eliminated from competition. In this case, the entire system will continue running. However, it may work but more problems will follow. If the government thinks that the financial system will return to normal by itself so that it does not rescue the failing banks, it will result in terrible consequences. For example, during the 1929 US economy crisis, if the government had not taken emergency measures to rescue the failing banks, millions of citizens would suffer from the financial loss. Worse still, the whole US would also fall back and might never flourish. Hence, the government must rescue the failing banks instead of letting it be.(by Zhang Jiao)
In conclusion, maintaining the well-working financial system and ensuring the people’s interests overweigh other factors and government should rescue these banks when it is necessary.
(Wu Bo)