Week 15a: Monday, 15 December 2014

Posted by Zakumi on December 12, 2014

(1) Discussion on bad habits to continue.

Students don't have to comment on this as you have done it already.

(2) Compelling conversations: Talking about books and reading pleasures.

Please see the attachments. There are two lists of 18 questions each. We'll work in pairs and each partner will get a different list. On list 1, we'll answer only the following questions: 1 ("Did your mother read to you as a child?"), 5, 7, 8, 10, 17 and 18. On list 2, only the following questions: 5 ("What are some books you've read and enjoyed?"), 6, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18.

For your comment, students can answer any of those questions, or tell me about a book you read and why you enjoyed it. You decide.

Compelling Conversations x1.pdf

Compelling Conversations x2.pdf

Compelling Conversations x3.pdf

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Replies

    • Zakumi > Xi Rui December 14, 2014 15:47

      Many Chinese students had similar experiences than you during childhood, Xi Rui; and many of them had also been introduced to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. I am not surprised that you have enjoyed his writings much. His books were translated into more than 100 languages. I remember that even in my childhood, some of his stories were read to us as children!

  • Sun Huanmeng December 14, 2014 14:15
    I like the novel Twilight portrayed the powerful love of a couple, Bella Swan is 17 years old ， she is a smart and beautiful girl, because of her mother‘s remarriage, she exiled herself to a remote town named Forks. In this town, she met a mysterious classmate named Edward Cullen, then she found out Edward came from a "vegetarian" vampire family. Bella's sweet scent attracts him -- makes him want to drink her blood, but at the same time he suppresses his desire because he is deeply in love with her, want to protect her.I saw the movie firstly,then I found the novel is more beautiful.I heard that the American version is better and more interesting.I’m already beginning to read it but very slow.

    I prefer reading Rabindranath Tagore‘s poems，novels filled of imagination and a Chinese magazine named Vista Look The World in my daily life.
    • Zakumi > Sun Huanmeng December 14, 2014 15:43

      Well Shelly, if you are reading the English (American) version of Twilight, you are just like Guo Hongtai, a very brave girl! Of course it would read slowly as the English in which it was written, is not easy to read! But, even with the little I know about you, I can see you are a determined girl and I am sure you would one day finish that book! I just wonder why you and Guo Hongtai find a love story with a vampire so interesting - what if Edward can one day not resist Bella's sweet smell of her delicious blood ..?! :)

      Wow, and you read poetry too! Rabindranath Tagore sound very Indian to me! I quickly went on en. wikipedia. org to do a little research and it is indeed so. I noticed that he was such a brilliant poet that he has even started writing poems since his childhood! And he wrote novels, dramas and even many songs! I also noticed that he grew up in the same era as Albert Einstein and they had met once. I guess he brought the same honour to Indian literature than Cao Zhan had to Chinese literature! I'm glad you make time for reading, Shelly. One day, when you have forgotten everything you learned in school (and university), the education from those books is what remains (derived from one of Albert Einstein's quotations)! ;-)

  • huiying December 14, 2014 14:09
    When I was a little girl, every night I go to sleep with father's story. I still remember the story. The adventures of Baron Munchausen and the magic brush of Ma Liang are my favorite books. and Ihave thought these story are true ,at the same time,I looked forward to become as same as the hero of the story. After growing up, I had read gone with the wind, but I only read it once. Then,I read some domestic books . Now I read the book more and more less. I hope to develop a habit of reading. Because the book can help us to improve our accomplishment and connotation.
    • Zakumi > huiying December 14, 2014 15:21

      Oh, so your father read the stories to you, Hui Ying, and not your mother! Your father must love you (and your mom) very much to have made such a contribution (as father normally don't)! I guess you read "Gone with the Wind" in Chinese, right?! Maybe that's better, as the English version can't be easy to read. If you want to read English, start reading easy and simple English books first; otherwise you would put yourself off from reading any English books at all as you may find it too difficult. Good idea to develop the habit of reading! Surely it would increase your general knowledge (if it is sometimes more than fiction!).

  • lu wen jun December 14, 2014 14:08

    In my memory,I have read a lot of books in my childhood.What impressed me most is the Andersen's Fairy Tales.This book has a lot of very intersting and amazing stories.My mother buy this book for me as my birthday gift.And I very like it.My family have three childs,and my home is so small that us three childs sleep in one room.When we are going to sleep,my mother will tell some stories to make us to sleep.We think that the most interesting story is Snow White.My mother said that I and my sister is her too small princess.When I grow up,I also like reading some books to gain more knowledge.

    • Zakumi > lu wen jun December 14, 2014 15:16

      So Lu Wenjun, you were three children and you shared one room; I guess you three must be very close to one another today (but three children in China in one family?!). Yes, Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales for children was popular in many parts of the world (being translated in more than 100 languages). Oh, and you and your little sister were your mother's princesses! Hope you will not forget to start reading more books when you get older; that's one pleasant way of gaining much knowledge - I know as that is basically where I get most of my knowledge from!

  • Guo Hongtai December 14, 2014 13:50

    I am planing to read Twilight.Because it's my favourite book and I like the story between human girl and wampire,it's amazing.I have already read the book in Chinese,and see the film for several times.Last year I bought the book writen in English,but I only read a few page of it.

    • Zakumi > Guo Hongtai December 14, 2014 14:57

      Well Guo Hongtai, if you plan to read "Twilight" in English, you are a very brave girl (like Malala!), as I don't think it can be easy reading! But maybe you would enjoy the challenge and it would surely help you to further develop your language skills (though it might not be easy!). Stephenie Meyer is however a good writer. But, they say the book is not the same as the movie; I guess you have noticed that when you read it in Chinese. Hope you will enjoy the English version!

  • Xu Heyun December 14, 2014 13:29
    Recently I read a book called “The old man and the sea”.“ The old man and the sea "is created by a modern American fiction writer Hemingway in 1952 of a novella, that is also the author of the last novel published during his lifetime. This novel is based on the Hemingway's own true story. It tells the story of the Cuban old fisherman called Santiago in eighty-four consecutive days did not catch fish, at last he caught a big marlin, but this fish was too big to beat it.And his boat had to be at sea three days, finally he killed and tied to the side of the boat. Being striked by sharks on the return journey , when he came back to harbour ,the fish only had tail and spine.In the novel, the sea and sharks signify the social and natural forces, however, the old man struggle with the big fish all the time .The old is full of the incomparable strength and courage, not lose dignity. I appreciate the fisherman did not yield to the fate of the spirit, no matter how in the difficult environment.Such a "hard man", it is the quintessential Hemingway's novels. I like a tough man.
    http://spine.In/
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