年轻一代和父母辈的差别
The world is changing and developing at a faster and faster rate all the time. Because of this, the difference between children and their parents is becoming more pronounced with each new generation. In today's society, there are many differences between the age groups.
When our parents were growing up, the world was filled with turmoil. They were born into a time of war, and generally, lived through a very difficult era. Therefore, our parents are very careful to prevent accidents before they happen, and never act spontaneously. Our parents are very careful with how they spend their money, and do not spend much time relaxing. On the other hand, the current generation has grown up in a very safe, peaceful environment. We do not spend our time worrying about the future; instead, our time is spent enjoying the present.
Second, our methods of entertainment are very different from our parents. Television, computers and the Internet are relatively new inventions. Our parents did not have such luxuries when they were growing up.
Instead, they spent their free time outside, going on hikes around the city, or on bike rides. Today, most young people spend their free time inside, either watching television or playing computer games. Outdoor activities are usually saved for special occasions, such as trips outside the city.
The final way that today's generation is different from the previous one is seen in how we view change and progress. As mentioned above, our parents do not enjoy living spontaneously. They like to have a set schedule, and follow it every day. Young people, however, like their lives to be full of adventure. They enjoy searching out the unknown. For example, many students spend copious amounts of time learning English so they can go abroad to a foreign university. Many of our parents will not even get on an airplane to travel across China, not to mention traveling to another continent!
In conclusion, I believe that children are vastly different from their parents in today's society. Young people do not have to struggle to live; everything comes easily to them. The older generation, however, had a much more difficult life. Such large differences in lifestyle have created a very wide generation gap.
学生参与课堂
There are basically two types of classes in university, classes, i.e., where teachers lecture and where the students do some of the talking. Both teaching and learning approaches are valuable and have their own relative merits.
Classes that are dominated by teachers' lectures may benefits students in several ways. First of all, lectures can communicate the intrinsic interest of the subject matter. The speaker can convey personal enthusiasm in a way that no book or other media can. Enthusiasm stimulates interest, and it is an undeniable fact that interested, stimulated people tend to learn more. Moreover, lectures in university settings can provide students with role models of scholars in action. The professor's way of approaching knowledge can be demonstrated for students to emulate. Furthermore, lectures can organize material in a special way. They may provide a faster, simpler method of presenting information to an audience with its own special needs. Lectures are particularly useful for students who read poorly or who are unable to organize print material.
On the other hand, lecture approaches also have some relevant weaknesses. For example, the lecture often puts students in a passive rather than an active role. As is often the case, passivity can hinder learning. At the same time, most lectures assume that all students are learning at the same pace and at the same level of understanding, which is hardly ever true. Especially, Lectures place the burden of organizing and synthesizing content solely on the lecturer. They are not well suited to higher levels of learning such as application, analysis, and synthesis. Lectures require an effective speaker who can vary tone, pitch, and pace of delivery. Lecturers must be verbally fluent, a skill that is not stressed nor learned in many Ph.D. programs and is usually distributed unevenly among people. Lectures are therefore sometimes not well suited to complex, detailed, or abstract material.
In summary, Lecturing is probably the oldest teaching method and remains the most common form of instruction, despite the fact that some research has shown that lecturing is ineffective, especially if not combined with some alternative style of teaching. In fact, Lecturing is very appropriate for some goals and very inappropriate for others. And at the same time, the counterpart — the approach that allows students to participate discussions is equally non-universal. Therefore, I can hardly simply say that I prefer either approach. I think the choice should depend on circumstances including various factors such as the subject that is to learn, the depth that needs to explore, the quality that the lecturer or the discussing group have.
创造一个纪念日
Holidays are an excellent way to allow societies to honor people or events that have helped their country or the world. There are many things that deserve to be recognized in our culture, but there is one group of people that is underappreciated in society today: inventors. If I were to create a new holiday, it would be to pay respect to these important people and their creations.
Inventors are members of the most unappreciated profession in society today. Without inventors, all civilizations would still be living in the stone age, with no running water, no electricity, and more generally, no comforts. Many inventors create simple objects that do not seem that amazing, but upon closer inspection, one realizes that all inventions contribute greatly to convenience. All societies should pay homage to these great people by honoring them with a holiday.
The first way we could honor inventors is by opening exhibitions in galleries and museums dedicated to the inventions of current and past inventors. Many people have no idea where the greatest inventions came from. By displaying the life work of inventors, people will gain a new appreciation for them. This would also be a learning experience for the public, as they could see what current inventors are working on, and get excited about the upcoming progresses in society.
We could also honor inventors by having a school day dedicated to inventions. It is important to encourage school-aged children to use their imagination to come up with inventions of their own. The school system is excellent in China, but it does not promote free thinking. Children need to be given the opportunity to discover new creations on their own. By having a day dedicated to this, young people would become more interested in the manufacturing of new products and ideas.
So, I believe that inventors deserve their own holiday. They have provided society with so much comfort and convenience. By honoring inventors, we will show them how much we appreciate their efforts, as well as encourage our children to come up with new ideas of their own.
土地该怎么利用
With a population accounting nearly for one quarter of the world population, my country, China, has been suffering from serious loss of arable land, which now hardly accounts for 7% of overall arable land of the world. Yet some people simply do not realize that land loss is so crucial that we one day might incapable of averting that catastrophe if we now close our eyes to it.
Industrial development without careful consideration regarding land preservation has caused problems more serious than people can ever imagine. Take the great Three Gorges dam for example, which will be put into operation next year. While the country benefits from gargantuan potential of electricity generation, we have to face up to various environmental conservation issues concerning geological and ecological environment along both river sides and whole upper reaches. The professional designers of the great dam now have to work out a practical way to prevent and remedy pollution effectively, which has already been the focus of world attention.
After the entrance of the WTO, industry development is more and more important for our country, yet we should be careful about the pollution which is inevitably caused by industry. Recent surveys have shown that refuse treatment engineering is not well financed in China, while attentions are drawn to those much more obvious achievements. Industrial pollution accidents occur far more frequently in our still developing country than in other more advanced countries. Urban population also produce astoundingly large amount of pollution. Today the alleged white pollution is creeping all over the country—people throw plastic bags, films everywhere, never feeling anything wrong.
We no doubt need land either for natural condition or for industry, and it seems we need more if possible. Nevertheless, we live in a world where everything has its cost, and some day in the future, I believe, we will inescapably pay for what we have ignored.
书香门第
