Homework12: Education

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/books/review/EParker-t.html?scp=1&sq=japan%20english%20education&st=cse　
Do you agree with the writer Minae Mizumura (“The Fall of Japanese in the Age of English”)　when she says that”, “the dominance of English, especially with the advent of the Internet, threatens to reduce all other national languages to mere “local” languages that are not taken seriously by scholars. The education system, she argues, doesn’t spend enough time teaching Japanese.”Why? Give at least 3 reasons to support your answer

I don't agree with the author.
First, the reason of the fall of Japanese is not wholly on the advent of Internet. Internet just provides a platform for the people to easily access information and communicate with others, by which it benefits more citizens to read, just as the article said. in other words, with the advent of Internet, people read more, thus may accelerate the spread of Japanese kanji and its culture.
Second, in some degree, it is ubiquitous to see the dominance of English, but learning English doesn't go conflict with learning Japanese language. Actually, to learn Japanese is to know your own country, to immersed in your own culture, and the education of foreign language should not be at the expense of learning own language and culture. I think teachers in school all know this sentence that " Don‘t put the cart before the horse."
Third, in my opinion, to learn and write and read Japanese well depends on individual interest. sometimes, it's none of the business of the surroundings and the so-called advanced technologies. if one is really interested in kanji or something related, he has great passion in regardless of the advent of Internet or the dominance of English, and he will take initiatives to learn.

Homewrok11:Men and Women

1.http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?ek20060110ks.htm
Do you agree or disagree with the author (who is Japanese). Please explain why
I partly agree with the author. I think there are two reasons that may cause this phenomenon. One is men are not as strong as their fathers or grandfathers who will take more responsibilities on their shoulders. Nowadays, men, in some ways, are kind of soft. with more women working outside and working quite well, men are increasingly reluctant to take responsibilities, and what's more, they would not like to give promises. Thus, they are not willing to start a relationship. Second, the living environment may distort their mentality. They no longer regard their girlfriend as the one who they would like to protect and to take care of. instead, they treat it as an investment that should have some return earnings. The whole society creates this environment that every investment should yield something, that if we do not see a positive future, it is meaningless to invest. therefore, men retreat from loving relationships.

2.I have read an article from the Japan Times
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sk20100107a1.html
The all-star player Gilbert Arenas will be punished by taking his unloaded guns from the locker room. As a celebrity, he should serve as a role model that gives young people a good example. Instead, he didn't take this seriously and even had no idea how bad impact he had left among teenages. Once, I liked him very much for his accurate 3-point shooting and for his great leadership, but in his life outside the court, he's so arrogant and bad-disciplined that he can't become an idol that inspires and motivates people.

Homework10: Table Manners

1.Have you ever eaten in a restaurant in a foreign country? Where? What did you eat? Did you make any mistakes? Please explain your experience.
Once i ate in a Scotland restaurant. I ate steak, goose liver etc. Actually at first i did not know what it is and didn't know how to eat in an appropriate way. so i felt nervous and embarrassed. and frankly, i found these so-called delicious food not that tasty. or maybe it's not ourstyle.

2.Did you learn anything?
What I have learnt is that before you eat in a foreign restaurant, you should get an idea what its food is like and how to eat it. Just as the old saying goes, do as Roman does when you are in Rome. I just need to get accustomed to the different food style and enjoy the whole eating. But surely, I also learnt how to eat in a western manner which is graceful and elegant.