CN099101 劉記銘
Sunflower Student Demonstration
against the Controversial Trade
Pact with China
The unprecedented occupation of the legislative assembly by the cross-university organization Black Island Nation Youth Frontier and Civic Groups has
continued into its eighteenth day after the negotiations between the government and students continually fail to reach a mutual consensus. The protests began on
March 25th against the ruling party for passing the controversial Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement with China through an illegal legislative deliberation process.
Students showed that about 75 percent of Taiwanese citizens want CCSTA to be deliberated clause by clause. -Democracy at 4 a.m. 2014 March 2014 April
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Significantly, on March 30, the student leader, Lin Fei-Fan, called for a rally, filling Ketagalan Boulevard, to put pressure on President Ma to respond the
demonstrators' demands. More than 50,000people supported and attended the demonstration. It was recognized by the international media as the biggest peaceful social movement in Taiwanese history,
showing that Taiwanese are deeply concerned with this issue.
According to CNN, the service trade pact, Cross -Strait Services Trade Agreement, was signed by semi-official organizations from Taiwan and China in June 2013, but has yet to be ratified. It opens up a wide range of service industry fields to cross-strait
investment. Despite the fact that Beijing still considers Taiwan as a breakaway province and wants to achieve reunification with the island by force if necessary,
President Ma still insisted that the deal would
encourage economic cooperation between businesses in China and Taiwan and encourage cross-strait trade.
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Dubbed the “Sunflower Student Demonstration”by Taiwanese media, the
students worry that not only will Taiwan's economy be hurt as businesses and investments flow to China, but also the island's
democratic system could be undermined by closer ties with the mainland.
More than 50 thousands Black Shirt protesters showed up on streets. -Democracy at 4am. According to the
students’ official English website: Democracy at 4 am, it indicates that
students’ appeal towards, a citizen constitutional
congress, the establishment of a formal monitoring
mechanism for future agreements with China, and to
delay the CSSTA process until the monitoring mechanism is formalized. It also calls for promises from all legislators to act without restrictions from their political party.
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"We are willing to talk, but we
really hope to see the president
express sincerity."
- Lin Fei-fan
If the students succeed, it could mean a further democratization of Taiwan, with additional safeguards to let the people, not any political party, decide the fate of the island according to the BBC.
News Focus
Reference:
Democracy at 4am: http://4am.tw/ (Students Organization Official English Website)
Ramzymarch, Austin. “Anger Grows in Taiwan Against Deal With
China.”The New York Times Asia Pacific. 23 March 2014.The New York Times Web. 1 April 2014.
Ramzymarch, Austin. “Criticism, and Rare Words of Support, as China Watches Taiwan Protests.”The New York Times Asia Pacific.27 March 2014.The New York Times Web. 1 April 2014.
Ramzymarch, Austin. “Anger Grows in Taiwan Against Deal With
China.”The New York Times Asia Pacific. 23 March 2014.The New York Times Web. 1 April 2014.
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BBC NEWS“Clashes as Taiwan students storm government HQ”BBC NEWS Asia.30 March 2014.BBC NEWSWeb. 1 April 2014.
BBC NEWS“Mass Protest Held in Taiwan against China Trade Deal”BBC NEWS Asia.24 March 2014.BBC NEWSWeb. 1 April 2014.
Sui Cindy.“What unprecedented protest means for Taiwan.”BBC NEWS Asia..26 March 2014.BBC NEWSWeb. 1 April 2014.
Brown Sophie.”Taiwan's president asks protesters to talk over trade deal.”CNNNEWS Asia. 26 March 2014.CNN NEWSWeb. 1 April 2014. Brown Sophie and Li Zoe.”Taiwan police clash with students in protests over trade deal.”CNNNEWS Asia. 25 March 2014.CNN NEWSWeb. 1 April 2014.
Sanchez Ray and LiZoe.”Taiwan Legislature occupiers' ultimatum passes without response from government.”CNNNEWS Asia. 21 March 2014.CNN NEWSWeb. 1 April 2014.
RauhalaEmily.”The‘Battle of Taipei’Shows Just How Wary of China Young Taiwanese Are.”TIME World Taiwan. 24 March 2014. TIMEWeb. 1 April 2014.
ArrouasMichelle.”The Taiwanese Parliament Is Being Occupied by Protesters Unhappy With a China-Trade Pact”Times World Taiwan. 19 March 2014.CNN NEWSWeb. 1 April 2014.
CulpanTim.“Taiwan’sMa Offers to Meet Student Leaders as Dispute Continues”Bloomberg News. 30 March 2014.Bloomberg NewsWeb. 1 April 2014.
CulpanTim.“Taiwan Protests Escalate on Demand for China Deals Oversight.”Bloomberg News. 22 March 2014.Bloomberg NewsWeb. 1 April 2014.
HSU W. JENNY and POON ARIES.”Taiwan Student Protesters Urge Island-Wide Strike”THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.Asia. 24 March 2014.THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Web. 1 April 2014.
HSU W. JENNY.” Taiwan Police Evict Protesters From Cabinet
Building”THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.Asia. 24 March 2014.THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Web. 1 April 2014.
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DF1022072 廖瑩
ESL over
Bilingual Education
For hundreds of years, education has always been among parent’s (especially immigration parents) top concerns in countries all around the world. After
immigrating to the USA, there are mainly two choices for my family. While Bilingual Education involves
teaching academic content in both native and secondary languages, ESL (English as Second
Language) it requires most of the subjects to be taught in English. With the striking boom of immigration, the debate between bilingual education and an ESL
program has reached a more heated level and immigrating parents are beginning to realize that greater challengesare on horizon. There has always been a thread within immigration society—a belief that bilingual education is more beneficial for children.
However, if we can have a serious, reasoned
debate—not driven by prejudice—I believe we will come to the conclusion that ESL programs can be
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considered ideal for my daughters since better adjustments, comprehensive understanding of the immigrating country’s culture as well as the promising vocational future are provided.
First and foremost, ESL programs stand out as they are geared towards helping children better adapt to their new environment,despite the fact that some
peoplewould consider a bilingual program as a better choice. In my opinion, given some deep thoughts,
bilingual education would be no more than simply holding our children back. When thrown into an
unfamiliar environment, people’s first instinct, in most cases, would be to run away. In these cases, some
pushes would be needed. However, bilingual education can act as a ‘shelter’, children can often be seen
staying in this comfort zone for years without the ability ofmoving on to next level. As parents, of course the last thing we want is to see is our children stay outsiders for the rest of their lives. Aiming for better adjustment to the new environment as well as avoiding being isolated from their peers, an ESL program satisfactorily
solvesthis problem.
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Secondly, learning about the culture of the
immigrating country is also important. Though some would hold on to the idea that ‘keeping roots’ is
important, speaking on behalf of my family, I believe learning the culture of our immigrating country should be considered the priority. For instance, learning
certain idioms or slang, which is more often in ESL programs, can help my children dig deeper into the culture of the country they probably will be living in for the rest of their lives. In this way they will not feel like outsiders. I could not possibly agree more with a
parent’s statement, which goes ‘bilingual education is harmful to our society because it divides and separates non-native speakers from native speakers.’(Cohen, R.F., & Miller, J.L. Reasons to Write: Strategies for Success in Academic Writing, Intermediate.) In addition, I believe Chinese culture is something that runs in our genes and parts of the ‘Chineseness’ will be kept. In the case of my daughters, after more than 10 years of soaking in Chinese, meaningful conversation between the
grandparents,who will be at home taking care of the kids, will not be a problem. However, getting used to the American way, which is demanding, should not
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take the second place.I believe that an ESL program
secures the proper adjustment of my children when they are exposed to a totally unfamiliar culture.
In conclusion, owing to cultural understanding, the superiority of ESL programsspeak for themselves. I hope, however, we could all come to the understanding that we should have confidence in our children because as long as the appropriate program is chosen, their
challenges can be met and their future will be assured.
Works Cited:
Cohen, R.F., & Miller, J.L. Reasons to Write: Strategies for Success in Academic Writing, Intermediate. NY: Oxford University Press,
2003.
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CX100133
鄭雅勻
Bilingual Program
Introduction:
I, my husband, my two children, a ten-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl, also my parents are coming to America.
Bilingual Program:
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own
language, that goes to his heart.”said Nelson Mandela – a South African politician. Native language represents an important character in people’s life. When we immigrate to another country, it is really touching to hear Chinese. Bilingual program means you have the chance to learn your native language even if you are in foreign country, oppositely, ESL programs focuses more on learning
English. Also, your English will improve quickly with ESL education. I would put my two children into bilingual
programs because I think it is really important for children who immigrate to another country.
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Some children can only speak English, but they can’t speak the language that his/her parents say. What they use is only English, they would forget Chinese through time. Choosing bilingual programs let children not only communicate with their family, but also protect their own culture.Therefore, there are three considerations that I want my children to have bilingual program – cultural, economic and educational arguments which shows why bilingual programs are better than ESL programs.
The first point I would like to discuss is educational arguments. According to Reasons to Write,some parents said “if their children are always separated from native speakers, they will have a hard time learning
English.(144)These parents think their children might learn English slowly if they were separated from the
native speakers. They want their children to accustom to English as fast as they could.Although some people
believe that ESL programs can help children learn
English fast, I disagree. Children need time to adjust to a new culture and language, the change should be
gradually not fast.Bilingual programs is a helpful course for those families who live with grandparents. Many old people can’t speak English, so they can’t communicate
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with their grandchildren. My husband and I would go to work and we might be too busy to take care of our kids. If my children couldn’t speak Chinese, they didn’t have the ability to communicate with my parents. What’s more, I consider that people speak their own language is a way to protect their culture and remember their origins. For
example, my children could introduce our culture to their friends and they could also teach their friends to speak Chinese. Therefore, I think bilingual program is really a good choice for those families who just immigrate to America to make their children have the ability to communicate with their grandparents.
In addition to the cultural arguments, pecuniary is also a significant factor toward choosing bilingual or ESL
program. From Reasons to Write, some parents said that if their children learned English well, they would become doctors or lawyers.(144) All parents want their children have a nice job and earn a good living. However, is it true that we speak good English we can be lawyers or doctors? Despite the fact that speaking good English helps find a good job, I still can’t agree.This is because people who can speak more than one language have more advantages than those who can only speak one language.Some bosses may want people who can speak more languages, so the
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company can spread their size toward the world. Also, if we want to find a job, we should graduate from school first. Bilingual programs can help us do well on schoolwork and then we can earn a better living. Many companies focus on people’s certificates of degree. It is helpful for children whose English isn’t that good.If we don’t graduate, we can’t even be hired by a company. That’s why bilingual programsis necessary.
The last part that I want to talk about is theacademic arguments. I concede that ESL programs do help children get better scores on their English.However, the other
subjects such as, Chinese, science and math are much
easier to understand in their own language. Most important of all, those parents who don’t understand English well can participate in their school homework. Parents will know what their children are learning and what they are doing at school. They wouldn’t feel like an outsider. They can still learn how to interact with their children and their
homework.Bilingual programs can strengthen the relation between parents and their children’s study.
To sum up, there are three considerations that parents will face when they have to make the decision whether
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choosing bilingual program or ESL program –
educational, commercial and economic arguments.This is really a difficult choice for parents. Both bilingual and ESL programs have their advantages and
disadvantages. To me, I prefer bilingual programs because Chinese is much more important nowadays. More and more people tend to learn Chinese, so my children should have the ability to speak Chinese. In this way, they can communicate with my family and they can also know the traditions well. Bilingual
programsare a good choice for those parents who have the same thoughts as me.
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Reference:
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Plastic surgery?
Natural beauty?
劉芳伶
The invention of plastic surgery is a big advance in human technology. It brings some hope and also brings some negative impact on humanity. Although we sometimes compare plastic surgery with natural beauty, and argue that plastic surgery is artificial beauty, not natural, plastic surgery still has some
positive aspects. It makes people more beautiful than before.
Although plastic surgery may not be for everyone, most people would agree that plastic surgery
enhances people’s beauty. Sometimes we make jokes that all Korean movie stars have something done to their faces. No wonder everyone there looks the same. However, they look pretty! The reason I’m not against plastic surgery is because it really makes people become more beautiful than before. No one likes being ugly! Plastic surgery gives people more
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confidence than before, and beauty makes it easier for people to get jobs or even chances for interviews. On the other hand, too much plastic surgery is also bad. Some people have too much surgery on the face and lose their natural beauty. Thus, artificial beauty sometimes is not pretty and makes us feel disgusted.
To sum up, even though it can cause problems, for most people plastic surgery enhances their lives. The invention of plastic surgery brings happiness for many people, just remember don’t overuse it.
21 Korean Beauties: “same dreams and same faces”
http://thehousenews.com/personal/%E9%9F%93%E5%9C%8B%E9%81%B8%E7%BE %8E%E4%BD%B3%E9%BA%97-%E5%90%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%A4%A2%E6%83%B 3-%E5%90%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%80%8B%E6%A8%A3/
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Parents Are
the Best Teachers
CX102130 蔡依軒
No one can deny that the primary teachers we have in our lives in most cases are our parents. They teach us how to walk, speak, ride a bike, and how to behave.From my daily experience and observation, I can totally say that parents are the best teachers.
First, parents with great patience pass down the essential knowledge that we need with a view to join the real world. Children often mimic their parents’ habits and traits because children are sure that parents only do the right things. Take myself for example, recallingmy
childhood, I still remember that I learned from my dad and mom either their character or methods they associated with others. From their personality, I understood that it’s best to be in modesty and humility as much as I can.
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Second, in nine cases out of ten, mom and dad are always the ones who understand us the most. On the other hand, parents are definitely our strongest supporters when we really hover between difficulties. Take myself for
instance; my parents participated in every event in my daily life, so who else can understand me better than them?
Third, in general, we spend more time with parents than any other teachers. In fact, parents’ behaviors are usually more vital than text-books. For example, books could teach us manners about dining, yet parents are the ones who could show us how to do it. In other words, not only can parents influence our behaviors in every aspect, but parents can also teach us countless knowledge beyond the text-books.
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My First Impression for Taiwan
DH1022022 石瑩穎
When I set foot in Taiwan, feeling the fresh air and faint breeze, I cannot help myself catching every minute and second to get close to Taiwan, touch
Taiwan and embrace Taiwan.
Taiwan, also called Formosa, is a great beautiful island. As an exchange student, I’m so glad to have this opportunity to learn more about each other and exchange some culture, tradition, food and life style.
Although this is my first time to be here, the most impressive thing in my mind is the human interest of Taiwanese. Because of their kindness, friendliness and politeness, it usually gives me a feeling of home filled with warmth and care. Whenever I go
somewhere that I am not so familiar with, people are always willing to help me point the way even leading the way in person. They also like to say “Thank you” and keep in order in most cases. Then, the night market is also an attraction for me.
This is the apple of my eye---Taiwan.
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The Moment Close to Death,
the Moment Closer to Life
CX101128 李佳穎
I was a girl who knew little about the world when I
studied in junior and senior high.I learned everything from books, yet I never really knew why I had to study. Though teachers thought that I was a good student, I considered myself to be more like a plastic flower, which never faded, yet never grew; standing there, yet no soul inside. One day, my sister invited me to see her sophomore performance “Rent,” one of Broadway’s longest-running performances. The pamphlet said it was a musical about life, love,
friendship and death. However, I wasn’t touched by the words or even the performance. All I remember was the lines that Mimi, one of the characters, sang “… There is no future. There is no past. I live this moment as my last.”I recognized those English words on the screen, yet they form sentences that almost meant nothing to me. I could not feel anything, except for the somehow sad feelings when I thought of the words.
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One night, I was about to sleep. When I was falling to my dreams, a monster suddenly threw me back to my bed violently. I was totally awakened with my eyes open widely. Panic seized me, for I could not breathe. I got a feeling that every small breath I tried to take would only lead to the indescribable pain of my heart. It was not a heart attack or something similar to it, it was Death holding my heart.After a few moments I was able to
breathe painlessly again. Yet I lay on my bed, not feeling sleepy at all, thinking “if I close my eyes now, will I again see the sunlight in the morning as I always did?” After that night, I knew that Death is not so far away, and it just could come to me in some unexpected hour. A few years later, I entered college, and I searched “Rent” on
Youtube to watch again. I listened to the lines that Mimi sang into my heart on the long-ago night, three or four times, and then I suddenly understood why she sang those lines so sadly.
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In the play, Mimi has AIDS. She doesn’t know when her life will end, so she lives, as if every day were her last, and all she has is friends and love. There’s no regret to slow her pace down, neither does the future waiting ahead for her. That just reminded me of the night I was so close to Death, and I felt so touched because I
understood that unsecure feeling about life. The few lines are almost the same of what I did after that dreadful
moment. Now, I appreciate Death for those moments because it taught me that I should enjoy my life and love others before I die, which is the most dreadful yet
meaningful thing in my life.
Life Experience
Three Types of Friends
CX100104 蕭琮翰People make new friends all the time, especially when they have just moved to a new environment like schools and workplaces. Of course there are no clear borders to categorize friends, but I think we could divide
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our friends into 3 main categories – distant friends, close friends and online friends; it depends on distance and closeness.
I’ll start with distant friends. Distant friends are friends who live far from us. Usually they are close
friends who become distant friends once we move to a new environment. Due to the distance between us and our distant friends, we have less interactions and
associations in our daily lives; we usually meet them at occasions like class reunions.
Close friends, the second category of friends, are friends who live near us. The ties to our close friends are stronger than the ties to our distant friends
because we have more associations in our daily lives. Close friends usually are our classmates or colleagues in our current environment.
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The last category of friends is online friends. We can make online friends through online forum discussion or gaming. We usually have nothing in common with our online friends and we might not even know their names and faces. However, online friends have great potential to develop into distant friends or close friends since we have the same taste for things.
I have a lot of online friends; some of them even became my distant friends. Sometimes we would like to hang out together if we got chance. I prefer sharing thoughts with online friends because we have a lesser association in our daily lives so we won’t have to worry about the stress of keeping secrets.
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Touched by Your Warmth
DF1022055毛小蘭
I still remember how the talkative and
friendly driver who picked me up at the airport
saved my unrested heart which had just
landed on this new land; I still remember how
the warm-hearted hostess who invited me into
her garment store hugged my feeling of
shyness when I was wandering alone along
the streets; I still remember how my teacher
gently invited the adorable dog into our
classroom and carefully smoothed its fur and
how it made me feel so warm.
I never find it difficult to find such
kindness and comfort here. People here never
forget to express their gratitude and it simply
touches the soft place in my heart. I swear
they are not big words because I naturally
think it’s just the simplest things that touch
one’s heart deeply.
Smiling is never a deficiency in Taiwan
because warmth can always easily be found
here.
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English Camp
CX102134 余冠慧In this winter vacation, I used few days to go to English camp in Kan-ding elementary school, which is Pingtung county. We spent three days to become
familiar with the school, arrange the program, and learn to become a good team assistant.
On the first day, we cleaned the classroom, made our team cards, and thought about our team name. The main thing we did was to cultivate our team spirit and relationship. On the second and the third day, we started to rehearse our activities. We rehearsed some activities like dancing, performance, and singing. We also learned how to be a good team assistant from one of the seniorsat the school. To become a good team assistant, we should take care of children, control the number of our team, and blend into
teamwork. The most important of all, we should have an active heart for the children. In the last three days, we interacted with the children. All of them were very cute and lively.
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In these days, we joined the activities like playing some team games, singing, and learning together. The thing impressed me the mostwas the night party. The campfire in the dark place was so magnificent and
beautiful. The team assistants helped children to dance with each other and prevented them from being too
close to the fire. After performing the camp dance, we appreciated other performances. Every performer
worked hard to perform their best for the audience. We also danced with our team’s children on the stage. It showed our team spirit.
At this English camp, I learned how to get along with the children, improved my leading ability, and raised my courage to confront other people. This is an unforgettable experience I will never forget.
Winter Vocation
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Special Experience in
Winter Vacation
CI101143 陳怡秀
I went to America for the first time this winter vacation to visit my cousin in San Francisco with my sister. We traveled around by buses called MUNI. I was very surprised to see the driver laid down a ramp when a wheelchair user got on the bus. The chairs on the bus can be folded in half so that there is room for the
wheelchair. I haven't seen a wheelchair user take a bus in Taiwan. There is no ramp and the chairs can't be
folded in half, which is unable to make room for a wheelchair. I wish the buses in Taiwan would be convenient for everybody someday.
