周五(11/15) 1. 唸大學值得嗎? 2. 11.11光棍節

周五聚會地點: 快提café  7:00PM-- 9:30PM

新北市板橋區文化路一段387巷10號
(沿著新埔捷運站1號出口左方向前走約100公尺 經過新埔郵局看到康是美 從信義房屋旁的巷子進入) 連絡電話: 0976217450   Billy
說吧!英文讀書會  完全免費  練習英文  交流知識  交友談心的平台  我們100%歡迎  老朋友 新
朋友 不設限

因為有您   說吧更好     請多支持出席周五聚會    周五聚會成長生存 就靠您啦

敬請各位好朋友 多支持推廣 周六聚會  文章在下方

       

唸大學值得嗎?

Is a university education still worth the time and money?(Theguardian.com )

Across Europe, young people are doing the same calculations: pay their way through three or four years of higher education for uncertain returns – or take their chances without a degree

Giulia is 20 years old. She is in her second year at Sapienza University in Rome, studying communication science, but has decided to drop out.

Is this because she chose the wrong subject? No – like many other students in Italy, she simply no longer believes that her degree will help her to find a job. Not only has the financial crisis left many facing an uncertain future, but the education system itself is believed to be useless by families who point out that it does not reward merit.

 In the current academic year, according to the latest report from the national committee for university grading, less than 60% of pupils with high-school diplomas enrolled at an Italian university, the lowest percentage for 30 years.

"It's far better to get a job without doing a degree," says Giulia. In a few weeks she will be at the seaside in Ostia, working in a bar run by her aunt and uncle.

All across Europe, young people are performing the same calculations: pay their way through three or four years of higher education for uncertain returns, or take their chances without a degree. In countries such as Italy and Britain, there is a real financial cost: tuition fees of up to £9,000 in the UK from September, and as much as €3,000 (£2,400) in Italy.

Entry-level salaries for graduates are shrinking – and yet a degree is still a big advantage in the fight against unemployment. Among 25- to 29-year-old graduates in the European Union, unemployment rose from 7% to 9.2% between 2008 and 2011, while among people with only basic education it went from 16.1% to 24.3%.

Nevertheless, in countries such as Italy, a university degree may be a risky investment: Italy's universities are ranked among the lowest in Europe by Eurostat, as only 76.6% of graduates find work, compared with an EU average of 82.3%.

 Many students will be well into their studies before they realise that they have little competitive advantage to show for their efforts. In France, the BA from public universities is now considered so inferior that it is almost mandatory to continue on to a master's. Not surprisingly, in countries such as France and Italy, where the standard university bachelor degrees are somewhat tarnished, high numbers of students do not complete their courses. In French public universities, 48% of first-year entrants do not go on to the second year and just 38% finish the three-year course. Italy has a drop-out rate of 45%.

 With student numbers multiplying in Europe and across the world (from 50 million in 1980 to 170 million in 2009), students "look for other ways to differentiate themselves apart from their degree certificate", according to Rolf van der Velden, a professor at Maastricht University. These include master's degrees and postgraduate courses. In Britain, experts believe the university is more important than the course; a situation that is similar in France, with regard to the highly thought-of grandes écoles.

 So a university education is worth it? The student verdict in Britain appears to be yes, just about. Despite the tripling of many tuition fees this autumn, university application numbers have not fallen that much – by about 9% year-on-year. The number of 18-year-old UK applicants – the largest single group of candidates – has decreased by 2.6%. Unexpectedly, the application figures also reveal a sharper drop among more affluent candidates than among those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

 The latest application figures show a drop in applicants from the rest of the EU – down from around 45,000 last year to around 39,000 for this September. But UK universities remain popular with candidates from the rest of the world. There are big rises in applications from Hong Kong, Malaysia and other east Asian countries.

Questions:

1. Is a university education still worth the time and money?

2. Will going to a top university guarantee us a good job?

Dose Higher education guaranty higher payment?

3. What do you think about entry-level salaries for graduates? (ex: 22k)

4. What you think unemployment rate in Taiwan?

Do you think the unemployment rate will get worse?

5. Why is tuition increasing?

What do you think about the rise in college tuition?

6. Can people get rich without university degree?

 (Bill Gates & Steve Jobs were college dropouts)

    
  

11.11光棍節

Singles Day 2013

  
Singles Day, One's Day or Guang Gun Jie is a Chinese pop culture holiday held on November 11, 2013 for people who are living the single life. For breakfast on Singles' Day, singles often eat four Youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks) representing the four "ones" in "11.11" and one Baozi (steamed stuffed bun) representing the middle dot. The main way to celebrate Singles' Day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it's important that each person pay their own way to show their independence. Some send short messages or e-mails to their single friends to deliver their best wishes.

  Not every single is happy on this day. They may tease themselves for being still single. Some prefer to watch movies in a theatre. Some schools of a university would put forward a special program to gather singles together for celebration. In recent years, there has been more social attention to this holiday. For example, Taobaoshangcheng gives a up to 70% discount on this day. There are many activities on the Internet to help singles find a mate.

  Some singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on this day: many attend 'blind date' parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning 'single,' the four 'ones' of the date can also mean 'only one' as in 'the only one for me.' Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only 'one' in their heart. (With material from: Wikipedia)

Questions:

1. What do you think about singles day(光棍節)?

2. How to enjoy being single

What's so good about being single?

3. Why get married? Reasons to get married?

4. Reasons to get married later in life?

5. The pros and cons of being single ? Pros and cons of being married?

6. How safe is internet dating?

 How to safely meet a guy/girl through internet dating?

7. The advantages and disadvantages of online dating?

11.11光棍節　由來報你知
2013年11月10日23:52 

【大陸中心／綜合外電報導】「光棍節」據信源自1993年，4名南京大學學生在寢室閒聊如何擺脫光棍身分，聯想到「11月11日」，因為包含4個1，形似「光棍」，於是舉辦「光棍節」慶祝。
如今光棍節已走出校園，成為中國社會的流行節日，其中11月1日被稱為「小光棍節」、11月11日是「大光棍節」，不少單身男女在這天大肆上網購物，藉此「對自己好一點」，也意外帶動網路商機。
周六( 11/16) 聚會 時間: 6:30pm~9:00pm 地點: 快提café  新北市板橋區文化路一段387巷10號
 (沿著新埔捷運站1號出口左方向走約100公尺 經過新埔郵局
 先看到康是美 從信義房屋旁的巷子進入)
電話詢問 Billy  0976217450     
說吧!英文讀書會  完全免費  練習英文  交流知識  交友談心的平台  我們100%歡迎  老朋友 新

朋友 不設限

 
1. 煩惱甚麼

What Is worry?(pickthebrain)

(Copyright reserved by original writer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)本會會員 可列印學習使用
 
“I am an old man and I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened” -  Mark Twain

What Is worry? Worry is a very strong feeling of anxiety. It’s fear of the unknown – the thought that the worst will happen.

We may become overly concerned with future events. We may engage in repetitive negative self-talk with all the worst case scenarios. A lot of our thoughts will begin with …

What Do We Worry About?

When it comes to worry, studies have shown the following statistics:

 40% never happens – so in essence we are wasting our time by worrying.

 30% of what we worry about has already happened. Learn to “let go” and forgive yourself and others. You cannot change the past – no one can. Accept it for what it is and go on.

12% are needless worries, such as what someone else thinks about us.

10% are petty and unimportant such as we worry about what’s for dinner, we worry about being late, we worry about what to wear.

8% of what we worry about actually happens. Of this percentage…

4% of our worries that happen are beyond our control. We cannot change the outcome. These worries may include our health, the death of a loved one or an impending natural disaster. Often times the reality of these events are more bearable than the worry.

4% of what we worry about we have some if not all control over the results. Basically I think this is the consequences of our actions or inaction on the problems and challenges we face.

 questions:
◾What are the things you worry most?
 
◾ How to stop worries? How to help your friends who always sad, and worry?
 
◾How many times do we work ourselves into frenzy over a situation that is beyond our control?

◾Why do we allow worry to stress us out so much that we become ill?

◾Why do we waste our mental energy with worry?
2.颱風/選美/混油/金馬獎/海岸安全

  

UN launches US$300 mil. appeal for Philippines


 The U.N. launched an appeal for a third of a billion dollars on Tuesday as U.S. and British warships steamed toward the typhoon-ravaged Philippines where well over 10,000 people are feared dead.


Relief supplies continue to Philippines


 Taiwan sent another two C-130 military transport aircraft to the storm-ravaged Philippines yesterday morning to deliver a second batch of relief supplies, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.
Q:

◾What do you think about given relief supplies to Philippines?



  Venezuela's Gabriela Isler crowned Miss Universe in Moscow

 

 Venezuela's Gabriela Isler took the Miss Universe 2013 title Saturday at the gala finals of the world's most prestigious beauty contest.

 Q:
◾What do you think about beauty contests?


 
 Selling adulterated cooking oils
 

Taipei, Nov. 13 (CNA) Taiwan was informed by Spanish officials as early as 2009 that two local firms were selling adulterated cooking oils and passing them off as pure imports from Spain, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed Wednesday.Spain warned Taiwan over counterfeit import oil in 2009
Q:
◾What do you think about adulterated cooking oils?


Ang Lee discusses serving on jury of Golden Horse Awards 
 
  For the first time, acclaimed Oscar-winning director Ang Lee is serving as chairman of the jury for the Golden Horse Awards. After arriving in Taiwan, he says he has been watching four films a day and admits that chairing this jury is no easy feat.


 The Golden Horse Awards is celebrating its 50th anniversary. A treat this year is that the celebrated director Ang Lee is heading the ..(more) 
Q:
◾What do you think about the Golden Horse Awards? 

 
Coastal scenic area to intensify patrols after rogue wave attack ( Wang Shu-fen and Lee Hsin-Yin)
 Taipei, Nov. 11 (CNA) Safety precautions will be tightened along Taiwan's northeastern coastal area after a rogue wave killed eight people in Gongliao District in New Taipei, the Tourism Bureau said Monday.
 

The patrols will ask tourists to leave areas prone to rogue waves when waves reach an average of six meters high and wind speeds hit 62 kilometers per hour, the bureau said.
 
Authorities will also post more signs warning against freak waves, and fishermen will be required to wear life jackets and skidproof shoes in those areas.
 

The waves swept 16 people out to sea, leaving eight dead and eight injured.
 


Q:◾What do you think about the tourism safety? 
 
 3.口語練習 講義現場分發