How are we doing?
MY English teacher kicked off the first class by asking us "How are you?" "Fine!" the whole class responded, without hesitation. That conversation was repeated every class after that.
Then, one day, a guy in my group said, "I can't come up with an answer other than 'fine'!" All of us said we couldn't agree with him more, which then drove us to wrestle with this greeting confusion. Is that because our vocabulary isn't large enough? That's partly true. But what's more important, I suppose, is that we're not used to reflecting on how we're doing.
When asked, "How are you," I always struggled to recall what I had done the day before. I would be making a mad dash to class from time to time because it was hard to get up on time. When exams were coming, I would be staying up late to prepare. The scores might be high sometimes, but what I actually learnt would generally be lost to me. Such was life since primary school. I was astonished that I was even doing "fine".
I finally realized I should start caring about the quality of my life. So, I decided to make a change by asking myself "How are you" every day and trying my best to be able to respond delightfully with "I'm doing just great".
Ke Rensi, Shantou University
21st says: You're probably right. It never hurts to take time out to reflect on how you're doing in life as much as how you're doing in school.
Give those discarded cats a better home
ONE night, my father and I took a walk in the fields near our home. While we were strolling along the path, the shadow of something little came into view. It turned out to be a little cat. My father told me it was a wild cat. I was surprised when my father went on to tell me there were about 100 wild cats in that area and the number was increasing. Most of them had been discarded by their owners. A mother cat can give birth to many baby cats, thus putting a big burden on its owner. If the owner can't find a new owner for the babies, they have to let them loose in the fields.
The problem is that these wild cats may pose a hidden danger for people. They will damage things or possibly transmit diseases to livestock and people. We need to create a new home for these cats and not let them live in the wild without supervision.
By Pan Panying, via e-mail
21st says: Cats can also do damage to the bird population. So, people, be responsible if you have a pet.
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delightfully 令人愉快地
livestock 家畜
stroll 漫步
Bonus points
pose: 造成，形成(問題)
His lack of a good education has posed a threat to his advancement even after years of trying hard. 盡管他已經努力多年，但是沒有受過良好的教育對于他的提升仍是個障礙。
wrestle with: 斗爭
I wrestled with my conscience for a long time, then decided to tell him the truth. 我的良心掙扎了很久，最后決定告訴他真相。
MY English teacher kicked off the first class by asking us "How are you?" "Fine!" the whole class responded, without hesitation. That conversation was repeated every class after that.
Then, one day, a guy in my group said, "I can't come up with an answer other than 'fine'!" All of us said we couldn't agree with him more, which then drove us to wrestle with this greeting confusion. Is that because our vocabulary isn't large enough? That's partly true. But what's more important, I suppose, is that we're not used to reflecting on how we're doing.
When asked, "How are you," I always struggled to recall what I had done the day before. I would be making a mad dash to class from time to time because it was hard to get up on time. When exams were coming, I would be staying up late to prepare. The scores might be high sometimes, but what I actually learnt would generally be lost to me. Such was life since primary school. I was astonished that I was even doing "fine".
I finally realized I should start caring about the quality of my life. So, I decided to make a change by asking myself "How are you" every day and trying my best to be able to respond delightfully with "I'm doing just great".
Ke Rensi, Shantou University
21st says: You're probably right. It never hurts to take time out to reflect on how you're doing in life as much as how you're doing in school.
Give those discarded cats a better home
ONE night, my father and I took a walk in the fields near our home. While we were strolling along the path, the shadow of something little came into view. It turned out to be a little cat. My father told me it was a wild cat. I was surprised when my father went on to tell me there were about 100 wild cats in that area and the number was increasing. Most of them had been discarded by their owners. A mother cat can give birth to many baby cats, thus putting a big burden on its owner. If the owner can't find a new owner for the babies, they have to let them loose in the fields.
The problem is that these wild cats may pose a hidden danger for people. They will damage things or possibly transmit diseases to livestock and people. We need to create a new home for these cats and not let them live in the wild without supervision.
By Pan Panying, via e-mail
21st says: Cats can also do damage to the bird population. So, people, be responsible if you have a pet.
---------------------------------------
delightfully 令人愉快地
livestock 家畜
stroll 漫步
Bonus points
pose: 造成，形成(問題)
His lack of a good education has posed a threat to his advancement even after years of trying hard. 盡管他已經努力多年，但是沒有受過良好的教育對于他的提升仍是個障礙。
wrestle with: 斗爭
I wrestled with my conscience for a long time, then decided to tell him the truth. 我的良心掙扎了很久，最后決定告訴他真相。