English Recordings

At last firemen have put out a big forest fire in California. Since then, they have been trying to find out how the fire began. Forest fire are often caused by broken glass or by cigarette ends which people carelessly throw away. Yesterday the firemen examined the ground carefully, but were not able to find any broken glass. They were also quite sure that a cigarette end did not start the fire. This morning, however, a fireman accidentally discovered the cause. He noticed the remains of a snake which was wound round the electric wires of a 16,000-volt power line. In this way, he was able to solve the mystery. The explanation was simple but very unusual. A bird had snatched up the snake from the ground and then dropped it on to the wires. The snake then wound itself round the wires. When it did so, it sent sparks down to the ground and these immediately started a fire.

In 1908 Lord Northcliffe offered a prize of $1，000 to the first man who would fly across the English Channel. Over a year passed before the first attempt was made. On July 19th， 1909， in the early morning， Hubert Latham took off from the French coast in his plane the 'Antoinette IV.' He had travelled only seven miles across the Channel when his engine failed and he was forced to land on sea. The 'Antoinette' floated on the water until Latham was picked up by a ship.
Two days alter， Louis Bleriot arrived near Calais with a plane called 'No. XI'. Bleriot had been making planes since 1905 and this was his lattes model. A week before， he had completed a successful overland flight during which he covered twenty-six miles. Latham， however， did not give up easily. He， too， arrived near Calais on the same day with a new 'Antoinette'. It looked as if there would be an exciting race across the Channel. Both planes were going to take off on July 25th， but Latham failed to get up early enough， After making a short test flight at 4，15 a.m.， Bleriot set off half an hour later. His great flight lasted thirty-seven minutes. When he landed near Dover， the first person to greet him was a local policeman. Latham made another attempt a week later and got within half a mile of Dover， but he was unlucky again. His engine failed and he landed on the sea for the second time.

Kidnappers are rarely interested in animals， but they recently took considerable interest in Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay's cat. Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay， a very wealthy old lady， has shared a flat with her cat， Rastus， for a great many years. Rastus leads an orderly life. He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven o'clock. One evening， however， he failed to arrive. Mrs. Ramsay got very worried. She looked everywhere for him but could not find him.
There days after Rastus' disappearance， Mrs. Ramsay received an anonymous letter. The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs. Ramsay paid a ransom of $1，000. Mrs. Ramsay was instructed to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it outside her door. At first she decided to go to the police， but fearing that she would never see Rastus again —— the letter had made that quite clear —— she changed her mind. She withdrew $1000 from her bank and followed the kidnapper's instructions. The next morning， the box had disappeared but Mrs. Ramsay was sure that the kidnapper would keep his word. Sure enough， Rastus arrived punctually at seven o'clock that evening. He looked very well though he was rather thirsty， for he drank half a bottle of milk. The police were astounded when Mrs. Ramsay told them what she had done. She explained that Rastus was very dear to her. Considering the amount she paid， he was dear in more ways than one！

(Jan 29th. 2012) Today I found the following article by accident on an internet site.I felt they were very reasonable ideas/suggestions/pieces of advice.So I want to post it here.
What do you think about this? Of course most of us already know it very well, that doing is different from knowing.So I feel that I should especially try to be more carefully when listening to my family members`s way of speaking, more so than usual.Are you a person who carefully listens to other people's way of speaking?
——-[ Ten Steps to Effective Listening ](효과적인 듣기 10단계)————-
1)Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.
2)Be attentive yet relaxed.
3)Keep an open mind.
4)Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.
5)Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your “solutions.”
6)Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.
7)Ask questions only to ensure understanding of something that has been said (avoiding questions that disrupt the speaker’s train of thought).
8)Try to feel what the speaker is feeling.
9)Give the speaker regular feedback, e.g., summarize, reflect feelings, or simply say “uh huh.”
10)Pay attention to what isn’t said — to feelings, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and other nonverbal cues.

Listening is a precious gift — the gift of time. It helps build relationships, solve problems, ensure understanding, resolve conflicts, and improve accuracy. At work, effective listening means fewer errors and less wasted time. At home, it helps develop resourceful, self-reliant kids who can solve their own problems. Listening builds friendships and careers. It saves money and marriages.

Moving forward, moving quickly
I was told last night by those older and wiser than me that the world is moving a lot faster now than it was moving thirty years ago. I don't really have any data or experience to corroborate that statement. Sure, I have the proliferation of social media, smart phones, and twenty-four-seven interconnectedness that drives the world of commerce around me. Should I have said thanks, Captains Obvious, but what does that mean?

I'll tell you what it means to me; it means that its not getting any easier to define and delineate what's important. Prioritization is skewed by seeking instant gratification, whereby goals for the long haul are shed in the short term. Despite the individualistic focus, I've transformed my American dream to an international dream. Considering the scope of business and personal life can (so easily) span country boundaries, I've realized that I'm missing out on a lot if I don't explore the world at-large.

How can I aggregate all options to matrix and make the right decision at the right time that will lead to the best possible outcome? That's the truly confounding element of it all, trying to establish a life strategy based on pie-in-the-sky extrapolations. What I need to remember is that in life, there's no right answer. Paranoia around having not made the most optimal decision will cloud my ability to remain focused. Moving forward requires a full experience of the present moment.

About me
Vivacious creativity and eloquent diligence define the pursuit of my dreams. From intuitive improvisation evolves my distinct adaptive agility. Audacious and efficient, I’m an expert at synthesizing data and information with integrity. Consistent competitive charisma and inspirational passion make me a leader amongst my peers. I am dynamic, resilient, and radiant.

New ideas

I believe there comes a time in every girl's life where they have to define a very specific set of goals and then develop an executable plan to meet those goals. In order to be successful, the measurement of those goals needs to be consistent and objective.

However, when goals are subservient or dependent to the goals of other people, the whole venture becomes compromised. Think of the effect your own emotions have on the progressive completion of your goals. Does someone else's approval of your progressive accomplishments towards a goal determine how you feel about that goal? Despite my general inability to describe this transitional feeling, I'm smack dab in the middle of it.

My ability to understand the needs and wants of others is something that I've always prided myself on.When I began to measure myself on my ability to satisfy someone else's wants and needs is when the successive accomplishments become convoluted. Taking a stand for what I want out of life with complete and conscious disregard for the needs of others is the only way forward.

To understand one's own self before having to give that self to someone else is essential to success.

(May 26th 2010 )《How to Learn a Foreign Language ? 〉
I found this sentence 'How to Learn a Foreign Language' ? by chance, and I felt like it was a sentences written just for me. 'How to Learn a Foreign Language ' ? Yes!It`s for me! When I was a student, the conditions for learning a foreign language were really poor. There wasn't any mp3, internet, video,...etc, there were only books, and after graduating, there was almost no opportunity to use English. I would also like to learn English from now on^^. For my own pleasure ~ ^__^;;not for an exam. I feel like it will make me happy and it will give me pleasure .

（2012.1。28）<What are they doing now?>
• Hi,everyone, I`m uploading one of my vidioes.
• This is one of the videos that I took of my younger sister and her dog last week.
• What are they doing now?
• Haha, my sister`s dog is doing a talent show now. How is it?
• What do you think about his show? SoooOoo Cool? Wonderful? Great? Beautiful?
• Oh, no! I am not trying to force you to say 'Yes!'.
• But you know? Doesn’t he look cute playing
• The following video is one which I took when I was on my way home after I stopped by my sister`s house last week.
• Everytime I visit her house, I need watch this show, because I really like "Konan".
• It seems that the two people are more excited than the dog.

We have just moved into a new house and I have been working hard all morning. I have been trying to get my new room in order. This has not been easy because I own over a thousand books. To make matters worse, the room is rather small, so I have temporarily put my books on the floor. At the moment, they cover every inch of floor space and I actually have to walk on them to get in or out of the room. A short while ago, my sister helped me to carry one of my old bookcases up the stairs. She went into my room and got a big surprise when she saw all those books on the floor. 'This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen,' she said. She gazed at it for some time then added, 'You don't need bookcases at all. You can sit here in your spare time and read the carpet!'