Profile Update Class – Double VIP (Nick)

Your profile has been updated!

Next update September 2019

Previous Levels

Listening: 3.25
Speaking: 2.75
Pronunciation: 2.5
Writing: 3

Class Notes from today:

An interesting technique:

Sometimes, for people who are scared of public humiliation, that before you speak, you should imagine the VERY WORST possibility. Imagine that you try to talk to someone, and they begin to laugh at you, to make fun of you, and to tell all their friends how bad you are at speaking English. Then, remember that you will still be a successful person, with friends and family, and you will certainly not die. Life will go on, and also, that is REALLY UNLIKELY to happen.

Write a response to this question, and also be ready to present it in class like you are in an interview.

4. What can you do for us that someone else can’t?

(Try to read the following paragraph; don’t worry about understanding all the words, but try to understand it in general)

Here you have every right, and perhaps an obligation, to toot your own horn and be a bit egotistical. Talk about your record of getting things done, and mention specifics from your resume or list of career accomplishments. Say that your skills and interests, combined with this history of getting results, make you valuable. Mention your ability to set priorities, identify problems, and use your experience and energy to solve them.

(Source: http://www.datsi.fi.upm.es/~frosal/docs/25mdq.html)

Vocabulary

Popular vs. Common – “popular” means that many people like something, that they want to choose it; “common” just means that it is everywhere
e.g. Hotpot is a very popular style of food.
e.g. Cantonese is very common in the South of China.

Pick – to choose
e.g. I picked this blue shirt today because it is sunny outside.

Expat – someone who is living outside of the country that they were born in (ex- means outside; “pat” is short for patria, which is a country)

Male – (adj) a man
Female – (adj) a woman

Stereotype – believing that all people of some group are the same
e.g. All Chinese people like . . .
e.g. All white people do . . .
e.g. All Asians are . . .
e.g. People from Henan are all liars and cheaters.

Censor – to control the information that people can see
e.g. In China, the internet is censored on certain topics or websites.

How are you? . . .
e.g. I’m good
e.g. I’m fine
e.g. I’m doing well
e.g. I’m well
e.g. Just fine
e.g. I can’t complain (in the middle 一般)
e.g. I’ve been worse (not very good, but not so bad either)
e.g. I’ve been better (not very good)

Scary – something that makes you afraid, that makes you nervous
e.g. Public speaking is scary.
Scared – how you feel when you are afraid or nervous
e.g. I am scared of public speaking.

Humiliation – when people laugh at you in public and you feel very, very bad because you are not good enough
e.g. I am afraid of public humiliation because my English is not good enough.

Nephew – the son of your brother or sister
Niece – the daughter of your brother or sister
Siblings – your brothers and sisters (no gender)

Subsidize – when someone pays part of the cost of something to make it easier for someone else to do something
e.g. The government subsidizes education costs so that more students can study in universities.
e.g. Rural China has subsidized the development of Urban China for a long time.

Know vs. Notice – “know” is information that you have in your brain; “notice” is when something gets your attention
e.g. Do you know the provinces of China?
e.g.

Avatar – the movie that used Zhangjiajie to create the world where the story happened

Communism – 共产主义
Socialism – 社会主义
Marxism – 马克思主义
Capitalism – 资本家主义

Cuba – 古巴
USSR – 苏联
North Korea – 北韩

Population – the number of people in a place
Pollution – bad things in the air, water, food, etc.

To have the/a right – you are allowed to do something and no one can stop you
e.g. I have the right to say what I think (and no one can stop me from saying it)

Toot your own horn – to tell everyone how great you are; talk about the great things you have done
(“Toot” is like “blow,” like 吹)
e.g. I don’t like talking to him, because he spends all his time just tooting his own horn (he talks about himself all the time)

Grammar

I have a little confidence – I am not very confident

I scared – I am scared / talking with foreigners is scary for me / talking with foreigners

Chinese can’t speak English very good – well
— “Good” is an adjective
— “Well” is an adverb

International company talk English – speak
— General use of a language
e.g. I speak Spanish (I can)
e.g. At home we speak Cantonese (in general)

I don’t well prepared – I wasn’t well prepared / I didn’t prepare well

I feel nervous to speak – about speaking
— With “nervous” you use “about” to explain what makes you nervous

Cantonese is very popular in Hong Kong and Guangdong – common

It is on charge vpn – it is a paid vpn

They came to Singapore now for ten years – They went to Singapore ten years ago / they have lived in Singapore now for ten years / they have been . . .

I think phone interview is more nervous – I think a phone interview is more difficult / I think a phone interview makes me more nervous
— The person, not the interview, can be nervous

Pronunciation

Start-up – make sure to say the second “t” clearly

Can’t – be careful to say the “t” very clearly or your meaning will be the opposite of what you wanted to say! (If you are worried, you can also say “cannot”)