#7 Inside the mind of a master procrastinator

3 keywords I learn from the talk :

• procrastination (n.) 拖延：the act of delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring

• rational (adj.) 理智的：based on clear thought and reason

• momentum (n.) 動力：the force that keeps an object moving or keeps an event developing after it has started

Summarize the talk :

Tim Urban told us how procrastination generate and he thinks that it doesn't make sense. People who are procrastinators will wait until the deadline to get things done. Maybe there's no non-procrastinators exsist, so Urban encourages everyone to think about what we're really procrastinating on, before we waste our time on instant gratification instead of staying rational. If it's a long-term kind of procratination and there's no deadline, it might become a source of a huge mount of long-term unhappiness, and regrets. We should take more serious and be aware of the problems of procrastination.

TED Talk Video :

#6 The power of passion and perseverance

5 keywords I learn from the talk :

• stratospheric (adj.) 平流層的；同溫層的：relating to the outer part of the air surrounding the Earth

• grit (n.) 意志力：refers to the enthusiasm and perseverance of pursuing long-term goals; not just working hard for a week or a month, but for a few years of hard work until the goal is achieved

• perseverance (n.) 不屈不撓：continued effort and determination

• standardize (v.) 使標準化，使合乎標準：to make things of the same type all have the same basic features

• intuition (n.) 直覺：(knowledge from) an ability to understand or know something immediately based on your feelings rather than facts

Introduce the talk :
The pyschologist Angela Lee Duckworth proposed that grit is a more important success thrait than IQ and talent. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint and to buid grift, there's something called growth mindset, it's a belief that ability to learn is not fixed, that it can changed with your effort.

TED Talk Video :

#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.