cation in ChinaEducation in China today has been developing rapidly. In many provinces, it is compulsory and free. Most children start school at the age of six. They attend 5 years of elementary school and 6 years of high school.After graduation from high school, a student can start his higher education in a two-year college, a four-year college, a university, or a specialized professional school. Most colleges admit students on the basis of their entrance examination records. The cost of a college education is not very high. And the greater part of it is met by their families, though students can get support from their college. Many students receive scholarships from the school, the government, or private foundations and organizations. Though great progress has been made in China in the field of education, there is still a comparatively large part of the population in the country who can not read an write.2. DreamsDreams are a product of the sleeper‟s mind. They include events and feelings that he ha s experienced. Most dreams are related to events of the day before the dream and the strong wishes of the dreamer. Many minor incidents of the hours before sleep appear in dreams. Few events more than two days old turn up. Deep wishes or fears, especially those held since childhood, often appear in dreams, and many dreams fulfill such wishes. Events in the sleeper‟s surroundings, a loud noise, for example, may become part of a dream, but they do not cause dreams.Some dreams involve deep feelings that a person may not realize he has. Psychiatrists often use material from a patient‟s dreams to help the person understand himself better.Dreaming may help maintain good learning ability, memory, and emotional adjustment.3. EmotionsAccording to psychologists, an emotion is aroused when a man or animal views something as either bad or good. When a person feels like running away from something he thinks will hurt him, we call this emotion fear. If the person wants to remove the danger by attacking it, we call the emotion anger. The emotion does not have to be created by something in the outside world. It can be created by a person‟s thoughts.Everyone has emotions, but many psychologists believe that infants are born without emotions. They believe children learn emotions just as they learn to read and write. A growing child not only learns his emotions but learns how to act in certain situations because of an emotion.4. Reemployment of laid-off workersThe issue of reemployment has emerged with large numbers of surplus laborers having been laid off. There is no doubt that it would lead to endless trouble if the surplus were not reorganized properly. In order to maintain social stability and to secure people‟s normal living standards, it is essential to work out solutions to the problem.Solving the problem is a two-way operation as far as the government and workers are concerned. On the one hand, the government at all levels should try every possible means to create a wide range of employment options open to laid-off workers; on the other hand, theseworkers ought to sit idle and wait for opportunities to come. So long as they don‟t lose heart and constantly strive to better themselves, their futures will be bright.5. Describing peopleFaces, like fingerprints, are unique. Did you ever wonder how it is possible for us to recognize people? Even a skilled writer probably could not describe all the features that make one face different from another. Yet a very young child—even an animal, such as a pigeon—can learn to recognize faces. We all take this ability for granted.We also tell people apart by how they behave. When we talk about someone‟s personality, we mean the ways in which he or she acts, speaks, thinks and feels that make that individual different from others.Like the human face, human personality is very complex. But describing someone‟s personality in words is somewhat easier than describing his face. If you were asked to describe what a “nice face” looked like, you probably would have a difficu lt time doing so.But if you were asked to describe a “nice person”, you might begin to think about someone who was kind, considerate, friendly and warm.11. Man‟s Best FriendAlmost everyone likes dogs, and almost everyone likes reading stories about dogs. I have a friend who has a large police dog. Its name is Jack. Police dogs are often every clever. Every Sunday afternoon my friend takes Jack for a long walk in the park. Jack likes these long walks very much. One Sunday afternoon a young man came to visit my friend. He stayed a long time. He talked and talked. Soon it was time for my friend to take Jack for his walk. But the visitor still stayed. Jack became very worried. He walked around the room several times and then sat down in front of the visitor and looked at him. But the visitor paid no attention. He continued talking. Finally Jack couldn‟t stand it. He went out of the room and came back a few minutes later. He sat down again in front of the visitor but this time he held the visitor‟s hat in his mouth.12. CommunicationYou speak, write a letter, make a telephone call. Your words carry a message. People communicate with words. Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you raise your hand in class, the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions. You shake your head, and people know you are saying “N”. You nod and people know you are saying “Yes”. Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take.A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time?13. Weather and MenEverybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. It is true. People usually begin their conversations with “Isn‟t it a nice day?” “Do you think it will rain?” “What a fineday!” etc.Many people think they can tell what the weather is going to be like. But they rarely agree with each other. One man may say, “Do you see how cloudy it is in the east? It‟s going to rain tomorrow.” Another man will say. “No, it‟s going to be fine tomorrow.”People often look for the weather they want. When a farmer needs water, he looks for something to tell him it‟s going to rain; he won‟t believe anything else. When friends have planned a trip, they are sure the weather is going to clear up very quickly. Almost everyone listens to what the weatherman says. But he doesn‟t always tell us what we want, and once in a while he makes a mistake.14. A Selfish ManSmith was a landlord. He loved money very much and never gave anything to anybody. One day landlord was walking along a river with his friends and fell into it. HE cried, “Help! Help!” One of his friends held out his hand and said, “Give me your hand and I will pull you out.” But he did not give his hand to his friend. Then another of his friends tried but the same thing happened. Just then a farmer came over an saw all this. He knew the landlord very well. He said to the others, “Let me try.” He held out his hand and said to the landlord, “Take my hand and I will pull you out.” Hearing this landlord took the farmer‟s hand, and in a minute the farmer pulled the landlord out of the water. All the others were very surprised at this and asked the farmer, “Why did he give his hand to you but not to us?” The farmer said, “You don‟t know your friend very well, when you say …give‟ to him, he does nothing, but when you say …take‟, he takes.”15. The Benefits of Class ParticipationDifferent teachers have different styles of teaching. Some prefer to deliver a prepared lecture, while others expect some participation from their students. Likewise, some students learn best in the former situation, while others do so in the latter. Perhaps the best learning environment is one in which the preferred styles of teacher and students match. For me, that is a class in which the teacher encourages class participation.I prefer to participate in class for several reasons. One is that students‟ participation makes the class more lively and interesting. I can hear not only my teacher‟s opinion on a subject, but also those of my classmates. Another reason is that I believe the teacher can better understand the students when they interact with him in class. Rather than wait for exam results to indicate how much the students have absorbed, the teacher can learn immediately whether the students understand what he is talking about. Finally I acquire more knowledge in this kind of class. I can ask more in-depth questions and satisfy my curiosity.28. TimeAs a popular saying goes, “Time is money”. In fac t, time is more precious than money. When money is spent, you can earn it back if you want to. However, when time is gone, it will never come back. As the pace of modern life continues to accelerate, the time at our disposal is quite limited. But there are a lot of thing to be done in our lives. We should make full use of our time to complete what is useful to us. For instance, as students we should devote most of our time to our academic studies. In this way we can acquire the new knowledge and skill necessary for our futurecareers. In my opinion, wasting time means wasting our valuable life. But many of us don‟t realize this. They think time is inexhaustible. I‟m not in favor of such a view. Hence, my conclusion is that we should never put off what can be done today until tomorrow.29. Keeping a diary in EnglishKeeping a diary in English is one effective way to improve our English writing ability. Compared with other forms of writing, it is shorter and takes less time. If we persist in this practice, gradually we‟ll learn how to express ourselves in English. In keeping a diary in English, we inevitably come up against a lot of difficulties. In the first place, it often happens that we have trouble finding appropriate words and phrases to express ourselves. Secondly, there are many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. And it is extremely hard for us to put them into English properly. Certainly, there are some other obstacles we may come across in keeping a diary in English. So I suggest we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary within easy reach. Whenever something gets the better of us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then consult our dictionary. We can also turn to our English teacher for help, if necessary.30. The tuition fee system in ChinaThe system of tuition fees has become one of the hottest topics in China since it was put into effect. Different people have different opinions of it. Some people think that there is no university in the world which is open to students without tuition fees. The Chinese government is unable to allocate enough funds to pay for various teaching facilities and many different kinds of expenses. One of the ways to relieve the problem is for students to pay tuition fees. The money raised in their way can be used to improve school‟s operating conditions. Others, however, are opposed to the system of tuition fees. They argue that compared with that in the western World, the living standard of Chinese people, especially of those in the poor rural areas, is still low. The university tuition fees will certainly add to the already heavy burden on parents, who live on their salaries or wages. Moreover, tuition fees hinder some talented people from entering university only on account of their poverty.31. SmokingIt is known to almost all that smoking is bad for people‟s health. Scientific research has shown that smoking can lead to heart disease, cancer and other problems. The World Health Organization says diseases linked to smoking kill at least two million five hundred thousand people each year. Still, many people find it difficult to stop smoking. One reason is that smoking usually becomes a habitual behavior, and habits, whether good or bad are not easy to give up. Another reason is that the effect of nicotine, the substance found in cigarettes works on people somewhat as drugs do. Measures have been taken to help people keep away from the harmful effects of smoking. In many cities, smoking is forbidden in public places. The danger of smoking is warned of everywhere. And newspapers are asked not to publish advertisements for cigarettes. World “No Tobacco Day” is observed every year as the biggest campaign against smoking.32. My first jobBefore I started at university, I took my first job as a waitress in a nice restaurant. The night before my first day, I was too excited to go to sleep and as a result, I got up late in the morning. I threwon my clothes and rushed over to the restaurant.In a great hurry, I didn‟t hear clearly the head waiter‟s instruction that we should go into the kitchen through one door and out from the other. So when I took two plates of eggs and bacon and an orange juice out to the restaurant, I went straight towards the wrong door and collided with another waiter coming in.Worst of all was that I wore a pair of smart shoes with high heels! A few hours later I was in agony, yet had no time to change them. By the time we finished serving dinner at about 10:30, I was completely exhausted. Nevertheless, I learnt something from my experience.33. Birth controlSince the Chinese government singled out family planning as one of the basic state policies in 1978, the country has adopted various measures and achieved great success in birth control. The total birth rate has been decreasing gradually.However, at present China‟s population is still growing very rapidly. It is reported that every year the population of this country increases by an extra 15 million. And China encountered a birth peak during the 1990s. It is obvious that china‟s economic development and the improvement of people‟s standards of living have been and will be greatly affected by the size of population. Therefore, to control population growth more strictly is clearly essential to the country‟s r eforms and economic development. We should restress the importance of birth control and call on the whole nation to take more effective action.34. AdvertisementAdvertisements are making their way into people‟s loves. People depend on advertisers in thei r daily lives because they are consumers. The advertisers are not always manufacturers. Sometimes they are salesmen. Their merchandise needs advertising. Thus nearly every product is advertised. To some extent, good advertising means success while bad advertising can mean failure.There are many ways to advertise and “ads” come into different forms. Newspapers carry advertisements. Some products are announced on TV and radio, both of which have a wide audience. Billboards also carry advertising. Advertising is a big industry no wand many agencies have been set up to provide a variety of related services.However, advertising is not always truthful. A product is often misrepresented. The advertiser exaggerates the benefits of the merchandise he wants to sell. Thus, he misrepresents the truth. The consumer falls victim to such advertising. Millions of people have bought advertised products and they haven‟t always been satisfied.35. Fighting criminalsToday the crime rate in some cities of our country is rising. Many citizens often complain about the thefts and robberies that have taken place in the areas they live in. They appeal to the government at all levels to take effective measures to reduce the crime rate.Faced with criminals, some people are so frightened that they shamelessly give up the fight and other people turn a blind eye. However, some people are brave enough to risk their lives to fight criminals. Their fearless actions prevent the criminals from doing evil, save victims, and protect public property.To reduce the crime rate, all pf the people should first receive some education about the law. Criminals must be severely punished. Meanwhile we should set up a foundation to reward those who fight criminals. It is also important to call on people to learn from those heroes who do so and encourage more people to stand up to crime.36. How to keep fitAs a popular saying goes, “Health is better than wealth.” Good health enables you to enjoy your life and achieve what you hope for in your career. On the other hand, poor health tends to deprive you of your interest in everything around you. Therefore, health is indispensable to a happy life.There are many ways to help build up your health, in the first place, those who are always on the run from morning till night should find time to relax, because too much stress can lead to poor performance and ill health. Secondly, if you want to keep fit, you must give up habits that are harmful to your health. Finally, regular physical exercise is essential for a healthy mind and body. To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing more health-giving than a brisk walk in the morning.37. My views on opportunityViews on opportunity vary from person to person. Some people think that opportunities are really important. They are of this opinion because they think that if you have knowledge, skill or experience, opportunities will come to you naturally.Others, however, take a more positive view of it. In their view, opportunity is the most important factor on the way to success. Without opportunity, to their mind, hard work equals nothing. Moreover, they always complain that they are not successful because they are not lucky enough to get any opportunity.My view on opportunity falls between the two extremes. I am more in favour of an objective attitude to opportunity. It‟s true that “opportunity is fair to everyone”, but it doesn‟t mean that everyone can make full use of it when it is under their nose. Therefore, we should not rely solely on opportunity. Instead, we should work hard and get well prepared for its arrival.38. Is job-hopping advisable?Many people are inclined to do one job for the whole of their lives. In their opinion people who change their jobs frequently are unwise. They believe that the only way to succeed is to stick to one job, for constant practice in a professional field helps make an expert.But there are many other people who think otherwise. They argue that change means progress. If you are not satisfied with your present job, you certainly have the right to change it for a more challenging and better paid one. Every change is a step to further success. These convictions may be the reason why they change their jobs so often.In my opinion, it is reasonable to change your job if you have a better opportunity. But once you have found a position where you can fully display your ability, it is advisable to settle down to it and put all your efforts into it.39. Marks or AbilitySome students attach great importance to marks. They think that their primary task is to study and learn from teachers and textbooks. They seldom take part in other activities, because they are afraid that those activities will affect their studies. They put marks before anything else, thus neglecting the development of their practice abilities.Some other students think it more important to develop their practical abilities. They think that college students should not only learn from books, but should also learn from practical activities. They think that practical abilities are of primary importance, so they take every opportunity to develop these abilities with painstaking efforts.I think we must first study hard, but we must not neglect the development of our practical abilities, for when we enter society, we will need various abilities. If we only have knowledge from books, it will be hard fro us to adapt quickly in society.40. Large Companies or Small CompaniesThere are marked differences between working in a large enterprise and in a small one. In a large enterprise, you can derive a deep sense of satisfaction and pride from being a member of a well-known organization. And you have opportunities to learn from experienced managers and get acquired with standard working practices.In a small enterprise, you have bigger responsibilities and have a better chance of moving up. You may often make your own decisions and your decisions may bring immediate efforts. Normally you are exposed to various experiences and expected to do a great many things without much guidance.Personally, I prefer to work in a small enterprise, where my prospects of promotion are good as long as I work hard. I‟d rather become a well-known and important “fish” within my own small pond.41. The Population Explosion in ChinaChina has the largest population in the world, about 1.2 billion people. Before Liberation there were only 400 million people. But shortly after Liberation in 1949, China began to have a population explosion. The standard of living has been rising and people have obtain ed better and better housing, while medical care and job security have been improved. As a result, the average life expectancy of our nation is going up rapidly, as well as the birth rate.With a population explosion, a series of other problems will emerge. There will be a lack of land, food supply, water, fuel and so on in our country. The consequence of the problems will threaten human life.Therefore, in order to stop these terrible consequences, we have used family planning to control the birth rate. At the same time we should take other effective steps to make sure people everywhere continue to limit their families through birth control.42. ClothesClothes are of great use to people. For one thing, they can make ladies prettier and gentlemen more handsome. For another, they can help protect people from wind and cold and so on. In a word, they have a variety of uses.Women pay more attention to clothes than men. Some girls think more about them and try their best to keep up with the latest fashions, while some young men just buy what suits them and what they can afford. In china, even some old women nowadays also care deeply about the style of their clothes.My opinion of clothes is this: to be well dressed needn‟t mean being luxuriously dressed, though I work hard to earn as much money as possible to dress myself up. I like to dress in my own style. As long as something suits my style, it is fine for me.43. ThriftThrift is a good habit for everyone, especially students who are still supported by their parents. For it is by no means easy for their parents to earn money in the present day. There are many English proverbs which set forth the advantage s of thrift. One of the best known is “Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.” It is thrift that makes us rich or successful in life.However, there is a popular belief among people that students have formed wasteful habits. When you go into the dining hall, you will find out they waste a lot of rice. Moreover, wasting time, effort and money are common among them. Those who spoil the pages of their books are not cultivating thrift habits. In a word, waste is becoming a big problem at universities, so we should take steps to bring it under control.44. Cheating in TestsMore and more students are cheating in exams. It is now considered to be a major problem at colleges and universities. In every exam, some students feel the temptation to sneak a look at their neighbors‟ tests, or at textbooks. Some students even take tests for other ones. According to a recent poll, 40 percent of students have admitted to cheating in exams at least once during their college life. There are indications that such dishonesty is on the increase.Colleges and universities across our country have decided to take steps against students cheating. For instance, students cheating are not given marks, or some of them are criticized publicly. But none of these measures work effectively. We ought to make all students realize that if they cheat on exams, they will be dishonest in their future work, and in the end they will be entirely dishonest men.45. RecreationWe all regard recreation as part of our life, for it is impossible to keep in good health unless we take sufficient relaxation. The mind, too, requires change to make it acute and vigorous. There is much truth in the old proverb, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”Of course, everyone should relax according to his own circumstances. Peoplewho sit a lot at work should choose a kind of recreation that will exercise their muscles. Some examples are: football, tennis, kite-flying, boating, cycling and dancing. Those who spend most of their time in the open air and constantly employ their muscles should adopt reading or some other quiet form of recreation.However, some young men spend their leisure hours indulging themselves in gambling, drinking or other bad activities. Improper means of killing time not only waste valuable time but also do great harm to the person concerned.46. Education in ChinaEducation is highly valued in China. According to the law, everyone must, as a minimum, attend elementary and middle schools. And colleges, universities and special schools have been established for students to study in. In addition, we have sent many students abroad so that they can absorb more advanced science and technology, and improve and develop our country‟s economy.In our times, considerable education is indispensable for anyone who wished to play a role in society. With the development of science and technology, more and more courses are being offered, even at primary and secondary levels. And greater emphasis is put on the practical side, as compared with education in the past.However, there are still some problems in our country. For example, in the countryside, a large number of people can not read and write, even not knowing how to write their names and so on. Our government and all the people are making efforts to wipe out illiteracy.47. HobbiesDifferent people may have different hobbies. Some like reading novels, painting pictures or listening to music; some like traveling around, playing ball, climbing mountains and some enjoy collecting things, such as stamps, books, shells, and insect specimen.Why do people like taking up hobbies? It is because hobbies can provide people with knowledge and enjoyment. They can also help you feel relaxed after your busy day at work. Anyone, young or old, can develop a satisfying hobby.Today people have some time than ever before for hobbies. With the development of science and technology, machines have reduced the amount of time people have to spend on their jobs and their housework. They can save more time for hobbies and enjoy themselves in their spare time now.48. HealthHealth is the foundation of one‟s success. This is because health gives us strength and happiness. If you are healthy, you can do whatever you need to do to realize your hopes. On the other hand, if you are sick, it is impossible for you to go on with your work or studies.How can we have good health? Firstly, forming good habits is very important, including getting up and going to bed early. Secondly, doing exercise every day will help to strengthen you not only physically, but also mentally. Thirdly, a proverb says“prevention is better than cure.” Try your best to keep fit and avoid getting sick, or cure yourself of a disease while it is still at an early stage.In conclusion, nothing is more valuable than health. With good health, you can study and work efficiently; you can achieve more success and make a greater contribution to society.49. FriendshipFriendship is very important in one‟s life. A good friend is truly a person of the highest value. Many of us may have several friends, but true friendship is not easy to achieve.There is a saying “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” A good friend is always there when you need him. He will try every effort to help you if he can.We know friendship works in two ways. If you want love and respect from your friends, you must give them your love and respect. You should also help them when they are in trouble, encourage them when they need it, and cheer them up when they are sad.Nothing in the world is more treasured than a true friend in one‟s life. If you have made a good friend, put every possible effort into keeping and developing your friendship.50. How to Improve Your Spoken EnglishMany English learners have found that speaking is the most difficult aspect of learning English. They seem to know the basic English language structures, but feel awkward and embarrassed in situations where a conversation in English is needed.This does not mean that those learners are unable to organize their ideas in English. The problem lies in their lack of confidence and practice. They are afraid of making mistakes and losing face.The best way to improve your speaking is to build up confidence in yourself and open your mouth whenever you get the chance. Everyone makes mistakes when he or she is learning a language. Don‟t be shy. Only by spe aking more can you speak better English.。
