In this episode, you will learn about Chinese internet slangs. 網路流行語:什麼是凡爾賽? Chinese internet slangs: What is Versailles? 

Sherri Chinese

EP.1 網路流行語:什麼是凡爾賽? Chinese internet slangs: What is Versailles

op universities in California like Stanford and the University of Southern California will no longer be able to favor the relatives of alumni and school donors during the application process.

That's after state governor Gavin Newsom signed a law banning all private nonprofit colleges from giving preference to so-called "legacy" applicants and those with links to donors.

Newsom said the law already applied to public universities in the state. The law will now apply to all universities from September 2025.

The governor said: "In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work. The California Dream shouldn't be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we're opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly."

California is the second US state to ban both public and private universities from favoring legacy applicants. Maryland was the first, earlier this year, although the state's top school — Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore — had already ended the practice independently.

Virginia, Illinois and Colorado have banned public universities from giving preferential treatment to those with links to former students or donors.

Admissions to US universities are very competitive. And legacy admissions policies give an advantage to applicants whose — often wealthy, often white — family members previously attended the university, or who have donated money to the school.

A 2022 study looked at one unnamed US university and found that, over a 16-year period, 34% of legacy applicants were accepted — compared to just 14% of non-legacy applicants.

A group representing private colleges in California said it was "uncomfortable" with the state getting involved in the universities' admissions processes, but said the institutions would follow the new law.



Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

California Bans 'Legacy' College Admissions


古(gǔ)时候(shí hòu)有(yǒu)个(gè)音乐家(yīn yuè jiā)，名字(míng zì)叫(jiào)公明仪(gōng míng yí)。他(tā)擅长(shàn cháng)音乐(yīn yuè)，琴(qín)声(shēng)非常(fēi cháng)美(měi)，人们(rén men)听(tīng)到(dào)他(tā)的(de)琴(qín)声(shēng)都(dōu)很(hěn)享受(xiǎng shòu)。
有(yǒu)一(yī)年(nián)春天(chūn tiān)，他(tā)带(dài)着(zhe)琴(qín)来(lái)到(dào)城(chéng)外(wài)散步(sàn bù)，天气(tiān qì)和(hé)环境(huán jìng)都(dōu)很(hěn)好(hǎo)。他(tā)发现(fā xiàn)在(zài)不(bù)远(yuǎn)的(de)地方(dì fāng)有(yǒu)一(yī)头(tóu)牛(niú)在(zài)吃(chī)草(cǎo)，突然(tū rán)想(xiǎng)为(wèi)这(zhè)头(tóu)牛(niú)演奏(yǎn zòu)音乐(yīn yuè)，于是(yú shì)他(tā)弹(tán)了(le)一(yī)首(shǒu)非常(fēi cháng)高雅(gāo yǎ)的(de)曲子(qǔ zi)。虽然(suī rán)他(tā)的(de)音乐(yīn yuè)非常(fēi cháng)好听(hǎo tīng)，但是(dàn shì)牛(niú)却(què)根本(gēn běn)不(bù)理(lǐ)他(tā)，继续(jì xù)低头(dī tóu)吃(chī)草(cǎo)。公明仪(gōng míng yí)发现(fā xiàn)好听(hǎo tīng)的(de)音乐(yīn yuè)不(bù)能(néng)打动(dǎ dòng)这(zhè)头(tóu)牛(niú)，就(jiù)开始(kāi shǐ)弹(dàn)一些(yī xiē)奇怪(qí guài)的(de)声音(shēng yīn)，有的(yǒu de)像(xiàng)小(xiǎo)虫(chóng)，有的(yǒu de)像(xiàng)小(xiǎo)牛(niú)。这(zhè)时候(shí hòu)这(zhè)头(tóu)牛(niú)好像(hǎo xiàng)听(tīng)明白(míng bái)了(le)，认真(rèn zhēn)听(tīng)起来(qǐ lái)。
后来(hòu lái)人们(rén men)用(yòng)“对牛弹琴(duì niú tán qín)”这(zhè)个(gè)成语(chéng yǔ)形容(xíng róng)对(duì)愚蠢(yú chǔn)的(de)人(rén)讲(jiǎng)深刻(shēn kè)的(de)道理(dào lǐ)，或者(huò zhě)是(shì)对(duì)外行(wài háng)人(rén)说(shuō)内行(nèi háng)话(huà)，都(dōu)是(shì)白白(bái bái)浪费(làng fèi)时间(shí jiān)，也(yě)用(yòng)来(lái)嘲笑(cháo xiào)说话(shuō huà)不(bù)看(kàn)对象(duì xiàng)的(de)人(rén)。


Listening & Speaking (Mandarin)

对牛弹琴     Play music to a cow    HSK 5-HSK6

*This episode is about "Yazd"  a city in the Central District of  Yazd province, Iran. 

**Feel free to send me message if you have any questions

**** You can find more stories in Farsi in my channel on Spotify : https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yas-omidvar

Persian Podcasts / پادکست فارسی 

شهر یزد / Yazd city

Let's talk about life and what's going on in the world.

Can I Say - Can I Do

En este episodio aprenderas las diferencias entre usar "calor" y "caliente" en diferentes frases y contextos

Spanish Shortcut

EP 13. CALOR VS CALIENTE

CHISTES MEXICANOS

DE EDAD.

If robots do take over the world, this one probably won't be the leader.

Less than 5.8 centimeters tall — a little shorter than a lighter — it has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's smallest humanoid robot.

Humanoid robots look and act like humans. For the Guinness record, they must be able to move their shoulders, elbows, knees and hips, and also be able to walk.

Made by a Japanese student named Mitsuya Tatsuhiko, this one is less than half the size of the previous holder of the world record, which was made by students from Hong Kong.

Tatsuhiko is a postgraduate student at Nagoya Institute of Technology, where he researches crawler robots. Crawler robots don't look like humans, however, and they're used to inspect places that are hard to get to.

Tatsuhiko has been interested in robots since he was a child.

According to Guinness World Records, he built his first humanoid robot when he was 10.

He didn't spend as much time making them during high school, but he has returned to his passion as he has gotten older.

It took him a few tries to get his record-breaking robot right, and he worked hard to make it as small as he could.

He applied for the record with his third attempt while he was in the fourth year of his degree. He said he was very happy to have broken the record.

Tatsuhiko hopes to work with robots when he finishes university, but he'll also keep making them at home as a hobby.

Japanese Student Makes Smallest Humanoid Robot

Today I talk about the phrase "to fall through", the young couple who lied about a house sale falling through and a story about a woman defending her seat on an airline. https://anchor.fm/joseph-mc42/episodes/674-To-Fall-Through-with-transcript-e2g2t1m

Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R1RwlljBdc4KKhyjPmnLP_t2zv6OPO56/view?usp=drivesdk