Friday 18 July 2008

Japan




I'm in Tokyo, Japan now, so it's good time for me to introduce Japan.

Please have a look upon website. Might be better.

What's JAPAN?
Japan is situated in northeastern Asia between the North Pacific and the Sea of Japan. The area of Japan is 377,873 square kilometers, nearly equivalent to Germany and Switzerland combined or slightly smaller than California. Japan consists of four major islands, surrounded by more than 4,000 smaller islands.

Japan's population is over 126 million. Most Japanese reside in densely populated urban areas. Japan's capital city is Tokyo. The population of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area including the city, some of its suburbs and the surrounding area is approximately 12 million.

news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7511766.stm

IMF raises world economic targets

(summary)

International Monetary Fund raised its world economic forecast.

initial forecast was …

 Global economy 3.7% in April to grow 4.1%.

US 0.5% in April to grow 1.3%.

UK 1.6% in April to grow 1.8%

And IMF is concerned about inflation, despite the global recession.



(new words)

credit crunch
: a state in which there is a short supply of cash to lend to businesses and consumers and interest rates are high

synonyms: liquidity crisis, squeeze

Monday 7 July 2008

Home Work -showing a contrast

1.Reducing the length of the working week has many advantages, especially in terms of a better work-life balance, while it is economically difficult to do this.

2.The use of Ipods has increased considerably. However, the number of cds purchased either online or on the high street has decreased.

3.A few companies attempt to achieve a balance between the environment and business, whilst most companies aim for pure profit.

4. A considerable amount of towns in Europe have been pedestrianised. In contrast, very few towns in North America have been.

5.There are a number of arguments for abolishing the death penalty. Conversely, there are a few supporters.

conceding a point
1.Although there are many drawbacks to immigration, there are more benefits to the society.

2.Despite the fact that there are a number of differences in terms, there are many more similarities in terms of night life.

3.In spite of clear economic differences between the two countries, there are fewer social differences.
Gap File produced at level 7
(updated at 10:48 GMT, Monday, 7 July 2008 11:48 UK ,BBC NEWS CHANNEL)

Militia attack Zimbabwe displaced
Armed militia have raided two camps for people fleeing post-election violence in Zimbabwe, opposition and medical officials have said.
The opposition said several people were killed in Gokwe, north of Harare but other reports say there was one death.
In Ruwa, near the capital, masked men in army fatigues beat up people who had previously sought refuge at the South African embassy, a witness said.
A BBC correspondent says the raids could threaten moves to share power.
At the G8 summit of the world's leading industrialised countries in Japan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Zimbabwe's political parties to work together to restore the rule of law.
He said Zimbabwe's run-off, which saw President Robert Mugabe officially re-elected last month, lacked legitimacy.
Missing
At least eight of those attacked in Ruwa were taken to hospital and about 14 people - mostly from a patrol that camp occupants had organised to maintain security - were missing, the witness said.
About 400 people have been sheltering in local squash courts in Ruwa after being moved on from the South African embassy.
The opposition Movement of Democratic Change says 5,000 of its members are missing and more than 100 of its supporters have been murdered since elections in March.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced.
The MDC accuses the army and ruling party militias of being behind the violence - charges denied by President Robert Mugabe.
The raids came shortly after South African President Thabo Mbeki held talks with Mr Mugabe and members of a breakaway opposition MDC faction over the weekend.
Mr Mbeki is the chief regional negotiator on Zimbabwe, and has been trying to persuade both sides to form a unity government.
There are reports that the South Africans have come up with a proposal that the MDC is prepared to consider, the BBC's Peter Greste reports from Johannesburg.
But it is difficult to see how things can advance, particularly in the light of the most recent attacks, our correspondent says.
Mr Tsvangirai boycotted the talks, saying meeting Mr Mugabe at State House would mean recognising his legitimacy as president.
He has previously said that the violence has to end before there can be any talks on sharing power.
Mr Mugabe has said the opposition must accept him as leader before any negotiations.
'Sham election'
Also at the G8 summit, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete alluded to differences between African and Western nations in their approach on Zimbabwe.
He was speaking next to US President George Bush, who said leaders had discussed Zimbabwe extensively.
"I care deeply about the people of Zimbabwe, I am extremely disappointed in the elections which I labelled a sham election," Mr Bush said.
Mr Kikwete, who also heads the African Union, said African countries shared the American president's concerns.
"The only area that we may differ is on the way forward," he said.
"We are saying no party can govern alone in Zimbabwe and therefore the parties have to work together, come out to work together in a government and then look at the future of their country together."
A small number of African states has joined the European Union, the US and other Western nations in criticising the way the election was run.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the first round of presidential elections in March, but official results gave him less than the 50%25 needed to avoid a run-off.
Mr Tsvangirai pulled out of the 27 June presidential run-off against President Mugabe, citing the election violence.

Research Report


Background
We found interesting news on the website which reported women drink more than men, while we felt it doubtful. In London, thousands of PUBs are seen ubiquitously and lots of people drink there as a culture. Therefore, it might be interesting to figure out the difference of drinking habit between they had in their own countries and their present drinking habit here focusing on international students of London met.

Aims
The purpose of this report is to investigate why they change the drinking habits if that is the case, and whether or not female students drink more than male students.

Method

The Sample
The sample size was 27. These respondents were of different ages and genders, and from different countries. They were all students of London Metropolitan University.
Date Collection
This was carried out through the use of a questionnaire. Initially the questions were trialled with a sample of 3 people. A new improved question was then devised. Some said it is hard to describe how much they drink. Therefore measurement of quantity was unified into milli-liter. This comprised 12 questions about drinking habit they have now and they used to, furthermore if the drinking habit is changed, the reasons were asked.

Findings
Findings regarding the drinking habit
Exactly one third of respondents drink more frequently in London, while around 20 percent of students drink less in London. But in terms of quantity they drink, there are no students responding they drink more than they come to London, on the other hand, 16 percent of students replying that they drink less than before. And the reason why they changed their drinking habit was diversified. However, it is likely that influence of friends and Pubs strongly affect them.
As to the question women are drinking much more than men, as a result of the survey, the proportion between male and female students drinking more than 2 cans a week is 65:35. This proved men tend to drink more than women and the article was not true.

Conclusion
As a result, it might be better not to believe all information on newspaper without any doubt. Sometimes the date might be wrong, the denominator is limited to some area or people, and the time for research was different every time or inappropriate. Lots of cases surely cause mistakes. Therefore, you always mind the gap of truth and untruth.





Saturday 5 July 2008

Below websites are quite usefull to study English for me.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
This enables me to learn English grammer variedly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml
The movie makes me laugh and try to open the page iteratively.

http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
I'll use this page when I try to write an academic report.

Friday 4 July 2008

Related to international relations

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7489306.stm




(new words)

vie [va'i] vi

to compete with other people to achieve or obtain something

Architects vie to design the new town hall.
Mr.McCain and Mr.Obama tries to vie for seats.


unilaterally uni・lateral adv

done by one member of a group or an organization without the agreement of the other members

The police unilaterally call off the search.
Some companies slashed pay unilaterally.



ratify [rae'tэfa`i] vt

to make an agreement officially valid by voting for or signing it


The president signed the treaty, but the Congress failed to ratify it.

Lots of countries ratified Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1997.



woe [wo'u] n

the troubles and problems that sb has


The man lived a life full of woe.

A man is well or woe as he thinks himeself so.




Monday 30 June 2008

Unkown words for Home Work

clout [kla'ut] n
clouts clouting clouted

definitions:the power to influence other people's decisions political/economic clout

example of sentence:
1. Mr.Bush doesn't show off his political clout anymore.
2. Ne'er cast a clout till May be out.
(You can't get off your winter clothes till May in the UK.)


morass [mэrae's] n

definitions:a complicated and confusing situation that is very difficult to get out of
a complicated amount of information

a dangerous area of soft wet ground

example of sentence:
1. The Japanese economy has finally begun to extract itself from the deep morass it fell into following the bursting of an economic bubble in 1990.
2. A politician try to clean up the morass of corruption.


averse [эvэ':(r)s] prep

definitions:to be unwilling to do something or to dislike something

example of sentence:
1. Bob is a really risk-averse person. I'm tired of his excuses.
2. I'm far from averse to going to a picnic.


diabolic [da`iэbα'lik] adj

definitions:very bad, evil, or cruel

example of sentence:
1. Mary can't stand his diabolic utterance anymore.
2. Hitler is worth being imprisoned for his diabolic act.


plummet [plΛ'mэt] n, vi

definitions: to suddenly and quickly decrease in value or amount
to fall very suddenly and quickly from a very high place

example of sentence:
1. An apple plummeted from a tree and smashed on the ground.
2. The hospital's reputation has plummeted.


nosedive n,vi
nosedives nosediving nosedived

definitions: a sudden drop in amount, price, rate etc.
a sudden steep drop made by an airplane, with its front end pointing toward the
ground

example of sentence:
1. This hit product is going to take a nosedive soon.
2. The U.S government is trying to stave off a nosedive.


macabre [mэkα':br(э)] adj

definitions: very strange and unpleasant, and relating to death, serious accidents etc.

example of sentence:
1. I've never seen such a macabre movie like this.
2. The mader was quite macabre-looking.


flop [flα'p] n,vi
flops flopping flopped

definitions: to sit or lie down in a relaxed way, by letting all your weight
to move or fall, or put something down, in an awkward or uncontrolled way
if something such as a product, play, or plan flops, it is completely unsuccessful

example of sentence:
1. His intention to stop smoking was a flop.
2. The actor flopped down into a chair.


doom [du':m] n, vt
dooms dooming doomed

definitions: to make someone or something certain to fail, be destroyed, or die

example of sentence:
1. The plan to build the new buidling was doomed from the biginning.
2. Entrance examination to a university may settle a person's doom in Japan.


clinch [kli'n(t)∫] n, vi, vt
clinches clinching clinched

definitions: to finally agree on something or get something after trying very hard
if two people clinch, they hold each other's arms tightly, especially when they are fighting
a situation in which two people who loves each other hold each other tightly

example of sentence:
1. The football team was in a position to clinch first place in the league.
2. My friend finally clinched the House of Representatives by-election.


Questionnair for drinking habbit

My aim for this is to investigate our drinking habbit now in UK and once in your country.

1.How old are you?
a.18-21 b.22-25 c.26-30 d.over 30

2.What's your gender?
a.male b.female

3.Which country are you from?

4.How long have you been in London?
a.less than 1 month b. 1-3months c.3-6months d. 6-12months
e.more than 1 year

5. How often did you drink in your country?
a.none b.less than once a week c.once a week
d. a couple of times a week e.everyday

6.How much did you drink at a time in your country?
a.one can(325ml) b.2-5cans c.more than 5cans

7.How often do you drink in London?
a.none b.less than once a week c.once a week
d.a couple of times a week e.everyday

8.How much do you drink at a time in London?
a.one can(325ml) b.2-5cans c.more than 5 cans

9.Who do you drink with?
a.alone b.friends c.family d.other( )

10.Where do you drink?
a.at home b.in PUB c.in restaurants d.other( )

11.If you changed your drinking habbit, tell me the reason.

12.Do you agree that women drink more than men?
a.Yes b.No c.No idea

Questions from Steve
a) how easy was it to do
I think it's not so difficult about this topic

b) which questions do you still feel might be a little bit difficult to understand/ambiguous
No.6 and No.8 is ambiguous because we're not unaccustomed to quantity of drinking in UK. I'm not sure which word is appropriate for drinking like a bottle of or a cup of something...I don' know.

c) are there any extra questions you think you might need
No more questions I can think of.




Thursday 26 June 2008

an article for homework

Read this article and...
BBC online news/ 09:55 GMT, Thursday, 26 June 2008 10:55 UK


Recite

Why I chosed this article is water is all around us and we drink it everyday, it's necessary for us. Therefore, if it is poisoned, we all will be in serious trouble. Luckily I usually buy bottled water and never drink tap water, so I won't be at a loss so soon. However this is really serious for most of us. What happens if everybody start drinking bottled water? Is there enough water for everyone? Is the price of water soaring? And if yes, only of water?

Unfortunately, I don't think there is a plenty of water in the world and the price of everything will be jumping. So this is not the problem for body but for economics, I think. May be I should ask some advise for my GP or NHS first.


Wednesday 25 June 2008

Improving English vocabrary

Here's a usefull website for practicing English.
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/awlgapmaker.htm

interesting articles

For practing comment:
Where To See Stars This Summer
Looking for celebrities in your area? Well, you've come to the right place! We've got the inside tip on where the stars will be - from film premieres to book signings to music festivals and even sporting events. Superstar Jennifer Aniston has just jetted into the UK... find out where to fidn her in the gallery below, along with Lewis Hamilton, Ronan Keating, Jack Black and others..
The reason why I'm intersted in this article is I love Jeniffer Aniston who played a role as Rachel in a TV show "friends". I've been watched almost all series of this. This humorous show always makes me laugh much. If you see this once, I'm sure you'll be a fun of this, too. And just today we talked about bad influence of celebrity in the class. Therefore this topic is hot, I think.