Happy G&T

Words from Kaifu Lee

2005-07-31T21:31:00.000+08:00

看象Friends这样的英文连续剧学习口语是很不错的。

无论看连续剧或电影，一定要开英文字幕。

中文翻译得很糟，连参考都不要，免得被误导。

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特区的特色必须是师资（人才）。美国的大学教授，绝大多数都是聘请他校的刚毕业的博士做助理教授，经过6-7年的考验和培养，留下最好的50%给与 “终身职”作为副教授。这个系统是历史证明的，值得中国学习。但是这些刚毕业的博士几乎都不愿意回中国，因为在中国的大学里，只愿意“高薪”聘那些事业已过高峰的“大师”(帮助学校品牌和排名)作“花瓶”,不愿意以“有竞争力的薪资"雇佣这些最有潜力的真正动手的专家。而且他们就算委屈地拿“没有竞争力的薪资”回国，也无法作“博导”，无法带领项目，只能在一些可能是无能的老教授下做事（在美国任何的教授，包括刚毕业的，都可以做博导，可以带项目，做项目负责人。。。）。

一个大学的素质不能靠1%的教授提高，需要靠100%的教授提高。雇佣1%的“花瓶”不可能提升一个学校的总体教育或研究。

特区可以做的就是对人才有100%的要求。有这样的保证，很多海外华人都会愿意回国。微软亚洲研究院就是一个例子。

不过“特区”的问题还是出在利益集团的阻力，还有那一个名校毕业的官员愿意出来打自己母校和教育系统的耳光？还有耗资太大的问题。

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Re: 新东方经典背诵50篇

It is ludicrous to learn English by memorizing these 50 passages.

It is sad to see valuable space in our brains taken by such useless content.

Our brains are meant to think and reason, not just to memorize.

We wouldn't use our computers just to copy and save data. Why do this to our brain?

Kai-Fu
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关于学校背景，我想“名校”总是因素之一，不过如果我没有理解错，这个论坛的初衷就是diversity，如果只是让美国的哈佛和中国的哈佛对话，那可能无法达到这个diversity的目标。而且，如果他们轻视你的学校，你也不会走到最后一关了。

以后你申请学校或工作时，你可能会发现你的学校会占更大的重量。所以，你可以考虑是否在中国的名校读一个硕士后，在去圆你的斯坦福梦。

我其实不喜欢电话面试，因为没有机会能见到应试者的表情和肢体语言。要做好电话面试，你除了多练英语口语外，如果能做到下面几点更好：（1）有“自信者”的口气，不要用那些“唯唯诺诺”的词(maybe, perhaps,I guess, uh, um)，多用那些果断的词(I want, I feel, I know,I believe)（2）讲话要清晰，抓重点，（3）声音要中气十足，但是大小声适中，（4）要稍微停顿，宁可停顿不要含糊(um, eh, er...) 不可以一口气讲下去（要给考官机会打断你，发文，或如果你误会题目时纠正你)，（5）有礼貌的电话礼节，（6）不要用太复杂的字或语法。

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Re: 您觉得生命的意义是什么?

对我来说，对这世界有影响力就是生命的意义。

这影响力不是说出名或是权利，而是说make a difference，也就是因为有我，世界能更好。

没有对或错，只要有意义，你的一生就没有白活。

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杨振宁的意思是：清华的学生绝对是世界一流的，清华的基础课程也不差，不见得比美国的一流大学差到哪里去。

但是，清华的研究远远落后美国的学校（连二流的也比不上）。那些高深的、需要研究的科当然也同样的落后美国。

如果你仔细看他的演讲稿，我想你会看出这个意思的。当然，作为清华的教授，他必须讲的褒过于贬。

大学时研究课程不见得那么重要，所以清华的学生很多出国读了硕士、博士都做得很出色。。很多美国优秀的学生也选择读那些最好的小“文理学院” （Williams, Amherst, Wellesley:http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/libartco/tier1/t1libartco_brief.php)，就是因为在那些学院，老师专注于基础课程，不因研究分心，是它们的优势。

还有，不要忘了，这是拿清华去比较。中国的其他学校离清华还有不少的差距，尤其是那些前十名之外的。

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高中生的first priority还是要把高考考好。

所以为了这个目标，应该自己计划如何能够最大化自己的高考分数。

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每个人的优点不一样，不要羡慕那些你没有的优点。

你更应该发掘自己的优点，庆祝、发扬自己的优点。这点我在第三封信曾谈过，也建议你去看看"Now Discover Your Strengths" 这本书和它的自我测验的网站。是盖洛普出的。

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人格魅力和阳刚之气是两回事。

比如说，Steve Ballmer是一个两者都有的，但是Bill Gates没有阳刚之气，但是很有人格魅力。

你应该挖掘自己的优点，让自己能够表现出自己，而不是去模仿他人。

模仿的结果有可能是反效果。

中国的成语中有“东施效颦”的故事。西施的美丽是成功的，而东施模仿西施的步履姿态——西施的独特成功模式，结果证明是行不通的，因为每个人都有自己独特的特质，盲目模仿将背道而驰。在微软，也有这样一个故事。微软的总裁鲍尔默先生是优秀的沟通家，他有无限的能量，能激励其员工的激情，他演讲一旦开始，没有人能阻止他释放其能量。他会一个拳头一次又一次的拍击他的另一个手掌，他会声音抬高，在台上兴奋地走路甚至跑来跑去。微软公司有一个经理看到了鲍尔默的活力，决定开始模仿他的一切。一次演讲时，他也学着鲍尔默，兴奋、大声地叫，用夸张的手势，在台上从左跑到右。但是，大家只以为他在模仿鲍尔默，在搞笑，于是大家笑成一团，结束了他这东施效颦的演讲。这件事告诉我们，我们应该尽力地做最好的自己，而不是让自己去做不适合自己的、模仿别人的事情。就算我们尽力了，也往往会做不好，让人觉得我们做作，没有诚意，而收到反效果。

东施可以从西施身上学习，但是她不应该模仿别人而失去了自我。学习鲍尔默的那位经理也是一样。“天生我材必有用”。盲目地模仿别人不会带来成功，只会带来“东施效颦”的嘲笑。

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Re: 學業和人生伴侶的balancing中，可以雙贏嗎?

每一个人情况不同,不要拿我当标准.

我很幸运,我读博士时,已经结婚,而且妻子支持我努力的读书.

你需要平衡你的工作和私生活.该怎么平衡只有你知道.

我的建议是:
(1)划清界限 - 对家人作出承诺,而且一定要做到（例如说：周末不做工作）。
（2）忙中偷闲 - 不要一工作就忘了家人（例如说：虽然你再学校很忙，但是如果你知道女友不舒服，记得打电话问候她）有时10分钟的体贴比10小时的陪伴还更受用。
(3) 闲中偷忙 - 学会怎么利用碎片的时间（例如说：女朋友睡午觉时你去上网看看你的实验结果）。
（4）好好管理时间 - 既然时间已不够用了,一定要好好管理时间.
(5)言出必行,而且要定较低的期望值(如果你想请两个星期的假但是不确定老板会不会批准,先不要话说太慢,说一个星期，这样如果你只会带来欣喜的惊讶）。

现在就想到这些。

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Re：请问开复老师，您怕得罪人吗？

关于得罪人,平时小事我很谨慎不得罪人,但是碰到了大事我不怕得罪任何人.

我接受了我不能改变教育,但是我认为我可以改变学生.

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Re: 怎样培养合作能力

“同理心”是人际交往艺术的核心思想，也是得到他人信任的最佳途径。同理心（empathy）是一个心理学概念，由人本主义大师罗杰斯提出。同理心就是感觉到他人的情绪和顾虑，理解他人的立场和感受，从他人的立场思想。同理心也就是人们常说的设身处地、将心比心的做法。经过感同身受、了解及同情他人，我们会更了解和认识他人。尤其在发生冲突或误解的时候，当事人如果能把自己放在对方的处境中想一想，也许就可以更容易地了解对方的初衷，消除误解。我们在生活中常说“人同此心，心同此理”，就是这个道理。有同理心的人善体人意、乐于助人、客观、受欢迎、值得信任的。
同理心本身并不是新的想法。中国从古代就有，“己所不欲，勿施于人”，孔子也曾经说过“夫仁者，己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人”（《论语.雍也》），换句话说就是“己之所欲，亦施与人”。这便是同理心推己及人的两个方面，自己不要的东西或不愿受到的不公正的待遇，不要施加于他人，同时多对他人表示尊重、给与他们你自己也愿意得到的待遇。西方文化中，同样也强调同理心。摩西的“Whatever is hurtful to you, do not do to any other person.”和耶稣的“金法规”（Golden Rule:“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”）都是同理心的化身。
但是这些中西方的想法只把同理心作为一种道德，并没有解释同理心为什么对你个人的发展是很重要的。在这里我提出：同理心的重要性在于经过同理心你可以得到他人的信任，所有的人际关系都是建筑在信任之上。我们这里所谈的“信任”不是指能力方面的信任（像“我信任你会把这项工作做好的。”），而是得到别人信任你的出发点是好的，让别人信任在你的面前可以坦诚自己的弱点和错误，信任在你的面前他们可以不设防。如果你怀疑“信任有这么重要吗”，你可以回想以前当你无心犯错或得罪某人的时候，如果他是信任你的，是不是基本上笑笑就算了？如果他和你还没有建立信任，是不是造成很大的问题和麻烦？所以，乔治麦克唐纳说：“被信任比被爱是更高的赞美。”
名管理学家帕特里克·伦乔尼（Patrick M. Lencioni）认为，真正的信任应该是：
Ø 愿意承认自己的缺点与错误
Ø 愿意承认自己需要协助
Ø 愿意接纳他人的疑问与建议
Ø 在做出负面结论之前，坦白的说出自己的疑虑
Ø 毫不犹豫地说出或是接受道歉
Ø 愿意提供回馈意见以及协助
信任的建立是逐步的。需要你一步步地证明你值得信任，证明你是真实的，证明你的诚意，证明你对他人的尊重。这种信任的建立是一种良性循环，需要长期的时间和投入。你对别人真诚，尊敬人，宽恕人，出在乎别人，倾听别人，理解别人，就会造成别人也同样地真诚的对你，尊敬你，宽恕你，在乎你，倾听你，理解你。形成一个良性循环后，成品就叫做信任，而做成这个成品的态度就是同理心。
所以，同理心不但是为了理解别人，也是为了让别人理解自己。同理心不代表要你模仿别人的感情，而是希望你能理解别人的感情，当你做事时考虑到别人的感情和这些感情可能带来的反应。
我提出：想做到同理心，得到别人的信任，必须力行下面六个点原则：
Ø 因为“我怎样对待别人，别人就怎样对待我”，所以我替人着想，他人才会替我着想。
Ø 因为“我想他人理解我，我要先理解他人”，所以我要有将心比心，才会被人理解。
Ø 因为“别人眼中的我，才是真正存在的我”，所以我要学会以别人的角度来看事情和改进他们眼中的我。
Ø 因为“我只能修正自己，我不能修正别人”，所以想成功的与人相处，想改变别人迁就你，唯一的方法就是改变自己。
Ø 因为“真实坦白的人，才是值得信任的人”，所以我要不设防地，以我最真诚地面目待人。
Ø 因为“真情流露的人，才是值得信任的人”，所以我要抛弃我的面具，以我最真诚地面目待人。
与人相处建立信任最重要的是必须要理解每一个人有不同的立场，不同的看法，不同的感情。所以我们在与人相处时不能自我中心地去要求别人将就你，也不能用道理逻辑去说服别人为什么他是错的。
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下面是以前对“演讲紧张”的回答，希望对你有用：

对演讲的恐惧是"Book of lists"中人的所有恐惧里的第一位。紧张是正常的，人人都会紧张。好的心态和准备可以大幅度地降低你的紧张。另外演讲前的几个技巧会再进一步得降低你的紧张。

你的心态：
人人都可以成为一个优秀的演讲者。有许多例子，经过练习，一个普通的演讲者成为优秀的演讲者。
要理解你的观众都希望你成功，他们来听你的演讲就是希望能听到有趣的、有意义的、能刺激他们的思想的演讲。
对自己没有信心或没有兴趣的演讲，如果能推掉就推掉。
多准备，多练习。

演讲的准备：
多做练习是最好的准备。你自己心里的自信越高，你的表现也会越好。
练习时，请亲人和朋友作为观众，然后给你回馈。如果没有亲人朋友，一面镜子或你的宠物都可以，尽量让自己想象自己在观众面前。
再不然，就录音录影，然后自己批评进步。每一次演讲至少练习两次。最好一直练习到滚瓜烂熟为止。要确定能够在时限之内讲完。
如果你会脑筋一片空白，那就准备一份讲稿，多次练习，在脑海里多过几次。
如果你仍然担心，那就把你的笔记带进场，万一忘记说什么可以看你的笔记。
如果你仍然担心，那就把你的演讲写出来，然后用念的。

演讲前：
如果可能，在上台前先和前面几排的观众聊聊天。一方面，可以让局面更友善，可以帮助你降压，也可以多给你几个和善的脸让你讲得更轻松。
如果你担心讲得不够激情，演讲前多喝几杯咖啡（如果喝多了会发抖，那宁可不要喝）。
在上台前作深呼吸可以降低血压和澄清头脑。
放松脸上的肌肉（张大再闭紧你的眼睛和嘴），不过别给人看到！

演讲时：
如果讲到一半忘了词，不要紧张，跳到下面的题目，很可能根本没有人注意到。
停顿不是问题，不要总是想出声音填满每一秒钟。最优秀的演讲者会利用停顿来把他的重点更清晰地表达出来。
如果看观众的眼睛会让你紧张，那就看观众的头顶（观众不会发现的）
眼睛直视观众，可以随机地换看的对象。不要左右乱看，不要往上看，这会让你看起来不值得信任。
要不然，眼睛可以多看那些比较友善的，或常笑的脸。
如果你可以做到，最好演讲用接近谈话的方式，用简单的语句，表达清晰的思路，不要太咬文嚼字。
最好适当地使用肢体语言（手势），不要太死板。
如果你会发抖，不要拿纸在手上，因为纸会扩大你发抖的程度。手可以握紧拳头，或扶着讲台。
演讲时千万不要提到自己的紧张，或对自己的表现道歉。那只会让你更失去自信的。
如果能在开场白时吸引到观众的兴趣，整场演讲都会便容易不少。
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希望你能够综合这些回馈的两种声音，做最好的决定。

第一种声音是鼓舞你，让你有自信，追逐你想追逐的。

另一种声音是希望你务实，确定你的兴趣，确定你可能得到你想要的。

两个都是有意义的回馈。你应该先务实地确定自己走这两条路的成功的可能。只要成功的可能是合理的，你就应该去追寻。

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AWA， TWE：银线穿玉珠－作文之我见

2005-07-14T16:04:00.000+08:00

1。 TWE

我把TWE放在第一个来说，主要是因为自己考GMAT的时候，没有好好重视AWA的重要性，结果弄了个4.5分，郁闷非常。自己深深感受到轻敌的恶果，所以准备TOEFL的时候，特别紧张这个。从语言学习的角度来说，写和说两点是中国学生的弱点，偏偏这两个最重要。将来要写ESSAY, PERSONAL STATEMENT, 都是写的活。不过由于通常认为这两个比较难提高，大家准备TOEFL的时候也不太重视。实在说， TWE的题目的确有些多， 185个啊，而且有不少比较无赖兮兮的，更加增长我的抵触情绪。对于TWE，最好的方法就是反复写，反复修改。也许有朋友说，考试的时候哪里有时间反复修改？说的简单点，复习时候的修改就是为了考试不修改也能写出流畅的文字，并且减少错误。 TWE的分数要算在STRUCTURE中的，匆忙中写出的文字往往有错误，会影响最后的得分。

这个方法是雪山教给我的。

http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?BoardID=68&ID=59576

非常感谢各位朋友帮我修改作文。前后我写过20多片吧，有的是全文写，有点是分段落写的。

写作的时候，注意几点:

1）严格遵守时间写，我给自己28分钟，考虑考试时候紧张打折扣。通常用3分钟左右构思， 20分钟写， 5分钟检查。放在NOTEPAD中间写，然后， COPY出来到WORD中自动检查拼写错误。这一点非常重要，往往我们打字比脑子快，打出来的单词常常有错误，平时依赖WORD自动检查，考试时候就没有了。

2）写完以后，一定给自己同样的时间修改，改写。看看自己有什么语法错误，有什么词语用的太重复，尽量多用同义词。

3）过几天在重新看写过的题目，一段一段的改写，记忆自己的句子和写法，练习打字速度。反复写一个题目2-3遍，比写2-3个题目更有用。

4）作文一定一定要反复反复修改，不然就是浪费了，很难提高。

写作语言的来源

有个朋友说过，真正的语言就是TOEFL练习题。其实那些辅导书都用不到，就找TOEFL练习题的阅读和语法就是最好的辅导材料了。我在准备的时候，用了一个笔记本，从前开始是搜集常有同义词，其实一个意思的词语准备2-3个就可以了，但是保证自己拼写准确。在阅读和语法中有的句子是自己觉得可以掌握使用的，就抄写下来，反复看看，提高自己写作的准确性。免得全文都是do, make， it is…句型。从封底往前，是关于各个题目的提纲和关键词语。到考试的是，一个本子用光了，反复看过两遍。

参加作文的修改

所谓三人行，必有我师。 CD开拓了TWE区，就是给大家一个讨论的园地。确实，大家希望能得到高手的指点，不过，修改作文是个满痛苦的事情。朋友们希望提高，应该多修改自己的和其他人的作文。如果能够帮别人找到错误，那么说明自己已经掌握了这个知识。还有一个重要的作用，学习。其他人作文中的好的语言，为什么自己就写不出来呢？这个积累的过程很痛苦，不过收获会很多。

robertchuGG提供的作文的看法：

如果时间充裕的话，一开始写作文可以注重质量而不求速度。写得多了自然速度就快了。在考前一段时间，比方说一个月，再做速度训练也可以。当然这也是因人而异的，要结合自己的情况。总之，还是一句话，TOEFL也是能力考试。平时多听，多读，多写，考试前在准备一下，自然会考好的。

雪山后来发表的作文方法总结：

AWA， TWE： 银线穿玉珠－作文之我见

http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?boardID=68&ID=65453&page=1

实在是经典好文啊

AWA， TWE：银线穿玉珠－作文之我见

前言：三年前，因为自以为是，认为自己作文水平不错，考前一天看了一篇TWE范文，结果考出一个郁闷无比的4.0。从此以后再也不敢掉以轻心了。

对我而言，一篇好的作文就是银线穿玉珠。结构清晰，用词精确。

结构：银线

1. 开头部分－ 开门见山

不要绕来绕去，特别是应试作文。老师只有2分钟看一篇，当他看到第三句还不知道你究竟想讨论什么话题的时候，一定已经烦了！

个人比较欣赏的结构：

第一句话，提出问题（提出论题，现象等等）

第二句话，概括论述一下大概有几种观点。

第三句话，提出我的观点。

第四句话，以下我会从哪几个方面论述。

2. 正文部分－ 先声夺人

网上有人喜欢在阐述自己的观点前，说说反方的观点。我个人不喜欢这种结构。买水果的时候，我们会把最好，最大，最新鲜的放在最前面。目的很简单，我要先声夺人。下面具体说说第一段的结构。也是我个人比较喜欢的结构。

第一句话：提出该段的中心论点。

第2-3 句话，具体解释阐述

第4-5 句话，举例

最后一句话，总结一下。

这种结构我称之为， 紧扣主题。

第二段，第二段一定要，否则文章显得单薄。同时也避免了把不同的论点全部塞到一段里面。理想结构如下：

第一句话，某某东东不仅仅....... （不仅仅的内容是对第一段的概括），而且...... （而且的内容是本段的中心）－这种结构，我称为，环环相扣。

下面的结构基本同第一段。当然并不是每个题目都能这样的。因为有的论点仅有并列关系，没有递近关系。

第三段，如果时间够建议写。

3. 转折部分－滴水不漏。其实转折部分也是属于正文的。为了突出它的重要性，这里我单独列出来。

这里我还要解释一下，为什么我特别喜欢把这段放在最后部分。我的目的在于告诉看文章的人: 我的论证滴水不漏！具体做法有如下：

a. 反对党说，你说东东其实是有缺点的。比如。。。OK。没错我承认。但是，这些缺点是很容易解决和避免的。比如。。。。

b。反对党说，反放的观点其实是有。。。优点的。比如。。。 OK。没错我承认。但是，你说的优点其实不如我方的优点多。

c. 反对党说，你说东东其实是有缺点的。 OK。没错我承认。但是，这些缺点是特例。就一般情况而言，还是。。。所以不具有代表性。

d. 反对党说，你说东东其实是有什么什么问题的。 OK。没错我承认这种现象。但是，对于这些现象，我有不同的解释。我的解释是。。。。实际正好证明我的观点。

e. 反对党说，其实。。。也是很重要的。 OK。我无意诋毁。。。的重要性。但是我更想强调我的观点的重要性。因为我的是最根本的。没有我的做基础，一切都白搭。

注意这一段的目的并不是为了表示一下观点全面，说说别人的看法。而在于使你的论述更强！让人觉得，你们反对派的意见其实我都考虑过了。

结尾部分－简捷明了。重申一下自己的观点。可以提个suggestion 什么的。但是千万不要没事找事做的来个转折，表示一下中庸之道。

内容部分－玉珠

内容重不重要？废话，你以为e-rater真的那么好骗？还是不要拿自己的银子开玩笑了。

1. 句式多变－长短句结合。 为了表示写作水平，很多人都喜欢用长句子。我的看法是， 3个长句子（复杂句）后面，请你用个短句子，简单句什么的。让看作文的老师歇口气吧。这叫有张有驰。

2. 句式多变－不要用一种句型。特别是每段的首句。太明显了，典型的枯燥。

3. 用词－不用模糊词。

举个例子吧，名词动词形容词中都有模糊词。

名词如： something. 什么叫something? 几乎任何东东都可以用它来指代。看作文的人有什么感觉？这人语言贫乏嘛。根本不会用具体精确的词表述。

动词如： make, do, take. 查查字典吧。看看这三个词，有N多意思。当然，take advantage of 之类的词组不算。因为词组的意思总是非常精确的。

形容词： good. 什么是好？好老师可以是: responsible, 也可以是experienced. 好子女可能是filial 也可能是agreeable....... 好的意思太多了。所以也是不精确的词。

4. 用词－不用重复词。超过三次以上，务必注意！

举个例子，比如说名人，表达很多， a famous person, a well-known person, an eminent person, a VIP, the noteable, social elite, superstar, star, the big names, celebrity. 太多了。你干吗要抱住一个famous 不放呀。

但是这里要提醒大家注意，很多词的shades of meaning 的不一样的。用前请查字典。 乱用不如不用！

5. 用词－用法正确。

最近看作文的时候发现，更多CDer 开始用比较sophisticated 的词。这本来是一个好事。不过看到大家的用法乱七八糟，实在头疼。据我估计，大多数词是用词霸上面查来的。那个词霸，如果你就这样用，请你还是把它卸载了吧。一定要查字典。最好是longman. 尤其是动词！

举个例子吧：比如说这样一个句子。水果富含维生素，肉类富含蛋白质。

Fruits are rich in Vitamins. And proteins abound in various meats. 大家注意，同样是富含， be rich in 跟abound 的句式是完全不一样的！

最后如果你能做到以上几点，6.0，想说拒绝不容易！

强调一下：不欢迎任何不注明来自chasedream的转贴！！！！同时请写全名，不要写CD。

snow_mountain

写于2004年8月20日

1T 677+6心经

2005-07-14T10:57:00.000+08:00

发信人: yanyanzizi (安安), 信区: EnglishTest
标 题: 1T 677+6心经
发信站: 北大未名站 (2005年03月10日10:02:03 星期四), 站内信件

拿到成绩已经快一周了，思绪终于渐渐尘埃落定，可以跟大家分享了。虽然无数的人
说，T成绩不重要，也可能很多xdjm不在乎拿太高的分，但我还是来抛点砖。毕竟，把一
件事情做到完美，这本身就是一种享受，而它有多大的实际效用，反倒不那么重要了。
言归正传。
我是提前两个月开始准备的，中间也有很多打岔，总体说来没有花太多时间。但这并
不仅仅因为自己底子好。时间对于每个人都太宝贵了。我也明白，对于申请来说，t固然
不可或缺，专业课成绩3.7+却也至关重要。1T和期末考试时间重合，时间管理就显得至
关
重要。这也就是我认为自己做得最成功的地方。
复习开始之前，自我分析是最重要的，这样才能保证时间花在刀刃上。我没有上过新
东方，没怎么看过人家的复习计划，甚至连复习资料都没买，全是借的或者down的。因
为
书啊人家的经验啊都不是最有用的。自己才是取胜的关键。
在第一次模考之后我发现自己的听力退步很大，居然错了10个以上。阅读和语法问题
都不大，但是单词还是要加强。另外作文绝对是个难点。btw，我之前没有考g。所以我
的
重点放在单词、作文和听力上。就听力来说，长段子没有问题，错都错在短段子上，所
以
专门练短段子。
了解了弱点以后就是坚持不懈的练习。我平均一天花在t上的时间不会超过2小时，但
是关键在于每天坚持。而且一定要把时间花在最有空间突破的地方.
听力短对话一般只需要十多分钟，我每天听一套，听完以后把错了的地方重新听一次
甚至几次，加起来也就半小时。坚持15天就会有显著改善（每个人可能有不同，但是两
周
以内没有显著改善都是正常的）。
然后是单词.我十分赞成老俞"少量多次"的原则.王玉梅的书,我每天背2 lists,只花
半小时的时间,再花1刻钟把以前的单词复习一下.我把记不住的单词抄在小本本上.本本
的
左边是单词,右边是意思.本本揣在兜里,随时拿出来翻翻.
作文用的是许轶的<挑战托福作文满分>.强烈推荐.先抽空把前面的理论看了.然后每
天看1-2篇范文,把觉得好的词句记下来.然后马上写,一定控制在30分钟,一定把这一天在
范文里看到的好用法用进去.另外,好词好句也不用记多.挑自己最喜欢的,每篇文章都用,
用成习惯.特别是书里的"必杀技",挑一两个练透,就可以了.
另外,说说阅读吧.阅读对于我是一个optional.有空的时间才做.原则就是快.55分钟
一套的题,我要求自己30-40分钟做完,强迫自己找key words,文章都不看完的.这样考试
的
时候才有余地,因为考试的时候必然比平时慢.
上面的时间加起来,不到两个小时.有空的时候,再做做其他的,比如自己总结一下听力
习语,练练语法阅读.
总结一下我的安排.根据我自己的情况,每天必做的事情是听力短对话,单词,作文.有
时间的时候(一般一周一次)做整套的题,然后总结,重点依然在听力和作文上.总体上说,
题
海战术是根本,真题比什么都好.听力求精,阅读求泛求快,作文形成自己的模式,语法大家
问题都不大.然后托福就搞定了.
祝大家都好运
--

1T成绩667+5.5的考试报告

2005-07-14T10:56:00.000+08:00

  1T成绩667+5.5的考试报告
先来报告一下成绩  ：667（68+68+64）+5.5TWE，虽然不完美，但还令人满意。之前在
寄托上发过一篇文章，简要的写了一下考试T的体会和经验，可是几天下来大家的反应一
点都不热烈，我也就提不起劲头来写点更详细东东。但是昨天一上线，一下子开到了好
几封回的帖子，口气都是很急切的，所以义不容辞，当然得把我原本想好要写的东西赶
出来了。
我是04年9月到10月在东方上的加强班，是周末上课的那种。不过一开始很不认真，我们
是周末的课，老师会留很多作业，但我好像老是不急。就是因为一开始没抓紧，后来才
很紧张的。因为很多一块儿准备的同学是11月考，他们没考我总觉得不急，所以真正是
从11月21号才开始的。不过当我真正开始复习以后，量却很大，而且效率比较高。我说
这些的目的就是想告诉大家，即使有的同学时间紧张，也完全没必要担心这个问题，最
重要的是效率。还有一个更极端的例子，我一个在南大的同学，也就是四级的底子，八
月报的班，之前根本没碰过红宝书，但是两个多月的准备，仍然在G中考出了1470+5.5的
变态分数，凭借的就是他对时间的充分利用。
下面是正体，说一下我的复习策略。
1 单词。
说到准备英语，大家最先想到的恐怕都是单词吧，按照东方老师的说法，托福不需要外
界传说的8000~10000的单词量，7000甚至再少一点，6000个核心词汇就够了。但是对于
我四级的4500这个水平，仍然需要一个飞跃。
背单词我用的是王玉梅的那本书，另外值得推荐的还有张红岩和李笑来主编的两本。小
梅的是三本之中最厚的，当然背起来也最困难。我完整的背了三遍。一开始背单词也没
什么方法，还是以前一样死记硬背的记拼写，记发音，平均一天两个LIST，速度还可以
。但是一个礼拜之后的复习发现了问题，认识的是那些原来就会的，而生词依然还是不
认识。但是我也买什么办法，只好觉着“大概大家第一遍都是这个样子吧”来安慰自己
。还好，这时候上了古典的一节单词公开课，让我在背单词上慢慢“上道了”。硬生生
的背单词不仅痛苦，而且效果不好，解决的办法是把单词变成一个个有意义的意象，就
是把一个孤立的单词变成一个故事来记。举个例子好理解一点：puddle,小水坑，我一开
始觉得这个词根本就没法记，后来突发奇想，put是“推”，puddle,“推进水坑”，然
后水坑这个意思就记住了，并且不容易忘掉。再来一个，castigation,训斥、惩罚的意
思，我就拆成了cast + gate ,cast是“投”的意思，gate是门，连起来就是扔到门口，
自然是不喜欢，那就是“训斥、鞭打”了。当然不是每个单词都能编出来，有些词我盯
着看十分钟都想不出来办法，但是大多数还是可以的，大家感兴趣可以试试，编的方法
互相也可以交流一下。
2 听力。
大家似乎都对我的听力经验特别有兴趣，不知道是不是因为我听力是满分的缘故。这并
不是靠我底子好什么的，因为几项之中，听力上我下的功夫无疑是最多的。
论坛上的很多文章里，大牛们都给大家推荐一定要泛听，什么电影啦，discovery,
national geographic之类的，坚持一定没问题。话绝对是真理，但是时间却是个大问题
。考T的许多人都有自己的一摊子事儿，哪有那些闲情逸致呢？所以以我自己的经历跟大
家说，听力以真题为主就成了，如果时间特别紧，甚至只听真题都没什么问题。
但是听真题也很讲究方法。这里强烈推荐许扬老师的“听抄+跟读”。听抄是说在做题时
不光是听题，还要把听到的内容全部都写下来，这是为了培养从声音到视觉的直接反应
。跟读有点类似于在练口语，但更重要的是增强了对常出现的词的敏感，几乎形成了条
件反射。当然这两项工作都是十分好时间的，我一般听抄一套题，得花三个小时或者更
多的时间，跟读就更慢了，因为要尽量的模仿，一上午都搭进去也未必能读完一套题。
但是这真的是值得的，我在跟读过两套题之后，小对话题的正确率明显提高，由之前错4
~5锐减到了三个之内，而口语提高则可以看作是意外的收获。另外还要强烈推荐的是邱
政政的听力突破，这套软件是为托福听力量身定做的，针对性非常强，虽然以老题为主
，但是许多思路、常用词组在新题中仍是屡见不鲜的出题点，大家可以用它来进行有针
对性的专项训练。
将这两项工作完成，我相信技术上你就不会再有什么问题。但离拿满分还有距离，这就
是我下面想说的，对听力更重要的问题，——注意力。我的很多同学听力不理想，不是
因为听不懂，而是坚持不了那半个小时，尤其是到了每个部分最后几道题，精力根本没
法集中。这是取得高分的最大障碍。我的办法是，半个小时一点神儿都不走又难度，但
我只要一听到磁带中念“No xxx”,就得立刻全神贯注于题目上，很有效。这点非常关键
，希望大家能多加练习。
3 语法。
相信大家如果是科班出身，语法都没什么大问题。我第一次做题，就只错了两个。但做
到全队却也不太容易，有点像是GRE考试中的数学，800不难，但不是每个人都能。
因此，语法强烈推荐新东方的笔记，要多看笔记，上面很多都是针对托福的出题点作的
总结，非常之精辟。真题也要反复做，至少五遍吧，学会总结错题，找到自己的弱点，
工作比较琐碎，但得不厌其烦。而且必须得细心，不要太急着为后面的阅读跨区，保证
全对更重要，因为语法的错题有时扣分会比较多。
4 阅读。
我的阅读没有起那两项分数高，所以说起话来好像底气也没那么足。
首先拿我的教训来给大家引以为戒。究竟错了几道阅读，3、4还是5，我也不太确定，但
我确定我至少错了两道词汇题。虽然大家一致反映今年1T的词汇题偏难，但还是有自己
的原因。我自信小梅的书我背得还是不错的，那么问题出在哪个环节上呢？应该就是对
词根词缀的把握不好，尤其是词根。虽然托福对词汇量要求没那么苛刻，但想要轻轻松
松的一个生词都不碰到也有点小看ETS了，所以，在碰到没见过的词时，要学会自己去拆
词，然后推断它的意思。我印象很深刻，这次考试有一个词是：supersede, super 有超
过的意思，s(c)ede 有走路的意思，连起来就是走过去，从一个东西的上面走过去，应
该有代替的意思，但我当时不知道，就稀里糊涂的带进原文，选了一个什么“加强”之
类的破意思，现在想起来真是遗憾哪！
其他类型的题目，强烈推荐大家使用东方老师给总结的题型，以及相应的解决方法，一
定得利用起来，尤其是细节体，我记得最清楚的就是：“细节题一定不能选一个推断题
的答案”。还有就是，建议大家在掐着时间作完题后，最好能精读一下文章。托福许多
文章有相似的背景知识，了解了它们对以后做题很有帮助。
5 作文。
满打满算，我作文准备了最多一个月，完整写了的也不太多，十几篇吧，但几乎每一篇
的思路都想了，所以上考场之前心理比较有底儿。如果大家觉得每篇都写提纲也很费时
间，可以去笑来的网站，上头有185篇的思路和部分地范文。
6 模考。
建议不要强度太大，我当时在模考时，因为时间的缘故，最多时一天做过三套题，加作
文。其实我觉得最好的就是一周做三套，一天做，第二天总结，一周在总复习一下，比
较合理。另外，最好能找个伙伴一块儿干这件事，除了不寂寞，在成绩不理想的时候还
能互相找找安慰，呵呵。下面写一个关于考试的东西——失眠，我想大家可能会比较关
心吧。我很丢人，考前失眠了，无缘无故，其实这么说不对，肯定还是紧张，大概得三
点多才睡着，六点半又起来了。不过从结果看，似乎没那么严重。所以大家尽可以放心
，即使头天没睡好，考场上绝对不会困，状态也不受什么影响，我还在论坛上看到过这
么一篇帖子,说“失眠是考试考好的必要条件！”，呵呵。
7 其他。
虽然已经写了很多，不知道大家有没有觉得烦了，但我还有一些话想对大家说。准备托
福，学习英语，毫无疑问，都是一个非常痛苦的过程，可是我相信在这份痛苦中我们是
可以找到快乐的。
首先是培养对英语的兴趣，不是为了，或者不仅是为了考试而学习，还能从中体会到这
门语言的美好。英语是一门特别形象的语言，举个例子，想表达某A反映了某B，reflect
是低等表达，用mirror是不是特有画面感？再来，托福阅读中有一篇，说a问题存在掩盖
了b问题的严重性，用的是eclipse,形象立刻就跃然纸上了。不知道大家是不是有点感觉
，而对英语少了些反感？
另外，选择了这条路就是选择了远方，有高的回报当然也得有高的代价。不过我想说，
出国决不是天堂，更不是终点，我们在以后的人生道路上还会遇到比现在大得多的困难
，而且很可能得独自面对，一个人解决。所以得学会坚强，忍耐是被动的，更非长久之
计，找到突破口，来享受这个别人看来苦哈哈的生活才是更高的境界，呵呵，我也还没
有做到呢，但咱们共同努力吧！

让你听力在几分钟内提高1/3

2005-07-13T04:37:00.000+08:00

1.坚决以真题为材料，不要把战线拉得过长
没有完全了解和熟悉真题前，不要去听friends，voa，空中美语，等，特别是不要听疯狂
英语。也许我得能力不够，依照我看疯狂英语要是你能听懂2/3，那么你听力已经不是一般
水平了，何况疯狂英语里词汇杂乱，习语众多，试问你手头是否有一本习语字典？

如果没有，说明你连这个概念都没有，又如何要求自己去听懂呢，类似字典我buy过，便宜
，小小的，基本有三万个，如果你打算成为英语学家，你可以去看（起码看三次以上），
所以你能够熟悉所有真题，耳熟能详，就已经算是功力高深了，千万不要好高骛远。

3.多背点单词，特别是名词
建议大家把红宝书上的所有名词背一下

7.多点激情，不要没有目的的傻听
我主张精听，少泛听，特别是傻坐着，以为带着耳机听到耳朵疼就出效果了，你如果没有
激情，不去想想对话的场景，我在什么时候可以使用，那么还不如去做语法和阅读，毕竟
时间有限，你指望24小时融入一个全英文的环境，消磨母语影响，那是不可能的，因为你
出在的不是一个视觉的英语环境，我认为视觉英语环境很重要，比方一篇讲浮游生物的对
话，你能指望着听1000次就明白是讲什么么？如果有人拿着瓶子和显微镜给你看，恐怕他
说一次你就可以知道是什么意思，视觉对于语言是很重要的。所以你不要希望听磁带和MP
3次数多了就可以达到融会贯通的境界－不可能。

TOEFL阅读

2005-07-13T04:29:00.000+08:00

1000个阅读精选词汇很有用

第一次T过期了，第二次去的时候根本来不及准备，当天晚上把这
1000个词看了3遍，最后阅读66

新东方的方法（我记得的）
1、第一题如果是主体题，先不做，做完全部这个文章的题，再回头来做
2、有文章扫描法等，中心思想是：看每段第一句话（或最后一句话）
然后了解文章的大意
3、题目的顺序与文章中出现的顺序95%一致，也就是说可以看题，在
原文找答案。

黄璇：TOEFL听力备考策略

2005-07-13T04:23:00.000+08:00

标  题: 黄璇：TOEFL听力备考策略
发信站: 饮水思源 (2002年01月03日22:08:02 星期四), 站内信件


　　大家都知道“庖丁解牛”的故事，在解剖筋骨盘结的牛时，庖丁之所以能够游刃有
余，关键在于他对牛的结构纹理已了然于心。世间的事物虽然复杂，但只要能够顺乎其
自然规律去做，便可迎刃而解，对于考试来说，这一道理也是适用的，每一种考试都有
它的独特性，同是英语考试，GRE与TOEFL判若云泥，而TOEFL又与六级有很大的差别，所
以，在我第一次接触TOEFL的时候，我首先看了看关于TOEFL的介绍，了解它的构成。接
着丝毫未作准备就划出一段时间做了两次模拟考试，虽然成绩惨不忍睹（特别是听力部
分，基本上是还没反应过来人家就已经说完了），但是我却获得了一个对TOEFL的鲜明的
感性认识。我知道了它的考试规则，知道了哪里是自己最薄弱的环节，从而有针对性地
制定复习计划，而不是盲目行动。在做题的过程中，随着对TOEFL的了解不断深化，掌握
了它的一些固有规律与特性，我也深化了对自己掌握知识的能力及规律的认识，从而不
断调整、完善自己的学习方式。
　　考虑到自身的实际情况，我把复习重点放在了听力部分，听力的重点又放在最难对
付的长对话和段子上。考试前的两个月，我给自己创造了一个小小的英语环境，不学习
的时候，比如吃饭、洗漱时，我也常常放一些英文歌曲和美国电影，有意无意地听着，
以培养自己的语感。落实到学习，我采用了精听和泛听相结合的方法。
　

　　要轻松地对付TOEFL听力，必须把自己的听力水平从听懂字句的层次提高到获取信息
量的层次上。在听的过程中，不要竭力去弄懂每一个单词是什么意思，更不能一边听一
边翻译。在刚开始练听力的时候，这是很难做到的，有一个办法就是经常去听你感兴趣
的东西，这样你的重点就会放在它的内容上了，抓住材料的中心意思是最重要的，这一
点尤其适用于长的对话和段落。

　　要及时根据语速调整所听材料，开始时慢一点的没关系，但不能一直停留于此阶段
，可以逐渐地加快速度。以前，TOEFL的语速让我受不了，特别是新题的速度。然而经过
一段艰苦的充满了挫折感的自我训练后，我发现自己开始适应快的速度，反而是慢悠悠
的速度让我受不了了。

Materials

2005-07-13T04:22:00.000+08:00

单词：考过g的不要，没有考过的用托福词频

真体：新东方的真体95.8-2000.1（磁带加书）＋新体00.5，00.8，01.01，01.05（网上）

作文：新东方作文分册＋twe填空式作文法

软件：新东方托福3CD（推荐听力和语法部分）

其它网上资料：托福听力词组，托福习语，新东方托福复习笔记

足够复习用了。考过g的同学一个月复习时间太多，3周足以。

听力经验

2005-07-13T04:05:00.000+08:00

要找出听力差的原因，是听的少还是单词量少，还是读的少，还是发音不准。
如果听的少，就要多听，如果单词量小，就先去背单词，单词量小，会在听
的时候，遇到大量听不懂的东东，当然影响听的效果。如果单词量不小，比
如，在事后看一下原文，发现大量都是熟悉的单词，但整句话理解有困难，
或者理解比较慢，那么应该加大读的量。让自己熟悉英文的说法和说话思路。
另外，在提高单词量的同时，必须注意单词的正确发音，这样才能确实保证
在听到会的单词时，能把她辨别出来。
关于加大读的量，经常练习快速阅读，可以帮助听力的提高。

发信人: stautshi (活宝师弟A), 信区: EnglishTest
标题: Re: 大家指导一下了！！真诚请教清华的大哥，大姐
发信站: BBS 水木清华站 (Tue Dec 24 23:50:34 2002), 转信

听力如何进步呢？

大家都想要速成的方法。

很多人都把过去的题目听了又听，但是，那样做的结果
以前的题目你是熟悉了，如果听得多点，再加看原文。
但是托福考试每次的听力题目不一样啊，怎么办呢？

我推荐英语高级听力，可以很容易搜索到它的mp3
136.2就有，而且有一定的原文，这原文好在什么地方呢？
大家都能听懂的地方，写得很完整，但是难听懂的地方
原文就写得不全，需要你自己去补
它的难度我觉得比托福或者新概念4都难，甚至比水平2都难
因为它主要是80年代美国时政的东西，而且是大段大段的词。
为什么推荐难度高一点的呢？
一个简单的道理，要提高，就得超越自己原来的水平
那么找难一点的，踮起脚，或者要跳一跳，才能够到的苹果
那样才能有挑战和效果。

实际听的时候，可以这样
每天，听2段，争取把难度高的部分都听清楚，写下来
第2天复习，这很重要。
学语言很奇怪的现象就是你睡了一觉以后对某些东西会觉得豁然贯通
坚持到1月13，14号，改听托福听力，你就乐去吧

关于新东方TOEFL全真20题
关于这本书的问题，两年来一直存在。看来有必要发帖说明一下。

这本书，根本就不是全真题 （也不是把历年的真体打乱重排的）。这本书，是当时新东方

和ETS打官司时，情急之下想出的招术（ETS说新东方盗版，但是他们就几天之内弄了这么

个东西出来，说看，根本就不一样，哪来盗版一说……）

所以，从它的产生过程我们知道了，这个东西和真题的差距是很大的。而且大家的反应都

是觉得很奇怪，总是错等等。和真题不同的练习，会混淆大家对TOEFL的感觉，这是对准备

考试不利的。

新东方老师的建议，是根本不要理会那个《新东方TOEFL全真试题20套》。所以，各位以后

请抛开这个不实用的材料，以历年真题为依据。

希望这个可以澄清大家对这本书的疑惑，祝各位得到好成绩，并祝大家，在学业上有所成

就，以后的工作上能一展身手！

一回贴：
No.5
听力不错的，其他不用看的

把95.8-2000.5那本东西
的听力做五遍，你就无敌了。
高懂每一道题。          最后找一两套最新题热热手。

为什么做五遍？
因为尤其是初学者，
前两遍可能还处于找感觉的状态。
开始可能很痛苦，
或者说做一段时间出现了低潮。
坚持住。
等你做到第三遍，就开始融会贯通了。

我自己当时比较忙，只做了一半。
但是从学英语的道理讲，是一样的。

功夫不负有心人，只要你肯做有心人，一定没问题。

时间分配：注意听力连续做1个半小时就要休息
         再做下去就没效率了（前人的经验）劳逸结合
         每天三小时，早上一次晚上一次。平常回味一下。
         30天就有奇效。并不是说你可以拖到只剩一个月的时候
         早动手，后面你可能很烦，需要放松。

CAPRICORN TODAY

2005-04-24T16:25:00.000+08:00

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 - Jan 19): Your future is up in the air and there doesn't seem much you can do to bring it back down to earth. It's not that you don't know what's happening. You've struggled to figure it out, and now that you do know the score, you just don't know how to make it all work. Letting go of control doesn't mean that you've failed. In fact, letting go at the right time can be an artful act of grace.

　　生活中其实没有绝境。绝境在于你自己的心没有打开。你把自己的心封闭起来，使它陷于一片黑暗，你的生活怎么可能有光明！封闭的心，如同没有窗户的房间，你会处在永恒的黑暗中。但实际上四周只是一层纸，一捅就破，外面则是一片光辉灿烂的天空。
　　——俞敏洪

人生最重要的价值是心灵的幸福，而不是任何身外之物。
　　——俞敏洪

艰难困苦是幸福的源泉，安逸享受是苦难的开始。
　　——俞敏洪

一个人生活中的失意乃至失败在很大程度上来说是心理的而不是现实的，是技术性的而不是宿命的。现实至多为失败者提供了解脱的借口，而对宿命的信仰最终无情地扑灭了成功的任何希望。
　　——王强

Argument: Hiparia's air pollution

2005-04-20T00:24:00.000+08:00

Until recently, people in Hiparia did most of their shopping by driving to shopping malls. They are beginning, however, to do more of their shopping ordering merchandise from mail-order catalogs and the Internet. These purchases are delivered to them by mail or by a delivery service. For many purchases, Hiparians no longer need to drive to and from shopping malls; there will therefore be a resulting reduction in the consumption of vehicle fuel in Hiparia.

The speaker claims that people on Hiparia are beginning to do most of their shopping through mail-order catalogs and the Internet. Hence the consumption of vehicle fuel in Hiparia shall be reduced due to the less frequent driving activies. However, there are several fallacies in the argument.

Firstly, the speaker shows no proof about the variance of shopping preference of Hiparia residents. The speaker should at least provide some statistical evidence to support his judgement.

Secondly, the speaker assumes that Hiparia residents used to go shopping by cars. It is all possible that there are numerous malls and supermarkets so that it is very convenient for the residents to buy what they want. In this case, the residents could choose to walk to the shops instead of driving a private car. It is also possible that the residents enjoy an advanced public transportation which are both reliable and inexpensive. Hence they would prefer to go to malls by bus or subway. If either of the two conditions is satidfied, the speaker can by no means draw the conclusion that Hiparians would drive to the malls less freaquently, because the frequency could have been very little several years before.

Thirdly, even if Hiparians used to rely on the cars to go shopping heavily, and the new means of shopping has changed the situation, it is all possible that Hiparians use the saved time to travel other places, or visit each other more frequently. In this case, the usage of cars would not be reduced.

Fourthly, the speaker assumes that private cars are the main source of pollution in Hiparia. However, the truth might be not this case. Suppose Hiparia is a main transporation portal, a lot of big trucks, trains, and planes go to and from Hiparia, and the number of private cars are relatively rather little, even if Hiparian drive cars less frequently, any increase in other main sources of consumption would worsen the air significantly.

Last but not least, even if private cars are the main source of consumption of vehicle fuel, and Hiparia uses cars less frequently, they cannot prevent visitors from other places of the world. Suppose that Hiparia becomes a new tourist attraction, the strikingly increasing outsides can bring a lot of consumption. Unless the speaker provide evidence to preclude such possibility, he cannot safely draw the conclusion.

To sum up, the speaker has committed several major logic errors which have been pointed out in this essay, she should therefore provide more examples to support her position.

"Wisdom is rightfully attributed not to people who know what to look for in life but to people who know what to overlook."

2005-04-19T23:52:00.000+08:00

"Wisdom is rightfully attributed not to people who know what to look for in life but to people who know what to overlook."

Even though there are numerous definitions of wisdom, few could really tell its actual meaning. The statement is very interesting in that it points out something counterintuitive. I agree with the speaker insofar that knowing what to overlook in life signals wisdome. However, it is also very important to know what to look for in life.

Wisdom involves knowing clearly what to do. In my opinion, wisdom means doing things right and doing right things; it means both a good sense of direction, and a good manipulation of detailed strategies and operations. A person of wisdom would frequently reflect upon her schedule, aim at his ultimate goals, and come out solutions to various problems she encounters. A person without a clear direction do things as if walking in a desert without a compass. She tends to gain less with double efforts. Few would doubt that Sun Wu -- an ancient China military strategist -- is a man of extraordinary wisdom. One of his important lessons is:"You can never be defeated as long as you know clearly about yourself and your enemy." By doing the reflection upon themselves and inspection of peer army, Sun's army succeeded in most of wars they were involved.

To be able to have a clear direction in an constanly changing environment, a would-be wise person has to overlook those things which are insignificant or even totally irrelevant. In this age, mankind has achieved unprecedented progress in civilization, it is a undenying fact that we are realizing what Albert Einstein once predicted, "perfection of means, and confusion of goals." We are obsessed in the fussy things, and usually diviating from our global objectives.

We do this sometimes because others are doing the same things, and the peer pressure leads us to purchase the ''trend" blindly. A modern enterprise, for example, has to face challenges, big or small, and thus adjust it strategies. Once everybody was talking about "E-commerce", so companies put multi-million-investment into construction and management of web-based services. People believed that "E" means success, and a clever CEO should not stand by the tide. However, few won the battle, only because they forgot the best thing that a company can do is to make profit. When they hasted to equip their products and services with Internet, they were ignorant of what really make sense. Those who succed in applying E-commerce are clever in that they know that it can really enhance their profitability.

We are obsessed with trivials things sometimes because of the reluctance to overcome external temptations. Even if we have set our goals, and do our things step by steps, we tend to be temped to satisfy our temptory desires while sacrifice things that are more important for us. A would-be wise person can resist such temptations, and concerntrate on his cause regardless of external interuptions. Issac Newton, for instance, established his classical physics theory when there was a terrible disaster all over Europe. Even though Newton could choose to sink to the world of despair, his wisdom helped him out of this.

To summarize, wisdom means both knowing what to look for, and what to overlook. When we keep track of the main issues in our life, and neglect the less significant ones, we are one-step nearer to wise people.

Words

2005-04-19T23:03:00.000+08:00

Impose

v. im·posed, im·pos·ing, im·pos·es

v.tr.

1. To establish or apply as compulsory; levy: impose a tax.

2. To apply or make prevail by or as if by authority: impose a peace settlement. See Synonyms at dictate.

3. To obtrude or force (oneself, for example) on another or others.

4. Printing To arrange (type or plates) on an imposing stone.

5. To offer or circulate fraudulently; pass off: imposed a fraud on consumers.

v.intr.

To take unfair advantage: You are always imposing on their generosity.

Did you think, child, because you have been able to impose upon your father, that you could impose upon me? The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Fielding, Henry View in context
This was especially to be remarked if any one attempted to impose upon, or domineer over, his favourite: he was painfully jealous lest a word should be spoken amiss to him; seeming to have got into his head the notion that, because he liked Heathcliff, all hated, and longed to do him an ill-turn. Wuthering Heights by Bronte, Emily View in context
Such a strain of shallow artifice could not impose even upon Catherine. Northanger Abbey by Austen, Jane View in context

Reading

2005-04-19T11:12:00.000+08:00

Ostensibly a graphic artist--relentlessly lettering and cartooning, filling surfaces with sketchy forms, and using color, if at all, mainly to fill in drawn shapes--he is in fact a painter to the core, always concerned with a picture's physical character and immediate impact.

Ostensibly a graphic artist -- relentelessly lettering and cartooning, filling surfaces with sketchy forms, and using color, if at all, mainly to fill in drawn shapes -- he is in fact a painter to the core, always concerned with a picture's physical character and immediate impact.

You can't learn to do this stuff. It's about talent, served by commensurate desire and concentration--and joy.

You can't learn to do this stuff. It's about talent, served by commensurate desire and concentration -- and joy.

Definitions

2005-04-15T23:01:00.000+08:00

A conviction is also a strong belief in something.

Omnibus Words

2005-04-13T23:31:00.000+08:00

We have all experienced a certain optimism immediately after acquiring something we've wanted --- a good feeling that we are only one-step closer to becoming who we want to be. However, in my experience this sense of optimism is ephemeral, invariably giving way to diappointment that the purchase did not live up to its implicit promise.

So I ask you to hear me now. It is one thing to believe that the federal government has too much power and to work within the law to reduce it. It is quite another to break the law of the land and threaten to shoot officers of the law if all they do is their duty to uphold it.

It is one thing to believe we are taxed too much and work to reduce the tax burden. It is quite another to refuse to pay your taxes, though your neighbor pays his. It is one thing to believe we are over-regulated and to work to lessen the burden of regulation. It is quite another to slander our dedicated public servants, our brave police officers, even our rescue workers who have been called a hostile army of occupation.

This is a very free country. Those of you in the militia movements have broader rights here than you would in any other country in the entire world.

However, we should be careful not to confuse this license to interpret history, which is needed for any historian to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of it, with artistic license. The latter should be reserved for dramatists, novelists, and poets. It is one thing to 48 attempt to explain historical evidence; it is quite another to invent evidence for the sake of creating a more interesting story or to bolster one's own point of view.

War and Peace

2005-04-13T11:46:00.000+08:00

The United Nations is the latest and most comprehensive attempt to, as stated in the preamble of the U.N. Charter (http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter), "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war".

Interconnectedness

2005-04-13T11:35:00.000+08:00

Interconnectedness is one of many concepts gaining popularity as part of the terminology of a worldview which sees a oneness in all things. A similar term, interdependence, is sometimes used instead, although there are slightly different connotations. Both terms tend to refer to the idea that all things are of a single underlying substance and reality, and that there is no true separation deeper than appearances. Some feel that 'interconnectedness' and similar terms are part of a contemporary lexicon of mysticism, which is based on the same core idea of universal oneness.

Musicians

2005-04-13T10:49:00.000+08:00

J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Handel, Haydn, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi

Haydn: In many ways Franz Joseph Haydn, the quintessential composer of the period of eighteenth century Enlightenment, is the father of modern music. The forms that he brought to their first perfection are at the center of all ensuing musical thought: the symphony, string quartet, and piano sonata. Haydn was warmly known as "Papa" by his orchestra at the Esterhazy Court where he worked for a good deal of his life, but he has become known as Papa Haydn to us all.

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827); Ger.
Ludwig Van Beethoven is certainly on any short list of the greatest composers. Like all supreme artists, this is not for his prodigious technical gifts alone, but for the depth of human experience and emotion that his music explores and the universality of its message. Beethoven's struggles with his own fate and deafness are embodied in music that fearlessly continued to evolve throughout his life. His continued searching for deeper musical, philosophical and emotional truths brings to mind artists such as Shakespeare and Michelangelo.

It has been observed that Bach's melodies are harmonically conceived and his harmonies melodically conceived. This is a pithy way of saying that the music of Johann Sebastian Bach is the culmination of not only the Baroque era, but the Renaissance as well. The Baroque era began as a reaction against the highly refined and intellectual Flemish contrapuntal style that is the essence of the high Renaissance. Early Baroque opera led to our modern concept of harmony by declaring the primacy of a single melodic line supported by chords designated by a figured bass. The concept of melody with harmonic accompaniment was the beginning of thinking about harmony and harmonic progressions as an important entity and not just the by-product of intersecting lines. Two hundred and fifty years later, Schumann, great student of Bach that he was, would declare that in the chess game of music melody is the queen but the game depends on harmony, the king.

The piano music of Frédéric Chopin is among the most original and influential work of the nineteenth century. With Chopin we leave the world of the eighteenth century piano completely and enter a new realm of idiomatic writing that grows directly out of the technique of the instrument and its development that brought it close to our modern instrument in sonority.

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-97); Ger.
Johannes Brahms felt that Schubert was the last composer to be born at a truly propitious time. Brahms' artistic credo was expressed by his famous statement that, "If we can not compose as beautifully as Mozart and Haydn, let us at least try to compose as purely." It is perhaps the conviction that he had come too late to be truly on on a level with those he most admired and understood that gave his music its deep, reflective melancholy. Autumnal is the adjective often given to Brahms' output and it applies even to much of the music of his youth.

In many respects Brahms brings the classical-romantic continuum to an end. He felt no kinship to the "music of the future" that was the mantle of Wagner and Liszt, and throughout his life, Brahms was one of the few composers of his era interested in the classical approach to variations, sonatas, and such 18th century contrapuntal procedures as fugue and passacaglia. In the age of the bravura concerto, where the solo instrument is often merely accompanied by the orchestra, Brahms, in his Violin Concerto and two piano concertos, wrote in a truly classical manner that treats soloist and orchestra as symbiotic equals in the tradition of Mozart and Beethoven. His late Double Concerto even recalls some Baroque procedures.

Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918); Fr.
Achille-Claude Debussy was perhaps the most original musical mind at the turn of the century. While Schoënberg's serial innovations were essentially a search to replace what he considered the used up resources of tonality in order to save the great German tradition, Debussy's quiet revolution was a deeper one that questioned the very essence of western forms and thematic organization. In Debussy we have the first true elevation of sound, color, and even silence to primary compositional status. In this, he was a profound influence on composers as diverse as Bartok, Webern, and Varese. As Stravinsky stated, "The musicians of my generation and I myself, owe the most to Debussy."

Franz LISZT (1811-1886); Hung.
As pianist, composer and personality, Franz Liszt (b.1811) strides across the whole of the nineteenth century and is seminal in his influence on the twentieth. Although Liszt was born along with the first generation of romantic composers (Berlioz, Chopin, Schumann and Mendelssohn), he outlived them all to become a friend of Wagner and proponent of the "music of the future."

Felix MENDELSSOHN-Bartholdy (1809-47); Ger.

Felix Mendelssohn has sometimes been called the "classical romantic." Born in 1809 in the first generation of romantic composers, Mendelssohn's music is the most conservative of the group. If Chopin and Schumann are the Shelly and Keats of Music, then Mendelssohn is perhaps her Wordsworth, with music that is highly sensitive, refined and restrained but still filled with the poetic sensibilities of the age. When Mendelssohn died at an early age like his great colleagues, it was not from an archtypal Romantic affliction such as tuberculosis or madness, but rather from overwork and an ensuing stroke.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-91); Aus.

We might say that the Lieder informs most of Schubert and that every Tchaikovsky symphony is ripe with ballet. With Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, almost all is a sublime opera. The piano of his concertos is the protagonist be it in either an opera buffa or seria, the slow movements of his string quartets are love arias and duets, and the last movements of his piano sonatas are the denouements of high comedies. Drama is the essence of Mozart and his characters express a universality of emotion akin to the gods of classic mythology. His music moves with an unparalleled grace and unveils its truths with a suppleness and subtlety only exceeded by Nature herself. One of the greatest prodigies in music history, Mozart had the good fortune to be born in 1756 at a time when tonality and harmony in western music had evolved to a level of purity and sophistication that makes the 18th century the envy of more than one great composer born later. No less a figure than Franz Joseph Haydn had paved the way by showing the endless possibilities of the mature classical style. The less fortunate aspect of Mozart's fate was to be born to an overbearing and ambitious father anxious to exploit his son's gifts.

Franz Peter SCHUBERT (1797-1828); Aus.
Whereas Beethoven was the first composer to assert himself as independent from the constraints of the 18th century aristocracy, Franz Peter Schubert, born a generation later in 1797, was perhaps the first bohemian. The son of a school teacher, Schubert declared himself fit for nothing but composing music, and lived a modest existence with the support primarily of friends while he quietly revolutionized the art in his brief thirty-one years on earth. The first of the great Viennese composers who was actually from Vienna was barely known, except for his songs, in the city that was mad for Rossini and other more flamboyant forms of entertainment.

Robert Alexander SCHUMANN (1810-56); Ger.
There is a good case to be made that Robert Schumann is the purest embodiment of early romanticism in music.

Pyotr Ilich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-93); Ru.
The memorable melodies, strong colors and uninhibited emotionalism of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky have long made him one of the most widely popular of all composers. These same qualities have also perhaps made it harder for some critics and professionals to fully appreciate Tchaikovsky's originality and accomplishments. In these biographical essays it has been noted how the opera is at the core of Mozart and the lied is central to Schubert. With Tchaikovsky, his essence is in many ways the idealized fairy tale world of the classic ballet, and this colorful and dramatic spirit pervades much of his music, including the great symphonies.
Swan Lake, Op.20
The Sleeping Beauty, Op.66

Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741); It.
Antonio Vivaldi's nickname, "il prete rosso" (the red priest), tells us much about his character and music. Born in 1678 to one of the leading violinists of the famous St. Mark's Chapel in Venice, Vivaldi became known for his vanity, temper, and obsession with money - as well as for his intensely energized music that prefigures classical forms, romantic virtuosity, and 19th century program music.

Expressions

2005-04-12T20:54:00.000+08:00

Several examples from the literature serve to illustrate this point.

Firstly, as my exprience as a student, faculty who have are actively engaged in their field come to class with fresh insights and a contagious excitement about the subject at hand. ... thereby sparking interest, and even motivating some students to pursue this field as a career.

Experience in the field can help a profession ferret out cutting-edge and controversial issues -- which might be appropriate subjects for research and publication.

I agree with the spealer insofat as that a practical, pragmatic approach toward our endeavors can help us to survive in the short term However, idealism is just as crucial if not more so -- for long-term success in any field, whether it is in academics, business, or political and social reform.

But is this approach the only way to succeed academically? Certainly not.

... Thus although the idealist-student might sacrifice a high overall grade average, the depth of knowledge, acedemic desipline, and sense of purpose the student gains shall serve that student well later in life.

Emphatically, no.

Admittedly, the everyday machination of business are very much about meeting short-term mundane goals...

Yet underpinning theses activities are the vision of the company's cheif executive-- a vision which might extend far beyond mere profit maximization to the ways in which the firm can make a lasting and meaningful contribution to the community, to the broad economy, and to the society as a whole.Without a dream or vision, a company can easily be cast about in the sea of commerce without clear direction, threatening not only the firm's bottomline, but also its very survival.

Consider idealists such as ..., Had this idealists concern themselves with short-term survival and immediate needs rather notions of an ideal society , the United States and Indian might still be the British colonies,and African-Americans might still be relegated to the backs of buses.

In short, the statement fails to recognize idealism -- keep an eye on an ultimate prize -- is surest path to long-term success in any endeavor.

Famous People & Forgetable Individuals

2005-04-12T20:42:00.000+08:00

Profound scientific inventions and discoveries of the past are nearly all attributable not to forgetable groups of people but to certain key individuals -- for example, Copernicus, Newton, Edison, Einstein, Curie, and of course Gutenburg.

Histroies inform us that groups rally only when incited and inspired by key individuals.

To sum up, with few historical exceptions, history is shaped by key individuals, not by nameless, faceless groups. It is the famous few that provide vision of the future, visions which groups then bring to fruition.

Text reconstrction: Asian-American Students

2005-04-10T10:56:00.000+08:00

The educational achievements of Asian Americans have recently generated much publicity. News articles have repeatedly directed our attention to the outstanding academic success of this group. For example, we read of the disproportionately large number of Asian Americans reaching the finals of the prestigious Westinghouse Science Talent Search and of others who, despite having to catch up in English, become high school or college valedictorians. It has also been reported that Asians as a group has the highest score on the math section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test while taking rate higher than any other group.....

The extraordinary success some Asian Americans are enjoying in a few areas has created the misconception of an exemplary minority and has detracted from a need to accurately assess the costs and sacrifices for those who manage to reach such high levels of achievement.
----------------------------------------------------------------

There are important social remifications as well. This deficiency contributes, for instance, to the tendency of Asian Americans to isolate themselves by socializing only with those who speak their own languages. It also increases the reluctance to take advantage of student services and participate in social activities. And, finally, the lack of adequate communication skills will be a tremendous handicap when they enter the job market.

It is clear that not all Asian-American college students are under-prepared in English. But fot those who are, limited proficiency in English exacerbates the alienation and culture margination that many Asian Americans feel to a degree. The college campus, after all, is a cultural environment that is vastly different from that of an average Asian-American home. Adjusting to campus life -- from norms regarding male/female relationships to the food served in the cafeteria -- is thus more difficult for them than for traditional white students. The dissimilarity between the two cultures, however, is more subtle than can be deduced from behavioral patterns.

Text Reconstruction: Remembering Information

2005-04-10T10:45:00.000+08:00

When it comes to remembering information, the structure or the organization of the information helps. What relationship does this have to learning? In part it means that acquiring information also means learning how the information is organized. How information is connected is probably as important as the information itself.

How can this be true? Let's take a personal example. Consider your birth date and today's date as two imaginary time line. One point indicates that you were born, the other indicates that you are still alive. In true, niether of these facts is particularly interesting in and of itself. What makes you life interesting is what connects these two facts -- all the dots or events on the line that links these two dates. The same analogy can be made for information. Two facts in isolation are not very interesting or informative. It is how the facts that are connected that is significant.

It may seem impossible, but the more you already have stored in your brain, the easier it is to store more. This is true because you are able to make appropriate connections between what you know and what you want to know.

Useful Expressions

2005-04-07T21:06:00.000+08:00

In terms of documenting collections, we cannot emphasize too strongly.
the importance of setting down information clearly, concisely and. consistently. ...

There is no denying that the qualities of our living has gone from bad to worse.

It is universally acknoledged that trees are indispensible to us.

So precious is the time that we cannot afford to waste it.

Rich as country is, our qualities of living are by no means satisfactory.

It is time the authorities concerned took proper steps to solve the traffic problem.

It pays to help others.

We should spare no efforts to beautify our environment.

The condition of our traffic leaves much to be desired.

Smoking has a great influence on our health.

Pollution poses a great threat to our existence.

We should do our utmost to achieve our goals.

....Likewise,...

For instance...

as Dr. Qi put it...

the concept of leadership as a position of authority

2005-04-04T22:01:00.000+08:00

In On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, Thomas Carlyle demonstrated the concept of leadership as a position of authority. In praising Oliver Cromwell's use of power to bring King Charles I to trial and eventual beheading, he wrote the following: "Let us remark, meanwhile, how indispensable everywhere a King is, in all movements of men. It is strikingly shown, in this very War, what becomes of men when they cannot find a Chief Man, and their enemies can."

ISSUE TOPIC GROUP 1: Competition VS Cooperation

2005-04-04T21:47:00.000+08:00

Competition in wilipeia:
Competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Competition characterises a biochemical, ecologic, economic, political, or sporting activity whereby two or more individuals or groups strive antagonistically against one another for some reward. The reward could consist of:
fame, esteem, reputation, or recognition
money, objects of value, or resources
territory, food, or nesting sites
market share, or business dominance
power and influence
belonging and membership
mates and reproductive success
quality, improvement, and achievement
spiritual enlightenment or salvation
self-actualization
When rewards are intangible, a trophy is often given to symbolize the achievement and make the rewards tangible.
Competition exists at the particular level as well as the systemic level. At the particular level, individuals or groups compete against each other either informally or in formal contests. At the systemic level whole societies are organized in such a way as to promote competition, usually by offering incentives.
Competition is able to push us to great heights. It prods us to achieve more than what we could otherwise. However, it is not the only stimulus for achievement. People could also be encouraged to succeed through a desire to cooperate, love for what they are doing, and possibly even coercion.
Competition can also have negative consequences. Potential detrimental effects include:
We are blinded to other strategies - A species can pursue a competitive strategy in a situation where a cooperative strategy might be more beneficial. For instance, in Prisoner's_Dilemma
It can promote excessive concentration on achievement - For example athletes push themselves to the point that they do harm to their bodies. Another example is of people who spend so much time at work that they do themselves and their families damage.
There are financial costs - All competition involves the expenditure of energy and resources. Elections for example, are very costly competitions. In the business world, the Coke/Pepsi wars of the 1980s and 90s is an example of a multi-million dollar contests that provided neither contestant a significant advantage. Sporting games can also be very expensive to stage.
It can result in a loss of moral direction - In sports, use of steroids is an example of competition eroding the contestants' moral compass. An example is Enron, a corporate environment so competitive that its cutthroat atmosphere was a leading factor in its demise.
Contents
//
[showhide]
1 In economics and business
2 Competition law
3 In biology and ecology
4 In politics
5 In sports
6 In psychology, sociology, and anthropology
7 Considerations in philosophy
8 Compare
9 See also
[edit]

In economics and business
Seen as a pillar of capitalism in that it may stimulate innovation, encourage efficiency or drive down prices, it is the foundation upon which capitalism is justified. According to microeconomic theory, no system of resource allocation is more efficient than pure competition. Competition, according to the theory causes firms to develop new products and technologies. This gives consumers greater selection and better products. The greater selection typically causes lower prices for the products compared to what the price would be if there was no competition (monopoly) or little competition (oligopoly).
However, competition may equally lead to wasted (duplicated) effort and to increased costs (and prices) in some circumstances. Similarly, the psychological effects of competition may result in harm as well as good.
Marketers have identified three levels of competition. The most narrow form is direct competition (also called category competition or brand competition). This is where products that perform the same function compete against each other. For example, a Ford pick-up truck competes with a Toyota pick-up truck which competes with a Volvo pick-up truck. The next form is substitute competition. Products that are close substitutes for one another compete. For example, butters compete with margarines, which compete with mayonnaises, which compete with various sauces and spreads. The broadest form of competition is typically called budget competition. Included in this category is anything that the consumer might want to spend their available money on. For example, a family that has $20,000 may choose to spend it on a new car, a boat, an addition to their house, or on their child's education. These purchases can be seen as competing with each other for the family's available money.
Competition need not be between companies. Business writers sometimes refer to "internal competition". This is competition within companies. First introduced by Alfred Sloan at General Motors in the 1920s, he deliberately created areas of overlap between divisions of the company so that each division would be competing with the other divisions. For example, the Chevy division may compete with the Pontiac division for some market segments. In 1931 Proctor and Gamble initiated a deliberate system of internal brand vs brand rivalry. The company was organized around brands, with each brand allocated resources, including a dedicated group of employees willing to champion the brand. Each brand manager was given responsibility for the success or failure of the brand and was compensated accordingly. Most businesses also encourage competition between individual employees. An example of this is a contest between sales representatives. The sales rep with the highest sales (or the best improvement in sales) over the period of the contest, would win a paid vacation, or some other prize.
[edit]

Competition law
Competition often is subject to legal restrictions. Depending on the respective economic policy the pure competition is to a greater or lesser extent regulated by competition policy and competition law.
[edit]

In biology and ecology
Organisms compete for scarce resources such as food, water, mates, and territory. An acorn that falls to the forest floor, for example, must compete with other plants for nutrient-rich soil, water, and adequate sunlight.
[edit]

In politics
Democracy is essentially the institutionalization of competition. An election is a competition. The winner of the competition attains power for a short time, that is, until the next competition.
[edit]

In sports
Some "sporting activities", such as fishing for example, can be viewed as primarily recreational rather than sporting, however true sports are competitive. The most proficient athletes like to compare their skills with others in competition. The ultimate sporting competition is the Olympics.
[edit]

In psychology, sociology, and anthropology
Social psychologists study the nature of competition. They want to know why we compete and under what circumstances. They study group dynamics to detect how competition emerges and what its effects are.
Sociologists study what effect competition has on society as a whole. When is it beneficial, and when harmful.
Anthropologists study the history and prehistory of competition in various cultures. They ask, How did it manifest itself in different cultural settings in the past.
[edit]

Considerations in philosophy
Most philosophers have paid attention to competition only indirectly, for example, by acknowledging its existence in society or by identifying its advantages and disadvantages in political or economic arrangements, without analyzing the essential nature of competition, as well as its ethical ramfications. The philosopher Michael E. Berumen devoted considerable attention to the subject in his book, Do No Evil: Ethics with Applications to Economic Theory and Business. Whereas some thinkers have viewed competition as being inherently at odds with cooperation or in a largely negative light, Berumen maintains that the two are often entertwined; for example, any number of competitive activities might require cooperation in following the rules, accepting judgments of impartial observers, and settling on rewards. Competition, Berumen asserts, is also one means of allocating finite resources, whether in economics or in getting tickets to the theater. The key to analzying the morality of competition is to understand who benefits and suffers as a result and whether the suffering can be justified using various normative criteria, for example, a voluntary agreement, universal prescriptions, or societal norms.
[edit]

Compare
co-operation
planned economy
cooperative
[edit]

See also
Biological interaction
competitor analysis
ecological model of competition
microeconomics
perfect competition
monopolistic competition
imperfect competition

No delay

2005-04-04T01:20:00.000+08:00

The more delay you made before going to bed, the more you will stay late in the bed.

The more time you waste in browsering useless news in the Internet, the more inefficient you are actually become.

The more vivid the image, the more likely it is not to be forgotten.

The more users' expectations prove right, the more they will feel in control of the system and the more they will like it. And the more the system breaks users' expectations, the more they will feel insecure. Oops, maybe if I let go of this apple, it will turn into a tomato and jump a mile into the sky.

Competiton, Cooperation or Both

2005-04-03T23:39:00.000+08:00

Competition, Cooperation or Both?

http://www.webspawner.com/users/donquijote14/
Are we to learn something from evolution? Well, it would probably be that
both Competition and Cooperation are necessary... Thus only a balance of
the two (which neither communism nor capitalism offers) can constitute a
stable political system... This interesting article illustrates the point...

Spectrum Five: Competition vs. Cooperation

Summary
Humans, like all animals, form cooperative groups to compete for limited
resources. All life is ultimately competitive, because the natural
tendency of any population is to explode, although it is kept in check
by the limited food supply (and other factors). Because there are more
animals than food, animals must compete to survive. In situations where
the food supply is somehow sufficient, deadly competition falls.
Liberals therefore advocate the creation of a sustainable economy, where
the population is kept constant (through birth control) and resources
are used no faster than they can be replaced. The result will be a more
cooperative and civil society.
Argument
In the debate over what type of society is best, conservatives generally
favor more competitive societies, whereas liberals favor more
cooperative ones. Let's attempt to see which side is correct, by
reviewing the fundamentals of competition and cooperation: The origins
of competition
Perhaps the first thing to note is that all life is ultimately
competitive. For many centuries, biologists have known that the natural
tendency of the animal population is to explode, but the limited food
supply keeps it in check. (There are also other limiting factors, like
space, climate, resources, etc.) Because there are more creatures than
food, this means that some will starve to death. Thus, in order to
survive, animals must compete for food, killing each other if need be.
(1)
The above observation is one of the most firmly proven facts of modern
biology. It's implications, however, have been deeply controversial. The
18th century economist Thomas Malthus argued that giving more food to
the poor was self-defeating, since it would only expand their population
and create more of the same hunger and misery that welfare was designed
to alleviate. Malthus therefore argued that welfare programs should be
halted. Malthus' proposal sparked a bitter political debate -- the poor
charged that he was heartless, while the rich congratulated him for
applying science to the issue of welfare. Interestingly, the controversy
itself was indicative of the class warfare that rages for society's
limited resources.
Likewise, Charles Darwin found the concept of deadly competition
important for developing his theories of natural selection and survival
of the fittest. Darwin theorized that if animals must compete to
survive, then the winners would be those with the strongest traits,
which would then be passed on to their offspring. Meanwhile, those with
weaker traits would be killed before they could breed, and would be
dropped from the gene pool. It is important to note that even if you
don't believe in evolution, natural selection indisputably occurs in all
other competitive systems. These range from individual firms competing
on the free market to individual workers competing for job promotions.
Indeed, the fact that natural selection occurs everywhere else is a
strong argument that it occurs in biology as well. Natural selection has
developed in humans a natural desire to compete. Those with
non-competitive natures would have lost their struggle for survival, and
disappeared from the gene pool a long time ago. On the other hand, those
with an overly intense desire to compete would have become dead heroes,
and likewise failed to pass on their traits. Thus, a reasonable
attraction to competition is both healthy and natural. The
competitiveness of humanity has worked itself even into our most basic
definitions of the social sciences. Economics is formally defined as the
study of "the efficient allocation of scarce resources among competing
uses." (2) Politics is defined as the "relations between special
interest groups competing for limited resources." (3) War is a violent
competition for resources -- especially land -- hence Karl von
Clausewitz' famous remark that "War is nothing more than the
continuation of politics by other means." Because competitions are won
by those with the most power, political science is defined as "An
academic discipline which studies power and the distribution of power in
different types of political systems." (4) Even though these different
fields have taken different routes to reach the same conclusion, the
idea that humans compete for limited resources is one that elegantly and
coherently unites the social sciences.
The origins of cooperation
But imagine what it would be like to live in a society where each
individual competes against everyone else, without any cooperation at
all. You wouldn't dare walk outside, for your neighbor could shoot you
and take all your property. Nor could you rely on the police to protect
you, since law enforcement is a form of social cooperation. In a
perfectly competitive world, only the strongest or luckiest would
survive.
But what if you were fortunate enough to be one of the strongest or
luckiest? After killing off most of society, you would only find
yourself among survivors who were highly competent killers themselves,
and the terror would start anew. And even if you emerged the final
victor, the rewards would be slight… how rich and satisfied can you be
when you're a hermit?
All species avoid this bleak scenario through cooperation. Among humans,
cooperation can be divided into two categories: friendly and hostile. An
example of friendly cooperation is the alliances you join to compete
more efficiently against other individuals or groups. A good example is
the business firm, where employees take specialized, interdependent jobs
and work together to compete on the free market. The result is higher
quality products and greater work efficiency than if they competed
alone.
Hostile cooperation, on the other hand, is what exists between
competitors. This may seem paradoxical, yet there is a good reason why
competitors often cooperate with each other: the rewards are greater.
For example, if everyone fights for a piece of the pie, then the fight
may become so costly that the pie will be nearly gone when it comes time
to divide it. It's much better to forget the fight and come to an
agreement from the very beginning. An example of hostile cooperation is
family members who are contesting a million-dollar will. If they fight
for the money too hard, then no one will get any, because it will all go
to their lawyers' fees. Hence, it's in their interest to strike a deal.
As with competition, a moderated desire to cooperate is natural and
healthy. Those with non-cooperative natures would have very low survival
rates, as would those who cooperated so much that they did not look out
after their own self-interests in a competitive world. It is for this
reason that people take a healthy enjoyment in belonging to a group,
practicing teamwork, helping others, etc. The interplay between
competition and cooperation Nature has divided all life into natural
alliances that compete for survival: namely, species. Members of the
same species generally do not kill each other in their fight for limited
resources, but instead work together to kill members of other species.
However, cooperation within species is not as perfect as it would seem.
Even in normal times, there is subdued competition within the group, as
members vie for positions of power and status. One famous example is
primates, who divide themselves into alpha apes, beta apes, etc. It is
interesting to note that among primates, male status is acquired through
conflict. Among females, however, the opposite occurs: conflicts are
resolved by the female's status. Hierarchies are found in countless
species, but they are especially extreme in humans. Competition within
the group becomes more severe as resources become scarcer. When the
situation becomes desperate enough, members of the same species are
perfectly capable of turning on each other and killing each other. Just
one example is the preying mantis, a specie which solves the problem of
scarcity by allowing the female to eat the male after mating. Another is
the chimpanzee, the closest human relative. From her long-term studies
in Africa, Jane Goodall has reported that chimps sometimes divide into
tribes, whereupon the larger kills the smaller.
Humans are no different. War is an obvious example of deadly competition
within the human species, but most people don't realize that the same
continues even during times of "peace." In our competitive economy,
those who lack the skills, education, talent or opportunity to compete
well become poor. And the poor suffer from death rates that are at least
six times higher than the rich. (5) This higher death rate is due to a
lack of resources: namely, health care, nutritious food, toxic-free
environments, winter heating, information and education, and countless
other means and devices that would protect and prolong their lives.
Here, critics may object that the above observation is based on a faulty
assumption. We do not live in a zero-sum economy (where someone's gain
is necessarily someone else's loss). We actually live in a (slightly)
positive-sum economy, where the standard of living is rising for
everyone. This is certainly true, but our standard of living grows
extremely slowly -- whereas the population pressing against it tries to
grow much faster. Therefore it's still quite possible for a positive-sum
economy to experience deadly competition for limited resources. To
understand this even more clearly, let's look at the larger picture:
Carrying capacity is what biologists call the limited ability of the
land to sustain a population. This includes the amount of available
food, water, resources and space, as well as the hospitality of the
climate, the presence of other predators, etc. Needless to say, the
greater the land's carrying capacity, the greater the population it can
sustain.
Throughout most of human history, the carrying capacity of the land has
been quite low, with humans increasing it only slowly and painfully.
They accomplished this by inventing new forms of productive technology,
like the plow, the mill, the granary, etc. But growth in productivity
was far too slow to accommodate all the humans born into the world. The
result was frequent starvation, famine and deadly competition for
resources. To resolve this, many societies frequently practised birth
control, ranging from abortion to infanticide. But with the advent of
the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the land's carrying
capacity soared. Through better science and technology, humans have
learned how to tap the earth's resources at an ever growing rate. The
result has been a population explosion. It took from the dawn of
humanity until the year 1800 for the earth's population to reach 1
billion. But by 1960 it had already reached 3 billion, and by 1998 it
will reach 6 billion.
This trend has two ominous implications. First, dramatically increasing
the land's carrying capacity may have raised the individual's standard
of living, but it has also increased the number of individuals competing
for these new resources. Therefore, deadly competition remains a
problem.
Second, the earth's resources are ultimately limited, and it is
absolutely inevitable that our carrying capacity will one day stop
growing, and even shrink. What will happen then? Biologists already know
the answer, from their historical observations of species that are hit
by shrinking resources. The result will be a sickening plunge in the
population, as famine, disease, war and other deadly competition take
their toll.
As long as birth control keeps the population below the land's carrying
capacity, or humans can somehow increase carrying capacity forever, then
deadly competition is greatly reduced. People can live their entire
lives without resorting to war, murder, or even subjecting the poor to
mortal deprivations. Unfortunately, once the population starts pressing
against the land's limited resources again, deadly competition resumes.
The solution that leftists propose is the creation of a sustainable
economy. This would involve holding the population constant through
birth control, and using resources no faster than they could be
replaced. We would then use our abundance and technology to allow
everyone a good standard of living. There would be no need to compete
for survival, and no need to kill anyone to survive. This would tilt the
balance towards cooperation, not competition. Critics charge that humans
are naturally competitive animals -- after all, they evolved that way.
To create a perfectly cooperative society, they charge, is both
impossible and utopian. This is certainly true, but fortunately, there
is a way around it. Competition for survival is only one of the many
thousands of ways that humans compete. Humans also fulfill their desire
to compete through games, sports, contests, social status, career
status, academic status, even mating. Eliminating the need to compete
for survival would hardly eliminate the countless other ways that humans
compete. Competition could still be used to improve society, even a
sustainable one.

Useful Oral Expressions from Professors

2005-03-19T17:45:00.000+08:00

Dr. Kaiji Zhu
an approch
gives the best solution at any case
enjoyment
profit issue
termology
essentially,

Dr. Andrew Lim

Prof. Xiuli Chao
If you read Federgruen and Heching's paper, you will find explicitly that ...

Theorem 2 fails, you don't have theorem 2 any more.

You have to be cautious...

We can interpret it in plain English --- This is what we always do.

.... this is bad thing No.1
Bad thing No.2, ...

This condition is not too bad

More often than not, you will find it useful. More often than NOT

Nothing is free. (There is no free lunch)

This is nothing more than intuitive argument

This question is very interesting, very interesting...

it is a routine approach...

brutal force method

it is not very well-behavioured...

small s, capital s... s,s policy

bracket ()

ascetic

2005-03-17T19:00:00.000+08:00

Thesaurus

Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	ascetic - practices self denial as spiritual discipline abstainer religionist, religious person - a person who manifests devotion to a deity puritan - adheres to strict religious principles; opposed to sensual pleasures stylite - an early Christian ascetic who lived on top of high pillars
Adj.	1.	ascetic - pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline; "ascetic practices" ascetical
	2.	ascetic - practicing great self-denial; "Be systematically ascetic...do...something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it"- William James; "a desert nomad's austere life"; "a spartan diet"; "a spartan existence" ascetical, austere, spartan abstemious - sparing in consumption of especially food and drink; "the pleasures of the table, never of much consequence to one naturally abstemious"- John Galsworthy

Examples from classic literature:	More
He was pleased to think that his shaven face gave him the look of a priest, and in his youth he had possessed an ascetic air which added to the impression. Of Human Bondage by Maugham, W. Somerset View in context

http://encyclopedia.tfd.com/Phishing

2005-03-15T21:46:00.000+08:00

Learn GT through PG Courses & Research

2005-03-02T16:24:00.000+08:00

u·til·i·tar·i·an·ism (y-tl-târ--nzm)

1. The belief that the value of a thing or an action is determined by its utility.

2. The ethical theory proposed by Jeremy Bentham and James Mill that all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

3. The quality of being utilitarian: housing of bleak utilitarianism.

Even more determined and confident

2005-02-28T13:39:00.000+08:00

Mr. Zhu Xiang's misbehavior in the marking of IEEM 610L assignments makes me more determined to go to US for the completion of my PhD degree.

William Strunk, Jr. > Usage > The Elements of Style > III. Elementary Principles of Composition

2005-02-22T00:42:00.000+08:00

recast enough of them to remove the monotony, replacing them by simple sentences, by sentences of two clauses joined by a semicolon, ...

2005-02-22T00:34:00.000+08:00

Learn to write sentences like this:

Apart from its triteness and emptiness, the paragraph above is bad because of the structure of its sentences, with their mechanical symmetry and sing-song.

On closer examination he will probably find that the difficulty is imaginary, that his twenty ideas can be classified in groups, and that he need apply the principle only within each group.

The position of the words in a sentence is the principal means of showing their relationship. The writer must therefore, so far as possible, bring together the words, and groups of words, that are related in thought, and keep apart those which are not so related.

In summarizing the action of a drama, the writer should always use the present tense. In summarizing a poem, story, or novel, he should preferably use the present, though he may use the past if he prefers. If the summary is in the present tense, antecedent action should be expressed by the perfect; if in the past, by the past perfect.

Elements of Style

2005-02-22T00:33:00.000+08:00

Avoid a succession of loose sentences.

This rule refers especially to loose sentences of a particular type, those consisting of two co-ordinate clauses, the second introduced by a conjunction or relative. Although single sentences of this type may be unexceptionable (see under Rule 4), a series soon becomes monotonous and tedious.

An unskilful writer will sometimes construct a whole paragraph of sentences of this kind, using as connectives and, but, and less frequently, who, which, when, where, and while, these last in non-restrictive senses (see under Rule 3).

The third concert of the subscription series was given last evening, and a large audience was in attendance. Mr. Edward Appleton was the soloist, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra furnished the instrumental music. The former showed himself to be an artist of the first rank, while the latter proved itself fully deserving of its high reputation. The interest aroused by the series has been very gratifying to the Committee, and it is planned to give a similar series annually hereafter. The fourth concert will be given on Tuesday, May 10, when an equally attractive programme will be presented.

Apart from its triteness and emptiness, the paragraph above is bad because of the structure of its sentences, with their mechanical symmetry and sing-song. Contrast with them the sentences in the paragraphs quoted under Rule 10, or in any piece of good English prose, as the preface (Before the Curtain) to Vanity Fair.

If the writer finds that he has written a series of sentences of the type described, he should recast enough of them to remove the monotony, replacing them by simple sentences, by sentences of two clauses joined by a semicolon, by periodic sentences of two clauses, by sentences, loose or periodic, of three clauses—whichever best represent the real relations of the thought.

To give up something is too easy to be dangerous

2005-02-17T23:10:00.000+08:00

Recently, one of my MPhil friends told me that he will transfer into a PhD students, which surprised me so much.

We had discussed only 3 or 4 months ago about how to enter a top graduate school in US.

Now, while I am preparing for my GRE, he is working hard for PQE(PhD Qualifying Exam). And at the same time, he tried to talk me out of applying for PhD study in USA. He listed many reasons: the price in US is much higher than that in HK; it is difficult to find an ideal advisor in a good graduate school. He even gave an example of one of his friend, who once pursue PhD in MIT, working with a India professor who pushed him very much. At last, he transfered to Boston Univ.

Yes, he is right in his own sense. But everybody has to follow his own logic which has been formed after many choices, instead of accept others' opinions blindly. He chooses to stay in HKUST, then he has to defend himself by listing numerous reasons and example. So do I. I intend to study in US for my PhD degree, which means I have made a different choice from his, and we can never agree upon this point. That is too normal.

He is right, in terms of himself. And I am right, too, in terms of myself.

Verb list 48

2005-02-15T21:23:00.000+08:00

Noun	1.	valediction - a farewell oration delivered by the most outstanding member of a graduating class valedictory, valedictory address oratory - addressing an audience formally (usually a long and rhetorical address and often pompous); "he loved the sound of his own oratory"
	2.	valediction - the act of saying farewell leave-taking, parting, farewell, leave - the act of departing politely; "he disliked long farewells"; "he took his leave"; "parting is such sweet sorrow"

val·e·tu·di·nar·i·an (vl-tdn-âr-n, -tyd-)

A sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health: "She affected to be spunky about her ailments and afflictions, but she was in fact an utterly self-centered valetudinarian" Louis Auchincloss.

Adj.

valorous - having or showing valor; "a valiant attempt to prevent the hijack"; "a valiant soldier"

Noun

vandalism - willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others

hooliganism, malicious mischief

Arriving at an unconscionably early hour at the door of their apartment, I felt as if I were about to commit an act of vandalism.
Under Western Eyes by Conrad, Joseph View in context

Verb

vanquish - come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game"

veer - shift to a clockwise direction; "the wind veered"

erb

veer - turn sharply; change direction abruptly; "The car cut to the left at the intersection"; "The motorbike veered to the right"

Adj.

vehement - marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid; "fierce loyalty"; "in a tearing rage"; "vehement dislike"; "violent passions"

When money is to be paid and received, there is always some vehement jawing and gesticulating about it.
The Innocents Abroad by Twain, Mark View in context

The definition of a "momentary thing" involves problems concerning time, since the particulars constituting a momentary thing will not be all simultaneous, but will travel outward from the thing with the velocity of light (in case the thing is in vacuo).
The Analysis of Mind by Russell, Bertrand View in context

Adj.

venal - capable of being corrupted; "corruptible judges"; "dishonest politicians"; "a purchasable senator"; "a venal police officer"

Vendetta is a term for blood feud where relatives of someone who have been killed or otherwise wronged seek vengeance trying to kill or otherwise punish the ones responsible or their relatives.

ver·ba·tim (vr-btm)

adj.

Using exactly the same words; corresponding word for word: a verbatim report of the conversation.

adv.

In exactly the same words; word for word: repeated their dialogue verbatim.

I cannot reproduce it verbatim, for I had no after opportunity of refreshing my memory.
The Golden Road by Montgomery, Lucy Maud View in context

Noun

venison - meat from a deer used as food

Noun

verdict - (law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment

Adj.

veritable - often used as intensifiers; "a regular morass of details"; "a regular nincompoop"; "he's a veritable swine"

Adj.	1.	vernal - suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh youthful young, immature - (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth; "young people"
	2.	vernal - of or characteristic of or occurring in spring; "the vernal equinox"

Every fourth year, at the vernal equinox, there is a representative council of the whole nation, which meets in a plain about twenty miles from our house, and continues about five or six days.
Gulliver's Travels by Swift, Jonathan View in context

equinox - either of two times of the year when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator and day and night are of equal length

Verse´mon`ger (vẽrs´mŭņ`gẽr)

A writer of verses; especially, a writer of commonplace poetry; a poetaster; a rhymer; - used humorously or in contempt.

Noun

veterinary - a doctor who practices veterinary medicine

vi·car·i·ous (v-kâr-s, -kr-, v-)adj.

1. Felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another: read about mountain climbing and experienced vicarious thrills.

oun

vicinity - a surrounding or nearby region; "the plane crashed in the vicinity of Asheville"; "it is a rugged locality"; "he always blames someone else in the immediate neighborhood"; "I will drop in on you the next time I am in this neck of the woods"

How dare you make an appearance where your vile deeds are known?
Fables by Aesop View in context

vin·di·cate (vnd-kt)tr.v. vin·di·cat·ed, vin·di·cat·ing, vin·di·cates

1. To clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof: "Our society permits people to sue for libel so that they may vindicate their reputations" Irving R. Kaufman.

Adj.

vindictive - disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge; "more vindictive than jealous love"- Shakespeare; "punishments...essentially vindictive in their nature"- M.R.Cohen

vir·ile (vîrl, -l)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an adult male.

2. Having or showing masculine spirit, strength, vigor, or power. See Synonyms at male.

3. Capable of performing sexually as a male; potent.

There was something naively festive in his air, which, in conjunction with his firm and virile features, gave him a rather comical expression.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

comical - arousing or provoking laughter; "an amusing film with a steady stream of pranks and pratfalls"; "an amusing fellow"; "a comic hat"; "a comical look of surprise"; "funny stories that made everybody laugh"; "a very funny writer"; "it would have been laughable if it hadn't hurt so much"; "a mirthful experience"; "risible courtroom antics"

vir·u·lent (vîry-lnt, vîr-)adj.1.

a. Extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous. Used of a disease or toxin.

vis·age (vzj)

1. The face or facial expression of a person; countenance.

2. Appearance; aspect: the bleak visage of winter.

Verb

vitiate - corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality; "debauch the young people with wine and women"; "Socrates was accused of corrupting young men"; "Do school counselors subvert young children?"; "corrupt the morals"

Noun

vocation - the particular occupation for which you are trained

vocation - a body of people doing the same kind of work

To be an enthusiast had become her social vocation and, sometimes even when she did not feel like it, she became enthusiastic in order not to disappoint the expectations of those who knew her.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

Without volition I leaned toward her, as a tree is swayed by the wind.
The Sea Wolf by London, Jack View in context

Adj.

voluptuous - having strong sexual appeal; "juicy barmaids"; "a red-hot mama"; "a voluptuous woman"

Noun

voyeur - a viewer who enjoys seeing the sex acts or sex organs of others

peeper, Peeping Tom

Adj.

vulgar - lacking refinement or cultivation or taste; "he had coarse manners but a first-rate mind"; "behavior that branded him as common"; "an untutored and uncouth human being"; "an uncouth soldier--a real tough guy"; "appealing to the vulgar taste for violence"; "the vulgar display of the newly rich"

HK, earth's freest economy (sentences)

2005-02-02T11:42:00.000+08:00

Despite having a small territory and no natural resources, Hong Kong is one of the most prosperous places on Earth. In 2003, Hong Kong's per capita income was higher than that of France. Hong Kong achieved that result because of the enterprising spirit of its people and a free economy. It is important that Hong Kong retains a high degree of economic freedom and rejects proposals that would erode the flexibility of its labor market.

Its territory may be small in size, but Hong Kong's achievements are substantial. Hong Kong's gross domestic income per capita was $24,690 in 2002 - more than that of Canada, France, and Germany.

"Hong Kong," the Nobel laureate Milton Friedman wrote in 1991, "has had an extraordinary degree of economic freedom: no tariffs and no import or export quotas... Taxes have been very low, 10 to 12 percent of the national income... There are few regulations on business, no price controls, no wage controls."

Building and Reparing Trust

2005-02-01T13:33:00.000+08:00

Trust is an expectation that another party will not allow you to be harmed at a time when you are vulnerable. Your willingness to trust another party is affected by your history with that party and your personality.

How to Build Trust
Several characteristics of good managers engender trust from the individuals and teams that they lead:

Integrity. Exhibiting basic honesty and moral character are keys to demonstrating that you are trustworthy. A person of character can be trusted to do what is right even when there is "no controlling legal authority" because they are guided by internal standards.
Reliability. Trustworthy people are consistent, dependable and stable. Their actions are congruent with the values and principles they espouse. They keep their promises.
Fairness. Being fair means making unbiased decisions and not taking advantage of people just because they are in a weaker bargaining position. But, being perceived as fair also requires managing others' perceptions. In order to be perceived as fair, a manager should make standards clear and take the time to explain decision-making processes to the people affected by them.
Caring. We have all been taught to make rational business decisions and to not let our emotions bias our decision-making processes. Rationality is important, but emotions shouldn't be completely ignored. The most trustworthy managers are the ones we can talk to about our worries and frustrations because they care. In contrast, impervious managers show they have no interest in hearing about what concerns us, and we do not trust or feel close to them. They treat us like nonhuman resources, and we will not go above and beyond the call of duty for them.
Openness. Trustworthy managers keep confidences, but they do not keep harmful secrets or have hidden agendas. Open information sharing is a reciprocal process. We tend to withhold information from people who seem to resist opening up to us.
Competence. Trustworthy managers perform their roles competently. Subordinates do not put their faith in incompetent managers, even if those managers are fair and caring.
Loyalty. Trustworthy managers also show through their actions that they are willing to protect and defend their subordinates when they make mistakes or during times of crisis. This kind of trust is particularly important during times of innovation and change because of their inherent risks.

The policies and actions of organizations as a whole also affect how much organization members trust their organization. The following are actions and policies organizations can use to promote trust among employees:

Invest in employees. Provide training and development experiences for employees. Provide benefits packages that symbolize a concern for employees and their families, such as maternity/paternity leave and elder care.
Promote open communication. Practice an "open door" policy that permits all employees to share their concerns with management. Regularly survey employees to obtain their input and respond to the survey's findings.
Behave in an ethical and socially responsible manner. By taking the initiative to be a good corporate citizen, organizations demonstrate integrity and caring.
Provide job security. Layoffs breed distrust. We invest a certain amount of our careers, psychological identity, and personal lives in the organizations that we work for. Such investment leaves us vulnerable. It may be impossible or unwise for employers to offer employees lifetime employment (tenured faculty notwithstanding). Nevertheless, reasonable efforts to ensure a degree of job security will promote trust. For the sake of trust, organizations that need to reduce their workforce should consider alternatives to layoffs even if they are more expensive.

The Philosophy of Trust

2005-02-01T13:15:00.000+08:00

http://www.open2.net/trust/index.html

we also need to recognise that trust cannot rest only on love, sympathy, or the sense of morality.

For my reliance on others can be ensured simply by their taking responsibility for how their behaviour will influence my decisions about how to act in a particular regard.

Indeed, if I believe that the other appears ‘trustworthy’ only because it coincides with his own interests, or even his love, sympathy, or sense of morality, I cannot believe that he really is trustworthy and so cannot trust him. I can then rely on him only in the common sense, by relying on detection and punishment, or his love, sympathy, or sense of morality.

If we stick to a picture of human beings as moved only by self-interest, love, sympathy, or their sense of morality, then the rationality of trust will remain obscure. Many of our most valuable cooperative activities will seem to be irrational, and will seem to persist only through blind habit or hope. Our friendships and our visits to the doctor will continue to be haunted by the Machiavellian conclusion: that if we are not confident that others are moved by self-interest, love, sympathy, or morality not to harm or steal from us, we should attack them before they attack us. If we act on this conclusion, mutual distrust and attack will spiral and we will soon find ourselves in a decidedly ‘miserable condition’. But if, out of habit or hope, we do not act on this conclusion, we will be blindly putting our faith in irrationality to keep our cooperation afloat, and we will struggle to cultivate and maintain trust, because we will not fully understand it. We are thus likely to do it more harm than good.

Thomas Hobbes, the English political philosopher thought that if we lived without a state, our lives would be ‘solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short’.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), perhaps the greatest English political philosopher, argued that life in the state of nature would be, ‘solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short’. But what is the state of nature? Need it be so miserable? And why does this matter, anyway? In exploring these questions we come to see some important considerations - - both unsettling and comforting - - about the place of trust in human life.

Verb list 15

2005-01-28T17:33:00.000+08:00

Poor Cathy, frightened from her little romance, had been considerably sadder and duller since its abandonment; and her father insisted on her reading less, and taking more exercise. She had his companionship no longer; I esteemed it a duty to supply its lack, as much as possible, with mine: an inefficient substitute; for I could only spare two or three hours, from my numerous diurnal occupations, to follow her footsteps, and then my society was obviously less desirable than his.

Wuthering Heights by Bronte, Emily View in context

Noun

diva - a distinguished female operatic singer; a female operatic star

prima donna

The creature was scarcely so intelligent as the Ape-man, but far more docile, and the most human-looking of all the Beast Folk; and Montgomery had trained it to prepare food, and indeed to discharge all the trivial domestic offices that were required.
The Island of Doctor Moreau by Wells, H.G. View in context

Noun

doctrinaire - a stubborn person of arbitrary or arrogant opinions

Noun

dolt - a person who is not very bright; "The economy, stupid!"

Noun

dormancy - a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction; "the volcano erupted after centuries of dormancy"

quiescence, quiescency

Adj.

dorsal - belonging to or on or near the back or upper surface of an animal or organ or part; "the dorsal fin is the vertical fin on the back of a fish and certain marine mammals"

--> endorse

Noun

dossier - a collection of papers containing detailed information about a particular person or subject (usually a person's record)

Noun

dotage - mental infirmity as a consequence of old age; sometimes shown by foolish infatuations

The contemptuously respectful attitude of the younger men to the old man in his dotage was expressed in the highest degree by the behavior of Chichagov, who knew of the accusations that were being directed against Kutuzov.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

dote

intr.v. dot·ed, dot·ing, dotes

To show excessive fondness or love: parents who dote on their only child.

dou·ble-cross (dbl-krôs, -krs)

tr.v. dou·ble-crossed, dou·ble-cross·ing, dou·ble-cross·es

To betray by acting in contradiction to a prior agreement. See Synonyms at deceive.

1. often double cross An act of betraying an ally, a friend, or an associate.

2. double cross Genetics A cross in which each parent is the product of a single cross. It can be represented as AB × CD, where A, B, C, and D are inbred lines.

down·play

tr.v. down·played, down·play·ing, down·plays

To minimize the significance of; play down: downplayed the bad news.

Noun

dowry - money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage

"To the first condition," I answered, "I agree with all my heart, and I will give you an ample dowry.
The Arabian Nights by Lang, Andrew View in context

For the ape- man they found more drastic measures would be necessary.
The Son Of Tarzan by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context

Adj.

droll - comical in an odd or whimsical manner; "a droll little man with a quiet tongue-in-cheek kind of humor"

Noun

colloquy - a conversation especially a formal one

"Then I am off for him," said Sancho; and leaving his master he went in quest of the bachelor, with whom he returned in a short time, and, all three together, they had a very droll colloquy.
Don Quixote by Cervantes, Miguel View in context

Noun

drove - a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

Verb list 14

2005-01-28T16:20:00.000+08:00

Noun

detractor - one who disparages or belittles the worth of something

depreciator, disparager, knocker

The warmest partisans of the enterprise now became its most ardent detractors.
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Verne, Jules View in context

det·ri·ment

1. Damage, harm, or loss: took a long leave of absence without detriment to her career. See Synonyms at disadvantage.

2. Something that causes damage, harm, or loss: Smoking is now considered a detriment to good health.

de·vi·ous

adj.

1. Not straightforward; shifty: a devious character.

2. Departing from the correct or accepted way; erring: achieved success by devious means.

3. Deviating from the straight or direct course; roundabout: a devious route.

4. Away from a main road or course; distant or removed.

oun

detritus - the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up

Verb

devolve - pass on or delegate to another; "The representative devolved his duties to his aides while he was in the hospital"

2.devour - enjoy avidly; "She devoured his novels"

bask, enjoy, relish, savor, savour - derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in; "She relished her fame and basked in her glory"

devour - eat greedily; "he devoured three sandwiches"

guttle, pig, raven

Adj.

diaphanous - so thin as to transmit light; "a hat with a diaphanous veil"; "filmy wings of a moth"; "gauzy clouds of dandelion down"; "gossamer cobwebs"; "sheer silk stockings"; "transparent chiffon"; "vaporous silks"

This beautiful and diaphanous quality of the Rocky Mountain streams prevails for a long time after they have mingled their waters and swollen into important rivers.
The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, U.S.A., in the Rocky Mountains and the far West by Irving, Washington View in context

Noun

diatribe - thunderous verbal attack

Silverstein found vent in a diatribe against all prize-fighters and against Joe Fleming in particular.
The Game by London, Jack View in context

Noun

dichotomy - being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses; "the dichotomy between eastern and western culture"

dis·fran·chise

tr.v. dis·fran·chised, dis·fran·chis·ing, dis·fran·chis·es

1. To deprive of a privileg

Adj.

disheveled - in disarray; extremely disorderly; "her clothing was disheveled"; "powder-smeared and frowzled"; "a rumpled unmade bed"; "a bed with tousled sheets"; "his brown hair was tousled, thick, and curly"- Al Spiers

e, an immunity, or a right of citizenship, especially the right to vote; disenfranchise.

dis·man·tle

tr.v. dis·man·tled, dis·man·tling, dis·man·tles

a. To take apart; disassemble; tear down.

b. To put an end to in a gradual systematic way: dismantling the cumbersome regulations for interstate trucking.

2. To strip of furnishings or equipment: dismantled the house before knocking it down.

3. To strip of covering or clothing.

2. To deprive (a corporation, for example) of a privilege or franchise.

dis·sen·sion n. Difference of opinion; disagreement.

Verb list 49

2005-01-23T17:13:00.000+08:00

wail

v. wailed, wail·ing, wails

v.intr.

1. To grieve or protest loudly and bitterly; lament. See Synonyms at cry.

2. To make a prolonged, high-pitched sound suggestive of a cry: The wind wailed through the trees.

Prince Andrew ran to the door; the scream ceased and he heard the wail of an infant.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

Verb	1.	waive - do without or cease to hold or adhere to; "We are dispensing with formalities"; "relinquish the old ideas" foreswear, forgo, dispense with, relinquish
	2.	waive - lose or lose the right to by some error, offense, or crime forfeit, give up, throw overboard, forgo

In matters of contribution, it is the practice to waive the articles of the constitution.
Federalist Papers Authored by Alexander Hamilton by Hamilton, Alexander View in context

wal·lop

v. wal·loped, wal·lop·ing, wal·lops

v.tr.

1. To beat soundly; thrash.

2. To strike with a hard blow.

3. To defeat thoroughly.

We both can take punishment, an' we're both two-handed, a wallop in all our fists.
The Valley of the Moon by London, Jack View in context
n.

1. A hard or severe blow.

"You wallow fairly well," said the Pig, "but, my fine fellow, you have much to learn about rooting.
Fantastic-Fables by Bierce, Ambrose View in context

Pacific Walrus

walrus - either of two large northern marine mammals having ivory tusks and tough hide over thick blubber

I have sat before the dense coal fire and watched it all aglow, full of its tormented flaming life; and I have seen it wane at last, down, down, to dumbest dust.
Moby Dick LXVIII-CXXXIV by Melville, Herman View in context

Noun

wangle - an instance of accomplishing something by scheming or trickery

wangling

I care not for those ladies Who must be wooed and prayed; Give me kind Amaryllis, The wanton country-maid.
The Quest of the Golden Girl by le Gallienne, Richard View in context

Everything in this charming retreat, from the warble of the birds to the smile of the mistress, breathed tranquillity and repose.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas, Alexandre View in context

He dodged the missile and clambered on to the top of the wardrobe.
Uneasy Money by Wodehouse, Pelham Grenville View in context

2.warp - bend out of shape, as under pressure or from heat; "The highway buckled during the heatwave"

He made himself known as a London detective, told his business at Bombay, and the position of affairs relative to the supposed robber, and nervously asked if a warrant had arrived from London.
Around The World In Eighty Days by Verne, Jules View in context

They kept at a wary distance, but made friendly signs.
The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, U.S.A., in the Rocky Mountains and the far West by Irving, Washington View in context

ou are such a waspish, raspish, ill-conditioned chap, you see,' said Mr.
Hard Times by Dickens, Charles View in context

Adj.

waspish - very irritable; "bristly exchanges between the White House and the press"; "he became prickly and spiteful"; "witty and waspish about his colleagues"

bristly, prickly, splenetic

The hard-working man would come to the top, the wastrel sink to the bottom.
Howards End by Forster, E. M. View in context

Verb

waver - pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness; "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures"

waver - move back and forth very rapidly; "the candle flickered"

For the tears that drip all over Huge moons there wax and wane - Again - again - again - Every moment of the night - Forever changing places - And they put out the star-light With the breath from their pale faces.
Poems by Poe, Edgar Allan View in context

way·lay

tr.v. way·laid (-ld), way·lay·ing, way·lays

1. To lie in wait for and attack from ambush. See Synonyms at ambush.

2. To accost or intercept unexpectedly.

Verb	1.	wean - gradually deprive (infants) of mother's milk; "she weaned her baby when he was 3 months old and started him on powdered milk" ablactate deprive - keep from having, keeping, or obtaining
	2.	wean - detach the affections of alienate, disaffect, estrange, alien - arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness

Noun

weasel - small carnivorous mammal with short legs and elongated body and neck

Phrasal Verb:

weasel out Informal

To back out of a situation or commitment in a sneaky or cowardly manner.

Verb

weather - face or endure with courage; "She braved the elements"

brave, brave out, endure

welsh

intr.v. welshed also welched, welsh·ing also welch·ing, welsh·es also welch·es Informal

1. To swindle a person by not paying a debt or wager.

2. To fail to fulfill an obligation.

Noun

welter - a confused multitude of things

My lady had discovered that I was getting old before I had discovered it myself, and she had come to my cottage to wheedle me (if I may use such an expression) into giving up my hard out-of-door work as bailiff, and taking my ease for the rest of my days as steward in the house.
The Moonstone by Collins, Wilkie View in context

Noun

whelp - young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf

pup

young mammal - any immature mammal

puppy - young dog

whiff

1. A slight, gentle gust of air; a waft: a whiff of cool air.

Adj.

whimsical - determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; "a capricious refusal"; "authoritarian rulers are frequently capricious";

As I lay in bed this morning between sleeping and waking, an idea came riding on a sunbeam into my room,--a mad, whimsical idea, but one that suits my mood; and put briefly, it is this: how is it that I, a not unpresentable young man, a man not without accomplishments or experience, should have gone all these years without finding that
The Quest of the Golden Girl by le Gallienne, Richard View in context

Matvey was already holding up the shirt like a horse's collar, and, blowing off some invisible speck, he slipped it with obvious pleasure over the well-groomed body of his master.
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

Dogs asleep in the sun often whined and barked, but they were unable to tell what they saw that made them whine and bark.
Martin Eden by London, Jack View in context

Noun

whine - a complaint uttered in a plaintive whining way

1. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.

Noun

whirlpool - a powerful circular current of water (usually the resulting of conflicting tides)

Saltstraumen off Norway

TThe oI have sat before the dense coal fire and watched
it a

Adj.

windy - abounding in or exposed to the wind or breezes; "blowy weather"; "a windy bluff"
2.windy - using or containing too many words; "long-winded (or windy) speakers"; "verbose and ineffective instructional methods"; "newspapers of the day printed long wordy editorials"; "proceedings were delayed by wordy disputes"

Adj.

wistful - full of longing or unfulfilled desire; "those wistful little ads that the lovelorn place in the classifieds"

2.wistful - showing pensive sadness; "the sensitive and wistful response of a poet to the gentler phases of beauty"

pensive

woe

1. Deep distress or misery, as from grief; wretchedness. See Synonyms at regret.

2. Misfortune; calamity: economic and political woes.

Adj.

wizened - lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness; "the old woman's shriveled skin"; "he looked shriveled and ill"; "a shrunken old man"; "a lanky scarecrow of a man with withered face and lantern jaws"-W.F.Starkie; "he did well despite his withered arm"; "a wizened little man with frizzy gray hair"

2.windy - using or contong-winded (or windy) speakers"; "verbose and ineffective instruciiew in contextAnd without a word, when his WANDERLUST gripped him, he was off and away into that great mysterious underworld he called "The Road.
Moon-Face and Ot

Verb List 13

2005-01-22T21:59:00.000+08:00

de·flect

intr. & tr.v. de·flect·ed, de·flect·ing, de·flects

To turn aside or cause to turn aside; bend or deviate.

"We may stop here, and die of asphyxiation when our atmosphere tanks are empty," replied Perry, "or we may continue on with the slight hope that we may later sufficiently deflect the prospector from the vertical to carry us along the arc of a great circle which must eventually return us to the surface.
At the Earth's Core by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context

"Racal" swore Ben-Levi, "Racal do they mean to defraud us of the purchase money?
Poems by Poe, Edgar Allan View in context

de·fray

tr.v. de·frayed, de·fray·ing, de·frays

To undertake the payment of (costs or expenses); pay.

the sum of twenty-five hundred pounds was voted to defray the expenses of the enterprise.
Five Weeks in a Balloon by Verne, Jules View in contextConsider likewise what commodities, the soil where the plantation is, doth naturally yiel

It treats its object as a god, that it may deify both.
Essays, First Series by Emerson, Ralph Waldo View in context

That thoughtless deity immediately plunged into the pool, which became so salivated that the trees about its margin all came loose and dropped out.
Fables by Aesop View in context

Thus even love, which is the deification of persons, must become more impersonal every day.
Essays, First Series by Emerson, Ralph Waldo View in context

Verb

deign - do something that one considers to be below one's dignity

O lady, deign to hold in remembrance this heart, thy vassal, that thus in anguish pines for love of thee.
Don Quixote by Cervantes, Miguel View in context

A WAYFARING MAN, traveling in the desert, met a woman standing alone and terribly dejected.
Fables by Aesop View in context

Adj.	1.	delectable - extremely pleasing to the sense of taste pleasant-tasting, scrumptious, toothsome, yummy, delicious, luscious tasteful - having flavor
	2.	delectable - capable of arousing desire; "the delectable Miss Haynes"

Twice before, in his half- year of life, had he had this delectable experience.
Jerry of the Islands by London, Jack View in context

The Prince smiled and helped himself to one of the very excellent cigarettes which had been provided for the delectation of his visitor.
The Illustrious Prince by Oppenheim, E. Phillips View in context

Another of his deliberate tricks was one discovered by accident.
Jerry of the Islands by London, Jack View in context

Natasha unconsciously felt this delicacy and so found great pleasure in his society.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

de·lin·quent

adj.

1. Failing to do what law or duty requires.

2. Overdue in payment: a delinquent account.

1. A juvenile delinquent.

2. A person who neglects or fails to do what law or duty requires.

Jones wrote a full and particular account of the dinner, which appeared duly in the Demagogue.
Vanity Fair by Thackeray, William Makepeace View in context

de·mean¹

tr.v. de·meaned, de·mean·ing, de·means

To conduct or behave (oneself) in a particular manner: demeaned themselves well in class.

Whenever she went out -- and compassion for her misadventure made her friends eager to entertain her -- she bore a demeanour that was perfect.
Moon and Sixpence by Maugham, W. Somerset View in context

The rest of you are not human, and therefore it will not be wicked to demolish you.
The Marvelous Land of Oz by Baum, L. Frank View in context

de·mol·ish

1. To tear down completely; raze.

2. To do away with completely; put an end to.

3. To damage (someone's reputation, for example) severely.

de·mur

intr.v. de·murred, de·mur·ring, de·murs

1. To voice opposition; object: demurred at the suggestion. See Synonyms at object.

2. Law To enter a demurrer.

3. To delay.

1. The act of demurring.

2. An objection.

3. A delay.

Her mother and father had consented without demur, and were happy in her happiness.
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

After some delay and demur, the door grudgingly turned on its hinges a very little way, and allowed Mr.
A Tale Of Two Cities by Dickens, Charles View in context

Noun

den - the habitation of wild animals

den·i·zen (dn-zn)n.

1. An inhabitant; a resident: denizens of Monte Carlo.

4. Chiefly British A foreigner who is granted rights of residence and sometimes of citizenship.

Every tragedy falls into two parts,--Complication and Unravelling or Denouement.
The Poetics of Aristotle by Aristotle View in context
But with the denouement of the scene he threw off all restraint, and laughed aloud.
Ten Years Later by Dumas, Alexandre View in context

Noun

denture - a dental appliance that artificially replaces missing teeth

Verb

denude - lay bare; "denude a forest"

you who so lately, when you supposed yourself safe, exulted over my calamity, have now reason to deplore a similar misfortune.
Fables by Aesop View in context
de·plore

2. To express sorrow or grief over.

her whole deportment so grave and solemn, that she seemed to deserve the name of saint equally with her namesake, or with any other female in the Roman kalendar.
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Fielding, Henry View in context

Everyone believed the victory to have been complete, and some even spoke of Napoleon's having been captured, of his deposition, and of the choice of a new ruler for France.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

Verb	1.	deprecate - express strong disapproval of; deplore disapprove, reject - deem wrong or inappropriate; "I disapprove of her child rearing methods"
	2.	deprecate - belittle; "The teacher should not deprecate his student's efforts"

That is, if Shekels is out on depredation and I can't get hold of him.
A Horse's Tale by Twain, Mark View in context

de·pute

tr.v. de·put·ed, de·put·ing, de·putes

1. To appoint or authorize as an agent or a representative.

2. To assign (authority or duties) to another; delegate.

dis·pute

1. To argue about; debate.

Noun

repute - the state of being held in high esteem and honor

Verb

repute - look on as or consider; "she looked on this affair as a joke"; "He thinks of himself as a brilliant musician"; "He is reputed to be intelligent"

He had been constrained to depute Mr Venus to keep their dusty friend, Boffin, under inspection, while he himself turned lank and lean at the Bower.
Our Mutual Friend by Dickens, Charles View in context

dep·u·tize

tr. & intr.v. dep·u·tized, dep·u·tiz·ing, dep·u·tiz·es

To appoint or serve as a deputy.

Verb

deracinate - move (people) forcibly from their homeland into a new and foreign environment; "The war uprooted many people"

deracinate - pull up by or as if by the roots; "uproot the vine that has spread all over the garden"

de·ri·sion

a. Contemptuous or jeering laughter; ridicule.

b. A state of being derided: The proposal was held in derision by members of the board.

2. An object of ridicule; a laughingstock.

.But when I looked into the mirror, I shrieked, and my heart throbbed: for not myself did I see therein, but a devil's grimace and derision.
Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book For All And None by Nietzsche, Friedrich View in context

"The Idiots" is such an obviously derivative piece of work that it is impossible for me to say anything about it here.
Tales of Unrest by Conrad, Joseph View in context

der`ma`tol´o`gist

Noun

dermatologist - a doctor who specializes in the physiology and pathology of the skin

skin doctor

Verb

derogate - belittle; "Don't belittle his influence"

Besides, unless His Majesty the Emperor derogates from the principle of our alliance.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

Adj.

derogatory - expressive of low opinion; "derogatory comments"; "disparaging remarks about the new house"

Nor did she say a single derogatory word concerning any portion of mankind.
Anne's House of Dreams by Montgomery, Lucy Maud View in context

Verb

desalinize - remove salt from; "desalinate water"

de·scry

tr.v. de·scried, de·scry·ing, de·scries

1. To catch sight of (something difficult to discern). See Synonyms at see¹.

2. To discover by careful observation or scrutiny; detect: descried a message of hope in her words.

Nowhere could he see the battlefield he had expected to find, but only fields, meadows, troops, woods, the smoke of campfires, villages, mounds, and streams; and try as he would he could descry no military "position" in this place which teemed with life, nor could he even distinguish our troops from the enemy's.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

Verb

decry - express strong disapproval of; "We condemn the racism in South Africa"; "These ideas were reprobated"

Very far from it, my dear Miss Monson--as far as possible--I am the last man to decry my beautiful countrywomen, who are second to no others in appearance, certainly; if they do not dress as richly, it is because they do not need it.

He could not admit that he was mistaken then, for his spiritual condition then was precious to him, and to admit that it was a proof of weakness would have been to desecrate those moments.
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

de·sert·i·fi·ca·tion

The transformation of arable or habitable land to desert, as by a change in climate or destructive land use.

Noun

desiccant - a substance that promotes drying (e.g., calcium oxide absorbs water and is used to remove moisture)

des·ic·cate

v. des·ic·cat·ed, des·ic·cat·ing, des·ic·cates

v.tr.

1. To dry out thoroughly.

2. To preserve (foods) by removing the moisture. See Synonyms at dry.

3. To make dry, dull, or lifeless.

v.intr.

To become dry; dry out.

adj. also (-kt)

Lacking spirit or animation; arid: "There was only the sun-bruised and desiccate feeling in his mind" J.R. Salamanca.

de·sid·er·a·tum
Something considered necessary or highly desirable:

To accomplish the great desideratum of ærial navigation, it was very generally supposed that some exceedingly complicated application must be made of some unusually profound principle in dynamics.
The Balloon Hoax by Poe, Edgar Allan View in context

des·ig·na·tion

1. The act of designating; a marking or pointing out.

2. Nomination or appointment.

3. A distinguishing name or title.

The aspect of the place in the dusk was singularly desolate: blackened trees, blackened, desolate ruins, and down the hill the sheets of the flooded river, red-tinged with the weed.
The War Of The Worlds by Wells, H.G. View in context

oun

desperado - a bold outlaw (especially on the American frontier)

From an Alaskan hero he was metamorphosed into an Alaskan bully, liar, desperado, and all around bad Man.
Burning Daylight by London, Jack View in context

he made a desperate effort to extricate himself

Let us kill as many as we can; the bodies will lie upon the plain, and you can despoil them later at your leisure.
The Iliad by Homer View in context

de·spoil

tr.v. de·spoiled, de·spoil·ing, de·spoils

1. To sack; plunder.

2. To deprive of something valuable by force; rob: a region despoiled of its scenic beauty by unchecked development.

Adj.

despondent - without or almost without hope; "despondent about his failure"; "too heartsick to fight back"

Alexey Alexandrovitch sat down, and with a despondent and suffering face watched the nurse walking to and fro.
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

The skeleton of even the most lawless despot makes a good constitutional sovereign.
Fantastic-Fables by Bierce, Ambrose View in context

Adj.

destitute - poor enough to need help from others

impoverished, indigent, necessitous, needy, poverty-stricken

This principle was sufficient thenceforward to rid me of all those repentings and pangs of remorse that usually disturb the consciences of such feeble and uncertain minds as, destitute of any clear and determinate principle of choice, allow themselves one day to adopt a course of action as the best, which they abandon the next, as the opposite.
Reason For Discourse by Descartes, Rene View in context

This old house had wasted--more from desuetude than it would have wasted from use, twenty years for one.
Our Mutual Friend by Dickens, Charles View in context

Noun

desuetude - a state of inactivity or disuse

Adj.

desultory - marked by lack of definite plan or regularity or purpose; jumping from one thing to another; "desultory thoughts"; "the desultory conversation characteristic of cocktail parties"

It was when I would have said that I knew all Goldsmith; we often give ourselves credit for knowledge in this way without having any tangible assets; and my reading has always been very desultory.
My Literary Passions by Howells,William Dean View in context

"If a tenth part of his detachment returns I shall thank God," he added as if speaking to himself.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in contextAnd with which detachment will Monsieur Tarzan ride?
The Return of Tarzan by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context

de·ter·rent

adj.

Tending to deter: deterrent weapons.

1. Something that deters: a deterrent to theft.

2. A retaliatory means of discouraging enemy attack: a nuclear deterrent.

It is true of me, that my husband's terrible warning--all the more terrible in its mystery and its vagueness--produced no deterrent effect on my mind: it only stimulated my resolution to discover what he was hiding from me.
Law and the Lady by Collins, Wilkie View in context

Dream Girl

2005-01-22T21:54:00.000+08:00

http://carl-sandburg.com/dream_girl.htm

DREAM GIRL

YOU will come one day in a waver of love,
Tender as dew, impetuous as rain,
The tan of the sun will be on your skin,
The purr of the breeze in your murmuring speech,
You will pose with a hill-flower grace.

You will come, with your slim, expressive arms,
A poise of the head no sculptor has caught
And nuances spoken with shoulder and neck,
Your face in a pass-and-repass of moods
As many as skies in delicate change
Of cloud and blue and flimmering sun.

Yet,
You may not come, O girl of a dream,
We may but pass as the world goes by
And take from a look of eyes into eyes,
A film of hope and a memoried day.

Verb list 12

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crypt

1. An underground vault or chamber, especially one beneath a church that is used as a burial place.

3.cubicle - small area set off by walls for special use

The tables were well filled with Prosperous-looking diners, there was a good orchestra, playing softly enough to make conversation a possible pleasure, and the cuisine and service were beyond criticism.
The Four Million by Henry, O.

Adj.

culinary - of or relating to or used in cooking

And--who knows?--the gods may be kind, other drinks may come, and the night culminate in glorious greatness.

Adj.

culpable - deserving blame or censure as being wrong or evil or injurious; "blameworthy if not criminal behavior"; "censurable misconduct"; "culpable negligence"

culprit - someone who perpetrates wrongdoing

At daybreak the culprit was brought to trial, and promptly convicted.
Astoria or Anecdotes of an enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains by Irving, Washington

Noun

curator - the custodian of a collection (as a museum or library)

cur·few

1. A regulation requiring certain or all people to leave the streets or be at home at a prescribed hour.

a. The time at which such a restriction begins or is in effect: a 10 p.m. curfew for all residents.

b. The signal, such as a bell, announcing the beginning of this restriction.

Noun

curmudgeon - a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas

He entered the hospital with a scholarship, and during the five years of the curriculum gained every prize that was open to him.
Moon and Sixpence by Maugham, W. Somerset

Most of the students took the curriculum of the Conjoint Board of the College of Surgeons and the College of Physicians; but the more ambitious or the more industrious added to this the longer studies which led to a degree from the University of London.
Of Human Bondage by Maugham, W. Somerset

Adj.

currish - base and cowardly

2.	currish - resembling a cur; snarling and rude

Adj.

curvaceous - (of a woman's body) having a large bosom and pleasing curves; "Hollywood seems full of curvaceous blondes"; "a curvy young woman in a tight dress"

cus·to·di·an

1. One that has charge of something; a caretaker: the custodian of a minor child's estate; the custodian of an absentee landlord's property.

2. A janitor: worked nights as custodian of a high school.

cygnet - a young swanswan

A cylinder

cyn·i·cism

1. An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others: the public cynicism aroused by governmental scandals.

2. A scornfully or jadedly negative comment or act: "She arrived at a philosophy of her own, all made up of her private notations and cynicisms" Henry James.

3. Cynicism The beliefs of the ancient Cynics.

cynic - someone who is critical of the motives of others
Word History: A cynic may be pardoned for thinking that this is a dog's life. The Greek word kunikos, from which cynic comes, was originally an adjective meaning "doglike," from kun, "dog."

2.cynosure - something that strongly attracts attention and admiration; "if he was the cynosure of all eyes he didn't notice"

"Of course," he reflected, "she always had that combination of something homely and sensible, and something utterly wild and daft.
Alexander's Bridge by Cather, Willa

Noun

dais - a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it

dal·li·ance

1. Frivolous spending of time; dawdling.

2. Playful flirtation.

dap·per

adj.

a. Neatly dressed; trim.

b. Very stylish in dress.

2. Lively and alert.

At the words, the door opened and a dapper little old man came in.
The Adventures Of Pinocchio by Collodi, Carlo

Adj.

dappled - having spots or patches of color

darn - sewing or darning that repairs a worn or torn hole (especially in a garment); "her stockings had several mends"

Adj.

dashing - lively and spirited; "a dashing hero"

2.dashing - marked by smartness in dress and manners; "a dapper young man"; "a jaunty red hat"

A brilliant frigate captain, a man of sound judgment, of dashing bravery and of serene mind, scrupulously concerned for the welfare and honour of the navy, he missed a larger fame only by the chances of the service.
The Mirror of the Sea by Conrad, Joseph

2.daub - a blemish made by dirt; "he had a smudge on his cheek"
3.daub - an unskillful painting

v. daw·dled, daw·dling, daw·dles

v.intr.

1. To take more time than necessary: dawdled through breakfast.

2. To move aimlessly or lackadaisically: dawdling on the way to work.

v.tr.

To waste (time) by idling: dawdling the hours away.

To waste (time) by idling: dawdling the hours away.

de·bar

tr.v. de·barred, de·bar·ring, de·bars

1. To exclude or shut out; bar.

2. To forbid, hinder, or prevent.

A medical man was also charged with the duty of reporting on the mental condition of the servant, which appeared at present to debar him from giving any evidence of the least importance.
The Woman in White by Collins, Wilkie

debilitate - make weak; "Life in the camp drained him"

1.debonair - having a sophisticated charm; "a debonair gentleman"
2.debonair - having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air;

He drew himself up, a smile of debonair gallantry lit up his face
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo

The regiments destined for the expedition began to debouch from the city.
The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas, Alexandre View in context

Verb

debrief - put someone through a debriefing and make him report; "The released hostages were debriefed"

Noun

debris - the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up

Two or three waiters in a few seconds succeeded in removing the debris of the accident, the orchestra commenced a favourite waltz.

Verb

debunk - expose while ridiculing; especially of pretentious or false claims and ideas; "The physicist debunked the psychic's claims"

One can readily see that debunk is constructed from the prefix de-, meaning "to remove," and the word bunk.

Adj.

decadent - marked by excessive self-indulgence and moral decay; "a decadent life of excessive money and no sense of responsibility"; "a group of effete self-professed intellectuals"

de·camp

intr.v. de·camped, de·camp·ing, de·camps

1. To depart secretly or suddenly.

His unreasonable objections to a further march by land were overruled, and the party prepared to decamp.
Astoria or Anecdotes of an enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains by Irving, Washington View in context

Verb

decant - pour out; "the sommelier decanted the wines"

Verb

decapitate - cut the head of; "the French King was beheaded during the Revolution"

Verb

declassify - lift the restriction on and make available again; "reclassify the documents"

free, release - make (information) available publication; "release the list with the names of the prisoners"

classify - declare unavailable, as for security reasons; "Classify these documents"

clas·si·fy

tr.v. clas·si·fied, clas·si·fy·ing, clas·si·fies

1. To arrange or organize according to class or category.

2. To designate (a document, for example) as confidential, secret, or top secret.

de·coy

a. A living or artificial bird or other animal used to entice game into a trap or within shooting range.

b. An enclosed place, such as a pond, into which wildfowl are lured for capture.

Fortunately, nothing can deface the beauty of a ship.
The Mirror of the Sea by Conrad, Joseph View in context

Adj.

deferential - showing deference

"This is what I want, my dear fellow," said the count to the deferential young man who had entered.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context

GRE date

2005-01-21T17:14:00.000+08:00

I have just registered my GRE test. The test time for AW is: 1:00pm, Wed, April 27, 2005. Also, the test date for VT and QT is 11 June(Sat & Tuen Ng Festival).

HK TOEFL&GRE

2005-01-21T16:22:00.000+08:00

Malaysia Telephone No: IDD+60-37-62-8-3333

Registration Website: http://www.prometric.com

Done!

Sentences

2005-01-19T08:33:00.000+08:00

Still continuing no less attached to union than enamored of liberty, they observed the danger which immediately threatened the former and more remotely the latter; and being pursuaded that ample security for both could only be found in a national government more wisely framed, they as with one voice, convened the late convention at Philadelphia, to take that important subject under consideration.
Federalist Papers Authored by John Jay by Jay, John

verb list 11

2005-01-19T08:26:00.000+08:00

Noun

conundrum - a difficult problem
She looked the picture of cheerful, rustic innocence and started propounding to me a conundrum which began with the words:

con·va·lesce

intr.v. con·va·lesced, con·va·lesc·ing, con·va·lesc·es

To return to health and strength after illness; recuperate.

[Late Middle English convalesshe, from Latin convalscere : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + valscere, to grow strong, inchoative of valre, to be strong; see wal- in Indo-European roots.]

convalescence
Anne's convalescence was long, and made bitter for her by many things.
Anne's House of Dreams by Montgomery, Lucy Maud

Again he tried to converse with his strange nurse, but the attempt was useless.

Noun

converse - a proposition obtained by conversion

Verb

converse - carry on a conversation

Adj.

converse - of words so related that one reverses the relation denoted by the other; "`parental' and `filial' are converse terms"

For, conversely, character and thought are merely obscured by a diction that is over brilliant.
The Poetics of Aristotle by Aristotle

It may clog the administration, it may convulse the society; but it will be unable to execute and mask its violence under the forms of the Constitution.
Federalist Papers Authored by James Madison by Madison, James

But Laurence thought it strange that a man with such a face, indicating hardly a common share of intellect, should have had influence enough on human affairs to convulse the world with war.
Grandfather's Chair by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

I had a vague belief that he was suffering from a fit, or some form of convulsion.
Can Such Things Be? by Bierce, Ambrose

Noun

coop - a farm building for housing poultry

2.coop - an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals are kept

n the meantime, I cordially regret not having known the local music-seller in early life.
No Name by Collins, Wilkie

Shouldn't we put a cordon round to prevent the rest from running away?
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo

Noun

cornucopia - the property of being extremely abundant

corn·y

adj. corn·i·er, corn·i·est

Trite, dated, melodramatic, or mawkishly sentimental.

the coronation of Napoleon

corpulent - excessively fat; "a weighty man"

There are many physical as well as moral facts which corroborate this opinion, and some few that would seem to weigh against it.
The Last of The Mohicans by Cooper, James Fenimore

cougar - large American feline resembling a lion

That the contrary of a good is an evil is shown by induction: the contrary of health is disease, of courage, cowardice, and so on.
The Categories by Aristotle

he bushman was in mortal fear, led by all his training to expect nothing less than death; yet he did not cower away from them.
Adventure by London, Jack

coy

adj. coy·er, coy·est

1. Tending to avoid people and social situations; reserved.

2. Affectedly and usually flirtatiously shy or modest. See Synonyms at shy¹.

3. Annoyingly unwilling to make a commitment.

His work is like exquisite modern Latin verse, into the academic shape of which, discreet and coy, comes a sincere, deeply felt consciousness of modern life, of the modern world as it is.
The Guardian by Pater, Walter Horatio

Desiree shook her head, and saw that she must countermand most of the orders.
Autobiography of a Pocket-Handkerchief

1.	coup - a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force
	2.	coup - a brilliant and notable success

He has wronged me and deceived me enough, he shall not cozen me further; let him go his own way, for Jove has robbed him of his reason.
The Iliad by Homer

n.crab - infests the pubic region of the human body

verb4.

crab - complain; "What was he hollering about?"

crag

A steep rugged mass of rock projecting upward or outward.

crank·y

1. Having a bad disposition; peevish.

2. Having eccentric ways; odd.

2.cranky - easily irritated or annoyed;
their cranky eyes justified themselves in his shortness of temper.
Martin Eden by London, Jack

Noun

cravat - neckwear worn in a slipknot with long ends overlapping vertically in front

cra·ven (krvn)

adj.

Characterized by abject fear; cowardly.

A coward.

cre·do

n. pl. cre·dos

1. A creed.

2. Credo

a. The Apostles' Creed.

b. The Nicene Creed, especially as the third item of the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Mass.

c. The musical setting of the Nicene Creed.

Their deities were always ready at the writer's elbow, to execute any of his purposes; and the more extraordinary the invention was, the greater was the surprize and delight of the credulous reader

creek - a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river); "the creek dried up every summer"

After many years, on looking back from the middle turn of life's way at the events of the past, which, like a friendly crowd, seem to gaze sadly after us hastening towards the Cimmerian shore, we may see here and there, in the gray throng, some figure glowing with a faint radiance, as though it had caught all the light of our already crepuscular( Of or like twilight; dim) sky.
The Mirror of the Sea by Conrad, Joseph

twilight - the time of day immediately following sunset; "he loved the twilight"; "they finished before the fall of night"

In the twilight of the evening the fire grew brighter and more cheerful.
Grandfather's Chair by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

crest - the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave

crev·ice

A narrow crack or opening; a fissure or cleft.

It connected by a narrow crevice with another cave, and it was through this that we regained the open air.
Before Adam by London, Jack

He may cringe and growl, or cringe and not growl; but he either beats or cringes.
Great Expectations by Dickens, Charles

Verb

cringe - draw back, as with fear or pain

cringe - show submission or fear

crinkle - a slight depression in the smoothness of a surface

crinkle - make wrinkles or creases into a smooth surface;

crinkle - become wrinkled or crumpled or creased; "This fabric won't wrinkle"

When I had stood ten minutes, thinking and imagining, and getting my spirit in tune with the place, and in the right mood to enjoy the supernatural, a raven suddenly uttered a horse croak over my head.
A Tramp Abroad by Twain, Mark

Tom Holt can crochet beautifully, but he can't make a living for his family.
Anne's House of Dreams by Montgomery, Lucy Maud

crock·er·y

Earthenware.

Noun

cronyism - favoritism shown to friends and associates (as by appointing them to positions without regard for their qualifications)

crook - a circular segment of a curve; "a bend in the road"; "a crook in the path"

crook - bend or cause to bend; "He crooked his index finger"; "the road curved sharply"

Honour to the government, and obedience, and also to the crooked government
Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book For All And None by Nietzsche, Friedrich

croon - sing softly
The croon changed to a querulous muttering, and finally to an ugly growl.

1.	crossfire - a lively or heated interchange of ideas and opinions conversation - the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
	2.	crossfire - fire from two or more points so that the lines of fire cross

crotchety - having a difficult and contrary disposition; "a cantankerous and venomous-tongued old lady"- Dorothy Sayers

ornery, cantankerous

James Laurence is a crotchety old fellow and not to be depended on.
Little Women by Alcott, Louisa May

Noun

crumb - a very small quantity of something; "he gave only a crumb of information about his plans"; "there were few crumbs of comfort in the report"

2.	crumb - a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible; "only a rotter would do that"; "kill the rat"; "throw the bum out"; "you cowardly little pukes!"; "the British call a contemptible person a `git'" bum, dirty dog, git, lowlife, puke, rotter, scum bag, skunk, so-and-so, stinker, stinkpot, rat disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable
	3.	crumb - small piece of e.g. bread or cake

2.crumble - break or fall apart into fragments; "The cookies crumbled"; "The Sphinx is crumbling"

crusade - a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort"

Verb book

2005-01-18T10:08:00.000+08:00

发信人: leno (汤), 信区: GRE
标题: Re: [请教]麻烦大家推荐一下新手背单词用的书吧
发信站: BBS 水木清华站 (Thu Jan 8 15:48:55 2004)

我用的红宝是2003，感觉红宝是比较基础的一些词，用哪本都行。后来在晚上见有人推荐
蓝宝，买了一本看了看，其实蓝宝就是精简版的红宝，好像只有acarpous这个词是红宝上
没有的。如果把红宝看熟了，蓝宝就不用看了。红宝作为入门书还是挺好的。不过要是想
高分的话还要背些其它的词。我觉得逆序很有用，最后一周还翻了翻颠峰词汇，有点偏了
（各人之见）。我的V是720，没觉得有什么不认识的词，问题是有些词义记得模糊，或关
系把握不准，平时这样错的题很多。所以我觉得做题的感觉往往比背词还重要。

Verb List 10

2005-01-18T08:45:00.000+08:00

resort

intr.v. re·sort·ed, re·sort·ing, re·sorts

1. To have recourse: The government resorted to censorship of the press.

2. To go customarily or frequently; repair.

1. A place frequented by people for relaxation or recreation: a ski resort.

2. A customary or frequent going or gathering: a popular place of resort.

3. The act of turning to for aid or relief; recourse: raised the money without resort to borrowing.

4. One turned to for aid or relief: I would ask him only as a last resort.
Venice - one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction

The star you refer to is Gamma, of the constellation Cassiopeia.
the constellation of the Twins

consternation - fear resulting from the awareness of danger

to my consternation they snapped off one after another like so many pipe stems

Verb

contemplate - look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought; "contemplate one's navel"

2.contemplate - consider as a possibility; "I contemplated leaving school and taking a full-time job"
3.contemplate - think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes; "He is meditating in his study"

meditate, study
4.contemplate - reflect deeply on a subject;

meditate, mull, mull over, muse, ponder, chew over, think over, excogitate, ruminate, speculate, reflect
the moral and religious mind could contemplate with edification. Tom Sawyer by Twain, Mark

" They replied, "You fight and contend with the wind, and consequently you are destroyed; while we on the contrary bend before the least breath of air, and therefore remain unbroken, and escape.
Fables by Aesop

their minds are least prepared by reason and experience to contend with their passions.
Imagination and Heart by Cooper, James Fenimore

contention - a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement; "they were involved in a violent argument"

.	contention - the act of competing as for profit or a prize; "the teams were in fierce contention for first place"

con·tin·gent

adj.

1. Liable to occur but not with certainty; possible: "All salaries are reckoned on contingent as well as on actual services" Ralph Waldo Emerson.

2. Dependent on conditions or occurrences not yet established; conditional: arms sales contingent on the approval of Congress. See Synonyms at dependent.

3. Happening by chance or accident; fortuitous. See Synonyms at accidental.

4. Logic True only under certain conditions; not necessarily or universally true: a contingent proposition.

This contingency of his disobedience had been foreseen - as all the rest had been.
The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas, Alexandre

we have forgotten the thousands and millions of hints and expectations to the contrary which were current then but have now been forgotten because the event falsified them.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo

Nature is always consistent, though she feigns to contravene her own laws.
Essays, Second Series by Emerson, Ralph Waldo

When you have done so we will contrive to arrange a rendezvous out of doors.
Poor Folk by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor

Words from Kaifu & Crest

2005-01-17T22:04:00.000+08:00

Before I start My blog about GRE&TOEFL study, I would like to quote some words from Kaifu Lee (Vice President of Mocrosoft) and another internet friends about my GRE & TOEFL score:

Crest: "Your unsatisfactory GRE/TOEFL scores may be your most critical adverse factors."

Crest: "Have you considered re-taking GRE or TOEFL, if you felt that you've still got the potential to score higher?... If your second score is much higher, that will make up some for the lower score. But if your second score is not any higher, or even lower, then that's worse than sending just one low score. "

Kaifu: "You should retake GRE. You should be able to do better just from studying at HKUST."

Kaifu: "HKUST is a fine school, so if HKUST would admit you into their Ph.D. program, you do not need to apply to any school lower than say top 30-40 in the US. (In other words, I think HKUST is equivalent to about #30-#40 schools in the US). "

Kaifu: "The time for research is very limited, especially given you have all the other activities happening at the same time. But given your goal is to maximize your chance to get into a school in US/Canada/Europe, this is something you can try for. Just make sure your paper is at least above average. If you send a really bad paper with your application, it is worse than having no paper at all."

Crest: "Make sure you have recommendations from your professors in your current school, not only from Tong Ji. Also, to answer your questions about your scores, I do feel your TOEFL is a bit low. It would be good to score 620-630+, at least past 600. In terms of your GRE score, you should focus more on verbal. If the full score is 800, 400+ does seem a bit low."

Kaifu: "400 is definitely low for GRE. Keep in mind the range is 200-800 (if you answer no questions you get 200, if you answer EVERY QUESTION WRONG you get 0).
For TOEFL, most schools look for a certain threshold to ensure you are competent. Whether you are 0 or 30 points above that threshold is unimportant. I don't know what the threshold is though."

Thank Kaifu & Crest! I shall constantly read your directions about my GRE & TOEFL. Even though my timetable is very tight, I shall do my best. Believe in me!

Happy G&T

Words from Kaifu Lee

AWA， TWE： 银线穿玉珠－作文之我见

1T 677+6心经

1T成绩667+5.5的考试报告

让你听力在几分钟内提高1/3

TOEFL阅读

黄璇：TOEFL听力备考策略

Materials

听力经验

CAPRICORN TODAY

Argument: Hiparia's air pollution

"Wisdom is rightfully attributed not to people who know what to look for in life but to people who know what to overlook."

Words

Reading

Definitions

Omnibus Words

War and Peace

Interconnectedness

Musicians

Expressions

Famous People & Forgetable Individuals

Text reconstrction: Asian-American Students

Text Reconstruction: Remembering Information

Useful Expressions

the concept of leadership as a position of authority

ISSUE TOPIC GROUP 1: Competition VS Cooperation

No delay

Competiton, Cooperation or Both

Competition, Cooperation or Both?

Useful Oral Expressions from Professors

ascetic

Thesaurus

http://encyclopedia.tfd.com/Phishing

Learn GT through PG Courses & Research

Even more determined and confident

William Strunk, Jr. > Usage > The Elements of Style > III. Elementary Principles of Composition

recast enough of them to remove the monotony, replacing them by simple sentences, by sentences of two clauses joined by a semicolon, ...

Elements of Style

To give up something is too easy to be dangerous

Verb list 48

HK, earth's freest economy (sentences)

Building and Reparing Trust

The Philosophy of Trust

Verb list 15

Verb list 14

Verb list 49

Verb List 13

Dream Girl

http://carl-sandburg.com/dream_girl.htm

DREAM GIRL

Verb list 12

GRE date

HK TOEFL&GRE

Sentences

verb list 11

Verb book

Verb List 10

Words from Kaifu & Crest

AWA， TWE：银线穿玉珠－作文之我见