Yeah!  I am very glad to have all the Fulbrighters visit the school.  They all look so fresh and young.

I wonder who will be the lucky one to be my partner.  I believe we will have a great year!

We will find it out next Wed. I am so anxious for it!  :)

A new page

Wooooh!  Yesterday afternoon I met the new Fulbrighters.  The presentatin gave me a stomachache.  However, I was pretty excited about  introducing my school and myself to them.
If I were one of them, I would consider to choose my school base on whom I would work with.

This is way too important!!!  It is like choosing a job for me.  I admit that location is an issue.  Living with a favorite apartment is definitely another.  But, to think more seriously, when it comes to choosing where to work, it certainly has great to do with whom he/she is going to work with because he/she will spend the most valuable day time with his / her colleagues. 

Choosing my school is absolutely a wise and sensible decision.  You get to know two cultures at the same time.  It is like you pay one for two. 

I can't wait to find out who is interested in my school.  Aug.15 is the date.  Yeah!

How is everyone doing?

Hi, everybody!

This is Ms. Liao. I am back.

How is everybody doing?

It feels like ages since we met last time.

I hope you don't miss me so much as I do with you.

Let's pray that we will have a great year!

Ms. Liao

the World 這世界

If we could turn the population of the earth into a small community of 100 people, keeping the same proportions we have today, it would be something like this...

假如我們可以把世界變成只有一百個人，保持我們現有的比例，這會是像這樣的......

61 Asians
61個亞洲人

12 Europeans
12個歐洲人

8 North Americans
8個北美洲人

5 South Americans and Caribbean

5個南美和加勒比海人

13 Africans

13個非洲人

1 Oceania
1個大洋洲人

50 men and 50 women

50個男人和50個女人

47 live in an urban area
47個住在都市區

9 are disabled
9個殘障人士

33 are Christians (Catholics, protestants, orthodox, Anglicans, and other Christians)
33個基督徒（天主教、基督教、希臘正教、英國國教派和其他基督徒）

18 are Muslim
18個回教徒

14 are Hindus

14個印度教徒

16 are non-religious

16個無宗教信仰
6 are Buddhist
6個佛教徒

13 practice other religions

13個其他宗教信仰者

43 live without basic sanitation
43個生活在沒有基本衛生設備的人

18 live without an improved water source
18個生活在沒有淨水設施的人

6 people own 59% of the wealth of entire community
6個人擁有整個社群59%的財富

13 are hungry or malnourished
13個飢餓或者營養不良的人

14 can't read
14個文盲

7 are educated at secondary level

7個只有受到小學教育的人

12 have a computer
12個有電腦的人

3 have internet connection

3個有網路設備的人

1 adult aged 15-49 has HIV
1個年齡在15-49歲的人有愛滋病

The village spend more than US $1.12 trillion on military expenditures and only US $100 billion on development aid.
這個村莊花了超過1.12億美元在軍事設施上 , 但只有100萬美元從事於救濟

If you keep food in refrigerator, your clothes in a closet, if you have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the entire world population假如你在冰箱放食物、衣服在衣櫃，假設你有個床睡和有個枕頭在頭下，你就比整個世界人口的75%富裕

If you have a bank account, you're one of the 30% wealthiest people in the world
假如你有個銀行帳戶，你是世界上那30%的有錢人之一

18 struggle to live on US $1 dollar per day or less
18個人勉強以1塊或更少的美金過活

53 struggle to live on US $2.00 per day or less
53個人勉強以2塊或更少的美金過活

appreciate what you have and do your best for a better world.
感恩你所擁有的 , 並且為了更好的世界而努力

6th Grade--Diversity 多樣化

This is a video on different cultures around the world. America is a small sample of the world's people. 這段影片包含世界各地不同的文化，美洲是世界的一個小範本


Martin Luther King, Jr. is a famous African American who fought for civil rights for minorities in the US. The US has a history of slavery and even when slavery was ended, whites and non-whites were not considered equal. It was during the 1960s that African Americans began to campaign and fight for their rights as citizens of the US and most importantly, their rights as individuals. Because of the civil rights movement, minorities now in the US are protected against racial discrimination under the law (even though people may continue to be racist).

Martin Luther King是個有名的非裔美國人，他為了大多數公民權益而抗爭。美國過去歷史上有奴隸制度，即使奴隸制度終結後，白人和非白人仍被認為是不平等的。那是在一九六零年代，非裔美國人開始為了他們身為美國公民的權力，重要的是他們爭取為獨立個體的權力。因為公民權力運動，現在美國大多數的人士在法律下是被保護以對抗種族歧視的。（即使許多人仍舊為種族主義者）


Fragments from his speech: 他演講的一段話
"Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation."
一百年前，一個偉大的美國人，就在我們站的銅像的陰影下，簽署了解放宣言

"...one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."
某日這個國家將會強大，並且活出他信條的意義。我們秉持不證自明的真理：所有的人生而平等。我有一個夢就是某日在Georgia紅山下的農奴之子，和奴隸主之子將可以一起同桌坐下成為兄弟。

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."
我有個夢，就是我的四個小孩某天將會生活在一個不會因為膚色而被論斷，而是評斷人內涵的國家。我今天有這個夢。

"...let freedom ring. And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York...let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
讓自由發聲，假設美國有天將成為一個偉大的國家，這個必定要成真。所以，讓自由從New Hampshire的山巔發聲。讓自由從New York最宏偉的山上發聲。讓他從每個村莊、每個部落、從各州和各城市發聲，我們將加快那日的來臨，當所有上帝的孩子，黑人、白人、猶太人和非猶太人、基督徒和天主教徒都能手牽手合唱古老的黑人靈歌歌詞：終於自由！終於自由！感謝萬能的神！我們終於自由了！

Questions:
1. Should everyone share the same culture? 所有的人都應該分享相同的文化嗎？

2. If someone looks, acts, and speaks differently from you, do you respect them?
假設有人看起來、行動上或者言語上和你不同，你會尊重他們嗎？

3. If you don't agree with someone's opinion, do you still respect their rights? Why or why not? 假設你不同意某人的意見，你仍會尊重他們的權力嗎？為什麼會或為什麼不會？

4. If you don't like someone, do you still treat them nicely? Why or why not? 假設你不喜歡某人，你仍能對好好的對待他們嗎？為什麼能或為什麼不能？

5. Why should we respect other cultures, people, and countries?為什麼我們應該尊重不同文化、人種和國家？

6. What does Martin Luther King Jr. want to teach us? (read his speech)
Martin Luther King Jr.教導我們什麼？（閱讀他的演講詞）

6th Grade--American Music 美國音樂

Hip Hop嘻哈樂
Hip hop is traditionally a mix of rapping (fast talking) and vocal sounds or background music. It is extremely popular in the US, especially in clubs where you can dance. It started in New York City among the African American and Latino communities. 嘻哈樂在傳統上是一種混合閒聊（快速的說話）、和聲或是背景音樂的音樂。它在美國非常普遍，特別是在你可以跳舞的俱樂部。它始於紐約一群非裔美國人和拉丁社區。



Rock搖滾樂
Rock music has a strong beat and many musicians sing and play guitar. There is often a band (drums, bass, guitar) who accompanies the singer. Elvis is one popular figure who sang rock music and made it popular in America. 搖滾樂有著強烈的節奏，和許多音樂人歌唱與吉他演奏。通常一個樂團除了主唱外，還會有鼓手、貝斯手、吉他手。貓王是相當受歡迎的搖滾樂歌手，並同時讓搖滾樂在美國流行起來。


Pop流行音樂
Pop stands for popular music, which covers a variety of music categories. Many radio stations play pop music because pop music is meant to appeal to as many people as possible. Pop music is often mainstream music. 流行樂顧名思義就是一種廣受歡迎的音樂類型。其涵蓋的種類更是包羅萬象。很多音樂電台都會播放流行音樂，因為流行音樂往往能夠吸引很多的聽眾。當然，流行音樂也是主流的音樂類型。


Rap 饒舌音樂
Rapping is when the singer speaks quickly to a beat. Sometimes the lyrics will rhyme or sound like poetry. Some rappers will rap about their lives or political and social issues.饒舌是一種歌手伴隨節奏快速唱頌的音樂類型。歌詞有時候會有押韻或是聽起來類似詩詞。有些饒舌歌手也會藉著饒舌樂來反映他們的生活、政治情勢或是社會時事。


Outkast's song that combines singing with rapping. 流浪者合唱團的作品就是結合歌唱與饒舌的例子之一。

Soft Rock 輕搖滾
This is often romantic songs with soft melodies. Many boy bands sings soft rock songs. 這是一種曲風較為浪漫且伴隨輕柔旋律的音樂。有許多男子樂團都會演唱輕搖滾的音樂。


Country鄉村音樂
Country music came from the South and often sounds similar to folk music, but now there is pop country music. Country music bands often artists who play guitars, drums, banjos, fiddles, or a bass. 鄉村音樂起源自美國南部，與通俗音樂有些相似。而現在更衍生出流行鄉村音樂。鄉村樂團多以吉他、鼓、五弦琴、小提琴或貝斯伴奏。


Alternative 另類音樂
Alternative music defines any type of music that is not categorized as mainstream music. It was heavily influenced by punk rock bands. 所謂的另類音樂就是相對於主流音樂的音樂類型。本質上他們深受龐克搖滾的影響。


Blues 藍調
Blues was invented by the African American community when they were slaves in America. It is a type of folk music that has influenced many other genres of American music. Ray Charles was a famous blind pianist and singer who wrote many songs.
藍調起源於非洲裔美國人在美國還是奴隸時期的時候。它可以算是一種受到其他美國音樂因素影響的通俗音樂。雷‧查爾斯就是創作了許許多多歌曲的著名盲人鋼琴樂手兼歌手。


Jazz 爵士
People enjoy dancing to jazz music, which also originated from African American music. Most jazz music came from artists in New Orleans, Louisiana. Musicians often improvise when they play. Miles Davis is one famous jazz player featured below. 使人們忘情而隨之起舞的爵士樂源自於非洲裔美國人。大部份的爵士音樂都是來自紐奧良、路易士安那州。表演者也多以即興方式演出。以下所述的邁爾士戴維斯就是一個著名的爵士樂手。


Questions:
1. Which type of American music do you like best? Why? 你最喜歡哪一種美國音樂呢?為什麼?

2. What type of music do you listen to? 你平常都聽哪一種音樂類型呢?

3. Whose your favorite singer, musician, or band?
你最喜歡的是哪一位歌手、樂手或樂團呢?

6th Grade--Democracy 民主

watch only for 1 minute. 只看前一分鐘


"The dictionary defines democracy as a government by the people exercised either directly or through elected representatives. It also defines democracy as social and political equality and respect for the individual within a community. But what does democracy truly mean to the people of America? The citizens of America today have known nothing but freedom in their life times. We are all free to practice the virtues of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as stated in our Declaration of Independence (declaring the US's right to separate from England) written over 200 years ago. However, this was not always the way of life in America. Over our nation’s brief history, a great number of men and women fought and died for the many freedoms we take for granted today."The US has several very important documents. The first one is the Declaration of Independence, which said that the US was separate from the UK. The original American colonies did not want to be governed by the British government because they felt they were not being represented. The Constitution is important because it limits the power of the federal government. It tells the federal government what it can and cannot do. The Constitution plays a huge role in American politics, legal system, and government structure. The Bill of Rights is one specific section of the Constitution that basically tells the federal government what they can't do.

字典上定義的民主就是：政府是由人們直接或透過被選出的代表運作。它也界定民主就是社會和政治平等並且尊重群體中的個體。但民主對美國人真正的意義是什麼？美國人民今日在生活中只知道自由。我們都有自由去實踐生活、自由的價值和追求幸福生活，就在我們兩百多年前獨立宣言（宣稱美國有脫離英國的權力）。然而，這不全然是美國的生活方式。檢視我們國家的歷史，許多男人和女人為了我們現在視為理所當然的自由抗爭或者死亡. 美國有許多很重要的文件，第一件是獨立宣言，它宣示了美國脫離英國而獨立。最初美國殖民者並不想要被英國政府所管轄，因為他們感到他們並沒有被尊重。憲法是重要的，因為它限制了聯邦政府的權力，它告訴聯邦政府它的權力與限制，憲法在美國政治、司法系統和政府結構上扮演重要的角色。權利法案是憲法中特殊的部份，它主要是告訴政府他們不可以做的事情。

Highlights of the Bill of Rights 權利法案的條文要點
#1. The freedom of religion (to believe or not believe in any religion), speech (to say what you want as long as it doesn't endanger people), press (to publish what you want as long as it doesn't endanger people), and assembly (to gather in public places for meetings or protests)
1.宗教自由（相信或不相信任何宗教）、言論自由（可以說任何你想說的言論，只要不危害他人）、出版自由（出版任何東西只要不危害他人）、集會結社自由（在公眾場合聚集開會或抗議）。

#2. The right to keep and bear arms (own guns)
2.持有武器的權利。

#4. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure (police cannot search your or anything that is yours or take anything without a good reason)
4.禁止無理由的搜索和巡查的權利（警察不可以無理由的搜查你、你的東西或拿走任何屬於你的物品）。

#5. The right to not incriminate yourself and to be treated fairly under the law
5.在法律下接受公平對待和不被褫奪公權的權利。

#6 and 7. The right to an unbiased trial and to be judged by a group of your peers to determine if you are guilty or not
6.和7.擁有受公平審判以及陪審團決定是否有罪的權利。

#8. Protection against cruel and unusual punishment
8. 不得施與殘酷和不人道的懲罰 .

#9 and 10. Any rights that the Constitution doesn't say are the federal government's belong to the people and the states
9.和10. 任何憲法尚未囑明的權利，屬於人民和國家所組成的聯合政府。

Questions:
1. What does democracy mean to you?民主對你的意義是什麼？

2. What rights do you have as a citizen of Taiwan? 什麼是你身為台灣公民的權利？

3. What rights in the US's Constitution do you think are important? Why?在美國憲法內的哪種權利你認為是重要的？為什麼？

4. Why do you think citizens of a country should have rights?
你為何認為國家的公民需要有權利？