Author Archive: admin

Hongkong’s Ghost Island comes to life

2017年2月21日

Lifestyle

  Pre-reading questions: Do you like to travel? Why? Where is your favorite place?   An island in Hongkong previously named as Yim Tin Sai or “Ghost Island” is slowly returning to life. Yim Tin Tsai means “Little Salt Pan” in Cantonese. The island is a salt pan in the past. When the pans shut down, people slowly fled to the city to seek education. Thanks to Colin Chan, the old village representative, the island is restored to its previous beauty.   Vocabulary: previous [adjective] – coming before something else pan [noun] – a flat expanses of ground covered with salt or other minerals flee [verb] – run away seek…
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Beginner

Teacherless university opens in California

2017年2月15日

  In California, a school called Ecole 42 has opened with no instructors. This university is a branch of an institution in France established by French technology billionaire, Xavier Niel. In the duration of one academic year, one thousand students will undergo training on coding and programming advancement. The students are entrusted to utilize resources accessible on the web, and by collaborating with their colleagues. A student will then be arbitrarily assigned to grade another student’s work. Once a student completes level 21, which takes three to five years, the student can graduate. The alumni of the said institution in France are currently employed at organizations such as IBM, Amazon,…
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Expert

Teacherless university opens in California

2017年2月15日

  Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite subject in school/university? What do you like about your school/university? What are the unique characteristics of your school/university?   Ecole 42, France’s teacherless university, opened it’s branch in California last October. 42 originated from Paris 3 years ago. Unlike typical schools, students here take charge of their own learning. They have the freedom to work at their own pace on their preferred projects. 21 levels must be completed to graduate. However, they will not be granted any certificate. Without any professors to guide them, the students confide in peer learning. The students are also responsible for checking each other’s work. The benefactors of…
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Intermediate

Teacherless university opens in California

2017年2月15日

Education - B

  Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite subject in school/university? Do you want to study in a university with no teachers? Please explain your answer. Ecole 42 is a university without teachers. It opened its branch in California. It originated from Paris 3 years ago. Unlike typical universities, students in 42 learn with their classmates only. They are free to learn and work on projects at their own pace. Students need to complete 21 levels to graduate. Vocabulary: branch [noun] – office; extension of the main branch originate [verb] – to begin typical [adjective] – usual; customary pace [noun]– speed graduate [verb] – to complete a course of study in…
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Beginner

Headmistress buys illegal jammer to block students’ internet use

2017年2月10日

  Julia Polley, a headmistress at Wensleydale School and Sixth Form College in North Yorkshire, was so frustrated at students’ fixation with their smart phones that she told parents she would be blocking 4G internet at the school. She invested in some technology which will block 4G signals on the school site. “I have improved the filters on the wi-fi to further restrict some sites,” Ms. Polley told parents. However, she has been stopped by red tape, after Ofcom warned her that it was a criminal offense. All her plans were scuppered when she was informed by North Yorkshire County Council’s IT support team and Ofcom that it was indeed…
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Expert

Pilot gives tips for coping with jet lag

2017年2月10日

Lifestyle

  Passengers count on their airline pilots and crews to be alert while they are on board, flying across the globe from 35 to 39 thousand feet. Pilots simply don’t have the luxury of sleeping off jet lag-induced exhaustion, so learning how to handle it is an obligation in their lifestyle. Pilots drain their days and nights flying across all kinds of time zones. They have to know how to deal with lethargy, which is why at Southwest they incorporate their training on how to beat jet lag. Managing jet lag is a job stipulation for them. R.J. Deutschendorf, a system chief pilot at Southwest Airlines aforementioned that you have…
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Expert

Singer controls drunk man on Korean Air flight

2017年2月9日

World News - Expert

  An intoxicated South Korean passenger attacked some airline staff on Flight 480 bound to Seoul, South Korea last Tuesday, December 20. The said passenger took four hours to calm down as female flight attendants appeared to have no idea on how to handle him. One of the passengers aboard Flight 480 was Richard Marx, a popular American singer and his wife, TV Host Daisy Fuentes. The intoxicated passenger was said to become belligerent after drinking two and a half glasses of whiskey with his meal. The celebrity couple posted the said incident in their Instagram and Twitter accounts. The popular 80’s singer slams the irresponsibility done by the crew,…
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Expert

Singer handles drunk man on Korean Air flight

2017年2月9日

World News - Intermediate

  Pre-reading questions: Who do you think is the most popular artist in your country? Why is s/he popular? How do you protect yourself in public? Do you post your activities on social media?   A drunk South Korean passenger attacked some airline staff during a flight from Hanoi, Vietnam to Seoul, South Korea last Tuesday, December 20. Female flight attendants spent four hours trying to calm the drunk man down. One of the passengers of the said flight were Richard Marx, a popular 80’s singer, and his wife. Marx, along with other male passengers, tried to restrain the drunk man. The drunk passenger became more aggressive and violent. The…
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Intermediate