The Best Life Experience I Have Ever Had (Final Version)

     We gain knowledge in class; however, the vital experience that we have had through our life can probably take place out of classroom. We can acquire knowledge that we value or get an unforgettable experience that we treasure by taking a part-time job, participating in an extracurricular activity or being responsible for someone. The best life experience I have ever had was to participate in a speech contest when I was in junior high school. Through this valuable experience, I conquered my fear to face the crowds, to have a faith in me and know the importance of never giving up and, moreover, I realized the meaning of learning that knowledge can be acquired not only in class but in life.

I used to be afraid of speaking in public and since it was my first time to participate in a speech contest, I could not but feel very nervous. I noticed people practicing during the break, which made me feel more strained. Participants coming from other classes tried their best to win the contest. I felt very nervous and my body was tense so I had to keep telling myself that I could do it and tried not to be distracted by others. When it was my turn, I calmed down and took my time and tried my best to finish it.

To my great surprise, I won the first prize. As the saying goes, “Opportunities always favor those who are prepared.” I was really proud of it. I deeply appreciated my advisor’s help. She not only gave me a chance to discover my potential but also encouraged me when I wanted to give up. She always said, "Never give up easily". I keep it in mind and make it as my motto to remind myself not to shrink back but to face it bravely when encountering difficulties or something unfamiliar to me.

Also, I learn that having faith in myself is the first secret of success. I used to get nervous easily and have no confidence in myself when I spoke in public. I was afraid to face the crowds and often spoke so fast that people could hardly understand what I was trying to express. However, after participating in the speech contest and winning the first prize, which gave me courage and confidence to express my thoughts, I don’t feel so nervous when speaking in public anymore.

By participating in the speech contest, I learned something valuable that I couldn’t know in class and in the score-driven education here in Taiwan.That’s the reason why I think participating in a speech contest is the best life experience I have ever had.

I Was a Member of the Kung Fu Crew

Organization and Ideas 

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1.          In paragraph 1, the author talks about his Kung Fu Crew and the amazing story that how his grand master messed up a horse’s internal organs with qi-gong. From paragraph 2 to 4, the author says that he had a good shape and pretty good physical strength when he was in eighth grade. He also mentions that kids from Chinatown can fall into a few categories. In Paragraph 5, he describes the hairstyle in 80's in a very detail way. From Paragraph 6 to 8, he shows that besides hair style, assessing pants is another factor in determining one’s order on the street. Finally, from paragraph 9 to 13, he states their current lives, and how much Chinatown means to him.

2.          There are pale-face nerds who study all the time, trying to get into ivies. There are recent immigrants with uncombed hair and crooked teeth who singing karaoke in bars. There are the punks with high-lighted hair who cut school, and the gangsters, whom everyone avoids. The Crew fits between nerds and the punks. They work hard like the nerds but identify with the punks.

3.          What kind of pants they wear and what kind of hairstyle they have are all important for Chinatown kids in determining their “social status” on the street. It shows that they need assurance from others of their own worth, whether their friends or their peers.

4.          The author moved away from Chinatown probably because he had to pursue a better life, get a better job and to make a living. But he has never forgotten his hometown, Chinatown, as he wrote in the last paragraph “For most of us, our homes used to be here and our world was here in China Town.” which shows how much Chinatown means to him. Everywhere and everyone in Chinatown remind him of his childhood and the good old days. It is a one of a kind place to him and his spirit will always be there.

5.          From the beginning and the last paragraph, we can see his thesis is explicit. Chinatown is ghetto, he is ghetto and his friends are ghetto as well. But he still has a strong feeling toward his hometown and is proud of his costume.

       

Chocolate Equals Love

Organization and Ideas 

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1.    In the beginning of paragraph1, the author uses a question to draw readers’ attention successfully. By describing the color, the shape and the fantastic taste, the author gives chocolate the highest level in food craving. It has a multiple purpose to comfort people in variety ways, such as a wooer’s gift, a child’s reward, a jilted lover’s solace and Halloween manna. The magic power of chocolate attracts not only young but old. It plays a vital role in our daily life.

2.    By giving the history of chocolate, readers have a chance to understand more about chocolate. The evolution of chocolate surprises readers that how different it was in Aztec, how popular it was in Europe and how it eventually became the trend of candy.

3.    I was quite surprised when reading “Chocolate contains more 300 chemicals including tiny amounts of anandamide, which mimics the active ingredient in marijuana……” I do know that chocolate benefits our health and mind in some extent but I didn’t know that it contains such ingredient as marijuana, which makes me wonder if it the reason why people addicted to chocolate so much.

4.    Chocolate is not only a symbol of luxury but a connection of love. It’s a mind-altering drug that’s good for people in moderation.

5.    Chocolate plays an important role in my daily life. When I feel upset, it can always cheer me up. For me, eating chocolate is like admiring a beautiful symphony which can wash my sadness away.

A Black Fan of Country Music Finally Tells All

Organization and Ideas 

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1.       Paragraph 3 and 6 introduce the essay. In paragraph 3, the author reveals the main idea of the essay that she is a fan of country music. Through paragraph 6, the author shows that she is not afraid of letting others know her preference anymore and will no longer make excuses for her musical taste.

2.       In paragraph 4 and 5, the author describes how afraid she was to let others know her secret of being a fan of country music in a very detail way. Since she is a black who supposed to listen to their own music like jazz, blues and funk not country music, she hides her feeling and passion toward country music.

3.       In 1950, Black should love their music like jazz, blues and funk. Country music is not accepted since they think it is the symbol of racial prejudice. Later, in 1980, country music became mainstream. It is so popular that country music singers became big stars and even Wall Street investment bankers mad about those cowboy boots and hats and learned to do the two-steps.

4.       From the comparison between paragraph 18 and 19, we can see the thesis statement is that being a black fan of country music is not a disgrace. She doesn’t have to hide her feelings or make excuses for her musical taste anymore. She feels free to show her preference.

5.       The author gives some examples to make a specific scenario. First, there was country music at Copa and Town Hall after it became mainstream. And according to WYNY-FM radio, there were more than one million country listeners crazy about country music. Also, country music singers became movie stars. All of these examples accurately shows that country music is popular and became the trend.

Stop Ordering Me Around

Organization and Ideas 

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1.       The author sets the opening scene by giving her own experience to show how customers treated her unreasonably and unforgivably. They had no problem ordering her around after knowing the restaurant had closed at 9:30 and still sitting there until 11:00. The author also reveals how tough it is to be a waiter or waitress and how people think they have right to treat them like a slave. She believes it is probably because food-service workers are regarded as degrading and are in a low position in our society. The whole ideas unify the easy and give us a specific view.

2.       In paragraph 7, the author moves from the particular to the general which gets the most emphasis because the thesis statement of this essay is talking about every career should be treated equally regardless of high or low social position.

3.       The problem is that people think they have right to mistreat food-service workers because  they not only pay for the meal but also give tips. Service workers are like designated gripe catchers of society. Therefore, the author tries to convey an idea that all careers deserve respected to solve the prejudice problem.

4.       I don’t have such experience but I think this kind of prejudice situation may not occur in Taiwan so regular since people in Taiwan do not give a tip.

5.       In the last paragraph, the author shows her thesis statement by saying that “I deserve respect whether I remain a waitress or move on to a different career.” It is quite impressive that the thesis statement being placed in the last paragraph after reading from the particular experience to the general idea.

     

Sweatin' for Nothin'

Organization and Ideas 

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1.       Barlow describes that people pay a great amount of money to do exercise in the health club and they don’t even enjoy it. However, they can get the exact same result by climbing up stairs in their own houses or offices for totally free. This kind of exercise mania is not only conflicting but superficial. People pursuit something blindly and neglect the essentials of consuming energy is to use it effectively with proper purpose.

2.       In paragraph 5, the author reveals that because of the exercise mania, we are running out of energy while at the same time polluting the environment with our waste; and in paragraph 6, Barlow compares people in the past with people in the present. He mentions that people nowadays waste their energy merely to fit into new pants or develop biceps rather than to get somewhere or to meet the needs of fuel. Finally, in paragraph 7, the author says that people abandon the natural way to do exercise but deeply believe that fitness machines can lose their weigh effetely that they even willing to pay to do this.

3.      The author uses a humorous solution: Let people on the machines create useable energy to generate electricity or sell this excess energy to the shops near the health club. Better yet, create health clubs whose sole purpose is to generation of energy that supply to every family. Let not waste energy but to use it to benefit mankind.  

4.       I think the main subject of this essay is “waste” which can be fond in the title of this essay “Sweating for Nothing”. Also, the author uses the concept of entropy, the measure of waste, to support the idea of waste in almost every paragraph and discusses humorously how to solve the problem of wasting energy.

5.       I agree with Barlow’s thesis. I used to think that doing exercise with fitness machines in the health club is the only and effective way to stay in shape and therefore ignore the natural way to do exercise. Because we pay to do exercise in health club, we are unwilling to waste our money and thus force ourselves to waste energy. However, it is just like “putting the cart before the horse”; if we are still trapped in this kind of trend and lose our mind, the idea of transforming our excess energy into electricity can be a good one to solve the problem ideally and at the same time benefit others.

The Best Life Experience I Have Ever Had (Second Version)

We gain knowledge in class; however, the vital experience that we have had through our life can probably take place out of classroom. We can acquire knowledge that we value or get an unforgettable experience that we treasure by taking a part-time job, participating in an extracurricular activity or being responsible for someone. The best life experience I have ever had was to participate in a speech contest when I was in junior high school. Through this valuable experience, I conquered my fear to face the crowds, learned self-trust and the importance of never giving up and; moreover, I realized the meaning of learning that knowledge can be acquired not only in class but in life.

I used to be afraid of speaking in public and since it was my first time to participate in a speech contest, I could not but feel very nervous. I noticed people practicing during the break, which made me feel more strained. Participants coming from other classes tried their best to win the contest. I felt every nerve in my body was tense so I had to keep telling myself that I can do it and trying not to be distracted by others. When it was my turn, I calmed down and took my time and tried my best to finish it.

To my great surprise, I won the first prize. As the saying goes, “Opportunities always favor those who are prepared.” I was really proud of it. I deeply appreciated my advisor’s help. She not only gave me a chance to discover my potential but also encouraged me when I wanted to give up. She always said, "Never give up easily". I keep it in mind and make it as my motto to remind myself not to shrink back but to face it bravely when encountered difficulties or something unfamiliar to me.

Also, I learn that self-trust is the first secret of success. I used to get nervous easily and have no confidence in myself when I spoke in public. I was afraid to face the crowds and often spoke so fast that people could hardly understand what I was trying to express. However, after participating in the speech contest and winning the first prize, which gave me courage and confidence to express my thoughts, I don’t feel so nervous when speaking in public anymore.

By participating in the speech contest, I learned something valuable that I couldn’t know in class and in this score-driven education. That’s the reason why I think participating in a speech contest is the best life experience I have ever had.

The Best Life Experience I Have Ever Had (First Version)

We gain knowledge in class; however, the vital experience that we have had through our life can probably take place out of classroom. We can acquire knowledge that we value or get an unforgettable experience that we will remember it in our whole life by taking a part-time job, participating in an extracurricular activity or being responsible for someone. The best life experience I have ever had was to participate in a speech contest when I was in junior high school.

Because it was my first time to participate in a speech contest, I could not but feel very nervous. I noticed people practicing during the break, which made me feel more nervous. Participants coming from other classes tried their best to win the contest. I kept telling myself that I can do it because I had been well-prepared and trying not to be distracted by others. When it was my turn, I calmed down and took my time and tried my best to finish it.

To my great surprise, I won the first prize. As the saying goes, “Opportunities always favor those who are prepared.” I was really proud of it. I deeply appreciated my advisor’s help. She not only gave me a chance to discover my potential but also encouraged me not to give up easily. She told me that learning how to behave and handle tasks is more important than acquiring knowledge. I always keep it in mind and make it as my motto to remind myself not to forget the meaning of learning that knowledge can be acquired not only in class but also in life.

Also, I learn that self-trust is the first secret of success. I used to get nervous easily and have no confidence in myself when I spoke in public. I was afraid to face the crowds and often spoke so fast that people could hardly understand what I was trying to express. However, after participating in the speech contest and winning the first prize, which gave me courage to express my thoughts, I don’t feel so nervous when speaking in public anymore.

By participating in the speech contest, I learned something valuable that I couldn’t know in class and in this score-driven education. That’s the reason why I think participating in a speech contest is the best life experience I have ever had.

Footprints on the Flag

Organization and Ideas 

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1.    The first paragraph depicted Min’s action that gives us some ideas to know her. First, she is very patriotic. Through her words, we can see that Min’s has a deep-rooted thought that people can by no means show their unrespectable attitude or disloyal behavior to their nation and regime. This kind of idea probably has a strong connection with her education of communist in China. Also, she is careful and responsible. She wiped the flag clean with her jacket each time after a viewer steeped on it.   

2.    Narrative also presents other conflicts besides the one between Min and the artist, such as the conflict between Min and the artist's admirers, the conflict between the artist's admirers and China, the conflict between Min and United States, the conflict between Min and China and the conflict between United States and China.

3.    I think the most important conflict is between Min and China because under Maoist regime, Min was forced to denounce her beloved teacher as an American spy in order to demonstrate her loyalty toward the Communist Party. She feels sorry for herself to be brainwashed under that kind of regime. In addition, she went to the America to run away the repressed and unfree life in China and to seek for shelter after denounced the Communist China.

4.    The thesis is “We should value our hard-won freedom and never take it for granted.” From Min’s overall experience, she described her unfree and hard time in China which makes her treasure and cherish freedom now. Therefore, she felt unbelievable and infuriated that the artist claimed that he lacked freedom. To Min, the artist was too free to truly understand the value of freedom.

5.    In Paragraph 4 and 5, Min’s narrative is kind of exaggerated because she felt emotional about the burning flag idea and got worked up by saying that the words were “boiling” in her head when the artist's admirers told her to get her English straight.

Time to Look and Listen

Organization and Ideas 

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1.      Asfahani recreates her experiences as a seventh-grader by portraying her relationships with her peers and how she felt and retreated as a child in a very detailed way. First, she set out the scene by using the history event that U.S Marine barracks had been bombed in Beirut. Then she describes how this hijacking event caused discrimination against her as an Arab in school. Her classmates not only taunted her with cruel names but also attacked her heritage and religions. Therefore, she became to ignore her proud cultural history and tried to forget her heritage. She began to stop inviting friends over for dinner because she thought the Arabic food was weird and even felt her parents’ accents humiliated her.

2.       In Asfahani’s essay we can find the subject about discrimination, education, American values and stereotype. Among these subjects, I think education is the most important issue because Asfahani shows her thesis by giving the sentence “Education is the key to understanding.” Those subjects of discrimination, American values and stereotype can probably be dealt with proper education.

3.      She said although the world is changing, discrimination and stereotype still exist. However, through education we can better understand the differences of people, learn to take a little time to look and listen and not jump to conclusion or judgment too quickly before we truly understand the facts. 

4.       I think Asfahani is trying to explain her position and persuade her reder not to rush to judgement without knowing the facts. Her aim is to show how education can solve discrimination issue which she has encountered and occurs in any country that allows immigration and to tell people that we must never be ashamed of our past. It is our collective differences that unite us as a nation.

5.       I think Asfahani probably want to show her gratitude to both her homeland and her country as what she said in the essay “I love my country as many who have been here for generations cannot” by publishing the essay just after Thanksgiving. 


 

Learning, then College

Organization and Ideas 

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1.      The writer showed her thesis by giving the sentence “taking time off before college” to prepare her readers for what follows in the rest of the essay.

2.      In paragraph 1, the writer decided to take time off before college when the she was in senior high school and was about 17 years old.
In Paragraph 2 to Paragraph 9, the writer explained what a gap year is, what young people would to during this year and what her reasons were to take the gap year. She also mentioned that it was infuriating to know others misunderstood her purpose of taking the gap year and thought it was merely an excuse for being lazy or having fun. Finally, the writer talked about how she benefited from taking the gap year and what skills she learned during the year.
In Paragraph 10 to 11, the writer went to college when she was 20, making the dean’s list every semester.

3.      Gifford used her time effectively. She traveled, attended the internship, got jobs and discovered her life skills. Moreover, she found independence and a new self-esteem that might positively change her life forever.

4.       Pros: Gifford wrote her essay chronologically with clear major point and many good supporting details.

Cons: There are too many paragraphs in the essay, some are too short and some are too long.

Thesis Statement：The decision I made that changed my life forever: taking time off before college.

5.      After reading this easy, I find the most attractive and practical part of taking the gap year is to discover life skills and get independence and a new self-esteem. We students in Taiwan are like copy machines without having ability to think logically and make right decisions since the education in Taiwan are merely focusing on textbooks, exams and scores, that is, the “duck feeding” education. We are trained to memorize the so called correct answer but seldom think about why. The lack of practical experiences and the opportunities to discover our hobbies and skills will only lead us to get jobs we are not interested in and unable to deal with. By taking the gap year, we can all have chance to learn what we really want, develop our own skills and experience many different kind of things that might change our value forever.  

A Fowl Trick to Play on a Lawn Tractor

Organization and Ideas 

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1.          The narrator portrayed the peahen by showing how concentrated she was on watching the trash compactor and the interaction between himself and the peahen. He shaped the behavior of the peahen so vividly that we could even imagine her facial expression and feelings when she sidled over a step or two to let the narrator watch the light.

2.      Dexter used a humorous and ironic way to describe what had happened. He characterized his tractor as something uncontrolled and seemed to have his own will that he had to pull the lever that strangled it rather than merely turned a key to finally kill the engine.

3.      I think there are three conflicts in this essay. The first conflict is between Dexter and the peahen. The second one is between Dexter and the tractor and the third conflict is between peahen and the tractor.

4.      The narrator revealed the truth in the last paragraph to make a dramatic effect to impress the reader who didn’t expect such ending. After Dexter turned off the red light of the trash compactor, the peahen started to make a terrible scream. In that very moment, Dexter realized that the noise wasn’t from his tractor, but was from the peahen. Thus, it is very clear that all he had to do was get that peahen out off his garage as a successful resolution.

5.      Since the narrative is talking about the man misunderstood things by judging them with his first impression, I think the moral will be “Don’t jump to conclusions too quickly before you truly understand it.”

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Self-Introduction

    My name is Yu-Ning Liu. Sandy is my English name. I was born on 9th January, 1991. I am studying in Soochow University and I major in the Department of English Language and Literature. I am easy going and willing to help people.   

     I come from a happy and warm family. There are seven people in my family. My grand father lives with us, he is a farmer and he is kind to people. My father runs a parking lot and he also works in farm association, he’s a responsible father. My mother is a housewife, she’s thrifty and prudent. My older sister is working as a foreign sales assistant and she is considerate. My older brother is studying for Master’s degree at National Hsinchu University of Education and he majors in the Department of Arts and Design, The Master Program of Arts Education and Creation Arts and Design Department. He’s optimistic and creative. My younger sister is a high school student, she’s attentive. We also have a naughty dog at home. His name is Gesso and he’s two years old.

    In my free time, I like to read novels and watch television. I also enjoy listening to music and hanging out with friends. English is my favorite subject since I studied in kindergarten, that’s why I choose English as my major now. Through these years in school, I realized the importance of English so I have been studying intently. I hope one day I could make good use of the knowledge that I’ve learned from school and give contribution to our society.