There are only a few magic numbers in American civic life. You can vote (and get drafted) at age 18.You can drink at 21.You can become president at 35. You can retire at 65.But on that last one-do Americans really want to? Now that so many Americans are living healthfully until 85, fewer and fewer actually retire at 65. Today there are 5 million people 65 or older in the U.S. labor force, almost twice what there were in the early 1980s.And that number is about to explode.
Some people are working past 65 because they have to: Health care costs are rising, and Social Security payments-at an average of about $1,000 a month-don't cover what they used to. But the bigger trend in Senior Work is the fact that Americans love- and now that we're living longer, we want to work longer too. We just can't get enough. My friend and mentor Harold Burson, the co-founder of the global PR firm Burson Marsteller, where I am CEO, just turned 86, and comes to work every day, bursting with ideas.
On average, Americans work over 1,800 hours per year, substantially more than most workers around the world. Although we get fewer vacation days per year than other Western countries (13 days, compared to 28 in the UK, and 37 in France), we let more than twice as many go unused. And really, what’s a vacation to us these days without our Blackberry? In 2006, almost a quarter of us (23%) checked our work e-mail and voice mail while away-up from just 16% in 2005. A lot of us love to work.
In fact, the impulse to work is so basic that the Fourth Commandment is to take off one day a week. Not working for a day is right up there with not murdering, not committing adultery, and not stealing. We tend to assume that most people want off-waiting all week for the Friday afternoon whistle so they can stream out of work. To be sure, many jobs are terrible- even life-threatening- and people reasonably can't wait to get home. But as work overall has become more managerial, consulting, and software-oriented-and as manufacturing jobs have been on the decline-a lot of people have changed their attitude toward work, and the number of workaholics has skyrocketed. How many times have you heard the old saying that no one ever lay on his deathbed wishing he had spent more time at the office? And yet, a lot of people are doing just that. The sandwich generation is going to be in for a shock when they call their 70-year old parents at the office and find they are just too busy to babysit their grandkids.
Add to America's general obsession with work the fact that it is now the baby boomer generation who is nearing 65, and it becomes clear that the traditional idea of "retirement"-with its gold watch, rocking chair, and golf course- is just about ready for retirement itself.Boomers reinvented youth in the 1960s and economic success in the 1980s; they are not to do their senior years by someone else's formula. According to a 2005 survey by Merrill Lynch, more than 3 in 4 boomers say they have no intention of seeking a traditional retirement. Rather they look ahead to their 20 more years (when Social Security was created in 1935,a 65 year old could expect just 13 more years) and they say Bring It On. Some want to keep their health insurance, or have enough funds for the extra years- but more of the boomers surveyed said they wanted to keep working in order to stay mentally and physically active and to stay connected to people.
"Microtrends- the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes" Mark J. Penn (2007)
Hachette Book Group
Questions:
1. What do the magic numbers of 18, 21, 35 and 65 represent in American civic life?
18 is the age where one can vote or be drafted. One can drink at the age of 21, whereas the number 35 represents the age where a person can become the president. 65 is the age where one can retire.
2. Why do some people work past 65?
This is due to the fact that health care costs are rising, and Social Security payments-at an average of about $1,000 a month-don't cover what they used to. Above all, Americans love and want to work longer as they are living longer.
3. What does the phrase " bursting with ideas” when he comes to work at the age of 86 implies about Mr. Harold Burson?
Mr. Harold Burson is still working very hard and his mind is still in an active state despite his old age. To him, age is not the factor in determining when he should stop working.
4. Give examples to show that American employees are workaholics by choice?
Although the Americans get fewer vacation days per year than other Western countries (13 days, compared to 28 in the UK, and 37 in France), they let more than twice as many go unused. In 2006, almost a quarter of the Americans (23%) checked their work e-mail and voice mail while away-up from just 16% in 2005.
5. What is the tone of the writer when he mentions that "not working for a day is right up there with not murdering, not committing adultery and not stealing"?
Sarcarstic.
6. What example is given to show that the grandparents of the present generation do not fit with the traditional stereotypical image of grandparents in the past?
The sandwich generation’s 70-year old parents working at the office are just too busy to babysit their grandkids.
7. Explain in your own words the sentence “it becomes clear that the traditional idea of "retirement"-with its gold watch, rocking chair, and golf course-is just about ready for retirement itself."
The stereotypical idea of retirement is no longer applied to the workforce today and is on the brink of extinction as the workers prefer working for a longer time to seeking retirement.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Create your own slogan/ tag line for the advertisement
"Grandma, I am not a little baby anymore! Do you think that ugly costume can scare me away?"Classifying Thinkers (A summary of William S. Golding's "Thinking as a Hobby")
We don't really know how to define intelligence. However, this does not discourage some people from categorizing others according to their intelligence or lack of it. In his essay, "Thinking as a hobby", author William S. Golding does exactly this. Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.
According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers. These people are docile. They follow orders and they obey other people's wishes. They never learn to think for themselves and cannot distinguish truth from lies. A dictator could take control of them and make them do whatever he wanted, as if they were sheep. The resulting mob would be brutal and ugly.
Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator. These grade-two thinkers, who make up 9 percent of the population, see corruption in the world. For example, grade-two thinkers may question the honesty of religion or political institutions,but they fail to find new ideals to believe in.
The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers. They not only see corruption, but they also know how to seek truth. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Such thinkers are creative and imaginative geniuses, like Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein, who opened new worlds in music, art and science.
One wonders in which category Golding would place himself. Surely not among the "sheep"! Golding may prefer to believe that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators, but the number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao shows that this belief is incorrect. In fact, sometimes the common sense and compassion of the ordinary man is all that stands between civilization and barbarism. As one of the so-called sheep, I say bah to Mr. Golding!
Answer the questions:
1. Circle the thesis statement. How does Golding classify people?
The thesis statement is “In his essay, ‘Thinking as a hobby’, author William S. Golding does exactly this”. Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.
2. Underline the topic sentence of each body paragraph.
First body paragraph: According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers.
Second body paragraph: Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator.
Third body paragraph: The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers.
3. How does the author describe 90 percents of the population? The remaining 9 percent? The final 1 percent?
The author decribes the 90 percents of the population as grade-three thinkers who are docile. They only follow orders and obey other people's wishes without learning to think for themselves or distinguishing truth from lies. Grade-two thinkers, who can see corruption in the world and are less likely to be influenced by a dictator, make up the remaining 9 percent. The final 1 percent are described as grade-one thinkers that know how to seek truth apart from being able to witness corruption. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge in addition to being creative and imaginative geniuses.
4. Underline the examples used in the third body paragraph to describe "Grade-one thinkers."
Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein.
5. What is the writer's opinion of Golding's essay? In which paragraph do you find this opinion?
The writer thinks that Golding’s belief that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators is not true. Instead, he feels that the common sense and compassion of a normal person is sometimes sufficient to decide whether a community is taking the path towards civilization or barbarism. This opinion can be found in the fifth paragraph.
6. What support (facts, examples) are used in the conclusion to argue the writer's point of view?
The number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.
Cohen F Robert and Miller Judy "Reason to write- Strategies for success in academic writing"
Oxford University Press
According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers. These people are docile. They follow orders and they obey other people's wishes. They never learn to think for themselves and cannot distinguish truth from lies. A dictator could take control of them and make them do whatever he wanted, as if they were sheep. The resulting mob would be brutal and ugly.
Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator. These grade-two thinkers, who make up 9 percent of the population, see corruption in the world. For example, grade-two thinkers may question the honesty of religion or political institutions,but they fail to find new ideals to believe in.
The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers. They not only see corruption, but they also know how to seek truth. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Such thinkers are creative and imaginative geniuses, like Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein, who opened new worlds in music, art and science.
One wonders in which category Golding would place himself. Surely not among the "sheep"! Golding may prefer to believe that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators, but the number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao shows that this belief is incorrect. In fact, sometimes the common sense and compassion of the ordinary man is all that stands between civilization and barbarism. As one of the so-called sheep, I say bah to Mr. Golding!
Answer the questions:
1. Circle the thesis statement. How does Golding classify people?
The thesis statement is “In his essay, ‘Thinking as a hobby’, author William S. Golding does exactly this”. Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.
2. Underline the topic sentence of each body paragraph.
First body paragraph: According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers.
Second body paragraph: Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator.
Third body paragraph: The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers.
3. How does the author describe 90 percents of the population? The remaining 9 percent? The final 1 percent?
The author decribes the 90 percents of the population as grade-three thinkers who are docile. They only follow orders and obey other people's wishes without learning to think for themselves or distinguishing truth from lies. Grade-two thinkers, who can see corruption in the world and are less likely to be influenced by a dictator, make up the remaining 9 percent. The final 1 percent are described as grade-one thinkers that know how to seek truth apart from being able to witness corruption. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge in addition to being creative and imaginative geniuses.
4. Underline the examples used in the third body paragraph to describe "Grade-one thinkers."
Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein.
5. What is the writer's opinion of Golding's essay? In which paragraph do you find this opinion?
The writer thinks that Golding’s belief that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators is not true. Instead, he feels that the common sense and compassion of a normal person is sometimes sufficient to decide whether a community is taking the path towards civilization or barbarism. This opinion can be found in the fifth paragraph.
6. What support (facts, examples) are used in the conclusion to argue the writer's point of view?
The number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.
Cohen F Robert and Miller Judy "Reason to write- Strategies for success in academic writing"
Oxford University Press
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Phrasal Verb
verb + preposition/s
eg.:
run down
run out of
run into
1. Guess who I ran into at the club!
2. She's always running down her husband.
3. I need to go to the market.I've run out of oil,meat and rice.
Put in a suitable preposition in each space.
1. Hundreds of people turned up in the rain to see the celebrity.
2. Most of my time is taken up with answering the phone.
3. Don't be put off by the price,a cool $ 20,000.
4. Something funny is going on.
5. I think she made up the whole story!
6. Not many people turned up for the last lecture.
7. Don't worry,you can count on me.
eg.:
run down
run out of
run into
1. Guess who I ran into at the club!
2. She's always running down her husband.
3. I need to go to the market.I've run out of oil,meat and rice.
Put in a suitable preposition in each space.
1. Hundreds of people turned up in the rain to see the celebrity.
2. Most of my time is taken up with answering the phone.
3. Don't be put off by the price,a cool $ 20,000.
4. Something funny is going on.
5. I think she made up the whole story!
6. Not many people turned up for the last lecture.
7. Don't worry,you can count on me.
Word Collocation (2)
Which word completes each set of collocations or fixed phrases?
a)
an instrument panel
a panel of experts
a control panel
a wooden panel
b)
a secret ballot
a secret agent
keep it a secret
meet in secret
the secret of success
c)
take stock of the situation
it's out of stock
the stock exchange
the stock market
d)
a time sheet
a time zone
only time will tell
long time no see
for the time being
e)
a child minder
child abuse
child care facilities
a child prodigy
behaving like a child
a)
an instrument panel
a panel of experts
a control panel
a wooden panel
b)
a secret ballot
a secret agent
keep it a secret
meet in secret
the secret of success
c)
take stock of the situation
it's out of stock
the stock exchange
the stock market
d)
a time sheet
a time zone
only time will tell
long time no see
for the time being
e)
a child minder
child abuse
child care facilities
a child prodigy
behaving like a child
Word Collocation
Both options make sense. Underline the one which forms a common collocation
1. Many small houses and huts were (flooded away/washed away) when the river bursts its banks.
2.Poor farming methods are responsible for soil (devaluation/erosion) in many areas of Saharan African.
3.During the earthquake,many people were (buried/covered) alive.
4.The forest fire left a wide area of the mountainside blackened and (ablaze/smouldering).
5.Villagers are hoping for rain this month after nearly a year of (dry weather/drought).
6. Before the hurricane struck,many people were (evacuated/shifted) to higher ground.
7.Thousands of children in the famine-striken area are suffering from (malnutrition/undernourishment).
10.Heavy snow has fallen in the mountains and many villages have been (blocked out/cut off) for the past two days.
11.The Aids (epidemic/plague) is having serious effects in some countries.
12.Many small islands in the Indian Ocean are threatened by rising sea (waters/levels).
English Grammar and Vocabulary
Vince Michael and Sunderland Peter (Macmillan)
1. Many small houses and huts were (flooded away/washed away) when the river bursts its banks.
2.Poor farming methods are responsible for soil (devaluation/erosion) in many areas of Saharan African.
3.During the earthquake,many people were (buried/covered) alive.
4.The forest fire left a wide area of the mountainside blackened and (ablaze/smouldering).
5.Villagers are hoping for rain this month after nearly a year of (dry weather/drought).
6. Before the hurricane struck,many people were (evacuated/shifted) to higher ground.
7.Thousands of children in the famine-striken area are suffering from (malnutrition/undernourishment).
10.Heavy snow has fallen in the mountains and many villages have been (blocked out/cut off) for the past two days.
11.The Aids (epidemic/plague) is having serious effects in some countries.
12.Many small islands in the Indian Ocean are threatened by rising sea (waters/levels).
English Grammar and Vocabulary
Vince Michael and Sunderland Peter (Macmillan)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Hiew Khee Young as I Know Him
This essay is about my self-introduction, written in third person.
Anyone who meets Khee Young for the first time will usually regard him as a very tall person who looks shy, introvert and quiet. However, one will find out that such perception is not completely true if he or she understands more about him. One will find him a cold person until he or she gets to know him better.
Born to a family of six, Khee Young is the third youngest child in his family. He comes from Seremban, the state capital of Negri Sembilan. He told me that he needs to take some time to acclimatize himself in a new environment and a whole new study life, which explains his nervousness on his first few days in college. As time went by, he started to show his usual behavior in a gradual manner. During lectures, he seems very serious. As a result, he is always considered to be a strict person by those who had never come into a close contact with him. In addition, he is a person who shows a considerable amount of concern towards his academic performance, although he always denies it. From his housemates’ account, he always studies and does revision almost every night. When one of his friends told him about this, he laughed and said that the statement was exaggerated before assuring him that he is just an ordinary student like the rest of his classmate. In front of his teachers and peers, he always tries to be as humble as possible. This is because he feels that showing respect to both teachers and classmates is an obligation of a student.
Another interesting fact about Khee Young is that he has a quite unique hobby- designing slide shows for presentation purposes. As a secondary student, he started to work with Microsoft PowerPoint and had created various kinds of slide shows. His very determined in creating an attractive slide show. This can be seen from the huge amount of effort he had put in to create his "masterpieces" for different occasions.
Like a normal person, Khee Young is not perfect. He is sometimes not able to communicate in a very fluent manner compared to his normal speech, probably due to lack of self-confidence which he eventually develops with time. This also results in behaviours which makes him feel awkward in the eyes of his peers. However, he was almost like a totally different person when he is making presentations. During a presentation in an English class, he sounded very confident and firm. Along with the special effects used in his presentation, he knew that he had slightly astonished a few classmates that day, but he remains down to earth and believes that there are people whom he does not know might achieve greater heights than he does in this field. Now, he no longer has an obvious problem in his communications by being more sociable and confident.
From the aspects of the academic field, he admits that he likes studying the domain of science. Physics and Mathematics are the two most interesting subjects to him. Whenever his classmates have a problem in any of the aforesaid subjects and ask for his assistance, he would try his best to help them. In spite of being a science student, he never depicts his ignorance towards other subjects that he is not very keen in, including art subjects. In addition, Khee Young is always linked to his "outstanding" academic performance by his peers, but he always denies it, saying that he is not the best among his classmates. To him, the most important key to succeed in studies is not to be the best, but to be better at all times by keep improving oneself. Thus, he feels that being the best student is not what it takes to be successful in his studies.
Just before the his Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) course commenced officially, he said that this course will be a new and grueling challenge for him this year and he hoped that he would be able to overcome this challenge by passing this course with flying colours. All the best and good luck, Khee Young!
Anyone who meets Khee Young for the first time will usually regard him as a very tall person who looks shy, introvert and quiet. However, one will find out that such perception is not completely true if he or she understands more about him. One will find him a cold person until he or she gets to know him better.
Born to a family of six, Khee Young is the third youngest child in his family. He comes from Seremban, the state capital of Negri Sembilan. He told me that he needs to take some time to acclimatize himself in a new environment and a whole new study life, which explains his nervousness on his first few days in college. As time went by, he started to show his usual behavior in a gradual manner. During lectures, he seems very serious. As a result, he is always considered to be a strict person by those who had never come into a close contact with him. In addition, he is a person who shows a considerable amount of concern towards his academic performance, although he always denies it. From his housemates’ account, he always studies and does revision almost every night. When one of his friends told him about this, he laughed and said that the statement was exaggerated before assuring him that he is just an ordinary student like the rest of his classmate. In front of his teachers and peers, he always tries to be as humble as possible. This is because he feels that showing respect to both teachers and classmates is an obligation of a student.
Another interesting fact about Khee Young is that he has a quite unique hobby- designing slide shows for presentation purposes. As a secondary student, he started to work with Microsoft PowerPoint and had created various kinds of slide shows. His very determined in creating an attractive slide show. This can be seen from the huge amount of effort he had put in to create his "masterpieces" for different occasions.
Like a normal person, Khee Young is not perfect. He is sometimes not able to communicate in a very fluent manner compared to his normal speech, probably due to lack of self-confidence which he eventually develops with time. This also results in behaviours which makes him feel awkward in the eyes of his peers. However, he was almost like a totally different person when he is making presentations. During a presentation in an English class, he sounded very confident and firm. Along with the special effects used in his presentation, he knew that he had slightly astonished a few classmates that day, but he remains down to earth and believes that there are people whom he does not know might achieve greater heights than he does in this field. Now, he no longer has an obvious problem in his communications by being more sociable and confident.
From the aspects of the academic field, he admits that he likes studying the domain of science. Physics and Mathematics are the two most interesting subjects to him. Whenever his classmates have a problem in any of the aforesaid subjects and ask for his assistance, he would try his best to help them. In spite of being a science student, he never depicts his ignorance towards other subjects that he is not very keen in, including art subjects. In addition, Khee Young is always linked to his "outstanding" academic performance by his peers, but he always denies it, saying that he is not the best among his classmates. To him, the most important key to succeed in studies is not to be the best, but to be better at all times by keep improving oneself. Thus, he feels that being the best student is not what it takes to be successful in his studies.
Just before the his Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) course commenced officially, he said that this course will be a new and grueling challenge for him this year and he hoped that he would be able to overcome this challenge by passing this course with flying colours. All the best and good luck, Khee Young!
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