1. Developing Economy or Protecting the Environment
发展经济还是保护环境
Some people think that the urgent task is to develop economy on a large scale. First, they hold that many people, especially in rural areas, are living in poverty. As a result, many children drop out of school（辍学） and can’t afford even the compulsory education. Second, they believe only by further balancing and developing our economy can we get rid of poverty and gain the overall prosperity.
On the other hand, many people insist that environmental protection should be a top priority. First, they claim that we have only one mother earth. If our ecological environment is heavily polluted or ruined, we could not even survive on this planet. Second, they believe, it’s the rapid and advanced development of economy that leads to the present situation that most parts of the world are polluted. If the problem left unsolved, one day we may have nothing to drink, let alone develop our economy.
In my opinion, both economy and environmental protection are our urgent tasks now. Without economic development, we would remain backward. Moreover, we might be conquered or bullied（欺侮、威吓） by other powerful countries. And without environmental protection, we would lose our home. Therefore, the best solution is to develop environmental-protection-oriented industries and agriculture so as to kill two birds with one stone.
2、Advantages and Disadvantages of the Cell Phone
手机的利与弊
Nowadays, with the rapid development of IT(Information Technology: 信息技术) and information industry, cell phones play a dominant role in townspeople’s life. But, like everything else, they have both favorable and unfavorable aspects.
First, it’s useful. As a wireless mobile telephone, it’s easy and handy to carry it wherever one goes and call the callee however far away he is. Therefore, it greatly facilitates people’s life. Second, it’s convenient. whenever one meets trouble or something urgent, one can make a call immediately. Most important of all, it’s a very helpful companion. With a multifunction cell phone in hand, one can easily get on the Net（上网）, browsing the useful information, conducting e-commerce （电子商务）and doing whatever one can do via Internet.
However, just as everything has two sides, the cell phone also has many disadvantages. To begin with, it’s expensive to buy and costly to pay the bills, esp. that of global service. To make matters worse, it’s also easy to lose and costly to get it repaired. Worst of all, it’s not as clear as a family telephone and sometimes the number dialed is often not available. Last but not least, it’s alleged the micro-waves in it might do harm to people’s health.
In my opinion, with its expenses greatly reduced after China’s entry into the WTO, it will face an ever brighter future in its development. Someday most of them will be developed into new Internet-enabled mobile phones, which will be as useful as pocket computers. And I believe its advantages will not only offset（抵销、弥补） its disadvantages, but also far outweigh them.
Useful expressions:
wireless mobile telephone: 无绳移动电话
cellular phone users: 手机用户
multifunction: 多功能
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around the global service: 全球通讯服务
pocket computer: 袖珍电脑
4 、Positive and Negative Aspects of Internet
因特网的利与弊
With the development of computers, Internet has widely entered our daily life. It’s a fantastic information expressway （信息高速公路）that connects every corner of the world. However, like everything else, it has both positive and negative aspects.
On one hand, Internet has many favorable aspects. To begin with, it provides tremendous most updated and useful information and greatly enriches our knowledge. Besides, it brings much convenience to us and greatly facilitates our daily life. To illustrate, we can almost do everything online by just staying at home. We can not only get all kinds of useful information or the educational programs from the long-distance educational system（远程教育系统）, but also shop on the website, order books, reserve hotel rooms. And we can even buy and sell stocks on the Net and do E-business and send E-mails. What’s more, it can help our country keep up with others in the outside world.
But on the other hand, Internet also has many unfavorable aspects. First, computer viruses bring us many troubles. Besides, useless information and games are sent to us unavoidably which take us much time and waste us much money. Worst of all, there’s always unavoidable pornography（色情内容） and obscenity（淫秽） on the Net, which will do much harm esp. to the youngsters.
To sum up, in my opinion, Internet is like a double-edged sword. We should make the best use of one edge and try not be hurt by the other.
5、A Teacher-centered Class or a Student-centered Class?
课程是以教师为中心还是以学生为中心？
Today in China there exist side by side two different teaching patterns: a teacher-centered class and a student-oriented class. Yet the differences between them are enormous.
A teacher-centered class is a typical traditional passive class. No doubt it is a natural product of the deep-rooted examination-oriented education（应试教育）. And there are several characteristics in this kind of class. To begin with, a teacher is the only actor on the stage and all the students are passive audience. Besides, he imparts（传授、给予） knowledge to his students in the same way he pours water into a container, never bothering to ignite the sparks or enthusiasm in students. Therefore, the class is often like a pond of dead water.
In contrast, a student-centered class is a kind of new active class, resulting from the quality-oriented education system（素质教育）. Naturally, it’s a newcomer of the educational reform. The first characteristic of this kind of class is that the teacher and students are all actors and all the students are actively involved in the classroom activities. The second is that the teacher always tries to instill（慢慢灌输） a love of learning in students and stimulate their interest. As a result, students, always find it a pleasure to learn in class, by asking ２
questions, discussing or even arguing with the teacher. Therefore, this kind of class is often like a boiling sea. However, I prefer an active student-oriented class not simply because it’s fun, but because it can make knowledge permanent. Besides, it can develop my creative mind and my leaning ability.
6、Computers in China
中国的电脑
With the development of science and technology, computers are getting very popular in modern cities. As a result, computers have been found a wide application not only in offices, but also in many families. Moreover, they have entered thousands and thousands of banks, schools, companies and families. And they are now making their way（一路前进、向前） for the country.
Why are computers so popular? The answer is that the powerful machines have many uses. To illustrate, first, as the most powerful brain in the universe, computers can do computation(计算) very quickly and accurately. Besides, they can gather and store information for later use. Finally, if joining Internet, they can exchange E-mails and chat with people throughout every corner of the world. In a word, these wonderful machines can create almost all the wonders of the world now.
With so many advantages and uses, computers will be even more popular in the coming century. On the one hand, more and more people will buy computers and get on the information expressway. On the other hand, computers will continue to perform wonders. Doctors may use them in a long-distance medical treatment（远程诊治）; teachers may start a long-distance educational program; business people may all conduct E-business and most customers may shop on the Net. Eventually, I firmly believe computers will revolutionize（彻底改变） our life in every aspect in the near future.
7、Education: Examination-oriented or Quality-oriented
教育应是应试教育还是素质教育
From primary school to college, students, teachers, parents---all are struggling for high scores. This is because the current education system is not aimed at students’ quality, but at developing their ability to perform well on the test. As a result, many students, even those with high scores, often do poorly when it comes to the practical application of the knowledge（当涉及到理论知识的应用时） they have learned.
Therefore, China is challenging examination-oriented education by advocating quality-oriented education（提倡素质教育）. The alternative will focus on the students’ ability and quality as a whole. And the exam results will no longer play a key role in evaluating the academic achievements（评估学业成绩） that a student gains in school.
My comment is that we should quicken the transition from exam-oriented to quality-oriented education. Personally, I firmly believe in the magic force of the new education policy, and eagerly look forward to enjoying the great benefits the program will bring about. It seems that I have seen in my mind’s eye a more colorful life, the looser environment, yet the more creative minds of the future students. Our education, so to speak, will not be making a “robot” or a “computer” out of the students, but bringing up a new generation that are masters of the robot and the computer themselves.
8、Develop Our Creative Mind
提倡创新精神
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Most Chinese students are accustomed to teacher-centered passive education（被动教育）. From primary school, to college, bound to the teacher-centered, exam-oriented education, they are always encouraged to obey teachers’ instructions, but discouraged to argue with teachers about what is being taught, let alone（不管） to form their own original ideas.
However, this passive educational pattern（被动教学模式） has caused many problems and produced a lot of side effects（副作用）, First, as students tend to follow the beaten track（走老路、按照惯例行事） and dare not challenge what is conventional, they gradually form the passive way of thinking. To make things worse, as they are so dependent on others, most of them lack the ability to solve practical problems. Worst of all, this puts out any sparks of inspiration（灵感） in their mind and render them to have no creativity at all. Admittedly, it will do great harm in their future. But now, with the arrival of the globalization of economy（随着全球经济一体化的到来）, it’s advocated that we should develop students’ creative mind and cultivate their innovative learning habits. I believe, only those with break-new-ground spirit, creative mind and proper skills will succeed in competing in the global job markets.
9. My View on a Part-time Job
兼职工作
Nowadays more and more college students are crazy about conducting business（做生意） or doing part-time jobs. It’s estimated that no less than 20 percent students are busy themselves with part-time jobs. What’s more, the tendency still seems to be on the rise. However, people have different opinions about it. Some people think of it positively. They believe doing a part-time job can earn them pocket money （零用钱）and release the financial burden（经济负担） on their parents. Besides, it’s necessary for them to take some real-life courses and learn more about the society so as to keep up with the outside world.
Others have a very different opinion and they think of it negatively. They hold doing a part-time job does more harm than good. In fact, they are actually selling themselves out as cheap unskilled labor and wasting their precious time in college. Besides, it will influence their study and lead them fail to live up to （辜负）the expectations of the country and of their parents.
In my opinion, as a college student, our priority is to study. Halfhearted（半心半意的） efforts can’t make us more competitive in the future job markets. Therefore, we should make full use of every minute in college or at least keep a good balance between study and part-time jobs and give more weight to our studies.
10、Blood Donation Without Repayment
无偿献血
Today blood donation without repayment is widely advocated. In fact every year, millions of people gather together in different areas to donate their blood. Their voluntary donation is esteemed（尊重） by other people who will follow their example and do the same later.
Blood donation without repayment is a noble action. It’s of some importance. First, it’s necessary for National Defence and the development of modern medicine. With adequate store in blood bank（血库） we can save lives of wounded soldiers during a war and those of the dying and seriously ill in everyday life. Second, it can cultivate one’s unselfishness and love for the mankind.
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However, blood donation would do no harm to donators’ health. As we all know, only healthy people are allowed to donate blood. And every time only a small amount of blood is drawn out from a donator. After blood donation, the donator’s body will make a quick adjustment to let the mechanism（人体机制） operate in its normal way.
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