Saturday, December 8, 2012

Words for the final test (Vocabulary from Reading Journals)

Hi everyone,

I am posting 42 words here for your final test, but only 25 words will be tested in the final.

Study all of them, and make sure you know the parts of speech and meanings.  :) Good luck!!!!

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1. Controversy [NOUN]
Meaning:
Controversy is a lot of discussion and argument about something, often involving strong feelings of anger or disapproval.

Example Sentence:
The proposed cuts have caused considerable controversy.

2. Diploma [NOUN] 
Meaning:
A diploma is a qualification which may be awarded to a student by a university or college, or by a high school in the United States.

Example: a new two-year course leading to a diploma in social work.

3.  Fissure [NOUN]
Meaning:
A fissure is a deep crack in something, especially in rock or in the ground.

Example: So there is a deep fissure.

4. Maverick [NOUN] 
Meaning:
If you describe someone as a maverick, you mean that they are unconventional and independent, and do not think or behave in the same way as other people.
                       
Example: He was too much of a maverick ever to hold high office.



6. Defiant (Adj.)
Meaning: openly refusing to obey aomething or someone.

Example: North Korea indicates a defiant attitude toward South Korea.

7. Sway (V.) 
Meaning:
to move slowly from side to side.

Example:
My body was swayed back and forth by strong wind.

8. Legitimacy (N.)
Meaning:
Something for which there is a fair and acceptable reason.

Example:
Japanese government required legitimacy.

9. Prosperous (Adj.)
Meaning:
rich and successful.

Example:
Brazil will be a prosperious country in the future.

10. Feat (N.) 
Meaning:
an action or a piece of work that needs skill, strength or courage.

Example:
Ichiro achieved a feat in MLB.



11. Allowance (N.)
Meaning:
amount of money or other supply.


12. Demand (V.) 
Meaning:
to ask for with proper authority; claim as a right.
=request


13. Sacrifice (N.)
The offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage.



14. Multilingual (Adj.)  
Meaning: 
using several languages

*I want my child to be a multilingual.

15. Immersion (N.) 
Meaning: 
the action of immersing someone or something in a liquid

*His back is still raw from immersion in the ocean.

16. Banter (N.) 
Meaning: 
the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks

*He is a banter.

17. Proficiency (N.) 
Meaning: 
a high degree of competence or skill, expertise

*He demonstrated his proficiency in Chinese.

18. Facility (N.)

Meaning: 
rooms, equipment, or services that are provided for a particular purpous

19. Shallow(Adj.)
Meaning: 
measuring only a short distance from the top to the bottom.

20. Vital (Adj.)
Meaning: 
extremely important and necessary for something to succeed or exist

21. Adopt (Adj.)
Meaning: 
an adopted has legally become part of a family which is not the one in which he or she was born

22. Commissioner (N) 
Meaning: 
a member of a commission  

23. Transcend (V.) 
Meaning: 
to be or go beyond usual limits of sth

24. Conquer (V.) 
Meaning: 
to take control of a contry or city and its people by force

25. Orbit (N.)
Meaning: 
the regularly repeated elliptical course of a celestial object or spacecraft about a star or planet.
 
・The earth move around its orbit.

26. Molten (Adj.)
Meaning: 
liquefied by heat

・Metal moltened by lava.

27. Lava (N.)
Meaning: 
hot molten or semi-fluid rock erupted from a volcano or fissure, or solid rock resulting from cooling of this.

・Lava melt everything.

28. Congeal (V.)
Meaning: 
become semi-solid, especially on cooling.

・A freezer congeals  some water.

29. Overlap (V.)
Meaning: 
extend over so as to cover party.
  
・My opinion overlaped his opinion

30. Emphysema (N.)
Meaning: 
a serious disease that affects the lungs.
  
Example: I have a emphysema.

31. Stroke (N)
Meaning: 
a single movement of the arm when hitting somebody/something

Example: He won by two strokes.

32. Approve (V.) 
Meaning: 
officially agree to or accept as satisfactory

Example: Do you approve of my idea?

33. Ban (N) & (V.)
Meaning: 
(Noun) - an official order that prevents someting from being used or done
(Verb) - officially or legally prohibit (something)

Example: 
- (Noun) There is to a total ban on smoking in the office.
- (Verb)  Swimming is banned in this lake.

34. Persuade (V)
Meaning: 
to make somebody do something by giving them good reasons for doing it

Example:
It wasn't easy, but I persuaded him to do the right thing.

35. Consumption  (N.) 
Meaning: 
act or using energy

Example: He was advised to reduce his alcohol consumption

36. Inflate (V.) 
Meaning: 
fill (a balloon, tyre, or other expandable structure) with air or gas so that it becomes distended

37. Repertoire (N.)
Meaning: 
a stock of plays, dances, or items that a company or a performer knows or is prepared to perform.

38. Unrelenting (Adj.)
Meaning:
not yielding in strength, severity, or determination

39. Impulsive (Adj.) 
Meaning: 
acting suddenly without thinking carefully.

*We had an impulsive nature.

40. Prone (Adj.) 
Meaning: 
likely to suffer or do the thing mentioned.

*He is prone to colds even in summer.

41. Deprive (V.) 
Meaning: 
to prevent sb from having or doing sth.

*People were deprived of their political rights.


42. Threshold (N.) 
Meaning: 
the floor or ground at the bottom of a doorway, considered as the entrance to a building or room.

*She stood hesitating on the threshold.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Vocabulary List (for the second test and word-web project) - Please read carefully

Hi all,

I am posting the list of words from your friends' blogs.

I would like to remind you, if you dont' have 5 words for each reading journals, or don't have enough book reports, you have until THIS WEEKEND to make it up. After this weekend, I will not accept any make up reports or homework. You will not get any point if it's incomplete. Please keep this in mind so you won't be surprised later on when you see your grade.

Choose 12 words from the list for the vocabulary word-web project, and study all the words for the quiz on Monday.

Email me if you have questions. Thank you! :)

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1. Gracious (Adj.)  kind  polite and generous, especially to sb of a lower social positon.

2. Collide  (V.): to hit something

3. Perception (N.) the way you notice things, especially with sense

4. Witness   (N.) a person who sees sth happen and is able to describe it to other people.

5. Attempt  (N.) an act of trying to do sth, especially sth difficult, often with no success.

6. Loath  (Adj.) Not willing to do sth
 He was loath to admit his mistake.

7. Consumption  (N.) act or using ennergy
 He was advised to reduce his alcohl consumption

8. Fulfillment   (N.): the feeling of being happy and satisfied with your life by your interst, useful or important things.

9. Forefront  (N.): to be in a leading position in an important activity
10. Flicker   (V.): to burn or shine with an unsteady light that goes on and off quickly.


11. Evidence  (N.): facts or signs that show clealy that something exists or true


12. Convert  (V.): to change from one from,system,or purpose to a different one.
         
13. Annually  (Adv.):  happening once a year.


14. Exporter (N.): a person,company or country that sells and sends goods to another country.


15.  Imitate (V.): to copy the someone behaves,speaks,moves. especially in order to make people laugh.

16. Equivalent (Noun/ Adj.):  something that has the same value,size. as something else.

17. Whistle (V.): to make a high or musical sound by blowing air out though your lips.

18. Inflate (V.):  if you inflate something, it fills with air or gas so that it becomes larger.

19. Repertoire (N.): a stock of plays, dances, or items that a company or a performer   knows or is prepared to perform.

20. Bulge (N.): a rounded swelling which distorts an otherwise flat surface.

21. Consciousness (N.) :the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings.

22. Accumulated (V.): get together.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Vocabulary from week 2 Mizuki, Yuka, Eri, Keisuke, Joy


Hi everyone, 

I put everyone's vocabulary here together with the links to the original articles in case you are interested. 
If you don't have five words for the readings, you should revise them. 

Please study these 25 words for the quiz on tuesday. All you have to know are the words, parts of speech of the words, meaning of the words and how to pronunce them. 

Let me know if you have any questions. 


<25 words from Mizuki, Eri, Yuka, Keisuke and Joy>

Vocabulary from Mizuki's article: 

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/science/the-technique-behind-an-archer-fishs-powerful-attack.html?ref=science


1. capure (verb):to catch someone or something after chasing or following it.

ex.) A eagle captured a mouse for a food.

2. stream (noun):a natural flow of water that moves across the land and narrower thatn a river.

ex.) They crossed a stream to capture the butterfly.

3. modulate (verb):to change the form 

ex.) I modulated my voice.

4. velocity (noun): the speed at which something moves in particular direction.

ex.) The velocity of electrons is more fast than before.

5. hypothesis (noun):an idea that is suggested as an explanation for something, but that has not yet been proven to be true.

ex.) That hypothesis was disproved by one reseacher.


Vocabulary from Joy's article: 


Source: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/nyregion/odds-slim-for-finding-dog-lost-in-manhattan.html?pagewanted=2


1. Collar [VERB] 

If you collar someone who has done something wrong or who is running away, you catch them and hold them so that they cannot escape.

2. Unrelenting[ADJ] 

If you describe someone's behaviour as unrelenting, you mean that they are continuing to do 
something in a verydetermined way, often without caring whether they hurt or embarrass other people.

3. Identification [NOUN][oft N of n] 
The identification of something is the recognition that it exists, is important, or is true.



Source: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/business/rent-the-runway-uses-real-women-to-market-high-fashion.html?_r=0



4. Flummox - [VERB] 
If someone is flummoxed by something, they are confused by it and do not know what to do or say.

5. Inclusive-[ADJ] 
If a price is inclusive, it includes all the charges connected with the goods or services offered. If a priceis inclusive of postage and packing, it includes the charge for this.


Vocabulary from Keisuke's article: 
(Keisuke, you need to give us the URL of the original article.)




1. rely   
・v
・trust fully 
・I rely him.

2. actual
・adj
・existing in fact
・Killing a lot of people is an actual incident.

3. headcount
・n
・a count of the number of people present or available
・An apple user's headcount is increasing.

4. turnout
・n 
・the number of people attending or taking part in an event
・He has many turnout who belive him.

5. strutegy
・n
・a plan designed t achive a particular long-term aim
・Strutegy is very important for win the war.

Vocabulary from Eri's article: 


Source: 
http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/15/more-sleep-means-more-focused-emotionally-stable-kids/



1. impulsive (adj) acting suddenly without thinking carefully.
*We had an impulsive nature.

2. prone(adj) likely to suffer or do the thing mentioned.
*He is prone to colds even in summer.

3. deprive(verb) to prevent sb from having or doing sth.
*People were deprived of their political rights.

4. unmanipulated(adj) not control or influence.
*The data is clean,and unmanipulated.

5. spectrum(noun) a range of sound waves or several other types of wave.
*A spectrum is formed by ray of might passing through a prism.

6. threshold(noun) the floor or ground at the bottom of a doorway,
considered as the entrance to a building or room.
*She stood hesitating on the threshold.

Vocabulary from Yuka's article: 

Source: 
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20121103a2.html


1. regional(adj) : relating to a particular region or area 
There are such regional differences.

2. utility(n) : a service such as gas or electricity provided for people to use
It combines utility with beauty.

3. meanwhile(adj) : while something else is happening
Cook the sauce over a medium heat until it thickens. Meanwhile start boiling the water for the pasta.

4. issue(v) : to officially make a statement, give an order, warning
government issue a fiat.

5. irresponsible(adj) : doing careless things without thinking or worrying about the possible bad results [≠ responsible]
He is an irresponsible father.







Thursday, November 8, 2012

Some changes about the reading journal assignment

Hi all,

Thank you so much for your input today while we were discussing about the assignment.

I would like to summarize what we agreed on doing here.


  1. Your reading journal is still a weekly homework that you do over the weekend. 

After thinking about it, I think it is better that we do this alternatively. Here's the new schedule:



This weekend (Week 3) 

Do 1 book report, and 1 reading reflection from one news article.
Reflection due on Nov.11 by 3 pm.
Comments are due on Nov. 12, noon.

Book report due Nov. 14
No need to make comments


Next Weekend (Week 4)


Do 2 book reports

Book reports due Nov. 21
No need to make comments but please read other people's reports so that you can choose books that they recommend











Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Book report guidelines

Hi all,


For new students, I encourage you to read one book per week. However, for continuing students, I strongly encourage you to read two books a week, and write two reports.

For this class, I only require one book report per week(both new and old students). If you do two reports, I will read it and give you extra credits. :)


Here's the format for your book report:

---------------*---------------*---------------*---------------*---------------*---------------

Your post title should be: Week _(week number)_Book Report
(For example: Week 2 book report) 

Insert the book cover here. J














1.       Book title:
2.       Author(s):
3.       Publisher:
4.       Number of pages:
5.       Story type – (Circle one)
Novel              Mystery           Science fiction      Romance      Biography
History          Science/technology             Other: ____________________

6.       Why did you decide to read this book?




7.       Did you enjoy reading the book?Answer yes or now first, then tell us:
-       What did you like the best?
-       What did you like the least?


8.       Would you recommend this book to a friend? Explain.



9.       On a scale of 1 – 10, how difficult was this book for you? (1= easy, 10= difficult) Why? Explain your reasons in details.




--------------*---------------*---------------*---------------*---------------*---------------*---------------

Note: Please answer every questions. Pay attention to grammar when you write. You should try to use grammar correctly since you have learned so much about grammar. If you don't know some of the grammar points, check a grammar book or ask me in class. 

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Recommended websites (Keep updating)

Here are the list of websites that I would like to recommend to you. You can find some articles on these websites, but you can so find the articles from the websites that you like. Personal blog articles are not recommended.

1. Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/

2. National Geographic Weird News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/archives/weird/

3. National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

National Geographic Kids
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/?source=NavKidsHome

4.National Public Radio
http://www.npr.org/

5. The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/

6. LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/

7. Weird News
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4429957/ns/us_news-weird_news/

8. USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/

9. Voice of America
http://www.voanews.com/

10.Star Advertiser (Local News Hawaii)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/


Example Reading Journal Format


Hi class,

For this weekend, please reading one article from the internet and post your reflection on your blog.
Below is an example of your reflection:

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I read this article on Time Tech called "These Are the 25 Worst Passwords of 2012"


Source: Here's the link to the article: http://techland.time.com/2012/10/25/these-are-the-25-worst-passwords-of-2012/?hpt=hp_t3


Reflection: (180 -200 words)







New Vocabulary (5 New words you want to learn or want your classmates to learn)

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Please make sure you post your journal by SUnday 3 pm, and go to your classmates' journals to comment by Monday midnight.

Email me if you have any questions.