Foreign-Languages Instruction in Chinese and British Higher Education Essay

Foreign-Languages Instruction in Chinese and British Higher Education - Essay Example In the 1980s, Bob Adamson and Heidi Ross had experienced teaching English in China. The latter viewed foreign languages instruction in China as modernisation’s indicator, a phenomenon that was complicated and demanding (Potts 2003). As stated by Ross (1992), â€Å"Foreign language teaching in China has both reflected and complicated the competing political, economic and cultural imperatives secondary schools have been expected to mediate† (p. 240). The conflict between an ‘international interdependence’ and a ‘highly-cultured, public-spirited and well-disciplined socialist civilisation’ (Ross 1992, 243) that was invoked by modernisation was shown in the opposition between natural and teacher-directed use of foreign languages. As expressively articulated by Ross (1992), educators opposed and attempted to deal with these demands:Like Beijing opera stars who spend three years in the wings to perform three minutes on stage, the foreign language tea cher’s fulfilment as a professional comes from moments when carefully constructed lessons are masterfully delivered. Relinquishing the metaphor of teaching and learning as perfect performance requires that secondary school teachers accept the learning process as an unpredictable, socially-constructed activity. That they are grappling with this challenge is clearly reflected in the growing trend to ‘psychologise’ secondary school foreign language teaching policy and practice (Ross 1992, 244-245).  Ã‚     Higher education instructors in China revealed.... years in the wings to perform three minutes on stage, the foreign language teacher’s fulfilment as a professional comes from moments when carefully constructed lessons are masterfully delivered. Relinquishing the metaphor of teaching and learning as perfect performance requires that secondary school teachers accept the learning process as an unpredictable, socially-constructed activity. That they are grappling with this challenge is clearly reflected in the growing trend to ‘psychologise’ secondary school foreign language teaching policy and practice (Ross 1992, 244-245). Higher education instructors in China revealed that one of the problems they face was the absence of opportunity to instigate a reformed educational practice. Their students as well as their selves encountered the same pressures (Hall 2000). It was difficult to deviate from entrenched cultural beliefs and traditional methods. In the 1980s, talking about the prevalent use of the ‘New Concept English’ (Ross 1992, 248), Ross stated that educators are resolute that this rooting in ‘fundamentals’ through representation and reiteration results in ingenious performance later on. There were several educators who were able to provide an ideal performance and cultivate natural language by their pupils yet this was seldom (McLaren & Torres 1999). Higher education teachers would be anxious that, due to the inadequacy of their own language skills and time, they would fail to correct mistakes if pupils continued on a spontaneous task. Instead of feeling limited by pressures for compliance in teaching, educators in higher education reveal that an expanded syllabus from which there is slight departure recognises all the strong points of educators and balances the learning context of every student

Beeston Rylands Golf Course Essay Example for Free

Beeston Rylands Golf Course Essay Welcome to my GCSE ICT project. I will be basing my project around a local golf club. I have approached and asked them as to whether they required any ICT solutions. They replied saying that they already had an ITC consultant but had a few problems for which I could produce solutions. Above are some pictures of the course. It is widely regarded as one of the best golf courses in the region. It has over fifty registered members. The club is based in a suburb of west Nottingham. It is regarded as a beautiful piece of land in the middle of the modern town of Beeston. The main course is an eighteen hole Par 70 championship course that has been the host of many major amateur tournaments. It has even had the honour of playing host to the Senior Masters of Great Britain championship. It also has a nine hole par 27 junior course. Naturally the club has a restaurant, complete with licensed bar, and a shop selling all of latest equipment. There also are 4 practise putting greens. For entertainment there are two pool tables and a dartboard. The entrance to the golf club is quite secluded from the main road that runs through Beeston. The population of Beeston is around fifteen thousand. Interview I interviewed Mr Ian Smith the owner of the golf club to try to find possible tasks: RP: Hello, are there any problems in particular with the current system that requires any immediate work? IS: Nothing in particular, but we are struggling with the current system of recording members. The current system is non-computerised. It is currently very slow and subject to errors by staff. We are looking to create a database form it. RP: Anything else? IS: We currently do not have a web page or a logo. RP: What sort of content would you be looking for in a web page? IS: Not a lot really, just a simple homepage with details of our location and how to join; nothing fancy like e-commerce would be required. RP: Would you require a logo on a letterhead? IS: Not really, we already have a letterhead but it is a bit outdated. It is not a large problem however; we dont really need a logo on the letterhead more so on a web page etc RP: I understand the club has a golf store; does it need any promoting. IS: The club shop has been very successful in recent times. In the past we have had leaflets designed, printed and delivered by professionals, however this was a very expensive procedure but was effective. RP: How about tournaments, do they need promoting? IS: Well I suppose you could create posters but we dont think that they would be very successful. RP: Do you send letters to all members with the appropriate handicap notifying them about forthcoming events? IS: No, we currently leave letters at the front entrance with details of tournaments. A system such as you were talking about could prove to be very effective. RP: Have you ever advertised in local newspapers? IS: Yes we did at one time but it didnt prove very successful. RP: I also understand you have a restaurant and bar area, would you require any work in that area? IS: I dont think so but the menu may need rethinking, currently it is very difficult when prices are changed and new system in the changing of prices on the menu could be useful. RP: Thank You for your time, this should give me a good idea of what you require. IS: I hope it all helps. Analysing the Interview At present the golf club does not use a logo. They do, however, have a letterhead. They said that they would like it improving, maybe by adding a logo to it, but it would not be on top of the list of priorities. All records of members are non-computerised. This is a very large problem. They have never sent out individual letters to members concerning tournaments; they usually leave letters about the tournaments at the entrance to the club but believe a mail merge letter could work very well. The club does not have any sort of web page but does very much want to get online. The club has in the past had leaflets designed, printed and delivered by professional leaflet designers, however there is a possibility of creating a much cheaper costing solution. The menu was updated recently and needs little work, however a better system of changing prices could be of use. The club scorecard is very much out dated but more and more people seem to be using electric scoring systems. The club has never published any sort of poster to promote the club and thinks it is unlikely that it would have a great effect. The club did try a small advert in the local paper at one time but this did not seem to have much effect. The logo should be very simple. It should not use many colours. The main background should be white and any text on it should be in a greyscale colour i. e. black or grey. The reasons for this are that we would like the logo to feature prominently in our letterhead. The majority of our letters will be printed on a greyscale printer. We find that colour images may look very impressive on screen but when printed of on these types of printers the effect ends up being dramatically reduced. Letterhead As mentioned before, we would like the logo to feature prominently in the letterhead. We are looking for a modern look that has a unique effect. Space at the bottom of the page as well as the top could be used. It is imperative that it includes all contact details i. e. the clubs address, telephone and fax, website and email details should be included. The task as a whole is very open-ended. Database All we are really looking for is a system to store all of our member details on. We need a system that can filter out different types of members and players with different ranges of handicaps easily. Website Websites have become a very important part of any business. We do not want a very complicated website at this moment, we simply want to get onto the web. The site should maintain a high quality image of the club. It should contain a brief history of the club and some information about the facilities the club has. It should have all of the necessary contact details. There should be a fair amount of graphics showing off the club and the course. We believe we have a beautiful course here and we would like to show this to anybody visiting the website.

Crossing the Line in Faulkners Barn Burning Essay -- Barn Burning Ess

Crossing the Line in Faulkner's Barn Burning   Ã‚  Ã‚   The American author Joyce Carol Oats, in her Master Race, wrote that "our enemy is by tradition our savior" (Oats 28).   Oats recognized that we often learn more from our enemy than from ourselves.   Whether the enemy is another warring nation, a more prolific writer, or even the person next door, we often can ascertain a tremendous amount of knowledge by studying that opposite party.   In the same way, literature has always striven to provide an insight into human nature through a study of opposing forces.   Often, simply by looking at the binary operations found in any given text, the texts meanings, both hidden and apparent, can become surprising clear.   In William Faulkner's famous short story "Barn Burning," innate binary operations, especially those of the poor versus the rich and the society versus the outsider, allow the reader to gather a new and more acute understanding of the text.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most important binary operation in Faulkner's masterpiece is the projected idea of the rich versus the stark reality of the poor.   Throughout the entire work, the scenes of the Snopes family are constantly described in detail and compared to the richness that appears abundant around them.   For example, at the very beginning of the story, the young Colonel Sartoris Snopes is described as "small and wiry like his father" wearing "patched and faded jeans" which are later described as too small (Faulkner 1555).   This poor child, with his tattered clothing, bare feet, and scared-to-the-bone look is juxtaposed against the wealth of the Justice of the Peace's borrowed courtroom--its "close-packed" shelves filled with cans of food, aromatic cheese, and "the silver curve of fish"--th... ...lty, or even the normal versus the audacious.   But, the entire story seems to be focused on two: those of the poor versus the rich and society versus the outsider.   Those two operations allow for, and even demand, a different reading of the text giving us a young Colonel striving to break out of his limitations and become the opposite of what he was.   In the end, Faulkner allows him to succeed.   After his father's death, the young man runs through the woods, forever leaving his family.   The text ends with the powerful line, "he did not look back" (Faulkner 1566). Works Cited Oats, Joyce Carol. "Master Race." The History of Dramatic Theory  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and Criticism. Ed. John Dukore. New York: Harper Collins,   Ã‚   1992. Faulkner, William. "Barn Burning." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. 3th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 1554-66.

Uranium Mining in Australia

In the last forty years, Uranium has become one of the worlds most important energy minerals. Primarily, Uranium produced in Australia has used for the sole production of electricity. However a small proportion of the Uranium mined is for important medical isotopes. It is for this reason that Uranium mining is an ever-important and pressing point of discussion. Mining itself has been criticized for the massive effect it on the environment around it. Uranium mining is no different, and more often then not, the after effects of Uranium mining are more detrimental to the environment. Unlike other mining, Uranium mining has also caused a major stir in the actual use of the Uranium after it has been mined. The environmental problems of Uranium mining go further then the actual mining and by products. The uses of Uranium have been seen as risky and dangerous. Using Uranium as a source of energy has already shown the disastrous effects. The melt down at Chernobyl is still causing health problems in citizens after 30 years. On the upside, Uranium mining creates employment and boosts the Australian Economy. It is for these reasons that Uranium Mining is a process that needs to be looked at carefully before any judgements are made on it's future in Australia. Chemistry Of Uranium and Uranium Mining In the Earth's crust, mineral Uranium averages about two parts per million. Traces of Uranium occur just about everywhere on earth. In Australia, the existence of uranium has been noted since the 1890's. In 1930, ores were mined at Radium Hill in South Australia for minute deposits of Radium. The Radium was used for medical purposes. As a result of the Radium mining, a couple of hundred kilograms of uranium was obtained and used exclusively to produce colours in glass and ceramics. In 1954 the Government started up a major uranium producer in Run Jungle, known as Rum Jungle Mine. Because of this Australia began to emerge as a potential source of uranium for the world's nuclear electricity production. 1970's large amounts of Uranium deposits were found dotted around Australia. This signaled the start of mines in the Northern Territory such as Ranger and Jabiluka, and also in South Australia with Olympic Dam. Uranium is found rocks of the earth's crust, at 4 parts per million. The extraction (removal) or mining process varies from where the uranium ore deposits are found. Surface cut techniques are used where the uranium ore if found close to the surface. Surface cut mines involved the uranium being found close to the surface, so the uranium is removed from a shallow pit. Fig 1. 0 Ranger Mine found in the Northern Territory. The uranium ore is removed via the open cut mining method. Underground mining is used when the ore is found deep underground. In this process, the ore is removed in a similar fashion to copper; the mine is built in the ground. Olympic Damn Mine in South Australia, relies on the underground mining process. Another way to remove ore is called In-Situ Leaching. It is a popular way to mine Uranium, as it doesn't affect the landscape as much as open cut or underground mining. It is used to remove Uranium filled sand that is found in water in a porous rock, which itself confined in a non-porous rock. In situ leaching involves a leaching liquid (ammonium-carbonate or sulfuric acid) pumped through drill- holes into underground uranium deposits, with the uranium bearing liquid is pumped out from below. Ore mined in open pit or underground mines, unlike in situ leaching, has to be crushed and leached in a uranium mill. A Uranium mill is a chemical plant designed to extract uranium from ore. It is usually located near the mines to limit transportation. In the most cases, sulfuric acid is used as the leaching agent, but alkaline leaching can also used. As the leaching agent not only extracts uranium from the ore, but also several other constituents like molybdenum, vanadium, selenium, iron, lead and arsenic, the uranium must be separated out of the leaching solution. The final product produced from the mill, commonly referred to as â€Å"yellow cake† (U3O8 with impurities), is packed and shipped in casks. The reaction between the uranium ore and sulfuric acid. The UO2 is then oxidised. In some cases uranium has been removed from low-grade ore by a process called heap leaching. This may be done if the uranium contents are too low for the ore to be economically processed in a uranium mill. Heaping leaching is performed by using a leaching liquid (often sulfuric acid) being introduced to the top of the pile of ore. The acid or leaching liquid, percolates down until it reaches a liner below the pile or ore, where it is caught and pumped to a processing plant. This liquid contains the uranium. During leaching, the piles of ore present a hazard because of the risk of release of dust, radon gas and leaching liquid. (referenced from Hardy, C J, 1978, The Chemistry of Uranium Milling, Radiochimica Acta 25, 121-134) Nuclear Mining and Milling has a serious social relevance. The tailings from the Uranium mining have serious health risks and environmental hazards. There are many serious environmental arguments over the mining of Uranium. The mining process itself in Australia has strict guidelines, yet the waste products from the mining process still have an extremely detrimental effect on the environment. Uranium mill tailings (or waste products from the crushing and leaching of the ore) are normally dumped as sludge in special ponds or piles (heaps). These piles/ponds are then abandoned. The amount of sludge produced is roughly equal to that of the ore milled. Long-living decay products such as the radioactive elements Thorium-230 and Radium-226 are not removed from the sludge. This means that the sludge contains over half of the initial radioactivity of the ore. As well as this, unfortunately, due to mainly technical limitations not all of the Uranium present in the ore can be removed in the milling process. Therefore, the sludge (which is the waste product) still contains at least 5% of the uranium present in the ore to start off with. The sludge also contains a variety of heavy metals and other contaminants. These include arsenic, as well as the highly corrosive chemical reagents used during the milling process (such as the sulfuric acid used in leaching). The mining and milling process fundamentally removes the hazardous constitutes in the ore from their relatively safe underground location. Mined Uranium itself does not emit hazardous radiation. Radium-226 found in the tailings continuously decays to the radioactive gas Radon-222. Radon-222 has a decay product that has been thought to cause lung cancer. Radon releases are a major hazard that continues even after uranium mines are shut down. The Radon can escape from the interior of the tailing piles or sludge. Since radon spreads quickly with the wind, many people receive small additional radiation doses. However, in Australia the majority of mines are based away from residential or populated areas. It is a concern for workers though, but with safety apparatus, the risk factor is non-existent. Tailing deposits are also subject to many different kinds of erosion. During and after a heavy rainfall, erosion gullies can form where the tailing deposits are left. Floods can destroy the whole deposit, leaving it dispersed everywhere. Interestingly enough, plants and burrowing animals can penetrate into the deposit and disperse the material, which subsequently enhances the radon emanation and make the deposit more susceptible to erosion. When the surface of the pile dries out, the fine sands are blown by the wind over adjacent areas. Erosion leaves the tailing deposits at a risk of dispersion. Seepage from tailing piles is another major hazard. Seepage poses a risk of contamination to ground and surface water. This water can be transferred to fish that swim in the water, then to whoever consumes the fish. Tailings dams are more often then not, not of stable construction. In most cases, they were made from sedimentation of the tailing sludge. Some are even built on geologic faults. This means that they are at greater risk of an earthquake. Strong rain or snowstorms can also cause dam failures. It is of no surprise that time after time dam failures have occurred. It was thought that bringing the tailings back to where the ore was mined would be an acceptable solution for the tailing disposal. Even though most of the Uranium was removed from the material, it did not mean the material was less hazardous. Most of the contaminants are still present. It is because of the processes the materials have to go through to extract the uranium which leaves the material in a condition where the contaminants are much more mobile (sludge and sand), therefore the material susceptible to migration into the environment. In most cases, tailings have to be dumped on the surface for lack of other options. Here, the protection requirements can more easily be controlled by appropriate methods, but additional measures have to be performed to assure protection from erosion. Uranium mining has also caused some concerns because of where the ore deposits are located. Jabiluka mine is in the heart of Kakadu, a National Park, and also in the mines in the Arnhem region. Aboriginal communities are against the mine sites as they are on their cultural land and heritage. It can be argued however, that with strict regulations in the mining and milling of Uranium, the environmental effects and cultural disturbances can be minimal. The mine-tailing dam should for one not be built on a geological fault. This itself is an obvious way of minimizing the risk of contaminants being released. The site should not be located anywhere near or in the flood plain of rivers, and the level of the dam should be deep. If there is any seepage from the tailing dam, it shouldn't pose a risk to the ground water. During investigation of the site, ground water flow has to be monitored, to allow development of computer based three- dimensional ground water models. These models can be used for prediction of effects of supposed or real contaminant releases. This in itself can show the health and risk factor in the mine tailing. With this technology, we can work towards finding out ways in which to minimize the risks involved with the tailings. The deposits of the clay appropriate for lining and covering the deposit should not be located too far away, and the site should be remote from residential areas. It's these basic guidelines, that when followed, make Uranium mining and milling quite safe and not hazardous to the environment or people (taken from OECD NEA 1993, The Safety of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, ch 2) To increase the safety of a tailing deposit area, be it a damn or a pile, certain management are applied to reduce the risk of hazardous contaminants being released into the environment. Dewatering of the sludge, smoothing of the slopes, and installation of erosion protection. On top of the pile, an appropriate cover should be installed for protection against release of gamma radiation and radon gas, beginning of precipitation, intrusion of the plants and animals, and erosion. This cover in most cases consists of several different layers to meet all requirements. Moreover, the catchement collection and treatment of seepage water is necessary to release purified waters to the surface water only. In the long term however, water treatment should no longer be necessary. Uranium mining, despite the outcry against the environmental problems it can cause, is quite a positive and good thing for the Australian society. Through the mining and milling process, jobs are created and new skills gained. Unemployment is a big issue in Australia, and by boosting the employment rate, essentially boosting the economy. Uranium mining also brings Australia money through exports. In 1997-98 Australian Uranium accounted for 15 per cent of world production, worth about $288 million to Australia. (Lambert et al, 1996, Australia's Uranium Resources, BRS (expenditure, early resource) Fig 1. 1 Showing the amount of money Uranium export brings Australia Taken from: ‘Australia's Uranium and who owns It' Briefing Paper (Found at http://www. uic. com. au/nip01. htm) Advancements in mining technology will mean that hazardous contaminants in the Uranium tailings can be removed before the sludge is dumped in dams or piles. By doing so, the sludge piles/dams would be of no hazard to the environment and could be used to fill back up the mining sites. At the moment there are strict laws that govern Australian these laws and mine sites, are in place to minimize the risk of hazardous radiation being released from the waste piles (tailing dams, sludge piles etc). Only the future can tell what Uranium holds for us. Uranium mining at the present moment has a lot of controversy surrounding it, and the effects on the environment and cultural groups. It has to be realised that the laws governing Uranium Mining in Australia are strict and dictate how Uranium mining is undertaken. This means that there is little to no risk of the tailings being deposited on ‘risky' sites, and the risk of hazardous contaminants being released into the environment are small. By being sensitive to the views and culture of the Indigenous people, and involving them in decisions surrounding the mine, it won't be long until mining companies and these people come to an understanding or agreement.

Reflections in Westminster Abbey, by Joseph Addison

William Thackeray said of Joseph Addison that he â€Å"deserved as much love and esteem as can be justly claimed by any of our infirm and erring race. † Thomas Macaulay described Addison's periodical essays as â€Å"perhaps the finest . . . in the English language. † And Samuel Johnson characterized Addison's prose as â€Å"the model of the middle style; on grave subjects not formal, on light occasions not groveling. † Keep Johnson's observation in mind as you read â€Å"Reflections in Westminster Abbey,† which originally appeared in issue 26 of The Spectator, March 30, 1711. Addison died on June 17, 1719.He was buried in the north aisle of the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey. A century later a statue was erected in his honor in â€Å"the poetical quarter†Ã¢â‚¬â€œnow known as Poet's Corner. Reflections in Westminster Abbey by Joseph Addison When I am in a serious humor, I very often walk by myself in Westminster Abbey; where the gloominess of the place and the use to which it is applied, with the solemnity of the building and the condition of the people who lie in it, are apt to fill the mind with a kind of melancholy, or rather thoughtfulness, that is not disagreeable.I yesterday passed a whole afternoon in the churchyard, the cloisters, and the church, amusing myself with the tombstones and inscriptions that I met with in those several regions of the dead. Most of them recorded nothing else of the buried person but that he was born upon one day and died upon another; the whole history of his life being comprehended in those two circumstances that are common to all mankind.I could not but look upon these registers of existence, whether of brass or marble, as a kind of satire upon the departed persons who had left no other memorial of them but that they were born and that they died. They put me in mind of several persons mentioned in the battles of heroic poems, who have sounding names given them for no other reason but that they may be killed, and are celebrated for nothing but being knocked on the head. The life of these men is finely described in Holy Writ by â€Å"the Path of an Arrow,† which is immediately closed up and lost.