This post is about my Double Major classes 1201 and 1202.
I had these final-year students for a course called 'Selected Readings in Newspapers' from Week 1 to Week 8, four times a week.
It was a bit painful, both for them and me, to have four two-hour classes a week. Anyway, the course finished last week and we survived! The final exam was held 7 - 9pm on Monday 25 April 2016.
The exam paper comprised seven short news articles (about three-quarters of a A4 page), followed by some questions. The students had to compile a 5W Summary of each article and answer the questions.
The following are the titles and first couple of paragraphs of the seven articles:
Selected Readings final exam, 25 April
2016, Paper A
Instructions:
(1) Do a summary of
this article (Who, where, when, what, why, & other), and
(2) Answer the
questions (write about half-a-page)
Behind China's rising divorce rate:
impulse or relief?
Xinhua 2016.02.28
China’s divorce rate is rising rapidly. In 2014, 3.6 million
Chinese couples broke up, almost double the number from a decade previously.
In the past, couples required permission from employers or
community committees to divorce, and many put up with their spouses just to
avoid public embarrassment. In 2003 a regulation simplified the divorce
procedure and allowed couples to divorce the same day at a cost of 10 yuan.
Do a 5W summary, and Answer the following
questions
In your opinion, what are the 3 main reasons divorce is
becoming more common in China? Is it a good thing, or bad that the divorce rate
is increasing? What is the effect of divorce on children and parents? How can
couples be more sure of their compatibility before they get married? What are 3
key requirements for a stable and loving relationship?
Food delivery start-up faces fines,
investigation following expose
Xinhua 2016-03-17
Online food delivery start-up Ele.me was among a group of
companies named and shamed on CCTV's annual World Consumer Rights Day “315”
program on Tuesday.
Ele.me has almost 500,000 vendors supplying food in 300
cities across China.
The CCTV report revealed ele.me's lax efforts in screening
vendors seeking to sell food via its platform. Some vendors on Ele.me that
advertise themselves as clean, modern restaurants are in fact nothing more than
small, dingy kitchens without proper food licenses.
Do a 5W summary, and Answer
the following questions
Some people say CCTV’s annual 315 program is too
sensational, but others say it is important to expose companies which provide
bad products or services. What do you think?
Have you ordered food online? What has been your experience?
Shopping online is very popular now, but there are many complaints too. How
would you improve shopping online to make it better for consumers?
'Exotic names' will soon vanish
By Zhang Yi (China Daily) 2016-04-05
The Chinese government is moving to ban exotic/foreign names
given to places, buildings and complexes to protect and preserve traditional
culture.
In recent years, real estate developers and some local
governments have chosen names for locations and buildings, such as
"Manhattan" and "Venice". Critics say the foreign names
undermine China’s cultural traditions; authorities have now ordered that all
foreign names must be eradicated by June 2017.
Do a 5W summary and Answer
the following questions
What’s your opinion on the plan to delete foreign place
names in China? Some people worry that China’s culture and traditions are being
undermined by influences from other countries.
Is that a real fear, or imaginary? What do you think?
'Devil and Angel' biggest winner at
China's version of Razzies
The Global Times 2016. 03.21
The Golden Broom Awards, China's equivalent of America’s Golden
Raspberry Awards (known as ‘The Razzies’), held its seventh annual ceremony in
Beijing yesterday.
Devil and Angel was the biggest "winner" at the
Golden Broom Awards, winning three "most disappointing” categories: for
movie, scriptwriter and actor. The judges described the film as “A plot without conflict, characters trying
too hard to be funny, unconvincing relationships, and boring jokes.”
Nominees are first chosen through netizen voting, and then a
group of 25 movie experts decide on the final ‘winners’.
Do a 5W summary, and Answer
the following questions
Do you think it is good to have an ‘Award’ for bad films,
directors and actors? Have you seen any
of these films – what did you think of them?
Was Devil & Angel really that bad? What do you think of Deng Chao
and Yang Mi – are they really bad actors? If Yang Mi is so popular, why has she
won “most disappointing actress” three times?
What is your favourite movie, and who are your favourite
actors?
The pros and cons of online education
By Chen Xiao (China Daily) 2016-04-01
The money that Wang Yu makes as an online physics teacher in
Nanjing has triggered an online debate. Wang's 2,617 students each paid $1.50
for a one-hour online course; he earned over $3,000 even after the website took
its 20% cut.
Online education for K12, or students from kindergarten to
high school getting tuition online, has become a hot topic in China, as the
numbers skyrocket.
Low costs and high efficiency of online classes have
attracted many parents.
Do a 5W summary, and Answer
the following questions
What do you think of online education? Do you think it will ever replace traditional
schools? How important is direct teacher – student contact in the learning
process? In your opinion, what makes an excellent teacher?
Public school teachers are forbidden from earning extra
money from tutoring or online teaching. Do you think that’s fair?
Internet star Papi Jiang secures $2m investment
By Jiang Wei (chinadaily.com.cn) 2016-03-21
The news of an Internet star securing an investment of almost
$2m over the weekend triggered heated
discussion online, and made people take a new look at cyberstar economy.
Papi Jiang (real name Jiang Yi Lei) is taking a Masters
Degree at the Central Academy of Drama. She started uploading short videos last
October and shot to fame.
In the videos, Papi Jiang talks about everyday life, show
business, hot issues and relationships in a sarcastic yet humorous way, a style
that has struck a chord with netizens. She is the director, scriptwriter,
actress, cameraman and editor. Sometimes she acts several roles. She ends the videos
by saying "I'm Papi Jiang, a woman
who combines beauty and talent."
In six months Papi Jiang accumulated 10 million followers on
her Weibo micro blogging site. Her 40-plus videos have been watched more than
100 million times.
Do a 5W summary, and Answer
the following questions
Have you seen any of Papi Jiang’s videos? What do you think
of them? Why has she become so popular so quickly (what makes her special)? Some
people say that Papi Jiang is just a fad, and that she will not be popular for
long. What do you think?
What do you think of online celebrities? Are they
over-rated? Who is your favourite celebrity? Why?
China plans to raise age of
retirement
By Su Zhou (China Daily) 2016-03-01
The government's plan to raise the retirement age is a response
to the fact that China's shrinking workforce and aging population has begun to
bite into the country's labor force and pension system.
Currently, China's official retirement age is 60 for men, 55
for female white-collar workers and 50 for female blue-collar employees.
The Minister said public opinion will be sought on the reform
plan which will be released within 12 months.
Do a 5W summary, and Answer
the following questions
What do you think of the Government’s plan to increase the
retirement age in China? Some commentators believe that the retirement age
should be reduced, not increased, to make more jobs available for young people.
What do you think of that idea?
Do you think women and men should have the same retirement
age as recommended in the Green Paper? Why not? In your opinion, what is the
best age for men and women to retire?
...
There are some really bright kids in these classes. Those who scored over 90% were: Celine; Crystal; Cherry; Lily; and Catherine (all girls!).
Six of the students in these classes are at overseas universities at present. We have emailed Exam Paper B to their supervisors and hope to receive their answer papers back next week.
Here are some class photos.
 |
| 23 students attended the last class for this course, at 7 - 8.50pm on Friday 22 April 2016. From left: Zhao Yue (Linda); Li Dan (Lillian); Du Jing Wen (Tobey); Qin Si Si (Delia; Yang Lu Lu (Lucy - partly obscured); Fang Quan Yi (Celine); Wang Qiu Tong (Cherry); Xie Ya Ran (Catherine); Kou Xin Yue (Crystal); Shen Shuang (Betty); Zhan Xiang yan (Abbey); Wang Guan Wen (Belle); Guo Mei Ling (Lily); Liu Mu Xuan (Bella); Zhao Chen (Daphne); Me; Yan Kai Ruo (Miranda); Lin Min (Colin); Gao Qi Ang (Bernie); Zhang Xiao Cheng (Roy); Song Wen Kai (Kevin); Fu Han Chao (Oscar); Liu Jin Ming (Kila). |
 |
| In the last class I presented copies of my book "It's all about the students" to the two most dedicated students, Fang Quan Yi (Celine, main major Accounting) and Qin Si Si (Delia, main major Oil & Gas Storage & Transportation). Celine top-scored in the exam, with 95%. |
 |
| All the students in DM1201. Names, not in order: Kila; Ada; Amy; Cherry; Mike; Lucy; Kobe; Bella; Tobey; Roy; Lillian; Eva; Linda; Kevin; Skye; Molly; Alan; Jackie; Betty; and Judy. We took this photo after the final exam on 25 April 2016. They would often miss classes, so this was the only chance to get them all together! |
 |
| All the students in DM1202. Names, not in order: Abbey; Vera; Bernie; Mandy; Celien; Annie; Ethan; Kevin; Crystal; Catherine; Alice; Colin; Lyra; Delia; Flora; Kris; Ella; Daphne; Sharon; Lily; Oscar; Shirley; Miranda; Dora; and Belle. They would often miss classes, so this was the best chance to get them all together. |
...
These students will graduate in June 2016, at the end of their 4 year Undergraduate courses.
Some will start work, but most have enrolled to do Masters Degrees. For example:
Celine - will do a Masters in Accounting at Ocean University in Qingdao.
Lillian - her main major is Electrical Engineering and she will start working at the Huangdao office of State Grid, China's national power distribution company.
Mandy - will do a Masters in communication engineering at Beijing Telecommunications University.
Flora - will do a Masters in Applied Chemistry at Changsha Army University, Hunan.
Delia - will do a Masters in Oil and Gas Storage & Transportation at UPC.
Cherry - will do a Masters in Oil & Gas Exploration at UPC.
Eva - her main major is Storage & Transportation and she will start working at China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) in Ningbo.
It was a pleasure teaching these fine young men and women. I wish them well in their future endeavours.
...
Tomorrow we leave for a short visit to Hunan Province; I hope to do a post about that trip next week.
Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.
Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Thursday 28 April 2016.
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