Debat dalam Bahasa Inggris

Hari-hari ini debat merupakan salah satu kosa kata yang lagi populer di tengah situasi negara kita yang sedang mempersiapkan pemilihan calon pemimpin negara (Presiden dan wakil).Kita telah menyaksikan beberapa kali penayangan acara debat Calon Presiden untuk memaparkan visi dan misinya kepada para pemilih. Tujuan sebuah debat adalah menyampaikan sebuah argumen dan berusaha meyakinkan satu atau beberapa pihak didukung argumentasi, fakta, dan data yang relevan untuk memenangkan sebuah debat.

Sebuah acara debat juga bisa digunakan oleh pembelajar bahasa inggris untuk meningkatkan kemampuan bahasa inggrisnya dan sekaligus melatih kemampuan bernalar dan berpikir logis untuk menyampaikan, menyetujui, atau menyanggah sebuah argumen. Acara debat untuk pelatihan bahasa Inggris mempunyai peraturan sebagai berikut yang saya quote langsung dari sumbernya, dan juga saya sertakan sebuah link berikut ini mengenai Pedoman National University Debating Championship (UNDC).

A.  PENGERTIAN

1.Debat merupakan kegiatan memperjuangkan argument tim dengan cara menyampaikan bukti-bukti yang kuat dan relevan agar argument tim menang.

2.Meyakinkan juri/adjudicator bahwa argnument tim adalah argument tim adalah argument yang valid, kuat, dan benar.

B.  PESERTA

Peserta debat disebut dengan DEBATERS

Debat bahasa inggris terdiri dari 2 tim yang saling berlawanan,

1.Tim positif (affirmative/government team). Tim positif adalah tim yang mendukung/setuju dengan topik(motion).

2.Tim negatif (opposition team). Tim negatif adalah tim yang menentang atau tidak setuju dengan topik yang diperdebatkan.

Dalam setiap tim terdiri dari 3 debaters, yaitu:

- Pembicara pertama (first speaker)

- Pembicara kedua (second speaker)

- Pembicara ketiga (third speaker)

Ada juga yang disebut dengan reply speaker yang nantinya akan memberikan dan menyampaikan reply speech (overview debate) yang diambil yang diambil dari pembicara pertama atau pembicara kedua.

C.  PENJURIAN

Dalam debat bahasa inggris, jumlah juri selalu ganjil unutk menghindari adanya “seri”. Juri dalam debat disebut adjudicator.

Dalam debat bahasa inggris ada juga yang disebut dengan chairperson yaitu orang yang memimpin jalannya debat, dan ada juga time keeper yaitu orang yang bertugas menghitung waktu bicara debaters. Standar waktu bicara untuk tiap debater adalah 7 menit.

D.  TOPIK DEBAT

Topik yang diperdebatkan dalam debat bahasa inggris disebut MOTION. Motion biasanya diawali dengan,

THW(This House Would....)

THBT (This House Believe That....)

Apabila motion diawali dengan dengan THW, ini berarti proposal debate, maksudnya adalah peserta debat harus memberikan argument yang disertai dengan solusi dan langkah-langkah yang harus dilakukan (peserta harus mengajukan proposal) dalam solusi tersebut. Apabila motion diawali dengan THBT maka debat itu adalah philosophical debate, maksudnya adalah dalam debat itu nantinya hanya akan memperdebatkan bahwa sesuatu hal (yang disebutkan dalam motion tersebut) benar atau salah, baik atau tidak, signifikan atau tidak, tanpa memberikan langkah-langkah atau solusi penyelesaian. Baik motion THW maupun THBT, semua argument harus selalu disertai dengan bukti-bukti dan fakta-fakta yang relevan dan kuat serta contoh-contih yang relevan. Motion ada yang bisa langsung diperdebatkan dan ada juga yang harus didefinisikan terlebih dahulu.

Contoh-contoh motions;

-  THW stop importing rice

-  THW ban alchoholic drinks

-  THBT homeschooling is not good, dsb

E.  CARA MENDEFINISIKAN MOTION

Mendefinisikan motion maksudnya adalah mendeskripsikan motion agar lebih jelas dan lebih fokus atau lebih spesifik. Yang berhak mendefinisikan motion adalah affirmative team (team positif). Sedangkan tim negatif hanya berhak menyetujui atau menentang definisi tersebut. Apabila tim negatif menyetujui definisi itu maka debat akan dilanjutkan sesuai dengan motion yang telah didefinisikan tersebut. Perlu diketahui oleh semua debaters bahwa yang diperdebatkan adalah theme line bukan definisi ataupun motion debat. (theme line akan dijelaskan lebih lanjut nanti)

Jika tim negatif tidak setuju dengan definisi yang diajukan oleh tim positif, maka tim negatif harus menentang definisi tersebut dan memberikan definisi baru yang benar. Tindakan menentang definisi yang disampaikan oleh tim positif ini dinamakan dengan CHALLENGE DEFINITION. Akan tetapi tim negatif harus benar-benar teliti dan hati-hati sebelum melakukan CHALLENGE DEFINITION ini, karena definisi yang bisa ditentang hanyalah definisi yang,

- TRUISTIC : definisi yang sudah benar dan tidak dapat diperdebatkan lagi

- TAUTOLOGICAL/ CIRCULAR : definisi yang berputar-putar sehingga tidak jelas pointnya

- SQUIRELLING : definisiyang tidak ada kaitannya dengan topik

- TIME AND PLACE SETTING : definisi yang mengambil setting background dengan waktu yang tidak tepat, misalnya mengambil kejadian yang sudah sangta tidak up to date, sehingga sulit diperdebatkan.

Untuk mendefinisikan motion, kita harus mengambil kata kunci yang penting dari motion tersebut dan mendefinisikannya sesuai dengan topik yang aktual yang bisa diperdebatkan. Misalnya, kita ambil motion “THW ban alchoholic drinks”. Disini ada dua kata penting, yaitu “ban” dan “alchoholic drinks”, kita harus mendefinisikan kata tersebut tidak sekedar definisi berdasarkan kamus. Ban (melarang=prohibit=not allow) maksudnya melarang yang bagaimana dan seperti apa.

Kemudian kata “alchoholic drinks” juga harus didefinisikan, tidak hanya sekedar “minuman beralkohol” saja tetapi juga perlu disertakan dengan “minuman beralkohol dengan kadar .....%”, dengan disertai ALASAN POKOK yang merupakan IDE POKOK atau yang biasa disebut dengan THEME LINE. THEME LINE ini menjawab dari pertanyaan MENGAPA. Mengapa suatu hal harus dilarang, mengapa hal harus dihentikan, mengapa suatu hal tidak harus dilarang, dsb. Theme line inilah yang akan diperdebatkan dalam debat bahasa inggris.

INGAT: Definisi dari tim positif harus JELAS, LOGIS sesuai motion, dan bisa diperdebatka/ada untuk diperdebatkan (debatable).

F.   ARGUMENT

Setiap argument yang baik harus selalu memuat A-R-E-L, yaitu

Assertion : kalimat berisi pernyataan dari argument yang akan disampaikan.

Reasoning : alasan yang mendukung pernyataan argument.

Evidences : bukti-bukti dan fakta-fakta yang mendukung argument dan alasannya.

Link back : mengaitkan kembali dengan pokok bahasan (theme line)

G.  REBUTTLE

Rebuttle adalah sanggahan dari argument lawan, yang harus di-rebut adalah argument pokok dari tim lawan. Rebutlle biasanya berdasarkan pada:

-  Fakta yang salah (error facts)

-  Bukti yang tidak relevan (irrelevan proof)

-  Hal-hal yang tidak masuk akal (illogical)

H.  JOB DESCRIPTIONS OF DEBATERS

AFFIRMATIVE TEAM

First speaker:

-  Menyampaikan motion

-  Memberikan background (latar belakang mengapa bisa muncul motion seperti itu, background ini dikaitkan dengan berita aktual yang berkaitan dengan motion)

-  Menyampaikan definisi dari motion

-  Menyampaikan room of debate (apa yang akan diperdebatkan dalam debat nanti)

-  Menyampaikan stance dari timnya (posisi dari timnya, apakah setuju atau tidak setuju dengan topik, tim positif akan selalu setuju dengan theme line, sedangkan tim negatif tidak setuju)

-  Menyampaikan theme line

-  Menyampaikan team split (pembagian kerja tim)

-  Menyampaikan argument pokok

-  Menyimpulkan dan mengaitkan dengan topik

Second speaker:

-  Me-rebut argument pokok first speaker tim negatif

-  Mengklarifikasi lagi kasus tim positif

-  Menyampaikan argument pokok second speaker

-  Mengaitkan argument pokok dengan topik/theme line

-  Menyimpulkan dan menyampaikan kembali theme line tim positif

Third speaker:

-  Me-rebut argument pokok second speaker tim negatif

-  Mengklarifikasi kasus tim positif

-  Mengulas kembali argument yang telah disampaikan oleh first dan second speaker tim positif

-  Menekankan kembali rebutal yang disampaikan oleh first dan second speaker tim positif, sambil terus menentang argument tim lawan

-  Memberikan lebih banyak contoh yang relevan dengan topik

-  Menyimpulkan apa yang disampaikan dan mengaitkan kembali apa yang disampaikan dengan topik

-  INGAT: pada third speaker tidak boleh ada NEW MATTER (argument/materi baru). Tugas utama pembicara ketiga adalah: ATTACK and give more examples. (umumnya ¾ dari waktu bicara untuk rebutal)

NOTE: yang berhak menyampaikan argument hanya pembicara 1 dan 2, karena waktu pembicara 1 banyak tersita untuk definisi, background, team split, dsb, maka argument yang paling inti sebaiknya disampaiakan oleh pembicara 2.

NEGATIVE TEAM

First speaker:

- Merespon definisi yang disampaikan oleh first speaker tim positif; menyampaikan apakah menerima atau menolak definisi tersebut (accepts or challenges the defiintion)

- Rebut / sanggahan argument yang disampaikan first speaker tim positif

- Menyampaikan theme line tim negatif

- Menyampaikan theme split (pembagian kerja) tim negatif

- Menyampaikan argument pokok

- Menyimpulkan dan mengaitkan dengan topik

Second speaker:

- Me-rebut argument pokok second speaker tim positif

- Rebuild kembali/ tegakkan lagi kasus /theme line tim negatif

- Menyampaikan argument pokok second speaker negatif

- Mengaitkan argument dengan theme line atau topik

- Menyimpulkan dan menyampaikan kembali theme line tim negatif

Third speaker:

- Rebut argument yang telah disampaikan oleh tim positif

- Sampaikan kembali theme line / kasus yang disampaikan tim negatif; mengulas kembali argument yang telah disampaikan first and second speaker tim positif

- Menekankan kembali rebutal yang disampaikan oleh pembicara 1 dan 2 tadi, sambil terus menentang argument tim lawan

- Memberikan lebih banyak contoh yang relevan dengan topik

- Menyimpulkan apa yang disampaikan dan mengaitkan kembali apa yang disampaikan.

- INGAT: pada third speaker tidak boleh ada NEW MATTER (argument/materi baru). Tugas utama pembicara ketiga adalah: ATTACK and give more examples. (umumnya ¾ dari waktu bicara untuk rebutal)

REPLY SPEAKER

Reply speaker untuk tim positif maupun tim positif memiliki tugas:

1.Overview the debate (mengulas kembali apa isi debat yang telah berlangsung tadi):

- Clash of the debate (ketidakcocokan antara tim negatif dengan tim positif tadi, perbedaan pendapat yang terjadi tadi disampaikan)

- Menyampaikan argument apa saja yang telah isampaikan timnya

- Menyampaikan argument apa saja yang telah isampaikan tim lawan

- Menyampaikan kelebihan dari argument timnya dan kelemahan dari argument tim lawan

- Menekankan bahwa argument timnya lebih bagus dan lebih berhak untuk menang berdasarkan kelebihan argument timnya tadi. Jangan lupa untuk tetap dikaitkan dengan topik yang diperdebatkan.

2.Reply speech bukanlah rebutal, jadi di sini sudah tidak boleh ada lagi rebutal, maupun hal-hal atau contoh-contoh baru.

3.Yang bisa menjadi reply speaker adalah pembicara pertama atau pembicara kedua.

I.TIMING DALAM DEBAT BAHASA INGGRIS

Tiap debater diberi waktu 7 menit untuk menyampaikan subtantive speech-nya (watu berbicara pada pembicara 1,2, dan 3). Tapi tidak untuk reply speech, untuk reply speech ini biasanya hanya 5 menit saja.

Jadi, untuk masing-masing tim diberi waktu:

-          First speaker          : 7 menit (subtantive speech)

-          Second speaker     : 7 menit (subtantive speech)

-          Third speaker        : 7 menit (subtantive speech)

-          Reply speech         : 5 menit (reply speech)

Pada subtantive speech tersebut, pada setiap menit ke-6 akan diberi tanda ketukan satu kali oleh time keeper. Diberi ketukan 2 kali pada menit ke-7, dan ketukan berulang-ulang pada menit ke-7 lebih 20 detik. Apabila terjadi undertime (kurang waktu, misal kurang dari 6 menit) akan mengurangi nilai. Apabila sudah diberi ketukan berulang-ulang tapi pembicara belum berhenti berbicara, maka apa yang dibicarakan atau disampaikan sudah tidak akan didengarkan lagi oleh juri, dan hal ini juga bisa mengurangi nilai.

Pada reply speech, pada menit ke-4 akan diketuk 1x, menit ke-5 akan diketuk 2x, dan pada menit ke-5 lebih 20 detik akan diketuk berulang-ulang.

J.  ASPEK YANG DINILAI DALAM DEBAT BAHASA INGGRIS

Ada 3 aspek yang dinilai dalam debat bahasa inggris:

1.Manner dinilai 40%, meliputi:

Delivery (public-speaking skills): bagaimana cara penyampaian argument, efektif atau tidak.

Vocal style (volume suara), penggunaan bahasa, penggunaan catatan, kontak mata, gesture (gerakan-gerakan tubuh), posisi berdiri (stance), pakaian, humor, personal attack on opponents

2.Methode dinilai 20%, meliputi:

Structure and organization (struktur/sistematika penyampaian pidato, urut atau tidak mulai dari awal sampai akhir sesuai dengan tugas sebagai first, second atau third speaker)

Overtime or undertime?

Kemampuan untuk merespon kasus/argument yang disampaikan lawan

3.Matter dinilai 40%:

Materi /isi yang disampaikan dalam speech-nya, apakah relevan atau tidak, berbobot atau tidak. (Sumber) 

Dan berikut ini sebuah video yang bisa BBIM Friends simak untuk mengetahui lebih banyak bagaimana sebuah acara lomba debat Bahasa Inggris diadakan :

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Latihan Kosa Kata dan percakapan bahasa Inggris mengenai kegiatan di pantai

Berikut ini beberapa latihan untuk memperkuat perbendaharaan kata BBIM Friends. Urutan soal dari nomor 1-10 merupakan sebuah urutan percakapan antara Olga dan Wanda mengenai kegiatan mereka di pantai. Isi titik-titik dengan jawaban yang menurut BBIM Friends adalah jawaban yang benar. Jika diperlukan BBIM Friends bisa memberikan jawabannya di kolom komentar. Selamat berlatih.

1. Hi, Olga. I was wondering if you'd like to go to the beach with me today. It's supposed to be hot and ......... all day long.

(a) foggy
(b) cloudy
(c) windy
(d) sunny

2. Sure! I would love to, Wanda. Do you want me to bring my beach ......... in case we want to sit in some shade if it gets too hot?

(a) towel
(b) ball
(c) umbrella
(d) hat

3. That sounds like a good idea, Olga. Do you have any ......... lotion? I don't want to get a sunburn while we're out there and I don't think I have any at the moment.

(a) sunburn
(b) sunny
(c) sun tea
(d) sun screen

4. Yes, I do have some, Wanda. I'll bring it with me. Are you bringing your ......... with you? I heard the waves will be perfect today and I would love to try my new one out.

(a) snowboard
(b) skates
(c) surfboard
(d) football

5. Actually, I'm not going to bring mine with me. I hurt my ankle playing ......... at the beach last weekend so I'm going to let it completely heal before I go surfing again.

(a) hockey
(b) volleyball
(c) ping pong
(d) poker

6. Well, if your ankle is still bothering you, why don't I bring some beach ......... and we'll lay out and get a suntan today?

(a) sand
(b) paper
(c) sandals
(d) towels

7. Sounds great, Olga! Do you know if it's supposed to be windy today? If it's not, I'll pack us a picnic lunch. I hate it when a bunch of ......... gets blown all over my food.
(a) rock
(b) sand
(c) grass
(d) sun

8. Are you going to wear your new ......... suit, Wanda? I also got a new one last week and I'm looking forward to wearing it.

(a) diving
(b) three-piece
(c) jump
(d) bathing

9. Yes, I am. Do you still have that ......... ball? It might be fun to hit around while we are swimming in the water.

(a) golf
(b) basket
(c) beach
(d) ping pong

10. Sure, I'll bring that too. Also, don't forget your .......... I forgot mine last time I went to the beach and was squinting for so long that I got a headache afterwards. I'll pick you up at 10 o'clock.

(a) sunglasses
(b) welding glasses
(c) bifocals
(d) goggles

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Pronounciation...perlu apa tidak ?

Menurut Wikipedia definisi pronounciation adalah sebagai berikut :

Pronunciation is the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect.
A word can be spoken in different ways by various individuals or groups, depending on many factors, such as: the duration of the cultural exposure of their childhood, the location of their current residence, speech or voice disorders,[1] their ethnic group, their social class, or their education.

Ketika saya melihat tayangan Indonesian Idol saya melihat seringkali para juri mengkritik mengenai pronounciation (pelafalan) para peserta ketika menyanyikan lagu dalam bahasa Inggris. Dalam dunia musik saya kira sah saja hal ini dipersoalkan, karena seorang penyanyi harus bisa tampil sempurna agar bisa memberikan hiburan dengan baik bagi pemirsa atau pendengarnya. Tetapi bagaimana dengan seorang pembelajar bahasa Inggris, apakah pronounciation menempati urutan pertama ?

Memang akan lebih enak mendengar seseorang berbicara bahasa Inggris dengan pronounciation yang benar dan tepat, bahkan mendekati atau sama dengan penutur aslinya. Dan dalam tahapan belajar sebuah bahasa asing hal tersebut juga harus menjadi sebuah target. Tetapi perlu kita simak beberapa fakta berikut yang merugikan jika seorang yang sedang mempelajari sebuah bahasa (terutama yang tujuannya hanya untuk bisa berkomunikasi) harus tertekan dengan persolan pronounciation.

• Belajar bahasa asing sebagai bahasa kedua memerlukan perubahan pola dalam otak dan lidah yang terbiasa dengan bahasa ibu dan dialeknya. Dan tidak semua orang bisa dengan cepat merubah hal ini.
• Persolan umum di Indonesia adalah kurangnya kepercayaan diri pembelajar bahasa Inggris untuk menggunakan apa yang telah dipelajarinya dalam percakapan sehari-hari. Umumnya takut salah dan kuatir jika pengucapannya tidak benar. Padahal bahasa adalah sebuah kebiasaan, jika tidak pernah menggunakannya, sampai kapanpun juga tidak akan menguasainya. Dan jika lingkungan belajar seseorang cenderung ketat dalam pronounciation, maka rasa takut salah juga akan makin besar. Hal ini akan memperlambat proses belajar.

Hal yang perlu dipikirkan adalah sebagai berikut :

• Bagaimana perasaan Anda sebagai orang Indonesia jika ada orang asing misalnya dari Eropa atau Jepang berbahasa Indonesia ? Umumnya kita akan senang dan meskipun pengucapan mereka aneh bagi telinga kita, kita tetap menghargai usaha mereka.
• Jika ada seorang pemimpin negara datang ke Indonesia, kemudian berpidato dalam bahasa Indonesia, saya lihat seluruh pengunjung bertepuk tangan dan bersorak gembira. Hal ini menandakan bahwa sebuah bangsa umumnya akan senang jika bahasa mereka digunakan oleh orang asing. Dan ini bisa menjadi sebuah faktor yang membuat BBIM Friends harusnya lebih percaya diri untuk mulai berbicara dalam bahasa Inggris meskipun tidak sempurna.
• Yang mempersoalkan pronounciation umumnya adalah mereka yang telah mencapai sebuah tingkat kemahiran berbahasa Inggris yang cukup tinggi. Mereka dengan mudah mengkritik temannya yang masih belajar dengan mengatakan "pronounciation kamu parah banget ya, belajar lagi deh". Artinya yang mempersoalkan pronounciation bukanlah orang Inggris sebagai penutur asli, tetapi ya di antara kita sendiri hahaha.....jika ini terjadi dalam sebuah kelas, maka yang terjadi bukanlah belajar, melainkan saling mencemooh. 

Lalu bagaimana ?

• Saya tetap berpendapat bahwa pronounciation tetaplah harus menjadi sebuah target dalam proses belajar, tetapi bukan yang utama. Pronounciation harus diposisikan berjalan beriringan dengan tingkat kemampuan seorang murid.
• Dalam proses belajar bahasa Inggris di sekolah atau kursus sebaiknya dihindari berulang-ulang mengkoreksi pengucapan terutama dalam kelas percakapan, karena kelas percakapan sebenarnya adalah sebuah proses pembiasaan.
• Tongue twister bisa menjadi salah satu cara untuk melatih pelafalan. Berlatih tongue twister bersama-sama lebih baik daripada saling mengkoreksi pelafalan dalam kelas percakapan.
• Murid harus terbiasa dulu dengan percakapan dalam bahsa Inggris, dan secara bertahap pelafalan disempurnakan secara alami.

Siapa yang harus belajar pronounciation dengan sempurna sejak dari awal belajar Inggris ?

• Jika BBIM Friends bercita-cita untuk menjadi seorang penyiar dalam bahasa Inggris.
• Jika BBIM Friends bercita-cita untuk menjadi seorang pengajar penuh waktu dalam bahasa Inggris, karena seorang pengajar sebaiknya bisa memberikan contoh yang benar, meskipun tidak harus menuntut murid langsung sempurna.
• Jika BBIM Friends bercita-cita untuk menjadi seorang penerjemah dua arah.

Nah, demikian pendapat saya tetang pronounciation. Intinya dalam proses belajar jangan sampai hal pelafalan menjadi sebuah kendala. Tetapi ada kabar baik juga, karena ada sebuah metode pengajaran yang kini mulai dirintis oleh sebuah lembaga yang memungkinkan seorang anak dapat melafalkan bahasa Inggris dengan sempurna dari sejak mereka mulai belajar. Lain waktu akan saya bahas tentang hal ini. 

Selamat belajar !

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English Conversation 14 : Conversation about fashion and clothes

Below is the conversation about clothes and fashion. This conversation is commonly happen among girls and women who like fashion or vogue. Read carefully and try to use it in everyday conversation. Or U can try to use it in some boutique or in online conversation when u want to buy some stuff at online shop like Zalora, Amazon etc.

Zara : How much money do you spend on clothes a year ?

Vinna : I spend about Rp 3.000.000

Zara : Do you like shopping for a new clothes ?

Vinna : Yes I do

Zara : Do you often buy new clothes ?

Vinna : Yes I do

Zara : Do you think men should be allowed to wear skirts ?

Vinna : Hahaha.....no, I don't think so

Zara : Do you read fashion magazines ?

Vinna : Yes, off course

Zara : Do you sometimes wear a hat ?

Vinna : Yes I do

Zara : Do you think it is important to wear fashionable clothes ?

Vinna : Yes, I think so

Zara : Do you wear jewelry ?

Vinna : Yes, I do

Zara : If so, what kind of jewelry do you wear ?

Vinna : I wear ring and necklace

Zara : How often do you wear jewelry ?

Vinna : I wear it everyday

Zara : I see, well I think we have the same opinion about fashion and clothes
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English conversation 13 : Amazing Spiderman conversation

Peter Parker : I mean, what I do sometimes requires violence, but I'm not a violent man, I'm really not. But I just....


Mary Jane : You wanted to deck her.

Peter : Twice. And I hate feeling that way. Why is it that people feel the need to take whatever little authority they have and shove it down your throat? And the smaller the authority, the bigger the shove.

Aunt May : It offends you, doesn't it?

Peter : Yeah, it does.

Aunt May : Why?

Peter : I...What do you mean, why?

Aunt May : Why does it offend you?

Peter : Shouldn't it?

Aunt May : If a lion broke out of its cage at the zoo, and bit you, it would hurt, sure, and you'd be upset, of course. But would you be offended?

Peter : No, of course not.

Aunt May : Why?

Peter : Because that's the nature of a lion.

Aunt May : Some people by nature are kind and charitable. You could say that some people, including at least one person at this table, are by their nature heroes. Ben always reminded me that we each contain all the nobler and meaner aspects of humanity, but some get a bigger dose than others of one thing or another.
Some are petty, and mean, and uncharitable. That's their nature. You can hope for better, even try to lead them to be and you may even succeed. But when they behave badly, it's right to be upset by it, or hurt by it, but you can be no more offended by it than you can when a lion bites you.”

― J. Michael Straczynski (Amazing Spider-man Ultimate Collection Volume 2)

Glossary :

You wanted to deck her : Kamu ingin mencuranginya.
Shove : mendorong 
Offend : menyinggung
Nobler : kuat
Meaner : jahat
Charitable : dermawan
Petty : picik

English Conversation 12 : Conversation in an office

Berikut ini adalah Percakapan antara Allan dan Widya di sebuah kantor. Baca baik-baik percakapan di bawah ini dan perhatikan kata-kata yang BBM Friends belum mengerti dan beri tanda. Pada percakapan di bawah ini terdapat sepuluh kesalahan, coba cari 10 kesalahan tersebut. Untuk melihat jawaban, saya akan menuliskannya di kolom komentar.


Widya: Hi there.

Allan: Hi. I haven't seen you around here before. Have you been working long?

Widya: No, I've only been here a few months. I work in the Human Resources Department.

Allan: Oh, you must make more money than I do then. I'm in Sales.

Widya: Sales sounds like an interesting job.

Allan: It's okay. Hey, you look like you could really have a coffee.

Widya: Yes, it's been a really hectic week.

Allan: Tell me about it! At least it's supposing to be a nice weekend.

Widya: Yes, I've listened that they are calling for blue skies.

Allan: Say, did you happen to catch the game last night?

Widya: No, I was working late.

Allan: It was a great game. We won in overtime.

Widya: Actually, I don't even know who was playing. I don't really follow sports.

Allan: The Chiefs! Do you think they're going to make it to the finals this year?

Widya: I'm not sure. Well, I better get back to my desk.

Allan: Speaking of desks, what do you think of the new office furniture?

Widya: It's nice, but I would rather get paid for my overtime hours than have new furniture.

Allan: Oh. Well, I think I'll be heading home early today. It might be snow.

Widya: I know. I can't believe all of this cold weather. Hopefully Spring will come soon.

Allan: I can't wait until Spring.

Widya: Me neither! My divorce will finally come through by then!

Vocabulary :

hectic : full of busy actvity

Silakan pelajari dan temukan 10 hal yang perlu dikoreksi pada percakapan di atas. Jawaban bisa dilihat di kolom komentar.
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English Conversation 11 : Conversation about Miss world

Dialogue Miss World Contest.

Boim : Good morning, my friend!
Deka : Good morning. How are you?

Boim : I’m fine, and you?
Deka : I’m fine too.  We didn’t meet for a long time . Glad to see U
Boim : Yes, so am I. By the way did you watch the Miss World Contest on TV some days ago?
Deka  : Yes, I did. They are very good. I like the finalist from French and Philipines. How about you?
Boim : Why did you like them? I think the finalist from Espanol better than the finalist from Philipines.
Deka : Yeah, but in my mind the finalist from Philipines is the best.
Boim : Why did you say it?
Deka : Because she is smart, beautiful, and behavior.
Boim : I don’t think so. I think the finalist from Espanol is more beautiful and smarter than the finalist from Philipines.
Deka : Oh.. No. I think the finalist from Philipines smarter than the finalist from Espanol she could answer the questions very well.
Boim : OK… that's Ur opinion. Miss Philipines is the winner isn't she ?. By the way what’s your opinion about Vania, the finalist from Indonesia?
Deka : I think Vania is good enough. Although she can’t be the winner but she can showed a good performance and she can compete with the other people from the other country.
Boim : Ok, I hope someday there will be a winner from Indonesia.
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English conversation 10 : How to stand on diet

In this conversation tells about how we can stand over temptation when we are on diet. Read carefully and try to role play.


Surya:   
Would you like to have some ice-cream?  I've got a variety of flavors for you to choose from.  I've got strawberry, peach, chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate brownie, coffee, vanilla, rocky road, butter pecan, and praline.

Lina:    
Wow!  What choices you have!  I wish I could, but I just can't.  I'm on a diet to lose weight.

Surya:  
Come on, it's just a bite.  It doesn't really hurt to have just a bite.

 Lina:   
 I'd better not.  Please don't tempt me.  Please!

Surya:  
Gee!  You are really strong-willed. 

Lina:     
You're darn right.  I'm not so easily coaxed into doing something that I think is wrong.

Surya:     
Well, I'd better not tempt you.  Otherwise, if I give you a piece of cake, you might ask for a glass of milk.

Vocabulary :

 Rocky Road Ice Cream is a chocolate flavored ice cream. Though there are variations on the flavor, it is traditionally composed of chocolate ice cream, nuts, and marshmallows.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream  is smooth vanilla ice cream with a slight buttery flavor, with pecans added. 

This is pecan / kacang pikan

Praline Ice Cream. Praline can refer to confections made from nuts and sugar syrup, whether in whole pieces or a ground powder, or to any chocolate cookie containing the ground powder or nuts.

Strong-willed : berkemauan keras

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English Conversation 9 : At the Airport

Checking In

• Good morning. Can I have your ticket, please?
• Here you are. 

• Thank you. Would you like smoking or non-smoking?
• Non-smoking, please. 

• Would you like a window or an aisle seat?
• An aisle seat, please.

• Do you have any baggage?
• Yes, this suitcase and this carry-on bag.

• Here's your boarding pass. Have a nice flight.
• Thank you. 

Passport Control

• Good morning. Can I see your passport?
• Here you are.

• Thank you very much. Are you a tourist or on business?
• I'm a tourist.

• That's fine. Have a pleasant stay.
• Thank you. 

Vocabulary : 

 Aisle seat 

Window seat

Carry-on bag

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English Conversation 8 : Dialog Film "The Avengers"

Suka dengan film The Avengers ? Ini beberapa cuplikan dialognya : 

 Sumber gambar

Pepper Potts: Is this about the Avengers? Which I know nothing about.

Tony Stark: The Avengers initiative was scrapped, I thought. And I didn't even qualify.

Potts: I didn't know that either.

Stark: Apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, and don't play well with others.

Potts: That I did know.

---

Loki: I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose.

Selvig: Loki, brother of Thor.

Nick Fury: We have no quarrel with your people.

Loki: An ant has no quarrel with a boot.

Nick Fury: You planning to step on us?

Loki: I come with glad tidings. Of a world made free.

Nick Fury: Free from what?

Loki: Freedom. Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart... [taps Selvig with the spear] you will know peace.

Nick Fury: Yeah, you say peace. I kinda think you mean the other thing.

---

Loki: [To crowd] Kneel before me. I said... kneel! Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.

Old German: [Stands] Not to men like you.

Loki: There are no men like me.

Old German: There are always men like you.

Loki: Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example. (Loki prepares to kill the man with his staff, but Steve Rogers saves the old man)

Steve Rogers/Captain America: You know, the last time I was in Germany, and I saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.

Loki: The soldier. [laughs] A man out of time.

Rogers: I'm not the one who's out of time.

---

Rogers: Stark, we need a plan of attack!

Stark: I have a plan: Attack!

---

Romanov: I'd sit this one out, Cap.

Rogers: I don't see how I can.

Romanov: These men come from legend. They're basically gods.

Rogers: There is only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure He doesn't dress like that!

---

Thor: [Throws Loki on the ground] Where is the Tesseract?!

Loki: [laughs] Oh, I missed you, too!

Thor: Do I look to be in a gaming mood?

Loki: [groans] Oh, you should thank me. With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here? Your precious Earth.

Thor: [drops Mjolnir then grabs Loki] I thought you dead.

Loki: Did you mourn?

Thor: We all did. Our Father-

Loki: Your father. [shoves Thor] He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?

Thor: We were raised together! We played together! We fought together! Do you remember none of that?!

Loki: I remember a shadow. Living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I who was, and should be, king!

Thor: So, you take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights? No. The Earth is under my protection, Loki!

Loki: [laughs] And you're doing a marvelous job with that. The humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret. I mean to rule them! And why should I not?

Thor: You think yourself above them?

Loki: Well, yes.

Thor: Then you miss the truth of ruling, Brother. A throne would suit you ill.

Loki: [growls] I've seen worlds you've never known about! I have grown, Odinson, in my exile! I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it-

Thor: Who showed you this power? Who controls the would-be king?!

Loki: I am a king!

Thor: Not here! You give up the Tesseract; you give up this poisonous dream! You come home.

Loki: [smirks] I don't have it. [Thor raises the hammer] You need the cube to bring me home, but I've sent it off, I know not where.

Thor: Listen well, Brother. I-

[Iron Man knocks Thor off the cliffside]

Loki: I'm listening.

---

Thor: Do not touch me again.

Stark: Then don't take my stuff.

Thor: You have no idea what you're dealing with.

Stark: [Looks at the surrounding trees] Uh, Shakespeare in the Park? [About Thor's cape] Doth Mother know you weareth her drapes?

Thor: This doesn't concern you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice.

Stark: He gives up the cube, he's all yours. Until then ... [Closes his helmet] stay out of the way. [Under his breath] Tourist.

---

Nick Fury: [Loki is sealed in the cell, Nick Fury shows the function to dump it from the helicarrier] In case you try to escape. If you so much as scratch that glass... [chute opens beneath the cell] Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works? [Gestures to Loki] Ant. [Gestures to console] Boot.

Loki: It is an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me.

Nick Fury: Built for something a lot stronger than you.

Loki: Oh, I've heard. The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you? That you call on such lost creatures to defend you?

Nick Fury: How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war, you steal a force you can't hope to control, you talk about peace, and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.

Loki: Ooh. It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power. Unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share? And then to be reminded what real power is.

Nick Fury: Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something.

---

Rogers: Loki's going to drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?

Thor: Loki has an army, called the Chitauri. They are not of Asgard or any other world known. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tessaract.

Rogers: An army... from outer space.

Banner: So, he's building another portal. That's what he needs Dr. Eric Selvig for.

Thor: Selvig?

Banner: He's an astrophysicist.

Thor: He's a friend.

Romanov: Loki has him under some kind of spell. Along with one of ours.

Rogers: I want to know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here.

Banner: I don't think we should be focused on Loki. The guy's mind is a bag of cats. You can smell crazy on him.

Thor: Have care how you speak. Loki may be beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother.

Romanov: He killed eighty people in two days.

Thor: ...He is adopted.

---

Rogers: We have orders. We should follow them.

Stark: Following's not really my style.

Rogers: And you're all about style, aren't you?

Stark: Of the people in this room, which one is A) wearing a spangly outfit; and B) not of use?

---

Rogers: Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?

Stark: Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

Rogers: I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage; you fight for nobody but yourself. You're not the kind to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.

Stark: I think I would just cut the wire.

Rogers: Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.

Stark: A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything that's special about you came out of a bottle.

---

Romanov: Are you really that naive? S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats.

Banner: [surprised] Captain America is on threat watch?

Romanov: We all are.

Stark: [To Rogers] You're on that list? Are you above or below "angry bees?"

Rogers: I swear, Stark, one more wisecrack out of you...

Stark: Verbal threat! Threatening! I feel threatened!

---

Phil Coulson: [Dying, holding a very large gun] You're going to lose.

Loki: Am I?

Coulson: It's in your nature.

Loki: Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. [scoffs] Where is my disadvantage?

Coulson: You lack conviction.

Loki: I don't think I-

[Coulson fires the weapon, blasting Loki through a wall]

Coulson: So that's what it does.

---

Loki: Please, tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity.

Stark: Uh, actually I'm planning to threaten you.

Loki: You should have left your armour on for that.

Stark: Yeah. It's seen a bit of mileage and you got the "glow-stick of destiny." Would you like a drink?

Loki: Stalling me won't change anything.

Stark: No, no, no threatening! No drink? You sure? I'm having one.

Loki: What have I to fear?

Stark: The Avengers. It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" type thing.

Loki: Yes, I've met them.

Stark: Yeah. Takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But, let's do a head count here: Your brother, the demigod; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them.

Loki: That was the plan.

Stark: Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you.

Loki: I have an army.

Stark: We have a Hulk.

Loki: I thought the beast had wandered off.

Stark: You're missing the point. There's no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes, and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because, if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it.

Loki: But how will your friends have time for me? When they're so busy fighting you! [Loki tries to use his mind control powers from his scepter on Tony Stark, but hits the arc reactor] This usually works. [Tries again, and fails]

Stark: Well, performance issues... [shrugs] Not uncommon, one out of five...

---

[Captain America is outlining his plan for the Avengers to fight the Chitauri]

Captain America: All right, listen up. Until we can close that portal, our priority's containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash.

Hawkeye: [to Iron Man] Want to give me a lift?

Iron Man: Right. Better clench up, Legolas. [Iron Man takes Hawkeye up to the roof]

Captain America: Thor, you gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow 'em down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up. [Thor swings his hammer and flies off]

Captain America: [to Black Widow] You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. And Hulk? [pause] Smash! [the Hulk grins and jumps away]

---

Loki: [To Hulk] Enough! You are, all of you, beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature. And I will not be bullied by—

[Hulk grabs Loki and slams him around like a rag doll, then leaves him face-up on the floor in a crater]

Loki: [whimpers]

Hulk: Puny god. [Walks off]

---

Stark: [regaining consciousness] What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me.

Rogers: We won.

Stark: All right. Yay. All right. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it.

Thor: This is not over yet...[Looks to the Stark Tower, where Loki is.]

Stark: ...Then shawarma after.

---

Romanov: [Fighting off the Chitari] This is like Budapest all over again!

Hawkeye: You and I remember Budapest very differently!

Sumber :  wikiquote

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English conversation 7 : Informal and formal introducing

Latihan percakapan di posting hari ini, nampaknya agak mundur ke belakang, karena saya akan sharingkan tentang percakapan seputar perkenalan, salam dsb. Sengaja saya posting hal ini untuk memberikan dasar percakapan yang sederhana dan berguna untuk setiap pertemuan, baik di pertemuan formal atau informal.


1.Memperkenalkan diri (Introduce yourself) 

Percakapan informal :

• Hi, I am ......
• Hello, my name is ......

Percakapan formal :

• Hello, I don't think we've met. Let me introduce myself. My name is ....
• Good Morning / afternoon / evening. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is .....

2. Memperkenalkan orang lain (Introduce someone else)

Percakapan informal :

• This is my (nephew, brother, tacher, father, etc) .............(name)

Percakapan formal :

• May I introduce my colleague ..........(name)
• Allow me to introduce my colleague ............(name)
• I would like you to meet my colleague, ...............(name)

3. Menjawab sebuah perkenalan (What we say after introduction)

Percakapan informal :

• Hi....., nice to meet you >>>>> answer : nice to meet you too
• Hello.....Iam happy to meet you >>>>> answer : Lovely to meet you too

Percakapan formal :

• How do you do ..........>>>>> answer : How do you do
• It's a pleasure to meet you ......>>>>> answer : I am very pleased to meet you.

4. Menyapa seseorang yang sebelumnya telah diperkenalkan (How to greet someone you know)

Percakapan informal : 

• Hi ......how are you ? >>>>> answer : Fine thank, and you ?
• Hello..... How are you doing ? >>>>> answer : Great, thanks. How about you ?

Percakapan formal :

• Good morning ........How are you today ? >>>>> answer : I am very well, thank you. And you ?
• Hello ....... It's nice to see you again. >>>>> answer : And you.

pada contoh percakapan formal di atas terdapat dua kata "and you". Yang pertama menggunakan tanda tanya yang mengembalikan pertanyaan, sedangkan yang ke dua tidak memakai tanda tanya, karena pernyataannya adalah "it's nice to see you again" dan jawabannya adalah sebuah pernyataan : And you.artinya : demikian juga saya.

5. Mengucapkan salam ketika hendak berpisah.

Percakapan informal :

• I must go. Catch you later. >>>>> answer : see you later. Bye
• I'll be off now. Speak to you later.>>>>> answer : Sure, take care.

Percakapan formal :

• Goodbye. It has been a pelasure meeting you. >>>>> answer : The pleasure is mine. I hope to see you again soon.
• I must be on my way. It was nice seeing you again.>>>>> answer : Likewise. I look orward to seeing you again soon.

Lakukan latihan dan gunakan sesering mungkin, untuk membuat anda menjadi trampil coba susun 5 bentuk percakapan di atas baik yang informal atau formal menjadi sebuah percakapan utuh. Mulai dari memperkenalkan diri, kemudian memperkenalkan teman, dst. 

Selamat berlatih.
Nb : tanda titik-titik selalu berisi sebuah nama. 

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Perbedaan spelling dalam American English dan British English

Bahasa Inggris Amerika dan Bahasa Inggris British juga mempunyai perbedaan dalam speeling atau ejaan. Berikut ini beberapa perbedaan spelling di antara keduanya

American English Spelling	British English Spelling
Burned	Burnt
Check	Cheque (bank note)
Color, honor, labor, odor	Colour, honour, labour, odour
Curb	Kerb
Defense, offence, license	Defence, offence, licence
Dreamed	Dreamt
Forever	For ever
Jewelry, traveler, woolen	Jewellry, traveller, woollen
Program	Programme
Skillful, fulfill	Skilful, fulfil
Specialty	Speciality
Story	Storey
Smelled	Smelt
Spelled	Spelt
Spoiled	Spoilt
Realize, analyze, apologize	Realise, analyse, apologise
Tire	Tyre
Theater, center, liter	Theatre, centre, litre

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English Conversation 6 : Reserve a table for dinner

John makes a phone call to the restaurant to reserve a table for him and his friends for dinner....

Hostess :
Garden breeze.  How may I help you?


John :
Yes.  I'd like to reserve a table for dinner.

Hostess :
How large a group are you expecting?


John :
Six couples.

Hostess :
Would you like to reserve a private dinning room?

John :
That sounds like a good idea.

Hostess :
All right.  May I have your name, sir?

John :
My name is John Cunning. C-U-N-N-I-N-G

Hostess :
What time will you be arriving?

John :
Around 7:30 PM.

Hostess :
All right, Mr. Cunning  We have reserved a private dinning room for you at 7:30 PM.  Thanks for calling 
Garden breeze.

John :
Thank you very much.

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Belajar Pidato : JFK Speech - We Choose to go to The Moon

Ada baiknya kita belajar Bahasa Inggris dengan mempelajari pidato-pidato terkenal dari tokoh-tokoh dunia yang memberikan perubahan pada jalannya sejarah. Berikut ini dapat kamu ikuti pidato terkenal Presiden Amerika Serikat John. F. Kennedy (alm) di Rice University pada tanggal 12 Sepetember 1962 yang menegaskan tujuan program angkasa  Amerika untuk mendarat di bulan di tahun 1960-an. Dan sejarah mencatat pada tanggal 20-Juli-1969, Apollo 11 berhasil mendarat di bulan pada pukul 10:56 pm waktu setempat.

Sumber : Youtube 

Pidato ini berdurasi 18 menit dan teksnya dapat diikuti pada catatan di bawah ini :

TEXT OF PRESIDENT JOHN KENNEDY'S RICE STADIUM - MOON SPEECH

President Pitzer, Mr. Vice President, Governor, Congressman Thomas, Senator Wiley, and Congressman Miller, Mr. Webb, Mr. Bell, scientists, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen

I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor, and I will assure you that my first lecture will be very brief.

I am delighted to be here, and I'm particularly delighted to be here on this occasion.

We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a State noted for strength, and we stand in need of all three, for we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.

Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation¹s own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far outstrip our collective comprehension.

No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man¹s recorded history in a time span of but a half-century. Stated in these terms, we know very little about the first 40 years, except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover them. Then about 10 years ago, under this standard, man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter. Only five years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than two years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than two months ago, during this whole 50-year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power.

Newton explored the meaning of gravity. Last month electric lights and telephones and automobiles and airplanes became available. Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America's new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the stars before midnight tonight.

This is a breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers. Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward.

So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait. But this city of Houston, this State of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward--and so will space.

William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.

Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it--we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

Yet the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world's leading space-faring nation.

We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. I do not say the we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, but I do say that space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours.

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

In the last 24 hours we have seen facilities now being created for the greatest and most complex exploration in man's history. We have felt the ground shake and the air shattered by the testing of a Saturn C-1 booster rocket, many times as powerful as the Atlas which launched John Glenn, generating power equivalent to 10,000 automobiles with their accelerators on the floor. We have seen the site where the F-1 rocket engines, each one as powerful as all eight engines of the Saturn combined, will be clustered together to make the advanced Saturn missile, assembled in a new building to be built at Cape Canaveral as tall as a 48 story structure, as wide as a city block, and as long as two lengths of this field.

Within these last 19 months at least 45 satellites have circled the earth. Some 40 of them were "made in the United States of America" and they were far more sophisticated and supplied far more knowledge to the people of the world than those of the Soviet Union.

The Mariner spacecraft now on its way to Venus is the most intricate instrument in the history of space science. The accuracy of that shot is comparable to firing a missile from Cape Canaveral and dropping it in this stadium between the the 40-yard lines.

Transit satellites are helping our ships at sea to steer a safer course. Tiros satellites have given us unprecedented warnings of hurricanes and storms, and will do the same for forest fires and icebergs.

We have had our failures, but so have others, even if they do not admit them. And they may be less public.

To be sure, we are behind, and will be behind for some time in manned flight. But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this decade, we shall make up and move ahead.

The growth of our science and education will be enriched by new knowledge of our universe and environment, by new techniques of learning and mapping and observation, by new tools and computers for industry, medicine, the home as well as the school. Technical institutions, such as Rice, will reap the harvest of these gains.

And finally, the space effort itself, while still in its infancy, has already created a great number of new companies, and tens of thousands of new jobs. Space and related industries are generating new demands in investment and skilled personnel, and this city and this State, and this region, will share greatly in this growth. What was once the furthest outpost on the old frontier of the West will be the furthest outpost on the new frontier of science and space. Houston, your City of Houston, with its Manned Spacecraft Center, will become the heart of a large scientific and engineering community. During the next 5 years the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to double the number of scientists and engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to $60 million a year; to invest some $200 million in plant and laboratory facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over $1 billion from this Center in this City.

To be sure, all this costs us all a good deal of money. This year¹s space budget is three times what it was in January 1961, and it is greater than the space budget of the previous eight years combined. That budget now stands at $5,400 million a year--a staggering sum, though somewhat less than we pay for cigarettes and cigars every year. Space expenditures will soon rise some more, from 40 cents per person per week to more than 50 cents a week for every man, woman and child in the United Stated, for we have given this program a high national priority--even though I realize that this is in some measure an act of faith and vision, for we do not now know what benefits await us.

But if I were to say, my fellow citizens, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the control station in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field, made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then return it safely to earth, re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun--almost as hot as it is here today--and do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out--then we must be bold.

I'm the one who is doing all the work, so we just want you to stay cool for a minute. [laughter]

However, I think we're going to do it, and I think that we must pay what needs to be paid. I don't think we ought to waste any money, but I think we ought to do the job. And this will be done in the decade of the sixties. It may be done while some of you are still here at school at this college and university. It will be done during the term of office of some of the people who sit here on this platform. But it will be done. And it will be done before the end of this decade.

I am delighted that this university is playing a part in putting a man on the moon as part of a great national effort of the United States of America.

Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, "Because it is there."

Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.

Thank you.

sumber : http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm

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