WEEK 1: EXERCISE USING ON-LINE DICTIONARY Fundamental English Writing Skills

USING THE DICTIONARY When you write in English, it is important to use correct grammar and accurate vocabulary. One way to improve your grammar and vocabulary abilities is to use dictionary frequently. You are advised to use English-English dictionary as much as you can.

USING ENGLISH-ENGLISH DICTIONARY A Chinese-English or English-Chinese dictionary is useful when you are not sure about the definition. But if you use bilingual dictionaries too often, you may develop the habit of translating. An English-English dictionary can help you learn or write English more effectively because it helps you think and express in English naturally.

USING ON-LINE DICTIONARY Since now you are taking an on-line composition course, now let’s try to use an on-line dictionary. When you write and type with your computer, you may find an on-line dictionary very useful. But remember, if you have a paper-back English- English dictionary, that is also very good for you.

ONE LOOK Please try this website: It is one of the most powerful on-line dictionaries. It actually links to many on-line dictionaries. You can choose what you like and what need. Now, please use this ONE LOOK on-line dictionary to look up the following words.

WHAT DO THEY MEAN? Do you know all these words? Glimpse Collect Sample Accompany Astronaut Tiny Engulf Startling Sensation Encompassing Aura Universal Boundary Dissolve Companion Planet Luminous Consciousness Absolute Glittering Cosmos Conscious

PRE-READING We are going to read a short article. Before you read it, try to answer the questions below. What do you think about the Earth? Are you interested in space travel? Can you imagine how Earth looks like if you see it from outer space?

READING- A GLIMPSE OF COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS BY DEBORAH WILLOUGHBY /YOGA+ DECEMBER 2006 Edgar Mitchell was on his way home. Tow days before he had been on the moon collecting rock sample, and now he was speeding through space accompanied by two other astronauts. Gazing at Earth and the stars through the tiny window of Apollo 14, he was engulfed by a new and startling sensation: an all-encompassing aura of universal connectedness. All sense of boundaries dissolved, and he saw that he, his companions, and everyone and everything on the shining planet in the window were held in a luminous web of consciousness. What is more, he knew with absolute certainty that, as he put it later, “the glittering cosmos itself was in some way conscious.”

AFTER READING Do you think it is difficult to write a short article like this? Why does the author say “the glittering cosmos itself was in some way ‘conscious’? What is your interpretation? Do you agree with him? Can you write a short paragraph about what you saw and how you felt in one of your recent trips?

REFLECTION “A Glimpse of Cosmic Consciousness” is a one-paragraph article. It is short but beautiful and meaningful. It shows us that a good article is not decided by its length but its words and the writer’s ideas. During this semester you will learn how to write articles in a similar length. We hope you will be able to write beautiful and meaning content, too! For this, you will need to read extensively or observe your world carefully from now on!

LEARNING POINTS Do you know how to use the on-line dictionary? Can you use it efficiently? How many new vocabulary words you learned from today’s exercise? Did you read the article? Did you understand it? Did you try to write a paragraph on one of your recent trips? (You are welcome to send your work to your instructor or TA for review.) Will you begin to observe your world carefully?

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