Winter Holidays. Such a pleasant period of a year! I personally like these holidays the best. I guess I fancy the idea of a re-birth, new possibilities and impressions.
Anyway, let me ask you a question. Do you want to know how to talk about the forthcoming holidays in English? If so, here is the list of recommended sources:
Today I want to dwell upon some basic things connected with organizing yourself and managing time. These are not universal rules, just a few pieces of advice I’m using and they work for me. For three years now I’ve been using some techniques which help me in everyday life, I mean in planning my time and organizing my activities.
Before we proceed, let me ask you to do the test “How well do you plan?” Follow the instructions and add all the numbers you get. Next read this interpretation.
So, how do you feel? Are you an “excellent” or a “terrible” planner? Of course, this tiny test can not possibly be the one source you rely on, but still, it gives a general idea.
Anyway, when we speak about the advantages of planning our time, we can name at least these few: 1. gain time – when we plan, we get some extra time, we don’t waste it, ergo, we gain it! 2. it motivates – when you realize how much you have managed to do within a certain period of time, you are proud of yourself & feel motivated! 3. it reduces avoidance – meaning you don’t forget to do things 4. it promotes review – when you plan, write things down, you can analyse them as well as yourself 5. it reduces anxiety – you no longer have to worry that you have no time for something or may forget some stuff, you feel more confident.
Now, we know that planning time is useful, it’s definitely a good thing to be done, however we avoid it. We tend to avoid things we don’t know or the things that may cause some inconveniences, limit or scary us. But it’s like this only at the beginning, I guess the beginning of any activity, like skiing and stuff. First you are terrified and think if you need this in the first place. But after some time, you can’t do without it. It’s just the same exact situation with time management and organizing yourself. Just do it! I’ll try to give you a little push today, if you still need one.
I also started by a push from my friend. I was recommended to listen to several books/seminars connected with this topic. Here they are: “The art of managing your time” by Bodo Schafer, “21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time and double your productivity” by Brian Traicey and“The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey.
"TED Talks — це найкраща річ, яку можна подивитись у Інтернеті". Guardian
TED – неприбуткова організація, котра щорічно проводить конференції, присвячені „ідеям вартим поширення” (Ideas Worth Spreading). Все почалось із конференції 1984 р., котра звела людей із трьох світів: Технології, Розваг, Дизайну (Technology, Entertainment, Design). Від того часу, рамки TED суттєво розширились і тепер включають науки, мистецтва, політику, освіту, культуру, бізнес, глобальні проблеми, технології та розвиток. Поряд із щорічними конференціями у США та Англії, працює сайт TEDTalks із відеокастами. Серед спікерів цих конференцій були Білл Клінтон, Гордон Браун, Білл Гейтс, Сергій Брін, Леррі Пейдж та багато інших.
Час – штука відносна. Два роки у житті людини – недовгий період, а от для розвитку комп’ютерних та інтернет технологій - це досить таки поважний термін. Два роки – час „морального старіння” в ІТ індустрії. Майже стільки часу минуло від написання мноюпершої статтіпро подкастинг. Тим хто все ще не чув про це явище, рекомендую проглянути наступний ролик „Podcasting in Plain English”
)
За цей час це явище стрімко розвинулось та урізноманітнилось, проте уже позбулось своєї колишньої ексклюзивності. Сьогодні більшість поважаючих себе інтернет ресурсів викладають власний контент за допомогою подкастів. І усе більше ентузіастів створюють власні покаст ресурси, у тому числі і навчальні. Позитивним у цьому є те, що будь-хто може записувати власні подкасти, а негативним те …., що будь-хто може записувати власні подкасти. Це власне є характерною рисою соціально-зорієнтованого Веб 2.0 інтернету. Таким чином, пересічному користувачеві доводиться прискіпливо фільтрувати безмежні інтернет потоки.
Not to lag behind after a three-week time, I decided to provide you with the material that we are supposed to cover. Detailed instructions are in the home task file. Enjoy!:)
‘Friends’: ‘The one with Rachel’s inadvertent kiss’
Rachel interviews for a coveted department-store job as coordinator of the Ralph Lauren women's collection. Unfortunately, she inadvertently kisses the interviewer, Mr. Zelner, on the cheek when he bends near her to open the office door as she is leaving. She is afraid the kiss will affect her chances of getting the job. During a second interview with Mr. Zelner, Rachel gets ink on her lip. Misinterpreting Mr. Zelner when he indicates the ink, Rachel berates him for demanding sex and leaves angrily. Later, she returns to explain the misunderstanding, and gets the job on her merits.
Match the words below to their explanations:
hussyintegrity beratelitigiouscovetinadvertently
1
formal to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong
2
old-fashioned a woman who is sexually immoral
3
formal to have a very strong desire to have something that someone else has
4
without realizing what you are doing
5
very willing to take disagreements to a court of law
6
the quality of being honest and strong about what you believe to be right
Answer the questions:
1. What piece of news did Rachel announce to their friends?
2. What was Phoebe’s suggestion?
3. What happened at the end of the first interview?
4. What happened during the second meeting with Mr. Zelner?
