Q11.Do you agree or disagree with the statement: In order to succeed, it is better tobe like others rather than different from everybody else.
Success can be perceived and achieved in manydifferent ways. Some people believe being differentholds the key while others attribute success tofinding common grounds. I’d go for the former viewbecause success depends on knowledge, experienceand social circle.
First off, the acquisition of knowledge is a matter of individuality. The best problem–solving method varies from person to person. A strategy may work perfectly fine for oneperson, but would turn out to be counterproductive for another. Take my roommate forinstance. He is usually spotted rushing from library to laboratory, from classroom to tenniscourt, burning mid–night oil to hit books before finals, and end up with straight A’s throughevery semester. Taking him as a role model, I started to follow suit. I signed up for variouslearning groups and it wasn’t long before I got more than I could handle on my plate andstretched myself too thin, eventually stressed out. It seems to me working around the clockmay serve him well, but I’d suffer if I take it too far.
Second, there is no single way to success. When taking on a challenge, people who wantto make a difference would think outside the box, trying out novel ideas and steering away fromconventional routines. As Steve Jobs once put it, innovation distinguishes a leader and afollower. Being different and creative gives you what it takes to lead the tide. This gives theman edge to rise above the unpredictables. On the other hand, those who imitate and neverbother to innovate are bound to be crowded out. For example, young people have a tendencyto go abroad to widen their horizons. They believe such experience can cultivate criticalthinking and offer different perspectives, which are essential in opening up job prospectsafter graduation. So when you choose a path less traveled, you are more likely to stand out andoutshine the ordinary.
Lastly, people who are different from each other stand a better chance of long–lastingrelationships. Sure, most people believe birds of a feather flock together; people sharingmuch in common are supposed to get along. But let’s face it, if two hot–tempered friends getinto a fight, chances are they’d end up yelling, cursing or even calling names. Neither of them iswilling to budge or meet halfway. If they stay mad at each other, the friendship wouldprobably get stuck in a dead end. But if you try to think differently and stand in the shoes ofyour friend, you might handle the quarrel more properly. When people realize they are one ofa kind, so is everybody else, they won’t force their own ideas on others and would think twicebefore offending people that are different from themselves.
To sum up, being different offers a unique way of learning, out–of–ordinary experience andbetter interpersonal relationships, all of which contribute to a more successful life.
Q12. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: Since the world has changed so much in the past fifty years, advice our grandparents can give us is not useful.
There is a common expression that goes, “withage comes wisdom.” Wisdom is the ability to useyour past experience to make good decisions aboutyour future. Regardless of how much the world haschanged in the past fifty years, I still believe theadvice my grandparents can give me is good.
My grandparents have had a lot of experiences and survived a lot of hardships. When mygreat grandmother died young, my grandmother had to grow up fast and help raise herbrothers and sisters. This was during the Great Depression, when people had to save everypenny just to be able to get by. My grandmother has talked with me about how she got throughthese hard times, and by listening to her stories I have learned many valuable lessons. I havelearned to value the things that I have and to work hard for things that I want. When it comesto taking care of my family, I always ask my grandmother for advice.
My grandparents are also a good resource for advice, because they have been aroundlonger and, therefore know more of the world. In my studies, I may have had the opportunitiesto travel all over the world. While both of my grandfathers have not traveled as much as me, that does not mean they have not experienced the world. During World War II, both of mygrandfathers were stationed abroad. They not only lived in Europe for a long period, but theyalso were able to interact with troops of foreign armies. They did not have the educationalopportunities that I have had, but that does not mean that I know more about the world thanthey do.
Admittedly, there are some areas in which I cannot go to my grandparents for advice, namely technology. Cell phones and computers were not around until my grandparents retired, so they have never had to use this kind of technology for work or study. While my grandparentshave tried to keep up with the times, they are certainly not experts. Whenever I visit mygrandmother, for example, she always asks me to fix her computer. I would say the only thing Icannot go to my grandparents for advice is anything concerning technology.
Even though there are certain areas in which my grandparents are not that well informed, this does not mean that they do not have good or useful advice. Grandparents’wisdom from theexperiences they have had can give us insight and help us make decisions.
Q13. In order to attract more tourists, government should improve the safety by hiring more police or improve the appearance by improving the old buildings and streets.
Nowadays, for the economic development of acity, the government place undue emphasis on howto boost its tourism industry. While some expertsshow their enthusiasm on selling their cities tooutside tourists by publicizing good social security via recruiting more police, I hold a differentopinion. From my perspective, improving old buildings and streets is a better alternative.
Admittedly, hiring more police might be useful in attracting tourists. When government isfocusing on recruiting more policemen, these new recruiters would be helpful in improvingsocial security standards. Thanks to the improved standards, more visitors might be relievedabout the city when paying a visit to the city; hence the the city reputation would beenhanced. However, on balance, only focusing on police while not improving building places ofinterest is not enough. Without places about culture or places for amusement parks, visitorsstill would not come even if social security is good. To attract more visitors, a more effectiveway would be to improve olds buildings.
To begin with, improving old buildings helps preserve old cultures. In other words, morevisitors would love to visit places with cultural value so the maintenance of old buildings isattractive to them. For example, when Beijing government begins to repair the Great Wall, thesymbol of diligence of ancient Chinese people, the experts pay great attention on building thewrecked walls and restoring some stone relics. Meanwhile, they reshape some broken bricks forthe steps so that visitors could step onto the Great Wall. As a result, an increasing number ofvisitors from foreign countries come to Beijing to watch the marvelous Great Wall building ontop of piles of mountains. On the contrary, if hiring more police, though government wouldgain reputation for their good management in social security, it would not add to anycultural attraction.
In addition, improving the streets makes it convenient for tourists. That’s is to say, tourists would love to visit places with convenient facilities. According to a survey conductedon Sina Weibo, after polling hundreds of tourists from the National Holiday, a significantpercentage of them claim that when deciding a place as their touring destination, they aremore likely to choose a city with broader streets. In their minds, when the city is built withconvenient streets and beautiful auxiliary facilities, this urban planning would give tourists asense of modernism and make them feel go into colorful metropolitan life. With these perfectstreets, public transport would be convenient for them to visit both in city and around city.
To sum up, due to the reasons I lost above, I would regard that by perfecting streets andmaintaining old buildings, government would be more likely to attract tourists to visit the city.
Q14. It is important to have rules about the types of clothing that people are allowed towear at work and at school.
Nowadays, people’s opinions may differ when it comes to the issue whether it is of vitalimportance to have rules about the types of clothing that people are permitted to wear at workand at school. Some people would claim that clothing is an identity at work or school. However, in my opinion, I am still in favor of the idea that rules on the types of clothing areunnecessary for the following reasons.
Admittedly, restriction on clothing at work or at school can enhance working and learningefficiency to some extent. When employees are ruled to wear uniforms, people can focus theirattention on what they do instead of distracted by a variety of clothes. It is obvious thatconcentration will bring efficiency, ensuring production efficiency and ensuring studyingeffect. However, compared to the benefits brought by free wearing, rules on clothing aresecondary both to workers and students
To begin with, allowing employees to have different standards on clothes enables workers tofeel more respect. That is to say, by providing the freedom to dress whatever they like, employers deliver the concept of respect. According to a survey conducted by Gallup, afterpolling thousands of employees from different companies, most respondents believe thatregulations on their clothing are disrespectful and undesirable and should be abandoned or atleast adjusted. It is also mentioned by some senior managers that it is of potential risks toprohibit the clothes wearing since it might cause tension between employers and employees. On the other hand, when employees are free to choose what to wear in office, the colordifference would bring more diversity, leading to a more vivacious atmosphere. This is helpfulin improving work efficiency because office–stayers are more free in what they think and howto manage the problems.
In addition, in a school setting, personalized clothing can cultivate students’ appreciation for beauty. As is known to all, students are at an age that well–roundededucation are in dire need; by permitting students to wear different kinds of clothes, studentscan learn about beauty through different angles by watching everyday apparels. For instance, my girlfriend Katie grew up in US and she was given with the freedom to wear what she loves inschool. Later when she started working in China, she knew exactly what to wear because herstandard of beauty in dressing has been established. In contrast, most Chinese students whohave been restricted by wearing uniforms in school for years would have trouble choosing theproper attire entering the professional world. The reason is that most Chinese teenagers arenot given with the opportunity to select what they like. Consequently, they lack theexperience of trial and error, which will take a longer time for them to find out what’s suitablefor them.
To sum up, based on the above analysis, despite certain merits of having strict dresscode, I believed that people should not implement this policy at work or school.
Q15. It is as important for older people to studyor learn new things as it is for younger people.
As people age, they tend to become more andmore set in their ways. When we are young it is easyto revise our beliefs and adopt new perspectives, but over time, our thinking slowly becomes rigid. But just because this phenomenon is the normdoesn’t mean that it’s ideal. There are someadvantages to more rigid thinking, but I think it’s a good idea for old people to continueacquiring new knowledge.
For one thing, an increasing number of medical studies show that staying mentally activecan help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. When you keep your brain engaged, youcan build reinforce the connections between brain cells or perhaps even create new ones. Thisis possibly why Alzheimer’s occurs less in populations with higher levels of education. Thus, inorder to live a longer and healthier life, it is recommended that elderly individuals continue topursue cerebral activities like learning new things. Learning has tangible health rewards.
For another thing, continuing to acquire new knowledge will keep elderly individualsemotionally present and connected to the world. When people enter the later stages of theirlives, they tend to stop adapting to societal development. Changes in society can seem tocome swiftly and without warning, and upon feeling overwhelmed by the sudden alienness ofthe world around them, many will choose to retreat into their minds to live in simpler, morefamiliar times. These individuals stop trying to learn to use new technologies or grasp new waysof interacting, and so they become out of touch with those around them. A grandfatherunwilling to use Skype to communicate with his grandchildren on the other side of the world, for example, will live a more emotionally impoverished life. So by continuing to acquire newknowledge, elderly individuals can better maintain their connections to others.
Granted, non–stop learning can be tiring and time consuming. There is a prevailing beliefthat old age is the time to relax and let go of such potentially stressful endeavors, and thatthe consequences of putting learning on hold are acceptable and even inevitable for oldpeople. I can sympathize with this view—after a lifetime of exertion, people deserve tofinally kick back—but in the end, I think that continued learning will lead to an overall increasein the quality of life for elderly individuals. Learning will require some exertion, but howenjoyable will life be if you’re too senile or out–of–touch with loved ones to appreciate it? Inthe end, keeping your brain active will ensure that you can enjoy the time you have left to thefullest.
People generally accept that the older we get, the less new knowledge we acquire. Peoplealso generally accept that older people inevitably mentally degenerate and lose touch withsociety. If we do not relinquish the pursuit of knowledge in old age, however, then we do nothave to resign ourselves to senility and alienation.
Q16. It is a waste of time to spend funds onspace travel or space exploration.
Nowadays, an increasing number of citizens arediscussing the recent launch of ShenZhou carrierrocket. While there are some people who claim thatthis kind of launch is a waste of money or timebecause it could not bring any benefits for citizens, Ihold a different opinion. From my perspective, space exploration is necessary.
Admittedly, space travel or space exploration would waste a large sum of money. Byspending much money on doing research regarding outer space life, government loses theirfocus on civil life where many people are suffering from starvation, air pollution andepidemics. Under this circumstance, there is no doubt that people would complain aboutgovernment’s aloft behaviors. However,if viewing from a different angle, space exploration isa long time investment. Never should we expect the journey would bring immediate economicreturns to the country. In this case, space travel and space exploration is quite helpful for thecountry.
To begin with, space exploration might bring benefits for us to search for new energyresource. That is to say, other planets may be rich in certain kinds of resources that are ingreat shortage on the earth. According to the report released after the exploration to theMars, the officials from NASA confirms that Mars contains a great volume of natural gas andiron. Moreover, engineers have also noticed that these resources on the planet are able toexplore, and if they could solve the problem of long time transportation, these resourcescould be used on the earth. Consequently, the use of natural gas will not consume burning ofpetroleum and make our planet a better place to live in.
In addition, space exploration aims to improve level of technology. In other words, it isthe development of advanced technology that makes it possible to explore the outer space. Itis usually the case that without the technology of launching satellite into the space, it isimpossible for people to conduct research. As a result, scientists have to improved theirknowledge in related areas so that they could guarantee the launch of these rockets, as wellas satellites. Meanwhile, to ensure astronauts’ safety in the outer space, scientists have torepeated work on their suits in order to keep astronauts away from radioactivity. Also, to fillwith enough oxygen, scientists have to run encapsulation tests again and again. Only if theseequipment are guaranteed can astronauts be safely working in the outer space.
To sum up, the seemly useless space exploration would cost a large sum of money; however, this space activity could still bring benefits in both new energy searching andtechnology improvement.
Q17. Which is better for children’education: 9-month study and 3-month break or 3-monthstudy and 1-month break?
Nowadays, topic regarding how to balance studytime and break time has aroused a wide discussionamong teachers and even parents. While someparents think that 9-month study and 3-month break might make students more easilyconcentrate on their academic life due to more consecutive time spent in school, I disagree. In my opinion, 3-moth study along with 1-month break would be better for students.
Admittedly, 9-month study time seems to be helpful for students. Since students wouldspend 9 month in a stretch, they might be more focusing on their study. Days after days, students are immersed with their coursework, discuss their problems in class and do theirhomework after class; Meanwhile, they would be less likely to be disturbed by some casualentertainment. Both of them contribute to students’ devotion to study. However, if viewingit from a different angle, after students spend long time on study, three–month vacation iswaiting for them. It is supposed that they would consider this vacation as a total outlet afterstudy, and they would play extravagantly without control. Consequently, what they havelearned might leave behind, and this would not be helpful for their study in the next phrase. Toavoid this, 3-month study with 1-moth break would be a better option.
To begin with, 3-month study time is beneficial for students. In other words, this kind ofschedule is helpful for students to adjust between coursework and rest. In normal middleschool, students are asked to study in a quarter of time where teachers choose appropriatecourse materials so that they will not be too hard for students to study. In physics class, teachers would focus more on Newton’s theories in the quarter, but they might neglect thecontent related to Einstein because these theories might be too abstract for high school tounderstand. Meanwhile, even if students have some problems during these three–monthstudy, they would use the one–month time to review them. They could organize their ownstudy at home by making study plan, such as focusing on Chinese passages in the morning andtrying to solve math problems in the afternoon. Or they could sign up for some online coursesthat concentrate on the same course contents, which could help students make up for theknowledge they are not familiar with and understand how teachers solve these difficultproblems. In either way, students could have selected content to study in a relatively shorttime, and they could find ways to review problems if they encounter somemisunderstanding.
In addition, 3-month study is beneficial for teachers as well. That is to say, teacherswould dynamically update their knowledge based on feedback according to students from theprevious quarter. According to the recent study released from Pennsylvania State University, most teachers in local high school would review their syllabus after every quarter is finished. They would ask students to evaluate the difficulty level of each subject; if students considerthe course content is too hard to master, teachers might be required to replace the harder partwith a simpler one. Thanks to their feedbacks, for those who have not received satisfiedperformance in the previous quarter, they will not feel frustrated with these simpler contentsand keep on studying.
To sum up, based on the reasons I list above, though longer consecutive months soundreasonable, students might suffer from too much pressure. As a result, three–moth studywould be more appropriate for both student and teachers.
Q18. Nowadays, students do many things likesurfing the internet, listening to music whenthey are learning. Do you agree or disagree thatdoing other things impose bad effect onlearning?
While I prefer to put away my cellphone when doinghomework, I can see how some students couldbenefit from having a cellphone around. I think it isfine for students to use cellphones while studying as long as they can stay focused.
One reason is that many students are accustomed to studying with music. They find thatcertain types of music puts them into a “study mode,” and that music can make themonotony of studying more bearable. My friend, for example, has a hard time sitting in oneplace unless she plays classical music. Normally she is very high–energy and distractible, butwhile listening to classical music, she calms down and becomes highly focused. For students likeher, a cellphone is a highly useful study aid. It allows her to bring her music with her anywhere, so she is not limited to just studying in her room where her stereo is.
Another reason is that students sometimes need to use the internet to do research orcheck assignments, but it is not always possible or desirable for them to carry a laptoparound. In these situations, a cellphone is a good substitute. I remember one time when I hadto complete a history assignment while on a family vacation. There wasn’t access to theinternet where we were going, so my laptop would have been useless for research. Instead, Iused my cellphone’s 3G connection to do research and wrote the assignment by hand. Thevacation was much more relaxing because I didn’t have to lug my heavy laptop and chargeraround, and I still finished the assignment on time.
Some will point out that cellphones can potentially distract students from their work. Thisis true, but in my experience they are far less distracting than laptops, which students use quitefrequently for schoolwork. Cellphones have much smaller screens and generally take moreeffort to use, so students are less likely to waste time on them reading blogs or playing games. It simply isn’t as satisfying to procrastinate on a cellphone—laptops are much better for that. Plus, if you’re writing a paper on your laptop, your web browser is just a couple of clicks away. If you’re writing by hand with a cellphone next to you, it’s a bit less easy to put down yourpencil, pick up your phone, unlock it, and open a browser.
While I don’t personally use cellphones while studying unless absolutely necessary, I thinkthat they can be helpful for a lot of students. It’s true that cellphones can be distracting, butthey’re less damaging to productivity than laptops, so I think it’s hard to argue that studentsshouldn’t use them.
Q19. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: Since the world has changed so much in the past fiftyyears, advice our grandparents can give us is notuseful.
There is a common expression that goes, “withage comes wisdom.” Wisdom is the ability to useyour past experience to make good decisions aboutyour future. Regardless of how much the world haschanged in the past fifty years, I still believe theadvice my grandparents can give me is good.
My grandparents have had a lot of experiences and survived a lot of hardships. When mygreat grandmother died young, my grandmother had to grow up fast and help raise herbrothers and sisters. This was during the Great Depression, when people had to save everypenny just to be able to get by. My grandmother has talked with me about how she got throughthese hard times, and by listening to her stories I have learned many valuable lessons. I havelearned to value the things that I have and to work hard for things that I want. When it comesto taking care of my family, I always ask my grandmother for advice.
My grandparents are also a good resource for advice, because they have been aroundlonger and, therefore know more of the world. In my studies, I may have had the opportunitiesto travel all over the world. While both of my grandfathers have not traveled as much as me, that does not mean they have not experienced the world. During World War II, both of mygrandfathers were stationed abroad. They not only lived in Europe for a long period, but theyalso were able to interact with troops of foreign armies. They did not have the educationalopportunities that I have had, but that does not mean that I know more about the world thanthey do.
Admittedly, there are some areas in which I cannot go to my grandparents for advice, namely technology. Cell phones and computers were not around until my grandparents retired, so they have never had to use this kind of technology for work or study. While my grandparentshave tried to keep up with the times, they are certainly not experts. Whenever I visit mygrandmother, for example, she always asks me to fix her computer. I would say the only thing Icannot go to my grandparents for advice is anything concerning technology.
Even though there are certain areas in which my grandparents are not that well informed, this does not mean that they do not have good or useful advice. Grandparents’ wisdom fromthe experiences they have had can give us insight and help us make decisions.
Q20. It is as important for older people to study orlearn new things as it is for younger people.
As people age, they tend to become more andmore set in their ways. When we are young it is easyto revise our beliefs and adopt new perspectives, but over time, our thinking slowly becomes rigid. But just because this phenomenon is the normdoesn’t mean that it’s ideal. There are some advantages to more rigid thinking, but I think it’sa good idea for old people to continue acquiring new knowledge.
For one thing, an increasing number of medical studies show that staying mentally activecan help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. When you keep your brain engaged, youcan build reinforce the connections between brain cells or perhaps even create new ones. Thisis possibly why Alzheimer’s occurs less in populations with higher levels of education. Thus, inorder to live a longer and healthier life, it is recommended that elderly individuals continue topursue cerebral activities like learning new things. Learning has tangible health rewards.
For another thing, continuing to acquire new knowledge will keep elderly individualsemotionally present and connected to the world. When people enter the later stages of theirlives, they tend to stop adapting to societal development. Changes in society can seem tocome swiftly and without warning, and upon feeling overwhelmed by the sudden alienness ofthe world around them, many will choose to retreat into their minds to live in simpler, morefamiliar times. These individuals stop trying to learn to use new technologies or grasp new waysof interacting, and so they become out of touch with those around them. A grandfatherunwilling to use Skype to communicate with his grandchildren on the other side of the world, for example, will live a more emotionally impoverished life. So by continuing to acquire newknowledge, elderly individuals can better maintain their connections to others.
Granted, non–stop learning can be tiring and time consuming. There is a prevailing beliefthat old age is the time to relax and let go of such potentially stressful endeavors, and thatthe consequences of putting learning on hold are acceptable and even inevitable for oldpeople. I can sympathize with this view—after a lifetime of exertion, people deserve tofinally kick back—but in the end, I think that continued learning will lead to an overall increasein the quality of life for elderly individuals. Learning will require some exertion, but howenjoyable will life be if you’re too senile or out–of–touch with loved ones to appreciate it? Inthe end, keeping your brain active will ensure that you can enjoy the time you have left to thefullest.
People generally accept that the older we get, the less new knowledge we acquire. Peoplealso generally accept that older people inevitably mentally degenerate and lose touch withsociety. If we do not relinquish the pursuit of knowledge in old age, however, then we do nothave to resign ourselves to senility and alienation.
