周二(4/1) 1.投資自己2.撿到錢vs誠實

周二聚會點  丹提咖啡 寶慶店  晚上7:00~9:30
台北市延平南路107號
(西門捷運站3號出口 往前走30公尺 向左看到全家便利商店巷進入 / 在中山堂對面)
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  我們歡迎  老朋友
新朋友 不設限  只要您想學英文   100%歡迎您  直接到聚會地點參加   地址在本會網頁上
只要您有熱誠  說一口流利英文不是問題
**(他會朋友們 感謝您欣賞 本會文章 all copy rights reserved by writers 請您有自己idea
勿搶先發表 造成本會困擾 謝謝合作)
©  All copy rights reserved. Neither this material nor its presentation may be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.
                                                      
投資自己

3 Valuable Ways to Invest in Yourself

Investing in yourself may be the most profitable investment you ever make. It yields not only future returns, but often a current pay-off as well. The surest way to achieve a better quality life, to be successful, productive, and satisfied is to place a priority on investing in both personal and professional growth.

1. Develop your skills

    Advance your education -  extra classes, advanced degrees, relevant certifications, are all valuable investments. Take classes, either in person or online.

    Utilize available training – enroll in workshops, attend conferences or participate in webinars.

    Expand your knowledge – there’s lots of information available on nearly any subject imaginable. Read books, articles, white papers, anything related to the talent or skill you want to work on. Keep current – stay abreast of the latest trends or advancements. Subscribe to publications, read blogs of experts, and follow the latest news.

2. Explore your creative side

    Learn a new language –  take a class or use language training software

    Try gourmet cooking – enroll in a formal class, by a new cookbook, or ask someone you know who enjoys cooking in a different way.

    write something – a book, short stories, poetry, anything

    Explore the outside world – try gardening, bird watching, or landscape photography

    Enjoy music – play an instrument, learn a new one or join a music group of some kind.

    Create something tangible – paint, sculpt, make pottery, make jewelry or design your own clothes.

3. Nurture your mind and body

    Read – anything and everything

    Explore culture – attend performances, listen to different style of music, travel, or join an organization or group comprised of people from different backgrounds.

    Open your mind – engage in conversations with those who disagree with you. Look at an argument and try to make a case for the opposing point of view.

    Keep your mind active – play word games, (yes, even Words with Friends counts,) board games that include strategy, or try using your brain to perform simple calculations rather than relying on a calculator.

Care for your body. Your body is like a well-oiled machine. If you care for it in the way that you might maintain an expensive car, it will perform marvelously and last for a very long time.
 Questions:

1. Do you invest in yourself?

How to invest in yourself and watch your life change?

2. What are the skills do you want to learn or improve?

3.How to achieve your full potential?

Tips for improving your personal strengths?

4. How to improve your English skills?

5. How to enhance personal creativity?

6. How do you improve your knowledge?

7. Are you daring to try something new?

8. How to be successful in life?

  

  

撿到錢vs誠實

What You Should Do If You Find Money Lying On the Ground

(zeke2100.hubpages)

If you happen to find money that doesn't belong to you, there are several ways to respond:

1.Pick it up and take it to the closest store. If there is no establishment nearby, then report it to the police. This is the right thing to do. One waitress was recently tipped $12,000. She turned it over to the police, and has since received a reward. Her story can be read here.

2.Pick it up and pocket it, hoping that no one saw you. Many people would even steal from a friend's house, thinking that if it is just laying around, it's fair game. This is the unethical thing to do. Would you want someone to pocket your $100 bill that you accidentally dropped on the elevator?

3.Ignore the money. There are some people that are so wealthy, that it costs them more money to bend over and pick up a $100 bill, than it is to keep walking. Unfortunately, 99% of us cannot relate to that kind of wealth.

4.Point out the money to the homeless man nearby. While you had noble intentions, this money did not belong to you in the first place, which makes you as guilty as Communist leaders. They too, take money from one category of people, and give it to others, in the name of goodwill. True charity will come from your own pocket book.

5.Go home and put up an ad on Craig's List. This option will likely draw a crowd at the location of the currency, but chances are, none of these people truly lost the money. They are opportunists, and want to get free money, because they feel entitled to it, despite not actually working for it. This is the attitude of many people who are able to go out and work, yet take advantage of the system, and sit at home, living off of welfare checks.
 Questions:

1. What you should do if you find big sum of money lying on the ground?

2. What to do if you happen to find money that doesn't belong to you?

Examples:

(1.pick it up and take it to the closest store/police station)

(2.pick it up and pocket it, hoping that no one saw you.)

(3.ignore the money.)

3. Will you point out the money to the homeless man nearby or donate that money to charities?

4. “Pick it up and pocket it, hoping that no one saw you”

Do you think this is the unethical thing to do? Do you feel guilty if you use that money?

5. Are you expect to receive a reward if you hand it to police? How much do you think is good enough?

6. What to do if your money is lost or stolen?

7. Do you think "honesty is the best policy?

8. Where do the most honest people in the world live?

 



   

   

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周六(3/29)1.百萬人死於空汙2.衝動買者3.新聞討論

敬請多支持周六3/29聚會   歡迎周六來討論
周六聚會  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 
周六3/29文章   歡迎周六來討論    
百萬人死於空汙

Air Pollution Kills 7 Million People Every Year, World Health Organization Report (Huffington Post)

Air pollution kills about 7 million people worldwide every year, with more than half of the fatalities due to fumes from indoor stoves, according to a new report from the World Health Organization published Tuesday.
 

The agency said air pollution is the cause of about one in eight deaths and has now become the single biggest environmental health risk.

"We all have to breathe, which makes pollution very hard to avoid," said Frank Kelly, director of the environmental research group at King's College London, who was not part of the WHO report.

One of the main risks of pollution is that tiny particles can get deep into the lungs, causing irritation. Scientists also suspect air pollution may be to blame for inflammation in the heart, leading to chronic problems or a heart attack.

WHO estimated that there were about 4.3 million deaths in 2012 caused by indoor air pollution, mostly people cooking inside using wood and coal stoves in Asia. WHO said there were about 3.7 million deaths from outdoor air pollution in 2012, of which nearly 90 percent were in developing countries.

But WHO noted that many people are exposed to both indoor and outdoor air pollution. Due to this overlap, mortality attributed to the two sources cannot simply added together, hence WHO said it lowered the total estimate from around 8 million to 7 million deaths in 2012.

The new estimates are more than double previous figures and based mostly on modeling. The increase is partly due to better information about the health effects of pollution and improved detection methods. Last year, WHO's cancer agency classified air pollution as a carcinogen, linking dirty air to lung and bladder cancer.

 WHO's report noted women had higher levels of exposure than men in developing countries.

"Poor women and children pay a heavy price from indoor air pollution since they spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood cook stoves," Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General for family, women and children's health, said in a statement.

Other experts said more research was needed to identify the deadliest components of pollution in order to target control measures more effectively.

"We don't know if dust from the Sahara is as bad as diesel fuel or burning coal," said Majid Ezzati, chair in global environmental health at Imperial College London.

Kelly said it was mostly up to governments to curb pollution levels, through measures like legislation, moving power stations away from big cities and providing cheap alternatives to indoor wood and coal stoves.

 He said people could also reduce their individual exposure to choking fumes by avoiding traveling at rush hour or by taking smaller roads. Despite the increasing use of face masks in heavily polluted cities such as Beijing and Tokyo, Kelly said there was little evidence that they work.

"The real problem is that wearing masks sends out the message we can live with polluted air," he said. "We need to change our way of life entirely to reduce pollution."

Questions:

What do you think about “air pollution kills about 7 million people worldwide every year”?

Do you think air pollution is a problem?

Do you think air pollution serious in Taiwan?

Do you think air pollution is biggest environmental health risk?

What is the solution?

Which area has the most good air quality in Taiwan? Why the area has good air quality?

Which cities in Taiwan has good living environment? Why?

衝動買者

A compulsive shopper(wisegeek)

A compulsive shopper is someone who is addicted to shopping, much in the same way that one might be addicted to gambling or alcohol. The term compulsive shopper is used because a person has a compulsion, or need to shop that overrides the person’s ability to consider the consequences of spending money.

Sometimes the term compulsive shopper may also apply to people who make last minute unnecessary purchases. In fact store merchandising often appeals to shoppers who might make a last minute purchase. Items located around a cashier can lure the shopper into a quick decision regarding throwing a few extra things in the shopping cart. Grocery stores, for example, usually send one through a line with colorful magazines, razors, gum, and a few other items that may not be needed.

However, the occasional purchase of an extra magazine at the cashier station is quite different than an addiction to shopping. Like all addictions the compulsive shopper gets a temporary “high” from making a purchase. Generally, the elevation of mood is short-lived and encourages the behavior again so that one can achieve the same “high.”

Questions:

Are you a compulsive shopper?

Are you addicted to shopping?

Ways to save money when you're shopping?

How to shop carefully with a tight budget?

Ways to deal with sellers about ' refund requests”?

新聞討論A controversial trade deal

(CNN) -- Riot police evicted scores of protesters from Taiwan's executive building early Monday morning as rallies over a controversial trade deal between Taiwan and mainland China entered their seventh day.

Hundreds of protesters stormed the Executive Yuan in Taipei on Sunday evening, shortly after Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou dismissed protesters' demands to scrap a service trade agreement with China. Opponents of the deal say it could harm Taiwan's economy, democratic system and national security.

Q:What do you think about the controversial trade deal?

Earthquake

Taipei, March 26 (CNA) A magnitude 4.3 earthquake jolted eastern Taiwan at 8:23 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Central Weather Bureau.
The earthquake's epicenter was located 65.3 kilometers east of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 17.2 km, bureau officials said.
Q:What do you think about earthquake happening in Taiwan?

 Food poisoning.

Taipei, March 26 (CNA) Twenty-six elementary school students in Hualien County fell victim Wednesday to what authorities suspect was food poisoning.
The students from three elementary schools, who were attending a five-day course at the Character and English Institute, experienced discomfort after eating breakfast at the institute, with many of them vomiting.
Q:What do you think about the food poisoning?

口語訓練 資料現場分發

 

 

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周二(3/25)1.服貿2.坐飛機安全嗎?

周二聚會點  丹提咖啡 寶慶店  晚上7:00~9:30
台北市延平南路107號
(西門捷運站3號出口 往前走30公尺 向左看到全家便利商店巷進入 / 在中山堂對面)
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  我們歡迎  老朋友
新朋友 不設限  只要您想學英文   100%歡迎您  直接到聚會地點參加   地址在本會網頁上
只要您有熱誠  說一口流利英文不是問題
**(他會朋友們 感謝您欣賞 本會文章 all copy rights reserved by writers 請您有自己idea
勿搶先發表 造成本會困擾 謝謝合作)
©  All copy rights reserved. Neither this material nor its presentation may be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.
   

服貿

Taiwan Protesters Occupy Legislature Over China Trade Pact VOA News

Police and protesters have been engaged in a standoff in Taiwan's legislature after students stormed the building to demand the government scrap a trade deal with China.

The protesters Wednesday knocked down a large metal gate as they entered the legislative chamber late Tuesday and were using chairs to keep out police.  Authorities said several officers were slightly injured when they made a failed attempt to clear the chamber.

The students said the deal would endanger Taiwanese jobs and increase Beijing's growing influence.

Student organizer Shi Yilun told VOA that the protesters felt the ruling Kuomintang, or KMT, party has bypassed the democratic process.

“The public hearings have not taken into consideration the voice of the people, the voice of all parties, or the questions and challenges all sides have about the Cross Strait Service Trade Agreement.  On the contrary, on February 17 (the KMT) did something that violated fundamental democratic procedures and was without regard to the people of Taiwan. They violated what we authorized them to do at that time.  We’ve come here to take back our rights,” said Shi.

The students are upset that a government committee passed a review of the deal despite opposition protests.

KMT Policy Committee Chairman Lin Hong-chi told reporters that the protesters were the ones damaging Taiwan's democracy.

“From last night until the present moment, a portion of the populous has been misled by a small number of people with ulterior motives into occupying the Legislative Yuan.  This has caused great harm to Taiwan’s democracy.  How sacred are the halls of parliament.  To trample on a palace of democracy is to trample on parliament, which is the same as trampling on the people,” said Lin.

Taiwan-China economic ties have been strong for years.  Political relations have also grown warmer following historic high level talks last month.

Taiwan's opposition is worried about excessive Chinese influence.  The opposition has vowed to vote against the trade deal, but does not have the strength to block it.

Finance Minister Chang Sheng-ford said the deal was too important for the island to pass up.

“The Cross Strait Service Trade Agreement has a stake in the nation’s prospects.  Mainland China is such a big market that if we don’t sign this agreement our competitiveness will drop.  How will we join regional mechanisms in the future?  Everyone had better calmly consider over [this], [we] must not be influenced by ideology," said Chang. The trade deal is part of the far-reaching Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, or ECFA, signed between Taiwan and China in 2010.

Under the subdivision of the pact now under discussion, Chinese and Taiwanese service companies would increase investments in each other's territory.

Questions:

1. What do you think about students occupy legislature over china trade pact?

What do you think about the cross strait service trade agreement?

2. Do you think the economic cooperation agreement is good for Taiwan and china?

Do you think the severe trade deal would endanger Taiwanese jobs and increase?

Beijing’s growing influence?

3. What do you think about protesters in Taiwan?

4. Do you make enough money?

Are you satisfied with your current income?

5. Do you think the unemployment rate will get worse?

What are the causes of unemployment?

6. How to create job opportunities?

7. How does tourism boost the national economy?

8. How to build brighter future for Taiwan?

                                                                    

坐飛機安全嗎?

How safe is commercial flight?    anxieties.com

Dr. Arnold Barnett, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has done extensive research in the field of commercial flight safety. He found that over the fifteen years between 1975 and 1994, the death risk per flight was one in seven million. This statistic is the probability that someone who randomly selected one of the airline's flights over the 19-year study period would be killed in route. That means that any time you board a flight on a major carrier in this country, your chance of being in a fatal accident is one in seven million. It doesn't matter whether you fly once every three years or every day of the year.

In fact, based on this incredible safety record, if you did fly every day of your life, probability indicates that it would take you nineteen thousand years before you would succumb to a fatal accident. Nineteen thousand years!

Perhaps you have occasionally taken the train for your travels, believing that it would be safer. Think again. Based on train accidents over the past twenty years, your chances of dying on a transcontinental train journey are one in a million. Those are great odds, mind you. But flying coast-to-coast is ten times safer than making the trip by train.

How about driving, our typical form of transportation? There are approximately one hundred and thirty people killed daily in auto accidents. That's every day -- yesterday, today and tomorrow. And that's forty-seven thousand killed per year.

In 1990, five hundred million airline passengers were transported an average distance of eight hundred miles, through more than seven million takeoffs and landings, in all kinds of weather conditions, with a loss of only thirty-nine lives. During that same year the National Transportation Safety Board's report shows that over forty-six thousand people were killed in auto accidents. A sold-out 727 jet would have to crash every day of the week, with no survivors, to equal the highway deaths per year in this country.

Dr. Barnett of MIT compared the chance of dying from an airline accident versus a driving accident, after accounting for the greater number of people who drive each day. Can you guess what he found? You are nineteen times safer in a plane than in a car. Every single time you step on a plane, no matter how many times you fly, you are nineteen times less likely to die than in your car.

The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 permitted the airlines to be competitive both in the routes they flew and the fares they charged. When the price of air travel decreased, the number who flew increased. In 1977, two hundred and seventy million passengers flew on U.S. scheduled airlines. In 1987 four hundred and fifty million flew. For passengers, that resulted in the frustration of crowded terminals and delayed boardings and takeoffs. But did deregulation cause safety to be compromised? Definitely not!

Accident statistics provided by the National Transportation Safety Board show that -- despite a fifty percent increase in passengers during the ten years after deregulation -- there was a forty percent decrease in the number of fatal accidents and a twenty-five percent decrease in the number of fatalities, compared to the ten years before deregulation.

Questions:

1. How safe is commercial flight?

Do you consider that flight safety and airline accident record before flying?

3. How often do you take an airplane?

Are you fear of flying? How to overcome a fear of flying?

4. What do you think that “the death risk per flight was one in seven million?”

5. How to survive a plane crash? Which is the safest seat on an aircraft?

How to prepare for a plane crash, if you were one of the passengers?

6. What do you think about the missing Malaysia airlines flight?

What are the causes of airplane crash?

7. In your opinion, what kind of public transportation would be safer?

Compare the chances of dying on a trans, cars and airplanes?

8. Do you buy insurance before take an airplane?

 

 

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周二(3/18)1.來自星星的它2.超棒工作環境

周二聚會點  丹提咖啡 寶慶店  晚上7:00~9:30
台北市延平南路107號
(西門捷運站3號出口 往前走30公尺 向左看到全家便利商店巷進入 / 在中山堂對面)
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  我們歡迎  老朋友
新朋友 不設限  只要您想學英文   100%歡迎您  直接到聚會地點參加   地址在本會網頁上
只要您有熱誠  說一口流利英文不是問題
**(他會朋友們 感謝您欣賞 本會文章 all copy rights reserved by writers 請您有自己idea
勿搶先發表 造成本會困擾 謝謝合作)
©  All copy rights reserved. Neither this material nor its presentation may be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.
                     

來自星星的它

這主題某周五曾討論過 周二的朋友未討論過

Billy認為這主題 可做延伸討論 來談談 韓國文化 韓劇流行 明星整型

永恆的愛情 外星人 神秘的外太空

Korean Drama ‘My Love from the Stars’ Sparks Mania in China (Cassandra Kwok)

 The hottest Korean drama, My Love from the Stars, has taken Asia by storm, particularly in China. From sold-out fan meetings to a boom in sales for food merely mentioned on the recently-concluded SBS drama, Chinese fans just can’t seem to get enough.

 

China has fallen head-over-heels for Kim Soo-hyun, who plays the title character, a gorgeous, yet mysterious 400-year-old alien who falls in love with a Hallyu actress, played by My Sassy Girl star Jun Ji-hyun.

 

China’s Jiangsu Satellite TV invited Kim to appear as a special guest judge on game show Super Brain on March 8. The show reportedly paid Kim approximately $500,000 for his eight-hour appearance and spent an additional $500,000 to charter a private jet and hire 600 security guards to control the massive crowds.

Chinese fans shrieked with excitement chanting “Do Min Joon,” the name of his drama character, as he made his appearance in a dapper black tuxedo very similar to his character’s style.

And the mania is not just reserved for Kim. On one episode, Jun’s character mentions that she loves chowing down on fried chicken and beer when it snows. Since then, Korean fried chicken restaurants in China have done a booming business, with accounts of three-hour lines and chicken shortages. News reports said a pregnant woman almost had a miscarriage due to binge-watching the show while eating just chicken with beer.

What exactly about this series has got China obsessed? The Chinese government is wondering the same thing. The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) members have been questioning why they can’t produce such addicting and impactful dramas much like Korea, according to the Washington Post. Some politicians have said that the rise of K-dramas in China has punctured the pride of Chinese culture.

Questions:

1. Do you like watching Korean soap operas?

 What do you think about Korean soap operas? 

2. What do thank about the Korean culture?

3. Do you believe aliens exist?

Do UFO's Exist? Do You Believe?

4. What to do if you encounter alien?

5. What to do if you found Your Boyfriend/girlfriend is an Alien?

6. What do thank about Korean celebs and plastic surgery?

7. Would you like to travel to another planet?

Will we live on the other planets?

8. Why Chinese and Taiwanese craze about Korean soap operas?

                   

超棒工作環境

甚麼樣的工作? 公司準備琳瑯滿目的食品點心 葡萄酒 視訊娛樂場地 舒適環境午睡 五星級健身運動休閒環境  免費托兒育樂中心 員工住遠一點 還專車專機接送 千萬年終獎金分紅 嗨!好朋友來聊聊 您心目中的理想工作環境
Google Employees Reveal Their Favorite Perks Working For The Company(Kevin Smith)

Google jobs are some of the most sought after positions in the entire tech industry.

 Employees who work for the search giant don't have to worry about much besides their work. Google says, "the array of benefits of perks aim to ensure that Googlers remain happy and healthy in all aspects of their lives."

 Google provides its workers with a lot of perks, most are unheard of at the average 9-5 gig. Some former Googlers and a few that are still with the company listed their favorite benefits on answers site Quora.

Employees have access to free rental cars if they need to run an errand, free gyms on campus, and some offices even offer on-site daycare.

 While providing free food and drinks is getting more "normal" for start-ups these days, it was definitely my favorite and most-used perk at Google. I would start my morning at one building that had a coffee bar with full-time barista who would make whatever drink requested, for free. I would then head over to the building I worked in for free breakfast and take it to my desk. Lunchtime would come around and I'd head to one of Googles 25+ cafes for food. At Google you're never further than 150 ft. (or so) away from food, so micro kitchens with coffee, drinks and snacks are close by. If you stay to work late, you can grab dinner at Google too. Because Google's campus is not close to many restaurants, having food saves their employees lots of time while still providing plenty of variety and options.

A former Googler, describes bringing his dog to work:

My mild-mannered and quiet Shar-Pei accompanied me 2-3 times a week and became a constant presence in my team and work area. Though managing a dog between meetings can sometimes be challenging, having her with me meant that every few hours I needed to get outside and take a break which helped me manage my energy. In addition my dog brought a lot of spontaneous joy to my colleagues who sometimes sought her out when needing a break from an arduous task.

Employees can give each other "massage credits" for a job well done on projects. The massage credits can be redeemed for a free one hour massage on campus.

Besides massages, one engineer at Google describes what it was like when he got an injury while working at the search giant:

Free fitness classes, gyms, and organized intramural sports:

Every Friday employees can unwind and socialize with free beer and wine.

Maternity leave for Mom and Dad plus a bonus:

It's typical for mothers to get up off of work for up to six weeks after having a child but at Google it's another story.

At Google, new dads receive six weeks of paid leave while moms can take 18 weeks after the birth of a child. Employees' stock continues to vest and they continue to receive bonuses while they are on leave. 

The Goog even gives us a bonus, called "baby bonding bucks" shortly after our baby is born to help with expenses like diapers, takeout, and formula during our leave. I haven't heard of other companies offering parental benefits within a country mile of Google's.

Considerable death benefits:

If a Googler passes away, "all their stock vests immediately, and on top of the (not atypical, I think?) life insurance payout, their surviving spouse continues to get half of the Googler's salary for the next 10 years. And there's an additional $1,000/month benefit for any of the Googler's children."

Questions:

1. What is your ideal job? What is your ideal working place?

2. Do you want to work at Google?

Can you get a job at Google?

3. What do you think about the Google?

Do you think Google company culture is great?

Reasons why you need to work for a big company?

4. Is a good idea that bringing a dog to work?

5. What other employee benefits you really want?

6. How much salary is enough?

How to ask for a pay raise? Do you want a big bonus check?

7. How to be happy at work? Ways to be happier at work?

Ways to keep employees happy?

 

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