re: Does  "the initiated means oringinal people" here. I doubt it. If the author had wanted to say "original people" he would have said, "Who but the indigenous, would have...."  The Initiated="people who have been initiated into the city either by living there or learning about it."

--

...the selling list.

discern  这是一个非常正式的词语,解释为"看出,辨出"的意思.: In our case "people with taste and discernment" means people who have good taste and can tell the difference between quality and trash.

re: grass,(U.K.slang) is an "informer" 告密者"--almost strictly a U.K. slang. Seldom, if ever,used in Canada or the USA. The verb "to grass" on someone comes the slang grass as a 告密者. E.g. Peter was murdered by the gang when they found out he was a grass.  American slang would be a "plant" or a "weasel."

Grass-internatinal slang=weed=marijuna 大麻

7. 关于"uninitiated"这个词

前辈,我在词典里查出"缺乏某种特定知识和经验的,不识此道"的意思,有没有这个用法呢?

Yes,that's correct.

Examples: Bridge(桥牌) seems to be a complicated game for the uninitated, but once you learn the basic rules, it is easy to play.

The purpose of this public notice is for spreading the word to the uninitiated about our mountain climbing club.

--

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-9-1 8:08:00编辑过]

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-8-31 17:41:56编辑过]

呵呵，谢谢学姐~~

Today's reading material is taken from http://www2.tcaps.net/wjh/stoltz/eassy.htm This is a web site maintained by a school teacher in the United States for showing the work of her students. "Throughout the years one of Mrs. Stoltz's assignments for her students was to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Here you can find many things that the students have written about the story, from character descriptions to quotes, diary entries to essays about prejudice."

  The story, "To Kill a Mockingbird" published in 1962, has since been widely adopted by schools, colleges and universities in the English speaking world, especially in the United States, in their English Literature, Social Studies and other humanities courses. For more about the book, do a search in google, or click/FONT>http://www.rainlane.com/dispbbs.asp?boardid=11&id=17021&star=3#17021第 21 楼)

I am a fans of Gregory Peck, a great acter that had performed the lawyer of To Kill a Mockingbird .

I am happy when I study here, because here I am accompanied by all of you. J

Note for 14

1, Prejudice has been an intricate element in society from before the dawning of civilization. It’s a great sentence-pattern that can be harnessed/utilized in my future composition.

e.g. (1) Thrift is an appealing merit/virtue in society from the drawing of civilization.

(2) Waste is a notorious phenomenon in society from the appearance of human beings.

(3) Computer has been an indispensable element in social development from the invention of Internet and www(World Wide Web).

2, premature vs. immature

PrematureFONT face="Times New Roman"> Occurring, growing, or existing before the customary, correct, or assigned time  e.g. a premature infant/a premature end

Immature=sillyFONT face="Times New Roman"> Not fully grown or developed.  E.g. immature behavior

3, I will pay attention to structure of words:  injustice n. unjust adj.

4, Scarcely are the outcomes of prejudice positive. Rarely are those to whom it is directed spared violence, racism, or pain. These intricate sentences can be interpreted as: The outcomes of prejudice are scarcely positive. It is directed to those people that rarely spared violence, racism, or pain.(but, I still cannot apprehend the later sentence.)

Please correct me, if above note has any mistake. My thanks are due to you.

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-9-2 22:39:32编辑过]

Source of image: http://www.v.com.cn/

http://www.v.com.cn/manager/items/p20031212111526.jpg

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-9-3 5:35:05编辑过]

Today's slightly longer article is a news item. This is part of the Rainlane Treasure Island English Corner's collection of "Learning English by reading short but interesting news items." http://www.rainlane.com/dispbbs.asp?boardid=11&id=15393 第 19 楼

---

The news item itself is from:

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0830_050830_gas_prices.html

August 30, 2005 (by Blake de Pastino )—Complain all you want about climbing prices at the pump(pump= the pump at a gaz station); at least it's not as drastic as what one gas station is asking. The proprietor of a Dallas, Texas, filling station revised his prices on August 24 to reflect what he felt would soon be the going rate—an arm and a leg (1), unless you want the top grade, in which case it'll set you back (2) your first born. (3)

Though the sarcastic sign may have overstated the case, gas prices have spiraled even higher(4) than when the pump owner pulled this prank.<!--- deckend ---> (4)

Hurricane Katrina's violent course (see our Hurricane Katrina photo gallery) through the Gulf of Mexico wreaked havoc(4) with hundreds of oil-drilling platforms and refineries, causing oil production in the region to plummet by 92 percent. The Gulf is the source of more than a quarter of U.S. oil production.


The day after the storm made landfall, oil prices bubbled (clever use of a pun) up toward record levels, and some analysts predicted gasoline prices could soon top $3 a gallon (4 liters) in the U.S.

(1) An arm and a leg is an idiom for "costing a lot."  E.g. This new car I bought cost me an arm and a leg.

(3) In many ancient cults (and even religions), people in times of desperation would offer their first born child in a sacrificial ritual to please their gods. Giving up/sacrificing your first born=costing you a lot, even more than "an arm and a leg."

**Another cliche that is similar to "an arm and a leg" is "a/your/my pound of flesh./"to exact a pound of flesh."--"to exact= to force payment of, to extort...."  "Flesh is your own flesh." This cliche comes from a famous Shakespearean play: The Merchant of Venice. In the play, a merchant, Antonio borrowed money from Shylock, a money lender. In the loan agreement, Antonio promised to pay Shylock "a pound of his flesh" if he could not pay his debt when it comes due. As you can imagine, he was not able to. It was up to the lovely and clever young lady Portia to get him off the hook--no pun intended. (For a synopsis of the play:  http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/merchant_of_venice/summary/merchant_of_venice_summary.htm . Please note: many English idioms, proverbs, cliche comes from the Bible and Shakespeare. So knowing a little of each won't hurt.)

(2) Set you back=cost you. This meal sets me back 75 dollars.

(4) Collocation pairs: "pranks are "pulled"; "havoc is wreaked" and "higher can be "soar(s)(ed) higher", "spiral(s)(ed) higher" or "rocket(s)(ed) higher."

(5) Instead of using dropping quickly, you can use "plummet" instead.

Last year Sunnyblue reported a similar new item when gas price in the U.S.A. started to skyrocket in the summer : http://www.rainlane.com/dispbbs.asp?boardid=27&id=11204&star=1#11204

note of today

sentence creation/P>

1, The advertisement always overstate the function of products.

2, This suit is so attracting me, but set me bace a month salary.

3, The price of fruit from remote district has been plummeted since the development of transportion and the evolution of transplant skill.

Please correct me, if any improper/inapposite use in there.

re: Set me back.

  English speakers like to avoid saying "how much is this." Very often you will hear them say "How much would this set me back?" , or "How much do I owe you?" "HOw much does this/that come to?"

The following excerpts is from an article on the NY Times. However, that article is not available free on the Web. If you are interested in the rest of the article (typed in by hand), got t http://www.rainlane.com/dispbbs.asp?boardID=26&ID=16711

(Left to Right: Chalres Li 44, Jonathan Zhu 42, Feng Fenglei 53, Wei Christianson (no age listed ))

Original heading in New York Time:  The New Power Brokers.  By David Barboza, in Shanghai Published: July 19, 2005
  Heading in the newspaper I typed this from "The New Rainmakers(1)."

1) Rainmaker/strong> Originally  from "people who can produce a good rainfall in a draught area by various means" to what is now used to mean "people who can produce excellent results.  Another similar term is "movers and shakers."

( Part of the first paragraph is skipped in case it is politically sensitive material. Nowadays, I no longer know what is not permissible on Chinese BBSes.)

SHANGHAI, July 18 - They grew up during China's Cultural Revolution,... in the 1960's and 1970's tore apart families, pitting children against (2)their parents and husbands against their wives.  (2) The phrase to learn is "pitting 'a' against 'b' "

Today, they are some of the most powerful deal makers in China, a group of rich and politically astute investment bankers who are helping transform China's economy and restructuring (3)some of its biggest corporations. (3) The phrase to learn is "transform and restructure"

Every major investment bank now has a Chinese-born star banker: Goldman Sachs has Fang Fenglei; Merrill Lynch has Erhfei Liu; Morgan Stanley has Jonathan Zhu; J. P. Morgan has Charles Li; and Citigroup has Wei Christianson.

They are so powerful and so sought after by Wall Street's biggest firms, their pay packages(4) can reach $10 million a year after bonuses.  

(4) A pay package is not just salary. It is a package including salary, expense account/allowance, stock options, and other "perks" (e.g. company car,  first class air fare instead of business class, or in the larger corporations, use of  private corporate jets.)

I had read the whole article at http://www.rainlane.com/dispbbs.asp?boardID=26&ID=16711 and had some question.

For years, Westerners called the shots at investment banks operating in China.What is the meaning of the phrase underlined?? 抨击/存有争意？？

Weijian Shan of the Newbridge Capital Group was a barefoot doctor during the Cultural Revolution. Whether the phrase in red color is not exact? an inferior/unlawful doctor without a licence.

Call/calling the shots is an idiom meaning "in charge; in command of a situation; the person giving orders...."

For years, Westerners called the shots at investment banks operating in China.=For years, westerner dominates and make all the decisions in investment banking operation in China.

Barefoot doctors are "medics" trained in basic first aid, hygiene, helping with child birth, basic knowledge of dispensing medication etc. in rural China. They do not have formal medical school training and do not have the whole set of medical skills.

whose  is the possessive form of both who and which.

Why possessive?  to bus whose fare is increasing--> fare of the buses--> therefore "bus whose fare is...."

Examples: (from the web)

Countries and Territories Whose Citizens Require Visas in Order to Enter Canada as Visitors = Citizens of those countries and territoris (therefore, possessive.)

BTW: I find Chinese students use way too much "which", many of which are not correct.

To Uncle Yeti,

Thank you for your helps of these days!

I have taken in work for whole week. I feel strange about everything and everybody in the new situation. It seems I have not adapted this new stage of life. When I come back from the intense atmosphere, I am always dog-tired.

However, the first thing, when I get in my room, is always to enjoy on diandian.net. I feel warm and happy when I read these articles attached here, especially some of yours, uncle Yeti. Since I participated in this space, you have always given me much help. You are amiable to me. I feel comfortable and easy when I study English accompanied by you. I will never give up the practice in English, because of the concern you given to me.

You are my best friend and teacher. I appreciate your patience and care cordially.

To you my best wishes!

                                                                                                                  Yours respectfully,

                                                                                                                                  Jiang

The best reward for any teacher is not to see their students success,but to see their students try their best and enjoy learning.

  My philosophy since I started teaching in 1965 (as a teaching assistant) has always been that I am willing to spend the time, as long as the student is willing to spend his/hers.

通过工作的实践与自身的努力，与公司共发展，不断提升自身的素质，努力实现个人抱负，成为一名具有竞争力的新世纪的公司职员。

Both the practice in work and the effort paid to it made me continuously advance myself as the prograss of the corporation. I am striving for the realization of my dream that becoming a competent member of your company in this new century.

Please correct me, it is a translation a friend appeal to me.

the translation needs revamping. I will be back in a few hours.

Through practical work experience and my own effort to grow along with the company, I am able to continuously better myself, strive to fulfill my aspirations, and to become a company employee with competitiveness of this new century.

Source: The National Post. September 9th 2005 (Sorry, I cannot get you the link. You won't be able to get through anyway. If simple words such as "sitting down in m