Good afternoon folks,

We are currently working on our writing skills. Read the topic below and write one to two paragraphs in response to this topic.

Working on my language

Hala

Task 1:

Here are some guiding ideas to help you construct your paragraph:

• Why I joined the class
• My needs were
• I learnt
• I want to still work on

Han

Working on my language

As a new comer in Canada, catching English fluently and frequently is the first and important step for me to assimilate into the new community. I thought the convenience and direct way was to join the LINC class, so I have studied in MircoSkill School from half a year ago.

 After this period, I feel my English skills improved obviously and getting a lot of knowledge learned. First of all, I have learned many new vocabularies, grammas, and tense. Then, I have learned how to use them naturally. And finally, I also have learned many historical and geographical knowledge of Canada. To conclude, the first step is partly accomplished but still having a long-term hard way for me. I’ll carry on working on my language.

Lucy’s Edit

As a new comer in Canada, catching English fluently and frequently is the first and important step for me to assimilate into the new community. I thought the convenience and direct way was to join the LINC class, so I have been studying studied in MircoSkill School from half a year ago.

 After this period, I feel my English skills improved obviously and getting a lot of knowledge learned. First of all, I have learned many new vocabularies, grammas, and tense. Then, I have learned how to use them naturally. And finally, I also have learned many historical and geographical knowledge of Canada. To conclude, the first step is partly accomplished but still having a long-term hard way for me. I’ll carry on working on my language.

Make a story from a picture

Task 1:

Look at this picture below and describe the person in it. You need to describe the surroundings, what she is thinking of, what you think is her emotional state, and what might have been going in her life. Use at least 10 different adjectives/adverbs and make sure to write all in third person speaker (he/she/it).

This is a sunny but hopeless autumn’s afternoon.  There is a beautiful dolorous lady sitting and leaning against a huge column. The column belongs to an abandoned building situated on the top of a mountain that located among a big valley. There is a magnificent sunset and grand landscape in front of her, but the young lady’s sight is only staring at the current place. 

She is in trouble and feeling deeply faithful. First of all, she lost her lovely job several weeks ago because of her company’s terrible economical situation. Then, she found her husband’s proved affair and were thinking about the divorce with him. And finally, just few days ago, she was diagnosed a horrible chronic disease: diabetes. Clearly, everything seems painful, she deeply feels hopeless and doubts what’s  the proper way she can carry on. 

My new year's resolutions

Since we are getting closer to the end of 2015, we need to come up with some new year’s resolutions for 2016.

Task 1:

Write one paragraph on your new year’s resolution; what you want to quit or have less of, and what you feel like working on or increasing, and why.

Task 2:

Ask one of your peers to proofread it for you, and then publish on your blog for class and instructor review.

My new year's resolutions are as follows; Because...

The new year’s resolutions for me are as follows; firstly, spending less time at my home and more time on communication with various people. There were a few friends I made and few social activities I participated in the past year, because of my unconfident English skills and lack of living experience in a different country.  Next year, I want to take more attention and energies on social activities than social media, on making friends face to face than watching TV or movies solitarily, on getting more useful experience like taking part in some part time jobs than staying home every weekend. If I have enough time and improve English frequently, I want to attend a college course and get new knowledge to support my career. I hope I can find a full time job relevant to my professional background.

Presentation

PRESENTATIONS

Good morning everyone, hope that you have had a great, productive, and relaxing long weekend. This week's theme is Presentations. Presentations help you develop confidence, build self-esteem, get more organized and learn to track your time.

Click on this link  and this link; these are two different presentations; play both and answer the following questions after.

Compare between the two links in the following table:

Criteria	First Link	Second Link
Useful Tips	get your audience involved  tell a story and make a point humor	hold your shoulders up for about ten seconds , than relax
Dos	start all of a foundational phrase	get to know how to get the feedback from audience: ask quiz questions, bring evaluation forms to the presentation and hand them out.
Don'ts	The foundational phrase shouldn't be within more than 10 words.	say filler words such as "uh,um,a, are, so, or any other variation.
Engaging	ask questions, collect many mostly obvious answers, than say wrong.	getting other people's perspective, thoughts, and feeling, than taking them into consideration engage the audience in a way that empowers them to act on whatever massage that you are delivering
Helpful	tell a personal story. Firstly, say common experiences seemingly, finally, conclude a point deeply. The most important thing to stand between people and their dreams is something good that we settle for.  Are you be good to great?	An axioms state is one cannot non communication.
New Vocabulary	takeaway massage, overated, six figures, gas tank, take your money phone,compensated, settle for	penguin, filler, donsertration,adage,craft, axioms

Halifax Explosion, 1917

On December 6th 1917, a French ship with a cargo of explosives collided with another ship in Halifax Harbour. The French ship, the SS Mont Blanc, started to burn and then it exploded. The ship was totally destroyed. The explosion started many fires in the city. Many buildings in Halifax were destroyed. Trees were bent and broken. Two thousand people died in the explosion or in the fires. About 9000 people were injured.

 Halifax is a city in Nova Scotia. During World War 1 Halifax was an important harbour and port town. It is large enough for big ships. It doesn’t freeze in the winter. War supplies such as food, weapons, explosives and soldiers were sent from Canada and the United States to Europe. Many of these supplies were sent by ship from Halifax. The SS Mont Blanc was one of these ships. The explosives that she was carrying were being shipped to Europe for the war

Vocabulary help:

• cargo (noun) - the goods carried by a ship, airplane, or other vehicle.
• collided (verb) past tense of to collide - to strike or bump into one another with force.
• during (preposition) - all through a certain period of time.
• explosion (noun) - the act or noise of breaking open with great force; burst. Bombs cause explosions.
• explosive (noun) - a substance that is able to cause an explosion.
• freeze (verb) - to make into ice because of cold temperatures.
• harbour (noun) - a safe area of water where people can leave their boats.
• injure (verb) - to harm or damage.
• port (noun) - a place where ships load, or the town near this place.
• weapon (noun) - an object used to attack or defend. Guns are weapons

More vocabulary?  Click on the icon that looks like a book, to the left

Comprehension Check:

Did you understand the story? Are these sentences true?

1. About 9000 people died in the Halifax Explosion. Yes or no? no
2. The SS Mont Blanc was carrying explosives. Yes or no?       yes
3. The SS Mont Blanc had just arrived from Europe. Yes or no? no
4. The city of Halifax has a large harbour. Yes or no?     yes
5. Halifax Harbour freezes in the winter. Yes or no?       no

Fill in the Blanks:

6. The city of Halifax is in _Nova Scotia_
7. The SS Mont Blanc was a ship from __French  _ . It was a __cargo__ ship.
8. War supplies are things like food, __wenpons__, __explosives__ and soldiers.
9. The SS Mont Blanc __collided__ with another ship in Halifax Harbour.
10. Many buildings and trees were __destroyed__ by the explosion.
11. About 9000 people were __injured__ by the explosion.

Canadian Culture

This week’s theme is about the Canadian history.

The first link is an introduction to Canada. Play this link, and then answer the following questions:

1. How many provinces are there in Canada?       10
2. Which cities are the capitals of China, United States, and Canada?       Beijing, Washington, Ottwa
3. Which is the largest city in Canada?     Toronto
4. What does "CN" in CN Tower stand for?     Canadian National
5. Write the meaning of the following words, place each one in a sentence of your own, and then find at least two more new vocabulary and add them to the list:
1. Landmark,       the most famous construction in the place, sometimes is building, sometimes is natural 
2. adjoins,           connected with 
3. coastal,            near the sea
4. peninsula        district partial connected the mainland
5. ................
6. ................

Phone Interview

1.     We have few videos on phone interviews. Please click on the first link here and write down the steps the presenter has presented to start off any interview.

    1) Introduce yourself: your name, brief overview as your back,discuss your accomplishments and success 2) telephone interview is a pre-screen for the in person interview, so you should put the best foot forward in telephone interview.

2.     Next, click on this link for a different telephone interviewing tips and list down all the dos and the don’ts that the speaker has mentioned.

     dos: think about the ticket realize its professional for the phone interview.

     don'ts: use slang words; put someone on hold and pick up another line; answer your kids' question and have other disturbances going on; allow your caller ID your collar waiting any of those features.

3.     Read the following article about deceptive telemarketing and then answer the following questions:

What is Deceptive Telemarketing?

Using the phone to obtain payment from you for a non-existent or misrepresented product, service or charitable gift is deceptive telemarketing. Using the phone to obtain your private banking information or credit card number to steal is deceptive telemarketing. Offering you a prize for which you must pay is deceptive telemarketing. Using the phone to obtain your money fraudulently in any way is deceptive telemarketing. It is a serious crime punishable by jail.

Telemarketing, the use of telephones to market goods and services, has rapidly expanded in recent years. Sales in Canada now exceed $500 billion dollars a year. Most of these telemarketing activities are legitimate but some are not. Deceptive telemarketing practices have been a problem in Canada, with cross-border implications, since the early 1970s. Telemarketing fraud has now become one of the most pervasive forms of white-collar crime. In 1998, law enforcement and other agencies reported over 45,000 complaints about fraudulent telemarketing.

Since 1995, Canadians have lost approximately $200 million as a result of this activity. Criminals are drawn to the offence by large proceeds and relatively low risks of detection, prosecution and punishment. Since the 1980s, low-cost telecommunications have created economies of scale and provided offenders with effective means of conducting potentially massive frauds. A single telemarketer with a well-organized scheme can easily extort several hundred thousand dollars per year from unsuspecting victims. In some cases, the high profits have also attracted organized crime.

Target Groups and Victims

Offenders maximize their profits by focusing on vulnerable target groups. Victims are not chosen at random but rather are methodically selected because they have savings or assets and are perceived to be susceptible. Fraudulent telemarketers often prey on seniors on the assumption that they may be more trusting and polite toward strangers. Offenders have told police their ideal target is an elderly person, home alone, with little or no contact with family members. Another higher risk group is past victims. Once an individual has been identified as being vulnerable, they are repeatedly targeted. Victim information is often sold in the form of "sucker lists" or "hot lists" to other offenders.

The Effects of Telemarketing Fraud

The estimated $200 million lost by Canadian victims of telemarketing fraud is only a small part of the cost of this pervasive crime. Research conducted by North American law-enforcement and police officials indicates that the elderly are not only more susceptible, but they tend to be more seriously affected. Some have lost their life savings and have been forced to sell their homes. Seniors are often reluctant to report the crime to the authorities or even to family fearing they will be blamed for being “careless” or “greedy.” Some fear they will be seen as incompetent and lose control over their affairs.

Source: PhoneBusters: The Canadian Anti-fraud Call Centre,

www.phonebusters.com; extracted June 22, 2009, with permission

Find synonyms in the article for the following words.

1. get    obtain                                             7. profits    proceeds

2. dishonestly    fraudulently                          8. very large; huge    massive

3. increased in size    maximize                    9. vulnerable    susceptible        

4. are more than    exceed                           10. victimize    prey      

5. honest    legitimate                                   11. unwilling   reluctant

6. common    pervasive                               12. the object of attention     target 

Underline True or False.

1. Fraudulent telemarketers sometimes pretend to be legitimate charities seeking a donation.                                                                                                      T 

2. All telemarketing is dishonest.                                                                    F

3. Many fraudulent telemarketers are never caught and punished.                     T 

4. Fraudulent telemarketing is attractive to criminals because of the potential to make large amounts of money with little investment.                                                T 

5. Organized crime is responsible for most telemarketing fraud.                      F 

6. Fraudulent telemarketers target seniors because they have more money.       F

7. A victim of telemarketing fraud is at higher risk of being victimized against.  T 

8. Seniors may not report being victimized by a telemarketing fraud because they

are afraid of what their family will say.                                                             T 

Task 1:

Listen to this mock job interview; list all the Dos and Don'ts which the interviewer has mentioned. Click here to listen to it.

                                  Dos                                                              Don'ts

dress  man           wear suit                                                      wear blue chocolate and gray
          woman      wear suit of skirt or pans                               wear large jewelry, lots color, too much                                                                                                        make-up

hand shakes         form, with a contact of smile                         bone
experience           use a opportunity to give a                            isn't a lisence to tell about your story
                           summary of your career, ability and goals
assessing             focus on the area you can improve                 avoid your personality and character default
your
weaknesses
personal              keep the focus on the job not my personal life  need to volunteer that information
question

another               stand up and greet your interviewer                  wear too much perfume
important            take the copy of resume                                   or cologne
things                  ask for your interviewer's business card
                          turn off your cell phone

Task 2:

Search the internet to find the 10 most annoying gestures during a job interview.

Cover Letter

Task 1:

Find a job ad that you would consider applying to it, copy the ad, and paste it on your blog.

Draftsperson Intern (Part time)
Fine Lines Design - Toronto, ON
Part-time, Internship

Are you an architecture student or recent graduate? Are you looking to gain experience working for a small independent architectural design company? Are you cool and creative? If yes, we want to hear from you! What are we looking for? We are looking for a Draftsperson with comprehensive drafting skills and good interpersonal abilities who would enjoy working in a team-oriented environment. The position is for 2 – 3 days per week. This opportunity is an unpaid internship to start and could quickly lead to a full-time paid position. Requirements: Currently enrolled or recently graduated from a post-secondary, or technical, institute Proficiency in Revit, AutoCAD, MS Office, Photoshop and other Adobe products Knowledge and experience in architectural drafting and design concepts Previous construction experience is an asset Duties will include but not limited to: Research, design, interpret, develop and draft detailed construction plans with understanding and with proper graphic representation Site visits, trips to city hall, etc. Other tasks as required If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please send us your resume and/or portfolio along with a letter telling us a little bit about yourself. If we like what we see, we’ll be in touch. No phone calls or walk in's please. Job Type: Internship

Task 2:

Now write a cover letter to respond to this ad. Keep in mind to include the following sections and ideas:

Each cover letter you write should be customized to include:

• Which job you're applying for
• How you learned about the job (and a referral if you have one)
• Why you are qualified for the job (be specific)
• What you have to offer the employer (match your skills to the job description)
• Thank you for being considered for the job
• Keep it Short

Go on this website and read exactly what you should include in your letter.

November 2, 2015

Mr. Josh Theriault

Founder of Fine Lines Design

697 The Queensway
Toronto, ON
M8Y 1L2

Dear Mr. Theriault:

Please accept my application for the position of draftsperson intern at your company that was advertised on your website. I would very much like to be considered for the position. I have enclosed my resume for your review.

I believe I can make a positive contribution to your company as an efficient team-designer. I have extensive experience as an architect for four years  and as an architect manager for more than five years in one architecture design companies. In these positions, I was responsible for all areas of whole architecture, including designing, communicating with clients, and administrating projects’ and related teams. In addition, I have worked in a real estate company; I had excellent experience in investments, market, and property sales.

I am confident that my skills and experience would be asset to your organization. I would welcome the opportunity to participate in a personal interview to answer any of your questions and present my qualifications. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Han Huang

Task 3:

Ask one or two of your peers to edit it for you based on the actual job advertisement.

Edited by Newton and Majid

Wednesday's Assignment

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Wednesday's Assignment

Listen to this video once, and then respond to the following tasks:

Task 1:

Take dictation from 3:45 - 4:07, listen to this part once more, and then check it with a partner.

I mean there's a commitment involved. Time spent serving your clients today, time spent billing, time spent doing the work you have to do. That’s today’s revenue. I’m not here to tell you that is not important. It is important. That’s how we get paid. We got to do a great job for the clients we already have. But building a network of professional contacts who can and will refer your business--that’s an investment for tomorrow.

Task 2:

Fill in the transcript below.

I mean there's a commitment involved. Time spent serving your clients today, time spent billing, time spent doing the the work you have to do. That's today's revenue. I'm not here to tell you that is not important. It is important. That's how we get paid. We got to do a great job for the clients we already have.

But building a network of professional contacts who can and will refer your business--that's your investment for tomorrow !

Task 3:

1.        What is the main idea that the speaker is talking about?

There are lots of competitions around your business and various choices for your clients. You need not only try your best to server your current clients completely, but also make a plan for investing for the future and start to do it now included building a network of professional contacts.

2.        Summarize this video in five or six sentences max; share your summary with one or two of your peers and compare yours to theirs.

Today, there are large numbers of choices prepared for every costume. For examples, you can buy one cup of coffee out of several tens types of coffees at Starbucks, choice one type of cookie from large number of  alternative types of coolies, and the choices of the web side about “law firm” available in the internet is huge. The reasons of making different choice depend on every client’s personal favourite, habits, and how familiar they have been. Oppositely, for the seller, how to get the more clients’ attentions in the future is equal and even more important. There are lots of competitions around your business. If you want to find more clients in the internet, you should try your best to build a network of professional contacts. It seems an investment for the future.

3.        Pick up at least ten new vocabulary from this video, and then create a short story with them. Write it down on your blog and ask one of your peers to edit it for youà you can use this story on your Thursday’s presentation J.

law firm, beverage, stand out of, grande, make choices, not going away.

Resume Writing:

In order to be prepared for the workforce, you need to have a well-written resume. 

Here are samples of a chronological resume, a combination resume, and a functional resume. Use these just as guidance to help you frame your masterpiece.

This is another excellent website that will help you understand more and more about resume writing. 

Task 1:

Check the following ‘’Sample Career Summaries’’ from this website, and then write one for yourself.

Dynamic entrepreneur who utilizes creativity, leadership and teamwork to design and execute solutions that create customer value. Effective communicator with ability to create marketing materials that convey value for both clients and end users.

Experienced professional with planning and organizational skills that balance work, team support and ad-hoc responsibilities in a timely and professional manner.

Business development executive with years of experience in technical sales, sales management, team leadership, and business growth and expansion. Proven ability to generate sales and revenue.

Experienced professional with a unique combination of technical expertise, managerial experience, business leadership, and design and production support to lead the delivery and implementation of mission-critical software systems.

Task 2: 

Start creating your resume in light of all that we have learned in class.

HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

 Not only an Architect

Provided customized building designs for over 660 clients which helped to increase the value of their land by 30%~200% in the last 15 years.

•        15+ years of experience in the architecture

•        11+ years of experience in the management& sales

•        Solid background in building design, project quality control and process management

•        Boosted company sales by 300% within a 10-year period by establishing new projects and clients

•        Proficient in AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, MS Office, internet and email

•        Professional communication skills include fluency in Mandarin and sufficient in English

•         

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Architecture

·         Created about 880 different project designs include residents, offices, schools, hospitals and commercial buildings

·         Researched over 1000 project lands trough over 8 provinces and more than 20 cities in whole country and aboard during the design progress.

·         Implemented 36 creative projects most of them existing and some on progress.

·         Identified and troubleshot process, building and operation-related issues

Management

·         Managed over 20-persons  team in the cooperation

·         Managed  different project teams of 5 various engineers

·         Supervised drafting of structural drawings, construction specifications and project schedules

·         Verified drawings, investment calculations and communication with investor

·         Reported project progress to clients according to their requirements

 Sales

·         Owned the company with other cooperating company who used to be a client

·         Serviced more than 600 various customers not only of commerce but also the government and charity society

·         Effective communicator with ability to create marketing materials that convey value for both clients and end users

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

 General Manager& Copartner                                                                                                                                           2004 – 2015 Ningbo Design Architecture Company, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

Project Chief                                                                                                                                                                           2002 – 2004 Ningbo Architecture Design& Research Institute, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

Major Architect                                                                                                                                                                      2000 – 2002 Ningbo Architecture Design& Research Institute, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Assistant Architect                                                                                                                                                                1998 – 2000

Ningbo Architecture Design& Research Institute, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

EDUCATION HISTORY

B.Sc. Degree in Architecture Engineering                                                                                                                                       2000

 Xi’an Jiaotong University, China(Equivalent to a Bachelor’s in Architecture Engineering, as determined by World Education Services, Toronto, ON)

References Available Upon Request

Task 3:

Ask two or more of your peers to edit it for mistakes.