The award goes to …
In March 2009, the Segal Center for Performing Arts, presented an adaption of the most recent play of the British playwright Karoline Leach: Tryst, described as a melodrama, because is tells the story of stereotyped characters that will develop themselves through a series of high emotions.
The action takes place in Victorian London, where a con man, George Love (C. David Johnson), try to seduce vulnerable and lonely women, expecting to marry them and steal their money. When George met Adelaide Pinchin (Michelle Giroux), a seamstress working in a hat shop, he never would have guessed how different she would be.
I believe that Tryst should win the best play prize. The following text will explain how with two major arguments: the direction, actors, conceptions and scenography were fabulous and the story was really touching.
First, Diana Leblanc direction of Tryst was simple, but still original and efficient. At the very beginning of the play, the comedians are on stage telling a monologue but they don’t seem to see each other. This effect is used many times during the show and it really helps the public to understand the characters. It could have easily dropped into something weird and vague. Both actors suit perfectly their roles. Michelle Giroux is amazing. She literally transforms herself into Adelaide, it shows in her body and her voice. C. David Johnson plays wonderfully his horrible character of a con dandy. The costumes are realistic and the dark tones of the clothes help the public to stay focused on what happens on stage. The set is simple, it can transform into the hat shop, the park, the room, which is useful. The actors make the changes themselves by moving a transparent curtain. It is rare that a play have all those goods points, so I believe that Diana Leblanc and her team should be rewarded for their work.
Second, Leach’s play is special and touching. Alright, the situation may be banal, but the characters aren’t. The public immediately like the poor Adelaide, who’s so hopeless but still naïve and learn how to appreciate George, who’s fascinating. At the climax, it is surprising to see how both characters changes, revealing who they really are. The action moves slowing, it’s true, but it makes the public feel like if what was happening on stage was real. Some people may not like it, but it is the choice of the director and she assumed her decision all along. The action follows a strait line to a surprising, possibly shocking, ending, that leaves no one cold. For all these reasons, I believe that Tryst can interest any kind of public and should win a prize.
To conclude, I would remind my opinion: because of the great work of the Segal Center team and because the play is interesting and touching, I think that Tryst should win the best play of the year prize. I would heavily recommend going watch the play next time it is presented and I look forward to see Karoline Leach’s next works.
498 words
lundi 4 mai 2009
Final Reading Exam
Match the synonym or definition below with the word from the paragraph.
The (number) in parenthesis refers to the paragraph number. / 16
(1) interfering - meddling
(2) Amount of food collected from a field - crops
(3) person who grows plants - breeder
(4) make better - improve
(5) things that are planned - in the pipeline
(6) freedom from harm or danger - safety
(7) occurring in many places - widespread
(8) amount by which something is deficient -shortage
B. Comprehension / 3
1. State the thesis or main point of the text as a whole.
The author thinks that GM food is a good solution to solve the alimentary crisis in Africa.
2. How, well in your opinion, does the author support her point of view? / 3
She supports her point of view with many arguments, but they aren't precises. She writes about some studies and scientists without telling the reader where she got her information. In fact, she's using some subjective phrase to catch our attention like GM foods could save «millions of poor Asian children from going blind». Her ideas aren't always complete.
3. How does this text relate to the readings in our textbook in the unit, GMF? / 4
This text is about GM food, it explains very clearly what it is and names numerous advantages of using this technology.
4. In one or two sentences, write the main idea of each paragraph in your own words. / 24
Paragraph 1
A time goes by, every living creature, every plant changes and breed.
Paragraph 2
The second paragraph talks about breeding programs, how it works, how does the farmers are mixing varieties of plants. The author also tell the reader that it is an inexact porcess.
Paragraph 3
Thomson explains what GM foods is, how it works and what are some advantages of unsing it instead of breeding.
Paragraph 4
In paragraph 3, the author is refuting a critic of the GM foods. She explains that the randomness of insertion should not be considered as a failure, but as something that happens even in the nature. She also discribes the kind of transformations that scientists can do on plants and why.
Paragraph 5
Professor Thomson explains what is the future of GM foods. Scientists would like to be able to changes the plant so that they would be more usefull to the people.
Paragraph 6
She explains that GM foosd are save for human and animal consumption.
Paragraph 7
Some people are scared that GM foods created to resist herbicides could kill animals. The author admits that it is a possibility, although a study on Mornach butterfly larvae shows no negative effects to the larvae who eat GM plants.
Paragraph 8
The author presents GM foods as the best solution disponible to solve the food crisis in Africa.
The (number) in parenthesis refers to the paragraph number. / 16
(1) interfering - meddling
(2) Amount of food collected from a field - crops
(3) person who grows plants - breeder
(4) make better - improve
(5) things that are planned - in the pipeline
(6) freedom from harm or danger - safety
(7) occurring in many places - widespread
(8) amount by which something is deficient -shortage
B. Comprehension / 3
1. State the thesis or main point of the text as a whole.
The author thinks that GM food is a good solution to solve the alimentary crisis in Africa.
2. How, well in your opinion, does the author support her point of view? / 3
She supports her point of view with many arguments, but they aren't precises. She writes about some studies and scientists without telling the reader where she got her information. In fact, she's using some subjective phrase to catch our attention like GM foods could save «millions of poor Asian children from going blind». Her ideas aren't always complete.
3. How does this text relate to the readings in our textbook in the unit, GMF? / 4
This text is about GM food, it explains very clearly what it is and names numerous advantages of using this technology.
4. In one or two sentences, write the main idea of each paragraph in your own words. / 24
Paragraph 1
A time goes by, every living creature, every plant changes and breed.
Paragraph 2
The second paragraph talks about breeding programs, how it works, how does the farmers are mixing varieties of plants. The author also tell the reader that it is an inexact porcess.
Paragraph 3
Thomson explains what GM foods is, how it works and what are some advantages of unsing it instead of breeding.
Paragraph 4
In paragraph 3, the author is refuting a critic of the GM foods. She explains that the randomness of insertion should not be considered as a failure, but as something that happens even in the nature. She also discribes the kind of transformations that scientists can do on plants and why.
Paragraph 5
Professor Thomson explains what is the future of GM foods. Scientists would like to be able to changes the plant so that they would be more usefull to the people.
Paragraph 6
She explains that GM foosd are save for human and animal consumption.
Paragraph 7
Some people are scared that GM foods created to resist herbicides could kill animals. The author admits that it is a possibility, although a study on Mornach butterfly larvae shows no negative effects to the larvae who eat GM plants.
Paragraph 8
The author presents GM foods as the best solution disponible to solve the food crisis in Africa.
lundi 27 avril 2009
Final Listening
FINAL LISTENING EXAM: Blowin’ in the Wind /50 (20%)
What is Percy Schmeiser’s problem? /4
He's accused to grow Monsanto's special seeds in his field.
What is Roundup used for? /4
Roundup is a weed killer that kills weed without causing any dammages to the crops.
How did the chemical company invent Roundup? /4
They modified the DNA of the seeds to create special ones, resistant to weed killer.
What has Monsanto accused Schmeiser of doing? /4
Using their seeds without paying for it. Usually, people growing Monsanto seeds must sign a contract where they swear to buy new seeds every year.
Why are the farmers pissed off? /4
They can't control what is going on on their own land, because they don't have the ressources to fight a big company like Monsanto.
How did Monsanto initially learn about Schmeiser? /4
The neighbourgs are invited to tell to Monsanto any doubt they have about the people around. Monsanto hired private investigator to test DNA of the crops of Mr. Schmeiser.
Did the company respect its policy on dealing with the farmer? Yes or no. Give a reason. /4
They didn't. They trespassed a private landfield to analyse the DNA of the seed, wich is illegal. In fact, they are suppose to deal with the farmer : Monsanto just accused him.
What tactics did the company use with another farmer? /4
Like they did with Schmeiser, they made secret visits in different fields. They even send an helicopter to spray a chemical product on Mr. Zilinski's crops, to test if he really was using Monsanto seeds.
How did another farmer, Zilinski, get Monsanto’s DNA in his crops? /4
He traded seeds with another farmer (wich is really common) who had Monsanto seeds.
How did the company treat Zilinski? /4
They accused him of stealing. Then, they sent a helicopter to drop weed killer in his field to find out if he was growing Monsanto's seed.
What is Schmeiser’s next step? /4
He wants to fight with Monsanto to prove he was right. He don't believe a company should have the right to do someting like that.
The narrator ends the segment with this question: “But the real question is this, can Monsanto or anybody put a patent on a piece of nature?” What do you think? /6
It is impossible. The wind is blowing those seeds away and it's not the farmer's fault. Accusing someone of stealing those seeds would be like accusing the wind itself. Nature should be treated more respecfully.
What is Percy Schmeiser’s problem? /4
He's accused to grow Monsanto's special seeds in his field.
What is Roundup used for? /4
Roundup is a weed killer that kills weed without causing any dammages to the crops.
How did the chemical company invent Roundup? /4
They modified the DNA of the seeds to create special ones, resistant to weed killer.
What has Monsanto accused Schmeiser of doing? /4
Using their seeds without paying for it. Usually, people growing Monsanto seeds must sign a contract where they swear to buy new seeds every year.
Why are the farmers pissed off? /4
They can't control what is going on on their own land, because they don't have the ressources to fight a big company like Monsanto.
How did Monsanto initially learn about Schmeiser? /4
The neighbourgs are invited to tell to Monsanto any doubt they have about the people around. Monsanto hired private investigator to test DNA of the crops of Mr. Schmeiser.
Did the company respect its policy on dealing with the farmer? Yes or no. Give a reason. /4
They didn't. They trespassed a private landfield to analyse the DNA of the seed, wich is illegal. In fact, they are suppose to deal with the farmer : Monsanto just accused him.
What tactics did the company use with another farmer? /4
Like they did with Schmeiser, they made secret visits in different fields. They even send an helicopter to spray a chemical product on Mr. Zilinski's crops, to test if he really was using Monsanto seeds.
How did another farmer, Zilinski, get Monsanto’s DNA in his crops? /4
He traded seeds with another farmer (wich is really common) who had Monsanto seeds.
How did the company treat Zilinski? /4
They accused him of stealing. Then, they sent a helicopter to drop weed killer in his field to find out if he was growing Monsanto's seed.
What is Schmeiser’s next step? /4
He wants to fight with Monsanto to prove he was right. He don't believe a company should have the right to do someting like that.
The narrator ends the segment with this question: “But the real question is this, can Monsanto or anybody put a patent on a piece of nature?” What do you think? /6
It is impossible. The wind is blowing those seeds away and it's not the farmer's fault. Accusing someone of stealing those seeds would be like accusing the wind itself. Nature should be treated more respecfully.
lundi 20 avril 2009
role play
Title of special interest group : News reporter
Your name : Alice Clément
Biographical information (CV)
Your Life and history : Born in Paris in 1976 (34) , Her dad is a lawyer, Mum 's a teacher. At 18 she left Paris to study in the United States.
Your Personal Job and work experiences : She started to work as reporter in a local journal, then got an opportunity to work at France 3 covering , then she swithched at TV1. Her report on ----- , got a job ar Agence France Presse.
Your Schooling Information : She studied economics in Harvad, United States, where she lived 3 years. She started to write in the journal of the university and notice how much she liked it. Then went back to France and studied at the Sorbonne in journalism.
Your achievements in life : Working for AFP.
Your abilities and competencies : Hability to talk in public
Position statement (for, against or neutral): Neutral (because she's a journalist, real opinion : for)
Because
-Journalist can't take an opinion, they must give the informations to the people to let THEM take a decision, to let them think by themselves.
- There are as many point to be for than against. There are numerous advantages AND disavantages.
- It's important for me to analyse the situation before taking a decision. I need to understand all the points of view.
state three reasons with specific facts or examples (see Persuasive Map).Statement of your point of view on the project giving explanations whether you are pro-project, anti-project or neutral. (10 -15 lines)
Your name : Alice Clément
Biographical information (CV)
Your Life and history : Born in Paris in 1976 (34) , Her dad is a lawyer, Mum 's a teacher. At 18 she left Paris to study in the United States.
Your Personal Job and work experiences : She started to work as reporter in a local journal, then got an opportunity to work at France 3 covering , then she swithched at TV1. Her report on ----- , got a job ar Agence France Presse.
Your Schooling Information : She studied economics in Harvad, United States, where she lived 3 years. She started to write in the journal of the university and notice how much she liked it. Then went back to France and studied at the Sorbonne in journalism.
Your achievements in life : Working for AFP.
Your abilities and competencies : Hability to talk in public
Position statement (for, against or neutral): Neutral (because she's a journalist, real opinion : for)
Because
-Journalist can't take an opinion, they must give the informations to the people to let THEM take a decision, to let them think by themselves.
- There are as many point to be for than against. There are numerous advantages AND disavantages.
- It's important for me to analyse the situation before taking a decision. I need to understand all the points of view.
state three reasons with specific facts or examples (see Persuasive Map).Statement of your point of view on the project giving explanations whether you are pro-project, anti-project or neutral. (10 -15 lines)
GM foods
1. GM foods involves altering the apperance of food - FALSE
2. The genetic modification of food is not a new phenomenon - TRUE
3. Technology exists to make plants resistant to insects - TRUE
4. Health Canada has accepted or approved hundreds of GM foods - FALSE
5. Some approved GM foods include bananas and oranges - FALSE
6. Health Canada has a strict process for evaluating the savety of GM foods - TRUE
7. It takes over ten years to approve GM food - FALSE
8. Health Canada uses many sciences to asses GM foods including chimistry. - TRUE
9. GM food can cure allergies - FALSE
10. Critics of GM foods are worried about superweeds - TRUE
2. The genetic modification of food is not a new phenomenon - TRUE
3. Technology exists to make plants resistant to insects - TRUE
4. Health Canada has accepted or approved hundreds of GM foods - FALSE
5. Some approved GM foods include bananas and oranges - FALSE
6. Health Canada has a strict process for evaluating the savety of GM foods - TRUE
7. It takes over ten years to approve GM food - FALSE
8. Health Canada uses many sciences to asses GM foods including chimistry. - TRUE
9. GM food can cure allergies - FALSE
10. Critics of GM foods are worried about superweeds - TRUE
Pascua Lama
2-3 sentences
Who : Barrick Gold (canadian businessemen) + Chilean and Argentinean gouvernments (they both approuved) VS local farmers + Internationnal Agencies (Reporters)
Barrick gold is helped by the local companies -
Company Minera Nevada S.A. in Chile, and Barrick Exploraciones Argentina S.A. and Exploraciones Mineras Argentinas S.A., in Argentina.
What : A mine, gold and silver and copper.
Where : On the border of Argentina and Chili. In the Andes. Under a glacier, that must be removed to extract gold.
When : 2006. Should start in 2009 and last 20 years.
Why : Extract gold and silver and copper.
Controversy because they must remove a glacier, it could cause problems to the people living there. The glacier would release dangerous components (eg. sulfuric acid, mercury) in the rivers, their only water supply.
+ How :
Who : Barrick Gold (canadian businessemen) + Chilean and Argentinean gouvernments (they both approuved) VS local farmers + Internationnal Agencies (Reporters)
Barrick gold is helped by the local companies -
Company Minera Nevada S.A. in Chile, and Barrick Exploraciones Argentina S.A. and Exploraciones Mineras Argentinas S.A., in Argentina.
What : A mine, gold and silver and copper.
Where : On the border of Argentina and Chili. In the Andes. Under a glacier, that must be removed to extract gold.
When : 2006. Should start in 2009 and last 20 years.
Why : Extract gold and silver and copper.
Controversy because they must remove a glacier, it could cause problems to the people living there. The glacier would release dangerous components (eg. sulfuric acid, mercury) in the rivers, their only water supply.
+ How :
LEL 2
LEL 1
1. Interrest level : This course wasn't really interresting, but still okay. Some questions were a little boring, especially the situation questions, but there was a question about a text on an evironmental problem. I found it fascinating. I was glad to analyse a poem by Emily Dickinson, because last time I had difficulty with poetry. I don't know much about English poetry and I'm always happy to learn new things.
2. Difficulty level : It was intermediate level. The questions weren't really hard to answer, except those in the litterature section. Narrative and explicative texts were easy to understand, but I had some difficulty again with the poetry section.
3. What I learned : I learned to pay attention while reading poetic texts and how to find metaphors. In the text on the environmental problem I learned to distinguish different situations and how to associate problems (what causes them) and their solutions.
4. My score : I had 79. I'm disappointed because I expected a better grade than the one I had at the last LEL, but it took me less time to do this course, so it's okay.
5. Rating on ten : I would rate this course 7 on 10. Poetry and narrative texts are more interresting than explicative ones, and harder to understand.
LEL 2
Reading Skills Diagnostic 1: Persuasive Text
1. Interrest level : I didn't find this course especially interresting. Maybe it's because I prefer narrative texts. The subject of the text wasn't fascinating, even though I liked to read the opinion of the author.
2. Difficulty level : It wasn't hard, but I took more time to answer some questions, like those about predicting meanings and finding details.
3. What I learned: All the questions were pointing out a different aspect of the text. I found out I had facility to read correctly a persuasive text, beacause I can easily regnognize opinions, facts, main idea and the purpose of the author. I also worked on identify structure, points of view, meanings and learned some vocabulary.
4. My score : I had 81, which is a good grade. I believe I could have get a better mark if I had payed more attention while reading the questions.
5. Rating : I would this course seven on ten, because even if I found it boring, it helped me a lot to find my weakness in reading persuasive text.
1. Interrest level : This course wasn't really interresting, but still okay. Some questions were a little boring, especially the situation questions, but there was a question about a text on an evironmental problem. I found it fascinating. I was glad to analyse a poem by Emily Dickinson, because last time I had difficulty with poetry. I don't know much about English poetry and I'm always happy to learn new things.
2. Difficulty level : It was intermediate level. The questions weren't really hard to answer, except those in the litterature section. Narrative and explicative texts were easy to understand, but I had some difficulty again with the poetry section.
3. What I learned : I learned to pay attention while reading poetic texts and how to find metaphors. In the text on the environmental problem I learned to distinguish different situations and how to associate problems (what causes them) and their solutions.
4. My score : I had 79. I'm disappointed because I expected a better grade than the one I had at the last LEL, but it took me less time to do this course, so it's okay.
5. Rating on ten : I would rate this course 7 on 10. Poetry and narrative texts are more interresting than explicative ones, and harder to understand.
LEL 2
Reading Skills Diagnostic 1: Persuasive Text
1. Interrest level : I didn't find this course especially interresting. Maybe it's because I prefer narrative texts. The subject of the text wasn't fascinating, even though I liked to read the opinion of the author.
2. Difficulty level : It wasn't hard, but I took more time to answer some questions, like those about predicting meanings and finding details.
3. What I learned: All the questions were pointing out a different aspect of the text. I found out I had facility to read correctly a persuasive text, beacause I can easily regnognize opinions, facts, main idea and the purpose of the author. I also worked on identify structure, points of view, meanings and learned some vocabulary.
4. My score : I had 81, which is a good grade. I believe I could have get a better mark if I had payed more attention while reading the questions.
5. Rating : I would this course seven on ten, because even if I found it boring, it helped me a lot to find my weakness in reading persuasive text.
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