VIP Class Notes (Nicholas)[S]

Vocabulary

take a photo / camera – 拍照

better better better than
much better than the iPhone

majority – who owns the most
stake – ownership
e.g. Whataburger sold its majority stake to an investment bank.
e.g. If you have the majority stake in company, you control the decision making process.

pre – before
post – after

unionize – to make a worker’s union – verb
worker’s union
e.g The workers unionized because they wanted higher pay and better benefits (such as healthcare and retirement benefits).

ecstatic – 欣喜若狂

“Bring us up to date” – give me an update / tell me what has happened so far
e.g. Bring me up to date, Joyce, what have you been doing since I saw you last.
e.g. Bring me up to date…about this project.

“Double whammy” – getting hit twice
e.g. Huawei got banned in the US and there CEO’s daughter was arrested – a double whammy.

“blessing in disguise” – “on its face” it looks like a bad thing, but actually, it could be a good thing
e..g Huawei got banned by the US, but it could be a blessing in disguise because now China will do more business in other parts of the world.
e.g. I had a tooth ache and I had to go to the dentist, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because he found I had a worse problem and he fixed it for me.

blessing -祝福
disguise – 伪装

contradiction / contradictory – 矛盾的
e.g. He was the leader of a church, but he abused his wife — this is a contradiction / this is contradictory.
e.g. When your words don’t line up/align with your actions, you are a living contradiction. 

line up / align / be straight with / to be consistent with
e.g. Sometimes peoples words don’t line up with their actions.

maybe in the future history will be kinder to him

recurring themes
recurring / to recur – happen again and again
e.g. Are there any recurring themes in the novels you read?

Original 

I’m not sure what will happen in the future especially when I’m 30s, I think I’m feared about it because many things will happen.

Once I liked reading novels but now it’s not a  special habit, it’s a common habit, I usually read novels all the day when I was in a university but now maybe one or two week I read one book.

Corrected 

I’m not sure what will happen in the future especially when I’m in my 30s / during my 30s, I think I’m fearful about it because many things will / could happen.

Once / At one time / Back in the day / I used to like /I liked reading novels but now it’s not a special habit, it’s a common habit / it has become common for me, I usually read novels all the day when I was in a university but now I read one book every 1 or 2 weeks.

Grammar

For stories – use the past tense

For thing that usually happen – use present tense

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — It’s a mix of emotions that range from being ecstatic to disliking.. the outcome of the final vote for Volkswagen Chattanooga.. to not become a union.

For some…Friday night was a night of celebration

“I am excited about the results,” says Volkswagen employer Matthew Barnett.

Results that took three days to see…by a swing of 29 votes the plant has voted not to unionize.

Barnett works at the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant at the body shop and closure line…he says he’s glad the vote ended the way it did. His reasoning…

“Where I work, I have no complaints, I have a great job, I have great insurance, I’m taken care of I’m able to pay my bills.

One day after this vote… the reaction to the final vote is NOT the same…

U-A-W chief Spokesperson Brian Rothenberg says although the vote didn’t go the way he had wished…he still amends the workers for trying.

“I think that the ones, especially the ones that worked towards getting a union are very brave”, says Rothenberg.

That he believes the vote was delayed because of financial reasons…

“1,700 votes and figured it would be close…there was a lot of money spent by outside influences and politicians getting involved,” says Rothenberg.

Volkswagon Chattanooga discussed unionizing in 2014; however, the results that year also gave the union a thumbs down… with 53% voting no and 47% voting yes.

776 employees voted for UAW representation and 833 employees voted against UAW representation.

While Rothenberg is for the union forming at Volkswagen Chattanooga.. there are people like Matthew Barnett that say it’s a breath of fresh air for him.

“I’m happy with the way things are I don’t mind the way things are I come to work every day and Volkswagen to me doesn’t ask a lot,” says Barnett.

Rothenberg says Volkswagen Chattanooga workers will remain not unionized at this time.