- It's never too late to learn
- You can't teach an old dog new tricks
During my job interview for Studio Classroom, the magazine's founder and Editor-in-Chief, Doris Brougham, stressed the importance of learning new things. "Life is full of challenges," she said. "But a willingness to learn something new gives people the right attitude for overcoming obstacles. It's never too late to learn something new." This is our attitude at Studio Classroom.
Learning to scuba dive
One life experience that helped foster in me this willingness to try new things was learning to scuba dive.
Doris made a plan for a group of us to learn together. You may have heard the expression, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Now I'm not calling myself an "old dog" quite yet. But I certainly had my doubts about trying scuba diving for the first time as a 30-year- old. I thought, "How can I swim wearing all of the scuba gear? What if something goes wrong, and I can't breathe? How can I signal to other divers if there's a problem?" Worries like these caused me to panic. I was struck with an overpowering feeling of fear.
Language Lab
founder n.
a person who creates or establishes something that is meant to last for a long time (such as a business or school): a person who founds something
- The monument commemorates the national founders.
- The founders of the biochemical company were three college friends.
founder v.
to experience failure: to be unsuccessful: fail
- The deal foundered over a disagreement on prices.
willingness n.
not refusing to do something: ready — followed by to + verb
- In order to work as a team, the willingness to listen to each other is a must.
- The success of the merger is due to the willingness of both parties to compromise.
- Even though Tom is a senior employee, he still shows a strong willingness to take on new assignments.
scuba n. 自攜式水中呼吸器；水肺
a sport or activity in which you swim underwater using an air tank and a special breathing machine that you strap on your body
- Pamela learned how to scuba dive when she was 12.
- Eric went scuba diving in Hawaii last summer.
- A scuba diver found a piece of the wreckage of the airplane.
wreckage n.
the broken parts of a vehicle, building, etc., that has been badly damaged or destroyed
snorkeling n.
a special tube that makes it possible to breathe while you are swimming with your head underwater
- The beach is perfect for scuba diving, snorkeling and all kinds of water activities.
foster v.
to help (something) grow or develop
- Sophia's parents foster her interest in music by playing various genres of music at home.
- The teacher designed her curriculum and classroom to foster student's learning.
to provide the care that a parent usually gives to a child: to be or become the foster parent of a child
- The couple have fostered over twenty kids in the past five years.
Info Cloud
Topic: oxymoron 矛盾修飾法 /ˌɑːksɪˈmoɚˌɑːn/
Welcome to info cloud, friends. Today I’d like to start by asking Rex about how you deal with stress. You told us about playing it cool but do you have any other advice for us?
Sure, Joe. The truth is the best way to play it cool is to expect the unexpected. You need to prepare yourself be ready for anything.
Woo, that’s not easy. But you have a good point. You have to plan for unexpected problems. Now friends, Rex’s advice isn’t oxymoron.
That’s right. I suppose it isn’t actually possible to expect something that is unexpected. If you expect something, it obviously can be unexpected.
And that’s exactly why it’s an oxymoron. An oxymoron is a phrase or expression that contradicts itself.
The word oxymoron comes from Greek. Oxy came from a word meaning sharp or keen and moron meant dull or foolish.
Thus, a rough translation for oxymoron would be sharp dull, complete opposite. Rex, can you think of any more oxymorons?
Sure, how about never say never? If someone says “they’ll never say never” well, they already said it.
Some other common examples of oxymoron would be phrases like a small crowd, an impossible solution, or my personal favorite, and unbiased opinion.
- expect the unexpected
- never say never
