#5 Can you trust a smart speaker?

(A) Do you have a smart speaker at home?
Ans: No, I don't have a smart speaker at home.

(B) What is a smart speaker?
Ans: It is a type of wireless speaker and voice command device with an integrated virtual assistant that offers interactive actions and hands-free activation with the help of several key words, like the Google Assistant, Amazon's Alexa or Apple's Siri.

(C) How does a smart speaker work?
Ans: If people want to play the music or get any information from the Internet, such as the news and weather, just give the smart speaker a voice command and it does what people want.

#4 Transport Systems In Taiwan

Nowadays, MRT and high-speed rail are really fast and convenient in Taiwan. But I think there are still some problems need to be improved, such as the priority seats and crimes. These problems are concerned by people for a long time but there's no actual action to increase our transportation quality. There might be more and more new technology of transport systems stationed in Taiwan in the future, but if the potential problems were all gone, I think that people will have a better standard of living and our transport systems may be more comfortable.

#3 Transport of the future

1.automation (n.) 自動化 : using a machine to do something instead of a human

• Automation and robotics have decreased the need for a large, highly skilled work force.

2.intervention (n.) 介入 : action taken to intentionally become involved in a difficult situation in order to improve it or prevent it from getting worse

• Repeated interventions on the currency markets have failed to prevent the value of the currency falling.

3.maglev (n.) 磁浮 : short from magnetic levitation; a method for moving something

• High-speed maglev trains can travel at 430 kilometres per hour.

4. far-fetched (adj.) 牽強 : so unbelievable it's unlikely to happen

• Her story about being chased away from school by wolves seems pretty far-fetched.

5.vacuum (n.) 真空 : a space that has had all the air and any other gases removed from it

• Edison knew that he had to create a vacuum inside the lightbulb.

#2 Are the speaking and listening tasks difficult for you? What are the challenges you often face when you listen and speak in English?

A. Read aloud (a short paragraph & a conversation)
I don't think it's too difficult for me to read aloud a paragraph or a conversation. But I think we have to learn how to read aloud with feelings and emotions.

B. Express your thought (1 minute)
I think this is the most difficult part for me because I couldn't think what I'm going to say and also translate the sentences into English at the same time so quickly. This is a good challenge for me because when I'm expressing my thought to other people I don't think I'll have too much time to prepare for it.

C. Retell the story (4 minutes)
This is also a difficult part for me because I knew what the story is telling but I couldn't retell the story accurately.

When I finished all the tests above, I realized that my speaking is really weak. I hope to have a quality environment to practice my speaking. When I was in kindergarten, I spoke in English everyday because my teachers are foreigners and they ruled us No Chinese! But when I grown up til now, my opportunity where I can speak English is becoming fewer and fewer. I expect I can be more confidence while I'm speaking and speak more fluently. Maybe this semester's English lessons can help me improve my weakness and it's also a nice chance to challenge myself too.

#1 My new plan this year !

My new plan this year is to improve my time management abilities so that I can allocate my study time more effectively and waste less time on unimportant things.
I expect I can handle all my lessons and learn a lot from our teachers.
And I also plan to prepare for financial licenses.
Hope I can be more mature and do everything well in this semester.