On Waste

We now live in the city， and enjoy a comfortable life. It often happens that we do not have the good habit to save. I once read a proverb1 which says， \"A penny saved is a penny earned\".

Most of my classmates are the single children in their family. Their mother and father love them a lot. They have some pocket money on them. They do not think that the money comes by the hard work of their parents， so they spend them to buy whatever they want without considering the worth2 of it.

Once in papers I read a piece of news that in China two wealthy men were having an argument. They were having disagreement in deciding which one was richer. Then both of them began to burn the money they had on them. They burned a lot of RMB3. I was shocked then to read the news. It was a shame to hear such things happen.

We know China is still a developing country. There are too many people and that we are short of resources. In many areas the people are very poor. Even now we often see those poor people in street begging for money. Everywhere we need money for develop- ment.Compared4 with developed countries we have a long way to go. We are not wealthy at all.We must recognize the situation dearly.

Let's save， save for our family， for the country， and save for the future. It is reasonable that we save everything， save every drop of water and save every grain of rice. In China there is an old poem with one line which teaches us the importance of saving. It says， \"The food in the plate comes because of hard work of the laborer\". In fact the resources are limited. We must realize that once we use them up， they will not be reproduced. What will happen if all natural resources are used up.

Let's save. It is a credit5 to our country. It is an honor. Don't waste， for we cannot afford to waste.

注釋：

① proverb n. 諺語(yǔ)

② worth adj 值錢的

③ RMB n.人民幣

④ compare vi.比較；相比

⑤ credit n.榮譽(yù)

Good Behavior

Keep good behavior. We are often given the advice. Good behavior is a very important part of a person's education. When we were children， we were taught to behave ourselves1 at home. We have been taught to show respect to other people as well. We have been taught to learn to be honest people.

The good behavior means good education. We learn a lot of moral codes2 They are one important part of good behavior. Good behavior comes from years of learning from family and from teachers. We learn to cultivate3 good behavior， for it is important lesson for our growing-up.

The society we are in is a civilized world. The civilization may have two meanings. One is the development of economy; the other is the progress in people's behavior. The two factors are the most important part of a society. Now our teacher often teaches us the im- portance of good behavior. It means more than the good grades we get at school. It is one important part of our personalities4 It is the way you do things in everyday life.

A man of good behavior shows propriety5 in doing everything. He is not too proud because he knows that he has more to do. He is a man of reason. He speaks well and talks in good manner. He shows respect to everybody. He is a modest person at the same time， realizing his good points and recognizing his disadvantage.

The good behavior wins respect. It is the respect to you， and respect to others. A person of good behavior is a credit. A country of people with good behavior is a nation which earns respect. We are trying to build China into a civilized modem society. That will start from the cultivation of good behavior of everyone and of the whole community.

注釋：

①behave oneself v．phr．規(guī)矩點(diǎn)（對(duì)孩子等的用語(yǔ)）

②code n．代碼

③cultivatevt．培養(yǎng)

④personality n.個(gè)性

⑤propriety n. 適當(dāng)

Modesty1

Recently I listened to a radio program which talked about the differences between Chinese people and American people. One of the topics discussed2 is about the modesty.

Chinese people are very modest. If one is praised for his ability， he will say， \"it is nothing\"， or something alike3. The Chinese people are too shy to accept compliments4. Sometimes they attribute their success to5 factors other than their abilities. The hostess of the program suggests that we should accept the compliments if they are true and sincere. We can say， \"Thank you\" and accept them.

The American people， on the other hand have a different attitude to modesty. They feel that they earn the compliments if they are true. They accept them by saying， \"Thank you\".

Here we see the differences between Chinese culture and American culture. In China， modesty is considered a virtue. When we do something that deserves the compliments， we are usually too shy to accept them. To an American， this is hard to understand.

Now with the exchange and communication between two nations， more and more people begin to understand these differences. Some of Chinese young people begin to adopt the different attitude toward the concept of modesty.

注釋：

① modestyn. 謙虛

② discuss vt．討論

③ alike adj. 相似的

④ complimentn. 恭維

⑤ attribute to v. phr.把……歸于