时间，在瞬息间，就过去了
17bdc已经陪伴我们最早的用户走过了8个月的时间，而如果从去年旧历年算来，已经一年了。 那个时候我们还是把希望寄托在Google GAE上。 多事之秋的2009, Google 远离中国网民而去，随后才有了今天的17bdc, 那已经是5个月以后的事情了，那天是我的宝贝女儿出生的日子。
还有半个小时，新年的钟声就要敲响， 这样一天给予我们一些回忆，更是一些憧憬。
和所有人一样，我们充满期盼， 2010， 对于17bdc将是重要的一年，我邀请诸位和我一同见证。
在学习的到路上，让我们一起坚持，和我们一起进步。
一起背单词，祝所有同学们新年快乐！
我自己很喜欢英语，每天都会阅读一到两篇纽约时报，华盛顿邮报或者是经济学人的文章，不定期的也会阅读英文原著小说。但是慢慢的我发现一个问题，就是在阅读过程中我不断会碰到一些不认识但是很有意思的单词，于是我就想，如果我把每篇文章中的单词都能够记下来，慢慢的新词会越来越少，总有一天我读一篇文章，甚至是整本书都不需要再翻字典，也不需要猜测，那该有多爽。进一步说，如果那些单词我都能掌握并且可以使用，那就更好了
于是我开始每天把碰到的新词记在本子上，可是坚持了一段时间以后，发现效果并不好，因为即便当天记下来的单词，隔几天就忘了，甚至经常碰到阅读文章时看到一个单词，明明知道不久前在哪里碰上过它，可就是想不起它的意思了，这感觉真是相当的纠结。
于是我和我的合作伙伴决定做一个在线的软件，就是现在的17bdc.com，简单的说，它就是一个智能的生词本，用户只管往里丢词，然后它会每天告诉你今天该复习什么单词，用什么方式复习（是简单的回顾呢，还是需要测验）。一个单词会在不同的时期重复出现，直到彻底记牢。
当然还有其他一些贴心的服务，譬如:
我可以为每个单词写一些笔记，笔记可以是这个单词的上下文场景，词根词源，也可以是脑子里灵光乍现的助记法，譬如有这么一个词 sanguine，是自信乐观的意思。我跟同事开玩笑说它的谐音是“三国演义”，三分天下，这需要多大的信心阿。然后我顺手就写在那个单词的下面，第二第三编看到这个单词时，我也看到当时的玩笑，现在这个词相忘也忘不了了。
我可以在中午午休的时候看一些单词，然后下班回家后再打开网站，可以接着中午的进度看，而不需要从头开始。
当然还有其他不少特性，留待您亲自发现了。
现在，我们希望能让更多的朋友分享我们的学习方法和成果，如果您热爱英语，希望持续的提高自己的单词量，那么欢迎注册成为我们的用户。
您可以到我们的首页直接注册。
使用过程中有什么问题，您也可以到我们的论坛提问。
We’re back, fortunately!
我们回来了！
很抱歉，今天下午17bdc的服务器因为升级的原因瘫痪，由此造成的不便，我深感抱歉。
我们租用的是美国的空间，所以我们事先并不知道系统出租方擅自升级，将一个mysql的组件版本提高，而我们系统使用的是一个旧版本的接口，造成系统瘫痪。
我们很抱歉不能为大家服务。 我下午我在开会的时候突然接到电话，17bdc is down. 这时刚好我的会议结束，还没有来得及关投影。
我就在会议室，迅速check了一下，发现那个久违的unhandled Exception.
我知道这是操作系统的问题了，但服务器却不是我们的，操作起来不方便，而且也不知道是谁改变了什么。当然，主机还是提供了一些有限的日志。
各位17bdc的同学们，我们尽管也非常不情愿租界这样的服务，很多东西完全不可控，但我们也不希望把服务器放在中国的机房里。 在中国的机房里，或许不是短暂的挂掉，而是没有办法连接到互联网。
最后，我们再次为网站不能提供服务向各位道歉，我们始终都会一如既往的尽我们所值为每一位用户提供最佳的服务。
最近，我收到很多读者的来信，询问关于“好的英语资料问题”， 例如好的单词，好的听力材料，好的口语材料。 基本要求都是“快，便捷，易上手”。 下面截取一个读者的来信：
我的单词量不够，能不能推荐几本好的（快捷实用，方法较简单的）背单词的书，最好是电子版的，多谢了。
下面是我给他的答复，也是给所有急切寻找英语资料的同学们的答复：
如果您的目的是找到一本单词书的话，那么我想17bdc不太适合您， 我们认为，学习不是一本单词书的问题。
我们也很难告诉你快捷实用的，就像走路开车一样，任何事情都需要时间，还需要一点点的付出和坚持。 每天一个小时，不用更多的时间，用不了很久，看英语也许就是一种生活的享受，和你听音乐的感受会是一样的。
如果你还有类似的问题，我建议您不妨去我们的论坛(http://17bdc.com/forum/)看看，或许我们的用户会有更好的建议。 你也可以把我的建议发给大家。
17bdc坚持用最好的方法，最踏实的学习途径，帮助我们的用户提高英语能力。
祝愿你找到好的学习方法。
背单词就是那么简单，碰到单词随手记下来，记得按时复习，多读多听即可。 一本好的单词书和一本好的单词书是没有非常本质上的区别的。如果你够勤奋，你可以把一本烂的单词书变成一本好的单词书。
晚上回家上线，照例点开一起背单词，发现论坛上有一条这样的消息：
不知道咱们这个网站是什么时候建立起来的，真的太好用了，我已经向我的好朋友们说了咱这个网站了，他们都说很好，真的非常感谢！！！ 对了，有点小建议就是一直办下去吧，我希望每个中国人都能用我们这个网站学英语
看到消息的时候，真的好激动。 下面是我对这位同学的回复：
这是我们有了“一起背单词”以来听到的最让我们感动的话了。完了，今天晚上睡不着。我们会坚持改善一起背单词的体验，让“一起背单词”真正能帮助大家切实提高英语。如果使用过程中碰到任何问题，都希望在论坛里向我们提出。 一起背单词，属于每一位用户。谢谢。
我的兴奋和感激都是言语难以言表的。从我们开始的摸不着头脑，到在GAE上上线，再到服务器被迫更换，再到今天我们每天有将近2000新用户注册，着实这一路走来，望着深深浅浅的脚印，感触良多。
我们还远远没有到停下来歇息，只是在我的个人博客上留念一下，用以感谢我的朋友和家人们。 因为你们的支持，我才有了冲动开始，才有了信念坚持。
未来的路上，还会有更多的困难， 但我相信，从今以后，不仅有来自我的朋友和家人的支持，更有我们一起背单词的用户们的支持。 风雨同舟，让我们一起进步。
And that is why America will always speak out for these core principles around the world. We do not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but we also don’t believe that the principles that we stand for are unique to our nation. These freedoms of expression and worship — of access to information and political participation — we believe are universal rights. They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities — whether they are in the United States, China, or any nation. Indeed, it is that respect for universal rights that guides America’s openness to other countries; our respect for different cultures; our commitment to international law; and our faith in the future.
These are all things that you should know about America. I also know that we have much to learn about China. Looking around at this magnificent city — and looking around this room — I do believe that our nations hold something important in common, and that is a belief in the future. Neither the United States nor China is content to rest on our achievements. For while China is an ancient nation, you are also clearly looking ahead with confidence, ambition, and a commitment to see that tomorrow’s generation can do better than today’s.
In addition to your growing economy, we admire China’s extraordinary commitment to science and research — a commitment borne out in everything from the infrastructure you build to the technology you use. China is now the world’s largest Internet user — which is why we were so pleased to include the Internet as a part of today’s event. This country now has the world’s largest mobile phone network, and it is investing in the new forms of energy that can both sustain growth and combat climate change — and I’m looking forward to deepening the partnership between the United States and China in this critical area tomorrow. But above all, I see China’s future in you — young people whose talent and dedication and dreams will do so much to help shape the 21st century.
I’ve said many times that I believe that our world is now fundamentally interconnected. The jobs we do, the prosperity we build, the environment we protect, the security that we seek — all of these things are shared. And given that interconnection, power in the 21st century is no longer a zero-sum game; one country’s success need not come at the expense of another. And that is why the United States insists we do not seek to contain China’s rise. On the contrary, we welcome China as a strong and prosperous and successful member of the community of nations — a China that draws on the rights, strengths, and creativity of individual Chinese like you.
To return to the proverb — consider the past. We know that more is to be gained when great powers cooperate than when they collide. That is a lesson that human beings have learned time and again, and that is the example of the history between our nations. And I believe strongly that cooperation must go beyond our government. It must be rooted in our people — in the studies we share, the business that we do, the knowledge that we gain, and even in the sports that we play. And these bridges must be built by young men and women just like you and your counterparts in America.
That’s why I’m pleased to announce that the United States will dramatically expand the number of our students who study in China to 100,000. And these exchanges mark a clear commitment to build ties among our people, as surely as you will help determine the destiny of the 21st century. And I’m absolutely confident that America has no better ambassadors to offer than our young people. For they, just like you, are filled with talent and energy and optimism about the history that is yet to be written.
So let this be the next step in the steady pursuit of cooperation that will serve our nations, and the world. And if there’s one thing that we can take from today’s dialogue, I hope that it is a commitment to continue this dialogue going forward.
So thank you very much. And I look forward now to taking some questions from all of you. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
So — I just want to make sure this works. This is a tradition, by the way, that is very common in the United States at these town hall meetings. And what we’re going to do is I will just — if you are interested in asking a question, you can raise your hands. I will call on you. And then I will alternate between a question from the audience and an Internet question from one of the students who prepared the questions, as well as I think Ambassador Huntsman may have a question that we were able to obtain from the Web site of our embassy.
So let me begin, though, by seeing — and then what I’ll do is I’ll call on a boy and then a girl and then — so we’ll go back and forth, so that you know it’s fair. All right? So I’ll start with this young lady right in the front. Why don’t we wait for this microphone so everyone can hear you. And what’s your name?
Q My name is (inaudible) and I am a student from Fudan University. Shanghai and Chicago have been sister cities since 1985, and these two cities have conduct a wide range of economic, political, and cultural exchanges. So what measures will you take to deepen this close relationship between cities of the United States and China? And Shanghai will hold the World Exposition next year. Will you bring your family to visit the Expo? Thank you.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, thank you very much for the question. I was just having lunch before I came here with the Mayor of Shanghai, and he told me that he has had an excellent relationship with the city of Chicago — my home town — that he’s visited there twice. And I think it’s wonderful to have these exchanges between cities.
One of the things that I discussed with the Mayor is how both cities can learn from each other on strategies around clean energy, because one of the issues that ties China and America together is how, with an expanding population and a concern for climate change, that we’re able to reduce our carbon footprint. And obviously in the United States and many developed countries, per capita, per individual, they are already using much more energy than each individual here in China. But as China grows and expands, it’s going to be using more energy as well. So both countries have a great interest in finding new strategies.
We talked about mass transit and the excellent rail lines that are being developed in Shanghai. I think we can learn in Chicago and the United States some of the fine work that’s being done on high-speed rail.
In the United States, I think we are learning how to develop buildings that use much less energy, that are much more energy-efficient. And I know that with Shanghai, as I traveled and I saw all the cranes and all the new buildings that are going up, it’s very important for us to start incorporating these new technologies so that each building is energy-efficient when it comes to lighting, when it comes to heating. And so it’s a terrific opportunity I think for us to learn from each other.
I know this is going to be a major focus of the Shanghai World Expo, is the issue of clean energy, as I learned from the Mayor. And so I would love to attend. I’m not sure yet what my schedule is going to be, but I’m very pleased that we’re going to have an excellent U.S. pavilion at the Expo, and I understand that we expect as many as 70 million visitors here. So it’s going to be very crowded and it’s going to be very exciting.
Chicago has had two world expos in its history, and both of those expos ended up being tremendous boosts for the city. So I’m sure the same thing will happen here in Shanghai.
Thank you. (Applause.)
Why don’t we get one of the questions from the Internet? And introduce yourself, in case –
Q First shall I say it in Chinese, and then the English, okay?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes.
Q I want to pose a question from the Internet. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for visiting China in your first year in office, and exchange views with us in China. I want to know what are you bringing to China, your visit to China this time, and what will you bring back to the United States? (Applause.)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: The main purpose of my trip is to deepen my understanding of China and its vision for the future. I have had several meetings now with President Hu. We participated together in the G20 that was dealing with the economic financial crisis. We have had consultations about a wide range of issues. But I think it’s very important for the United States to continually deepen its understanding of China, just as it’s important for China to continually deepen its understanding of the United States.
In terms of what I’d like to get out of this meeting, or this visit, in addition to having the wonderful opportunity to see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, and to meet with all of you — these are all highlights — but in addition to that, the discussions that I intend to have with President Hu speak to the point that Ambassador Huntsman made earlier, which is there are very few global challenges that can be solved unless the United States and China agree.
So let me give you a specific example, and that is the issue we were just discussing of climate change. The United States and China are the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, of carbon that is causing the planet to warm. Now, the United States, as a highly developed country, as I said before, per capita, consumes much more energy and emits much more greenhouse gases for each individual than does China. On the other hand, China is growing at a much faster pace and it has a much larger population. So unless both of our countries are willing to take critical steps in dealing with this issue, we will not be able to resolve it.
There’s going to be a Copenhagen conference in December in which world leaders are trying to find a recipe so that we can all make commitments that are differentiated so each country would not have the same obligations — obviously China, which has much more poverty, should not have to do exactly the same thing as the United States — but all of us should have these certain obligations in terms of what our plan will be to reduce these greenhouse gases.
So that’s an example of what I hope to get out of this meeting — a meeting of the minds between myself and President Hu about how together the United States and China can show leadership. Because I will tell you, other countries around the world will be waiting for us. They will watch to see what we do. And if they say, ah, you know, the United States and China, they’re not serious about this, then they won’t be serious either. That is the burden of leadership that both of our countries now carry. And my hope is, is that the more discussion and dialogue that we have, the more we are able to show this leadership to the world on these many critical issues. Okay? (Applause.)
All right, it’s a — I think it must be a boy’s turn now. Right? So I’ll call on this young man right here.
Q (As translated.) Mr. President, good afternoon. I’m from Tongji University. I want to cite a saying from Confucius: “It is always good to have a friend coming from afar.” In Confucius books, there is a great saying which says that harmony is good, but also we uphold differences. China advocates a harmonious world. We know that the United States develops a culture that features diversity. I want to know, what will your government do to build a diversified world with different cultures? What would you do to respect the different cultures and histories of other countries? And what kinds of cooperation we can conduct in the future?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: This is an excellent point. The United States, one of our strengths is that we are a very diverse culture. We have people coming from all around the world. And so there’s no one definition of what an American looks like. In my own family, I have a father who was from Kenya; I have a mother who was from Kansas, in the Midwest of the United States; my sister is half-Indonesian; she’s married to a Chinese person from Canada. So when you see family gatherings in the Obama household, it looks like the United Nations. (Laughter.)
And that is a great strength of the United States, because it means that we learn from different cultures and different foods and different ideas, and that has made us a much more dynamic society.
Now, what is also true is that each country in this interconnected world has its own culture and its own history and its own traditions. And I think it’s very important for the United States not to assume that what is good for us is automatically good for somebody else. And we have to have some modesty about our attitudes towards other countries.
I have to say, though, as I said in my opening remarks, that we do believe that there are certain fundamental principles that are common to all people, regardless of culture. So, for example, in the United Nations we are very active in trying to make sure that children all around the world are treated with certain basic rights — that if children are being exploited, if there’s forced labor for children, that despite the fact that that may have taken place in the past in many different countries, including the United States, that all countries of the world now should have developed to the point where we are treating children better than we did in the past. That’s a universal value.
I believe, for example, the same thing holds true when it comes to the treatment of women. I had a very interesting discussion with the Mayor of Shanghai during lunch right before I came, and he informed me that in many professions now here in China, there are actually more women enrolled in college than there are men, and that they are doing very well. I think that is an excellent indicator of progress, because it turns out that if you look at development around the world, one of the best indicators of whether or not a country does well is how well it educates its girls and how it treats its women. And countries that are tapping into the talents and the energy of women and giving them educations typically do better economically than countries that don’t.
So, now, obviously difficult cultures may have different attitudes about the relationship between men and women, but I think it is the view of the United States that it is important for us to affirm the rights of women all around the world. And if we see certain societies in which women are oppressed, or they are not getting opportunities, or there is violence towards women, we will speak out.
Now, there may be some people who disagree with us, and we can have a dialogue about that. But we think it’s important, nevertheless, to be true to our ideals and our values. And we — and when we do so, though, we will always do so with the humility and understanding that we are not perfect and that we still have much progress to make. If you talk to women in America, they will tell you that there are still men who have a lot of old-fashioned ideas about the role of women in society. And so we don’t claim that we have solved all these problems, but we do think that it’s important for us to speak out on behalf of these universal ideals and these universal values.
Okay? All right. We’re going to take a question from the Internet.
Q Hello, Mr. President. It’s a great honor to be here and meet you in person.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you.
Q I will be reading a question selected on the Internet to you, and this question is from somebody from Taiwan. In his question, he said: I come from Taiwan. Now I am doing business on the mainland. And due to improved cross-straits relations in recent years, my business in China is doing quite well. So when I heard the news that some people in America would like to propose — continue selling arms and weapons to Taiwan, I begin to get pretty worried. I worry that this may make our cross-straits relations suffer. So I would like to know if, Mr. President, are you supportive of improved cross-straits relations? And although this question is from a businessman, actually, it’s a question of keen concern to all of us young Chinese students, so we’d really like to know your position on this question. Thank you. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. Well, I have been clear in the past that my administration fully supports a one-China policy, as reflected in the three joint communiqués that date back several decades, in terms of our relations with Taiwan as well as our relations with the People’s Republic of China. We don’t want to change that policy and that approach.
I am very pleased with the reduction of tensions and the improvement in cross-straits relations, and it is my deep desire and hope that we will continue to see great improvement between Taiwan and the rest of — and the People’s Republic in resolving many of these issues.
One of the things that I think that the United States, in terms of its foreign policy and its policy with respect to China, is always seeking is ways that through dialogue and negotiations, problems can be solved. We always think that’s the better course. And I think that economic ties and commercial ties that are taking place in this region are helping to lower a lot of the tensions that date back before you were born or even before I was born.
Now, there are some people who still look towards the past when it comes to these issues, as opposed to looking towards the future. I prefer to look towards the future. And as I said, I think the commercial ties that are taking place — there’s something about when people think that they can do business and make money that makes them think very clearly and not worry as much about ideology. And I think that that’s starting to happen in this region, and we are very supportive of that process. Okay?
Let’s see, it’s a girl’s turn now, right? Yes, right there. Yes. Hold on, let’s get — whoops, I’m sorry, they took the mic back here. I’ll call on you next.
Go ahead, and then I’ll go up here later. Go ahead.
Q Thank you.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I’ll call on you later. But I’ll on her first and then I’ll call on you afterwards.
Go ahead.
Q Okay, thank you. Mr. President, I’m a student from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. I have a question concerning the Nobel Prize for Peace. In your opinion, what’s the main reason that you were honored the Nobel Prize for Peace? And will it give you more responsibility and pressure to — more pressure and the responsibility to promote world peace? And will it bring you — will it influence your ideas while dealing with the international affairs? Thank you very much.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. That was an excellent question. I have to say that nobody was more surprised than me about winning the Nobel Prize for Peace. Obviously it’s a great honor. I don’t believe necessarily that it’s an honor I deserve, given the extraordinary history of people who have won the prize. All I can do is to, with great humility, accept the fact that I think the committee was inspired by the American people and the possibilities of changing not only America but also America’s approach to the world. And so in some ways I think they gave me the prize but I was more just a symbol of the shift in our approach to world affairs that we are trying to promote.
In terms of the burden that I feel, I am extraordinarily honored to be put in the position of President. And as my wife always reminds me when I complain that I’m working too hard, she says, you volunteered for this job. (Laughter.) And so you — there’s a saying — I don’t know if there’s a similar saying in China — we have a saying: “You made your bed, now you have to sleep in it.” And it basically means you have to be careful what you ask for because you might get it.
I think that all of us have obligations for trying to promote peace in the world. It’s not always easy to do. There are still a lot of conflicts in the world that are — date back for centuries. If you look at the Middle East, there are wars and conflict that are rooted in arguments going back a thousand years. In many parts of the world — let’s say, in the continent of Africa — there are ethnic and tribal conflicts that are very hard to resolve.
And obviously, right now, as President of the United States, part of my job is to serve as Commander-in-Chief, and my first priority is to protect the American people. And because of the attacks on 9/11 and the terrorism that has been taking place around the world where innocent people are being killed, it is my obligation to make sure that we root out these terrorist organizations, and that we cooperate with other countries in terms of dealing with this kind of violence.
Nevertheless, although I don’t think that we can ever completely eliminate violence between nations or between peoples, I think that we can definitely reduce the violence between peoples — through dialogue, through the exchange of ideas, through greater understanding between peoples and between cultures.
And particularly now when just one individual can detonate a bomb that causes so much destruction, it is more important than ever that we pursue these strategies for peace. Technology is a powerful instrument for good, but it has also given the possibility for just a few people to cause enormous damage. And that’s why I’m hopeful that in my meetings with President Hu and on an ongoing basis, both the United States and China can work together to try to reduce conflicts that are taking place.
We have to do so, though, also keeping in mind that when we use our military, because we’re such big and strong countries, that we have to be self-reflective about what we do; that we have to examine our own motives and our own interests to make sure that we are not simply using our military forces because nobody can stop us. That’s a burden that great countries, great powers, have, is to act responsibly in the community of nations. And my hope is, is that the United States and China together can help to create an international norms that reduce conflict around the world. (Applause.)
Okay. All right? Jon — I’m going to call on my Ambassador because I think he has a question that was generated through the Web site of our embassy. Th Read more…