Assignment #10

The course:

The Art of Structural Engineering: Bridges

From:
Princeton University  

I've always been interested in architecture and it would be a great opportunity for me to exploe on edX. (:

Assignment #9 TED Talk

Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

words

1. stratospheric
(adj.) – very high or great

Ex. It's an amazing camera, but the price is stratospheric!

2. decimal
(n.) – a number expressed using a system of counting based on the number ten

Ex. Three fifths expressed as a decimal is 0.6.

3. parallelogram
(n.) – the two sets of opposite sides are parallel and of equal length to each other.

Ex. She drew a lot of parallelograms on her notebook during the class.

4. Cadet
(n.) – a student in the armed forces or the police

Ex. He is a West Point cadet now.

5. Farthest
(adj.) – at the greatest distance from something.

Ex. The farthest landmark visible is about 30 miles away.

#6 Steve Jobs’ Talk

Steve Jobs' talk

words

1.unwed
(adj.) unmarried
ex. His biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student.


2.typography
(n.) the art or work of preparing books, especially of designing how text will appear when it is printed
ex. Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed.


3.overflow
(v.) to be so full that the contents go over the sides
ex. Her heart overflowed with love.


4.dogma
(n.) a belief or set of beliefs held by a group or organization, which others are expected to accept without argument
ex. Because I am a seeker of truth, I do not accept every bit of dogma as fact.


5.relent
(v.) to cease resistance 
ex. Their application was initially refused, but the city relented in the end and the permit was issued.

sentences

1. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything.

2. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

3. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.

review

After reading Steve Job's stories, I think he is definitely the guy that we all should look up to. Although he had his ups and downs through out his life, he still became a very famous and successful man. The things I learned from him are that we should follow our hearts and never say never. He always did what he wanted to do and always lived every day as if it was his last day so he could cherish every moment and do something meaningful. Also, he was very diligent and never gave up even though he had encountered his hardest times which was getting fired from his own company. I really admire Steve Job, thinking of the obstacles that he had overcome really surprised me. He is absolutely our role model and his spirit will always be with us.

#5 English song

The Chainsmokers - Don't Let Me Down ft. Daya

INTRODUCTION

The Chainsmokers are an American DJ duo consisting of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall.
Time-2012~present
Origin-New York City, New York, US
Genres-EDM, electro house, progressive house, trap, future bass
website-http://thechainsmokers.com/

LYRICS

Crashing, hit a wall
Right now I need a miracle
Hurry up now, I need a miracle
Stranded, reaching out
I call your name but you're not around
I say your name but you're not around

I need ya, I need ya, I need you right now
Yeah, I need you right now
So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down
I think I'm losing my mind now
It's in my head, darling, I hope
That you'll be here, when I need you the most
So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down
D-don't let me down

Don't let me down
Don't let me down, down, down
Don't let me down, don't let me down, down, down

Running out of time
I really thought you were on my side
But now there's nobody by my side

I need ya, I need ya, I need you right now
Yeah, I need you right now
So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down
I think I'm losing my mind now
It's in my head, darling, I hope
That you'll be here, when I need you the most
So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down
D-don't let me down

Don't let me down
Don't let me down, down, down
Don't let me down, down, down
Don't let me down, down, down
Don't let me down, don't let me down, down, down

Ooh, I think I'm losing my mind now, yeah
Ooh, I think I'm losing my mind now, yeah

I need ya, I need ya, I need you right now
Yeah, I need you right now
So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down
I think I'm losing my mind now
It's in my head, darling, I hope
That you'll be here, when I need you the most
So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down
Don't let me down

Yeah, don't let me down
Yeah, don't let me down
Don't let me down, oh, no
Said don't let me down
Don't let me down

Don't let me down
Don't let me down, down, down

VOCABULARY

1. stranded (this is the only word i don't know)
(adj.) unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transport or money
ex. He left me stranded in town with no car and no money for a bus.

REVIEW
The first time I heard this song was from Rima's video in which she was on a car ride. (Rima Zeidan is a model, a hostess, an actress and something else) I always listened to this song when I worked out. I felt like it could give me energy somehow so I could work harder. It's a really catchy song and it makes me feel relaxed and joyful even though the lyrics are kind of sad. The main reason that I like this song might be the style since I am a really big fan of electropop. I think it sounds like a win-win that I can not only listen to music but also learn English by listening to English songs, so why not?

#4 six minute English

 – Is Student Life All Good?

The subject is about student's mental health. When people go to university, they might have these problems such as feeling out of comfort zone, homesick, stressed, balancing act, budgeting and the list goes on. One of the student said she was trying to balance social success with academic success known as balancing act but it was so hard. The survey found that almost 70% of the students suffer from stress at least once a week, and 9% of the students feel anxious and worried constantly. To sum up, students lives aren't easy.

#3 ESL Podcast 1250

 – Dealing With Bossy People

The reason why I chose this topic is that I've encountered bossy people before but I didn't know what to do and so I think it would be a good opportunity to learn. As far as I'm concerned, ESL Podcast.com is a really helpful website. Those materials are close to our daily life so it's very useful. What's more, the teacher speaks at a slow speed and explain all the vocabulary in detail so it's easier to comprehend what the contents are.

#2 ESL Cyber Listening Lab

On October 11th, we discussed the reasons why we are not good at listening in CALL class. They might be associated with vocabulary, accents and speed. Therefore, we were assigned to list the words that we don't know. It would definitely be the first step to improve our listening skills by expanding our vocabulary.

1. in good hands

(phrase) in the safe, competent care of someone

ex. Don't worry. You are in good hands.

2. voilà  

(int.) originally a french term "Voi la". used to say ‘there it is!’ when you show something to someone, or something appears suddenly

ex. Voilà! i just made a cake for you.

3. butcher 

(v.) to kill or to cut without care 

(n.) a person who kills people in a cruel and violent way

ex. The authority butchered the captured soldiers.

4.prank

(n.) a trick of an amusing, playful, or sometimes malicious nature.

ex. I caught Tom making prank calls to random phone numbers.

5. in charge (of)

(adj.) in control or responsible for something/someone

ex. i will be in charge of the party's decoration.