How are you? Is everything well with you? I do hope you are well and have a good weekend.

This week, one of the company projects that I am leading topped 11000 registered users, even though it is not yet complete, and statistics from this project will be published by a famous economic monthly magazine soon. Two other short projects have entered the investigations phase. Apart from publishing an online questionnaire for all our colleagues, someone will go with me to Hong Kong to visit 4 famous organizations from America, Britain and Hong Kong in July; we hope that it will open our eyes and that we will learn something more advanced.

Instead of having a political movement, we are formulating a set of Company Business Action Guidelines and an Employees' Occupational Morality Code. We would like to take positive steps to cut out bribery in business whilst ensuring our company's development remains stable.

This week, a telephone call from a good friend made me realize that my English listening ability needs much improvement. Anyway, I don't have time to attend our British teacher's oral English lessons at the company, so I try to listen to the BBC whenever I'm in my car. I'm interested in its gathering material reports from people from different countries. It is helping me to understand different sorts English and different accents.

The deepest feeling I had during my holiday in Europe was that everyone spoke her/his own English. Some were easy to understand, others were not, even though most of them were the native English speakers. It seemed to me that every country had its own version of English... :-) Anyway, our textbook just teaches us one kind of English, that of a broadcaster... :-) So, maybe this is just one of the reasons that many students can pass some authoritative English test with a high mark, but they would not understand a lesson by a professor if she/he did not speak the same as a broadcaster and with the same accent... :-)

Is English your mother language, the second or the third language? Do you feel as I feel that everyone seems to speak different kinds of English? :-)



I am just a learner in art, music, English and work on the web site in my free time. Anyway, I would really like to do a little with what I have learned to make this little web site An Electronic Bridge Of Culture Exchange, Friendship, and Language Learning. During the process to help the others and to improve myself. :-)

I do appreciate your understanding, directions and support. I do hope to get your great help continuously now and in the future...

If you have any questions, comments and suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn , or shirleyz004@yahoo.com, You are also welcome to publish your opinions in the forum. :-)

--Shirley
Written and Edited On Sun, July 2, 2006