Friday, September 25, 2009

Fake Moon Cake Coupons

Recently quite a large number of fake coupons were used by the suspects in Maxim outlets. They tried to collect the moon cakes during the peak hours while the staff were busy.

The forged coupons were recognised by the smart staff. They reported the case to the police. The police investigated the cases and found the forged documents were poorly printed. They warned the public not to buy any suspected coupons from unknown sources.

These coupons were reprinted from the original coupons without the security features. But it was announced that if anyones hold or use the forged coupons, they will be imprisoned for forteen years.

Friday, September 18, 2009

The leading causes of amnesia are either physical or psychological.

In antergrade amnesia, the subject is unable to recall the events that occur after a shock or an injury to the brain; however, past memories will not be lost.

In retrograde amnesia, the patient is capable of recalling events that occur after the trauma; interestingly enough, the information stored before the shock, is lost and cannot be retrieved.

In paraamnesia, established memories are contorted. In psychogenic fugue, the subject may venture into a new lifestyle, trying to repress memories which lead to trepidation. The events happening during psychogenic fugue are non-retrievable. Nonetheless, the experiences that happened before the onset can be recovered.

Among the most popular treatments for psychologically related amnesia are psychotherapy, the use of drugs, and hypnosis.

Find the synonym words from the paragraphs.
The Knight was a knave (奸詐的人).
The knave needed a new knife.
The knife was near the knight's knee.
The knight needed the knife for the night.
The knight knew the knife's name.
The knight named the knife the knight.

Was the knight a knave?
Did the knave need a new knife?
What did the knave need?
Was the knife near the knight's knee?
Where was the knife?
Did the knight need the knife for the night?
Why did the knight need the knife?
What did the knight need the knife for?
Did the knight know the knife's name?
Who knew the knife's name?
What did the knight know about the knife?
Did the knight name the knife the knight?
What did the knight name the knife?
Who named the knife the knight?

Friday, September 11, 2009

Homonym 同字異義

charge
1. (使)改變;更改;使變化[(+from...to...)][(+into)]
On second thoughts he changed his mind.
進一步考慮後,他改變了主意。
2.零錢;找零[U]
"Here's your change," said the saleswoman.
"這是你的找零,"女店員說道。
demonstrate
1. 論證,證明[+(that)]
The lawyer demonstrated that the witness was lying.
律師證明證人在說謊。

2. (用實驗,實例等)說明,教[+wh-]
The doctor demonstrated the harmful effects of tobacco.
醫生用實例說明煙草的有害的影響。
3. 示範操作(產品),展示
The salesperson demonstrated a new washing machine.
推銷員示範操作新的洗衣機。
4. 顯示,表露
This fully demonstrates their willingness to cooperate.
這充分表明他們願意合作。
vi.
1. 示威,舉行遊行示威[(+against)]
The workers demonstrated for higher wages.
工人示威要求加薪。
current
1. 現時的,當前的;現行的
Our current methods of production are too expensive.
我們現今用的生產方法太花錢了。
2. 通用的,流行的
This note is no longer current.
這種紙幣已不流通。
This view was current in the country.
當時這種看法在這個國家很流行。
n.
1. 流動,水流,氣流[C]
The current in this place is very rapid.
這兒的水流很急。
2. 電流[C][U]
3. 趨勢,傾向,潮流[C]
The military government failed to control the current of public opinion.
軍人政府未能控制輿論的動向。
clash

1. 砰地相碰撞;發出鏗鏘聲
The car clashed against the wall.
那輛汽車砰地撞上牆壁。
2. 衝突;不協調[C][(+of/between)]
The demonstration ended in a violent clash with the police.
遊行示威以與警察的激烈衝突而告終。

Friday, August 28, 2009

Why was Tutankhamum's life so mysterious?

After I watched the film, The Curse of King Tut's Tomb, I get some ideas why Tutankhamum's life so mysterious.

I think it is mysterious because nobody really knows why he died at the age of nineteen. There was no record in Egyptian history about the reason of his death. But there were a lot of treasures in his tomb. It made the whole story more mysterious after the tomb was found but there was something strange happened afterward ...

Friday, July 10, 2009

Night of Museum

Night of Museum

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a divorced father who is not able to keep a stable job, the bulk of them being failed business ventures. He is desperate to win the support of his son Nick (Jake Cherry), whom he fears is beginning to look up to his more successful future stepfather, Don (Paul Rudd), a bond trader on Wall Street.

Larry applies for a job at the American Museum of Natural History, where he is assigned as a night guard. The three elder (soon to be retired) night guards, Cecil (Dick Van Dyke), Gus (Mickey Rooney), and Reginald (Bill Cobbs), give him a quick tour, advise him to leave some of the lights on, and warn him not to let anything "in...or out", which Larry meets with humorous skepticism.

Once night comes, Larry discovers that the museum exhibits come to life, including a living Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, a mischievous capuchin monkey named Dexter (Crystal the Monkey), miniatures led by cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Roman General Octavius (Steve Coogan), and a wax model of Theodore Roosevelt (Robin Williams).

Roosevelt explains to Larry that an Egyptian artifact — the Tablet of Akmenrah — was brought to the museum in 1952, and on that night, everything in the museum came to life, and each night since. However, if the exhibits are outside of the museum during sunrise, they turn to dust.

Roosevelt helps Larry by restoring order (insisting it is the only time he will help), and while unnerved, Larry decides to remain as a guard. On Cecil's advice, Larry begins to study the history of the events and people in the exhibits to prepare himself better for their animation.

He meets Rebecca Hutman (Carla Gugino), who is writing a dissertation on the life and times of Sacagawea (Mizuo Peck). Larry learns much of the history of the various exhibits from Rebbeca. The next night, Larry uses what he has learned to better control the exhibits, but again fails when four Neanderthals set fire to a display, and one is turned to dust when he leaves the museum. Larry barely manages to keep his job after the Museum's director, Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais), discovers the mess. Larry tries to tell Rebecca about what happens to the exhibits at night, even offering to let her meet Sacagawea to help with Rebbeca's dissertation, but she does not believe him.

Larry brings Nick to the Museum, but fails to impress him when nothing comes to life. They find Cecil, Gus, and Reginald stealing the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. Cecil then reveals that, like the museum exhibits, the guards receive enhanced vitality and energy from the Tablet. Unwilling to forsake it, the three intend to steal the tablet, along with various other Museum artifacts to fund their retirement, and frame Larry for the theft. Nick activates the tablet's power and brings the exhibits to life once more, but then Cecil locks the two in the Egyptian room and flees with the tablet. Larry releases the mummy of Pharaoh Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek) from his sarcophagus: surprisingly Akmenrah speaks English, having spent many years as an exhibit in the

Egyptology Department at Cambridge University. Akmenrah then tells his jackal-headed "guards" to let them out. The three find the other exhibits fighting, and Larry manages to convince them to work together to reclaim the tablet or else lose their ability to be animated.

Though the exhibits manage to capture Gus and Reginald without difficulty, Cecil escapes with the Tablet by stagecoach, whereupon Larry, Nick, Akmenrah, Jed, Octavius, and Attila the Hun pursue him through Central Park, eventually capturing him thanks to Larry's quick thinking of halting the horses with a secret word, "Dakota". The exhibits rush to return to the museum before sunrise, and Rebecca sees them crossing the road in front of her and realizes that Larry was telling the truth. Entering the museum, Larry introduces her to Sacagawea.

The next day, Dr. McPhee fires Larry despite his effort to clean up the museum; but readmits Larry when the reports issued by the news media (Cave paintings in a subway station, Dinosaur footprints in Central Park and cavemen waving torches) end up increasing the Museum's popularity. Some time later, Larry appears in Nick's classroom during Career Day. Later that night, Larry returns with Nick and all the exhibits celebrate. Cecil, Gus, and Reginald, meanwhile, are allowed to retain the vitality the tablet gives them at the cost of their retirement, as they are rehired at the museum as janitors. Larry does a final check of the museum and flips his flashlight into his holster, turning it off using his "Snapper" device (mentioned earlier in the film.)

Friday, June 12, 2009

Revision Exercises

Part A. Fill in the blanks with verbs of present or present continuous tense.

1. Every Monday, Sally (drive)______________her kids to football practice.

2. Usually, I (work)______________as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study)_____________French at a language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.

3. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep)__________________

4. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain)___________________

5. I hate living in Seattle because it (rain, always)_________________

6. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say)______________because everybody (talk)______________so loudly.

7. Justin (write, currently)_______________a book about his adventures in Tibet. I hope he can find a good publisher when he is finished.

8. Jim: Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?
Denise: Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go)______________to a movie tonight with some friends.

9. The business cards (be, normally )_____________printed by a company in New York. Their prices ______________(be) inexpensive, yet the quality of their work is quite good.

10. This delicious chocolate (be)_______________made by a small chocolatier in Zurich, Switzerland.

Part B. Singular and plural nouns

Convert each singular noun to plural, and each plural noun to singular.


Articles

分類(classify) a, an, x
識別(identify) the

Complete the sentences. Put a/ an / the in the blanks.

  1. I was speaking to _________ friend on _______ tephone.
  2. ___________ headmaster is moving to _________ new school.
  3. My sister is taking ___________ children to ________ party.
  4. He ate three sandwiches and ______ large cake. _______ cake was filled with cream.
  5. I heard _______ great programme on ________ radio this morning.
  6. The first man on _______ moon was ______ American.
  7. There's some hot water in ______ kettle. Can you make ________ cup of tea?

Parts of Speech: Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adverb of EASY

Examples
I like English because English is an easy subject to learn. (adjective)
I like English because of it's easiness to learn.(noun)
I can ease the study burden for my brother.(verb)
I make him feel at ease when he studies English.(noun)
I can easily help him (to) study English .(adverb)

Write sentences using the adverb or adjective of the following paired words.

1. slow, slowly;

2. gentle, gently.

3. comfortable, comfortably

4. better, better


Fill in the blank with the prepositions: at, of, on, in, for, since, with, without, about, to, up

  1. My brother is coming ________ Monday.
  2. It's not too cold __________ autumn to run outside.
  3. He started the school _________ 2002.
  4. He has lived in Hong Kong __________ three years.
  5. She has been sitting in the living room __________ 2 o'clock.
  6. I am not afraid ______ the exam.
  7. He is very fond ________ watching movies.
  8. Tom's father is proud ________ Tom.
  9. I am not angry ________ my naughty brother.
  10. We should be happy __________ the bad news.
  11. The test item is similar ________ the one we have in the exercise.
  12. I am not aware __________ his presence.
  13. We are very interested _________ playing the game.
  14. I am sorry _______ my wrong attitude.
  15. John is capable ________ leading the team.
  16. He is jealous ___________ the success of his brother.
  17. I am not sure _________ the dates of the exam.
  18. Don't be careless __________ the details of the lesson.
  19. The table was made _______ wood.
  20. I am tired __________ studying for a whole day.
  21. He is not familiar _______ the format of the test.
  22. Princess Diana married ___________ Prince Charles.
  23. Don't worried _________ the test.
  24. We can't live ___________ water.
  25. Don't give ______ so easily.
  26. I have prepared well _________ the test.
  27. I grow _________ in a good family.
  28. I look forward __________ winning the competition.
  29. I won't trust ______ the study tips of my friend.
  30. Don't worry _________ the coming test.