Task 5: Creative Writing

Life is always hasher than dreams. Life changes you while you changes life, but there’s something never changes or be changed like true love.

Rebecca would never believe that she was at a luxury apartment in New York City now, as a housekeeper severs a rich man. She bust to her butt striking for subsistence. She had to pay the bills, to take care of the account and to look after his brother who got polio young and was unable to walk. Before parents died Becca thought she would end up her whole life in Tennessee countryside peacefully and happily, but their death changed everything. She must leave school to make a living instead. At twenty-one year old, she felt as if she carried mountains on her shoulders.

Becca did her job perfectly. She served her boss heart and soul but everything seemed opposite to her wishes.

Austen Swan, the house owner, was a rich man with a stunning face. He worked in a survey and data company which he initiated nine years ago after he graduated from college.

However, his meanness was as prominent as his achievement. He complained Becca a bad cook; he reproached her for her careless; he condemned her, a man of weak comprehension.

“I’ve told you for three times. Don’t put rock and roll music out loud in my apartment, especially when I’m not home. I don’t want neighbors thought I had a bad taste in music. Thank you.”

Blaming Becca in such a mean but polite tune is what he usually did.

What beyond her endurance was that Mr. Swan was a player. He changed his girlfriends so quick as if changes his shirts. Frequently, he took a girl home, together enjoying a good night and said goodbye in the morning. These girls who had ever been said goodbye seemed irrevocably and unconditionally in loved with Mr. Swan. Some of them even staying in the lobby of his apartment waiting for him back to the good-old-days. There’s no doubt that slamming the door was eventually what they got.

Just like these poor girls, Becca couldn’t help herself stop thinking Mr. Swan since the first time she met him.

“I just can’t forget his meanness. If I find a higher income job, I’ll immediately leave him, a monster. Everything now is temporary.”

To everyone’s big surprise, Mr. Swan had dated with a girl for three month and even claimed to marry her. The only story Becca had heard about that girl was that she’s a ballerina also comes from Tennessee. This reminded her of her best friend Lily Anna who grew up with her. However, a ballet tournament in New York City changed her. Becca still remembered the scene she pushed her away and then disappeared from her life.

“Don’t leave me, Lily.” Said Becca

“Get out of my way. A well-known film-maker pointed me to join his new film Black Swan. I’m going to be success. Money, fame that’s what I want, but not be with you end my life in such a poor place.” Said Lily

For years, becca had figured what changed Lily. Her sudden leave raped her heart out.

Actually, Becca’s intuition was right.

“Miss, it’s not the floor. It’s my feet. I’m going to be the hostess of this apartment. You’d better watch out when you mop the floor.”

A familiar voice woke Becca up. She raised her head. The girl in front of her wearing heavy make-up with sexy clothes and expensive jewelry on. Lily changed so much, Becca almost couldn’t recognize her.

“Lily! My friend.” Becca warmly embraced her and was pushed away. The mop between them fell down with a disturbing noise.

She heard Mr. Swan slammed the door. She knew it’s time for her to leave.

“No matter how much you have changed. Austen Swan is not a good option. He be with girl just for fun and he will kick you aside when he feels boring.”

Obviously, Lily didn’t keep Becca’s warning in mind. When she slammed the apartment door, she saw Lily hold Mr. Swan in an embrace.

The land was soon enveloped in the curtain of darkness. Rain fell down as if thousands of diamonds. Becca stood in the rain didn’t want to leave. She saw the lights in the bedroom were on and then off. When that lights off, she suddenly felt she lost a friend. A weird feeling also stuffed her heart. Not fear, not concern but a feeling more like sad and upset. A feeling about Austen.

Before Mr. Swan and Ms. Anna was going to marry. The bride disappeared. Not only the bride, but those lobby-waiting girls as well, nobody knew where they have been. Probably a large storm grabbed them away.

Actually, there was really a large storm in Wall Street. 2008 financial crisis made many people bankrupted. Mr. Swan was one of these poor guys. Lost his company and stock, Mr. Swan didn’t worth a penny. He felt passive about his life.

“Leave me please. I won’t pay you a penny.” Mr. Swan shouted out loud at Becca, but she didn’t do so.

With Becca’s kindness, Austen found the magic healing power in grieving. He seemed forgot the unhappy past and looked forward to future. He changed little by little as well as his meaness.

On a sunny day, Austen stood on the balcony a fancy limousine passed under his apartment. Inside the limousine, he saw a familiar woman sitting with a many talking happily. She was Lily. Austen didn’t feel upset at all, but relax. A feeling of relax deeply came from the bottom of his heart.

“Don’t die. I won’t leave you alone even the whole world abandon you.” Becca hold her arm around Austen’s waist yelling.

“I’m not going to jump out of the balcony. I just want smoke outside.”

Becca took her hands back. But this time, Austen didn’t let it go. He held them tight.

“I feel good right now. Don’t take your hands back. I’ll hold them tight like this until I die.” And then she went into his embrace.

Task 4: Write a Newspaper Article

April 22, 2010

TILTON, NH, Student KangNi Zhang recently initiated a survey on the U.S financial crisis.

Students and faculty were asked questions on the internet in three categories: spending, saving and employment.

Fifty-one students participated in this survey and they were asked 10 different questions.

68 percents of the students and faculty members who did this survey are from the U.S. Their answers show recession in the recent years’ U.S economy. The other 32 percent of the students are from China, Korea, Canada and Slovakia.

From the question, ” Do you (your parents/ friends) possess less American dollars in recent years? ” 64.7 percents of the respondents said yes.

The respondents were asked whether they had seen an obvious and rapid rise in spending costs in recent years as well. They were asked to choose what prices they had seen rise in recent years.

Only 5.9 percents of the respondents denied they had seen price rise. Within the remaining 94.1 percents respondents, 96.1 percents of them said they had seen an rapid rise in oil prices, real-estate prices and food prices.

This means the U.S dollar is gradually collapsing in value as a result of government printing more money . People had to use more money to buy the same goods they bought before. Besides, they possess less U.S dollars as a kind of investment.

Another connection involved spending and the U.S financial crisis. 64.7 percents of the respondents changed their consumption habits in recent years. They save money instead of doing a lot of shopping.

This survey shows that the U.S financial crisis did not merely happened at Wall Street but was actually a wide-spread-suffering to all the people around the world.

I learn from this survey that U.S financial crisis created bad influences in many respects. Inflation occurred and U.S dollar collapsed in value. However, my discovery didn’t support my thesis that U.S economy got better from 2008 Financial Crisis. Besides, in my survey, I didn’t find anything to prove U.S economy has get better from the 2008 financial crisis and people still worry about the recent economy. Therefore, my idea about my topic have changed. The U.S 2008 financial crisis has not ended and the U.S economy is still in crisis and had a long march to pass through. If I’m going to do this survey again, I would ask the respondents to compare their life in 2008 and now to find out if the U.S economy get much better.

Task 3: Conduct a Survey

Survey Purpose

My survey purpose is to find evidence to support my discovery in Task 2 that the U.S economy recovered from 2008 Financial and the overall economy tends to develop in a good direction.

Questions & Results

1. Where do you come from?

2. Have you seen an obvious and rapid rise in spending costs in recent years?

In recent years after the U.S financial crisis, U.S dollar collapsed in value following inflation.

3. Have you (or your parents / friends) changed consumption habit in recent years?

4. Have you (your parents/ friends) lost job in recent years?

5. Have you seen rapid high increase in oil price, real estate price or food price?

U.S financial crisis lowered people’s living stand.

7. Did the government in your country encourage consumption or saving in recent years?

6. Do you (your parents/ friends) possess less American dollars in recent years?

People possess less U.S dollar which is a currency with internet purchasing power in recent years. This shows us people is losing their confidence in U.S dollar and U.S economy.

Conclusion

The survey results were out of my anticipation. All the facts show U.S economy didn’t recovered from 2008 Financial Crisis. Lots of evidences (especially question 2, 5, 6) even show me the condition of U.S economy didn’t get obvious improved from 2008.