Fu Jen Catholic University

Fu Jen Catholic University

Fall 2007-2008

Department / Code / The Department of Library Information/
C-6521
Course Code / 00011
Course Name / Freshman English / Credit / F / S
2 / 2
Course Objectives / The objectives are to strengthen freshmen’s abilities in reading and writing. Freshmen’ll be trained in critical reading and rapid reading. Methods to achieve these objectives, you’ll be required to write some assignments like e-mail, letter, argumentation, analysis and summary. As the result, you’ll be able to express your opinions more logically and write more fluently.
Prerequisites / High school English or vocational school English
Course Materials / Cheryl Pavlik (2006), "Hot Topics 2(3)," Thomson/Heinle, a part of the Thomson Corporation, U.S.A.
Reference / a. Elaine Kirn & Pamela Hartmann (2007), " Interactions 1: Reading", The Mcgraw-Hill Companies, New York, U.S.A.
b. Brenda Wegmann & Miki Knezvic (2007), " Mosaic 2: Reading", The McGraw-Hill Companies, New York, U.S.A.
c. Judith Tanks & Lida R. Baker (2007), "Interactions 2: Listening/Speaking", The McGraw-Hill Companies, New York, U.S.A.
d. Santiago Remacha Esteras & Elena Marco Fabre’ (2007) "Professional English in Use : For Computers and the Internet", Cambridge University Press. U.K.
e. Neil J. Anderson (2003), "ACTIVE Skills for Reading : Book 3 and 4", Heine, Thomson Learning Inc. U.S.A.
Evaluation / a. Quiz20%d. Assignment20%
b. Midterm Test25%e. Attendance10%
c. Final Test25%
Pedagogical Methods /  LectureTheater Learning
Case StudyIndependent Study
E-LearningDialogue Teaching
 Role Playing
Course Outline / 1 / 9/19 / University life/Self-Introduction
2 / 9/26 / Reality T.V.: Would you be a survivor?
3 / 10/3 / Ads/Blog
4 / 10/10 / The National Day (Holiday)
5 / 10/17 / Growing Charisma
6 / 10/24 / Bill Gates: Good businessman or bad?
7 / 10/31 / Fashion and Style
8 / 11/7 / Work
9 / 11/14 / Midterm Exams
10 / 11/21 / Video tape/Discussion
11 / 11/28 / Manage your stress
12 / 12/5 / Memo/E-mail
13 / 12/12 / Internet Dating/Finding Real Love
14 / 12/19 / The Gift of the Magi (A love story)
15 / 12/26 / Why go to the library?
16 / 1/2 / The Ancient library of Alexandria
17 / 1/9 / Anger: I’m not angry! You’re Angry!
18 / 1/17 / Final exams
Instructor / Mei-yuh, Therese, Chung
E-mail：
Phone：2902-3433
Office Hour：Wednesday : 6:00 p.m – 8:30 p.m
Room：ES104

Elaine Kirn and Pamela Hartman(2007), “Interactions 1: Reading”, The Mcgraw Hill Companies, New York, U.S.A.

University Life Around the World

Similarities in Student Life

At colleges and universities around the world, students from other places live in student housing on campus, in apartments, or in the private homes or other people. They walk to school or get there by bicycle or by car. Sometimes they take public transportation like the bus or subway. They attend classes and take quizzes or tests or exams. They complete necessary course requirements. After years of study, they get certificates or college degrees. These are proof of completion of courses of study. Outside school, they have other interests and family or social lives. In some ways, life on the campuses of institutions of higher education is the same everywhere in the world.

Systems of Higher Education

Maybe student life is similar, but the system of higher education differs in countries around the world. For example, in the United States, postsecondary students can live at home and go to community colleges for two years or more. Or they can choose four-year state or private colleges or universities. They can get financial aid, like scholarships, grants, or loans. This money helps students to pay college tuition and other charges. (Loans have to be paid back.) With undergraduate degrees, they can attend graduate schools. The system is different in some countries of Asia or the Middle East, like Iran. There, students take an exit exam in their last year of high school. The people with the highest scores attend the best universities in the country. Other students can go to other kinds of colleges or get jobs.

Differences in Teaching and Learning Styles

But not only the system of higher education can vary. Teaching and learning methods and styles differ in various coutures, at different colleges and universities, and in individual courses. For example, the atmosphere in many classrooms is very formal. Students use titles such as “Professor Gonzalez” or “Mrs. Wong” for their instructors. Some teachers wear business clothes the give academic lectures. Students respect the knowledge and views of their “master teachers.” Other classrooms have an informal atmosphere. Instructors dress casually, and students use instructors’ first names. In this relaxed atmosphere, class members work together in groups. They tell their individual experiences, give their opinions, and talk about their ideas. Some teachers always follow a course plan or the textbook. They give a lot of assignments. They give points, scores, or grades for homework. In their courses, students take many quizzes, tests, and exams. All over the world, there are teaching and learning differences.

Campus Facilities and Services

And what about the facilities and services available to students at college and university campuses around the world? At many institutions of higher education, resources for learning and recreation are available to students. At libraries, they can read and study books and other materials. At learning resource centers, they can often work on computers. Maybe they can use educational software programs or the Internet. Sometimes audio or video equipment is available. And people can buy books, supplies, and other things at campus stores. Also, learners can get advice from counselors and individual help with their courses from tutors. Maybe they can relax and have fun on campus, too. Some schools have swimming pools, tennis courts, and other sports facilities. Most have snack bars, cafeterias, or other eating places. And at some schools, not all students go to the campus. They take Internet courses by computer, see and hear lectures on television, or use other kinds of distance learning.

Santiago Remacha Esteras & Elena Marco Fabr’e (2007), “Professional English in Use”, Cambridge University Press, U.K.

E-commerce

A. Elements of e-commerce

E-commerce or online shopping is the process of buying and selling products and services using the Internet. It has similarities with traditional commercial activity.

A product or service, form plane tickets to books, is offered in an online shop, the seller’s website. Customers select and order products, which are then paid for and delivered. The main difference is that most of the processes take place on the Web.

E-commerce websites use the following components:

A shopping cart program, a web-based software application to keep
a record of the products chosen by the customer.

A secure socket layer (SSL) certificate, to verify that the credit card information has been securely transmitted; this is usually shown by a small padlock on the web page.

A payment gateway, an interface between the website and the bank that accepts the electronic payment.

B. How to buy on the Internet

The first thing to do is to look for the product in a search engine or, even better, in a comparison engine or bargain finder, to find the lowest price.

Most online shop websites are designed so that customers follow these steps to do virtual shopping.

You start by adding the items you want to buy to the sopping basket, or virtual shopping trolley.

When you have selected the items that you want to buy, you proceed to the payment section by clicking on the checkout button.

You may have to log in, provide your username and password, or sign up, by providing your personal data, billing and shipping address, etc., if this is the first time you have accessed the site.

You will be given an account, so you are recognised as a customer. You will be asked to enter payment derails, e.g. credit card numbers, etc. before the transaction is completed you will be asked to confirm the order and check that all the information is correct.

Finally, you log out and leave the website.

There are different types of electronic payment: credit cards or debit cards. A digital wallet, the electronic equivalent of a wallet for online shopping, holds credit card data and passwords for logging into websites. PayPal, Microsoft’s Passport and Yahoo! Wallet are examples of digital wallets.

C. Types of e-businesses

Companies whose activity is centred on the Internet are called dotcoms, after their web addresses. However, most e-commerce businesses are bricks and clicks, as they have both a physical and online presence.

Although there are some examples of B2B commerce, business to business, e-commerce is mainly used for B2C, business to consumer, or even for C2C, consumer to consumer. Internet auctions, websites like eBay where people offer products and sell them to the highest bidder, are an example of C2C e-commerce.

Growing Charisma

SEPTEMBER 17-19 1998

Admit it: I was crushed. When I began researching the topic of charisma I secretly thought I possessed a fair amount of this elusive quality. After all, I get along with most people. I smile more than I frown. Who wouldn’t find me charismatic?

Then I completed Dr. Tony Alessandra’s “Charisma Quotient,” a questionnaire designed to determine how many of the building blocks of charisma people actually possess. The results? I’m considered “good” at four aspects of charisma and “superior” at one. That’s the good news. But sadly, when it comes to two other qualities, I need a lot of work.

As it turns out, I’m not all that unusual. According to Dr. Alessandra, author of Charisma: Seven Keys to Developing the Magnetism. That Leads, to Success, few people are so completely charismatic that others will drop everything and follow them into the sunset.

Instead, most people are like me, which is to say they have the potential to become charismatic. Yes, believe it or not, charisma—that almost indefinable quality that makes people like you—is something that can be developed.

According to Alessandra, the way to develop charisma is by paying attention to these seven building blocks of personal magnetism:

1. Silent Messages

have you ever seen someone walk into a room and cause all eyes to turn, admiringly, in their direction ? This is because he/she conveys positive “silent messages.” Silent messages are the way you carry yourself physically, emotionally and intellectually. They come from the way you dress, your facial expressions and your body language. To improve your silent messages, Alessandra suggests becoming more positive and optimistic. Why? Because when you’re pessimistic it shows before you even open your mouth.

2.Adaptability

This refers to the willingness and ability to treat others as they want to be treated. Simply put, charismatic people adapt to the styles and personalities of those around them. When meeting with creative people, they’ll let their hair down. When meeting with accountants, they’ll maintain more composure and focus. Instead of expecting others to be like them, charismatic people respect the differences.

3. Vision

Charismatic people truly believe they can create change. To develop your own capacity for vision, think what you’re most passionate about and then talk about it. You’ll never get others to take action if you don’t feel strongly about your own ideas.

4. Listening Attentively

In a nutshell, good listening draws people to you, and poor listening pushes people away. However, few people are good listeners. How does one improve? By concentrating on the person who is talking to you, not allowing distractions to interfere, acknowledging what the talker says, and asking questions.

5. Speaking with Authority

You may have the greatest idea in the world, but how can you expect others to support you if you can’t articulate it? Charismatic leaders know how to communicate their thoughts, not only in public forums, but interpersonally as well. According to Alessandra, the best advice on how to convey messages in an important, authoritative way comes from Franklin D. Roosevelt: Be sincere; be brief; be seated.

6. Space and Time Usage

Charismatic people respect the space needs of other people. They don’t violate personal comfort zones by standing too close, or by lightly touching others who are uncomfortable with physical contact. Leaders with charisma also respect people’s time. They aren’t late and they don’t take up more time than they’ve asked for.

7. Persuasiveness

This refers to the ability of charismatic people to motivate others to follow their lead and adopt their ideas. How do you become more persuasive? By shifting your focus to others, training empowering and appreciating others, and honing your sense of humor. “We can all profit by not taking ourselves too seriously,” Alessandra says.

While everyone has some natural ability in one or two of these building blocks, the key to developing your overall charisma potential is to concentrate on those areas in which you are deficient. How do you know what needs improvement? By being honest with yourself. Have you really been optimistic in the last few meetings? Do strangers smile at you? Do your ideas go unnoticed while someone else with the same idea receives eager support?

Simply put, the key to developing your charisma is to improve your behavior toward other people. But there are no quick fixes. Growing charisma is like any behavior modification program: It takes time and a concerted effort. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some work to do.

Bill Gates: Good Businessman or Bad?

Casey malarcher & Andrea Janzen, “Reading Challenge” 2005 Compass Publishing Inc. U.S.A.

Think about the following questions.

1. What is the most important program on your computer?

2. How are computers useful to modern-day life?

3. What sorts of people are successful in business?

Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the underlined word.

a. admits; recognizese. blamed; charged with a crime

b. methodsf. convince; urge to do or believe

c. growing; doing very wellg. started; established

d. way of beginningh. typical; thing serving as a rule or mode.

1. This plan is not working. We should try another approach.

2. The computer company IBM was founded in the 1920s.

3. A good salesperson tries to persuade customers to buy his or her product.

4. MS-DOS is standard Program in the operating system of most computers.

5. A smaller computer company accused Microsoft of stealing its program.

6. Some businesspeople will use any means to try and earn more money.

7. Although it had a hard time a few years ago, the company is thriving today.

8. Everyone acknowledges the fact that technology changes very quickly.

Most people know of Bill Gates, the head of the most successful computer software company in the world, Microsoft. If there is a computer nearby, chances are it contains Microsoft programs. Business has been very good for Gates. He is worth billions of dollars, making him one of the world’s richest men. However, he has come under fire for being too aggressive in his approach to business.

With his friend Paul Allen, Gates co-founded Microsoft in 1975, when Gates was a junior at Harvard University. Microsoft’s first major success was the introduction of MS-DOS in 1981. This program was originally meant to run on IBM’s computers, but Gates persuaded other companies to use MS-DOS as well, which resulted in the program becoming standard for the computer industry. The widespread use of MS-DOS, along with the success of other Microsoft products, made Bill Gates a billionaire by 1987, at the age of 31.

Microsoft continued to expand during the 1990s, and now Microsoft’s Windows operating system is used in around 85 percent of the world’s computers. Perhaps this is why many people accuse Gates of using unfair business practices. According to them, Gates’ main goal is not to work with other companies, but to destroy his competition by any means necessary. These critics say that the dominance of Microsoft products makes healthy competition impossible, and reduces the choices of buyers. In particular, these critics say that Microsoft should not include free programs with Windows, such as the Web browser Internet Explorer. This hurts other companies that cannot afford to give away their software.

Gates has countered critics by saying that Microsoft only responded to the normal dynamics of the business world. In an interview, Gates explained, “Microsoft is only healthy if the industry as a whole is healthy and thriving.” He added, “Whenever a company is successful, people say it’s out to dominate. Take Disney. It’s a wonderful company, but there are people within the entertainment industry who wonder about Disney’s goals.”

Additionally, as Microsoft enters into other related fields of technology, Gates acknowledges that his company is not the biggest kid on the block. He claims, “As Microsoft moves onto the information superhighway, believe me, most of the companies involved are far bigger than we are. We’re dealing with the German telephone company and with British Telecom. We’re dealing with NTT(Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), the world’s highest-valued corporation.” In his own eyes, Gates believes, “ We’re a small, small company in that arena.”