[2013.08.13] Culture differences / How to study english

[Kyle Kim]

날씨가 너무너무너무너무 덥습니다..

정말 사람을 지치게 하네요..

하지만 이런 더운 날씨에도 우리의 스터디는 계속됩니다..ㅋ

덥다고 게을러지면 안되어요~

오늘의 토픽 나갑니다 !

Topic 1. Culture differences

 *Below is excerpted from Korea: the Old and the New, a book published in 1931. The author is Ellasue Wagner from US. The book describes the situation in Korea in the 1930s. At that time, old Korean culture and new Western one clashed and mixed.

In Korea old customs and ancient ideals still flourish alongside the modern innovations. There is confusion of thought, emotional conflict, a constant clash of the old and the new. Is it any wonder that there is deep-seated restlessness, or that her ideals are uncertain?

Korea has left the conditions of yesterday. She cannot return to her seclusion or to the securities of the past, as Grandfather Kim turned to the safety of his mountain home. Old Korea has gone; new Korea is being born.

Let us take a walk through the main streets of this ancient city of Seoul. Evidences of modern life are all about us, yet all is touched with the charm and beauty of the old civilization which is passing away so fast.

What a vivid splash of colour is the gay dress of the children. Side by side with these bright birds of plumage we see thousands of dark, plain business suits of Western cut and material, worn by the younger men. Here also you see the old styles in dress represented by the thronging mass of countrymen and peasants, workmen and coolies.

That old gentleman with the long, flowing robe of blue silk is a yang ban; he clings to the delicate silks and satins of his youth, and makes his way along with a slow, dignified stride which indicates that all this whirl of modern life cannot swerve him from the calmness and dignity of his assured position.

What though the busy automobiles by the hundred rush about pell-mell, driven by the impetuous and fiery youngsters of new Korea? My lord will pick his way daintily across the street while the clang of the tram-car warns him that it has right of way.

Questions

1. Have you experienced culture differences? If you have, what was it?

2. What do you think about the present situation that Korean traditions are kept?

What are some of Korean traditions that Koreans should keep and develop?

3. On the other hand, what kind of traditions do u think that korean must take away?

4. Are there cultures of other countrys that you wanna follow? If you have, why? 

Topic 2. How to study English

 Master English the fast, easy and painless way! Let us show you the magic formula-200 words that are guaranteed to turn you into a bona fide English speaker. Become fluent in ten days. Amaze your parents, impress your friends, surprise yourself. English-shout it out loud!
And so on.
But seriously, you really do want to learn English. More precisely, you want to become a good English speaker, to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas effectively, and to understand what anyone says to you. So what can you do?
Sorry, except for a few people, the acquisition of a second language is a long, difficult process, hindered by boredom and frustration. The cold reality is that it takes many hours, days and years to become a good English speaker.
The key point is the more effort you put into learning, the more successful you will be. What does this mean?
Students need to be aggressive. You have to actively seek out situations in which to use English. Take English classes, read books in English, watch English movies, start a conversation with a stranger on the subway. There are many opportunities to use English if you look for them.
In class, participate. Consider the following analogy. One cannot learn how to drive a car by simply watching how it is done. It is only by actual  hands on  experience and practice that we learn how to do it.
You must be responsible for your learning. So ask your classmates questions, volunteer information, request clarification, restate your ideas, use rejoinders.
Practice active listening. That is, read facial gestures, listen for rising and falling intonations, speed and inflections.
While the above sounds familiar, what about the motivation to study English? Students should focus on topics which are relevant to their personal interests and experiences. Learning will be more enjoyable and easier if they talk about things they like. For example, talking about a favorite vacation in the past will probably be more fun than discussing your experiences in the army.
While it is important to have a firm grasp of grammar rules, it may not be necessary for everyone to spend a lot of time studying them. Instead, you can acquire an understanding naturally. Called  grammar intuition  you can develop a sense of what is a good or bad sentence.
That is, if you hear enough correct sentences, you will be able to say and recognize them at anytime. So watch English programs on EBS, English movies, AFN; listen to tapes, CDs and songs in English. Visit English websites. Dongguk University is developing a site to help people improve their English. You can visit it at http://cyber.dgu.ac.kr/
Read books in English; the Penguin Graded Readers Series have famous books written in simple language for different levels.
Buy a good English dictionary that provides a phonetic transcription. This will teach you proper pronunciation as well as helping you to increase your vocabulary. In particular, some people have reported good results in expanding their vocabulary by using a computer program called Super Memo, which helps students to review and remember new words.
Some people have recommended playing adventure games to improve  English ability. They are a kind of computer game, in which there is a story and a main character. The characters interact with you, asking questions and giving information. Such games include Grim Fandango and Curse of Monkey Island. You can check LucasArts website for more information.
Anecdotal information suggests the best way to learn a second language is to study overseas or take private lessons. Nonetheless, there are many ways to learn English close to home. And the more you learn, the more fun you will have.

The writer is a professor of English Conversation at Center for Language Research and Institute.

Questions

1. Have you ever been to abroad to study english?

2. Do you think it's the best way to go abroad if you wanna improve your english skill?

3. What do you think is the best way to study egnlish?

4. Is there some way you recommend to study english?

5. What do you think about english speaking study? Do you think it can improve your speaking skill?

[Kyle Kim]

1st/kim/in~~~~

[COCO(STAFF)]

자료 준비했습니다^^

[Kyle Kim]

감사합니당-

[Layla Yeojin Nam]

2nd/Layla/in!!:)

[Kyle Kim]

이따보아요~~

[adidasjam]

3rd/김재명/이따뵈요~

[Kyle Kim]

네~~

[Tomas7]

4th / Tomas / 참석요

[Kyle Kim]

컴컴^^~

[Ms.Nobody]

5th/Scarlet/참석해여

[Kyle Kim]

이따봐융ㅋ

[truepen]

6th eugene 참석~

[Kyle Kim]

이따봐여~

[saddy548]

스,포,츠,토,토 프~로~토 온ㄹㅏ인ㅂㅔ팅
K U S 8 5 5 . 콤 (추.천.인1234)
회,원,가,입,시 3000원,지,급, 매.일 첫.충.전5%추/가/지/급.
올킬,올다이,이벤트중입니다. 단/폴(50)~모/바/일/가/능
365일 연/중/무/휴 24시간(해/외운/영) 온라인 고/객서/비스!
믿/음과 신/뢰는 MUSIC의 전/부입니다.