2 Online Class Notes (Ally)

2 writings Test1 and Test 2

Finish test 1 readings passage 2 and 3

finish test 1

speaking practice; question and outline

Vocabulary

pointless: meaningless

loophole: lou dong

Most of my classmates… they go to different schools in March. They don’t attend the gaokao.

• have : yongyou
  – there be? of?
• run-on sentence. Use . more, not “,”
• always check to see if you’re straying from the topic of the P. If you are, bring the sentence back.
• degree of language; am I too absolute? (+tend, +more, +relatively, +the common belief is , almost-> mostly)

Music has had a long history alongside/as an important part of human civilization. Music has many abstract meanings, such as … / It has significant impact on our world and influences our thinking, culture, society, economy, and most importantly, communication. /In the old days, the idea of music may just be…. Throughout history, music has indeed been a way of communication between different populations, but in many cases, it can also be extremely specific and personal to some individuals.

Music is able to transcend/travel across different populations because there’s no country differentiation. Even though people in different countries will have different understandings of lyrics when they hear each song, they share the same feelings. Differences in language and location do not hinder their ideas for the music, nor do they prevent people from loving music. People who like the same kind of music will get together, and share common topics and interests. So music also can enhance people’s relationship with each other, even though they can’t understand a word from the other language. In this way, /from this perspective, music is the common language that ties us together./connect people from different countries together.

Though music is creative and diverse, it has the same effect on everyone in the world, no matter which cultures they may be from. There are many kinds of music, such as Zumba, classical music, rural music, and electronic music. Everyone has their own favorite, but the same music tends to give people the same feelings. For example, the upbeat, rhythmic Zumba music makes everyone dance while sweet, classical music produces a calming and relaxing effect. So though people have their own preferences for music, most of the time they have the same reactions/emotions when they listen to a certain genre of music.

One exception to this are music types that are closely related to a specific culture and history. You will be able to feel the local cultural characteristics and historical background from the melody and rhythm of the music, just like hip-hop music. I was introduced to hiphop music by chance when I was a child, but while I was fascinated by the rhythm and style, I could never understand the real hiphop spirit, because I couldn’t understand the lyrics or the American culture. Gradually, as I listened to more rap music, and had a better understanding of English and the American culture, I was able to truly enjoy the music. When I communicate with strangers who also love hiphop, no matter what country they come from, we can chat quickly and get familiar with each other. Though we’re from different countries, we were able to communicate in hiphop language.

Music has its own way to connect people with each other. Some music have special meanings for certain cultures, while most music transcend regional differences and invokes the same emotions in its audience. Throughout history, music has been the universal language and in the future, it will continue to be a major way of communication between different civilizations.

With the development of science and technology and the progress of the times, people have more ways to inquire and acquire knowledge. People now have different opinions on whether to continue to use traditional reading to find information or to adopt new methods. Today more people prefer using the internet to traditional media, such as books or magazines. However, while computer search for knowledge brings people convenience, it also brings a lot of problems and ultimately, it is a negative influence on society.

From the aspect of health, too much time on the internet is harmful to our bodies. Sitting in the chair and watching the screens for a long time have a serious impact on the eyes and cervical spine. Most people are busy with work and do not have any time to digest their food and exercise daily, leading to the accumulation of a lot of fat, which affects people’s physical and mental health.  This problem is less severe for newspaper or magazine readers because they are less likely to be addicted. When we use the internet or the computer, however, we should take regular breaks to ensure our health.

Secondly, from the perspective of information control, too much information may actually cause bad effects on people. The 21st century is full of information – we can get hundreds of various kinds of information every day, but most of them are meaningless or even harmful to us. Many people, especially young people, cannot distinguish well, which leads to a lot of wrong or harmful information flooding the Internet. To control this phenomenon, the government and country should issue and carry out better policies. Before this happens, the internet can be a bad influence to our society, especially for younger people who do not have their own opinions./the ability to filter information.

It is without doubt that/Admittedly, using the Internet to search for information is faster and more comprehensive than traditional reading. There is no denying that the number of people using the Internet to browse information is far more than people using other methods.  In a word, I think using the Internet to browse information can be a positive way for people, but at this time, it needs more reasonable management, otherwise it will do more harm than good.