World of Words Issue 76 December 2011

world of words issue 76, December 2011

December 2011, issue 76

“The English Language Program’s student magazine – a compilation of the fall session’s highlights, students’ opinions and other features.”

academic life:

student opinion:

Volunteer Experience Program Academic Skills Students University Life

Basketball Sculpting My Life Teaching Skills Street Art Haider

&

looking back looking forward: Reflections on the World Press Photo Exhibition Magnificent Quebec!

Reflections on the Ontario Science Centre!

Do your verbs agree with your subjects?

Find out at Grammar Corner

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cover photo by Lily Choi, Cultural Assistant with the English Language Program during a weekend trip to French Canada

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inside this issue feature articles

academic life

Kwansei Gakuin University 4

Grammar Corner 32

Favourite Memories 6

Academic Skills Students 34

Haider/Magnificent Quebec! 8

University Application Program 37

Friendly Faces in Big Places 9

University Life 38

Drive: Speed Reviews 10

Volunteer Experience Program 39

Moustache Madness 11

Proverbs from Around the World 41

student opinion articles

english outside of the classroom

Reflections on the World Press Photo Exhibition 12

Night of Dread Parade 44

Traffic Issues in Beijing 15

Reflections on the Ontario Science Centre 45

Teaching Skills/Chinese High School 16

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 48

Street Art/Festivals in Kyoto 17

Canadian Football 49

A Noble Cause: Student Petitions 18

Day of the Dead Festival 50

Spring Festival 20

Cultural Assistants 52

Basketball 22

Staying Healthy Through Winter 55

My Hometown 23

Ask Rosa 56

Facebook: thoughts worth thinking 24 Kinosaki, Onsen 27 Niagara Falls/Jake 28 Sculpting My Life 29 Beijing: China’s Capital 30 Riding at Ouźnia 31 2

Disclaimer Due to our diverse student population, we receive many opinion-based articles relating to global and current affairs.

The views expressed in this magazine are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the English Language Program.

ELP Director’s Message

issue 76, December 2011

December 2011 Dear all,

It is hard to believe that winter is descending upon us again, but that is one of the reasons why I love Toronto so much – we get four seasons in a year and they are all different! Per usual, ELP students have been busy and have captured their activities in their own words. Experience Toronto through their eyes in this exciting issue of WoW… Enjoy student opinion articles that span the globe and reflect our students passions and interests: Zahra Saleh Al,Baik expresses the joy of welcoming her son Haider into the world; Erardo Jerez Hernandez petitions for a recycling program in Venezuela; and Konrad Przezdziecki shares his love for horseback riding in Poland. These articles and more demonstrate the range of global experience and opinions of our students.

Share their ambition and goals in the Academic Life section: Academic Skills Students write on their research goals; Mohamad Attieh Al-Nowigy shares the challenges of entering university; and Thao Huynh shares his experience volunteering with ELP’s Volunteer Experience Program.

Take a walk through the past session with articles and photos from social activities and student events: students in Academic English level 40 reflect on their trip to the Ontario Science Centre; Aya Tsujimoto and Ayana Hashimoto share their experiences on our trip to French Canada; and Franklin Wan gives us the lowdown on how to play Canadian football. These articles help demonstrate how learning goes beyond the classroom.

This issue of World of Words would not have been possible without the submissions and support of ELP students, instructors, staff and friends. Thank you for helping to fill the world with words!

And… wishing you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy 2011, Sherry Yuan Hunter Executive Director, English Language Program, University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies

Christopher Chipman Editor and Layout

Design

Carol Anne Armstrong, Nanamoye Ascofare, Maxine Staff Contributors Bower, Laura Brown, Megan Chen, Lily Choi, Andrea Cuellar-Aleman, Visnja Cuturic, Kimberley Hindy, Corrine Keogh, Tonia Kwok, Rosa Leo, Elizabeth Leslie, Evelyn Pederson, Barb Petersen, Linda Prue Naglaa Salem, Becky Smith, Denise Wallis, Franklin Wan, Cindy Zhou 3

world of words

by darren rigo

KWANSEI GAKUIN UNIVERSITY

Cultural Assistant at ELP

Kwansei Gakuin and U of T have a relationship that goes back generations. For many years students from KGU (as we call it) have come to ELP to study English and, for the first time this year, Canadian Studies. I’ve had the chance to meet hundreds of KGU students over the last few years and I’ve always been interested in their impression of life in Canada so I thought I’d officially investigate the differences and similarities between two of the world’s greatest universities. Darren Rigo

The Facts Kangaku

U of T

Emblem Motto

Mastery for Service As a tree through the ages

Established

1889

1827

Population

19 966

46 050

Campus size

148 acres

180 acres

School Colours Yellow, Blue, White 4

Blue, White

KGU Students’ impressions

issue 76, December 2011

“U of T has a big campus. It’s very spread out.”

“At U of T few poeple skip class, but at KGU it’s common to skip class, attendance is not as important.”

“Many classes at KGU have ten to thirty people, just like ELP, but large lectures can have three to seven hundred students.”

“There are no dorms at KGU so living at home is the most popular, but some people have their own apartment.”

“Computer labs in Kwansei Gakuin are always packed with students, but at U of T you can always get a spot.”

“The buildings at Kangaku are very old, just like at U of T. They are very beautiful!”

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FAVOURITE MEMORIES OF FRENCH CANADA

by Aya Tsujimoto, Japan Comprehensive English

This photograph is of me and my friends Sayuri and Yuki. We visited the Tourny Fountain in Quebec. It was so beautiful that we stayed to look at the fountain for a long time.

This photograph is of me and my friends. We visited the Parliament buildings in Ottawa.

The weather on this day was very fine, so we couldn’t help lying down on the grass!

This is the favourite photograph that I took on my French Canada trip.

I visited Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires in Quebec. The moon was shining in the sky and the area was very quiet. It was such a mystic atmosphere that I was speechless! It felt as if time had come to a stop…

This photograph was taken inside Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal. There were many people inside. It was decorated with many colors of light and I thought it was very beautiful! The peaceful space made me feel at home.

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issue 76, December 2011

This photo is of me and my friend Sayuri. We ate poutine for the first time in Montreal. It was so delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed it! I want to eat poutine again.

yum...

POUTINE is a Canadian meal made of chipped and fried potatoes, topped with gravy and cheese curds.

Magnificent Quèbec!

by Ayana Hashimoto, Japan Academic English, Level 40

O

ne of my favorite places is Quebec City and I would like to introduce it as a treasure of Canada. Quebec City is the capital of Quebec Province and the first place colonized by Europeans in Canada. The upper town and the lower town, which mean the old-fashioned area is a UNESCO site. Most people are ‘French-speaking’, so Quebec Province tried to be independent from Canada. It did not succeed, but in my opinion, this is an aftermath of the long war between England and France for their colonies. The history is interesting; in addition, Quebec is also wonderful in these two respects, the landscape and the oldfashioned town.

Quebec is the narrowing point of the St.Lawrence River, so almost all parts of the town are open to the river. This picture is from La Citadelle (the fortress) toward the port, but in fact, this landscape was too wide to capture with my camera. Quebec has a lot of magnificent landscapes, so why don’t you go and see them for yourself!?

Next, the old-fashioned town is so nice because of the European influence. The architecture is historical and the atmosphere is comfortable. There are many restaurants, cafes, and sourvenir shops.

Quebec is like a hill; therefore, walking needs much energy. If you walk to a destination, you can see more impressive sights.

Quebec has many beautiful points such as these. The best season is autmun for the coloured leaves; on the other hand, in winter you can see the Winter Carnival. The official language is French, but a lot of the Quebecois, especially young people, also understand English, so you do not have to be worried about the language. I hope you are interested in Quebec and plan to visit.

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Haider O

by Zahra Saleh AL,Baik, saudi Arabia - aCADEMIC eNGLISH

nce I was a daughter, but now I am mother. My son Haider, a gift from God, came to life on June 19. I became a mother and had a strange feeling, a mixture of love and fear. Once I saw my little boy I fell in love. The fear was from how to take care of him and raise that tiny soft baby, Haider. He really made a change in my life.

I became a patient, responsible and kind person. I am thinking now about how I am going to deal with him when he gets older. I always ask my mother ”how did you understand what my little sister wanted“. However, I realized that mothers have a special way of communication that makes them understand the needs of their babies. I struggle to do whatever he wants just to see his smile. Furthermore, I have to behave in a good manner because I am the ideal that he will follow.

Ingredients:

- Tostadas charras (corn tortillas) - Sliced beef - Onion - Garlic - Tomatoes - Lettuce or Avocado - Queso fresco (fresh cheese) - Cooked and mashed beans

- 1 cup of rice - Sugar - Cinnamon, 2 sticks and ground powder - Raisins

How to cook:

- Heat the rice in a big pot with milk and sugar - Add 2 sticks of cinnamon - When the ingredients start boiling, turn down the heat slightly - Stir until the rice is cookedv

How to cook:

1. Boil the jalapeño pepper in a pot of water 2. Blend the boiled jalapeño pepper, cheese, water, garlic, and salt to taste 3. Lightly fry the tortillas 4. Spread the prepared sauce on the tortillas 5. Add chicken to the tortilla and wrap the tortilla around its contents 6. Add extra melted cheese on the top of the tortilla

How to cook:

1. Cut the beef into little pieces 2. Start boiling the beef with onion and garlic 3. Cover the tortilla with mashed beans 4. Place the beef on the tortilla 5. Add lettuce, tomatoes, onion, avocado and cheese

Sofia´s Tip:

tostados

Ingredients:

- Tortillas - Cheese - Onion - 1 jalapeño pepper - Grilled chunks of chicken - 1 clove of garlic

Sofia´s Tip:

Enchiladas taste great with avocado and beans!

enchiladas

Sofia´s Tip:

Sprinkle on some cinnamon and raisins to taste. You can eat arroz con leche cold or hot! Enjoy!

flickr credit La blasco

Ingredients:

Serve with hot sauce and sour cream, to taste. It’s delicious!

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of her favourite dishes from back home. With these recipes, Sofia hopes that you will be able to make these dishes for yourself and see how delicious they are!

f;lickr credit El Gran Dee

Mexico

Sofia Casanova, an ELP student (Academic English) originally from Mexico, shares with WoW some

flickr credit Jason Weaver

taste of the world:

My life was quiet before, but now with my son it is full of activities. However, I love my baby. I love my new life with him. I hope to give him a happy life. I hope to see him become a great airplane pilot because this was my dream.

arroz con leches

issue 76, December 2011

FRIENDLY FACES IN BIG PLACES

by Maxine Bower Cultural Assistant at ELP

T

oronto is huge. Well, for Canadians, it’s a pretty big city – the largest in Canada and sometimes very isolating. Having spent a significant amount of my childhood in Antigonish, a small town in Nova Scotia, I miss the friendly conversations that would happen on the street that don’t seem to happen as often in big cities like Toronto. Little country towns where everyone knows everyone are charming. However, that charm can fade and boredom often takes its place. I need a city to accommodate my big dreams, big hair, big feet, big appetite and big backpack. Even with my desire to belong to a big place, I often

find myself wanting those friendly encounters that happened so often in Antigonish. When the lack of friendly conversations and faces makes me feel lonely, I seek out the small spaces with familiar friendly faces that were so easy to find in Antigonish.

My deadly dependency on caffeine and my keen scent for its host, that magical elixir called coffee, brought me to a small place, 388 College Street, where I could find those friendly faces.

The Bean, a charming little cafe with Roiboos tea lattes (made by a lovely lady who makes absolutely perfect milk foam), is where I rediscover the little friendly

University of Toronto Chinese Debate Society (UTCDS)

by Tonia Kwok Cultural Assistant at ELP and Marketing Director of UTCDS

connections with people that I love.

Each time I go to this small but special space, I run into a friend, meet someone knew, or continue a previous conversation I’ve had with the barista. It is a friendly place. It is always intimate, always warm and always accommodating down-toearth people who are very open to speaking with strangers. It seems like everyone at The Bean wants to be your new friend! Even when the cafe is empty with no one around except the barista, I am greeted by the walls which are full of the strange but friendly faces that I hold so dear.

ELP Students - join us for mock debates! Check out our Facebook page for more information, search “University of Toronto Chinese Debate Society”

What do you think of when you hear the word “debate”? I used to think it was just a simple argument on a topic between people, then realized it is not as simple as I thought. It requires organization, wit, presentation, analytical skills, and even time management!

Chinese debate is played between 2 teams, each consisting of 4 players. Interestingly, all 4 speakers have different roles in a match. The first speaker is responsible for introduction and summarizing the argument. The second and third speakers are required to rebut the points of the other team, while providing reasons behind their argument. Last but not least, the fourth speaker mainly rebuts the team’s argument overall, including every single detail that they made a mistake on. However, the most exciting part is free debate, when the 2 teams could rebut each other directly. Sometimes, it is hard to even catch up with what is happening!

The topic is provided a week before the match and each team is assigned a role - pro or con. Usually they are given a week to prepare for the topic, as it may require a lot of research. Debate does require a lot of work and preparation, but presenting the knowledge one gained in just one short week is the most amazing feeling ever. I joined Chinese Debate accidentally, but it was definitely the best time I ever had.

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Drive

world of words

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston,

Albert Brooks and Christina Hendricks Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn Written by Hossein Amini (screenplay), James Sallis (book)

Takumi Sakiyama, Japan Comprehensive English

“This movie was very good and it surprised and excited me. I was shocked by the violence, but I liked the car chases. I also like the story and the main character, so I give it 4.5 stars.“

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SPEED REVIEWS

Plot Summary: A Hollywood stunt driver who

moonlights as a getaway driver discovers that a contract has been put out on him after a heist goes wrong.

Yusaku Iwasawa, Japan

Yuki Kawasaki, Japan

“The last thirty minutes were very grotesque, but the car chase scenes were exciting and cool. The main character didn’t talk too much, but his behaviour helped me understand the situations. I give it 3.5 stars.”

“It was a good movie. I liked the main character’s attitude. He was violent, but he was still a good person because he wanted to help his friends. I give it 2 stars because the story was not so exciting.”

English Language Training

Comprehensive English

Moustache Madness

by Becky Smith Marketing at ELP

issue 76, December 2011

www.movember.com

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f you were in Toronto in November, you might have noticed that a number of men suddenly started to grow moustaches. It was even reported that facial hair began sprouting on the top lip of one of Canada’s most famous teenagers, Justin Bieber.

So what was the reason for this? Was it the onset of winter that drove Canadian men to start covering their faces with hair? Was it the latest fashion trend? The answer is neither. For many, it was the opportunity to take part in a growing global movement.

Originally started in Australia, the Movember movement aims to encourage men to grow a moustache for the entire month of November. Mo’ is a slang word for moustache which when coupled with November gives us “Movember”. The idea is that by growing the moustache it will start a discussion around men’s health issues. Another goal is raise money for charities. In Canada, the money goes to charitable organisations working to raise awareness of support those with prostate cancer, the number one cancer affecting men.

The men who grow the moustaches are known as Mo Bros and the women who support them are known as Mo Sistas. In 2010, over $22 million dollars was raised in Canada by the nearly 119, 000 men who took part.

From Russia to Hong Kong and Brazil to India, over 1 million men grew moustaches in support of Movember so it’s not just in Toronto that you will see the men looking hairier than usual during the month of November.

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REFLECTIONS ON THE

WORLD PRESS PHOTO EXHIBITION

Articles contributed by Gabriella de la Oliva, Natalia Kasmachova, and Ruicen Guo

FERNANDO MOLERE’S “JUVENILES BEHIND BARS IN SIERRA LEONE”

by Gabriela de la Oliva, Venezuela - Academic English

T

he World Press Photo Exhibition is considered one of the most prestigious exhibitions in the world, and that is not only because this foundation brought together photography masterpieces since 1955; it is also about an admirable effort to show the viewers a different perspective of the world. Every year, the organizers give the visitors to this exhibition the opportunity to learn what press photography really is; they expect the visitors to appreciate unique moments that have been captured by talented photographers who sometimes expose their lives to serious and threatening dangers for the purpose of revealing current events.

These photographers come from all parts of the globe. For example, Fernando Moleres, the photographer who won this year’s 2nd prize in the Daily Life category, was born in Spain. After traveling extensively around the world combining View the full image online at nursing work with photography, Moleres decided www.worldpressphoto.org to document social issues that affect children and juveniles in Africa, producing one of the most impressive works of the entire exhibition. The photo was taken in Sierra Leone, and the central point is a group of citizens who are in prison. The viewers’ attention is focused on that feeling of sadness evoked from the prisoners’ faces; they are sleeping all together on the floor of that small jail built to accommodate 300 prisoners but now holds more than 1,100. There is no light in the photo; it is completely dark, and if viewers look at the background, they can appreciate the deplorable conditions in which these people are living. It is clear that Moleres wants to criticise the prison system; he wants to highlight the fact that many political authorities from different African countries are not respecting the human rights of the prisoners.

In short, the problem illustrated here is about human rights’ violations. Every year, thousands of prisoners in this continent are forced to live in these conditions; most of the time they do not receive any food, they do not have the right to have a lawyer, and the majority of these prisoners spend years in jail before receiving a final sentence.

Besides, they have to deal with violence, sexual abuse, infectious diseases and lack of medical care. To conclude, this photo is not just about the prison system in Africa; it is also about millions of people whose rights are not being respected by those who ironically must offer them protection.

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issue 76, December 2011

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?

Held annually in Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, the World Press Photography Contest is one of the largest press photography contests in the world. Following the contest, the winning photos go on tour in in over 100 cities in 45 countries.

ANDREW McCONNELL’S “KINSHASA STRINGS”

by Natallia Kasmachova, Belarus - Academic English

W

orld Press Photo is a prestigious exhibition of photojournalism; the 54th annual show was organized in Toronto and represents 108 photos from all over the world. In my opinion, the most memorable artwork is a photo, ‘Kinshasa strings’ taken by Andrew McConnell. The image illustrates the life of a female participant of a symphony orchestra in Congo. This photo impresses and compels the viewer to think deeply about the humanity.

The photographer demonstrates an easily perceivable contrast by focusing on a well-dressed woman in the foreground, compared View the full image online at to the execrable poverty and www.worldpressphoto.org turmoil in the background. Thus, the artist’s attention to these opposite realities might be interpreted as happiness being an attitude, not a situation. For example, the manipulation, suggested by McConnell, has a great impact on the viewer’s perception; as a result, it reverses the first depressing impression of the settlement to hope for the future. Using the contrast between bright primary colours of the woman’s clothing and the muted grey hues of the street indicates contradictions in the world. Furthermore, each individual constructs a unique future, so it is possible to be happy and successful independently of the environment or circumstances.

As an illustration, the woman who is shielded from the outer world is a microcosm, for she represents personal peace during time of despair. In other words, the scene of a moment of bliss symbolizes hope amid the chaos. In conclusion, the photo allows us to understand how to achieve goals despite a person’s situation. On balance, this photo-reportage indicates concentration on daily activities that make people happy and which are self-controlled.

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MADS NISSEN “IN THE NAME OF VICTORIA”

by Rachel Guo, China - Academic Skills

H

eld by World Press Photo, a self-governing and non-profit organization, World Press Photo exhibition is an influential annual event run in a number of cities around the world.

Fortunately, Toronto is one of these cities. Among all the excellent photos displayed, one of them, titled “In the name of Victoria” and photographed by Danish press photographer - Mads Nissen, stands out and impresses me the most. In the photo, a woman with a sad on her face has her arm around a little girl, Victoria, who fixes her eyes on the woman’s face. Victoria has hydrocephalus, water in the brain. What surprised me the most was when I first saw the photo, I thought the woman was Victoria’s natural mother; however, it appeared to be a foreigner who had read the story about this abandoned girl in the Danish newspaper Berlingske. The name of this great woman is Cecilie M. Hansen, a Danish business executive.

The reason why the biological parents abandoned their child is probably that it was difficult for them to accept the awful truth or they just lacked financial resources; nevertheless, it is even harder to imagine how Hansen had the courage to fly to a country four thousand miles away in order to help the girl. The piece of news has brought about a great number of responses, but Hansen is the one who turned her emotion into actions. The spirit of her dedication should be admired and expanded in the present society where individuals tend to be unconcerned with people they do not know. In addition, Hansen’s persistence allowed Victoria to taste the feeling of being loved and cherished, although she failed to survive from her second operation. The story also changed the philanthropist’s life; she is now working on the transfer of second-hand medical machines to Nepali hospitals and has established the Victoria Association which raises funds for two hospitals in Nepal. In a word, it is the sadness in Cecilie Hansen’s eyes that drew my attention to this photo and it is her spirit of dedication and persistence that evoked in me the belief in love between individuals.

View the full image online at www.worldpressphoto.org

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by NATSUKI KATO FRONT CAMPUS

by LAURA BROWN

FUN IN THE SUBWAY

by RIE FUKATA

by AZER EBRU MUTLU

TREASURED MOMENTS

MIN RYOUNG’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

NIAGARA FALLS FUN

issue 76, December 2011

B

eijing, the capital city of China, with 1167.3 people per square kilometres, is one of the most populous cities in the world. Because of its rapid economic development, more and more people are rushing into the crowded city. As the data in 2011 shows, around 5 million registered cars are on the roads, and the number is expected to be 6 million in 2012.

Although there are five completed ring roads radiating from central Beijing, nine expressways going in all directions, and 14 lines of subways, Beijing is still suffering severe widespread traffic gridlock. Citizens waste a large amount of time on the roads. During the rush hour, the roads resemble huge parking lots; riding a bicycle or even walking is faster than driving. Even though the government is working on extending the road system and building more subways to mitigate the pressure on transport facilities, the construction is still failing to catch up with the rapid increase in the number of automobiles, especially private cars. Another reason is that Beijing, as other developed countries have experienced, is undergoing urbanization. The combination of these factors results in the unbalanced supply and demand of transport facilities.

During the Olympic Games in 2008, the government implemented restrictions on the number of cars on the roads to control the blockage; however, it actually made the situation

TRAFFIC ISSUES IN BEIJING

by Rachel Guo, China Academic Skills

worse. The restriction was to use cars according to their plate numbers, odd or even, on alternative days. It did lessen the pressure for a short period of time; nevertheless, it was only a temporary solution because a great number of people bought second cars during that period to offset this inconvenience.

The government is currently working on expanding and improving the current transportation system by increasing the number of subway trains, decreasing the interval time between each train, and installing air conditioners on old trains. Besides, the government is trying to encourage citizens to ride by setting up public bicycle centers; however, Beijing is too big to go everywhere by bike. While the current plan will bring noticeable improvement, as the number of cars keep soaring, the effect will fade in the long run.

Actually, the ultimate reason for traffic failure in Beijing is its terrible urban planning. Beijing shows a single-centered layout and the urbanized area is too big for citizens to not travel by car. As a result, the fundamental solution for its notoriously crowded streets is to change the layout by constructing sub-centers around central Beijing. The government should initiate a program which can attract businesses and create employment opportunities, so that the large population will spread out to the sub-centers. Considering this plan is going to be a long process (unless it receives concrete support from the government) it will end up with developers building up wherever they make profits. The Land Department needs to form a viable proposal on how to use land and implement it continuously. Only in this way can Beijing have sustainable urban development and also a sustainable solution for its traffic issues.

15 flickr photo credit Ivan Walsh

world of words

by Hoyoung Cho, Korea Academic English Level 40

L

ots of things have been developed but education is the most important thing we have developed. Moreover, someone who has lots of knowledge teaches others and they think about teaching and imparting knowledge to students. Many teachers have researched the teaching skills and so have I. Here are my three teaching requirements: prepare for teaching, love your students, and listen to other teacher’s ideas.

First, the most important thing is to prepare for teaching. Although professional teachers can teach well without preparing, they will become unpopular and lose their students.

In Korea, there are lots of fields of teaching such as public school teacher, private school teacher, academy teacher, and tutoring teacher. Of course, they have to prepare different ways to teach; moreover, they have to research those methods. If a teacher doesn’t prepare for a class, it will confuse both the teacher and students, and the

teacher won’t be able to control the class. It means the teacher doesn’t teach well. Even though you teach just a few students, you have to prepare for your class.

Second, you must love your students. You can think that is not important; however, if you don’t have passion for your students, they may think that you don’t want to teach them and should not be in charge of a class.

Even if you don’t have passion but teach well, you will lose interest in teaching and you will gradually lose a tonic in your life. In contrast, if you love your students you will have passion toward your students, you will be energized in your life. For example, if you have a class which is the first class in your experience, but you prepared for teaching, love your students, and have passion, it must be good for both you and the students.

Then the students will respect you and you can gain confidence; moreover, you can be motivated and earn more money.

Third, you have to listen to other teacher’s ideas and accept their strong points through doing group study or observing their class. Most teachers prepare and enjoy the interaction because those two things are the basic requirements for teacher. Although the third one is not the mandatory, it helps teachers to teach better than before. If you listen to another teacher’s class, you can figure out the other teacher’s method about how to get the students to concentrate and how to convey knowledge. Also, if you participate in group study of your subject, you will know many explanation methods.

Then you apply that to your class, and the students will understand better.

In conclusion, the job, which is teaching, needs much effort. Moreover, teachers must always review conscientiously.

Chinese High I School

felt happy when I studied in my high school, which was the best high school in my city. I met many remarkable classmates and teachers in my school. To be honest, the Chinese high school not only pays attention to the courses, but it also needs to keep us happy. Maybe many teachers and classmates who are from other countries do not know about Chinese high schools, so I will give you some information about my high school.

by Steven Zhitong Chen China Academic English Level 40

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We had military training before every school term; in fact, this is significant and necessary for us because it can promote our willpower. Our hair was cut by the soldiers and I always worried about this. There were many interesting rules which limited our life when we lived in school; for example, we could not use a telephone, computer, music player and ITOUCH in school. These electronic devices were not allowed in my school, so if you used these products and were discovered by a teacher, they would confiscate your equipment. We had to wear the school uniform in school but most of my classmates changed out of the school uniform after class. We always discussed eat KFC or Mcdonald’s during the class, and argued about who was the most beautiful girl in our school. We studied hard before the tests and played PSP and video games after the tests.

In conclusion, Chinese high school was interesting and fun, not like a prison only for studying. Actually, we did exercise everyday and talked with friends all the time. I liked my school time in China.

issue 76, December 2011

by Shabnam Vosough, Iran Academic English Level 40

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STREET ART IN TORONTO

ne of the most interesting things about Toronto, that attracted me the most when I came here for the first time, is Street Art. Street Art can be defined as any type of art performed and developed in public places.

There are many different types of Street Art which can be found in public places; they include graffiti, sculpture, wheatpasting, sticker art, poster art, and also video projection. However, some street art, particularly graffiti, is not allowed by the city government, and some artists perform it without permission, which is illegal. Accordingly, the municipal government has located a specific area in Toronto, south of Queen Street from Spadina to Portland, for legal painting. In this area, walls are covered with various types of amazing pieces of art by different

artists. I had never seen that many cans, sprays, and art tools before I went to that area. Watching a lot of people participating in covering empty spaces with their stunning painting and drawing is also amusing. This solution, locating a place for graffiti by the government, not only has helped artists express themselves by performing their art but also has prevented private territories being used by graffiti painters in order to present their work. Overall, it is really interesting for me to see how some unknown professional artists can communicate and send their massages to people clearly by depicting their art even on tumble-down, uneven surfaces. No matter where they perform, they are expert and powerful enough to present their profession in the best way they can.

The Gion and Daimonji festivals in Kyoto, Japan

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here are some famous events in Kyoto.

First of all, there is a Gion festival in July 1st to Aug 2nd, which is one of most popular events in Japan. Among them, Yoiyama is the most interesting because they sell Japanese antiques. They call that a ‘moving museum’. In addition, a lot of tourists go to this festival. Moreover, on the last three days there are several streets where vehicles are shut out temporarily, and there are a lot of street food stalls. This is one of the important events in Kyoto. Second, Daimonji is also an important tradition in Kyoto. It is held on Aug 16th every year. This is the Chinese character meaning ‘big’ as you can see in the picture.

People light lanterns that night in order to help the ancestors’ spirits go to heaven. Kyoto has three other traditional festivals, the Aoi festival, the Gion festival, and the Jidai festival. They call these the four biggest festivals in Kyoto. Why do they hold such celebrations? These celebrations are ancestral; they have been continuing from 794 up to now. If you come to Japan, you should go to Kyoto. You might be impressed.

by Kana Mikawa, Japan Academic English Level 40

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a noble cause world of words

If you were to write a petition to the Minister of Environment of your country,

what would you petition for?

Petition to Establish a Recycling Program in Venezuela

Petition to Save and Protect the Remaining Giraffes in Africa

by Erardo Jerez Hernandez, Venezuela Academic English, Level 40

By Altine Moumouni, Nigeria

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I call on the Nigerien Minister of the Environment to save and protect the last population of African Giraffes by placing it on the World patrimonies’ list of UNESCO.We must remember that the last herd of giraffes in the freedom of all Africa is located in Niger near Kouré (Kouré is the name of a village in Niger), about an hour from the capital Niamey. For several reasons, the last giraffes across Africa are in danger. In the old days, the giraffe’s skin is used to make drums, bowls tight or shoes. Their bones are used for grinders and according to some beliefs, can help bring rain, while the hairs of their fur would promote the fertility. Nowadays, the giraffes are hunted for its meat and skin. Also, many experts have noted the disappearance of giraffes. According to Julian Fennessy an expert on animal life in Nairobi (Kenya), ten years ago, some 140,000 giraffes live in Africa, today, they are less than 100,000 on the continent, decimated by poaching, wars, desertification and the growth of human population has destroyed or fragmented habitat. In addition, the Giraffes are part of the identity of the Niger (As Kangaroos in Australia) and are an invaluable source of funding through the tourist. As pointed out Issa Malam Abdou National Director of Wildlife of Niger “the presence of giraffes in Niger drains every year a large influx of international visitors in the country”. For instance, in 2010, more than 12 million CFA francs were collected in terms of tourism receipts. In this regard, Niger cannot let disappear a precious natural treasure. On other hand, Giraffes have already gone extinct in some countries, including Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and Mozambique. Finally, if the Government of Niger does not react, they will witness the extinction of giraffes in Africa. These adorable animals have chosen Niger to take refuge; it is the duty of the Government of Niger to protect them by asking the UNESCO to register them on the World patrimonies’ list. Minister of the environment, we need to protect these animals and their habitats.

I beg Your Excellency to accept the expression of my deep respect.

photo credit William Warby

Academic English, Level 40

photo credit Tim Takemoto

I call on the Government of Venezuela to establish a recycling program in the entire country. Our Earth planet is our home, and Venezuela is a part of it. We need to take care of our natural resources in order to preserve life. Humanity knows many kinds of self-destruction. One of these is the contamination produced for not reusing some materials. I propose to create awareness and effective policies to develop recycling in whole Venezuela.

Recycling is defined as “the process of re-using a given product (beyond its intended use), or producing a new product from a recyclable material”. In Venezuela the most of the population have not care of recycling, only there are some small initiatives in very reduce areas of the country. Recycling is very successful practice in many countries like Canada. There is no reason why we Venezuelans cannot apply a recycling system in our country. On the contrary, there are several reasons to implement recycling in Venezuela. First of all, recycling creates employs and promotes economy development. For example, with creation of processing plants and urban systems of separated garbage new workers will be necessary. Another important reason for recycling is the reduction of landfills. In many Venezuelan cities there are big areas that are inhabitable because of the pollution and odors produce by landfills. Recycling reduces these places and their effects when many toxic products are reused with adequate process. In addition, the adequate discrimination of waste cuts water pollution. Potable water is a very profound necessity for a lot of Venezuelan people. In the same way, recycling protects wildlife, and using recycled materials reduces the need to extract natural resources like petroleum. Although Venezuela is a petroleum rich country, from recycling we could produce different new useful fonts of energy. Finally, I am confident that the Venezuelan Government accepts this petition playing their important role as promoter of better lifestyle for all the Venezuelans.

issue 76, December 2011

the chernobyl problem

by Kasmachova Natallia, Belarus Academic English Level 60 The spring of 1986 is tragically famous because of the disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine. While the explosion was caused by the mistakes made by the plant operators, citizens are still feeling the consequences. The health of individuals and the environment are affected still by this ecological catastrophe. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, over one million people who were possibly affected by radiation have been registered; 4000 cases of thyroid cancer among children have been documented. Other studies have found that 200 tonnes of highly radioactive material remain in the soil, thus environmentally hazardous to the area. As radioactive decay lasts for a long time, nuclear particles exist in the air, soil and water for years, therefore, causing irreversible ecological changes as well as genetic effects. The government promoted several solutions focused on safety improvements of the situation. Among them are recycling the plutonium and using it as a fuel, developing safety and effective sorbents for absorbing hazard emissions, and raising money for adequately-trained personnel.

Petition to Prevent Environmental Destruction

by Golf Markets in Korea

I call on the Government of Korea to prevent destruction of the environment from construction of golf courses. As Korean golf markets have developed rapidly, now the construction of golf courses is highlighted as the major cause of environmental destruction. In 1989, the law reform that changed a category of golf courses from luxury recreational facilities into sports facilities made the permission for construction of golf courses easier. This happening has led to major environmental destructions due to golf courses constructions. According to a recent report of in Korea, the area of destructed forests in the past five years is come near to 27 times the area of the NamMountain in Seoul. This reckless destruction of forests is taking away the habitats of many animals and plants. The Data of ‘Yesan Town’ establishment meeting for residents mention that many endangered species including the Korean buzzards and Kestrels are living the area for construction of golf courses.

Consequently, this construction can cause the extinction of the endangered species. Construction of golf courses should not bring about sacrifices of precious animals and plants. In addition, construction of golf courses significantly reduces the capability of mountains to hold water. It may cause big landslides and floods in times of heavy rainfalls that can lead to loss of lives and houses.

Now, a problem we have is that construction companies can get permission for golf links easily. That is because the companies carry out an environmental effects evaluation by themselves without government involvement. For saving cost and time, the companies are not doing it ideally. Thus, I request that Ministry of Environment has to intervene in the environmental effects evaluation to prevent some companies do it roughly. It is easy to destroy environment. Healing destructed environment, in contrast, is terribly hard. Moreover our environment is asset not only for us, also what we have to pass on to next generation.

Lastly, I ask again to stop destroying environment from careless construction of golf courses as supervising an environmental effects evaluation strictly.

Thank you for considering my views.

photo credit Dan Perry

By Yun Ah Chung, Korea Academic English, Level 40

The most viable solution to this problem is developing environmental medicine for protection and prevention of significant health disorders. This type of solution will be effective because high-level radioactive waste may cause lethal effects without proper treatment. If environmentalists want to solve the problem of genetic and biological aberrations, they should expand their knowledge of interactions between the environment and human health. On the one hand, ecological medicine is expected to struggle with the effects of chemicals on humans that cause unalterable afflictions, for example, a variety of cancers. On the other hand, this science will prevent the risk of respiratory or digestive diseases. In addition, developing this branch of medicine would provide an idea of maintaining a healthy immune system. The monitoring of affected individuals can easily indicate gaps, while correctly-prescribed immune correction therapy will rescue them. Neither scientists nor government can foresee with certainty the future of the ecological situation in the country.

The only workable solution to maintaining health is to stop the expansion of nuclear power and the shutdown of existing plants.

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Spring Festival

world of words

by Huiyan Bi, China - Academic English - Level 40

Like Christmas in western countries, the Spring Festival is the most important festival in the year for the Chinese. Chinese New Year starts with the new moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon.

The Origin of Chinese New Year As a famous and influential festival in the world, the Spring Festival has a long history of over 4000 years. There are many legends connected to the Spring Festival, and one of them is about a monster.

Long time ago, there was a scary monster called “Nian”, who liked to eat people. It always appeared at the end of the year. In order to dodge the monster, people put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year’s end to scare away Nian, because red was the color Nian feared the most.

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issue 76, December 2011

Chinese New Year Activities During Spring Festival, people visit their relatives, expressing their best wishes for the New Year. Children are the happiest during Spring Festival. They will receive red envelopes that contain money as New Year presents. They can also play with firecrackers. What’s more, they are given a lot of freedom, which they have dreamed of for a whole year.

Traditional New Year Food Probably more food is prepared and enjoyed during the New Year celebrations than at any other time of the year. Plenty of traditional food is prepared for families and friends, as well as those close to us who have passed away. In the north of China, small meat dumplings, a whole fish and chicken were the preferred food. The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolize abundance and wealth for the household. In the south, the favorite and most typical dishes were nian gao and sweet steamed sticky rice pudding.

In conclusion, Spring Festival is a festival full of hope and good wishes.

It’s a proper expression of Chinese culture.

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Basketball world of words

by Eren H. Gencer, Turkey - Academic English Level 40

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o give meaning to my life I started playing basketball competitively. Basketball requires teamwork; each player has different roles and responsibilities that altogether bring about success to the team. Similarly, individuals have duties to their family, their work and to the society. If each member plays his part correctly, families cherish, businesses flourish and societies grow.

grade I started training with my school team. The funniest thing about that is I was the youngest on the team. But it doesn’t mean that I was the worst. Throughout my career, I played more than a hundred games.

Thanks to that I became experienced. In basketball your body is your biggest enemy. If you are injured for some reason your career might be over. A basketball player should be aware of his responsibilities for his body, because serious injuries might mean the end of his career.

In the past, I spent my whole time on training. I was not a brilliant student but I was good at basketball. Therefore, I decided to improve my basketball. I think the meaning of real success is to be able to do two things at the same time; for example, studying and playing basketball. In addition, basketball keeps the individual away from bad habits. Having seen that basketball made me a good person and a team player, I have decided to focus on my studies. That’s how I hope to achieved success academically.

Thanks to basketball, I made many friends. Basketball makes you social. I have lots of friends around the world. One of my friend is going to start playing for the Utah Jazz, which means he is going to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Another of my friends was named the best defender in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). They both play for the Turkish National Team.

Overall, I know many people who are achievers.

In Turkey, kids usually start playing soccer because at young ages their strength is inadequate to throw a ball into the basket.

After a while they start playing basketball. When I was a child, I started playing basketball and soccer at the same time. In third

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To conclude, I spent a lot of time playing basketball. Basketball has always been a passion of mine. Basketball provided me with discipline.

That is how I could excel academically. Most importantly, I do not think that I would have found the motivation to study if it were not for basketball.

Eren, practising in the gym in 2010

my hometown

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issue 76, December 2011

Pohang, Korea

ave you ever been to Korea? If so, where did you go? What kind of food did you eat and what impressed you?

There are a lot of beautiful places to visit in Korea, especially, my hometown, Pohang in Korea.

by Minji Kim, Korea Academic English Level 40

First, where is Pohang? Can you find Pohang city in the picture on the right? Pohang is located in the middle of the east part of Korea. You can find it north of Busan and next to Daegu. This city has the largest population of Gyeongbuk and it has the 3rd largest land area of South Korea. In addition, it is close to the beach, so whenever you want you can see and go to the east sea.

Next, let’s visit one of the famous sights in Pohang!!! Homigot is located in the easternmost area of Korea. In this area, the sun rises earliest in the whole country. As a national event, the Homigot National Sunrise Festival was held every year in this area. To celebrate the first day of New Year, this place treats people coming to see sunrise to “Rice cake soup”; they serve over 1000 bowls of soup. If you visit Homigot, you can find a huge pot in the middle of square. In addition, in the vicinity of Homigot, there is Homigot Lighthouse, which is the largest lighthouse in Korea.

Pohang International Fireworks Festival is a festival with exciting water sports during the day and beautiful fireworks over Yeongil Bay at night. Every summer, the festival is held in locations such as Hyeongsan River Sports Park and Bukbu Beach. Main events include the International Fireworks Contest, Theme Performances, and the Fireworks Parade. There are also a number of other performances; such as the Pohang Bada International Theater Festival and Fringe Fireworks Festival, and presentations and experience programs led by the Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Events at the festival include the National Badminton Contest, Flying Pungdeung (lantern), Sand Sculpture Exhibition & Hands-on Program, as well as participatory contests for festival visitors.

Finally, I’d like to introduce you a club, Pohang English Club, where you can learn English. This club is good for people who want to study and make foreign friends. Moreover, foreigners can also make friends and join the Pohang English Club (PEC), as it provides programs from Monday to Friday. The main meeting is held at 8 on every Friday for 2 hours in Central Park Restaurant; in addition, when you participate at this time, you can study idioms, funny jokes, and discuss the subject which you can check on the website. After meeting for 2 hours, we have “Happy Hour” which is a kind of meeting with drinks. On Mondays, this club teaches foreigners Korean. Foreigners can learn Korean more easily. The meeting on Tuesdays, teaches basic English to beginners. I like this day for beginners, because it is more interesting and there are a lot of programs to learn. On Wednesdays, you can study English Grammar, and on Thursdays, you can join a debate group with a pre-assigned topic first and you need a little higher English ability. Finally, if you want to know more information, you can search “Pohang English Club” on facebook or go to: <http://cafe.daum.net/pec>.

I mentioned 3 famous things in Pohang; however, there are other wonderful places and things. For example, if you like sea food, you can eat many sorts of sea food, especially, raw fish, crab, oyster, squid, and shellfish, near the beach, and the price isn’t expensive. Or, if you like to hike, you can go up the mountain to Bokyeong Temple, where there are beautiful waterfalls. To sum up, if you have a chance to visit Pohang, Korea, you will enjoy and be entertained in a lot of beautiful places. Finally, if you want more information, you can visit this website: <http://eng.ipohang.org>

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world of words

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Academic English Level 50 students share their thoughts worth thinking...

...on being abroad Zainab Al-Shabib: Since I came to Canada, I have started to believe that fish can live outside of the aquarium. Before I came to Canada, I had never been far away from my family for more than two days. Even though my family pushed me to change that belief, it did not change until I came to Canada. Here, I started to learn many abilities, such as paying for bills and buying groceries and furniture. Moreover, I became a social person. Before, I did not talk with strange people, even my classmates. It took me months to say hello or say a complete sentence. Being far away from my aquarium changed me a lot.

Yukiko Terada: Being abroad, I have learned so many things. The biggest thing for me is confidence. I think people from other countries have more confidence than me. They have no problems being in front of other people, they try clothes on in shops….they know their worth. In our school, I saw that people have their opinions in many situations, and they know what they want and need. They try to do their best in situations where they really need something. From this, I learned how I can show my opinions. I have become more clear about expressing my opinions and what I want. Before, I tended to act as if I have the same opinion as other people, but now I don’t avoid people who have opposite opinion to me.

...on marriage Sana Ketabchi Haghighat: In the past times, arranged marriage was very common in my country. Now, the number of arranged marriages has faced a huge decrease in a short period of time. There are still many people who support arranged marriage though, and their most important reason is that the number of divorced couples who had arranged marriage is about one tenth of others. There is a surprisingly big difference in the number of divorced couples, but is the number of divorced couples a suitable measurement?

I think not! Couples who get married in this traditional way (arranged marriage) also think traditionally about divorcing (they don’t accept divorce). so even when they have big problems, they never decide to divorce! In my opinion, the measurement should be happiness of couples, not the rate of divorce!

...on coffee Takahito Nagato: Tim Hortons and Starbucks! I can’t decide which is better because my preference will be determined by my mood of the moment. When I want to spend relaxing time alone, I select Starbucks, but when I feel like I want to drink or eat something, I pick Tim Hortons. There are big differences in their prices. I don’t know why Starbucks is so expensive, but actually their high prices help determine who their customers are.

Tim Hortons doesn’t select its customers. The average person can afford Tim Hortons.

The high prices at Starbucks make sophisticated atmosphere that could intimidate customers from coming inside, but of course the people who choose Starbucks understand the meaning of the high prices, and that’s why they go to Starbucks. For these people, Starbucks stands for guarantee of the high quality and courteous service. We can see capitalism even through these coffee shops; if you want to go to Starbucks, you have to be rich.

Zhili Yu: There is something interesting about the price of coffee at Tim Hortons. In the global market, the price of coffee beans decreased 30% in last 8 months. The price of sugar and milk also decreased more than 20% in 10 months. Despite these decreases, the price of a large coffee increased from $1.52 to $1.65 in Tim Hortons. (Wages and rent did not go up much.)

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issue 76, December 2011

Join the conversation! Check out the ELP on facebook at

www.facebook.com/UofTELP ...on ‘I am Canadian’ Yuka Kita: When I asked my Canadian friend about the differences between Canada and America, she recommended that I watch this youtube clip called “I am Canadian”. It is very short, but it has a lot of interesting information. (You can also google the words.) I like Canada ^^. <www.youtube.com> The Molson Canadian commercial “I Am Canadian”.

Marta Ríos: Thanks Yuka! I like when he said “Diversity, not assimilation!”...This is a great difference between USA and Canada....and it’s completely true in my opinion.

...on bullying Kana Ohashi: I have never been bullied by someone, but I saw lots of bullying in my life. I think boys’ bullying is temporary. As Keunhee wrote, they choose one guy and tease him. It will continue several days at the longest. However, girls’ bullying is totally different.

Marta Rios: Nowadays bullying is is everywhere and it can happen at every age, physical or psychological. Sometimes I think that the problem is far from being solved because I hear in the news about cases of children who start bullying at earlier ages each time. Early education can contribute to fixing this social problem.

We know about Canadian schools that are using different techniques to combat this. One of them is bringing a baby to the school long term. Teachers are trying to show to their students the concept of ‘empathy’ (thinking what will happen if someone hurts their baby).

In the schools where this was tried, the violence decreased significantly.

Note (to avoid plagiarism ;) ): I know about this ‘empathy’ experiment because I watched a documentary about this topic in Liza’s class!!!!

Yukiko Terada: It seems to me that adult bullies are people who are not strong. They don’t seem to have confidence in their ability. They cannot accept other people’s abilities because they are afraid that the other people will get a higher position than them. If people have real ability, they will never bully other people. I feel the cause of adult bullying is jealousy.

Yuka Kita: We find bullying not only among children but also among adults. In Japan, bullying in the office is a very serious problem. We call it ‘Power Harassment’ ( Japanese English expression). This term is used to refer to the situation where someone who has power (boss) bullies the weak (subordinate). I think that bullying occurs when the person who has power misuses his or her power.

...on plagiarism Keun-hee Lee: Plagiarism is really common in Korea. Over 90% of students plagiarize their assignments. Internet development is the main cause. Students can find the information on Internet. They can even find others’ assignments too. Nowadays plagiarism is a business in Korea. In other words, people can make money through plagiarism. Internet portal sites have a lot of plagiarism websites and students can join these websites easily. When a student uploads the assignment on the website, he gets a point. The point is like cyber money. When the student needs to download another subject assignment, he can use the point to buy another subject’s assignment. These kinds of websites have a lot of members, so students can find all kinds of assignments. These websites even have categories such as university, subject, midterm, final, or graduation thesis. Students can download whole thing or use specific part, but they never mention the reference on their assignment or graduation thesis. I think the biggest problem is that Korea’s ‘social atmosphere’ accepts plagiarism. Many professors don’t carefully read the assignment when they receive from the student, and maybe this makes students more likely to plagiarize.

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world of words

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Academic English Level 50 students share their thoughts worth thinking...

...on plagiarism Yunhan Liu: People may have different opinions on plagiarism. Plagiarism is very common in China. It is considered to be a very normal thing. Over half of graduate essays are plagiarized. Maybe we do not have enough laws and punishment; therefore, many people can find some loopholes. Views on copying vary from person to person. Some people say copying is very harmful because it is stealing. On the other hand; copying can sometimes be a good thing. For instance, when people study new language, at first, they do not have good way to advance, but they can imitate the phrases or sentence structure of native speakers. I think that it is a very good way to improve.

Kohoon Choi: I agree with Keun-hee’s opinion. In Korea, there are a lot of reporting sites on the internet for business, and it’s easy to find documents. Searching on the internet, however, can be also be positive; it can be another way to learn. In my case, my major is engineering, and my professor always gives me applied problems. If I search these problems on the internet, it’s very hard to find them. Even if I find it, it’s just similar questions and not exactly the same. I think by searching for the documents on the internet and looking at other problems, students can learn. Maybe professor wants us to learn that way.

When universities hire professors, they usually they consider only teacher’s career and don’t see teaching ability, so there are more research professors than professors who teach well. Because research professors tend to focus on their career, students need to depend on references, documents, and internet more, and as a result, there is more danger of plagiarism.

Guangyu Lin: In China, the situation of plagiarism is similar to what Keun-hee described in Korea. Plagiarism is very common in universities. Some students who are under pressure to find a job and do research in a short time plagiarize others’ works from Internet to complete their graduation thesis. Professors seem to allow the students’ behaviour; they do not say anything even if they know some parts of the thesis come from others’ works. Not only some students but also some professors plagiarise others’ works. I have read some news which said that some professors in some well-known universities in China were fired after their theses were found to be copied.

Yukiko Terada: In Japan, I hear a lot of news about plagiarism. People who plagiarize sometimes face big consequences. For example, some people who plagiarized were fired from their workplace. Plagiarism often happens to singers. I have questions about this though. If our knowledge comes from other people’s writing or talking, what is the boundary line?? Especially for ideas, it is very difficult to know what the boundary line is.

Thomas Loustau: In France , plagiarism is a very important problem, especially in high school. With the new technology it’s very easy to cheat. With the new cell phones like Iphones or Blackberry , it is even possible to cheat during the test. You have just to copy what you have found on Internet. With the development of Internet , the plagiarism has become very common, and it is a problem that is not easily solved.

Kana Ohashi: Plagiarism often happens in the university. Almost all university students have to write essays to graduate. It is very hard for them because professors demand essays which contain expert thinking, but the students are not experts. Many students steal sentences from the Internet or books secretly. They try to hide this fact, but professors can see through plagiarism. Even in my university, many students are punished each year because of plagiarism.

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by Satsuki Ochiai, Japan Academic English Level 40

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Welcome to

issue 76, December 2011

Kinosaki Onsen!

hat do you imagine about Japanese sightseeing places? Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka…every place is quite unique and nice! Generally speaking Japan has both old cities such as Kyoto and Nara and big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. If you want to enjoy an old city in Japan, I really recommend you visit ‘Kinosaki Onsen’.

To begin with, Kinosaki Onsen is located in Hyogo prefecture, which is next to Osaka and in the west part of Japan. If you go to Japan from another country, it takes 2 hours from Kwansai International Airport. Onsen means hot spring in Japanese. Kinosaki Onsen has thirteen thousand years of history. In Japan there are many hot springs but every hot spring has different effectiveness; for instance, one hot spring is good for skin, a stiff neck, muscular pain. Otherwise, some hot springs are good for money, and long life. You can enjoy 7 hot springs in Kinosaki! It is amazing. Not only can you enjoy the hot springs but you can also see old houses along the street in Kinosaki.

Nowadays it has become difficult to see such old houses in Japan. New big buildings have taken the place of these old houses. Yet old houses are so beautiful and remind me of good Japanese traditions.

I will tell you how to enjoy Kinosaki Onsen! First you should book a Ryokan which is a Japanese style hotel. There are three reasons why you should make a reservation for a Ryokan. The first reason is that most Ryokans have Yukata and Geta available for the guests. A Yukata is a Japanese informal traditional costume. It looks like a Kimono, but the material is different from a Kimono. A Geta is a Japanese traditional shoe. In addition, especially in Kinosaki, all visitors wear a Yukata and they enjoy walking around there.

I think that is one of the best ways to experience Japanese culture. Some Ryokan will also offer you a beautiful hair ornament, and a cute bag. If you wear a Yukata and Geta, put on a hair ornament and finally take a cute bag and you

are perfect! The second reason is that a Ryokan provides you a delicious dinner. In winter crab is famous because crabs are caught in Japan. Crab is fine dining in Japan. You should try it. Otherwise there are a lot of delicious foods. If you stay in a Ryokan you don’t have to worry about which restaurant you should choose. The third reason is that a Ryokan will give you an Onsen card. When you show the card you can enter any of the seven hot springs any time you want.

You just show the card to staff and get into a hot spring. While taking a bath you will hear the sound of a waterfall or beautiful birds. You definitely will relax.

I want to inform you of the way to take a bath in Japan. Sometimes foreign people make a mistake at an Onsen. First, before you take a bath you need to get used to the hot water. Especially at an Onsen the temperature of the hot water is high. Furthermore, it is mannerly to wash your body before you go into a hot spring. You need to tie your hair up. It is also a rule. Sometimes some people try to swim in the hot spring. Even if there are few people in a hot spring you cannot swim there. Please remember these rules when you go to a hot spring.

After enjoying a hot spring you will probably became thirsty. Consequently, I suggest you drink something cold such as Japanese beer, ice coffee or water. After the hot spring you can also enjoy shopping. There are many good souvenir shops; as a result, you can surely find something special there.

To sum up, in Kinosaki you can enjoy many hot springs, delicious food and shopping. I highly recommend you visit there. You will learn about Japanese traditional culture. I hope you will visit Japan someday.

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Niagara Falls

world of words

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by Aqeelh Al Baharnah Saudi Arabia Academic English Level 40

ast May was my first trip to Niagara Falls which was very awesome. We took the car early in the morning to there and it was a very wonderful trip.

We didn’t feel the two hour trip was long since we enjoyed the beauty of the scenery which we stop several times on the road to enjoy the views and take pictures. When we got there we didn’t see the Falls until we got the top of a very high tower called the Skylon. The view of the falls was very beautiful from up there giving us a view of the whole place around the lake. We also took a look from the top of the Skywheel and it was fantastic. Although the view was very great from high places like the Skylon or the Skywheel it was not comparable with being down on the river we were surrounded by falls of hundred feet height from each side with the tiny water droplets gentle touch making you feel the creativity of the great God and the beauty of parks around it makes you enjoy the beauty of nature.

We went to places where we saw the biggest and smallest at Guinness World Record Museum, met Hollywood stars at the Movie Land Wax Museum, and got scared to death at the Doctor Frankenstein’s House museum. However the most unforgettable was the ferry trip on the river to the foot of the Falls.

In summary, it was wonderful trip no doubt we may repeat again.

Jake O

by Azer Ebru Mutlu Turkey Academic English Level 50

ur unusual fascinating guest at the ELP, Catherine’s dog Jake, impressed me with his unbelievable abilities to follow commands and to communicate with people. His intelligence made me think about some people who don’t have as much sense as Jake. Although he is an animal, he can behave like a person. When Catherine gives some instructions, he can follow easily. For instance, if you say to Jake “high 5”, he can give his left hand in your palm.

Additionally, if you say “high 10”, he can show his two legs for you. Also, during the presentation time, he was not naughty like a child. Furthermore, to communicate with people is his speciality whether or not he is together with his owner. For example, I interacted with him for about one hour and he didn’t do anything except to be friendly. As long as you give some orders to him, he can do it as if he were a child. Truly, according to Catherine, he learned all these abilities in a year before he was 2 years old. To sum up, Jake makes a sensation with his impressive abilities and communicative skills with people.

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issue 76, December 2011

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hen I was in high school, I saw a movie called ‘Camille Claudel’. It was about Camille Claudel, who was a famous woman sculptor in France. When I saw her sculpting something, I was really impressed, so after that I decided that I would be a sculptor in the future. Thus, I practiced human modeling for two years and since then I could get into a university. Before I went to the university, I had made only human faces using clay. At that time, I had to study human face muscles according to age or gender, and I created their expressions. I used to focus on the face, but sometimes I also made hands or feet.

I love sculpting, but it is dangerous, so we always have to be careful. We use many tools from a hammer to a very big grinder; consequently, we can get injured easily. Also, we have to endure noise, and we can inhale stone dust and chemicals’ bad smells; moreover, sometimes we can get burned by some chemicals.

When I carve something there are many hard things to do, but while I’m carving and when I finish, I can feel happy. That’s why I sculpt and will sculpt in the future as well.

As I wrote before, for two years, I just practiced how to make human faces out of clay; therefore, I didn’t know any different ways to sculpt something. However, after I entered the university, I discovered the field of sculpting is very extensive.

Besides stone, wood, and clay almost any materials can be sculpture’s medium, even foods. In addition, I’ve only made human bodies, but anything can be a subject, including my imaginary things. For me, it was quite shocking.

Nevertheless, my favorite way to sculpt is still using clay, and my favourite subject is a human. Nowadays, I make actual size human bodies and I have to know all of the muscles and bones; also, I should express the human form. It needs a lot of effort and patience; yet, when I finished one work I’m really proud of it and proud of myself. Furthermore, I’m excited that I accomplished something and the most interesting thing is, like a small girl playing with dolls, I can make a character in my mind and I can create it.

I especially like making a human face like a doll as you can see in the graphic. I can’t say it is easier than a large work, because large works require more physical labor, but small works need more concentration; indeed, I enjoy small works for this reason.

The man next to the sculpture is one of the most famous and popular sculptors ‘Ron Mueck’. He is best known as a realistic artist. I like to make realistic creations, so I’m very interested in his work. Someday, I will try to make some sculptures like his work.

by Sooyeon Chung, Korea - Academic English - Level 40

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world of words

B

Beijing

China’s Capital

eijing, a famous international city in East, is also famous as China’s capital. Beijing has a 3000 year history, and known as a member of China’s 4 ancient cities. Beijing has been used as China’s capital since October 1st, 1949. After 60 years’ developed, right now, Beijing is China’s political, cultural and economic center.

Beijing has many famous and historical buildings and views. Firstly, Tiananmen Square is the most famous and historical building in Beijing. In history Tiananmen used as a main door of palace until 1905, and China’s first president Mao Zedong had a speech on the top of Tiananmen to proclaim the PRC is established, in 1949. Right now Tiananmen square opens for visitors, and it is still the first choice to hold important political activities, like the celebration of country and party. To sum up, the Tiananmen Square has several historical meanings, and it always considered as the sign of China’s top political power.

The Great Wall is another famous view in Beijing. Actually Beijing is not the only city crossed by The Great Wall, but the nice view and good location attracted millions tourists each year. Long time ago, there were 7 countries in China’s area, and they kept making wars for bigger territory. The Great Wall built by those countries in their area, for reducing enemy’s fighting power, and also for sending message to got reinforcements’ help. The chaos kept several years, and finally the king of the country Qin controlled the whole area, and then he became the first king of China, named Qin Shi Huang. The king wanted to continue to control China forever, so he needed some way to protect his country. After long time’s thinking, he made a crazy decision, to connect all the old walls together to built a Great Wall. After million people kept working for 20 years, The Great Wall finished, and stayed 3000 years. Today The Great Wall only used for visiting, but in Chinese point The Great Wall is a sign of Chinese civilization, because it is really great work.

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by Joe Zhou Feng, China Academic English

China is famous for food. In Beijing, the most delicious food must be roast duck. The best duck restaurant is called QuanJuDe, which has 600 years history. When you enter QuanJuDe at first time you can see big kitchen easily, and there are lots of duck hanging in a row. If you order a roast duck, the chef will show you the whole duck, and cut it into pieces by professional tools. You can eat it with source, but the traditional way is put a piece of duck on a round flat cake, and rolls it up with some cucumber, scallion, and source. I can always eat 10 or more rolls, and every time I eat roast duck I am 100 percent full because it tastes really good.

Beijing’s long history has reflected by its culture. Beijing opera is a good way to express Beijing’s culture. A Beijing opera is like a mini drama, some actors may just meet and have a talk by singing, or fight, it depends on what kind of story they act. Beijing opera has a big group of audience before TV was common, but right now it is losing fans quickly.

Same as other big cities, Beijing also has some problems in different aspects. Beijing has 19 million populations, the big population caused traffic problem. On the other hand, there are lots of factories and cars in beijing, cause the terrible air pollution.

However, the government tried to save the environment and to build green Beijing by some restrictive policies, like government has moved some big factories out from the city since 2006; and the cars which want to enter Beijing must apply the license firsthand most of them can not go into the central area of Beijing.

Every Chinese like Beijing, and proud of ever been there. I hope Beijing can be developed as a green city, resolve the environment problem completely.

issue 76, December 2011

H

by Konrad Przezdziecki Poland Academic English Level 40

orseback riding school Quźnia is my enterprise and way of life. I spend all my best time at the school.

I would like to write something more about Quźnia.

Quźnia was established in March 2010. The Horse Riding Club was established for the benefit of all enthusiasts of horsemanship. Our proprietary training programme, based on rich a experience of our tutors and managing team, the carefully chosen and trained horses, all combine to give you an assurance that our students will progress fast in the art of horse riding and anjoy the time spent in our school. Quźnia was created by young, skillful and passion people, who wanted to create something really amazing.

We did almost everything ourselves to reduce a lot of costs. Besides, we had fun painting the walls, working in the garden, and taking care of the horses. However, beginnings are always difficult, and during the sumer we had a flood in our school. The flood destroyed a lot of equipment, so we made the decision to move into another place.

The horse riding club teaches people how to ride well and in a safe way. This is our the most important goal. We offer classes for children, adults and even for seniors. However, we focus on children. Our idea is to ensure that children will love horses, and they will be horseback riding all their lives. Besides, Quźnia is not just a regular horseback riding school. We remember the need for fun. In Quźnia you can have a little pony for a birthday party, and order face-painting for children.

In our school you can also rent a clown for a party.

Moreover, you can create an event in our school. We organise birthday parties, events for companies, and school trips.

Safety is our priority. Before any horse riding takes place we undertake a through investigation in order to choose the horse which best matches the rider’s skills. Horses are constantly trained by our instructors and prepered before inexperienced riders take their lesson on horseback. Beside, our riders are provided with top quality riding accessories: horse riding helmets (CE certificate),and class 3 protective vests (CE certificate).

Quźnia organises a summer camp for children from 4 to 13 years old. During camp, participants always learn how to take care of horses, and they also have classes of theory and practice horseback riding.

We also offer a lot of games and fun, because our pupils are children. During the camp , the tutors will pass on information regarding usage of riding aids, which will match the level of a rider’s progress. All the children are always very satisfied.

To sum up, I hope that our Horse Riding School will continue to give me a lot of satisfaction and pleasure.

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grammar ecade - year - month

corner

world of words

of time amounts of time - night - afternoon sunset - century ar - month - season of time - date - day ternoon - sunrise ntury - decade - year season - amounts date - day - night - sunrise - sunset - s ecade - year - monthw amounts of time by Elizabeth Leslie Instructor at ELP

IN +century (in the twentieth century) +decade (in the ‘80s) +year (in 2005) +month (in September) +season (in spring, in winter) +parts of the day (in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening) +amounts of time (I’ll finish my course in two months) ON +date (on April 11, December 25) +day (on Saturday, on Monday)

AT +specific time of day (at midnight, at noon) +night (What time do you go to bed at night?)

Can you complete these sentences? Use the expressions above.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

The computer we use today was invented _____ ______ ________ ____________.

Let’s go to the movies this weekend. OK. Let’s go _____ _____________.

Usually I go to bed _____ __________________.

In Japan the cherry blossoms bloom __________ ___________.

Christmas Day is _____ __________ _________.

I generally eat supper _____ __________ ___________.

I will return to my country ________ ___________ ___________.

*answers listed at bottom of page

Answers: 1. in the twentieth century 2. on Saturday 3. at midnight 4. in spring 5. on December 25 6. in the evening 7. in two months

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grammar

corner beat/beats - know/k issue 76, December 2011

Do your subject/subjects - ha agree - was/were - is/are -h with your ?

- beat/beats - know/k subject/subjects - ha - was/were - is/are - h - beat/beats - know/k subject/subjects - ha - was/were - is/are - h - beat/beats - know/k subject/subjects - ha was/were - is/are - ha

by Visnja Cuturic Instructor at ELP

Check your knowledge of subject/verb agreement by choosing the correct verb or noun in the following sentences!

1.

Your heart beat/beats faster when you exercise.

2.

Every student in the class know/knows the answer.

3.

One of my favourite subject/subjects in school is grammar.

4.

The United States has/have a population ten times that of Canada.

5.

Anne and Sue was/were at home.

6.

The furniture in those rooms is/are very old.

7.

Eating vegetables is/are good for you.

8.

One of the workers is/are absent from today’s meeting.

9.

In Canada, almost every house has/have a basement.

10.

Some of that movie is/are interesting, but I found most of it boring.

*answers listed at bottom of page

Answers 1.

Beats (Subject: heart) 2.

Knows (‘every’ precedes a singular noun ‘student’ 3.

Subjects (subject ‘one’ agrees with verb ‘is’) 4.

Has (The U.S. is the name of ONE country) 5.

Were (both of them together) 6.

Is (furniture is noncount, so takes a singular noun) 7.

Is (gerunds, such as ‘eating’, are always singular) 8.

Is (see # 3) 9.

Has (see #2) 10.

Is (verb agrees with ‘movie’) If you are not sure why a certain answer is correct, ask your teacher!

33

world of words

Kimberley Hindy, instructor for Academic Skills for University and Colleges Success talks to a few of her students about their research interests and their academic backgrounds.

Academic Skills Students

Supranee Teerakraisri from Bangkok, Thailand

“...I am planning to study Bachelor and Master in computer science because I would like to conduct research in computer science and engineering and become an entrepreneur. My research interest is centered on in-vehicle embedded systems, which are related to computer architecture, programming languages and software engineering areas in computer science. In general, computer hardware and software design have been fascinating me for more than 20 years.

Since graduating from computer engineering 18 years ago, I have been working on software development projects, which are related to programming languages and software engineering. My hobbies have been focused on electronics and the evolution of computer hardware.

Recently, embedded systems, which are the combination of computer hardware and software systems, have been re-invented. The potential of these areas seem to be indefinite and open to all possibilities. Invehicle embedded systems are just the tip of the iceberg of the whole new evolution of computer hardware and software systems.

In the past, the computer hardware and software disciplines used to concern different groups of scientists and engineers. However, those disciplines have gradually combined in recent years. Both industrial and academic experts agreed that the world needs engineers who are comfortable in designing both computer hardware and software because these two disciplines must be redesigned in a complementary way to perform specific tasks in order to create innovation in helping people to maintain a high-standard and a sustainable way of life.

34

Graduating with a Bachelor’s of Computer Engineering degree in 1993, Supranee Teerakraisri not only has worked in several roles on software development projects for 17 years, but also has self-studied electronics and embedded systems because of her personal interests.

Teerakraisri’s interests are considerably diverse, as not many people are interested both in computer hardware and software design. However, she found out that both disciplines actually have shared principles and both disciplines have been gradually combined. In the last 10 years, Teerakraisri has seen the rapid growth of the usage of embedded systems, which means the combination of computer hardware and software design for specific purposes. Computer scientists and engineers have been applying the knowledge base of building complex software systems to redesign computer hardware and software for embedded systems. This means the unique opportunity for her to leverage her work experience in software design and also expand her experience in hardware design, which has been her longterm interest for the last 20 years. With her educational background and work experience, Teerakraisri is qualified to conduct the research of examining how to design, develop and test real-time new generations of in-vehicle embedded systems.

Economic and environmental concerns have driven the automotive industry to develop electric vehicle technology, relying heavily on realtime automotive embedded systems, so-called in-vehicle embedded systems. The first generation of mass-produced electric vehicles will be launched in 2012. With the current design, however, in-vehicles embedded systems face with many challenges, one of which is the increasing complexity. Therefore, computer scientists and engineers have worked on new design of in-vehicle embedded systems for the last 10 years. However, much more research is required in order to advance these in-vehicle embedded systems to meet with future challenges, which is why it is essential to examine the design, development and test mechanism in-vehicle embedded systems currently in use.

Due to the time constraints, this research is specifically focused on the development of new software architecture standards for invehicle embedded systems. Given that each electronic circuit board in an electric vehicle runs its own embedded software system, the mechanism of collaborating all electronic circuit boards and realtime embedded software systems is very complex and it must be extremely precise in order to synchronize all sub systems to operate properly as one whole system. The complexity is the source of errors, which is difficult to identify in the testing process. These errors cause an electric vehicle to malfunction, which in some cases leads to the loss of people’s lives. Even though the process of building an electric vehicle takes a few years, errors are still found when such vehicles are in mass production. However, some new developments must have been completed or processed, as all players in the automotive industry have collaborated and formed a consortium, named “AUTOSAR”. As a result, this research mainly focuses on collecting information from other research completed by industrial and academic experts.

Supranee Teerakraisri hypothesizes that the current in-vehicle embedded systems used in mass-produced electric cars still lack sufficient technology to deal with the complexity and reliability according to recent news.

“With her educational background and work experience, Teerakraisri is qualified to conduct the research of examining how to design, develop and test realtime new generations of in-vehicle embedded systems.”

issue 76, December 2011

“Javier Rueda aims to integrate the different mechanisms that can be used to harvest energy from traffic on roads.

To guide this research, the question addressed is: Can roads be energy efficient systems?”

Javier Alberto Rueda Zambrano from

Bucaramanga, Colombia.

“My area of interest is Renewable Energy, especially new renewable energy sources, such as kinetic energy, that could complement the traditional sources we know: Solar, Wind, Hydraulic and Geothermal power. This is important in order to attend to growing energy demands and decreasing the use of non-sustainable sources, such as fossil fuels, and hazardous ones, such as nuclear energy.”.

Javier Alberto Rueda Zambrano received his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Universidad Industrial de Santander in Bucaramanga, Colombia. His research experience includes his undergraduate thesis titled: “Implementation of a test to measure the complex stiffness modulus in asphalt concrete” and individual study focused on renewable energy sources. Javier’s research has allowed him to understand the visco-elastic behaviour of asphalt pavement and awakened his interest for studying the potential of kinetic energy harnessed from roads.

Javier Rueda aims to integrate the different mechanisms that can be used to harvest energy from traffic on roads. To guide this research, the question addressed is: Can roads be energy efficient systems?

In order to answer it, secondary research is proposed. Research on the different materials and mechanisms able to harvest kinetic energy are reviewed. The mechanisms are compared, in terms of utility and cost, and an assessment of their compatibility is presented.

The author proposes a preliminary pavement design based on the results and predicts its energy efficiency. The hypothesis proposed is that roads with high traffic frequency can produce enough energy to power streetlights along them.

35

world of words

Academic Skills Students Pattanawat Ruengwatanapaisarn from Bangkok, Thailand

“I graduated

“I have an interest in Computer 3D animation and movie, so I applied for Art fundamental which is a requirement to take Computer Graphic Design program at George Brown. The reason why I choose this program is because I like the art and description of movie which is completely different from any kind of art which sometimes may misinterpret in the idea of artists. Movie can communicate with people much easier than other fields of art, beside 3D is an interesting way to conduct to people in movie industries. I graduated in bachelor of Computer Engineering and had some master of Computer Engineering in topic of soft computing and Computer Vision.

Soft computer, especially Genetic Algorithm, is useful in many fields to solve business solution such as routing system or logistic system. Computer Vision is appealing to me because humans and computers see the world differently and the way to make computers see what humans see is a big challenge for me because it helps other people especially disabled people.”

Pattanawat is enthusiastic and interested in solving NP problems, wants to improve efficiency and develop another method that solves the Container Loading problem.

Ruengwatanaaisarn has been researching with this problem for a year by using Genetic Algorithm. In fact, the Contain Loading problem is one of NP-hard problem, where the answer is usually taken long time and harsh to find the best answer among seeming best answers. Moreover, some people who use the algorithm from these researchers find out that experts in packing pallets field do not agree with the result. However, many researchers use the methodology involving Random Algorithm or Search Algorithm such as Genetic Algorithm or A-star search, which has no learning abilities and use data to calculate results; consequently, Ruengwatanapaisarn would like to differentiate by using Neural Network which has an ability to learn and recognize to solve the problem by creating an algorithm that learns knowledge and experience from experts in arranging containers in cargoes.

36

“The Container Loading Problem is one of computer science’s common issues and is a non-deterministic polynomial-time hard problem (NP hard). NP-hard problem involves with complexity and time consuming to determine answers, which is a big challenge to find the optimize answer. There are many ways to optimize this kind of problems, but there is no way to know which solution is the best one. Most researchers use search algorithm or optimal algorithm such as Genetic Algorithm, which sometimes eliminates better possibilities to obtain better result. In fact, the results from those researchers are impressive, however industries do not agree with the results. Sometimes the results are impractical because many methodologies that researchers create do not include constrains such as weight and 3D rotations. To respond industries, there is an idea of soft computing called Neural Network (NN) that has an ability to learn and recognize pattern as human do. Therefore, NN that learns features from workers in industries will be able to create an arrangement of boxes that corresponds industries.”

in bachelor of Computer Engineering and had some master of Computer Engineering in... soft computing and Computer Vision.”

“Computer Vision is appealing to me because humans and computers see the world differently and the way to make computers see what humans see is a big challenge...”

“Pattanawat is enthusiastic and interested in solving NP problems, wants to improve efficiency and develop another method that solves the Container Loading problem. ”

UNIVERSITY APPLICATION PROGRAM

“Javier Rueda aims to integrate the different mechanisms that can be used to harvest energy from traffic on roads. To guide this research, the question addressed is: Can roads be energy efficient systems?”

issue 76, December 2011

by Denise Wallis Program Administrator at ELP

T

Contact us at elp.uap.advisor@utoronto.ca for more information or to book an appointment.

We are here to help.

here are many different schools that have programs that can meet your needs and it is important to explore all the options that are available to you. In Ontario, students who are interested in applying to undergraduate programs have to apply through the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) using the 105D application. Students applying for graduate level work apply to the schools directly. These processes and Applying the different requirements for to university each school can be confusing. requires a lot of Applying to university information, time requires a lot of information, and planning. time and planning. The UAP supports you with university and college applications. We host workshops with different recruiters from a variety of universities to help you learn about your options. We can also help you learn about different university options and their admission requirements through individual appointments.

We offer workshops on: how to apply to universities, how to create a CV/resume, how to create a personal statement and the importance of volunteering. We can review your applications, ...we will do our statement of intent, best to give you or resume and give the information you feedback related you need for your to the content and undergraduate or how to improve it. graduate success. The Canadian system of education may be significantly different than in your home country and we will do our best to give you the information you need for your undergraduate or graduate success.

Above: Former ELP students sharing their experience of studying at U of T and other Canadian universities. Thank you to everyone who took part in the University Application Program’s Former Students’ Panel on Thursday, November 3rd.

37

world of words

University Life

by Mohamad Attieh Al-Nowigy, Saudi Arabia former Academic Skills student

E

very semester, new students may face a big deal of difficulties in order to engage comfortably with the university atmosphere, especially the international students. Depending on the home country they came from, where the education system is different from that in Canada, the difficulties may differ from a student to another. This dissimilarity would lead to misunderstand policies and some university’s demands inappropriately, such as plagiarism, encouragement of team-working and self-dependence. However, the biggest challenge that ESL students may face is how to involve with the university life and overcome its beginning problems quickly.

A friend of mine is Weiji Hong who was my classmates in Post-Level-60 course in last July. He is currently a first year student in the Engineering College at U of T. He explained me the situation he experienced very clear by saying ”the first two weeks were easy since it is a transition between high school and university. While the schedule after is busy, and keeps students working hard. We’ve taken several quizzes and tests so far,” and that is the general process that every university would follow. Then he described the difficulties he found and where did they come from.” As students come from different educational backgrounds, the difficulties may differ from one to another. As for me, I still need time to get used to the English educational system here. The biggest difficulty I should face arises from a course called APS111, which is a design course for first year students. In this course, several students form a team and start a project. The problem lies on understanding and communicating with each other. Sometimes, the differences of language (accents) really set boundary on thoughts and behaviors.” So as he said “I still need time to get used to the English educational system here,” and this is the solution that we only need indeed. Sometimes for example, we do not need to stay up nights in order to find solutions for our problems. It simply comes as the time runs.

But that does not mean avoiding it; it rather comes by the time when we get involved in discussions with different accents, and that is what Weiji means. Weiji is really a hard-working and persisted student and I am sure he is going to overcome this problem by the time he studies.

38

Another friend of mine is Sam, who was also my classmates in Post-Level-60 course in last July. He is an excellent student and currently a first year student in the Business College at U of T. In a speech regarding the university life with him, that I would categorize it underneath the self-dependence and cultural issue.

He stated he has to read” A huge quantity of readings before the lecture.” In addition, he seemed to find concerns with “The accent of the professor,” where it is the same problem Weiji has found earlier. In fact, it shows us that this problem is a common problem for international students if not for natives too. Sam also stated that the content of his subjects are easy, but the questions are more likely to be hard in exams. This is the regular way that teachers and professors would usually do. If we understand the way they formulate their questions in quizzes, we can simply avoid their hardness in exams. Also predicting and creating questions are the best way to make the exams easier. In university, there are many options easy to access and to reach, such as visiting the academic advisor or going to the international student office to get some advice. Also, sharing notes and not accumulating the subjects over days are the effective way to overcome the professors’ accents, and smoothly we can avoid the chaos when reading the materials. I would think if we take all these available choices for granted and get ready to do so, we can escape from several problems and that would happen if we organize ourselves very well.

In conclusion, it should certainly be better to prepare and find the weak points to treat them before we begin the university life. So when we start studying at university, we will then have been treated most of our problems, and achieve our goals without struggles.

Good luck.

issue 76, December 2011

JOIN THE

Volunteer Experience Program The Volunteer Experience Program (VEP) allows ELP students to volunteer in Canada. There are many exciting events that students can participate in, such as marathons/road races, theatre productions, and special events. These opportunities allow our students the opportunity to learn English and experience Candian culture and festivities! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great opportunity for anyone looking to apply to school or work.

Volunteer over 20 hours, and you will receive a certificate and reference letter recognizing your work.

Want to find out about upcoming events, check your volunteer hours or request a certificate?

Join our VEP meetings every Wednesday at 5:15pm in room 4-160 39

world of words

Volunteer Activities

by Thao Huynh, Vietnam Academic English

H

ave you ever been a volunteer? Volunteering is meaningful not only for the community, but also for volunteers. For me, this is the first time I have participated in volunteer activities, which brings me many advantages that I have never had before.

Firstly, volunteering give me chances to get interesting experiences from the real world through hands-on work. I still remember my first task when I became a volunteer was selling 50/50 lottery tickets, the money from which will be used to help charity. Actually, it is also the first time I have been a sales person. Initially, I was nervous because I did not know how to persuade people to buy these tickets.

After a few minutes, my partner had the great idea of paying compliments to the customers. For example, “You are so handsome, I am sure you are a lucky one”. Everyone smiled after we said that and they also bought the tickets from us. However, when we got tired and we could not flatter anymore, we decided to just smile. Surprisingly, the money we earned was abundant, even if we did not say anything. Volunteering creates exciting memories that I could not get in other places.

Beside the fact that I have to give my time, energy and skills freely, volunteering brings me happiness and motivates me, especially, when people say “Thank you” to me. From my experience, I have been a server, in which my work was giving water to runners in a marathon. Although it was cold on that day, my heart melted when I heard “Thank you volunteers” or “Volunteers, you are the best”.

Even though they were simple sentences, they made me very happy and gave me motivation to keep going as well as keep being a volunteer.

Furthermore, volunteering is one of the best ways to improve language and make new friends. In fact, there are many people attending volunteer activities including international students and native speakers. Therefore, it is a good opportunity for foreigners like me to enhance my English. Besides, most volunteers are so helpful and friendly so we can easily communicate with each other.

Actually, I felt like I had many best friends even if I met them only one time.

To sum up, volunteering is a job that everyone can do no matter who you are. Being a volunteer, you can make a difference not only for the community where you are living, but also for yourself. I had happiness, friends and even life experiences. I enjoy my volunteer activities. How about you? Why don’t you try volunteering?

40

!

D A L M O R R F O S B R E W V O E PR H T U O R

issue 76, December 2011

ND

proverb: noun. a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought; adage example: The frog in the well only sees half the sky.

korea:

& ae ryu hyun-t ng ryul ja byung-

e Check th e r fo e b stones lk a w you stone across a . bridge

ou Even if y ped p a are kidn r, e g ti by a re a u o y if ou aware, y e. iv rv u can s

photo credit: Kana Godo (2011 Photo Contest Grand Prize Winner)

all a If you c er tig tiger, a e. m o will c

Japan:

Yuta Koz ato & Masato Na kahara

nkey Even a mo lls fa s e sometim e. e tr s it from

Eve n hea the h mo rted ca ardved n to t be ear s.

Even the of a patience its s a h saint limits.

Mo

Ima

ne

If you ask a naked what h man e he will wants, ask for a diamon d.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t p u all of y t our eggs in the sam e basket.

ro

Ho

cco

uz

:

ma

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If yo som u want eh you oney, endu must bees re the â&#x20AC;&#x2122; stin g.

41

Learn English Beyond the Classroom world of words

42

issue 76, December 2011

Learn English Beyond the Classroom

43

world of words

FACE YOUR FEARS AT THE

by Cindy Zhou Cultural Assistant at ELP

T

he Night of Dread Parade is an annual event hosted by the Clay and Paper Theatre. Families around the Dufferin community gather together to celebrate Halloween by parading in their costumes and then gathering at Dufferin Grove Park for a night of dazzling performances.

This year, ELP students joined the 12th annual Night of Dread Parade. Upon arrival at Dufferin Grove Park, we saw many people in a wide array of costumes, from the cute to the scary.

In my humble opinion, the Cutest Costume Prize goes to a little boy dressed in a monkey costume. But the kid costumes were in general very adorable. Even the pets were dressed in costume. We saw a dog that was wearing a skeleton shirt. Our ELP students also arrived in full costume, ranging from Elmo and the Cookie Monster to devils to witches and princesses.

The cast for this night of celebrations was certainly diverse.

At Dufferin Grove Park, we also got to see people on stilts and a variety of puppets. These performers were decked out in full regalia and certainly frightening. The procession left at around 7ish to the sound of a marching band and everyone joined in. We marched up to Bloor Street and then to Concord Street, down to College and back to Dufferin Grove Park. It was amazing to be a part of the parade. The police had blocked off entire sections of the road so we got to walk alongside the cars that stopped to watch the parade. We also noticed many people watching from their houses above the street. It was indeed a very popular event in the community and lots of people came out to join the parade itself.

As the sun set, it became increasingly dark and cold, which set the mood for the next part of the night’s festivities. After we arrived back at Dufferin Grove Park, it was so dark that it was impossible to see anything more than two feet away.

Nonetheless, everyone gathered around the bonfire where we waited for the next part of the show. In the dark park, the bonfire was the only source of light and warmth and inevitably drew people in and mesmerized all. Shortly thereafter, the announcer declared open the night of ceremonies. Many people in the crowd had cardboard boxes, upon which were written words representing our fears, such as “depression,” “unemployment,” “fear itself,” etc. These cardboard boxes were tossed into the bonfire to represent the burning away of our fears. Following that, the puppets that we had seen earlier came out to parade around the circle. Each puppet was supposed to represent a societal ill or fear that we had, such as environmental degradation, nuclear disaster, war, and death. The finale of this fear-burning ceremony was a large boat constructed out of wood and paper, which was called the “gravy boat” and symbolized the unfulfilled promises of Mayor Rob Ford. This too was swallowed by the bonfire which grew to be very large.

After the fear-burning ceremony, it was time for performances.

Fire-spinners from a circus troupe demonstrated their skill and the audience awed in wonder at the ability of these performances to manipulate fire so easily and fluidly. After that, dancers dressed in white came out. These dancers symbolized death so that any crowd member who danced with them, were in effect dancing with death.

Overall, it was a wonderful night that seemed to transport everyone into another world, full of mysterious monsters and mesmerizing sites. Since the theme of the night was fear, only one question remains: What do you fear?

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issue 76, December 2011

Academic English Level 40 students reflect upon the

Ontario Science Centre

O

ur trip to Ontario Science Center was really amazing and wonderful. We did many interesting activities. The highlight activity of the day for me was the “Rocky Mountain Express” movie at the IMAX theater.

I have been touched by the story of building this railway called “transcontinental railway.”

This movie related the story of people whom contributed to build the country “CANADA”.

Through this movie, I discovered the beautiful landscape of Canada, mountains, waterfalls and greenery. I also liked the IMAX theatre , even if we did not understand all the comments with our level of English, it seems like traveling in the landscape and the images was beautiful. The second activity that I liked was Leonardo da Vinci’s Exhibition. I learned a lot about Leonardo da Vinci. For example, I discovered that he is the source of much inventions. Before this trip to Ontario Science Center, I always confused Leonardo da Vinci and Van Gogh. Now I will never commit this confusion. Third activity was visiting the rainforest, I enjoyed it because it reminded me the warmth in my home country : “Niger” and the landscape in some countries such as Venezuela. The day ended with the photo shoot, which was our time relaxing and photo. In summary, our trip to the Ontario Science Center was very busy. It was a good way for us to learn while having fun.

by Altine Moumouni

T

he trip to the Ontario Science Centre was a good experience to touch Canadian culture and the trip was very interesting because I could go with the friendly classmates and we shared the opinions together. The highlight of the day for me was Leonardo Da Vinci’s Exhibition which was including the medieval inventions and the famous portraits. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Exhibition was amazing. The portrait of Mona Lisa attracted me and I felt the Mona Lisa’s smile is really mysterious. I also found the background of the portrait has the different horizontal planes between the both sides as the documentary said. Finally, I liked taking pictures with all friends even if we had to keep smiling for a long time!

by Chuan Wang

I

liked the “Rocky Mountain Express” movie in the trip to Ontario Science Centre. I could not understand all the movie, but I also had learned the history about Canadian railway construction. In order to find an appropriate route, explorer spent many years to find the way and many people from different countries contributed their life to the railway construction.

By Yong Li Zhao

T

he trip to the Ontario Science Centre had a huge influence on me. First, the movie gave me more chances to learn the history of the Canadian railway construction. And then the structure of the theatre always made me feel surprised and excited because of the big screen. And also the knowledge of the movie made me know something about the hardworking men, especially I saw some Chinese men. As a Chinese, that made me feel proud of them. Then we went to the exhibit about Leonardo Da Vinci. We saw some models and famous pictures from all over the world. The questions we had to answer also made me remember more about the information in history. The trip has been a very influential trip and I learn lots of knowledge from it. I was so tired but happy.

by Ruo Xi Zhang 45

world of words

academic english level 40 students reflect upon the

Ontario Science Centre

I

T

think the highlight of the day was The Rainforest or Human Body Exhibit Halls. I got a lot of information through the quiz and I made new friends on this day. Rocky Mountain Express was also wonderful because there was a very big screen.

However, it was difficult to understand all of the story because I had to listen carefully.

Finally, I really enjoyed getting our pictures many times. The pictures are the good way to remember this trip. This trip was fun!!!

by Natsuki Kato

his trip was really fun. Watching the movie and pair work with other student was really good to learn English for us.

Also, lunch time was good. I was glad to eat lunch and talk with classmates. Although I could not understand perfectly about Rocky Mountain Express, listening to English carefully was good study for me. This trip became good experience and made good memories.

by Ayumi Todo

T

L

eonardo da Vinci’s Exhibition was really wonderful. There were many kinds of information about da Vinci. Da Vinci was an artist, sculptor, architect and also inventor.

He used the particular kind of letter; it is called retrography, for example, he wrote “Я” instead of “R”. At first, I could not understand that letter. However, there was a computer that can make me decipher Da Vinci’s handwriting. It was great fun so I sat down in front of that computer until time to go.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Exhibition was really fun for me.

by Yasuhisa Kato

F

irst I should thank the U of T and our instructors for organizing this trip. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the movie; also we were interested to meet up with the other 40 level classes. It was a very interesting and useful trip.

by Damun BadieiBehnamiri

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he trip to Ontario Science Center has been for me a very significant experience in my knowledge about Canadian culture. First, the movie about the Rocky Mountains and the history of the railway construction was very interesting, and full of new information for me, especially, the details about the big effort made by many men from different countries in order to realize the ambitious dream of building the railway. It was very touching to know about people whom lost their live during the execution of this big project. In addition, another highlight of my visit to this center was the exhibit about Leonardo da Vinci. I studied History of the Art during three years in the university; for this reason, I am really interested in everything related with art. Although Leonardo is known as an artist, he also developed his inventiveness in very diverse areas, such as, making different kinds of machines. Leonardo is an example of renaissance men. Finally, other important aspect of our visit to this center was the opportunity of working and sharing with other level 40 students and teachers. To sum up, this experience enriches our learning process and helps as to open our minds to the wonderful world of knowledge.

by Erardo Jerez Hernandez

I

, as well my friends, enjoyed visiting the Ontario Science Center, the most wonderful two activities we had was watching “Rocky Mountain Express” movie at the IMAX theater and, visiting the amazing section of Leonardo Da vinci. I loved watching Rocky Mountain Express” movie and I admire those people who challenged the difficulties of the mountains to facilitate other people’s lives. To be honest it made me think about public transport in my country; we do not have trains between cities. No one thought about people who find difficulties flying by planes or driving cars for long distances.

The second activity I liked was visiting the amazing section of Leonardo Da vinci, I enjoyed learning new things about him.

by Dania Hashim

T

he movie “Rocky Mountain Express” was so useful to increase our knowledge about Canada, and how Canadian and Chinese people cooperated with each other to build the railway.

by OmmKaltoum Omar

academic english level 40 students reflect upon the

issue 76, December 2011

Ontario Science Centre

L

ast month, I went to a science museum in Toronto. The museum is the Ontario Science Centre. When I visited the Ontaro Science Centre, I experienced the Rocky Mountain Express movie, the science of nature, and Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop. I was especially interested in the Rocky Mountain Express movie, lots of insects and Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop.

First I’ll describe the Rockey Mountain Express movie. When I was in Korea, I thought I might take a train ride from Toronto to Vancouver.

However, I gave it up because it is more expensive than an air plane ticket and it takes almost 50 hours. Although I gave up the train, I could experience the train from this movie.

Next I’ll explain about the insects that I saw in the Ontario Science Centre. The OSC has a lot of insects. When I saw them I thought they were imitation but they were real insects. That really surprised me because usually when I visited a museum, the exhibition was imitation. Look at my insect picture please. This insect was so interesting to my because I had never seen this insect before. Actually I don’t like insects; however they attracted me because they look like toys.

Finally, I describe Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop.

Actually, the exhibition was not designed to celebrate Leonardo as a genius. However, the exhibition when inside my mind and my heart so I really understood what Leonardo did.

The exhibition encouraged me to explore the science of art and machines.

To sum up, if you live in Toronto, you should visit the Ontario Science Centre. The measure of an exhibit is to see how interested the children are. When I went there, the children were very interested and very engaged. The OSC stimulates the imagination, encourages creative thinking and makes science fun. If I graduate from my school, I will visit the OSC again because it was so huge so I couldn’t see the whole exhibition. Also, I need more information and expended thinking and that’s why II’ll go there again. If you need imagination or creative thinking, visit the OSC!

by Minjoung Kim

www.stephenlow.com/films/rockymountainexpress

photo by Minjoung Kim

photo by Minjoung Kim

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Royal

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The Agricultural Winter Fair

by Nanamoye Ascofare, Cultural Assistant at ELP

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair happens in November of every year in Toronto and is the biggest indoor show in North America. Displays of the best maple syrup, wines, cheeses, jellie and livestock are brought out for the delight of city dwellers and experienced farmers. The Fair serves to educate, entertain, and support farmers by showcasing their largest and highest quality crops, livestock and produce.

The Fair runs on ten consecutive days in November. It began on November 6th of this year, and ended on the 13th.

Every day had a different agenda, and visitors could choose to participate in any given activity on the schedule without an extra charge, except for the Horse Show, which required an extra fee.

A group of eleven students from the English Language Program set out to the adventure on a Sunday with an ELP Cultural Assistant. It was a memorable experience. Vendors were selling cowboy boots and farmer’s equipment amongst other things. We tried some food samples; saw horses, pigs, rabbits, goats, and even alpacas!

Out of all the scheduled activities, the Dog Show must have been the most entertaining for our students. I know it was my favorite! Dogs from all around North America participated, doing tricks and getting treats. We even got introduced to the highest jumping dog in the world! The wait-time for admission was close to an hour, but it was all worth it in the end!

Rules of the Game:

Canadian Football

by Franklin Wan, Cultural Assistant at ELP

O

n October 17th, ELP went to a Canadian football game at the Roger’s Centre: the Toronto Argronauts versus the Calgary Stampeders; it was a really great night. We won and we had a lot of fun cheering on the Argronauts with the rest of Toronto. It was mostly the cheering and chatting that made the night so great. Nobody really knew what was going on! We do have a general idea of the game... general as in knowing the score lines and the time limit, but we do not know enough about the sport to really get into the game. So I thought I would cover the basics of Canadian football, so next time we go to a CFL game we’ll know the ins and outs of the game.

The Gist: The gist of the game is two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field 110 yards (101 m) long and 65 yards (59 m) wide. Players can score points for their team by advancing the ball into the opposing team’s end zone.

Run-through: The Kickoff The game first starts off with a kickoff, in which one team place-kicks the ball from its own 35-yard line. Both teams then rush for the ball, but usually the opposite team catches it. The player that catches the ball then rushes towards the opposing team’s end zone.

Stoppage of Play Play stops when: the player holding the ball is tackled to the ground; when a forward pass is not caught on the fly (during live play); when a touchdown or a field goal is scored; when the ball goes out of bounds. If no score has been made, the next play starts from scrimmage.

The Scrimmage Before scrimmage, an official places the ball at the spot it was stopped. The line parallel to the goal line passing through the ball (line from sideline to sideline for the length of the ball) is referred to as “no-man’s land”. Players must stay on their respective sides until the game begins again. The possessive team then snaps the ball from no man’s land and the game begins again.

flickr credit Dave Hamster

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Live Play There are 12 players on the field at the beginning of a play (unlike 11 players in American football). Play begins with a backwards pass through the legs (the snap) by a member of the offensive team to the quarterback or punter. If the quarterback or punter receives the ball, he may execute strategies optimal for the situation. (ie: run with the ball, drop-kicking it, pass the ball laterally) Strategies which I am not going to discuss here in-depth since this is only meant to serve as an introductory guide. But, basically, the player will employ strategies that could push his team as far up the enemy’s endzone as possible.

issue 76, December 2011

Each play constitutes a down. The offence must advance the ball at least ten yards towards the opponentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; goal line within three downs or forfeit the ball to their opponents. Once ten yards have been gained the offence gains a new set of three downs (rather than the four downs given in American football). Downs do not accumulate. If the offensive team completes 10 yards on their first play, they lose the other two downs and are granted another set of three. If a team fails to gain ten yards in two downs they usually punt the ball on third down or try to kick a field goal, depending on their position on the field. The team may use its third down in an attempt to advance the ball and gain a cumulative 10 yards.

The ball changes teams in the following instances: - The offence scores a field goal - The offence scores a touchdown - The defence scores on a safety(bringing the ball down in the offenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own end zone) - The offence fails to make ten yards in three plays - If the offence attempts a forward pass and it is

Offence Down linemen 7 players who line up behind the no manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land and tries to prevent the other team from rushing the quarterback. The Middle lineman snaps the balls for the quarterback.

Backs Backs line up behind the linemen; they may run with the ball, receive handoffs, laterals, and forward passes.

Quarterback Generally the leader of the offence. He decides where the ball goes.

Fullback Multiples roles including blocking for the running back, and receiving a pass.

Running back/Tailback The main runner of the team. Usually the quarterback passes to him.

Wide receiver Lines up with the linemen at a distance away from the centre. They tries to receives passes from the quarterback if he decides to go long.

Slotback Same as the wide receiver but stay closer to the quarterback

Defence Defensive back Spread out behind defensive linemen and covers the runners of the offensive team Defensive linemen 1.Nose tackle Lineman across from centre, tries to get past the offensive-line or take double team and open holes for blitzes.

2. Defensive tackle Inside defensive linemen try to break through the offensive line and open holes for linebackers.

3.Defensive end Main rushing lineman. Rushes the quarterback and try to contain rushers behind the line of scrimmage.

The Linebackers: These are the people that line behind the linemen. They have to be able to respond quick to any sudden movement by the offence, and called upon to stop the run or blast through gaps which could results in a down.

1.Middle linebacker Quarterback for the defense lined behind the defensive linemen. Calls plays for lineman and linebackers.

2.Weak-side linebacker 3.Strong-side linebacker 49

world of words

Japan Meets Mexico:

Day of the Dead

O

n November 6th, students from Japan went to the Harbourfront Center to experience festivities dedicated to Dia de Los Muertosâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican national holiday, where people honour and remember loved ones who have passed away. In the cemeteries as well as at home, Mexicans celebrate the lives of the dead instead of being sad and mournful.

The ELP students were able to experience the different elements of the celebrations firsthand at the festival. They saw special altars in honour of the dead decorated with flower arrangements, candles, crosses, calaveras (skulls made of sugar and decorated with colourful sugar icing) and small skeleton figures dressed in amusing outfits (often resembling the person who has passed away, or in traditional Mexican clothing).

In addition to the beautifully decorated altars, special foods are made for the ofrenda, which is an offering made to the dead. Pan de Muerto, or Bread of the Dead was available for the students at the festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market, which is only made during this time of year. Crafts demonstrating how to make special flowers similar to the real ones placed on the altars were a fun pass time as well. Aside from the crafts, a favourite part for the students was the ability to experience authentic Mexican cuisine: a demonstration of how to make bunuelos, a prized Mexican dessert, as well as a food court offering authentic tacos, tamales and churros. Because music is a large part of the celebration, live performances took place at the festival, with bands sharing various types of Mexican music played in honour of the dead.

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by Andrea Cuellar-Aleman Cultural Assistant at ELP

issue 76, December 2011

This holiday dates back to the indigenous people of Mexico, specifically the Aztecs, who had been celebrating the deaths of their ancestors for as long as 2000 years or more. While learning about this, several students noted that coincidentally, Japan also has itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own day of the dead. Obon or Bon, is a three -day festival in mid-August to honour the spirits of ancestors. Families revisit ancestral graves and altars, and give offerings of fruits, vegetables and flowers to the ancestors. Bon Odori is the special dance performed during this celebration, as well as lighting paper lanterns for the spirits of the dead. One must honour the ancestorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s souls and be grateful. This is an old Japanese celebration dating back to over 500 years.

The students as well as CAs had a fun day learning about Mexican culture, and the discovery of the neat similarity shared between Mexican and Japanese cultures.

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world of words

Get to know your...

CULTURAL ASSISTANTS

Born: Jeju Island, South Korea Languages: English, Korean, “French”, sings and raps in Spanish, legal terms in Latin Studying: Political Science Wise words: “A witty saying proves nothing.”

- Voltaire Best thing about ELP: Making friends from all over the world; ELP can become a home away from home! Also, our delightful CAs. Best thing about Toronto: Afternoon tea at the Royal York, darling.

Hobby: Partaking in discussions about global political issues in a civilized manner

CINDY ZHOU

Born: Toronto, Ontario Languages: English and Cantonese Studying/Studied: History Wise words: “Life is not about finding yourself.

It’s about creating yourself.”

Best thing about ELP: Meeting amazing students from all over the world and laughing with the CAs Best thing about Toronto: The view of the city from Toronto Island Hobby: Harry Potter

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LILY CHOI

Born: Harbin, China Languages: English, Mandarin and a teeny bit of French Studying/Studied: International Relations and French Wise words: “If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.”

“I’m not lazy, I’m just happy doing nothing!”

Best thing about ELP: Volunteer Experience Program and the CAs! Best thing about Toronto: Downtown Core Yonge Street!

Hobby: Cross-stitching, watching CBC

MEGAN CHEN

issue 76, December 2011 Born: Bamako, Mali Languages: English, French, Wolof, Songhai, Bambara Studying: Political Science Wise words: “Do something you love, everyday!”

Best Thing about ELP: Cultural Assistants :P Best Thing about Toronto: The diversity!

Hobby: Cooking

NANAMOYE ASCOFARE

MAXINE BOWER

Born: Toronto, Canada... but raised in Hong Kong Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English Studying/Studied: Finance at Rotman Commerce (U of T) Wise words: “Live everyday as if it’s your last” and “It is a regret to regret”.

Best thing about ELP: People! Everyone is so nice and awesome =) Best thing about Toronto: It’s so multicultural that I get to meet so many different people.

Hobby: Baking, badminton, and Facebook!

DARREN RIGO

Born: Toronto, Canada Languages: English, French Studying/Studied: Women and Gender Studies/ Peace and Conflict Studies/French Wise words: “The only life worth living is a life lived for others” - Albert Einstein Best thing about ELP: So many people! So much fun!

Best thing about Toronto: The art and art/ music festivals, cafes and vegetarian friendly restaurants and... the diversity!

Hobby: Reading, creative writing, art and pursuing equality

TONIA KWOK

Born: Toronto, Canada Languages: English (but I’m working on my Japanese) Studied: Photography Wise words: “Make friends that don’t speak your native language. It’s the only way to be comfortable using English!”

Best thing about ELP: Meeting people from all over the world Best thing about Toronto: Chilling out on the Island in the summer.

Hobby: Computers.

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world of words Born: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Languages: English, French, German, some Korean Studied: Cinema Studies/German Language Wise Words: “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” A.A. Milne Best thing about ELP: Toronto Island BBQ’s!

Best thing about Toronto: Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Hobbies: reading, writing, movies Strange Fact: I have a compulsive need to smell new things.

FRANKLIN WAN

Born: Mexico Languages: English, Spanish, basic French Studying: Sociology, History, Buddhism and Psychology of Mental Health Wise words: “Happiness depends upon ourselves” -Aristotle Best thing about ELP: Meeting and learning about people from around the world Best thing about Toronto: Such diversity and always something fun to do Hobby: Health and fitness, listening to music and reading.

LAURA BROWN

Born: in Toronto, Canada but went back to China at the age of 3 Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese Studying: English and Philosophy Wise words: “Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance?”

Best thing about ELP: the people Best thing about Toronto: The cold harsh winter when every morning getting out of the bed is a struggle.

Hobby: Reading, swimming, have a designated day where I do nothing and repeat ‘So bored’ on my couch over and over again. :)

ANDREA

CUELLAR-ALEMAN Cultural Assistants (CAs) are always ready to lend a helping hand. Have a question about clubs, activities, VEP or even how to connect to the wireless internet? Ask a CA!

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issue 76, December 2011

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world of words

Ask Rosa

“Hear me now, believe me later...”

Question: Dear Rosa, I’ve been dating someone I met in Toronto while studying at ELP. After 4 months into our relationship, I now have to go back home to Japan. My girlfriend is going to stay in Toronto. Should we try to make a longdistance relationship work, or should we save ourselves the heartache and break up now? Help!!!

- Love In Toronto

Answer: Dear ‘Love in Toronto’, Look to your alias for the answer. ‘Love in Toronto’ is exactly that—love in Toronto. Long distance relationships are about “Long as durable as a pair of flip distance flops during a flash flood. relationships Very seldom do long are about as distance relationships work out in favour durable as of the couple. This is a pair of flip because in the absence flops during a of presence, you both flash flood” have to work extra hard to contribute an equal amount of commitment, communication and openness to the relationship.

Most couples enjoy seeing one another frequently and spending time together. When two people are miles apart this is difficult to do. Sometimes feelings of dissatisfaction or mistrust begin to replace the feelings of closeness you once shared when you were both physically in the same space. Saying ‘yes’ to a long distance relationship means you must be willing and ready to share everything, trust unconditionally, communicate often and schedule time during the year to see one another.

If you know yourself well enough and feel “What may be you can manage a long a ‘good-bye’ distance relationship, I today, could encourage you to do so. be a ‘hello If not, applaud yourself for recognizing your again’ in the limitations and spend the future” remainder of your time enjoying one another’s company. What may be a ‘good-bye’ today, could be a ’hello again’ in the future.

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PS. If you consider pursuing this relationship, I recommend you read: The Long Distance Relationship Survival Guide (by Chris Bell & Kate Brauer-Bell).

Question: Dear Rosa, Between classes, friends, partying and exploring a new country, I am finding it difficult to make the time and effort to keep up with my homework. Do you have any advice on how to manage my time effectively?

- Overwhelmed In Ontario Answer: Dear ‘Overwhelmed in Ontario’, Finding time to do it all is becoming more and more of a challenge in today’s fast paced world. The secret to a balanced lifestyle is a) prioritize and b) learn to say ‘No thanks’. It’s really that simple. The priority (at this present time) is your education. Position yourself today, so you can prosper tomorrow. You mustn’t take your education lightly. There are many individuals who would sacrifice a great “Prioritize your deal to switch places time, so that with you. Prioritize your studies your time, so that your studies are at the top are at the top of the list. Plan your of the list” day/activities ahead of time setting realistic and achievable goals for yourself.

Avoid procrastinating by completing assignments as you receive them. Lastly, minimize distractions by not agreeing to take on more than you can handle.

This last point, can be a little tricky, as many of us find it hard to say ‘no’ to friends relentlessly nagging you to join them for a night on the town. Peer pressure can be a difficult thing indeed. Saying no won’t always make you the popular person, but that’s okay. This isn’t a popularity contest. Don’t think of it as saying no to your friends. Think of it as saying yes to you. Your priorities should be first and foremost. Fun and enjoyment can follow once you’ve taken care of your

committments (academic and otherwise).

You will find that once you’ve followed through on your academic obligations, you will be able to enjoy guilt-free hours with friends exploring Toronto and taking in all the sights and sounds.

Tips to remember: - Identify your goals and priorities.

- Tackle one priority at a time (if you eat with two spoons, you get nothing in your mouth).

- Avoid procrastinating and just do it.

- It’s okay to say ‘no’; we can’t please everyone all of the time.

- Don’t forget to put yourself on the list (if you’re feeling stressed, take a break).

- Learn to work smarter, not harder.

Questions featured within “Ask Rosa” have been composed for the purpose of this column. Any resemblance to persons real or fictitious is purely coincidental.

Rosa Leo has been serving

the students of the English Language Program for over 8 years. Visit Rosa in the office for student services or registration information.

issue 76, December 2011

Memories

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM 252 Bloor Street West, Suite 4-106 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1V6 t: 416.978.5104 f: 416.971.2839 e: learn.english@utoronto.ca w: learn.english.utoronto.ca SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES 158 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2V8 t: 416.978.2400 f: 416.978.6666 w: learn.utoronto.ca 58