First, you might ask why being eloquent is so important? Take the newly elected president of the United States of America – Barack Obama for example. He is an eloquent speaker that can make people have faith in him. People believe in that he can really bring a change to their beloved country. This time, the president election is competitive, both McCain and Obama are considered a possible leader for America. Other than great policies, I think the key of Obama’s winning is his eloquent speeches. From the beginning of the election, Senator Obama made his point that “He’s asking people to believe not just in his ability to bring about real change in Washington, but he’s asking people to believe in themselves.” In addition, on the President-Elect night, Obama said, “It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.” He also addressed that the coming “change” of the United Sates is the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Futhurmore, Senator Obama stated that they will, and always will be, the United States of America. Words like this really touched people’s heart. I think that’s why even conservative people voted for Obama because they trusted him and had faith in him. Therefore, I think being eloquent is an important characteristic for a leader; it’s the key to make people believe in what a leader can do.

    Second, being generous is also important. Bill Gates, one of the richest people on the world. Even though his is rich, he never keeps all the profit in his pocket. He gave bonus money to workers in his company. That is why people respect him so much; even his competitor respects him too. Generous as Bill Gates, people in his company will then be more than willing to work for him. Besides, I believe they will work much harder. That is the key to Bill Gates’s success. Not to mention it is hard not to be greedy while you are in such a competitive business. His generosity toward his workers really makes him a respectful leader.

    Last, a leader should be courageous. For instance, Dr. Matin Luther King, a prominent leader who devoted himself into the black civil rights movement. Moving into a new State, Dr. King had never thought of becoming the leader in the civil rights movement. However, when he was nominated and elected as the leader, he did not say “no.” Even though he knew, this work might kill him. After taking this job, he got threaten calls. Some people started to criticize him that a priest should not interfere with politic issue. However, Dr. King was brave. He had made up his mind that it is time to take action. In addition, he did take his words into action. At the beginning was the boycott, and then he started to negotiate with the government. Last, he made the best speech of the world in front of thousands of people and encouraged them that we should never give up our dreams. All those things he did might just catch him into huge trouble. However, Dr. King still went for it, because it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, he was assassinated in 1968. Even though he had passed away, but his spirit had lasted in everyone’s heart. I believed Dr. King knew he was in danger, but he kept up his promise to change the world.

Being eloquent, generous, and courageous makes a person not only a leader, but also makes them much more respectful. With these qualities, any person can be a good leader. What does it take to become a good leader? Eloquent, Generosity, and Courage are the answer!

    Can you believe a Panda can actually become a master of Kong Fu? I bet you don’t! The best movie I’ve ever seen is Kong Fu Panda. With hilarious jokes, funny but inspiring plot. I just love this movie. A panda who cook noodle for living has an ideal dream of becoming the Kong Fu Master. None of the other Kong Fu practitioners believe in him. Not even the Panda himself expect that one day he will become the “chosen one.” It’s all by accident! However, not only did the Panda fulfill his oath of the chosen one. He even bread through his own weaknesses. Eventually, he defeated the biggest villain.

    I found this movie the best because of three reasons. It’s funny, realistic, and inspiring. First, seeing the Panda is already fun, but the animators make other characters interesting too. Second, the character Panda actually symbolized every ordinary human. He got his own weakness and his own flaw. We got them too. Besides, we all have to face difficulties. Seeing the Panda is as seeing myself. Last, the Panda’s optimistic attitude toward frustration really inspires me. And also his perseverance really touches my heart. A movie consists of three elements – funny plot, realistic story, and inspiring message are what a movie requires. The Kong Fu Panda makes it perfectly.

Dear Adam,

How are you? It has been three months since we last met. After I became a senior, all my parents expect of me is to get into a good university. It bothers me. I feel lots of pressure. I know study is important. But the more they push me, the more I don’t want to study. Besides, this issue has caused arguments between my mother and I more frequently! I really don’t like this kind of relationship.

What should I do, my friend? You’ve always been not only a good listener but also a good advisor to me. I’m really frustrated right now. There’s just too much pressure. I don’t know how to handle it. Could you give me some advice? Thank you!

                                                                                                                                Sincerely yours,

Mary

MOVIE REVIEW

‘The Pursuit of Happyness’

Will Smith plays a down-and-out but undaunted go-getter in “Pursuit of Happyness.”

By Kevin Crust
Times Staff Writer

December 15, 2006

Among the inalienable rights promised in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, happiness is the only one not guaranteed. We are theoretically assured of life and liberty, but happiness we are left to pursue on our own. “The Pursuit of Happyness,” a routine domestic drama starring Will Smith, is the story of one man’s unwavering pursuit for a better life (and presumably happiness with an “i”) against long odds.

The movie is “inspired by a true story,” that of Chris Gardner, who was among San Francisco’s working homeless in the early ’80s and managed to pull himself and his young son up by the bootstraps. “Inspired by” is an interesting phrase because the movie is more inspiring than inspired. The man’s struggles are emotionally engaging, but dramatically it lacks the layering of a “Kramer vs. Kramer,” which it superficially resembles.

This is a much lower-key performance than we’re used to seeing from Smith, and he pulls it off admirably. He plays the fictionalized Gardner as an intelligent, energetic guy who can’t catch a break. In fact, in the sluggish Bay Area economy of 1981, he’s losing ground. He’s invested his family’s money in a load of cutting-edge bone-density scanners that, unfortunately for him, provide a slightly better image than an X-ray at twice the cost.

Though the subject matter is serious, the film itself is rather slight, and it relies on the actor to give it any energy. Even in a more modest register, Smith is a very appealing leading man, and he makes Gardner’s plight compelling.

Running from doctor’s office to hospital peddling his scanners, we see Chris’ plentiful people skills at work. Still, there’s not enough money coming in, and his wife, Linda (Thandie Newton), who’s been working double shifts in a laundry, leaves him to care alone for their 5-year-old son, Christopher (played by Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s son, 7-year-old Jaden Christopher Syre Smith).

With his finances at less than zero, Chris embarks on an unpaid six-month internship at the end of which one of 20 hopefuls will land a job as a stockbroker. Staying one step ahead of the taxman and moving from apartment to motel to shelter to subway station, Chris is a model of persistence as he clings to his dream.

The most effective aspect of the film is the relationship between father and son. It’s a love story in the purest sense as Chris tries to shield Christopher from the hardships they face, and it’s instances like this that makes you think nepotism can be a good thing.

The younger Smith, who reportedly auditioned for the part, is precocious but not annoyingly so. He’s inherited his parents’ good looks and has impeccable comic timing, enlivening the gloomier stretches of the story.

Steve Conrad wrote the screenplay after executive producer Mark Clayman saw a “20/20″ story on the real-life Gardner, and he litters the movie Gardner’s path with nonstop obstacles, many of which are so improbable they must be true. Italian director Gabriele Muccino (whose film “The Last Kiss” was recently remade with Zach Braff) keeps a low profile, allowing the Smiths to carry the day.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” is an unexceptional film with exceptional performances and, if you’re curious, takes its title’s quirky spelling from a mural outside Christopher’s Chinatown day-care center. There are worse ways to spend the holidays, and, at the least, it will likely make you appreciate your own circumstances.

kevin.crust@latimes.com

http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-pursuit15dec15,0,3152789.story

This is a real story that had actually happened to Mitch. Morrie was his college professor, also the teacher of his life. The reason why I choose this book as my reading assignment is because this is the very first book that brings me to think about what life and death is. These two topics might sound serious. But once you look into it, you will find that those two topics are actually interesting.

What is life? Is it just a matter of surviving or living your life? No. The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. Living a life with no goal, no determination, it cannot be called a life at all. A real life is to explore the world, spread out love, give out your passion, and last, embrace your luck of being on this world. When life starts out our journey, the ultimate destination is also already there, and that is death.

Death, what a terrible word! To most Taiwanese, we feared the word death. Most of us even avoid saying it. However, Morrie and Mitch didn’t think so. I think their definition to death is great. They asked : “Everyone knows someone who has died, but why is it so hard to think about dying?” The key word is courage. If you have the courage, you can face anything. Not only death, but also the deepest fear in your heart. When you get courage, it’s like a car with the strongest gear on the world, you can drive to anywhere you want. But how can we have enough courage? The golden point is to know yourself. People often said : “Getting to know yourself is the most difficult thing.” Indeed. We are often blind with fame, money, and those material stuffs. But what really matters to us is the spirit! Everyone has a little spirit living in their body. While the outer of your body die away, your spirit lives on. As so on, even we die, we need not to be afraid. Death, is the end of our journey. But facing and learning the lesson Death is another beginning. Just like a eastern idiom said: “When you close this window, there’s another one waiting for you to open it.”

There is always an end to the journey. Tuesdays with Morrie and Mitch had really made me to think about my life. As a student, my first job is to get into a good university. But is that all I want? Grades? Exams? Schools? or even fames? I don’t think so. I want to color my life, I want to be on the debate team again, I want to go to Europe, I want to be a better person etc. There’s still a lot I want to do. However, study is the first priority. I know this year will be tough, but I am ready! For those things I want to do, I want to make it happen. Make impossible possible. After all, no one is perfect, I got to work it. No fear, No doubt. Only Courage!!! Just do it!

Then, I decided to give it a try. So, during every English class, I studied my own TOEFL practice book. It was difficult at the beginning. There are bunch of rules and few practice tests in the book. I took the *Pre-Test* first. I thought I did okay on it, so I moved on to the next test, the reading section wasn’t hard, but there were time limitation. I’ve to trained myself to finish studying the whole article, which contained mostly about 5-6 paragraphs in a  very short time. It was just CRAZY!

I couldn’t imagine anyone who could read that fast in such a limited time. Anyway, it didn’t go well on my first reading section. I was a little bit frustrated. But thinking of the moment when I decided to challenge myself for the TOEFL exam, I was full of determination ! Then, i said to myself, Practice makes perfect! Indeed, for the following reading sections, I improved little by little each time. I became more confident and found mywelf started to like the TOEFL exam. Amazing, right?

As a few months has past, I thought is was time for me to take a rest. Although making friend with MR. TOEFL was great, but I needed time to organize the things I’ve learned. So, I went back to my English class. I figured out that even I was practicing TOEFL, I still made mistake in simple grammar! Sometimes I felt really stupid, how could I made such a stupid mistake? I even questioned myself for not doing well on the monthly exam. I was tired again. It was teacher Joseph who gave me a hand.

Teacher Joseph was an awesome person, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, he was the best teacher I’ve ever seen. I you asked me to name my favorite teacher, teacher Joseph would be the one. Whenever I got exhausted, teacher Joseph always used well-known proverbs and life experience to encourage me, sometimes he even talk jokes that weren’t funny at all. But every time, he could make people feel relieved.

The relationship between MR. TOEFL and me was like every other friendships, we fought, we laughed. I knew it was not going to be easy for me to accepted the task of trying to take the TOEFL exam. But through the process of studying TOEFL by myself, I’ve learned a lot. Not only knowledge but also attitude. I learned not to be proud but humble; I learned not to quit but move on; maybe these words sounds boring, but they really gave me a BIG lesson.

At last, I wanted to thank every teachers who gave me the opportunity to experience and explore the meaning of the TOEFL exam. It was difficult, but it was fun! You’ll know it when you GIVE IT A TRY!

First, having jobs during years of being teenagers can train us to become more mature and independent. For example, lots of American teenagers apply for a part time job during summer or winter vacation in order to get themselves ready for college or university life. After all, leaving home is a whole new world, and being a university student is totally different from high school. A proper part time job offers them a great opportunity for teenagers to train themselves to become more mature and independent.

Second, having a part time job can also makes teenagers earn their own money. Maybe this money will become their university fee! I know some students earn their college fee from their part time job. Besides, teenagers can learn how to manage money and deal with financial problems through the process of earning money, and having a part time job gives teenagers the chance.

At last, having a part time job teach us a lot of things. For example, we learn how to dress properly and talk properly when we are going to have a interview with the manager. Also, we learn to be polite and respect our clients/customers, even we when we are tired, we still have to have proper manner. Last, having a part time job gives us a chance to explore ourselves and the real world. From working, we see how the world works. In real life, there are not only goodies but there are still a lot of bad things. Having the job open our eye and introduce us to the real world.

Through having a part time job, we get a better chance to know what real life is and we we even have a chance to actually LIVE IT!! After having a part job, people usually find that we should cherish our time and surrounding people more. Why? The reason is because “work really sucks without rest and friends.” Through our the process of having a part time job, we learn and we change ourselves into a better people.

During the time of being a playwright, I faced a lot of difficulties, and the most difficult one is “time pressure.” Because we started late, and there was no much time left, we only got three to four days to come up with a script!!! Honestly, that was impossible for us. We had schoolworks and exams to handle, I asked myself, why should I work so hard? It’s just a drama contest!

Later, the coordinator ordered us to come to school on weekends, I was mad at that time. She didn’t have the right to order me to come to the school! But in the afternoon of that day, I tried to put myself in the position of the coordinator. If I were her, it’s for sure that this drama contest would be on the top of my “to-do” list. On the other hand, if I were just a playwright, I had already done my job, there’s mo reason for the coordinator to order me to come to school. At the end, I still came. Why? Because sometimes, just thought a little more about others, we might have different idea, and it made us feel better.

On the day of the contest, we won the fourth place. It was AWESOME!!! The feeling was great not because we won the prize, but because we all knew that we just made through a arduous voyage, and to us, “the voyage is what really matters, not the result.” – Which was what I have learned through the drama contest.

My imaginative invention “M-pen” is a magic pen that can receive order from their owner and start function automically, and the feather on the pen can be used to clean the dust. The best part of the M-pen is that you can set your own program and when you give the order, the sound sensor will first detect whether it’s its owner’s voice or not, and then it will process the command and start working.

There are two main functions of the M-pen. First, it accepts the command and starts working automically. Second, it can be used as a MP3 player.

At last, there are few basic steps that you have to do in order to turn on the M-pen. First, push the on/off borrom. Second, enter your PIN number. Third, set up your own program. Last, gice the order and you will see the pen works!!!