A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) Vocabulary
For Week of 7 January 2008
BANKRUPT: What would you do to avoid bankruptcy?For Week of 7 January 2008
MISDEMEANORS: Name some offenses considered misdemeanors in some countries.
CURFEW: Do you believe there should be a curfew for young people?
CAPITAL: Where might you get some capital to start a business?
COMPETITIVE: In what area do you think you have a competitive advantage over many of your classmates?
COVETOUS: Have you ever been covetous of another person's property or possessions?STINGY: Have you known a stingy person? Explain.
DISOWN: Would you ever disown your child for doing something wrong or that you disapprove of?
INDIGESTIBLE: When might beef or chicken be indigestible?
INCORRIGIBLE: What do you think should be done with incorrigible criminals?
REFUGE: If you were alone in a strange city, where might you take refuge?
SPECTER: What specter currently troubles Taiwan?
REPRIEVE: Under what circumstances should a criminal be reprieved? Are there some criminals who should never be reprieved in your opinion?
ANONYMOUS: Have you ever written an anonymous letter, email, or post?
SURPLUS: What happens in the market if there's a surplus of a certain food product, such as corn or wheat?
CHAMPING AT THE BIT: When might a teenager champ at the bit?
LAME: What's a lame excuse for coming in late to work or school? What might make a person lame?
HIGH HOPES: Do you have high hopes for the next Taiwan election?
ORNERY: How would you handle an ornery person?
OGRE: Is there any teacher you had as a child whom you or your classmates considered an ogre? Explain.
CLERK: Have you known a rude clerk? Explain.
BEDLAM: When might there be bedlam in a department store?
HUMBUG: Is there a value others hold that you consider to be humbug?
FETTERED: How would you keep a dog fettered in a yard?
FORGED: What foreign policy do you think Taiwan should have? What happens to people who forge checks?
ROVED: When, in your opinion, is the best time of the year to rove the streets? Why?
DOOMED: Have you felt doomed in a class even at the beginning of a semester?
PONDEROUS: Which animal might look ponderous dancing a ballet?
LAMENT: Do you lament any youthful mistakes?
RECLAMATION: How is Scrooge's reclamation dramatized in the film?
REPENTANCE: Would you forgive a friend who repented of his misconduct?
CONVICTIONS: Do you have strong convictions about some issues? Explain.
CUTTHROAT: Do you believe one has to engage in cutthroat competition in order to be successful?
PERSECUTION: Do you know of any group persecuted in Taiwan?
PROCURE: How would you procure the release of a friend in jail?
SHUNNED: Did you ever feel the need to shun another person? Explain.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS for FINAL EXAM
15 January 2008
1. Discuss a clever ruse you played on a friend, classmate, or family member. What was the pleasure? What were the consequences? What was the person's reaction? And so on.2. Discuss a novelty you bought or received as a gift. If you've never received a novelty gift, then discuss the favorite gift you've ever received.
3. Discuss ways you might lure customers into a restaurant.
4. Give a synopsis (summary) of the plot of one of the assigned television shows you've seen since the midterm. Conclude with your evaluation of that program.
5. Since the Chinese New Year is coming, give an acrostic presentation based on the word "h-o-l-i-d-a-y." Here's an example based on the word "l-o-v-e":
What does love mean to me? When I think of love I think of the first letter, "L," which suggests "loneliness." When you love someone you feel less lonely being with that person. "O" stands for the "one" person whom you want to be with most of all. "V" reminds me how "very" much that person means to me. And "E" makes me think with happiness of "every" moment I spend with that person. That is what love means to me. (Don't follow this model too closely. It's just one way of doing it. Be original, but keep to the goal too.)
6. Discuss your plans for the coming Chinese New Year holidays.
7. Describe a typical Chinese holiday in your home. For our non-Chinese student, if you wish, you can discuss the New Year holiday in Japan.
8. Give five reasons why the Chinese New Year is a favorite holiday.
9. Do you think the Chinese New Year holiday has become too commercial in recent years? Explain why or why not or discuss the difference between today's celebrations and when you were a child.
10. Discuss two of your favorite animals (wild or domestic) and why you like them. Discuss two of your least favorite animals and why you dislike them.
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
(Complete)
Last week we studied an edited version of A Charlie Brown Christmas. This week we'll study the entire cartoon, in three segments (click on each segment's number): 1, 2, 3. Then prepare the following questions for Thursday's class, 27 December 2007.(Complete)
1. Why does Charlie Brown think something is wrong with him?
2. What doesn't he feel?
3. What doesn't he understand?
4. What does he always end up feeling at Christmas?
5. What does Charlie Brown wish about the holiday season?
6. What does he think the holiday season emphasize about himself?
7. What does Charlie Brown say Pigpen can raise in a snowstorm?
8. Which month's snowflakes does Lucy eat?
9. What does Shroeder plan to do with his blanket when he grows up?
10. According to (Dr.) Lucy, what indicates that a person is not too far gone?
11. What does Lucy want to do with Charlie Brown's fears?
12. Instead of feeling happy, how does Charlie Brown tell Lucy he feels?
13. What does Lucy say he needs?
14. What is it Lucy really wants for Christmas?
15. What does she usually get for Christmas?
16. In her dictated letter to Santa, how good does Charlie Brown's sister say she's been?
17. What does she want Santa to note about each item on her wish list?
18. How many of each item does she want Santa to send?
19. How does she advise Santa to make it easy on himself if her wish list is too complicated?
20. What bill denominations (currency bills) does she advise?
(You may have to look up the word "denominations." It looks like a big word but is commonly used.)
21. What does she say is what is all she wants?
22. What does Lucy say they will start when the director (Charlie Brown) appears?
23. What does each of the two girls say when they find out Charlie Brown will be the director?
24. What does Charlie Brown call Snoopy when he first arrives?
25. According to Charlie Brown, what is the first thing to insure a good performance?
26. According to Charlie Brown, when directing the play, what does a slashing motion across the throat mean?
27. A revolving motion with his hand?
28. If he spreads his hands apart?
29. What is it in actors that really count?
30. What does Charlie Brown want Lucy to pass out?
31. What kind of hair does the innkeeper's wife say she has?
32. What role will Pigpen play?
33. What kind of inn will he try to run?
34. What animals will Snoopy play?
35. What does Linus say Lucy wouldn't hit?
36. At what part of the play does Charlie Brown want to rehearse the scene?
37. What does the innkeeper's wife say the dust is doing to her hair?
38. Charlie Brown suggests that dust may be the soil of what great civilization?
39. What does such a thought do to the imagination?
40. What does Sally say about Linus when told she will play his wife?
41. What kind of humor does she say he has?
42. Which role will Lucy play?
43. What does Lucy think will go to waste if she's not in the play?
44. How does Lucy feel after Charlie Brown hesitates answering her question?
45. What does Charlie Brown say he needs if they're ever going to get the play off the ground?
46. What kind of racket does Lucy think Christmas is?
47. Who runs it, according to her?
48. What kind of mood does Charlie Brown say they need?
49. What kind of great big shiny Christmas tree does Lucy say they need?
50. What color does Lucy suggest that Charlie Brown paint the tree?
51. What does Charlie Brown tell Linus they'd better concentrate on?
52. According to Linus, what doesn't the little Christmas tree seem to fit?
53. What does Charlie Brown say isn't going to ruin his Christmas?
54. Which character is called a blockhead?
THE HONEYMOONERS:
New Year's Eve Party
3 January 2008
This show is in four segments (1, 2, 3, 4). The fourth segment can be omitted, unless you're interested in Big Band music, since it's all music for the New Year's Eve party.
1. Why did Alice go to Gimbel's department store?New Year's Eve Party
3 January 2008
This show is in four segments (1, 2, 3, 4). The fourth segment can be omitted, unless you're interested in Big Band music, since it's all music for the New Year's Eve party.
2. How many people were on the exchange line?
3. What did she do with the woman in front of her on the line?
4. How was Trixie's gift wrapped?
5. What committee does Alice say that Ralph was on?
6. What did Alice do after she left Gimbel's Department store?
7. What's in the briefcase Alice found?
8. Why was the Dorsey Brothers' manager tickled pink (an idiom meaning "very happy")?
9. What's on the piece of paper that Trixie finds on the kitchen table and gives to Alice?
10. What's the first item on the list?
11. Second item?
12. Third item?
13. Why does Trixie want to go out?
14. What did Alice wear last New Year's Eve?
15. What does Ralph want to do after quitting his job?
16. In front of which building does Ralph stop his bus on Madison Avenue?
17. What does the man that gets on the bus have under his arm?
18. How many pounds does the baby weight that is mentioned in Ralph's story?
19. What does the man give to the passengers?
20. What does the sign on the bus say?
21. Why can't the passengers see the sign?
22. What did Trixie buy Ed for Christmas?
23. How did he use her gift?
24. What did Trixie put on the gift?
25. How much did it cost Ralph three years ago on New Year's Eve?
26. What did Alice insist on having that evening?
27. How much salary does Ralph expect to spend on one New Year's Eve if they go out?
28. Why does Ralph want to start an argument with Alice?
29. What is Ralph's first idea for a fight?
30. What is Ed's idea for starting a fight?
31. What is Ralph's second idea?
32. What does Alice make Ralph for lunch?
33. What does Ralph expect to happen to him at four o'clock in the afternoon?
34. What does he expect to happen to him because Alice spends all his money?
35. What reason does Ralph give Alice for yelling at her as soon as she enters the apartment?
36. What reason does Ralph give Alice for not telling her what he's steamed about (to be steamed over/about something means "to be angry")?
37. What does he want ready for him when he comes home?
38. What does Ralph think they're having for dinner again?
39. What does Alice say they're having for dinner?
40. What does Ralph ask if Alice sewed that morning?
41. What reason does Ralph give Alice for not wanting to go out on New Year's Eve?
42. What does Alice say she does 365 days a year in their apartment?
43. What does Alice do on a night out on her birthday?
44. What does Alice say is the only reason Ralph doesn't want to take her out?
45. How did the Dorsey Brothers find Ralph's apartment?
46. What does one of the Dorsey brothers say is in the brief case?
47. Why can't the Dorsey brothers stay for supper?
48. Why does Ed tell the Dorsey brothers they have to hold his company's concert outside?
49. What kind of humor does Ralph say Alice has?
50. What does Ralph call the Dorsey brothers as they leave?
51. What does Ed want to keep because he may need it tomorrow night?
52. Why does he think he may need it tomorrow night?
53. What does Ralph plan to get Alice to wear for New Year's?
54. How much does Alice say it will cost Ralph to pick it up?
55. What does the boss say Ralph has to do on New Year's Eve?
56. According to his co-worker, what did Ralph say at his bus depot?
57. What day does Ed tell Ralph he's bound to get off if he works New Year's Eve?
58. What dope (stupid person) does Ed tell Ralph wouldn't want to go out on New Year's Eve?
59. Why does the secretary at the bus company say that Herbert Johnson called?
60. What gift did Ralph's boss give him for Christmas?
61. What's the only way a driver can get off from working on New Year's Eve?
62. What two kinds of pain does the boss ask if Ralph has?
63. Which pain is worse?
64. How long does Ralph say his pain usually lasts?
65. Why does the boss want to call the doctor?
66. What does the boss advise Ralph to do after going home?
67. What does the boss plan to do on New Year's Eve?
68. Why does the boss's wife want to go away for a minute?
69. What is she afraid might happen while she's gone?
70. Why does Alice want to go to the powder room?
71. Why does Trixie want to go?
72. How much does Alice ask Ralph for the Powder Room attendant?
73. According to Ralph, what do women spend a fortune on?
74. Why do they spend that money?
75. What does Ed suggest they do to show their appreciation to the Dorsey brothers?
76. According to his wife, where was the boss supposed to have spent New Year's Eve?
77. What does Ed want the two liars to do?
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Click on the above slide show, view A Charlie Brown Christmas, then answer the following questions:1. What is Charlie Brown told that he turns into a problem?
2. What does Charlie Brown cry (say loudly) into the mailbox?
3. What haven't people sent him that day?
4. What does he say to Violet?
5. What does Charlie Brown accuse Violet of not knowing when she hears it?
6. What kind of contest is Snoopy competing in?
7. What does Lucy (in her box) consider a beautiful sound?
8. What kind of phobia does Lucy ask if Charlie Brown has?
9. What does that phobia fear?
10. What has Charlie Brown's dog "gone"?
11. What three things does Lucy say actors must have?
12. What three things does Lucy cry for after being kissed by Snoopy?
13. What does Lucy say that Linus has to get rid of?
14. What must Linus be ready for when his cue comes?
15. What five good reasons does Lucy give for why Linus should memorize his lines?
16. According to Linus, Christmas is not only getting too ___________, but also too ___________.
17. What kind of Christmas music does the pianist (piano player) Shroeder play?
18. Why does Lucy say that the composer Shroeder likes wasn't so great?
19. According to Lucy, who should receive presents?
20. What were the sherpherds in Linus's Christmas recital doing by night?
21. What does the angel in the story say?
22. Who wears the swaddling clothes in the story?
23. Who were with the angel praising God?
24. What were they singing?
25. What won't Charlie Brown let ruin his Christmas?
26. What does he plan to do to the little tree when he gets it home?
27. What does he say happens to everything he touches?
28. What does the Linus say that Charlie Brown's tree needs?
Car 54, Where Are You? was an American sitcom than ran on NBC television from 1961 to 1963. It featured two zany cops named Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon. The 53rd precinct where the cops worked was fictional (it didn't exist at the time). Fred Gwynne, who played Muldoon, became even more famous as the comic monster in the show, The Munsters (1964-66). Click on the image, above, view the segment of Car 54, Where Are You? and answer the following questions:
1. Who do the cops say needs a helping hand?
2. Why do the cops want to help him?
3. What does he need according to the cops?
4. What business did the cops pay for last year?
5. How much did it cost?
6. What was $75 spent for?
7. What wouldn't the two cops do if they thought Charlie couldn't make it this time?
8. When was the last time he had a drop?
9. What does "drop" refer to?
10. Muldoon wants him to take his place with what kind of respectable people?
11. When did Charlie say he stopped going to the Atlantic Bar 'n' Grill?
12. How much does a shot cost?
13. What's a shot?
14. What did the Ace of Spades sell with a shot?
15. According to one cop, how long has Charlie been drinking up their funds?
16. According to Muldoon (one of the friendly cops), what is all that Charlie needs?
17. Who's an old battleaxe who's making a public nuisance?
18. According to the chief. what does she need if she wishes to be public nuisance?
19. How much are the pretzels she sells?
20. Why does she want her first customer to feel the pretzel?
21. Why does she insist the customer pay for a pretzel?
22. What does she put in a baby's mouth?
23. What does she accuse the baby of being?
24. When does she say she doesn't want to talk to the cops?
25. What kind of license doesn't she have?
26. According to her, licenses are for _____ and _______.
27. How much is the license?
28. The captain tells her she either buys a license or what?
29. Who does she ask that somebody gets for her after she leaves the police office?
30. Where does she claim the policed kicked her?
31. Where does the captain tell her to go?
32. How far does she claim she was dragged from her territory?
33. How much will it cost her to go home?
34. By which means of transportation?
35. How does Charlie say the captain should fight?
36. What does the Captain fear he'll have to buy Charlie?
37. At the beginning of the show, what did Charlie drink that belongs to funeral parlor?
38. Which police committee tried to help Charlie?
When might you need a sponsor?
check this out
What do you check out in libraries? When might you check out a person or newspaper ad?
straighten someone (oneself) out
How would you straighten out a poor student?
money down
When do you have to put money down?
buy into
What business would you like to buy into?
another chance
Would you give a person you found stealing from you another chance?
embalming fluid
Where would you find embalming fluid?
all in the past
What childhood behavior do you consider to be all in the past?
had a drop
If a person says he hasn't touched a drop, what does he mean?
take one's place with
With whom would you like to take your place?
not having to pick someone up
When does a parent pick you up? What does Muldoon (the tall cop) mean when he says he doesn't have to pick Charlie up anymore?
quarter
How much of a dollar is a quarter worth?
bartender
What does a bartender serve?
chaser
What is a chaser supposed to do?
Helping Hand Committee
Discuss a committee you belonged to.
lounge
What might happen in a lounge?
hounding someone
Did you ever hound a parent for money?
ninety proof
If a drink is 90 proof, how much alcohol is in it?
bucks
How many bucks are in a five dollar bill?
helping hand
Did anyone ever lend you a helping hand? Explain.
do-gooders
Discuss people you think are do-gooders.
staggered by
Did you ever see a man stagger by you on the streets? Why do you think he did so. In what sport do people usually stagger during the contest?
breaking the law
If you break the law, does that mean the law is made of glass? What people break the law?
every now and then
If a person does something every now and then, does that mean she does it frequently or infrequently?
pet charities
Do you have any pet charities? Pet peeves? Pets?
peddling
What do people peddle in Taiwan? Where are they usually found?
battleaxe
Is a battleaxe likely to be a peaceful woman?
public nuisance
Discuss a public nuisance you've seen in Taiwan.
pretzel
Have you ever had a pretzel? When or where are pretzels eaten?
fresh
How do you know if an apple is fresh or not? When a man gets fresh with a woman, what does that mean? Is a fresh child a newborn child? What kind of child is she?
bum
Are you likely to call your friend or your enemy a bum?
snapped at it
What animals are likely to snap at you?
"there ought to be a law"
"There ought to be a law" is a common phrase in American English. When do you feel inclined to say, "There ought to be a law!"?
prime
When do you think you will reach your prime? When do chess players reach their prime? Senators? Prize fighters? Composers?
"bless you"
"Bless you" is a short form of what phrase? When do people commonly say this?
wasting one's time
What activities do you feel are wasting your time?
scratch to make a living
What people tend to scratch to make a living?
clear the aisle
When are you likely to be asked to clear the aisle?
take up a collection
When do you feel the need to take up a collection?
to look the other way
When are you likely to look the other way if you find someone committing a crime or social offence?
reconsider
Have you ever had reason to reconsider something you did or planned to do? Explain.
1. Who do the cops say needs a helping hand?
2. Why do the cops want to help him?
3. What does he need according to the cops?
4. What business did the cops pay for last year?
5. How much did it cost?
6. What was $75 spent for?
7. What wouldn't the two cops do if they thought Charlie couldn't make it this time?
8. When was the last time he had a drop?
9. What does "drop" refer to?
10. Muldoon wants him to take his place with what kind of respectable people?
11. When did Charlie say he stopped going to the Atlantic Bar 'n' Grill?
12. How much does a shot cost?
13. What's a shot?
14. What did the Ace of Spades sell with a shot?
15. According to one cop, how long has Charlie been drinking up their funds?
16. According to Muldoon (one of the friendly cops), what is all that Charlie needs?
17. Who's an old battleaxe who's making a public nuisance?
18. According to the chief. what does she need if she wishes to be public nuisance?
19. How much are the pretzels she sells?
20. Why does she want her first customer to feel the pretzel?
21. Why does she insist the customer pay for a pretzel?
22. What does she put in a baby's mouth?
23. What does she accuse the baby of being?
24. When does she say she doesn't want to talk to the cops?
25. What kind of license doesn't she have?
26. According to her, licenses are for _____ and _______.
27. How much is the license?
28. The captain tells her she either buys a license or what?
29. Who does she ask that somebody gets for her after she leaves the police office?
30. Where does she claim the policed kicked her?
31. Where does the captain tell her to go?
32. How far does she claim she was dragged from her territory?
33. How much will it cost her to go home?
34. By which means of transportation?
35. How does Charlie say the captain should fight?
36. What does the Captain fear he'll have to buy Charlie?
37. At the beginning of the show, what did Charlie drink that belongs to funeral parlor?
38. Which police committee tried to help Charlie?
VOCABULARY
sponsorWhen might you need a sponsor?
check this out
What do you check out in libraries? When might you check out a person or newspaper ad?
straighten someone (oneself) out
How would you straighten out a poor student?
money down
When do you have to put money down?
buy into
What business would you like to buy into?
another chance
Would you give a person you found stealing from you another chance?
embalming fluid
Where would you find embalming fluid?
all in the past
What childhood behavior do you consider to be all in the past?
had a drop
If a person says he hasn't touched a drop, what does he mean?
take one's place with
With whom would you like to take your place?
not having to pick someone up
When does a parent pick you up? What does Muldoon (the tall cop) mean when he says he doesn't have to pick Charlie up anymore?
quarter
How much of a dollar is a quarter worth?
bartender
What does a bartender serve?
chaser
What is a chaser supposed to do?
Helping Hand Committee
Discuss a committee you belonged to.
lounge
What might happen in a lounge?
hounding someone
Did you ever hound a parent for money?
ninety proof
If a drink is 90 proof, how much alcohol is in it?
bucks
helping hand
Did anyone ever lend you a helping hand? Explain.
do-gooders
Discuss people you think are do-gooders.
staggered by
Did you ever see a man stagger by you on the streets? Why do you think he did so. In what sport do people usually stagger during the contest?
breaking the law
If you break the law, does that mean the law is made of glass? What people break the law?
every now and then
If a person does something every now and then, does that mean she does it frequently or infrequently?
pet charities
Do you have any pet charities? Pet peeves? Pets?
peddling
What do people peddle in Taiwan? Where are they usually found?
battleaxe
Is a battleaxe likely to be a peaceful woman?
public nuisance
Discuss a public nuisance you've seen in Taiwan.
pretzel
Have you ever had a pretzel? When or where are pretzels eaten?
fresh
How do you know if an apple is fresh or not? When a man gets fresh with a woman, what does that mean? Is a fresh child a newborn child? What kind of child is she?
bum
Are you likely to call your friend or your enemy a bum?
snapped at it
What animals are likely to snap at you?
"there ought to be a law"
"There ought to be a law" is a common phrase in American English. When do you feel inclined to say, "There ought to be a law!"?
prime
When do you think you will reach your prime? When do chess players reach their prime? Senators? Prize fighters? Composers?
"bless you"
"Bless you" is a short form of what phrase? When do people commonly say this?
wasting one's time
What activities do you feel are wasting your time?
scratch to make a living
What people tend to scratch to make a living?
clear the aisle
When are you likely to be asked to clear the aisle?
take up a collection
When do you feel the need to take up a collection?
to look the other way
When are you likely to look the other way if you find someone committing a crime or social offence?
reconsider
Have you ever had reason to reconsider something you did or planned to do? Explain.
Students,
As
we discussed in class on Tuesday, for next week prepare a teaching assignment for our class based on the one-hour television movie called, An Unlocked Window.
The one-hour telecast is from Alfred Hitchcock's one-hour TV series (Hitchcock also had a half-hour show titled, Alfred Hitchcock Presents).
Hitchcock only directed a few of the shows; most of them were directed by others. But they all had quality and Hitchcock approved the teleplays for all the broadcasts.
The show is in five parts. Here is the first part. If you wish you can locate the program yourself by searching for "Alfred Hitchcock" AND "An Unlocked Window." That will show you all five parts of the program.
For your assignment, build a class lesson from the program, anyway you wish. It's up to you. You may emphasize vocabulary; idioms; plot, character (including motivation), or questions about emotional response. You would then ask students questions based on your preparation. At the same time, you would be judged too, based on how interesting or instructive the lesson is.
Take a quick look at the first segment now. If you have any problems, let me know.
Walt Disney's Mickey's Christmas Carol is based on the famous novella by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Disney's Scrooge McDuck plays the role of Dickens' miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, one of the most famous characters in world literature. Mickey Mouse plays the role of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's poor employee; Donald Duck plays the role of Scrooge's cheerful nephew; while other famous Disney characters appear in various roles.
See the Disney cartoon (in three parts), beginning at Part One, then answer the following questions for class during the Week of 27 November 2007:
1. What does the dog ask Ebenezer Scrooge (McDuck) in the very first line of dialogue?
2. What is the name of Scrooge's dead partner?
3. How many years has he been dead?
4. Why does Scrooge call him "a good one" (a good man)?
5. Where did Scrooge bury him?
6. What does Micky Mouse (Bob Cratchit) say he's doing with the piece of coal when Scrooge walks in?
7. How much time does Mickey want off for Christmas?
8. How much money does Scrooge plan to "dock" Mickey's salary for the holiday?
9. How much salary does Scrooge pay Mickey?
10. How many years ago did Scrooge give Mickey a raise?
11. Why did Scrooge give Mickey a raise?
12. What's in the bundle that Scooge tosses Mickey?
13. What does Fred (Donald Duck) wish Mickey and Scrooge when he first walks in?
14. What kind of day does Scrooge call Christmas?
15. What punishment does Scrooge imagine for people who think differently about the Christmas holiday?
16. According to Mickey, what is Christmas a time for?
17. What does Scrooge call his nephew (Donald Duck) after he leaves?
18. What does Scrooge think the two men are who walk in after Donald Duck leave?
19. Who are they collecting for?
20. How does Scrooge reason with the men that he'll be putting them out of a job if he gives them money?
21. What does Scrooge say people want to do with the money people make?
22. When Mickey calls Scrooge kind, what does Scrooge say? "Never mind _____."
23. When does Scrooge say Mickey should arrive at work the next day?
24. Who follows Scrooge as he walks up the stairs in his house?
25. How many locks are there on Scrooge's door (counting the main lock too)?
26. What does Jacob Marley (Pluto) say after he falls down in Scrooge's house?
27. What does Scrooge say that Marley had because he robbed and swindled people?
28. What is Marley forced to carry through eternity as punishment?
29. How many spirits does Marley say Scrooge will be visited by?
30. How many fingers does Pluto hold up when he counts the spirits?
31. How heavy does Marley say that Scrooge's chains will be if he doesn't do what the spirits tell him to do?
32. What does Marley slip on as he goes out?
33. What is the name of the first ghost (Jiminy Cricket)?
34. What does Scrooge say about this ghost's height?
35. What, according to Scrooge, is of little use in this world?
36. Jiminy Cricket calls Scrooge a "miserable miser." What does he say Scrooge is consumed by?
37. Speaking to Scrooge, where does Isabella (Donald's ex-girlfriend) say she's standing under?
38. According to Scrooge, where is she standing?
39. What does Scrooge remember as he watches the scene from his past with Isabella?
40.What kind of cottage did Isabella have for years?
41. What promise of Scrooge was she waiting for?
42. Why does Scrooge threaten to foreclose the mortgage on the cottage?
43. What, according to Cricket, does Scrooge love more than Isabella?
44. Why does Scrooge beg Cricket to take him home?
45. According to the next ghost, where did all the food shown Scrooge come from?
46. According to this ghost, what has Scrooge long denied his fellow man?
47. What kind of bird does Scrooge think that Mrs. Cratchit is cooking?
48. What's actually on the fire, which is not food?
49. Who does Mickey say the family must wait for?
50. Who does Tiny Tim say they must thank for their food?
51. What does the ghost envision (see) will happen if the shadows of the present remain unchanged?
52. Who is the first person that Scrooge asks about when speaking to the third ghost?
53. What does Scrooge say the three spirits have given him?
54. How many gold sovereigns does Scrooge give the two charity men after leaving his house on Xmas morning?
55. When Scrooge thinks they're not enough, how many does he give?
56. What kind of bargain does Scrooge think the two men "drive" (this is part of an idiomatic phrase, "to drive a_____ bargain")?
57. How many gold pieces does Scrooge given in addition to the previous money?
58. What does Scrooge tell his nephew (Donald Duck) that he's looking forward to?
59. What does Scrooge tell Donald he likes?
60. What does Scrooge tell Mickey that Christmas is an excuse for?
61. What does Scrooge tell Mickey he's had enough of?
62. What does Scrooge say he is giving Mickey?
63. What is Scrooge making Mickey?
64. What are Tiny Tim's final words?
65. How many ghosts visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve?
66. What are their names?
1. Instead of more turkey what may some people be asking for?
2. What is a traditional Thanksgiving dinner?
3. What percent increase will that cost?
4. What is the average cost of a dinner for ten?
5. How much more ("up") is that from last year?
6. On average, how much will a sixteen pound turkey cost?
7. How much more is that from last year?
8. What two factors are causing the price increase?
9. How many hours will it take to make the meal on average?
10. How long on average will it take to eat the meal?
11. How many will volunteer through a religious organization?
12. What have transportation costs risen this year?
the following web page or click on picture (left) and answer the following questions by 21 November 2007:
1. Why are some restaurants taking a hit?
2. What do you think "hit" might mean in the above sentence?
3. What can "savvy consumers" expect because of the economy? a) free dishes, b) dining deals, c) double portions, d) free coffee.
4. What does "savvy" mean above?
5. How much does the average American household spend a year at restaurants?
6. Traditionally, when do people tend to eat out more?
7. What is now taking its toll on the restaurant industry?
8. According to the broadcast, people are finding ways to a) trim the budget, b) trim the tree, c) skin the buzzard, d) tint the cupboard.
9. What will people who go to a high-end restaurant probably do now that the economy is down?
10. What do you think "higher-end" restaurant means in the sentence above?
11. What three ways are being used to lure customers?
12. What do you think "lure" means in the above sentence?
13. These deals are not new, according to one spokesman. What is new about the deals?
14. What are higher-end restaurants doing to bring people back for more?
Click on image (left) go to the page, choose the video to the left, and answer the following questions:
1. What type of candy is supposed to say something about you?
2. What book is described as "tongue-in-cheek"?
3. If you like the candy bar, Three Musketeers, what does that say about you?
4. What words are used for those who like the candy bar, Butterfingers?
5. What words are used for those who like the candy bar, Snickers?
6. What words are used for those who like the candy bar, Twix?
7. What words are used for those who like Peanut Buttercups?
8. What words are used for those who like the Almond Joy bar?
9. What candy does one of the newscasters prefer (his favorite candy)?
10. What age does one broadcaster (the woman) say is okay to go trick or treating?
11. What is the title of the book discussed?
As
The one-hour telecast is from Alfred Hitchcock's one-hour TV series (Hitchcock also had a half-hour show titled, Alfred Hitchcock Presents).
Hitchcock only directed a few of the shows; most of them were directed by others. But they all had quality and Hitchcock approved the teleplays for all the broadcasts.
The show is in five parts. Here is the first part. If you wish you can locate the program yourself by searching for "Alfred Hitchcock" AND "An Unlocked Window." That will show you all five parts of the program.
For your assignment, build a class lesson from the program, anyway you wish. It's up to you. You may emphasize vocabulary; idioms; plot, character (including motivation), or questions about emotional response. You would then ask students questions based on your preparation. At the same time, you would be judged too, based on how interesting or instructive the lesson is.
Take a quick look at the first segment now. If you have any problems, let me know.
Mickey's Christmas Carol
See the Disney cartoon (in three parts), beginning at Part One, then answer the following questions for class during the Week of 27 November 2007:
1. What does the dog ask Ebenezer Scrooge (McDuck) in the very first line of dialogue?
2. What is the name of Scrooge's dead partner?
3. How many years has he been dead?
4. Why does Scrooge call him "a good one" (a good man)?
5. Where did Scrooge bury him?
6. What does Micky Mouse (Bob Cratchit) say he's doing with the piece of coal when Scrooge walks in?
7. How much time does Mickey want off for Christmas?
8. How much money does Scrooge plan to "dock" Mickey's salary for the holiday?
9. How much salary does Scrooge pay Mickey?
10. How many years ago did Scrooge give Mickey a raise?
11. Why did Scrooge give Mickey a raise?
12. What's in the bundle that Scooge tosses Mickey?
13. What does Fred (Donald Duck) wish Mickey and Scrooge when he first walks in?
14. What kind of day does Scrooge call Christmas?
15. What punishment does Scrooge imagine for people who think differently about the Christmas holiday?
16. According to Mickey, what is Christmas a time for?
17. What does Scrooge call his nephew (Donald Duck) after he leaves?
18. What does Scrooge think the two men are who walk in after Donald Duck leave?
19. Who are they collecting for?
20. How does Scrooge reason with the men that he'll be putting them out of a job if he gives them money?
21. What does Scrooge say people want to do with the money people make?
22. When Mickey calls Scrooge kind, what does Scrooge say? "Never mind _____."
23. When does Scrooge say Mickey should arrive at work the next day?
24. Who follows Scrooge as he walks up the stairs in his house?
25. How many locks are there on Scrooge's door (counting the main lock too)?
26. What does Jacob Marley (Pluto) say after he falls down in Scrooge's house?
27. What does Scrooge say that Marley had because he robbed and swindled people?
28. What is Marley forced to carry through eternity as punishment?
29. How many spirits does Marley say Scrooge will be visited by?
30. How many fingers does Pluto hold up when he counts the spirits?
31. How heavy does Marley say that Scrooge's chains will be if he doesn't do what the spirits tell him to do?
32. What does Marley slip on as he goes out?
33. What is the name of the first ghost (Jiminy Cricket)?
34. What does Scrooge say about this ghost's height?
35. What, according to Scrooge, is of little use in this world?
36. Jiminy Cricket calls Scrooge a "miserable miser." What does he say Scrooge is consumed by?
37. Speaking to Scrooge, where does Isabella (Donald's ex-girlfriend) say she's standing under?
38. According to Scrooge, where is she standing?
39. What does Scrooge remember as he watches the scene from his past with Isabella?
40.What kind of cottage did Isabella have for years?
41. What promise of Scrooge was she waiting for?
42. Why does Scrooge threaten to foreclose the mortgage on the cottage?
43. What, according to Cricket, does Scrooge love more than Isabella?
44. Why does Scrooge beg Cricket to take him home?
45. According to the next ghost, where did all the food shown Scrooge come from?
46. According to this ghost, what has Scrooge long denied his fellow man?
47. What kind of bird does Scrooge think that Mrs. Cratchit is cooking?
48. What's actually on the fire, which is not food?
49. Who does Mickey say the family must wait for?
50. Who does Tiny Tim say they must thank for their food?
51. What does the ghost envision (see) will happen if the shadows of the present remain unchanged?
52. Who is the first person that Scrooge asks about when speaking to the third ghost?
53. What does Scrooge say the three spirits have given him?
54. How many gold sovereigns does Scrooge give the two charity men after leaving his house on Xmas morning?
55. When Scrooge thinks they're not enough, how many does he give?
56. What kind of bargain does Scrooge think the two men "drive" (this is part of an idiomatic phrase, "to drive a_____ bargain")?
57. How many gold pieces does Scrooge given in addition to the previous money?
58. What does Scrooge tell his nephew (Donald Duck) that he's looking forward to?
59. What does Scrooge tell Donald he likes?
60. What does Scrooge tell Mickey that Christmas is an excuse for?
61. What does Scrooge tell Mickey he's had enough of?
62. What does Scrooge say he is giving Mickey?
63. What is Scrooge making Mickey?
64. What are Tiny Tim's final words?
65. How many ghosts visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve?
66. What are their names?
Home Listening Due 26 November 2007
Go 
to the following page and locate the video (left). Then answer the following questions related to the video:
2. What is a traditional Thanksgiving dinner?
3. What percent increase will that cost?
4. What is the average cost of a dinner for ten?
5. How much more ("up") is that from last year?
6. On average, how much will a sixteen pound turkey cost?
7. How much more is that from last year?
8. What two factors are causing the price increase?
9. How many hours will it take to make the meal on average?
10. How long on average will it take to eat the meal?
11. How many will volunteer through a religious organization?
12. What have transportation costs risen this year?
Holiday Dining
Go to1. Why are some restaurants taking a hit?
2. What do you think "hit" might mean in the above sentence?
3. What can "savvy consumers" expect because of the economy? a) free dishes, b) dining deals, c) double portions, d) free coffee.
5. How much does the average American household spend a year at restaurants?
6. Traditionally, when do people tend to eat out more?
8. According to the broadcast, people are finding ways to a) trim the budget, b) trim the tree, c) skin the buzzard, d) tint the cupboard.
9. What will people who go to a high-end restaurant probably do now that the economy is down?
10. What do you think "higher-end" restaurant means in the sentence above?
11. What three ways are being used to lure customers?
12. What do you think "lure" means in the above sentence?
13. These deals are not new, according to one spokesman. What is new about the deals?
14. What are higher-end restaurants doing to bring people back for more?
HOME LISTENING
1. What type of candy is supposed to say something about you?
2. What book is described as "tongue-in-cheek"?
3. If you like the candy bar, Three Musketeers, what does that say about you?
4. What words are used for those who like the candy bar, Butterfingers?
5. What words are used for those who like the candy bar, Snickers?
6. What words are used for those who like the candy bar, Twix?
7. What words are used for those who like Peanut Buttercups?
8. What words are used for those who like the Almond Joy bar?
9. What candy does one of the newscasters prefer (his favorite candy)?
10. What age does one broadcaster (the woman) say is okay to go trick or treating?
11. What is the title of the book discussed?
No excuse for racism in local media
By Luke Tsai, The China Post
For a while now I've felt sympathetic to the plight of Taiwan's foreign domestic workers, who, because of the financial woes in their home countries, are forced to leave their families behind and take on jobs, as housekeepers or caretakers for the elderly, that pay far less than what most locals would be willing to accept -- this despite the fact that many of them hold university degrees.
Here in Taiwan, these domestic laborers are disenfranchised, isolated and, in many cases, on call 24/7 with just a half-day off each week. What's worse, their employers often seem to view them with muted suspicion or, in some instances, outright disdain.
This past weekend, I watched a TV talk show whose theme for the day was something along the lines of "Complain About Your Foreign Maid." A panel of local celebrities essentially spent the better part of an hour cracking jokes about how incompetent and untrustworthy their foreign domestic workers are.
One woman made fun of how her Filipino maid couldn't understand her when they called to tell her to evacuate during the 9/21 earthquake. A few panelists earned guffaws for what were meant to be spot-on imitations of the blend of broken, heavily accented Chinese and English spoken by their hired help.
Yet another prefaced her story about how her Indonesian housekeeper dresses too scantily (and thus might tempt the head of the household into some act of infidelity) by saying, "She isn't one of those really dark ones; she's actually OK-looking." I don't know which is more offensive: to be regarded as the dark, ugly "other" or to be seen as a potential seductress simply for being attractive and light-skinned.
Regardless of whether or not any of these individual anecdotes were fair or accurate, broadcasting them on national TV to get an easy laugh is precisely the sort of thing that encourages the kind of blanket stereotypes that seem prevalent on the island.
I am sure that there are cases in which foreign domestic workers have betrayed the trust of their Taiwanese employers, badly even. These incidents receive plenty of media coverage, stirring up fear and anxiety.
But what of the countless other stories that go largely unreported? What of the Filipino caretaker who is the only person in the whole house who can get a 90-year-old man to smile -- who rubs lotion on his bedsores and pampers him as though she were his own daughter?
Or the Vietnamese maid, just barely in her twenties, who cries herself to sleep every night clutching a worn photograph of the baby daughter she left behind back home?
A television program that offered a balanced discussion of the difficulties facing both sides of this equation might help bring about some kind of mutual understanding between the people of Taiwan and the foreign laborers they depend on.
But of course it's much easier to play to your audience's prejudices and get that easy laugh. No one needs to reconsider their own assumptions, then; everyone can sleep easy with a clear conscience.
Few countries have as sordid and as shameful a history of race relations as the United States, where I come from, so this isn't a case of "I'm better than you because I'm American." But if a talk show in the States held a panel discussion that consisted entirely of celebrities making jokes about how their Mexican housekeepers were all lazy, couldn't speak English properly and were out to steal their employers' husbands, protesters would be storming the streets of New York and Los Angeles the very next day.
But here in Taiwan, where is the outrage? I'd hate to think that such attitudes are just accepted as par for the course.
Because racism, even when it's veiled in the guise of a seemingly harmless joke, is still racism.
2. What woes might a young married couple face?
3. Name some groups you think may be disenfranchised in your or another country.
4. When did women get the franchise in Taiwan?
5. What is your favorite fast food franchise?
6. What kinds of people might live in isolation?
7. Have you ever felt isolated from people? Discuss.
8. When might your dislike of a meal be muted? Discuss such a situation.
9. What fashions do you disdain?
10. Discuss an outright insult you suffered.
11. What music or movies would you consider part of an essential collection?
12. What's the most essential condition of a good marriage?
13. Do you feel incompetent doing certain things?
14. Have you ever had a friend you thought was untrustworthy? Explain.
15. Did a classmate or friend ever wear an outfit that produced guffaws from others?
16. Do you approve of singers who are scantily dressed?
17. Do you believe infidelity should be the cause of divorce?
18. How would you preface a request for money from a parent?
19. How would you describe an "O.K." meal? An O.K. vacation?
20. How would you accurately estimate how much money you were owed if you worked two hours for NT$300 each hour?
21. In what field of employment do you think you have the greatest potential?
22. Discuss a sordid crime in Taiwan, or any crime with which you are familiar.
23. Do you think you have any prejudices? Explain.
24. How do you think people should show their mutual friendship?
25. Discuss a funny anecdote that really happened.
26. What social behavior do you consider offensive?
27. Discuss a person who you feel showed a blanket disregard for your feelings.
28. When was the last time you felt outrage over an issue or someone's behavior?
29. If you went to a costume party, in what guise would you choose to go?
30. Did you feel pampered or neglected as a child?
31. Discuss the prevalent attitudes towards marriage in contemporary (today's) Taiwan society.
32. What domestic chores did your parent require from you as a child? Or now?
33. What social issue do you think should receive more media coverage?
34. Discuss some negative stereotypes about people that you think people in Taiwan have.
35. Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend? Explain.
36. What's the masculine form of "seductress"?
37. If something is "par for the course" does that mean it's a) average, b) below average,
c) above average, d) wicked?
38. From which sport does that phrase "par for the course" come?
39. Can you give a spot-on imitation of a famous singer, movie star, or other public figure?
40. The people who can give spot-on imitations of famous people are known as
a) actors, b) hypocrites, c) impressionists,
d) ventriloquists.
to the following page and locate the video, "Making Injuries Worse By Unnecessary Procedures." Then answer the questions below by Noon 29 October 2007. For the week of 30 October 2007, study the vocabulary following the questions, then prepare the class discussion questions.
1. What are many people seeking out?
2. Are these the best options for everyone?
3. What can they actually cause?
4. How many surgeries has the seventy-three year-old patient had?
5. How are these operations called?
6. What happened after these operations?
7. What three things couldn't the patient do following these operations?
8. According to one doctor, what did the patient really need?
9. What 3 points does a doctor recommend patients to consider when shopping for a cure?
10. How many hours did the patient's operation take (last)?
11. How many hours would it have taken if the patient had avoided the minimally invasive procedure?
12. What illness does the doctor interviewed by the broadcaster after the report call a "cut-and-dried" medical problem?
What are the pros and cons of the Internet? Living on campus? Eating fast foods? Studying abroad? Being an only child?
option
Discuss options you have if you drop out of college. Discuss options you're considering in your lifestyle.
minimally invasive
Name some operations you consider minimally invasive.
"whatever ails them"
Discuss some problems (social or medical) that have ailed you in the past. (Avoid private or sexual matters.)
touted
Which singers today are touted as King of Pop? Which stars are touted as Queen or King? Who are touted as heroes, icons, or superstars in Taiwan today?
orthopedic surgeon
Discuss the work of an orthopedic surgeon. Name and discuss the work of a doctor you've been to. (Avoid private or sexual matters.)
complicated reconstruction
Have you ever had complicated reconstructive surgery or known a person who has? Discuss. When might a person need such surgery?
surgery
What kinds of surgery are there? Discuss medical problems that might require that surgery.
enamored
Name people (famous or not) you've been enamored of?
epidemic
Discuss past or feared epidemics in Taiwan.
procedures
Discuss procedures you should take to open a bank account. Get a passport. Register to school or for classes. Make a doctor's appointment.
reputable
How would you insure your doctor or dentist is reputable? How would you determine your doctor or dentist was not reputable?
second opinions
Would you normally seek a second opinion from a doctor or dentist? Under what circumstances?
maximally invasive
Discuss some maximally invasive medical procedures.
minimally effective
What ways of solving problems do you consider minimally effective? What ways of learning a language do you consider minimally effective?
craze
Discuss some crazes in Taiwan or elsewhere in the world you know about.
pretty cut-and-dried
Discuss a traffic accident that you consider cut-and-dried. Give an example of a legal dispute you consider to be cut-and-dried. For example: if a man gives a woman an expensive engagement ring and the woman breaks off her engagement, should the woman return the ring? If you dog bites your neighbor, do you owe damages? Should the dog be killed? Discuss other examples you think of or that you know of from experience.
Click on the image (left) and view the video about Bill Cosby's new book, then answer the following questions. (Note, if necessary, search for the video if it no longer appears on the webpage.)
1. What does Bill Cosby rail against?
2. What is Bill Cosby really saying according to Cosby himself?
3. How should mothers drive their children?
4. Is the interviewer sympathetic to Bill Cosby's point of view?
5. According to the interviewer, what has led to all kinds of social problems?
6. What does the interviewer believe is "a rock-solid core problem in the Afro-American community"?
7. What four points does the interviewee make to sum up Bill Cosby's message in his book, which he believes no sane person would disagree with?
8. According to the interviewee do many kids do drugs and join gangs?
9. What kind of a social gap does the interviewer talk about?
10. What is the percentage of white children living with both parents?
11. What is the percentage of black children living with both parents?
12. According to the interviewee, what has happened in the last five or six years regarding teen pregnancy among young African-American girls?
13. Do the majority of young African-American males graduate from high school?
14. Do they go on to college?
15. What does the interviewer point out about the "secular-progressive" movement?
16. What according to the interviewer has got to be reversed?
17. According to the interviewee, to whom should we give credit?
18. Does the interviewee think Bill Cosby is a good guy and doing the right thing?
19. What is the title of Cosby's new book?
20. Does the interviewer believe there are some good things among "SP's" (secular-progressives)?
2. What routine does Trixie use to get something from her husband?
3. What does Ralph call Alice when she calls him "sweetums" (a term of endearment, or honey talk, built on the word "sweet," but now out of style)?
4. Who does Ralph think is hiding in the house?
5. What drink does Alice call her husband's favorite?
6. Why does Alice think Ralph is not buyng a TV set?
7. What does Ralph say is the reason?
8. What does Ralph say he has instead of headaches?
9. How much does Ralph say he has in his bank account?
10. What does Ralph say Alice has instead of owning things?
11. What was their electric bill the month before?
The Honeymooners was an acclaimed television show from the 1950s, starring Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, and Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden. For next week you'll be viewing one of these shows and answering the questions below.
In addition, for class discussion the week of 9 October 2007, you'll exchange views about the show,
a) giving your evaluation,
b) explaining why you think it was funny or wasn't funny,
c) how it differs from television shows today,
d) who your favorite character was,
e) whether you were involved in the story,
f) what the plot was.
1. What reason does Trixie give to explain why Ralph Kramden might be late?
2. According to the bus company, when did Ralph leave?
3. Why doesn't Ed want to stand on the corner to see if Ralph is coming?
4. According to Ed, what reason would Ralph have to run away?
5. Why couldn't Ed's brother remember his name?
6. What does Ed suggest to take their minds off Ralph's absence?
7. Who does Ralph say is "the lucky person" while drinking champagne?
8. What gift does Ralph give to Ed?
9. Why does Ralph hold a toast?
10. What kind of woman does the fortune teller predict Ed will meet?
11. What job does Ed believe he'll have for as long as he lives?
12. How much money will Ralph get on his new job?
13. What does Ralph promise Alice she can do once he gets his new job?
14. Why doesn't Ed like going to the mountains?
15. Why doesn't Trixie like Ed going to the beach?
16. Name four changes Ralph plans on each bus if he becomes president?
17. Why does Ralph go to the store?
18. Why did they name a seat for Ed in public school?
19. What does the telegram say?
20. Why doesn't Ralph want to move out of his apartment?
21. What does he plan to do to his apartment?
22. What does he plan to buy for the bedroom?
23. Why did Ralph want to be important?
bus depot
crazy
corner
amnesia
cops
talk sense
take our minds off (something)
champagne
a toast
cheese spread
sweetie
tough to open
a wise guy
stunned
qualifications
read one's palm
executive ability
brunette
change (concrete noun)
chlorophyl
say so
fortune
bunion
honeymoon
ears pop
eyes pop
boy oh boy
superintendant
stewardess
outlet
straps
starve
cold cuts
a good head on one's shoulders
volley ball
pretty smart
telegram
loud mouth
delicatessen (deli)
robe
fraulein
cigar
in the money
"blew it again"
2. Why did one worker die in Taiwan?
3. What are authorities on the lookout for?
4. Who is searching for victims?
5. What are residents struggling to do?
6. What's happening from "Taiwan to Japan"?
7. When should the typhoon make landfall?
8. It is estimated that this storm is the most destructive in a) ten years, b) twenty years,
c) five years.
braces
destructive
on the lookout
decade
typhoon
scaffolding
authorities
flash floods
landslides
landfall
blasted
submerged
acres
coping
coast guard
shelter
By Luke Tsai, The China Post
For a while now I've felt sympathetic to the plight of Taiwan's foreign domestic workers, who, because of the financial woes in their home countries, are forced to leave their families behind and take on jobs, as housekeepers or caretakers for the elderly, that pay far less than what most locals would be willing to accept -- this despite the fact that many of them hold university degrees.
Here in Taiwan, these domestic laborers are disenfranchised, isolated and, in many cases, on call 24/7 with just a half-day off each week. What's worse, their employers often seem to view them with muted suspicion or, in some instances, outright disdain.
This past weekend, I watched a TV talk show whose theme for the day was something along the lines of "Complain About Your Foreign Maid." A panel of local celebrities essentially spent the better part of an hour cracking jokes about how incompetent and untrustworthy their foreign domestic workers are.
One woman made fun of how her Filipino maid couldn't understand her when they called to tell her to evacuate during the 9/21 earthquake. A few panelists earned guffaws for what were meant to be spot-on imitations of the blend of broken, heavily accented Chinese and English spoken by their hired help.
Yet another prefaced her story about how her Indonesian housekeeper dresses too scantily (and thus might tempt the head of the household into some act of infidelity) by saying, "She isn't one of those really dark ones; she's actually OK-looking." I don't know which is more offensive: to be regarded as the dark, ugly "other" or to be seen as a potential seductress simply for being attractive and light-skinned.
Regardless of whether or not any of these individual anecdotes were fair or accurate, broadcasting them on national TV to get an easy laugh is precisely the sort of thing that encourages the kind of blanket stereotypes that seem prevalent on the island.
I am sure that there are cases in which foreign domestic workers have betrayed the trust of their Taiwanese employers, badly even. These incidents receive plenty of media coverage, stirring up fear and anxiety.
But what of the countless other stories that go largely unreported? What of the Filipino caretaker who is the only person in the whole house who can get a 90-year-old man to smile -- who rubs lotion on his bedsores and pampers him as though she were his own daughter?
Or the Vietnamese maid, just barely in her twenties, who cries herself to sleep every night clutching a worn photograph of the baby daughter she left behind back home?
A television program that offered a balanced discussion of the difficulties facing both sides of this equation might help bring about some kind of mutual understanding between the people of Taiwan and the foreign laborers they depend on.
But of course it's much easier to play to your audience's prejudices and get that easy laugh. No one needs to reconsider their own assumptions, then; everyone can sleep easy with a clear conscience.
Few countries have as sordid and as shameful a history of race relations as the United States, where I come from, so this isn't a case of "I'm better than you because I'm American." But if a talk show in the States held a panel discussion that consisted entirely of celebrities making jokes about how their Mexican housekeepers were all lazy, couldn't speak English properly and were out to steal their employers' husbands, protesters would be storming the streets of New York and Los Angeles the very next day.
But here in Taiwan, where is the outrage? I'd hate to think that such attitudes are just accepted as par for the course.
Because racism, even when it's veiled in the guise of a seemingly harmless joke, is still racism.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Discuss the plight of a group of people that concerns you. Think of some examples, such as child labor, etc.2. What woes might a young married couple face?
3. Name some groups you think may be disenfranchised in your or another country.
4. When did women get the franchise in Taiwan?
5. What is your favorite fast food franchise?
7. Have you ever felt isolated from people? Discuss.
8. When might your dislike of a meal be muted? Discuss such a situation.
9. What fashions do you disdain?
10. Discuss an outright insult you suffered.
11. What music or movies would you consider part of an essential collection?
12. What's the most essential condition of a good marriage?
13. Do you feel incompetent doing certain things?
14. Have you ever had a friend you thought was untrustworthy? Explain.
15. Did a classmate or friend ever wear an outfit that produced guffaws from others?
16. Do you approve of singers who are scantily dressed?
17. Do you believe infidelity should be the cause of divorce?
18. How would you preface a request for money from a parent?
19. How would you describe an "O.K." meal? An O.K. vacation?
20. How would you accurately estimate how much money you were owed if you worked two hours for NT$300 each hour?
21. In what field of employment do you think you have the greatest potential?
22. Discuss a sordid crime in Taiwan, or any crime with which you are familiar.
23. Do you think you have any prejudices? Explain.
24. How do you think people should show their mutual friendship?
25. Discuss a funny anecdote that really happened.
26. What social behavior do you consider offensive?
27. Discuss a person who you feel showed a blanket disregard for your feelings.
28. When was the last time you felt outrage over an issue or someone's behavior?
29. If you went to a costume party, in what guise would you choose to go?
30. Did you feel pampered or neglected as a child?
31. Discuss the prevalent attitudes towards marriage in contemporary (today's) Taiwan society.
32. What domestic chores did your parent require from you as a child? Or now?
33. What social issue do you think should receive more media coverage?
34. Discuss some negative stereotypes about people that you think people in Taiwan have.
35. Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend? Explain.
36. What's the masculine form of "seductress"?
37. If something is "par for the course" does that mean it's a) average, b) below average,
c) above average, d) wicked?
38. From which sport does that phrase "par for the course" come?
39. Can you give a spot-on imitation of a famous singer, movie star, or other public figure?
40. The people who can give spot-on imitations of famous people are known as
a) actors, b) hypocrites, c) impressionists,
d) ventriloquists.
For Week of 30 October 2007
Go 1. What are many people seeking out?
2. Are these the best options for everyone?
3. What can they actually cause?
4. How many surgeries has the seventy-three year-old patient had?
5. How are these operations called?
6. What happened after these operations?
7. What three things couldn't the patient do following these operations?
8. According to one doctor, what did the patient really need?
9. What 3 points does a doctor recommend patients to consider when shopping for a cure?
10. How many hours did the patient's operation take (last)?
11. How many hours would it have taken if the patient had avoided the minimally invasive procedure?
12. What illness does the doctor interviewed by the broadcaster after the report call a "cut-and-dried" medical problem?
VOCABULARY
Study this vocabulary from the broadcast, then prepare the following questions for class discussion.
pros and consStudy this vocabulary from the broadcast, then prepare the following questions for class discussion.
What are the pros and cons of the Internet? Living on campus? Eating fast foods? Studying abroad? Being an only child?
option
Discuss options you have if you drop out of college. Discuss options you're considering in your lifestyle.
minimally invasive
Name some operations you consider minimally invasive.
"whatever ails them"
Discuss some problems (social or medical) that have ailed you in the past. (Avoid private or sexual matters.)
touted
Which singers today are touted as King of Pop? Which stars are touted as Queen or King? Who are touted as heroes, icons, or superstars in Taiwan today?
orthopedic surgeon
Discuss the work of an orthopedic surgeon. Name and discuss the work of a doctor you've been to. (Avoid private or sexual matters.)
complicated reconstruction
Have you ever had complicated reconstructive surgery or known a person who has? Discuss. When might a person need such surgery?
surgery
What kinds of surgery are there? Discuss medical problems that might require that surgery.
enamored
Name people (famous or not) you've been enamored of?
epidemic
Discuss past or feared epidemics in Taiwan.
procedures
Discuss procedures you should take to open a bank account. Get a passport. Register to school or for classes. Make a doctor's appointment.
reputable
How would you insure your doctor or dentist is reputable? How would you determine your doctor or dentist was not reputable?
second opinions
Would you normally seek a second opinion from a doctor or dentist? Under what circumstances?
maximally invasive
Discuss some maximally invasive medical procedures.
minimally effective
What ways of solving problems do you consider minimally effective? What ways of learning a language do you consider minimally effective?
craze
Discuss some crazes in Taiwan or elsewhere in the world you know about.
pretty cut-and-dried
Discuss a traffic accident that you consider cut-and-dried. Give an example of a legal dispute you consider to be cut-and-dried. For example: if a man gives a woman an expensive engagement ring and the woman breaks off her engagement, should the woman return the ring? If you dog bites your neighbor, do you owe damages? Should the dog be killed? Discuss other examples you think of or that you know of from experience.
Due 22 October 2007
1. What does Bill Cosby rail against?
2. What is Bill Cosby really saying according to Cosby himself?
3. How should mothers drive their children?
4. Is the interviewer sympathetic to Bill Cosby's point of view?
5. According to the interviewer, what has led to all kinds of social problems?
6. What does the interviewer believe is "a rock-solid core problem in the Afro-American community"?
7. What four points does the interviewee make to sum up Bill Cosby's message in his book, which he believes no sane person would disagree with?
8. According to the interviewee do many kids do drugs and join gangs?
9. What kind of a social gap does the interviewer talk about?
10. What is the percentage of white children living with both parents?
11. What is the percentage of black children living with both parents?
12. According to the interviewee, what has happened in the last five or six years regarding teen pregnancy among young African-American girls?
13. Do the majority of young African-American males graduate from high school?
14. Do they go on to college?
15. What does the interviewer point out about the "secular-progressive" movement?
16. What according to the interviewer has got to be reversed?
17. According to the interviewee, to whom should we give credit?
18. Does the interviewee think Bill Cosby is a good guy and doing the right thing?
19. What is the title of Cosby's new book?
20. Does the interviewer believe there are some good things among "SP's" (secular-progressives)?
VOCABULARY FOR "TV Or Not TV"
The following words, phrases, and explanations are not intended to be complete but open to further class discussion.
The following words, phrases, and explanations are not intended to be complete but open to further class discussion.
bowling (game with large bowl and pins)
pleaded (begged)
begging (pleading)
flatter (say nice things insincerely)
sweetheart (honey, loved one)
make you comfortable (make you feel at home)
nuts (not the noun) (crazy)
"she's gone" (crazy)
to get "loaded" (drunk)
"comfy" (comfortable)
"by the way" (transition phrase to a main point)
3-D (three-dimensional)
"gotta go along with you" (agree)
"headaches" (problems)
"peace of mind" (unworried)
"stacked mine away in the bank" (saved a lot)
envy (jealousy)
financial security (money safety)
appliances (electrical house aids)
to blow a fuse (to get angry)
unspoiled (not specially treated)
to live in a tent (with someone) (to live simply)
Washington's birthplace (George Washington, first US president)
preserve it (save it; keep it in good shape)
playing pool (table game; also called billiards)
crazy lodge (ridiculous club)
Liberace (famous television pianist)
troublemaker
dues money (club debt)
"kept her in the dark" (keep facts from someone)
"pretty steep" (expensive)
"on time" (pay weekly or monthly)
on credit (pay weekly or monthly)
Captain Video (1950s children's space show)
dough (money)
"go along with you" (agree)
"the whole route" (the whole way)
champ (champion)
space rangers (spacemen; space explorers)
disintegrate (destroy completely)
pledge (promise)
blast off (start a space ship)
solemn (very serious)
solemn pledge (very serious promise/oath)
how do you like those apples (those facts, events)
cadet (member of a military organization)
hit on something (find something)
fuzzy (unclear)
very tricky (very uncertain)
Late Show (early morning broadcast)
flip a coin
scheme (plan)
poor soul (unlucky person)
pick on someone (annoy someone)
pleaded (begged)
begging (pleading)
flatter (say nice things insincerely)
sweetheart (honey, loved one)
make you comfortable (make you feel at home)
nuts (not the noun) (crazy)
"she's gone" (crazy)
to get "loaded" (drunk)
"comfy" (comfortable)
"by the way" (transition phrase to a main point)
3-D (three-dimensional)
"gotta go along with you" (agree)
"headaches" (problems)
"peace of mind" (unworried)
"stacked mine away in the bank" (saved a lot)
envy (jealousy)
financial security (money safety)
appliances (electrical house aids)
to blow a fuse (to get angry)
unspoiled (not specially treated)
to live in a tent (with someone) (to live simply)
Washington's birthplace (George Washington, first US president)
preserve it (save it; keep it in good shape)
playing pool (table game; also called billiards)
crazy lodge (ridiculous club)
Liberace (famous television pianist)
troublemaker
dues money (club debt)
"kept her in the dark" (keep facts from someone)
"pretty steep" (expensive)
"on time" (pay weekly or monthly)
on credit (pay weekly or monthly)
Captain Video (1950s children's space show)
dough (money)
"go along with you" (agree)
"the whole route" (the whole way)
champ (champion)
space rangers (spacemen; space explorers)
disintegrate (destroy completely)
pledge (promise)
blast off (start a space ship)
solemn (very serious)
solemn pledge (very serious promise/oath)
how do you like those apples (those facts, events)
cadet (member of a military organization)
hit on something (find something)
fuzzy (unclear)
very tricky (very uncertain)
Late Show (early morning broadcast)
flip a coin
scheme (plan)
poor soul (unlucky person)
pick on someone (annoy someone)
THE HONEYMOONERS LISTENING QUIZ
Plus Classroom Assignment for
Week of 16 October 2007
Click on the picture below, view part 1 of the Honeymooners episode, "TV or Not TV" and answer the following questions. Then view the other two episodes and discuss the entire episode in terms of acting, character, plot, style, humor, theme, or comparison and contrast with current shows you've seen on television.
1. What does Alice want Ralph to buy her?Plus Classroom Assignment for
Week of 16 October 2007
Click on the picture below, view part 1 of the Honeymooners episode, "TV or Not TV" and answer the following questions. Then view the other two episodes and discuss the entire episode in terms of acting, character, plot, style, humor, theme, or comparison and contrast with current shows you've seen on television.
2. What routine does Trixie use to get something from her husband?
3. What does Ralph call Alice when she calls him "sweetums" (a term of endearment, or honey talk, built on the word "sweet," but now out of style)?
4. Who does Ralph think is hiding in the house?
5. What drink does Alice call her husband's favorite?
6. Why does Alice think Ralph is not buyng a TV set?
7. What does Ralph say is the reason?
8. What does Ralph say he has instead of headaches?
9. How much does Ralph say he has in his bank account?
10. What does Ralph say Alice has instead of owning things?
11. What was their electric bill the month before?
THE HONEYMOONERS:
MANAGER OF A BASEBALL TEAM
MANAGER OF A BASEBALL TEAM
In addition, for class discussion the week of 9 October 2007, you'll exchange views about the show,
a) giving your evaluation,
b) explaining why you think it was funny or wasn't funny,
c) how it differs from television shows today,
d) who your favorite character was,
e) whether you were involved in the story,
f) what the plot was.
1. What reason does Trixie give to explain why Ralph Kramden might be late?
2. According to the bus company, when did Ralph leave?
3. Why doesn't Ed want to stand on the corner to see if Ralph is coming?
4. According to Ed, what reason would Ralph have to run away?
5. Why couldn't Ed's brother remember his name?
6. What does Ed suggest to take their minds off Ralph's absence?
7. Who does Ralph say is "the lucky person" while drinking champagne?
8. What gift does Ralph give to Ed?
9. Why does Ralph hold a toast?
10. What kind of woman does the fortune teller predict Ed will meet?
11. What job does Ed believe he'll have for as long as he lives?
12. How much money will Ralph get on his new job?
13. What does Ralph promise Alice she can do once he gets his new job?
14. Why doesn't Ed like going to the mountains?
15. Why doesn't Trixie like Ed going to the beach?
16. Name four changes Ralph plans on each bus if he becomes president?
17. Why does Ralph go to the store?
18. Why did they name a seat for Ed in public school?
19. What does the telegram say?
20. Why doesn't Ralph want to move out of his apartment?
21. What does he plan to do to his apartment?
22. What does he plan to buy for the bedroom?
23. Why did Ralph want to be important?
VOCABULARY
extra shiftbus depot
crazy
corner
amnesia
cops
talk sense
take our minds off (something)
champagne
a toast
cheese spread
sweetie
tough to open
a wise guy
stunned
qualifications
read one's palm
executive ability
brunette
change (concrete noun)
chlorophyl
say so
fortune
bunion
honeymoon
ears pop
eyes pop
boy oh boy
superintendant
stewardess
outlet
straps
starve
cold cuts
a good head on one's shoulders
volley ball
pretty smart
telegram
loud mouth
delicatessen (deli)
robe
fraulein
cigar
in the money
"blew it again"
Taipei Times Editorial: The ugly face of beauty
The relationship between bodily appearance and self-esteem is universal and permanent. In recent decades, however, this relationship has had an accelerating impact on young women, pubescent girls and children even younger.
1. How would you rate your sense of self-esteem? If a person has low self-esteem, does that mean she thinks highly of herself? Have you ever met a person with low self-esteem? if so, what evidence did you see?
2. If something is universal, what does that mean? Do you think appreciation of music (for example, the blues, or jazz) is universal? Explain.
3. Divide into pairs (prepare out of class), one side arguing that music is universal and the other side arguing the opposite (try to argue what you believe and find a partner accordingly; otherwise, pretend your point-of-view).
4. If you were bumper-to-bumper with another car, would it be wise to step on the accelerator or the decelerator?
5. What are some signs of pubescence in males or females. (Do not get into sexual matters; that's for another type of class. Rather discuss tastes, clothing, music, habits, interests, hobbies, etc.)
Anorexia and bulimia are two extreme products of cultures that marry unbalanced consumption and celebrity idolization. Some girls and young women who see nothing but ugliness in themselves and captivating beauty all around have the potential to commit long-term violence against their bodies. Starving oneself in order to obtain a personal ideal of thinness and regularly inducing vomiting to prevent weight gain are sadly logical acts if one's self-esteem is too closely attached to one's appearance.
6. Name and discuss a famous star (singer or actress) who suffered from bulimia or anorexia. Download information on this person and present it to the class in conversational style.
7. In what area do you think you have the most potential to succeed?
8. Do you have personal experience of a person with an eating disorder? Explain.
The appeal of breast enlargement is another example of expensive (and sometimes dangerous) surgical procedures feeding off unreasonable feelings of inadequacy. And Taiwan shares a regional variation of such bodily discomfort: the feeling among some women that eyes without double-fold eyelids should be surgically "corrected" to make them beautiful.
9. What is your ideal of beauty? Would you consider surgical means of improving your physical appearance. For males or females, is physical appearance very important in choosing a romantic companion? Explain.
But damage from low self-esteem is not limited to these extreme cases. Research around the world -- including a survey released in Taiwan yesterday -- points to large numbers of girls everywhere and of all backgrounds suffering self-esteem problems to the extent that their education may suffer.
One of the most worrying findings in the international survey conducted by the Dove Self Esteem Fund was the large number of girls who thought their appearance influenced their grades and the way that teachers related to them.
10. Do you believe that this last statement is true or not? Explain.
There are some childish cruelties that the most interventionist state cannot eradicate -- bullying and other mistreatment in the playground on the basis of appearance are among them. But on the basis of these results, the Ministry of Education would do well to consider ramping up personal development curriculums and teacher training to help those who are "too fat," "too skinny," "too short" or "too tall" from suffering unnecessarily at the hands of their peers and tactless staff.
11. Did you ever witness a classmate in grade school being bullied due to his or her physical appearance. Explain.
12. What do you think an interventionist state is? What does it mean to intervene in someone else's affairs?
13. What's a curriculum?
14. What do you think is the meaning of "ramping up"? By the way, this is an example of a phrasal verb; that is, a verb that is always attached to a smaller word called a particle, such as "turn off" the radio, "shut down" the computer, etc. These phrasals can be separated, as in the sentence, "Turn the radio off" or "Turn off the radio." Notice in the first example the particle ("off") was separated from the main verb, "turn," but still had to be in the same sentence.
How radical should such ramping up be? Given that Taiwanese teachers are in the main more conservative than their counterparts in the West, it is difficult to see them openly criticizing parental standards of beauty that hurt children, or launching attacks on the more obvious corporate exploitation of prejudice against unusual body shapes.
15. What standards of beauty did your parents have? Or did they pressure you to lose or gain weight or achieve other physical goals, such as excelling in football or tennis? How was this pressure shown?
16. "Take" is a multi-function word. "Take" a photograph; "take" water along for the hike; and the joke, "Take my wife, please." Explain the meaning of that joke. Explain the way that "take" is used in the paragraph below (underlined).
Yet it is disappointing that no one at the press conference announcing yesterday's survey results asked the organizers for their take on the connection between improving self-esteem and purchasing cosmetics. The Dove Self Esteem Fund -- part of the Unilever corporation -- seems designed to further the interests of a firm that potentially benefits from women feeling poorly about their appearance. It does this by delinking the desirability of its products from myths about beauty, which is quite reasonable.
But at least one reporter might have asked why girls should not be encouraged to actively detach their self-worth from commercial products of any nature. If the Dove Self Esteem Fund has good intentions -- and there is nothing to suggest that it does not -- it would encourage girls to do just that.
One key question remains. This society demands that women spend significant amounts of money on cosmetics and beautifying products. Why then does it take so little responsibility for those who, through sheer misfortune and youthful vulnerability, suffer for not living up to its "standards" of beauty?
17. When have you felt vulnerable? For example, a husband might feel vulnerable when his wife is in the hospital.
18. Do a Web search on a cosmetic product and "sell" it in class: explain what it's supposed to do, describe the promised results for users of the products, etc.
19. Discuss a physically "imperfect" person (must be famous) that you personally find attractive, and explain why. For example, some bald-headed movie stars have sex appeal, as do short actors or comics. Some overweight women might appeal to some men, etc.
20. Do you think physically attractive people have better opportunities in life? Explain.
Home Listening Assignment
Due 18-24 September 2007
Due 18-24 September 2007
PART I
Listen to the attached audio file, then answer the following questions. Send your responses to Stella Chen at "lemon26"@ms26.url.com.tw
1. How many people are being evacuated in Shanghai?Listen to the attached audio file, then answer the following questions. Send your responses to Stella Chen at "lemon26"@ms26.url.com.tw
2. Why did one worker die in Taiwan?
3. What are authorities on the lookout for?
4. Who is searching for victims?
5. What are residents struggling to do?
6. What's happening from "Taiwan to Japan"?
7. When should the typhoon make landfall?
8. It is estimated that this storm is the most destructive in a) ten years, b) twenty years,
c) five years.
PART II
Using the vocabulary below, be prepared to hold a two-way conversation with another student about this news report. Example:
Using the vocabulary below, be prepared to hold a two-way conversation with another student about this news report. Example:
"Did you hear what happened in Shanghai?"
"Yes, I understand there's a typhoon," etc.
"Yes, I understand there's a typhoon," etc.
V O C A B U L A R Y
evacuatingbraces
destructive
on the lookout
decade
typhoon
scaffolding
authorities
flash floods
landslides
landfall
blasted
submerged
acres
coping
coast guard
shelter
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