What do you think makes a good friend?

Undoubtedly, everyone makes friends with others. However, what makes the difference between someone you consider as friend and someone you consider as a good friend? In my opinion, I think a good friend to me should satisfied some condition as follow: They should be someone you can share your secrets with, often considers about you and willing to give sincere suggestion for you.
First of all, everyone has their own secrets, no matter it is about themselves or about others. I think people sometimes needs to keep it while sometimes it will be really hard to afford it by their own and will need others' opinion. When the later condition happens, we need someone we really trust to talk to and shared with. I remembered once when I was in elementary school. I was the only person who saw someone stole a ring of others' during break in class. At that time the whole class was full of anger and no one admitted when the teacher asked. I was so afraid of turning him in because I think he will be punished badly from everyone. I felt so bad and even had a nightmare that night. It was David, my best friend , found something wrong with me the next day and finally went to the teacher with me to tell the truth. Fortunately, the teacher talk with him in private and did not punished him badly afterward. Instead, she make a lesson to the whole class that we should not stole anything and we should be honest to ourselves. I really appreciate David for saving me from the worse condition.
Secondarily, a good friend should be someone who you can learn from and make you a better person. Undoubtedly, everyone makes mistake or will have several bad habits in their life and sometimes they will not be aware of it if no one points them out. When these conditions happen, we will need a friend who really cares about you to give you suggestion. For instance, I am a person who like to share foods with others. I remembered when I first arrived the states, I shared food with others as I used to do when having dinner. Not until my friend told me afterward did I know that Americans do not usually share food with others. No matter why they did not eat the foods I gave them. After the talk, I learned a lesson about the general table manner and I really appreciate he told me that.
In conclusion, I think a good friend should be someone who considers about you, share your secrets and willing to give sincere suggestion to you. Just as the phrases said, good friend is like a good book and they can taught you great lessons!

What do you think about teenagers doing part time jobs?

Recent statistics show that more than 35 percent of students in college spent their time doing part time jobs. Although many people, such as some of their parents or teachers consider that doing part time job is not good for one who still has to make most efforts in their studies, I think doing part time job can benefits student in several ways; for example, to obtain a sense and spirit of serving others and experience the relationship between employer and other employees will be a great pre-learning before one actually goes to work.
First of all, students in college will mostly become one of the best employees in the society after graduation. By this mean, I consider the spirit of serving others will play an essential role for us. By participate in part time jobs such as in a restaurant or other facilities where one have to do his best to fulfill the demands of the customers, one can absolutely learn the true significance of serving others. Always have smile on one’s face and always think more for the customers can be a great lesson for his future work: always think what one can contribute more for the society and make it better. Therefore, I think doing a part time job is a really good option besides one’s schoolwork.
Secondarily, experiencing the relationship between employers is also very important for future work. Unlike school works, while one has to work hard to obtain good performance, he does not actually have any responsibility for anyone except oneself. By actually receiving salaries from the employer, one has the responsibility to do a great job in order to earn his money.
Besides the relationship between one and his employers, how they get along with their colleagues is also an important issue which they should face to. For example, several of my friends worked in a national park this summer. Although they work same amount of time for the same employer, their tips differ from each other’s based on what position they hold. For example, the bar tender can earn almost ten times the tips than house keeper. Of course one can say that it’s because the working styles are different that cause this situation. But from the prospective of the housekeeper, how to deal with the feeling that hard works earns less money will be a difficult lesson.
To sum up, I think experiencing all the relationships one has to face in real work while they are student is really beneficial. By treating the part time job as an important learning period can make one an experienced employee when they are entering the society as a rookie.

Outline of research paper

Outline
Thesis statement: Vehicles using alternative energy have been popped up and being well developed in the past two decades. Are these vehicles really doing better to our environment?

1. The history of electric vehicle dates to the beginning of the nineteenth century.
A. Electric vehicles using motors are developed earlier than combustion engine one.
B. As the development of combustion engines getting better in the twenties century. People started to accept them better.
C. As environment issues floats to the surface, electric vehicles are again catching people’s attention.

2. Alternative options of vehicles:
A. Hybrid car on road nowadays is a transition choice of electric vehicle.
B. Fuel cell car is a choice that consumes only hydrogen.
C. Electric car.

3. Energy and environment concern: Compare of possible pollutant and the social cost from each selection.
A. Traditional combustion engine vehicles.
B. Hybrid car.
C. Electric vehicles.

4. Current development of electric vehicle.
A. Technological breakthrough: High storage battery and high efficient energy managing system makes EV a better product.
B. Political support: Germany and Japan are setting up strategies to support alternative energy vehicles.
C. Successful example of electric vehicle company: Tesla motor is a successful company that produce EV.

Reaearch log

Record1:
Title:
Fuel cell and battery electric vehicles compared.
Authors:
Thomas, C.E.1 thomas@h2gen.com
Source:
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy; Aug2009, Vol. 34 Issue 15, p6005-6020, 16p
Document Type:
Article
Subject Terms:
*HYBRID electric vehicles
*ENVIRONMENTAL aspects
*MOTOR vehicles
*FUEL cell vehicles
*HYDROGEN as fuel
*ETHANOL as fuel
*AUTOMOBILES -- Social aspects
*GREENHOUSE gas mitigation
*COMPUTER simulation
*COMPARATIVE studies
BATTERIES

Record2:
Title:
Different fuelling technologies for urban transport bus service in an Italian big town: economic, environmental and social considerations.
Authors:
Santarelli, M.G.L. massimo.santarelli@polito.it
Calì, M.1
Bertonasco, A.1
Source:
Energy Conversion & Management; Aug2003, Vol. 44 Issue 14, p2353, 18p
Document Type:
Article
Subject Terms:
*URBAN pollution
*HYBRID electric vehicles
Author-Supplied Keywords:
Hybrid vehicles
Hydrogen bus
Urban pollution

Record3:
Title:
Combining Intermodal Transport With Electric Vehicles: Towards More Sustainable Solutions.
Authors:
MacHaris, Cathy1 cathy.macharis@vub.ac.be
Van Mierlo, Joeri2
Van Den Bossche, Peter2
Source:
Transportation Planning & Technology; Apr2007, Vol. 30 Issue 2/3, p311-323, 13p, 11 charts, 1 diagram
Document Type:
Article
Subject Terms:
*CONTAINERIZATION
*LOGISTICS
*HYBRID electric vehicles
*FEASIBILITY studies
*TRANSPORTATION industry
Geographic Terms:
EUROPE
Author-Supplied Keywords:
Europe
feasibility
haulage operations
hybrid vehicles
Intermodal transport
logistics

What do you think of sports for student?

Sports play an essential part in ones student period. It can help student stay in good shapes while studying hard, develop friendships and feel accomplished doing it.
And release student’s pressure from school works.

Doing sports can help students stay healthy and maintain a good shape. Nowadays, due to using computers too much in leisure time, a recent survey shows that over 27 percent of high school student in the United States are overweight or at the risk of overweight[1]. This is an amazing statistic that almost over 1 of four students has a problem of obesity. I think students should spend more time to exercise rather than playing online games in their leisure time. As for staying healthy, the department of health recommended that as an adult, people should spend at least 150 minutes doing moderate-intensity aerobic activity and plus doing muscle training at least 2 times a week.[2] Therefore, maybe we should work more harder on exercise to lower the statistics.

Doing sports can develop lots of friendship for doing exercise that required teamwork. (Such as basketball, football and volleyball.) By doing these events, we can always meet new people because these are the kind of sports that will always be someone playing in the gym. And the rules are universal; you can play with whoever you want in the gym. What’s more, if you were technically the leader of some club. You can know how to deal with the problem and will learn also how to manage a team. Which will be a good experience for us.

As a student, we are often overwhelmed by lots of homework and reports in daily life. And these pressures should be relieved in certain way. As for me, I will go weight training twice a week and also plays basketball, volleyball and sometimes soccer every weekend. And they are really important for me because on one hand, I think it is always helpful for me because I can feel that I’m refreshed after doing these activities. On the other hand, after the events we often go dining together which can make everyone closer to each other.

In conclusion, I think sports play a very important part of our student life. It not only makes us stay in good shape, but also can relieve our pressure of school. Thus, why not choose sports you like and started to work on it. You will feel the difference
within you!

[1] http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5501a2.htm
[2] http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html

Outline of compare and contrast

Topic:
Campus lifestyle in Taiwan and in UIUC
Thesis statement:
Campus lifestyle not only shows how a country educates their younger generation, but also reflects a country’s culture. As an exchange student, I’ve discovered several similarity and difference in campus life between Taiwan and UIUC.
(Using point by point)
 Student’s night life:
Topic sentence:
Unlike most of the university in Taiwan is in big city, UIUC locates in country sides
Supporting ideas:
UIUC is at the middle of corn field and we can find nearly everything we want on campus. In Taiwan we usually have night market where we can enjoy delicious foods and lots of entertainments just across the street of the campus.
 Activity/sports:
Topic sentence:
While UIUC have clubs that mainly based on ones interests, we got lots of student associations and club which is based on department in Taiwan.
Supporting ideas:
For example, we have our own student association for mechanical engineering department, and we often held welcoming camp with other associations such as foreign language department or finance department. For sports such as basketball or volleyball, we also have our own team of each department. And then the school’s club team will hold a tournament every semester where each department compete each other.
 Classes:
Topic sentence:
Unlike UIUC divides classes through weekdays, the same classes are often taught in a series in Taiwan.
Supporting ideas:
For example, ESL class of three credits will have three classes together on Monday rather than spreading out to three days a week in Taiwan. Moreover, I think students here are very active in class. They ask questions whenever they want frequently. In Taiwan, students will be really quiet through classes, only taking their notes.

Outline of cause and effect

Thesis statement:

Academic failure in college is mainly caused by the three following factors: negative peer affection, too much freedom of college life and poor time management.

Topic sentences:

Peer affection plays an essential role in college life. You will probably become similar to who you usually get along with.

Supporting details:

Hangout with friend who lacks a passion of learning can affect ones attitude toward learning.


Topic sentence:

Lifestyle in college is extremely free. You can participate in any courses or activities you want.

Supporting details:

1. Not understanding the amount of work required or time consuming often makes students get poor performance due to insufficient preparing.
2. Participates in too much activities can also leads to poor performance on school works.

Topic sentence:

Deficiency in time management will not only affect one’s daily life, but will also result in poor performance on school works.

Supporting details:

1. Appropriate time managing is very important in college. It helps you know how much time you are spending on each activities.

What do you think about students having to wear school uniforms?

So far, the purpose of education is always making you into a unique individual, developing specific skills and help finding your own value through life. In this case, I think students should focus more on their school works rather than their clothing. Wearing uniforms not only makes school life more simple and organized, but also provides equality and safety among students.

Uniform, in other words, is a unified outfits that makes students looks exactly the same on the outward during school time. It may not have good looking as well as casual clothing. But it can definitely save students time from deciding what to wear or how to dress up before school. As for me, I would like to have same two suits of uniform that can bring me through the week days rather than buying five or even more different combination of casual clothing. By wearing uniform, the entire school will look more in ordered and organized rather than loud and fancy. It provides better educational atmosphere, and symbolize school spirit.[1] By satisfying these two reasons above, students can be more concentrate on their learning and mind developing, which could greatly help fulfill the purpose of education.

Furthermore, statistics has that schools having school uniform policy have seen decreased in crime rate. It was a tragedy that a few years ago in Detroit there was a boy been killed only because someone dislike his brand new, 86 dollar shoes.[2] By wearing uniform, students will be equal even they come from different economy background. They will no longer be laugh or judge at their appearance. And the focus in school will be likely more about which scientific research project are students in rather than who just got the new season, famous branded jacket. And also, students can spend money in a more efficient way such as on school fees, tuition fees or even got better nutrition if they don’t spent their money on the outfits. Nowadays, more and more schools in America now even rise funding of buying uniforms for students who can’t afford the cost.

All in all, wearing uniform keeps the campus in harmony and safe. And also makes student to develop their skills and interest of life in an atmosphere which is free from any problem other than academic accomplishments. By this policy, the purpose of education will be better fulfilled and make learning in school more positive and equal.

[1] from http://www.teachersmind.com/education.htm ---purpose of education
[2] from http://www.123helpme.com ---school uniforms.

What do you think someone your age can do to help reduce the amount of pollution in our environment?

In the past few decades, as the planet we live on getting more and more crowded. Levels of air, noise and sight pollution are all rising higher and higher. It’s hard to write down in details where do all these pollution come from. But today I’m pollution in our environment? going to tell one of the phenomenons I found since my arrival to the United States---waste of food.

It was an extreme cultural shock to me of the servings of food here are so huge when I just arrived America. At that time I was always struggling whether to finish them or not. However, what surprised me more is that most of the people here won’t finish their food. This is not only happening in the restaurant that serves regular size of each meal. In the dining hall I lived in, which serves food that you can choose whatever the amount you want, these horrible scenes are even happening in a higher degree. People often filled their plate entirely full with all kinds of food. And then ended up with lots of leftovers. In the culture where we come from, people doing these wasting movements are said to be ended up in hell, finishing all of the food they waste through their entire life. It may be a religious tail. But I always consider it a respect to the hard working farmers or any people who produce food.

But why is wasting food polluting the environment? It’s because at the moment you consume, or waste more food. Someone else will need to produce more food to meet you demand. The other day I read an article which is warning people about the severe situations of food consuming. The author shows some statistics such as for every pound of beef produced, 2,500 pounds of water must be consumed, and that happens in a rate of 60 pounds for every grain produced. How many water consuming would it be if these cows were feed by grains? This article also states that a single dairy cow produces the same amount of wet manure as twenty to forty people. This is very harmful to the environment, especially very toxic to human beings since it pollutes the water we live on.

As I have shown, I think if student like us want to do something good to protect our environment, they should at least try to finish their food and try hard not to take too much food that they can’t even finish at all.

IIIIIIIntro of mEEEEEEE

Hello everyone~~
My name is Chen-Yu Lin. Or you guys can feel free to call mw Michael. I'm an exchange student from Taiwan!!! And in an engineering program. My major is ME, which is mechanical science and engineering. However, half of my classes are not in engineering. One of them is ESL114, that's why I'm here introducing myself. And the other is an art studio class called jewelry and materials. It's a very interesting class that teach you the techniques we need to obtain as an jeweler. Ofcourse, at the beginning we learn only basic ones!

My hometown Taichung, which is at the central of Taiwan, is the 3rd biggest city in my country. It's famous with it's delicious foods(yumyum, I missed them alot) and extremely good weather. I have a sister who is older then me and her majoris music. She loves graphic design alot and is currently doing much poster and book's design works. My father works in Shanghai and we visits him every winter and summer vacation.

Well..at the end~~hope we all have a great time in this English class!!!

HeHeHeHellow everyone

Hello, everyone! This is my first blogger post.

I'm Chen-Yu Lin, or you can just call me Michael.

Nice to meeeeet you ~~~ guys!!