Poem Reading #2 -- by Bruce Lin

English pronunciation is something from another world – new rules or movements for your lips. All we need is time and consistency to get used to those few new rules and it does not take hard work. You can’t alter your way to pronounce overnight, but you can improve if you spend a few minutes practicing every day

I hope we can use poem reading to understand that English conversation is not as hard as we thought. I want to remind you again that when you practice, read those words or sounds slowly. The following are my suggestions on their readings of the second poem, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings:

-- Kuo Yao

Kuo Yao read very well. There were a few tiny flaws (mispronounce some consonants or vowels) but mostly he got the gist; he can correct himself if he reads often. In other words, his word pronunciation was clear, and it’s time to add life to the poem.

-- Chen Chien

Maybe Chen Chien was very busy. He did not practice frequent enough. Remember, only 10 minutes a day. The course is almost useless if one does not have out-of-class practice. The only way to read well is read more. Developing a good relationship with a language takes time. Give English a chance, and also give ourselves a chance.

-- Chieh Chung

Chieh Chung was pretty good. His voice and English was clear. The pace was good. Good intimacy with the poem. But I don’t know why he was gradually turning down his voice through the reading. No need to do so.

Weijen

He's got a promotion.

One of my friends in the US sent me an email telling all his friends that he had got a promotion. Let's see how he expresses his feeling about it.

Hi all:

I would like to announce a great news to you all... last Friday at 6pm I got a generational promotion. I have been given a lifelong position that requires continuous commitment and should expect no rewards. This lifetime long membership also requires 24/7 attention and devotion.

It is not a paid position. In fact, I just realized it costs me quite a lot. Plus, there is no "team" member for me to lead, only orders to follow ...

Wait a minute, this is a demotion! Attached you will find my new boss Jeremy's pictures. He is very little but very mean. When he screams, you'd think your eardrum would break!

Steve

I can't go online now.

This is weird, and I have never encountered problem like this before. I could go online but just couldn't open any Web pages. I tried calling Chunghwa Telecom and explaning to them the pain in the ass. They eventually didn't seem to find out the problem either. One thing for sure is, my computer has been attacked by some sort of virus which uses up my system resource, it whereas doesn't allow me to use the Web browser but itself. However, I can still see the status window that shows the bandwidth of my ADSL connection still being occupied by the spy program hidden in my computer. Shoot!! I shouldn't have let my son play the game downloaded from internet earlier, or it wouldn't have been this bad now. Someone helps?

Weekly Reminder

I have updated my personal Web site on the daily learning section as well as the front page news. One of the issue about me is I am going to open a new class next week. For detail, please check that out.

Be a star

Leon is a student of mine and he told me that he once went to an audition held by a modeling agency for being a runway model. He eventually failed it and lost the chance to get parts in that line of work. But, he said he might not want to give it another shot because he will be joining in the army next month or two.

Another case regards Klein who is also my student in another class. Compared to Leon, this young man is more craving to become a star, and he is more like a singer material. He has a good-looking face, playing music instruments in his free time, even attending the school that specializes in training people to break into the record industry.

You could be in luck if a scout found you on the street asking for your a head shot. It could end up being be a scam to you so you would be required to pay for an expensive portfolio of photos or there would be some hidden fees. Whatsoever, there are hundreds of ways you can do to get ahead in your life. Go for anything you want, and I hope everything you are doing will pan out.

modeling agency 模特兒經紀
runway model 伸展台模特兒
get parts in 加入
be craving to 渴望去...
singer material 歌者的料
specializes in 專長於
break into the record industry 打入唱片界
scout 星探
head shot 大頭照
end up 結果變成
scam 騙局
hidden fees 隱藏費用
get ahead 出頭
pan out 成功