How are you?

It has been 20 days since I wrote to you last time. I wished to write to you on the 15th days but my laptop refused to work and it was sent to the Guangzhou Branch of PH from Shenzhen. Since then, I worked on my another disable old PH laptop limply and I completed this letter to you last night and wished to send it to you this morning. However, the old computer refused to work as well. Fortunately, the other laptop has been recovered except its new keyboard still on the road. Since I can not work without a computer, so now, I am working on the letter to you on my old keyboard with a missed key... :-)

How about you? Have you had a wonderful time during I was absent? Are you enjoying your current weekend now? I do hope you have and you are.

On my side, I am still working for 15 to 17 hours every day, mainly work on my English, music and book. Also I have created some new painting to match a classical Chinese poem.

--- On English study, Professor Zhang Yanneng from Beijing University is leading me to study the “law” of English language and to build a grammar frame in my mind. It includes 7 groups of sentence patterns, 4 groups of foundations, 3 groups of transforming methods, 5 groups of sentence structures, and the grammar of nouns, verbs and 5 groups of special structures and so on.

So, now, when I read in English on the paper, I analyze each sentence’s structure and constituents; when I read online, I follow the recorders to read loudly; when I write, I pay more attend to the part of speech of each word and its location in stead of “Shirley’s” free style as I did.

Since I knew I had only gotten 57 and from No.4 dropped to be No.14 in my class in the monthly examination Feb, 26, besides completing the daily assignments of the English school, I have been keeping reading 5 or 6 articles (3,600 words to 5,500 words) in American English loudly several times for 2.5 to 3 hours by following some American broadcasters every day. During the time, I have attended 68 English lessons and I have caught up 80% of my courses from 30% on the examination day on March 26, 2016 and 0 on the second day I came back China from the USA on Feb 20, 2016. I have also recited 7,249 English words and answered 28,996 questions since last Christmas.

The more I learn, the more I enjoy the study. The more I study, the more I feel English like a language palace. I cannot always wander by its gate but I must open the gate and go into the palace.

--- After reading more than 100 articles on American history and news by Americans, I have a strong feeling -- in American culture, every one, no matter a party, a president, a religion, or an organization must follow and obey its Constitution instead of allowing anyone to place itself to above it, so that I could not help thinking -- may be this is just one of the most important reasons that USA which has a short history but becomes the strongest country with the quickest speed in the world?

To be honest, since I had to answer the question “What did Christianity influence the economics development of the USA after the World War II?” in an examination in one of my studies in journalism field in 1999 or 2000, I had been wishing to listen to an answer of Americans themselves instead of my textbook. Therefore, I asked the same question 42 times in my interviews in the USA in 2013. At that time, I thought Christianity may be something influencing American most. But now, I do have some new understanding about American culture.

Here is one of my biggest inspirations from reading something about American culture and the English study: if we want to do anything well, no matter acquire a language or manage a country, we must follow some laws. For English language, the law is its grammar, and for a country, the law is its continuation.

From this sense, I do appreciate the 58 in the Chinese National English Examination in Beijing on May 31, 2015 and the 57 scores in the monthly test in my English School on March 26, 2016, for the former has offered me a new opportunity to re-know English and for the latter has stroked me waking up and re-involving into the English study.

Although I have learned English for a long time, I did not want to learn grammar at all so that as soon as I attended this course, I could not help getting sleepy. But now, I am interested in it very much so that I often feel strange and ask myself why it is still the same book, professor and course, but why am not I sleepy now? Why didn’t I find so many important “laws ” in it before? Why do I often make some low level grammar mistake? The only answer is that I did not attach the importance of English grammar and there was no any “legal concept” in English language field in my mind. Because I had ignored the “Law” in English field, the failure was the necessary result.

At the same time to work on English, 12 pieces of music I had created for Chinese classical poems have been checked by Professor Meng Weiye. Now they have been in the standard Chinese numbered musical notations and their English translations have been checked by both of Chinese and native English speakers. The sheet music will become staff and Chinese numbered musical notations soon.

On painting and writing, I have completed the last article and painting for the second volume of my series. Now my works have near the request of 2 new books, but I just hope one of them can be published in 2016 or 2017.

My nearest goal is to pass the Chinese National English Examination in Beijing on May 29, 2016 and to get the opportunity to write a dissertation for my second master degree and my near goal is to complete the music record in a formal music studio before I leave for Beijing or I leave for the US.

Before I finish this letter, I would like to thank Mr. Mike Joyce from Britain, Mrs. Fran Giglio and Mrs. Faith Eastman from the US, Dr. Dr. J. Darragh M. Elliott from Canada, Mr. Xu Yang and Mrs. Chang Xiaoguang from China for they have helped me on my English translation.

How about you? Do you have anything special in the past 20 days?
I am just a student on Arts of Painting, Music, English and Management, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do somethings with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Cross - Culture and Comprehensive Arts, Language & Friendship. To help the others and this world while improving myself and realizing my own value of life.

I would really like to appreciate you for your understanding, directions, supports and help.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or leave your message on Message Board.

Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
April 17, 2016 (American Local Time)