Coffee --The Amazing Drink (First Version)

When you walk on the street, have you ever bought a cup of coffee in Starbucks to taste the coffee’s amazing flavor or just want to keep yourself awake even though it cost you a lot of money? It is well-know that coffee is our great partner when we feel sleepy because it has caffeine to keep people awake. Furthermore, coffee is a kind of drink that is expensive than others and is always related to luxury. In addition, people buy it to enjoy its smooth, bitter, and mellow flavor, and to somewhat, people can show their taste when they buy it. Imagine that you are drinking a cup of coffee in New York, Paris, or other cities, and chatting with your friends or enjoying your private time. How modern and satisfied you are!

Coffee has a long and mysterious history. Each area has its own version. But one thing can be sure is the place of the origin of coffee. It is grown on the mountain of Ethiopia in East Africa. In 1454, a Yemeni monk publicized coffee, which was unknown at that time. Gradually, it was spread throughout Arabian Peninsula by its mysterious scent. In the early phases, Arabians eat the fruit of coffee rather than using the coffee beans. They chewed the fruit of coffee to suck the juice. Later, they combined the ground coffee beans with the animal’s fat as the energy drink. In 16th century, the first coffee shop of Europe was established in Vienna and the Europeans also combined coffee with milk. Then, the glamour of coffee spread throughout the world.

The production of coffee is very complex. First, the coffee berries have to be separated from the coffee seeds. Then, those seeds have to be fermented and dried. Finally, the most important part is roasting. After those steps, the coffee beans can be completed. it can be distinguished by their breeds and place of origin. For example, the Coffee Arabica and Coffee Robusta are based on the breeds of coffee. As to Java and Mandheling, they are discriminated by their place of origin.

To me, coffee is really an amazing drink. The best coffee I’ve ever drunk is in Italy. That coffee shop, operated since 1760, is near Spanish Embassy. The flavor of its Latte is very smooth and rich. I can feel both the scent of coffee and milk. No wonder that coffee can bring us the sensory satisfaction and the spiritual content. To sum up, coffee is just like the magic that combined so many functions in one.

                  

The Handicap of Definition

Organization and Ideas

1. Paragraph 1~4：The major assertion is that the black people here is a tragically limited definition, and it isn't only white people who buy it.
    Paragraph 5~7：The major assertion is that the harm that comes from too narrow a definition of what is black.
    Paragraph 8~11：The major assertion is that when people are inculcated early in their lives, the black people can do the things well.

2. The relationship between paragraph 12 and the preceding paragraphs is the things that the blacks or the whites can do. The white people always take charge of the things that are essential to economic security. However, the black people can only be the good athletes or entertain other people.

3. Raspberry's thesis is to make the black children understand that they are as outstanding as any other races. They are capable of doing whatever they put in their minds to and making it in the American mainstream, not just in a black subculture. As a result, the writer uses many examples to support his idea.

4. I don't think there is any evidence to support the view that Raspberry is trying to make blacks "better" by making them white. Although the author mentions that white people have the better status than black people, actually he just want to let the blacks know they have the same capability to do the same things.

5. I think a feminist who reads the essay might argue that it is sexist because there are two words, "sexual prowess", in this article. But I think there aren't any evidence to show Raspberry is a sexist. The writer mentions it just because it is one of the opinions that the blacks might be misunderstood.

Getting Angry Can Be a Good Thing

Organization and Ideas

1. In paragraph 2, the writer's point is very clear. Because her family are Bolivian immigrants, her good friend once said that if the U.S. might have the war, her parents would belong in an internment camp just like the Japanese-Americans during World War II.  What her friend said was really offended her. After this event, Munoz generalizes the questions that the immigrants might encounter in paragraph 3. For example, there will always be doubt as to whether they really belong in this country, which is their home, and so on.

2. This essay's organization is both a bit of "chronological" and "particular to general". In paragraph 2 and 3, the author was 17 and she was propelled to join the civil rights movement. In paragraph 4, she started to work as an advocate. As to "particular to general", paragraph 1~3 was her personal experience. But from paragraph 4~7, she started to work as an advocate in the civil rights movement and started not only to talk about herself but also other people.

3. Outrage
    → Denotations：insult, injure, violate, trespass, infringe, mistreat, abuse, impair
    → Connotations：upset, furious, angry, offensive

4. She believes that outrage can be a good thing. She is deeply familiar with that hollow place that outrage carves in her soul. "Outrage" is just like a propellant to push her to help the immigrants and to support the civil rights movement. And all of these makes Munoz believe that she has the privilege of doing her small part to make things better.

5. I think the opening sentence, "I believe that a little outrage can take you a long way", is the essay's thesis and paragraph 2~7 are the supporting details. Because the opening sentence points out the topic,which is "outrage", the rest parts of the essay are surrounded by this spindle.

Mount Titlis ( Final Version)

"It will be a wonderful paradise," I told myself when I was sitting on the bus, and I knew that even though I hadn't been there. This was a sunny day and our bus was traveling in the tranquil champaign. The air was fresh and chill. The champaign was green and live. The sky was enormous and azure. My heart was excited and glad. I was in Switzerland! The bus was still heading for our destination, Mount Titlis, to see the glacier.

As a Taiwanese, I had never seen the snow before. Because Taiwan is a tropical country, people can hardly see the real snow. Let alone the glacier! As a result, it would be my first time to see the glacier. The elated feeling was beyond description, not only to me, but also to my friend and my younger sister. After the two-hour's drive, finally, we arrived at our destination, Mount Titlis.

After I arrived at Mount Titlis, I found the scene were very different. The landscape of the foot of the mountain was bright and beautiful. The grass and the trees are vivid. I even saw the animals, such as pigs, cows, horses, on the hillside. And then, when I was on the half way up the mountain, the view changed a lot. The grass and the trees disappeared. The mountain was bald and sometimes I could see the white pieces of ice cap scattered on the mountain just like the pattern of a milch cow. Eventually, when I arrived at the mountaintop, the only thing I could see was the glacier and the fog. It was my first time to see the glacier! It was also my first time to realize that walking on the ice was not an easy task at all. Because it was so slippery, people might tumble easily.

Just as the moment that I saw this view, I was really moved. I realized that the Creator was so mighty that it created various landscapes on the earth such as deserts, oceans, glaciers, mountains, streams, and so on, and each of them had their own features. This time, I knew more about the glacier, not from the textbooks, but from my personal experience. Until that moment, I started to understand why some people say “He that travels far knows much.”

I Was a Member of the Kung Fu Crew

Organization and Ideas

1. Paragraph 1：Lau met his Kung Fu Crew members a year ago and started to talk the Kung Fu in the early 1990's China by the story.
    Paragraph 2 ~4：Law was in eighth grade and has the great physical strength. And then , the author started to introduce the categories of the kids in Chinatown.
    Paragraph 5：Introduce how the hair is important in determining one's order on the street.
    Paragraph 6：When the examination of the hair is sufficient, the writer introduced how the pants is important in determining one's order on the street.
    Paragraph 7 ~12：Lau wrote somthing about what had the K.F.C. done in Chinatown.
    Paragraph 13：The K.F.C. disbanded.

2. There are four categories of kids in Chinatown. First, the pale-faced kids who study all the time to get into the Ivies are regarded as nerds. Second, the kids with uncombed hair and crooked teeth who sing karaoke in bars are the recent immigrants. Third, the kids with high-lighted hair who cut school, and the gangsters, whom everyone else avoids are viewed as the punks. The last category is K.F.C. They worked hard like the nerds, but they identify with the punks.

3. I think the writer's point is to show the readers how the apperance, such as hair, pants, and school bags, is important to the kids in Chinatown. Through the differences between the other groups, kids can find their own self- esteem and self- approval.

4. To Lau, Chinatown is his hometown and his spirit belongs to there. The author lived in Chinatown for a longtime and also had the great time with his friends to amble on the Canal Street. All of these shaped the magnificent memory of living there. As a result, Lau gradually has the identity of being the member of Chinatown.

5. I think Lau's thesis is explicit. Because Chinatown is a ghetto, it may remain many customs of the imigrants. Therefore, the whole essay supports this idea and the author also takes pride in his own culture.

Chocolate Equals Love

Organization and Ideas

1. In paragraph 1, at first, the author uses the question to ask the readers what food do we crave. By doing so, we may be interested in this essay and started to think about this question. And then, she uses many short sentences to give the readers some quick images as the answer of the question. Because chocolate has so many use, that's why it is the food that we crave.

2. By giving the history of chocolate as the beginning of the essay, the readers can understand chocolate more. We can know who discovered chocolate, how important it was to the Aztecs, how the Europeans viewed chocolate, and so on. Ackerman gives the history of chocolate to let us not only know the use and the ingredients of chocolate, but also the profound culture behind it.

3. I am surprised that one of the ingredients in chocolate is marijuana. I have heard some people say that eating or drinking chocolate can make people be more stimulant, so I always think it is because chocolate has caffeine in it. But after reading this article, I understand that this effect is not all because of caffeine, but also marijuana.

4. Her thesis is that chocolate has so many chemical ingredients that makes people be stimulant and crave for it.

5. As to myself,  I eat chocolate just because I want to enjoy its flavor instead of expelling my tiredness. As a result, when I eat chocolate, I would only focus on its silk, rich, and mild taste. Besides, I pretty agree with the writer that chocolate is very popular and I think it can be a good choice as a gift. Therefore, when I have to give presents to my friends, I always choose chocolate.

A Black Fan of Country Music Finally Tells All

Organization and Ideas

1. I think the first 3 paragraphs introduce the essay. In paragraph 1 and 2, the author used a scenario to tell the readers that she bought a singer's album. In paragraph 3, she told us she is a fan of country music and started to deal with it in the essay.

2. Williams' point is about the race. Because Williams is a black people, she dare not listen to the music that the white people like. As a result, she can only listen to the country music secretly. These two paragraphs show the struggle between her beloved music and her confined situation in the society.

3. 1950's ---
     Black people weren't allowed to listen to the country-and-western music. Their contribution to American  music was in jazz, blues, and funk. But some elements of jazz was copied by country music and people started to listen to the Black's music.                  
    1980's ---
     Country music became mainstream. Those singers of country music became the movies stars. Wall Street investment bankers even bought cowboy boots and hats and learned to do the two-step.

4. I think Williams won't hide her preference towards the music. It relates to her thesis statement successfully because it helps the readers to recall what she wants to say in this essay. And the writer doing this by using the comparison can make the readers feel fresh and new.

5. The writer gave us some very precise examples. For example, the country music was played at the Copa and at Town Hall. WYNY-FM radio in New York also had more than one million listeners. In addition, the country music singers, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, became movie stars. Furthermore, Garth Brooks became an American phenomenon.

Stop Ordering Me Around

Organization and Ideas

1. The writer set the scene of the opening narrative by giving her personal experience to the readers. By describing it so detailed, the readers can understand the working condition of the waiters or the waitresses, just as we can find in paragraph 1 and 2. In the rest paragraphs, Wilkins gave more examples about what harassment do the waiters/waitresses face. By doing so, I think it can unify the essay and give the readers a clear sketch.

2. The author move from the particular to the general in paragraph 7. The paragraph 1 to 6 are more particular; however, the rest part of paragraphs are more general. I think the general part gets the most emphisis because Wilkins used more length of the article to write it and give more examples about it.

3. I think the problem is the harassment that the waiters/waitresses face when they're working. And this harassment is caused by disrespect by the customers. Nevertheless, the author still gave us the solution in paragraph 14. She mentioned that "If people stepped down from their spurious pedestals, they might see how wrong they are."

4. My friend worked in the restaurant, too. He once told me that sometimes, when the restaurant was full of the customers, the speed of offering the meal would be more slowly. As a result, some customers would yell at him and be very rude without wearing his shoe. But after being used to the customer's malicious comments, he became more optimistic and not took these malicious comments too seriously.

5. I think the thesis statement is in the last paragraph --- "I deserve respect whether I remain a waitress or move on to a different career." This sentence states the root of the treatments of the waiters/waitresses in this whole essay. The waiters/waitresses encountered so many vexations and all of these were caused by the lack of respect.

Sweatin' for Nothin'

Organization and Ideas

1. At first, Barlow saw his hamster sprinting in a metal cylinder to get out of the cage. But this is invalid. Then, he started to think that what his family and most American do is just like the hamster because during the exercise, the energy is wasted. As a result, the writer figures out the solution that we can let the energy, produced by the process of exercising, be available.

2. In paragraph 5, the writer mentions that exercise mania has crippled our culture. In addition, he also explains the entropy. In paragraph 6, Barlow wrote that in the past, people exercise for some particular purposes. For example, they may want to get somewhere or need the fuel. However, nowadays, people do such things just because they want to fit into new pants or to develop their biceps. In paragraph 7, Barlow mentioned that people choose to ride elevators all day in any buildings. However, they go to the fitness center where they pay to walk up stairs. 

3. Barlow figures up the solution that all these wasted energy can be transformed into the available and the useful energy. By doing so, people can not only lose their weight and keep shape, but also protect our planet and our environment. For example, the exercisers can light the health club and air condition it. In addition, people can get together to pedal, chat, and swap phone numbers to improve their interpersonal relationship.

4. I think the main subject of this essay is "wasted energy". Because this idea can be found in the title " Sweatin' for Nothin' " and the most parts of this article. In paragraph 4 to paragraph 10, the writer dealt with the wasted energy and how to solve this problem.

5. I agree with Barlow's thesis. Nowadays, people choose to ecercise not from the daily environment but by joining the club or fitness center. They don't choose the free method but the way that they have to pay a lot of money. I think it's an unnecessary movement. As a result, I think we can do exercise everytime and everywhere. Besides, I think transfrom the energy we produced into the available one is a great idea. Because we can get many benefits by doing so.

Mount Titlis (Second Version)

"It will be a wonderful paradise," I told to myself when I was sitting in the bus, and I knew that even though I hadn't been there. This was a sunny day and our bus was traveling in the tranquil champaign. The air was fresh and chill. The champaign was green and live. The sky was enormous and azure. My heart was excited and glad. I was in Switzerland! The bus was still heading for our destination, Mount Titlis, to see the glacier.

As a Taiwanese, I had never seen the snow before. Because Taiwan is a tropical country, people are hardly to see the real snow. Let alone the glacier! As a result, it would be my first time to see the glacier. The elated feeling was beyond description, not only to me, but also to my friend and my younger sister. After the two-hour distance, finally, we arrived at our destination, Mount Titlis.

After I arrived at Mount Titlis, I found the scene were very different. The landscape of the foot of the mountain was bright and beautiful. The grass and the trees are virid. I even saw the animals, such as pigs, cows, horses, on the hillside. And then, when I was on the half way up the mountain, the view changed a lot. The grass and the trees were disappeared. The mountain was bald and sometimes I could see the white pieces of ice cap scattered on the mountain just like the pattern of a milch cow. Eventually, when I arrived at the mountaintop, the only thing I could see was the glacier and the fog. It was my first time to see the glacier! It was also my first time to realize that walking on the ice was not an easy task at all. Because it was so slippery, people might tumble easily.

Just as the moment that I saw this view, I was really moved. I realized that the Creator was so mighty that it created various landscapes on the earth such as deserts, oceans, glaciers, mountains, streams, and so on, and each of them had their own features. This time, I knew more about the glacier, not from the textbooks, but from my personal experience. Until that moment, I started to understand why some people say “He that travels far knows much.”

 

Mount Titlis ( First Version)

"It will be a wonderful paradise," I told to myself when I was sitting in the bus, and I knew that even though I hadn't been there. This was a sunny day and our bus was traveling in the tranquil champaign. The air was fresh and chill. The champaign was green and live. The sky was enormous and azure. My heart was excited and glad. I was in Switzerland! The bus was still heading for our destination, Mount Titlis, to see the glacier.

As a Taiwanese, I had never seen the snow before. Because Taiwan is a tropical country, people are hardly to see the real snow. Let alone the glacier! As a result, it would be my first time to see the glacier. The elated feeling was beyond description, not only to me, but also to my friend and my younger sister. After the two-hour distance, finally, we arrived at our destination, Mount Titlis.

When I arrived at Mount Titlis, I found the scene were very different. The landscape of the foot of the mountain was bright and beautiful. The grass and the trees are virid. I even saw the animals, such as pigs, cows, horses, on the hillside. And then, when I was on the half way up the mountain, the view changed a lot. The grass and the trees were disappeared. The mountain was bald and sometimes I could see the white pieces of ice cap scattered on the mountain just like the pattern of a milch cow. Eventually, when I arrived at the mountaintop, the only thing I could see was the glacier and the fog. It was my first time to see the glacier! It was also my first time to realize that walking on the ice was not an easy task at all. Because it was so slippery, people might tumble easily.

When I saw this view, I was really moved. I realized that the Creator was so mighty that it created various landscapes on the earth such as deserts, oceans, glaciers, mountains, streams, and so on, and each of them had their own features. This time, I knew more about the glacier, not from the textbooks, but from my personal experience. Until that moment, I started to understand why some people say “He that travels far knows much.”

Footprints on the Flag

Organization and Ideas

1. She values the flag because the flag represents the country that can't be trampled. So I think she is patriotic. In addition, she is also a careful and patient person that each time after a viewer left, she would take off her jacket and wipe the flag clean.

2. I think most of the conflicts are between the United States and China. First, the United States is full of freedom, while China is repressive and less freedom. The second one is the antagonism between the USA and China. The writer was taught how to resist the Americans, not only the skills to kill Americans but also remoulded people's ideology. And then, the third conflict is between Min and China because she had denounced the Communist China.

3. I think the most important conflict is Min and China. Because she denounced the Communist China, she left China and went to the USA for seeking the shelter. When she lived in America, she realized how good to enjoy the freedom so that this essay could be developed.

4. The essay's thesis is " Freedom is indispensable and we should treasure it." I think she not only learn the feeling of being free but also have to cherish it because it has not come easily.

5. In paragraph 4, I think Min's tone is pretty emotional and agitated.  Because she said " I was emotional because if it were not for America I would not have been alive today." I can feel that when she wrote this sentence, she was very grateful to America and not wanted to see anyone burnt the symbol of America--flag. In paragraph 5, I think Min's tone is realistic because it just describes what she had experienced in China.

Time to Look and Listen

Organization and Ideas

1. At first, she uses an authentic event, the TWA plane was diverted to Beirut and the U.S. Marine barracks was bombed by Arabs, as the prologue to mention why she is discriminated. Then, she recreats her experience as a seventh-grader well by depicting the conflicts in her mind. For example, she tried to forget the Arabics she knew, thinking the food she ate was "weird", being embarrassed about the accent, and so on.

2. I think education is the most important. Because in the last paragraph, the author wrote "Education is the key to understanding." In addition, in order to let the children know more about the Arabic culture, the author's mother even went to the school to educate them. After that, those children seemed to accept the culture of Arab.

3. Her statement about that subject is "Education is the key to understanding." She said that as Americans, we need to take a little time to look and listen carefully to what around us instead of judging it without knowing everything. She also mentioned "It is collective differences that unite and make us unique as a nation."

4. Actually, the writer tries to persuade the reader should not discriminate the religion and the race that are exclusive from the majority. Besides, she also mentioned she is an immigrant who came from the Middle East.I think there are some combinations between them. Because she is an immigrant, she confront many discriminations. However, she still can't forget her origine and should be proud of it. Because all of these aims are important, no one can dominate another.

5. Because this essay was dated nearly Thanksgiving, the holiday that is full of love and the feeling of grateful, I think maybe she wanted to published the essay to thank her mother country--Arab.

Learning, then college

Organization and Ideas

1. In first paragraph, the writer mentioned "taking time off before college" so that the readers can expect the following paragraphs will be related to the gap year.

2. Paragraph 1：When the writer was 17 years old, she decided to take time off before college rather than going to college directly.
    Paragraph 2~9：Gifford explained what the gap year is and analized its advantages and disadvantages. And then, she talked about the feelings of making this decision. Then, the she mentioned what skills did she learn during the gap year. All of these things happened when she was 18 years old.
   Paragraph 10~11：When Gifford was 20, she attended college.

3. She discovered life skills, found independence and a new self-esteem, got jobs to get the experiences, and explored what she needs.

4. Pros：Gifford wrote this essay in time order and gave a lot of good examples and ideas.
    Cons：Some paragraphs are too short that should be combined with the other paragraphs.
    Thesis Statement：What did she learn by choosing the gap year.

5. To me, the most persuasive part is that we can get jobs to acquire the experiences in the gap year.
    Because there always some differences between what we learnt from university and how to apply this knowlwdge to the work place, I think getting a job can let us know what kind of skills or traits we don't have. After getting jobs, we can improve ourselves and be more competitive.

A Fowl Trick to Play on a Lawn Tractor

Organization and Ideas

1. The narrator portrayed the peahen detailedly and focused on the interaction between them. The narrator also depicted the movement so vividly that  the reader can even imagine the emotion of the peahen. Because of that, we can know that the peahen is very curious about the machine.

2.Dexter is skilled in using the humorous tone to narrate what things happened. He characterized his tractor by using a lot of ironic words to reinforce the reader's feeling so that we can know Dexter thought  that machine is very noisy.

3. I think there are three different conflicts in this essay. The first one is between the peahen and Dexter. Second, the conflict is between Dexter and the tractor. The last one is the peahan and the tractor.

4. When Dexter turned off the red light of the compactor, the peahen started to launch a terrible voice and let Dexter realized that the tremendous sound was not from his tractor, but this peahen! I think the resolution is very successful because it is completely out of the reader's expections.

5. Don't judge things or people only by first impressions because the first impressions are strongest and most lasting that may mislead you.

Self-Intriduction

    Hello! My name is Cindy (汪欣怡). I major in the Department of  English Language and Literature in Soochow University. Moreover I am also a tutor to teach the elementary school student English.I am not only interested in English but also interested in French. That's why I have studied French in the institution called L'Alliance Française de Taïwan for almost one year. In addition, because Taiwan is a country that emphasis on the trade to foreign countries, I also minor in the Department of International Business. However, I once read a book which  mentioned that in generally, Taiwanese students lack of the global views and not care about what things happened in the world. In oder to cope with the globalization and build my global views, I also took the course named "International Relation" to understand the international situations and give myself the competitiveness in the future.
    I also have many habits such as travelling, mountain climbing, baking, collecting postcards, reading Chinese classical novels, and so on. I think travelling can broaden our horizons and experience the local life, so I like travelling, especially go abroad, very much. By the way, I just went to France, Italy, and Switzerland this summer. I learnt a lot of things from this trip and it was so amazing that was beyond description. Due to loving exotic culture, I also like to exchange the postcards with the foreigners to know their unique culture and collect the postcards from all over the world. Furthermore, I like traditional Chinese culture very much. As a result, I often read poems, Chinese literature, and even practice Tai-Ji Quan and Xing-Yi Quan in my free time.
Finally, I hope I can learn more writing skills and improve my English compositions by taking this course.