Behind the scene: " Saving Mr. Banks"

The film "Saving Mr. Banks" is one of the must-see movies in early 2014. The audience will realize how the actor Tom Hanks (as Walt Disney) and the actress Emma Tomson (as P.L Travers) amaze us with their talented skills. This includes the struggles and emotional transition between the leading characters. The theme music, composed by Thomson Newman, matches the plot and plays essential part to take the audience inside P.L Traver's childhood. Though the ture story of P.L Travers seems not quite charming and smooth as it is showed in the film, it is still worthy to be seen again, again, and again.

See the trailer:

See more details about the movie via Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_Mr._Banks

Reality about P.L Travers:

More information about Miss Travers:

踏實 施純益著

一個人的成功絕對不會是偶然。在拜讀過三花棉業董事長施純益的自傳「踏實」後，更加確實這句話的意涵。兒時經濟拮据的背景，造就了施純益先生天生業務以及生意腦袋。生活的困境，讓他沒有時間去思考、計較生活的不公平；努力，讓他積蓄成塔，進而立業、創業。從「踏實」這本書，施純益先生以自己大半生的經歷，勉勵、鼓勵工作人需在人生中累積經驗；從經驗中找到專長；從專長裡找到讓自己可以繼續發光發熱的態度以及熱忱。

從名人的傳記中，不難看出每個人一生中一定會經歷四個階段：家庭、學校、社會，以及自我淬鍊的階段。西元2012年對於七年級生是個挑戰的一年。不知不覺中，原本二十初頭的學生，即將要跨過人生第三階段。30歲前，我們可以跟學生時期一樣，選擇過自己想過的日子；但30歲後，我們要開始努力融入「社會」，並開始養活自己。從「社會大學」中，我們要學習與「人」學，和「自己」學。如同施純益先生在書中提到的，我們要學習跟「壓力」當朋友，不做輕鬆的事，勇於嘗新，但不沉迷。

一. 勇於嘗新，但不沉迷

身為公司的新人，不要害怕表達自己的想法。因為不論是任何人在一個相同的職場久了，我們都會迷失在固有的習慣或慣例。所以，身為公司的上司以及主管需要領導新人說出自己的想法，找出公司的盲點，以及尋求創新，這就是為什麼還是有公司會雇用新人的原因，所以，我們要勇於在自己的專業領域上，找到自新，找到新意。

二. 不做輕鬆的事

即便是施純益、王永慶，或者是賈伯斯先生，這些人雖沒有顯赫的學歷背景，但在人生以及社會的歷練之下，他們累積的不僅是名聲、權利，而是踏實如鋼鐵銅壁的「實力」。在面對人生不如意時，他們腦子裡沒有放棄這兩個字，而是不斷地從各個工作中找到人生的「契機」。當公司或主管賦予自己更多的工作職責時，除了默默接受外，我們須像施純益先生一樣，找出「高效能」的工作方法。在工作職場上，做完並不代表做好。許多上司以及主管，在乎的是下屬們如何掌握每天「八小時」，把事情做得又快又好。這不僅代表一個人做事的思維 (例：是否能用心觀察思考、體悟、舉一反三)，更能顯示出一個人如何運用體制內的「資源」讓事情可以做到圓滿。

三. 和「壓力」做朋友

突破眼前的壓力不代表一定會成功，但直接逃避，只會讓一切惡習、因果用不同的方式再度循環。但是一個人要工作表現良好，「時間」的分配是很重要的。從施效益先生的著作，我們可以知道，一個人的成功，從他們每天早上八點鐘到晚上就寢前做的事就可以瞭解了。俗話說：「一日之計在於晨」。每天提早半小時起來，不僅可以有充足的時間與家人享用早餐，並可以用充裕的時間先思考一日要做的事。研究指出，提早上班的員工的績效比準時上班的員工還要好，更別提常常遲到早退的員工了。此外，就目前低利率的年代觀察而言，每個人的退休年齡整整要往後延15-20年，也就是65-70歲。所以，一個人要如何延續自己漫長的工作路途呢？答案就是保持良好「運動習慣」以及「休閒娛樂」。第一. 為讓自己在40歲後，依舊保持30歲工作的態度以及體力，不論再忙再累，每天都一定要抽出半小時運動。運動除了讓人保持體力、維持健康之外，人在運動時，腦部會分泌出一種酵素，而這樣的酵素會讓人的心情保持愉快。第二. 每個星期找一個自己喜歡的休閒娛樂，讓自己在身心靈上真正的放鬆，有自己的時間做自己的事。如此，才能在「工作壓力」以及「自我成長」取得一個平衡。

簡而言之，如同錢復先生所言，沒有不景氣的環境，只有不爭氣的工作人。在學生時期，我們應把握時間努力累積自己的書本知識；在出社會後，我們應把握每一個機會，在自己的專業中找到自信以及舞台；在平日時，我們要持續學習事物的動機以及熱忱。養成平日運動的好習慣，保持身體的活力；找到自己終身的興趣，例：學瑜珈、第三語言等，在工作以及自我成長方面找到平衡點。

Different ways to say 'zero' in English

Dear classmates,
親愛的同學

Do you still remember how to say telephone number '0' in English? We can say either 'oh' or 'zero'.
您還記得如何用英文報電話號碼中的數字「零」嗎?

For example,
例如:

A: What's your telephone/phone number?
B: My phone number is 2510-9845.

My phone number is two-five-one-oh-nine-eight-four-five.
My phone number is two-five-one-zero-nine-eight-four-five.


When there are numbers/alphabets repeated, you can use word - double/triple - to make your conversation more efficient.
如果數字/字母有重複的地方，您可以用double (兩倍的)/triple (三倍的)讓對話更加精簡有效率。


Here I find a useful website about differnet ways to say 'zero' in English (please see details from the access: http://www.iesnestoralmendros.es/libro1/index.php?section=6&page=3).
網路上看到一篇有關於講述數字0的英文用法及情境。

I also find an interesting film on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pYOZduNhtY). You can see the cultural differences when people say numbers or spell alphabets. But most importantly, do we konw how to pronounce 'Louis Vuitton' properly? See for yourselves.
在Youtube也找到一段有趣的影片。從中您可以了解不同文化的人用英語敘述數字以及拼字母。但是最重要的是，有多少人真的可以把LV的全名唸清楚呢? 您自個瞧吧!

Doris 朵瑞斯

Application form for Cambridge Language College

Dear classmates:

親愛的同學

Do you still remember the Application form we read during class? If you do have spare time, please try to complete the form.

還記得今天看過的一份申請表嗎? 如果您有時間的話，不妨試著完成此份申請書啦!

Situaton 1: You want to go to an English evening class. The staffs at Kai-Ping Culinary School ask you to fill in/ fill out the student enrollment form. See if you can complete this form.

狀況1: 假設你想要上晚上的英文課，您是否可以完成開平餐飲學校職員請您填寫的英文註冊單呢?

We will listen to the real listening text in class. Please do not worry about new vocabulary or any sentences you don't understand. Listen to the key words, and see whether you can complete the enrolment form.

下週一會在課堂上播放CD。不要讓單字以及不熟悉的句子阻礙您的聽力。試著找出關鍵字，看看您是否可以依照聽力內容完成表格喔?!

Stay tuned.

敬請期待。

Doris 朵瑞斯

Syllabus of Short-term General English Conversation Course in Kai-Ping Culinary School

Dear classmates,

親愛的同學

I firstly want to thank you for your coming and cooperation at today's class. You indeed did great jobs. As I said in our first class, the course is a 18-week short term general English conversation course. We focus on our abilities in English speaking and listening, so there will be lots of pair-/ team work during classes. I will try my best not to bore you.

首先我要感謝您們出席今天的課程以及參予課堂活動。你們真的表現很好。如同在課堂上所言，18週的課程說長不長，說短不短，所以在兩小時半的課堂上，我們會利用對話練習/小組練習來加強同學們英語聽&說的能力。 本人會盡可能不會讓您們感到無聊。

Here I upload the syllabus so that you could have a clue what topics we're going to discuss in the following weeks. However, just like I said in class, I will amend the teaching contents based on your requirements in learning English as well as the learning results. Do you still remember the first three questions I asked you to think about in the beginning of today's class?

上圖為課程表，包含接下來課程安排計畫以及討論主題。但是，課程內容以及先後順序會依照您們的需求以及學習成果些微調整。還記得剛開始上課問您(們)的3個問題嗎?

1. Why do you want to learn English? 您為什麼想要學英文?
2. How do you learn English? 回想求學階段，您是如何學英文的?
3. What do you want to learn from this short 18-week general English conversation course? 在短短18週的課程中，您想要學到什麼?

The class focuses on speaking, listening, and then a little bit writing and reading. Please do not worry about the the latters (writing and reading), because I'm sure most Taiwaneses are quite good at reading English sentences/ paragraphs/ articles. Speaking ability in daily English conversation is our major focus in the classroom. Do you remember what we learnt from today's course?

生活英語輕鬆說的課程主要著重在英語說&聽的能力，當然也會包含少數英語書寫以及閱讀。有同學很擔心自己英語的書寫以及閱讀能力，但大多數的同學們從國中起就很擅長於閱讀簡單的英文句子/段落/文章，因此，課堂會注重同學們的英語口說能力。您還記得今天的課程嗎?

1. I know how to introduce myself (first name + last name/ surname). 我知道如何介紹自己 (名字 + 姓氏)。
2. I know how to ask people's full name. 我知道如何問對方的全名。
3. I know how to ask people's phone/ telephone, cell-/mobile- phone number(s). 我知道如何問對方的電話/手機號碼。
4. I know how to ask people's nationalities. 我知道如何問對方的國籍。
5. I know how to read & fill in/ fill out simple application form. 我知道如何填寫表格。
6. I know how to say few occupation words (accountant/ manager/ housekeeper/ teacher/ student/ doctor/ nurse/ occupation therpist). 我知道一些表示英文職業的用語。
7. I also REMEMBER today's homework: complete the sentence on p.6, and check how to tell people your address in English (c.f. http://www.post.gov.tw/post/index.jsp). 我還記得今天的回家作業- 完成講義第6頁的表格，以及上郵政局網站查詢自己的英文全址。

I know some of newcomers/ auditors do not have today's complete handouts; I deeply apologize for this embarassing situation. If you want to receive any documents from today's class, please email me your 'personal information' (e.g. address, email address) so that I can send these papers to you. My email address is doris821023@yahoo.com.tw or chiaching1023@gmail.com. I will check my email boxes every day, so please don't worry I will miss any of your important emails.

今天上課有些旁聽生/新生沒有拿到講義，在此本人致上最大的歉意。如果您想要今天上課的講義(掃描/影印)，請您先傳給我您的住址/電子信箱以便郵寄/傳送。我的電子信箱是doris821023@yahoo.com.tw 或 chiaching1023@gmail.com。本人習慣每天睡前檢查信箱，請您別擔心會遺漏重要訊息。

Have great days and I look forward to seeing you next week.

祝您有個愉快的一週，期待下禮拜與您相見。

Best wishes,

祝一切平安

Doris

朵瑞斯

Web therapy can help cure insomnia

Why Insomnia Is Bad for Your Health - Gayle Greene


Insomnia Consequences - Sleep, Sex, and Death (Health Guru Tip)


Understanding Insomnia by Sound Sleep Health


Insomnia


Study: Web Therapy Can Help Cure Insomnia

Getting a decent night's sleep shouldn't be such a crapshoot. But for an estimated 30% of American adults who suffer from at least occasional insomnia, nightfall is no guarantee of slumber.
To combat wakefulness, Americans filled more than 50 million prescriptions in 2008 for sleeping pills like Ambien, and spent more than $600 million on over-the-counter sleep-inducing supplements such as melatonin and valerian root. Others seek medical treatment or psychological therapy to get to sleep, while the rest of us accept our nocturnal tossing and turning as just another of life's unavoidable nuisances, and gulp an extra cup of coffee the next morning to compensate. (See the Year in Health, from A to Z.)

But despite our best efforts, about 10% of Americans still suffer from persistent insomnia (defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep) — namely falling asleep or being functionally impaired by sleepiness during the day — and researchers continue to search for its causes and cure. Now a new study in the journal Sleep suggests a surprising treatment for the sleepless: the Internet. Web-based treatments have emerged for all kinds of bad habits and disorders, such as overeating, smoking, depression — and insomnia. (Read "Can a Sleep Disorder Predict Parkinson's?")

Compared with face-to-face counseling or medical treatments, online therapies are typically simpler and less expensive. Major health insurers like Blue Cross and Aetna even offer Web-based anti-insomnia programs for free (you can check out the retail versions at cbtforinsomnia.com or myselfhelp.com for as little as $20). And there's growing evidence that online therapy really works: in the new Sleep study, 81% of participants who completed a five-week, online program for insomnia reported improvement in sleep.

“There may be some unique things that you get from an Internet program, like the feeling that you are really in the driver's seat," says the study's author, Norah Vincent, a clinical psychologist, who adds that many of the 40 participants who completed her multimedia program reported both better sleep quality and less daytime fatigue than a control group. "People like to have autonomy in solving problems. I think it motivates them more," she says. (Read "Online Helpdesk.")

Based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, Vincent's virtual therapy combines videos, text and audio clips to teach the sleepless everything about good sleep hygiene, from how to relax the body before getting into bed to how not to stress out when you fail to doze off right away. (One of the worst things you can do when you can't fall asleep is to lie there and dwell on the consequences of not getting enough sleep.) Participants were asked to keep digital sleep diaries and complete practice the techniques that were demonstrated onscreen. They were also allowed to download audio clips of a sleep therapist and an actor in a staged, one-on-one session and listen to them on their iPods.

While prior studies have shown that online therapy can help alleviate insomnia, little research has compared it directly with other approaches. Vincent's study, on the other hand, found that 35% of those who received online treatment reported that they were "much" or "very much" improved compared with 50% of those who received in-person group therapy using the same behavioral cognitive approach at Vincent's sleep clinic at the University of Manitoba in Canada. The benefit of the online strategy, of course, is that it can work for people who don't have access to face-to-face therapy.

Some proponents of online therapy say it may actually be more effective than in-person counseling. "You don't have to worry about personalities, and you can go over the material over and over," notes Gregg Jacobs, an insomnia specialist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, who has offered a self-guided, online program for the past two years. Since patients don't have to make time for in-office appointments and can proceed at their own pace, Web-based programs have the potential to reach a much broader audience.

But computer counseling has its detractors, particularly when it fails to get at the root of patients' sleep issues. "There is only so far you can go with it," notes Dr. S.K. Mostafavi, who runs the Advanced Sleep Medicine Services chain of sleep clinics in Southern California and has served as a sleep "guru" for the popular weight-loss reality show The Biggest Loser. Online therapy can be helpful as an educational tool, says Mostafavi, but cautions, "you don't have the benefit of talking to a professional and finding out what is causing the insomnia." (Insomnia may be a side effect of an underlying condition, such as anxiety, Alzheimer's, arthritis or asthma, or it can result simply from poor sleep habits, like failing to keep a regular bedtime.) Vincent concedes that patients who have deeper problems — those who are depressed or suicidal — or have trouble concentrating are unlikely to benefit from the program.

As digital therapy evolves, "one of the tricks is to identify who will respond best to online treatment," notes Dr. Michael Sateia, director of sleep medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Psychiatric Associates in Lebanon, N.H. "Sleep medicine is still in its childhood, and for decades we have lived in a culture where pharmacological therapies have been the mainstay. But we are beginning to change that mentality." Sateia's center, for example, recently hired a nurse practitioner to offer more affordable group therapy as an alternative to individual counseling by a psychiatrist.

One area that has been studied extensively is the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy compared with those of medication. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that while cognitive therapy alone or a combination of cognitive therapy and medication worked equally well to treat insomnia in the short term, patients fared better over the long term with talk therapy alone. "Cognitive therapy should be a first line approach," notes the study's lead author, Charles Morin, "but many people do not have access to it."

With demand far outstripping supply for therapists trained to treat sleep problems, online programs are "a very innovative and cost-effective way of looking at insomnia therapy," says Morin. There may be no single cure-all for sleeplessness, but such promising alternatives should help more night owls wake in the morning feeling refreshed.

(See the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2008.)

Read "In Search of Sleep."

Vocabulary
1. DECENT(adj.) []
a. 正派的;合乎禮儀的Ex: I only associate with good decent fellows. (我只和正派的好人交往。); DECENT CULTURAL BACKGROUND; DECENT-PAYING JOB; half-decent political commentator of 半吊子政論家
b. 體面的;像樣的;還不錯的Ex: For a week he didn't have a decent meal. (他一個星期沒有吃一頓像樣的飯。)
c. 親切的;寬容的;樂於助人的Ex: The new manager is pretty decent to us. (新上任的經理對我們相當和氣。)
2. A CRAPSHOOT(ER)
3. NIGHTFALL (n.) 黃昏
4. SLUMBER (v.) 睡眠打發; 微睡; 淺眠
5. AMBIEN
6. OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICINE 成藥
counter指的是店面裡(在這裡指藥局)的櫃檯,有些要你只需要去藥房買,在櫃檯上交易就可購得,所以叫做"over-the-counter"
7. SLEEP-INDUCING (勸誘) SUPPLEMENT(S) (補給物) 安眠藥
8. MELATONIN 退黑激素(Melatonin)有人叫聚黑激素，它是腦部「松果體」所分泌的一種激素，在１９５８年首先從牛的松果體抽淬物中所分離出來的物質; 葡萄王的夜安靈 就是這個成分，用來安眠。
9. VALERIAN ROOT自纈草根莖採製的鎮定劑
10. NOCTURNAL TOSSING AND TURNING 徹夜輾轉難眠
11. NUISANCE(S)
a. 討厭的人(或事物);麻煩事, Ex: He was nothing but a nuisance and a rascal. (他是一個十足的討厭鬼和惡棍。)
b.【律】妨害行為,騷擾行為, Ex: The prosecutor indicated him of nuisance. (檢察官以妨害行為起訴他。)
12. HULP AN EXTRA CUP OF COFFEE
13. IMPAIR
a. 削弱;減少 Fatigue impaired their judgement.(疲勞削弱了他們的判斷力。)
b. 損害,損傷 Poor food impaired her health. (粗劣的食物損害了她的健康。)
14. FACE-TO-FACE COUNSELING
15. MEDICAL TREATMENTS
16. HEALTH INSURER (n.) 保險業者
17. VIRTUAL (adj.)
a. 事實上的,實際上的,實質上的 He is in a state of virtual slavery.(他實際上處於一種被奴役的狀態。)
b.【電腦】虛擬的 Virtual community 虛擬社區
18. GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE 衛生 The grave problems of public hygiene are connected with insufficient sewage system of the city. 公共衛生方面的嚴重問題與該城低效率的污水處理系統有關。)
19. DOZE OFF打瞌睡
20. DETRACTOR(S) 誹謗者,貶低者
21. ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE = DEMENTIA
22. ARTHRITIS
23. ASTHMA
24. CONCEDE 承認
25. PHARMACOLOGICAL 藥理學的;藥物學的
26. MAINSTAY唯一的依靠;支柱
27. A PSYCHIATRIST 精神病醫師;精神病學家
28. MEDICATION 藥物治療
29. OUTSTRIPPING SUPPLY超過,勝過 OUTSTRIP (vt.), Ex: His newspaper outstripped its rivals in circulation. (他的報紙在發行量上超過了他的對手。)
30. NIGHT OWL(S)
31. FEELING REFRESHED 補充且煥然一新
32. proponent(s) = advocator

Expert Sleep Advice: The Importance of Sleep


Advice for Insomniacs - Gayle Greene


Beating Insomnia


Choosing a Sleep Center by Sound Sleep Health


Best Way to Treat Insomnia

Excerpt: Tricking Your Body To Fall Asleep To Have An OBE


KSMQ's "Health Connections" - Insomnia - Episode 101 - May 6, 2009

Students' UK visa fees amended

Your guide to new student visa


Studying in the UK



Students' UK visa fees amended

International students coming to the UK will have to pay more for their visas - but the increase is not as large as universities had been fearing.

The fee is rising from £85 to £99 on 1 April - rather than the proposed £129.

Visa extension fees, for postgraduates wishing to remain in the UK, are to rise from £250 to £295.

There had been concerns the increases would deter foreign students, who are a valuable source of income for UK universities in a competitive market.

Universities and student groups welcomed the changes, saying they would help to attract overseas students to the UK.

The student visa fee was last increased in 2005-06, and there was no rise in 2006-07.

As part of a shake-up of the system, the government is raising the charges for people coming to the UK to work.

But the Higher Education Minister, Bill Rammell, said: "The government recognises the benefits international students bring to the UK.

"The new fee structure is aimed at maintaining the attractiveness of the UK as a student destination, by keeping the student visa fee as low as possible, and in some cases reducing in cost over the next year.

"Today's changes will help ensure Britain continues to attract the legal students who contribute so much to the UK's economic and cultural life."

'Grateful'

The international students' officer at the National union of Students, Issahaku Kotomah, said: "We are grateful that the voice of international students has been heard, as many see fees as an additional barrier to come and study in the UK.

"We believe it is right students should pay less as they are not coming to the UK to work but to study. International students are already faced with the cost of exponential international students course fees."

The chief executive of the vice-chancellors' group Universities UK, Diana Warwick, said the announcement was an acknowledgment of the "considerable benefits" that international students brought to the UK.

"We cannot assume that international students will automatically choose to come here. Our competitors are increasingly marketing themselves more aggressively," she said.

"Decisions by prospective students about whether to study in a particular country or not will often hinge on the financial implications.

"Any small financial advantage we have therefore is invaluable."


Vocabulary
1. DETER FROM
2. SHAKE-UP 動搖;騷動; (政策等的)劇變; (人員的)大改變
3. BARRIER; BARRIER REEF堤礁;堡礁
4. EXPONENTIAL 指數的
5. CHANCELLOR【英】大臣;大法官
6. PROSPECTIVE (adj.) 未來的 Ex: A PROSPECTIVE CLIENT
7. HINGE ON/ UPON決定於, Ex: The fate of the project hinges on the decision of the council. (這項工程的命運取決於委員會的決定。)
8. put off, Ex: Don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today. (今日事，今日畢。)

Visa options for living in London, UK


Overview of the work of UK visas