Classroom Content
- When you are describing something like a cell phone (mobile phone) or car, it is useful if you can provide both the brand and model. Some brands and models for cell phones:
| Brand | Nokia | Motorola | Siemens | Samsung | Bird | Panasonic | Sony-Ericsson |
| Model | 3100 | V600 | SL55 | SGH-S300 | S1120 | X70 | K700 |
- We came up with a list of Chinese wedding customs:
- Red is a lucky color, so the bride wears a red dress
- Dried dates are placed on the bed
- A Mirror is placed outside of gate
- Husband and wife eat an apple together
- ... Something about giving red eggs to others when the wife becomes pregnant
- They drink wine with interlocked arms
- The bride wears a red veil (which the husband removes)
- The groom wears a large, red rose
- The wife is carried to her husband's room in a sedan, and waits while husband drinks with others at the wedding banquet
- The bride cannot see the groom for 1 day before the wedding (it's considered unlucky)
- Of course, the groom must ride in on a horse, and the bride sent in in a palanquin!
- Husband and wife should kick open a door together
- Peanuts are eaten
- Tea is served to the parents of the bride and groom
- How would your parents feel if you brought your boyfriend/girlfriend home?
- You will get married; you're ready to become husband and wife!
- Happy! They will prepare dinner for everyone!
- Angry!
- Curious!
- Unprepared!
- They will give my boyfriend/girlfriend money!!!
- So ... what do Chinese students think about the possibility of interracial marriage in their own lives?
| Class | No Way! | Maybe... | Definitely! |
| A.1 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| B | 0 | 35 | 2 |
| C.1 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Total | 8 | 51 | 2 |
- Well ... they SAY "Maybe...", but is that what they really feel? Class B (40 students) will be our sample group here. Would you marry somebody from:
| Place | Yes, I would |
| Brazil? | 3 |
| Egypt? | 1 |
| England? | 14 |
| France? | 16 |
| Germany? | 4 |
| India? | 2 |
| Indonesia? | 0 |
| Italy? | 13 |
| Japan? | 4 |
| Korea? | 9 |
| Saudi Arabia? | 0 |
| Sweden? | 11 |
| U.S.? | 3 |
- Some questions we asked in preparation for the debate:
- How is married life different from single life? (How would your life change?)
- Why do people get married? (What are the "right reasons?")
- What do people think about other people who don't get married?
- How do you decide when and if you will get married?
Phrases And Sentence Patterns
- how much does it cost? | how much is it worth? | what is the value?
- (My son keeps nagging me to buy him this mountain bike, but I'm afraid I'm spoiling him.) How much does it cost? (It costs $2500!)
- Oh, I love that necklace you're wearing. How much did it cost?
- (How much was the bracelet worth?) Well, it was a piece of fake jewelry, not worth much really, but it had sentimental value.
- Having a garage sale put into perspective how much the things he had accumulated through life were really worth. (WordNet:garage+sale)
- What was the total value of what was stolen?
- I know that I can buy the toothbrush and toothpaste as a package, but I'm not sure that is a better value than buying them separately!
Pronunciation
- police vs. please
- police station vs. plea station
- racial vs. ratio
Usage
- ago | later vs. before | after
- I called you 4 hours ago.
- I called you 4 hours before I arrived at the train station.
- I called you 4 hours later.
- I called you 4 hours after I woke up.
- ... all over the place
- I rushed back home to find overturned furniture and clothes all over the place.
- I'm beginning to see camera phone toting teens all over the place!
- His apartment was filthy; I saw cockroaches all over the place!
- In frustration he pushed the stack of papers over, and they went flying all over the place.
- but I couldn't | didn't (Common Mistake: "But there was no result.")
- I looked high and low for my poor monkey, but I couldn't find it.
- She asked him again and again about the whereabouts of the old photo album, but never received a concrete answer.
- We practiced long and hard for the piano competition, but in the end we didn't win anything.
- So, what happened? Did he agree to go on a date with you?
- go ahead vs. help yourself
- Go ahead and sign your name on the dotted line.
- (Excuse me, it's my cell phone.) No problem, go ahead and take the call.
- Go ahead, try some of their delicious Thai iced tea.
- Please, help yourself to the salad in the bowl and the soda in the cooler.
- (That cake looks marvelous; may I have a slice?) Help yourself!
- Help yourself to any food in the kitchen or refrigerator.
- room for ... ?
- Did you save room for dessert? (I certainly did! What's on the menu?)
- I'm stuffed; I don't have room for another bite!
- Do you have room for something else? (I'm quite full, thank you.)
- (I think I'm just about done.) Are you sure you don't have room for mom's peach cobbler? ([Peach Cobbler])
Vocabulary
- cherry blossom (n)
- I went to see the cherry blossoms at Hunan Scientific University on Saturday, and I must say they were quite beautiful.