（一）

Science of Farming

May 12， Sunday

Today I went to the country to see my uncle. Seeing the green cabbages and the fine wheat， I couldnt help asking how he could grow them so well. Uncle said that science of farming was important. It included： choosing the best seeds; keeping the condition of soil good and ploughing deeply; sowing the seed and growing young plants at the correct time; changing the crops in the fields; and giving plenty of water， light and fertilizer.

（二）

The Great Wall

Ladies and gentlemen，

Welcome to the Great Wall. The Great Wall of China is one of the wonders of the world. It is one of the few man-made objects on earth that can be seen on the moon. It dates from about 770 BC. It is more than 6000 kilometres long， 6-7 metres high and 4-5 metres wide. All the work was done by hand. Many people were forced to work on the wall. Now the Great Wall has become a place of interest. We all know the famous Chinese saying： “He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man.” Now let me show you around the Great Wall. This way， Please.

（三）

My Hometown

My home is in a town. It lies in the east of Zhejiang near the East Sea. It has a population of fifty thousand. Our town is in the south of our county. The Ease Sea is to the east of the town. To the south is flat land. Mountains are on the west. And a river runs from north to south in the west of my town.

The weather here is good. It is not so cold in winter or so hot in summer. So the sea near my town is full of all sorts of fish. The fishermen of my home town are all living a happy life.

（四）

On Perseverance

“Try and try until you succeed.” This saying shows the importance of perseverance， I have found in my experience that only through hard work can we succeed. Many people have failed in their work or studies， precisely because they had no perseverance Life， in general， as in many things we do has never been easy. No one promised us what it would be.

So， if we want to succeed in life， we must be brave to win. The standard that differentiates people who succeed in life and those who dont is perseverance.

（五）

On Happiness

Someone asks me what on earth happiness means？ I cant give you the exact definition of it， but Im sure if you love and help others， youll get it.

Ill never forget an old lady. She lives in a small house alone. Its said that her husband and her son died in a traffic accident. How bitter her life is！ But the old lady often helps others with a smile. Whenever it snows， she is always the first to clean the paths. She looks after several children living nearby. I am one of them. I often remember the stories she told us and her kind smile. Perhaps she is unlucky， but I think she is a happy person. Her life is full of laughter and love.

But Im sad to see some people getting their happiness in bad ways. They speak loudly in cinemas and meeting rooms; they destroy trees to enjoy themselves and they laugh at others shortcomings. Perhaps they feel happy at that time， but they will never get true happiness because they have lost their personality.

Now I know what happiness is. It means kindness， love and unselfishness. Above all， only bringing happiness to others can make you yourself get it.

（六）

About Examinations

I dont remember how many examinations Ive taken since I began my schooling. Truth to tell， I dont like examinations at all. I dare say that， in fact， no student likes examinations.

We often hear people say “Examinations are teachers magic weapon”， so most of us may think it is our teachers who give us students so many examinations. But I dont think so. Almost all of them have once been students before they became teachers. We dont like examinations， and neither do our teachers， which may be reasonably concluded. Whats more， the more examinations we take， the more time will be taken from our teachers and the more troubles our teachers have to take.

It is the system in our country， I think， that gives us students so many examinations. If there were no entrance examinations， and all the students could go up to the higher grades without competition， there would not be so many examinations in primary and middle schools. So it is important and necessary to reform the entrance system. Only in this way can examinations be greatly reduced， and then all the students will be happier.