2009년 6월 19일 금요일

Book report<2> - Adrian Mole

Before I read this book, I knew 'Adrian Mole' is a girl who is really shy and reflective, because she wrote 'secret diary'. But, it was my misunderstanding. 'Adrian Mole' is a boy who aged 13 3/4. I was very surprised because of that.
Anyway, 'The Secret DIARY of ADRIAN MOLE aged 13 3/4' is like a real story of 13 3/4. We can know about British culture, especially about teenagers. Of course, every teenagers or most of teenagers don't like Adrian, but I believe this is not fault. During I read this book, I felt characters came out from the book and talk and act in front of me. They were very animated.
But, I was very tired during read this book. Because, this book was the first book I read in English. I couldn't read this book as fast as reading Korean books. I read is very slowly first, but later, I could read it faster than first. I was very proud of that. Later, I will try to read another book in English.
Anyway, from now, I will introduce about this book. This book is secret diary of boy whose name is 'Adrian Mole'. He is young, so he don't know a lot of things, but he thinks he is intelligent and he wants to treat like an adult. First of this book, Adrian is worry about is spots. It's every teenagers' problem. I agree with him. Next event was his mother's secret love with other man who lives next door name Mr. Lucas. Because of this, father became very languor. Finally, mother came back home anyway. And there are a senior citizen named Bert. At first, he is alcoholic, but finally he became a good friend of Adrian. Ah, there are love story of Adrian and Pandora. They are young, but.... umm. There are some embarrassed story on the book. It's a diary of teenager, so there are not something impress things. It was 'just' a diary!! So, I would tell about character in this book.
First, our hero, Adrian Mole. I think he is immature. He is just like stupid and silly. He loves himself very much. He think he is very good at writing but, I think that's not true. He is really self-intoxication. After he met Pandora, he is getting better, but I don't like him. Next, I want to talk about their parents. His mother had secret love with neighbor and divorced. And she don't care about Adrian very much. And his father, he don't have responsibility for their family. He don't have passion about all thing! He is not suitable for the head of a family. Anyway, they combined again. The next person is Bert. Adrian met him first at volunteer work. He was alcoholic, but after meet Adrian, he's getting better. He lived alone, but finally, he got married at 90 and went honeymoon with 80 years old, old woman. Last is Pandora, who is girl friend of Adrian. She changes her boy friend very often. I think she isn't serious about love. There are a lot of character in this book, but I can't arrange them all. When you aren't busy, try to read this book.
Back of this book, it said 'The funniest book of the year!', but I don't agree with them. Truly, I think it isn't funny very much. My friend, who lived in America said it's funny, but I can't feel it!!! I think our humor sense and their humor sense is different. Anyway, I can't believe this book was published in 1980s. It had polished style and sensual. It was good experience for me to read this book.

2009년 5월 31일 일요일

Global Warming

These days, our world is getting hotter and hotter. Korea is became subtropical climate, so we can grow orange in Korea. Summer is getting longer, and winter is getting shorter. We can see snow very hardly and ice berg is melting, so sea level is higher and higher. Result of these, we have to worry about our future.

Like these, most of important thing related to our life is change everyday because of global warming. And ironically, this global warming is because of human. Exactly, it's because of human's greed and selfishness. We always think Earth is ours, but it's not true. Anyway because of this illusion, we always use nature and destroy them. Nature have time to recovery, but we don't think about that and we develope continuously and finally, we lost our precious nature.

Global warming, it's phenomenon that average temperature of Earth is getting rise. It's because of greenhouse gas which like carbon dioxide's increasing. That's why we use fossil fuel very much as our industry's development and it was speeded up because of forest's destruction. Of couse, before 20 century there are global warming because of nature. But after 20 century, human caused global warming seriously. Scientists are expecting if there are not effort on reducing gas's concentration, air's temperature is rising continuously during 21 century.

So from now on, we try to protect our Earth and take care of it. First, we have to reduce carbon dioxide. Second, we have to walk in short distance and use public transportation as we can. Also we don't have to use spray and air conditional so much. In addition, plants can help us to control global warming. Recycling is one of the most important thing. There are a lot of thing we can do. We must not just see our Earth's destruction.
IT'S TIME TO LOVE AND ACT FOR EARTH!!

2009년 5월 12일 화요일

Book Report [Building Green]

Title : Building Green
Author : 이찬승 외
Publisher & Year : 능률교육 / 2008

Vocabularies
- come up with : 제시하다
- sustainable : 지속할 수 있는
- take a closer look : 더 자세히 보다
- solor cells : 태양전지
- generate : 발생시키다
- with in mind : ~을 고려하고
- drainage : 배수

Summary
- These days, many people want to do sustainable development to balance the needs of people with the protection of nature. For example many architectures and builders have been working to make building economical and safe for health and environment. Green building is the building which we want. They use materials that don't damage the environment.
In one school in Oregon, it make very big window and they used sunlight as light. In addition, the sun can supply natural heat as well as light too. It can be used in winter to heat and on the roof, solor cells convert sunlight into electricity and this electricity and it can be used for anything to be turned on.
Also in New York, they have special roof which is covered with thick grass and colorful flowers. This roof blocks heat, so it keeps summer cooler and in winter, the plants and soil on the roof helps keep heat inside the building. It is not a very environmental roof also very popular for it's beautiful view.
These days, there aren't enough fresh water to drink every place in the world. With this in mind, green building use little water and reuse them. For example, they build special drainage system which use rain water and it was used in toilets and watering grass.
And also we use bamboo instead of trees to save forests. Bamboo grows faster than most trees so we can use it very useful. Recycled materials are also used in green buildings in new, creative ways.
Currently, only a few buildings have green features, but many buildings are getting and encouraging to use green things.

Comment
Nowadays, we are suffering from many natural disasters like global warming. These things appeared because of our attitude to natural. We always think there are unlimited sources in the world and we use them like they are ours. Finally, we don't have enough sources and we have to find another way to live. Green building in this writing, it gives us how to save energy and protect our nature. Around us, there are a lot of ways to protect our valuable and precious nature. We must try to act like this and think about it and act very carefully.

2009년 5월 5일 화요일

Is Art art?

Art, which makes people feel impression

4minute 33second, which composed by John Cage. It doesn't have any melody, rhythm and the other musical elements. It just have only silence during 3minute 44second. Now, I'll talk about this work is art or isn't.
I believe 4minute 33second is art. Someone may think it isn't art and they'll say it doesn't have melody, rhythm, harmony and the others about music. However, "Music must have melody and rhythm." is just a fixed idea. Of course, music around us have melody, rhythm and harmony and we are used to listen these kind of music. As a result, most of people don't think this is not art. But, it's art.
I fist saw 4minute 33second on TV program 'Sponge' and when I first saw it, I thought it isnt' art. It didn't have any musical elements and I couldn't feel what the composer wanted to say. On the 'Sponge', a commentator helped our understanding and he said that "Composer wanted to make us listen natural's sound. During 4minute 33second, audiences couldn't listen the music, but they could listen outside's sound and their own sound for instance, children's noise or paper's rustling sound." After that, I recognized that is real art.
This work gives us the chance to listening sound around us. Even though this work doesn't have any melody or rhythm, I could say this is art with confidence. It moved my feeling and I think art is like this. Do not just listen music, please feel music with own mind.