2008年11月9日星期日
brain imaging
New scientific discoveries and research can make people understand many things that are unknown before and provide people better and more comfortable life. However, at the same time, they bring us some negative impacts. For example, the development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can help detect and locate brain activity when people thinking and predict the brain activation patterns and thus contributes a lot in the field of treating mental diseases, but also may raise a series of ethical problems, such as abuses and testing of children. Therefore, researchers should predict and minimize potential unethical abuses of their works.Firstly, access is a significant issue. Researchers should well keep all the data related to the research, ranging from the data and experiment results to the final work. As under some circumstances, a few unethical researchers and organizations may embezzle the unfinished works to obtain profits or reputation from them. However, they may misuse the information and cause some problems. For example, the manufacturing of nuclear weapons and other threatening weapons should be the top secret. All the things related to the manufacturing process and the material needed must be taken very good care of, in case of misuse by terrorists. Thus, the access to the database should be secured.Moreover, in order to prevent the potential unethical abuses happening, researchers have to predict the potential abuses caused by the research in advance and think of ways to overcome them. Therefore, before the research done, researchers should minimize the possible troubles and then prevent wicked people making use of it. Also, rules and regulations must to be made in dealing with the unethical problems. In conclusion, the development of science and technology raises some ethical issues. To prevent and minimize the unethical abuses of the research works, researchers have to be responsible for the accuracy and security of their works and be aware of the potential unethical issues.
2008年11月5日星期三
Is it an ethical issue to make decisons relating to climate change?
In less than a month, almost all the countries in the world, except those near the equator, are covered with heavy snow. Our blue planet turns out to be a white one. Nobody can survive in the white world for they have all been frozen to death. Is it a new fiction? In the movie “the day after tomorrow”, the survived people wish so but unfortunately it is not. In fact, based on the climate change today, scientists have predicted that if the temperature continues to rise, we are likely to have a second Ice Age in the future. When? Maybe it is 1000 years later, 100 years later, or it may just happen tomorrow. Reports, journals, speeches and other media have stated the drawbacks of the climate change affecting our future generations, and many have regarded the corresponding reactions and decisions as ethical issues. In my opinion, from the effects which global warming has on the earth, the induced living problems point out that our actions relation to climate change are in immediate demand to protect both the lives now and in the future.
One of the significant problems caused by the climate change is the rising sea level. Around the globe, sea level is about 6 inches higher than it was 100 years ago, due primarily to warmer sea water, along with glacier melting, and the rate of rise is increasing. Relative sea level rise is currently causing substantial loss of lands in some deltas. Besides, the warmer sea temperature influences the cycling of the food chain because the elementary parts, the mini-organisms, cannot be bought to the deeper ocean by the heavier cold current. Countries living on the fish export, for example, Japan and Mexico, have faced the reduction of marine products. From the small scale, the rising sea level is evading the homes and the income of people living in the coastal regions. From a large scale, the economy of the country is affected. Once the living environment and living standards cannot be sustained by the country, there will be no political peace within that country and also with the world.
Another major drawback is the less regular rainfall distribution in the world. In other words, regions having large amounts of rainfall before exhibit much more raindrops, for example, Singapore, while areas lack of rains in the past can hardly see the raindrops nowadays like Inner Mongolia. The resultant problem is more floods occurring in the countries or regions near equator; the increasing areas of desserts in the counties or regions located towards poles. Both floods and desserts harm people’s lives.
In conclusion, comparing the drawbacks climate change has brought to the world to the benefits gained, actions must be taken to prevent the world from getting hotter. It is not only an ethical issue for us to react to consider our future generations, but a strong relation between our nowadays lives and the nature change to take actions to protect ourselves. Government and the better-off ones should make decisions and reactions relating to climate change as it is they who make the choices.
One of the significant problems caused by the climate change is the rising sea level. Around the globe, sea level is about 6 inches higher than it was 100 years ago, due primarily to warmer sea water, along with glacier melting, and the rate of rise is increasing. Relative sea level rise is currently causing substantial loss of lands in some deltas. Besides, the warmer sea temperature influences the cycling of the food chain because the elementary parts, the mini-organisms, cannot be bought to the deeper ocean by the heavier cold current. Countries living on the fish export, for example, Japan and Mexico, have faced the reduction of marine products. From the small scale, the rising sea level is evading the homes and the income of people living in the coastal regions. From a large scale, the economy of the country is affected. Once the living environment and living standards cannot be sustained by the country, there will be no political peace within that country and also with the world.
Another major drawback is the less regular rainfall distribution in the world. In other words, regions having large amounts of rainfall before exhibit much more raindrops, for example, Singapore, while areas lack of rains in the past can hardly see the raindrops nowadays like Inner Mongolia. The resultant problem is more floods occurring in the countries or regions near equator; the increasing areas of desserts in the counties or regions located towards poles. Both floods and desserts harm people’s lives.
In conclusion, comparing the drawbacks climate change has brought to the world to the benefits gained, actions must be taken to prevent the world from getting hotter. It is not only an ethical issue for us to react to consider our future generations, but a strong relation between our nowadays lives and the nature change to take actions to protect ourselves. Government and the better-off ones should make decisions and reactions relating to climate change as it is they who make the choices.
How to solve the problem of waste disposal.
Since 1978, China has experienced an increasing faster industry development. The huge amounts of waste have been and will be a fatal cause of the health of its people as well as a potentially marked resistance to its development. As a future engineer, I propose that the government should construct product-waste chains within different portions of industries so that the materials can be used more efficiently. Therefore, the sources will be less; finally the growing industry will also be environmentally friendly. First of all,, let me explain what exactly the product-waste chains are. There are two types of product-waster chains. One type is that the used products of one industry, say, the waster, will be the sources of other industries. Once this product-waste-source process can be established in a cycle, the chain will be constructed. Take the water flow as a typical example in nature. The water molecules go from sea as vapor into the sky, forms clouds and drops down to the ground as rain, runs to the rivers and in the end flows back to the sea. The other type of product-waste chain is that the bi-products of one industry will be the sources of other industries. As well as the product-waste-source chain, if the bi-product-source process is established in a cycle, the bi-product-source chain will be formed. The advantages of the chains are obvious ---- less raw materials are required as the material flow is cycled; less waste is produced for the waste may be used either in a product-waster-source chain or in a bi-product-source chain. The demand of less raw materials and less production of waster will eventually help the industry development to be environmentally green. In conclusion, the two product-waste chains will make a great effort in solving the waste disposal problem by asking for less raw materials and producing less waste products.
2008年10月19日星期日
grammar mistakes-punctuation
In this semester, Ms Fong has stated a lot of my punctuation mistakes in my essays and I have learnt a lot about how to use punctuation marks properly. Anyway, in the modern world punctuation is an important thing to get right in formal writing. Readers of formal writing interpret punctuation mistakes as a sign of poor education or carelessness, and in either case tend to discount the work's validity.
Semicolons have two distinct functions in English sentences. First of all, they allow you to connect two independent clauses in a single sentence. Often a writer chooses to do this to achieve a more flowing effect; the semicolon tells the reader that he has encountered a full stop, but implies that there is a close connection between the two independent clauses. Using a period to separate two independent clauses has a more conclusive effect. It forces more of a pause on the reader's part. Second, semicolons replace commas when you write lists or series with internal commas （that is, where commas occur within one or more items）. In such cases, separating the items with other commas is confusing.
Colons may also be used to connect independent clauses when the logical link between them is immediate, as when the first clause makes a general assertion and the second clause provides an example. You may also use colons between closely connected sentence elements other than two independent clauses, though this should be done sparingly. In essays, colons are used most frequently to introduce quotations. If you use a colon, you need to make sure that the quotation is not integrally connected to the grammar of the introductory sentence. Sometimes a colon is used incorrectly to introduce a list.
Dashes can act as semi-colons, connecting independent clauses. They can take the place of colons in introducing lists. They can serve to insert an example, and allow getting back to the main sentence. You can also use them at any point in a grammatical structure when you feel a pause would be appropriate. Dashes often come in pairs. If you want to signal an interruption in a grammatical structure with a dash, you've got to keep track of the grammatical structure, and signal the return to the main structure with a second dash.
Fill in the blanks in the text below with proper punctuations—a comma, semi-colon, colon, dash or full stop. If you fill in a full stop, remember to change the first letter in the following sentence into capital letter.
Now, what does it mean to be free? Is freedom a matter of doing what happens to suit you, going where you like, thinking what you will? This you do anyhow _____(1) merely to have independence_______(2) does that mean freedom? Many people in the world are independent, but very few are free. Freedom implies great intelligence, does it not? To be free is to be intelligent ______ (3) but intelligence does not come into being by just wishing to be free _______(4) it comes into being only when you begin to understand your whole environment, the social, religious, parental and traditional influences that are continually closing in on you_______(5) but to understand the various influences—the influences of your parents, of your government, of society, of the culture to which you belong, of your beliefs, your gods and superstitions, of the tradition to which you conform unthinkingly _______(6) to understand all these and become free from them requires deep insight_______(7) but you generally give in to them because inwardly you are frightened_______(8) you are afraid of not having a good position in life ______ (9) you are afraid of what your priest will say _______ (10)you are afraid of not following tradition, of not doing the right thing _______ (11) but freedom is really a state of mind in which there is no fear or compulsion, no urge to be secure.
The function of education is to help you from childhood not to imitate anybody, but to be yourself all the time. And this is a most difficult thing to do _______(12) whether you are ugly or beautiful, whether you are envious or jealous, always to be what you are, but understand it. To be yourself is very difficult, because you think that what you are is ignoble, and that if you could only change what you are into something noble it would be marvellous _______(13) but that never happens. Whereas, if you look at what you actually are and understand it, then in that very understanding there is a transformation_______(14) so freedom lies, not in trying to become something different, nor in doing whatever you happen to feel like doing, nor in following the authority of tradition, of your parents, of your guru, but in understanding what you are from moment to moment.
You see, you are not educated for this_______ (15) your education encourages you to become something or other—but that is not the understanding of yourself. Your “self” is a very complex thing _______(16) it is not merely the entity that goes to school, that quarrels, that plays games, that is afraid, but it is also something hidden, not obvious. It is made up, not only of all the thoughts that you think _______(17) but also of all the things that have been put into your mind by other people, by books, by the newspapers, by your leaders_______(18) and it is possible to understand all that only when you don’t want to be somebody, when you don’t imitate, when you don’t follow_______(19) which means, really, when you are in revolt against the whole tradition of trying to become something. That is the only true revolution_______ (20) leading to extraordinary freedom. To cultivate this freedom is the real function of education.
Taken from F Merat & M Fabre. 1976. “Freedom”. Creative Reading and Writing. Collier Macmillan, London. Central Library. PE 1128 Mer.
Semicolons have two distinct functions in English sentences. First of all, they allow you to connect two independent clauses in a single sentence. Often a writer chooses to do this to achieve a more flowing effect; the semicolon tells the reader that he has encountered a full stop, but implies that there is a close connection between the two independent clauses. Using a period to separate two independent clauses has a more conclusive effect. It forces more of a pause on the reader's part. Second, semicolons replace commas when you write lists or series with internal commas （that is, where commas occur within one or more items）. In such cases, separating the items with other commas is confusing.
Colons may also be used to connect independent clauses when the logical link between them is immediate, as when the first clause makes a general assertion and the second clause provides an example. You may also use colons between closely connected sentence elements other than two independent clauses, though this should be done sparingly. In essays, colons are used most frequently to introduce quotations. If you use a colon, you need to make sure that the quotation is not integrally connected to the grammar of the introductory sentence. Sometimes a colon is used incorrectly to introduce a list.
Dashes can act as semi-colons, connecting independent clauses. They can take the place of colons in introducing lists. They can serve to insert an example, and allow getting back to the main sentence. You can also use them at any point in a grammatical structure when you feel a pause would be appropriate. Dashes often come in pairs. If you want to signal an interruption in a grammatical structure with a dash, you've got to keep track of the grammatical structure, and signal the return to the main structure with a second dash.
Fill in the blanks in the text below with proper punctuations—a comma, semi-colon, colon, dash or full stop. If you fill in a full stop, remember to change the first letter in the following sentence into capital letter.
Now, what does it mean to be free? Is freedom a matter of doing what happens to suit you, going where you like, thinking what you will? This you do anyhow _____(1) merely to have independence_______(2) does that mean freedom? Many people in the world are independent, but very few are free. Freedom implies great intelligence, does it not? To be free is to be intelligent ______ (3) but intelligence does not come into being by just wishing to be free _______(4) it comes into being only when you begin to understand your whole environment, the social, religious, parental and traditional influences that are continually closing in on you_______(5) but to understand the various influences—the influences of your parents, of your government, of society, of the culture to which you belong, of your beliefs, your gods and superstitions, of the tradition to which you conform unthinkingly _______(6) to understand all these and become free from them requires deep insight_______(7) but you generally give in to them because inwardly you are frightened_______(8) you are afraid of not having a good position in life ______ (9) you are afraid of what your priest will say _______ (10)you are afraid of not following tradition, of not doing the right thing _______ (11) but freedom is really a state of mind in which there is no fear or compulsion, no urge to be secure.
The function of education is to help you from childhood not to imitate anybody, but to be yourself all the time. And this is a most difficult thing to do _______(12) whether you are ugly or beautiful, whether you are envious or jealous, always to be what you are, but understand it. To be yourself is very difficult, because you think that what you are is ignoble, and that if you could only change what you are into something noble it would be marvellous _______(13) but that never happens. Whereas, if you look at what you actually are and understand it, then in that very understanding there is a transformation_______(14) so freedom lies, not in trying to become something different, nor in doing whatever you happen to feel like doing, nor in following the authority of tradition, of your parents, of your guru, but in understanding what you are from moment to moment.
You see, you are not educated for this_______ (15) your education encourages you to become something or other—but that is not the understanding of yourself. Your “self” is a very complex thing _______(16) it is not merely the entity that goes to school, that quarrels, that plays games, that is afraid, but it is also something hidden, not obvious. It is made up, not only of all the thoughts that you think _______(17) but also of all the things that have been put into your mind by other people, by books, by the newspapers, by your leaders_______(18) and it is possible to understand all that only when you don’t want to be somebody, when you don’t imitate, when you don’t follow_______(19) which means, really, when you are in revolt against the whole tradition of trying to become something. That is the only true revolution_______ (20) leading to extraordinary freedom. To cultivate this freedom is the real function of education.
Taken from F Merat & M Fabre. 1976. “Freedom”. Creative Reading and Writing. Collier Macmillan, London. Central Library. PE 1128 Mer.
expectation in the second part of this semmester
In the first part of this semester, I have learnt the various types of essays and how to write them. In addition, I have already tries one though the result was not that good. The APA format citation is difficult for me for I’ve made lots of mistakes in the citation. But fortunately finally I have handled this problem.
Suggestions:
Many of us have stated in their blogs that more time is consumed for speaking. That is also what I want to say. I think Ms Fong has done a lot of efforts improving this field for since the recess week, I have had a few talks during classes.
Though we have already did a few text-editing exercise, I still don’t do well in it. So can we have some extra one to do so that we can be more familiar with not only the grammar or vocabulary, but also the writing tones and standards of scientific papers.
Suggestions:
Many of us have stated in their blogs that more time is consumed for speaking. That is also what I want to say. I think Ms Fong has done a lot of efforts improving this field for since the recess week, I have had a few talks during classes.
Though we have already did a few text-editing exercise, I still don’t do well in it. So can we have some extra one to do so that we can be more familiar with not only the grammar or vocabulary, but also the writing tones and standards of scientific papers.
Difficulties in writing in engineering classes
To be honest, so far I haven’t experienced lots of writing tasks in engineering classes except for the EG1471. The four core modules as everyone takes in my class are math MA1505, physics PC1431, MLE1101 and somehow physics EG1109. For MA1505 and EG1109, the lecturers expect us to use symbols to express the meaning rather than words. Only the PC and MLE modules will ask short questions. For the PC and MLE modules, the difficulty in writing is how to express the inter connection among the variables. So it acquires the ability to express the variables clearly. In order to state them I must know the exactly names of the nouns, laws, theories and principles. For example, there is “totally inelastic collision” but there is no “totally elastic collision”. Instead, it is “elastic collision” representing the meaning of “totally elastic collision”. So I must memorize all the nouns clearly, not mix them up. Besides, the connection within the nouns should also be stated clearly, i.e. whether A is the cause or the effect of B. Therefore, the transition words such as “therefore”, “hence” and “but”, the relationship expressions, “due to the effect of”, “result in” and “result from” are useful. On the back pages of the grammar book there are conjunctive adverbs, subordinating conjunctions and transition signals which can help me in those fields. In the following writing tasks, I will try to use them as much as possible. In other words, try to use more than one kind of sentence structure to express the same meaning.
2008年9月16日星期二
Writing paragraph
STEM education, short for science, technology, engineering and math, is demanding for more time to enhance public understanding of engineering and its underlying science(National Academy of Engineering,n.d.). However, the increased time in STEM education means decreased time in language arts which may lead to two main disadvantages-difficulty in communication and understanding, and poor imagination. Language arts, defined as the general academic subject area in comprehension of both written and oral language in Wikipedia, include five main branches, namely, reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing(Wikipedia,n.d.). When dealing with science problems, if we do not know how to express our opinions properly and precisely, our listeners will be puzzled that they go to a different direction. For example, how will we understand the sentence, “for a point not falling in a given straight line, there will be one line passing through the point parallel to the given straight line.” Typically, we know there will be one line fulfilling the condition, but how many lines will also fit in? What if we redefine the sentence by adding “exactly”, for instance, “there will be exactly one line …” The meaning of the statement is much clearer for we know there will be one and exactly one. Consequently, if we are not good at language arts, we may get trouble or meet trouble in STEM education. Sometimes the trouble may be fatal because the concept we get perhaps is totally wrong. Despite the trouble caused in the communication and understanding, our imagination may also be trapped by poor language arts. How will you describe the world when you get up on a winter day and find that the whole world is covered with snow? Will you say, “Ah, the world is covered with solid water with litter dust in it,” or “the world is hidden under the mantle of a huge woolen carpet?” This funny question may come about if we focus on STEM education rather than language arts. For a long time, we first appreciate the beautiful world and then discover how the nature cooperates. Therefore, in modern blooming industrial development, the language arts still play an important role in not only our education, but also our lives. The time spent on the STEM and language arts education should be balanced in order for people to communicate and understand properly and appreciate the world in two different but complementary ways.
References
[1] National Academy of Engineering.(n.d.) Introduction to the grand challenges of engineering. Retrieved Feb. 2008, from
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221/aspx
[2] Wikipedia.(n.d.) Retrieved Sep 3rd, 2008,fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_arts
References
[1] National Academy of Engineering.(n.d.) Introduction to the grand challenges of engineering. Retrieved Feb. 2008, from
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221/aspx
[2] Wikipedia.(n.d.) Retrieved Sep 3rd, 2008,fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_arts
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