English is a very interesting language. It has borrowed words from many other languages. Immigrants(移民) coming into the United States have contributed many words to the language, which have kept their original pronunciation. “Coolie” and “kowtow” were taken from the Chinese language, “kamikaze from the Japanese, “shampoo” from India, “blitz” from German, “amigo” and “Los Angeles” from Spanish and so on.

    Many students have studied English for years, some as many as eight. However, some students still have difficulty in speaking fluent English. Some know many words but are unable to discern them when native speakers use them. In our Oral English classes we will focus on speaking and listening to native English speakers. For this reason, because we are trying to train your ears to hear English and your mouths to speak intelligible (易理解的) English, we will have a rule that ONLY ENGLISH will be spoken in our English classes. Anyone speaking Chinese in class will be required to pay a fine in order to encourage the speaking and understanding of English. If teachers enter a classroom and discover that anyone is speaking Chinese, they will require everyone in the room to pay the fine. It is everyone's job to follow the English-Only rule. It is for your benefit. It is because we want to accustom (使习惯于) your ears to hearing English.

    Other subjects may be learned only from books but the only way to learn a foreign language is to SPEAK IT! Students are often nervous about speaking in class at first but we hope to make the classes fun, so you will forget your nervousness and learn to speak out. Enjoy your classes.

    Thomas Edison was one of the most successful inventors the world has ever seen.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Bui people found that although Edison was good at inventing new things, he was a poor fisherman. He used to spend an hour almost every day sitting at the side of a river and fish. He always fished all alone by himself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    People asked Edison, “Why are you so crazy about fishing when you are so bad at it?” His answer was, “I really never caught ant fish because I have never used any bait (诱饵).” Another question followed, “Why would you fish without bait?” Edison answered, “Because when you fish without bait, people don't disturb you and neither do the fish.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}”

    Sometimes the world's best inventor was the world's worst fisherman. In fact, because Edison was the world's worst fisherman, he could become the world's greatest inventor.

    Are you setting aside some time for yourself to think?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Here are some ideas for you:

    Slowing down and taking long showers is a good idea.

     {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Long walks are good too.

    Afternoon naps have been proved to improve creativity.

A. But he never caught any fish.

B. It provides me my best time to think.

C. So is listening to some soft classical music.

D. In all, Edison has thousands of inventions.

E. He was asked the reason behind him being a fisherman.

F. To make your brain work better, you need to take a rest.

G. Set aside 15-20 minutes per day so that you can do nothing.

    Some students prefer a part­time job after class to earn some money and improve their working and communication abilities. Here are some good companies for you to choose.

    In­N­Out Burger

    It's the best hamburger shop in the west of America. Thought as one of the best employers, it offers flexible working hours and the highest starting part­time salaries (薪水). Above all, the company treats its workers the way they would like to be treated: like family.

    Position: selling assistant (experience required)

    Website：www.in­n­out.com

    Starbucks Coffee

    Starbucks has been a leader of the United States' coffee. Working hours are flexible. There is also a 30% discount and a free pound of coffee or box of tea every week.

    Position: coffee waiter (experience required)

    Website: www.starbucks.com

    Whole Foods Market

    Whole Foods Market is the world's largest natural and organic food selling company. With its focus on organic food, Whole Foods Market is all about health. Working hours are not fixed. You can get a 20% discount. There are also training courses on health and food every week.

    Position: secretary

    Website: www.wholefoodsmarket.com

    Lands' End

    Lands' End is a Wisconsin­based clothing retailer(零售商). Working hours can be changed easily to suit any new situation. Workers (even part­time workers) have the chance to go to a company­owned centre and get a 25% discount, and an invitation to the yearly company picnic.

    Position: salesman

    Website: www.landsend.com

    Taylor Swift added another great honor this year—the first-ever Taylor Swift Award—at the 64^th yearly BMI Pop Awards.

    Held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the ceremony honored the writers and publishers of the most-performed pop songs during the past year. The Taylor Swift Award was a recognition（认可）of both Swift's musical influence and creative gift.

    In her acceptance speech, Swift said that she was happy to get the award named after her. “It is really a relief that BMI decided to give me the Taylor Swift Award, because if they had chosen somebody else to give it to, I'd be like kind of angry about it.” the singer joked.

    This eponymous（同名的）award marked only the second time in BMI's history that the organization has presented an award in an artist's name. Michael Jackson, a legendary（传奇的）artist, was the first to get that honor in 1990.

    “Taylor Swift is one of the most popular singers in US. She has shown pop culture through her songs,” said Barbara Cane, BMI's Vice President of Writer/ Publisher Relations, “She has had a deep influence, not only musically, but also through her personal belief and commitment to create a standard that values and respects music for everyone. We felt it suitable to award Taylor with an honor that is an special as she is.”

    Swift also claimed four of the year's most-performed songs to earn the honor of Pop Songwriter of the Year.

    Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly? Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it? Many people are afraid to speak out for their rights. Dr Robert Albert, author of Stand Up, Speak Out, and Talk Back thinks it's because their self-respect is low.

    But Albert and other scientists are doing something to help people help themselves. They offer "assertiveness training" courses A. T. for short. In the A.T. Course people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to help themselves without hurting other people.

In one way, learning to speak out is to get rid of fear. A group taking an A. T. Course will help the shy person to lose his fear. But A. T.uses an even stronger motive— he needs to share. The shy person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels. Whether or not you speak up for yourself depends on your self-respect. If someone you face is more "important" than you, you may feel less of a person. You start to doubt your answers to problems. You can get to feel good about yourself. And once you do you can learn to speak out.

    What attitude would you have to disappointments in life?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Find out how a chair, a pair of sunglasses and other items can hold unexpected promise for controlling your anger.

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    There's a reason you've probably never gotten into an angry state of mind from a chair. W. Robert Nay, a clinical professor, says, “Our brains become conditioned to associate sitting and lying down with feeling relaxed.” That's why it's so easy to fall asleep on an airplane. Sitting down, Nay says, sends a message of safety and security to your brain.

    ⒉Don't get mad; get organized.

    A study of nearly 11,000 subjects in 42 countries found that the key to hold back anger is preventing it in the first place. Spending a few minutes every morning to map out your day will go far in lowering anger and anxiety levels. The theory:{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⒊Keep your cool with a pair of shades.

    Research in the journal Cognition & Emotion (情绪) found that when people walk in direct sun without sunglasses, the light causes them to feel depressed.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Study co-author Daniele Marzoli suggests seeking shade during heated exchanges: “Compared outdoor, indoor conversations have more friendly interactions.”

    ⒋Handle anger in a sensible way.

    We are busy working all day as if running a car on the high way. But remember: remind yourself to brake at any time in case of sudden crash. When you're in anger, say to yourself, “Why am I angry? Is it necessary?”{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It's useful to handle problems.

A. Take a seat right now.

B. Don't be an angry bird.

C. Well begun is half done.

D. You're suddenly a crazy angry person.

E. Effective time management keeps you on track, avoiding stress.

F. When attention is transferred, blind emotion will be controlled.

G. Those who walked unshaded against the rays had increased aggressiveness scores.