flower

[flower]

My fellow schoolmates, happy graduation! Congratulations on completing your school education! Now, you are moving on to a new phase of life! But, is this the end of your life education? Are you ready for everything that you have nothing to learn anymore? There is an old Chinese saying: “ Live till old, learn till old”. Education is not and should never be restricted within school courses. What is truly important is the life skills you learn when you really step into society without the sheltering of parents, school, and your young age. Moreover, a good tutor, regardless of age and literacy, is truly a beneficial education that could continue outside of school or even from outside of school.

Firstly, education is about life skills learned from experiences instead of only knowledge from school classes. School classes focus on teaching and informing students about basic facts and understanding of the world, historical, natural, and present… in primary school, this is crucial knowledge for the kids to build a basis for recognizing the world and understanding the most basic functions and principles. However, this is obviously not enough. Unthinkingly following these knowledge and rules may lead to harmful consequences. For example, imagine a scenario of you and your colleague. Your colleague did not do any work while you worked hard. In school, your teacher instructed you never to lie. Therefore, when your boss checks your achievements, your colleague lied, saying he lost his work. When your boss confirmed that your colleague lost his work, you said no and told the truth. Then your boss punished your colleague. After that, your colleague hated you, which badly affected you. For example, in collaboration work, you can never collaborate easily with him. This is caused by the fact that without sufficient social contact and experience, you do not know the best way to deal with situations like this that require a higher level of social skills. A correct way to respond might be to say you are not sure. You should never lie, but directly exposing your colleague who works with you is never a wise choice. Therefore, real-life experience in society to continue learning life skills is crucial for better performance in work and future living; this is also a significant part of life education.

Moreover, tutors are also an essential part of education. These tutors may be from or not from school and can continue to be a life tutor after graduation. For example, my brother’s debate coach and philosophy professor is what he considers his life tutor. He always goes to his tutor for advice when he faces academic or personal dilemmas. This tutor led him out of his most depressing miseries and led him to success with an offer from an Ivy League university. These tutors possess great wisdom and give valuable advice and knowledge that might not directly solve problems but will benefit the student. Even if they are not by the student’s side forever, these tutors can be life-long tutors, for their help lasts forever. Thus, a great turtor is a significant part of life education.

So, my dear schoolmates. Never stop acquiring knowledge and never stop learning things for life. School is never the endpoint of your education but the starting point that leads you to the great things you will learn later in life. Excellent education awaits you, but always keep a passionate heart in acquiring new things. Happy graduation! Thank you.

[flower]

‘Music has no value when you’re studying. It can be distracting; it can be too loud. Students should work in silence.’

Have you ever listened to music while working? Yes? Exactly! Everyone has listened to music before while working! This is what many people do, so there must be a beneficial reason behind that choice. My speech will focus on the correct way of choosing music and how music can benefit working processes.

Firstly, choosing the appropriate type of music according to personal preferences is essential. As we all know, there are numerous different kinds of music. Some are calm and help people to concentrate; some are rhythmic and encourage people to keep going in a fast paste. Different types of music make different people concentrate, just like food. Some people are allergic to peanuts, and eating peanuts can cause anaphylactic reactions; some people are allergic to milk. But people always have something they can eat to gain nutrients and energy from food. Similarly, choosing a suitable type of music is essential and can help people concentrate. However, it is comprehendible that the wrong music can lead to harmful consequences such as distraction. Therefore, choosing the correct type of music is extremely important and valuable.

Moreover, silence is only sometimes good for working. For example, even if most studies show that “silence is golden when tackling the most difficult tasks.” It is specified only for the “most difficult tasks”. What about the other tasks, then? Let me tell you:
First, in tasks related to creativity, music can be a great inspiration and a boost to your imagination.
Second, when too many tasks lead to boredom, music is a great motivation and can even speed up the paste!

This is only a tiny portion of the benefits of music. But I believe, now it is crystal clear why music does not have “no value when you’re studying”, the right choice of music can lead to significant benefits and can be a great boost and motivation!

Thank you.

[flower]

When is looting morally O.K.?

Looting is often considered as morally unacceptable, as for all parents and teachers instructs students to never loot. However, imagine this scenario: There are two boys, as lean as a rake, running away; while a fat man is shouting and chasing the boys down the street, shouting “You little thieves! Give my bread back!” Though the baker is not especially wealthy, he is obviously not poor, having no worries about food and clothing. The baker is also a callous person, treating his family and neighbors harshly. Whereas the boys are orphans, of skin and bones, haven’t eaten for many days, and will soon die of hunger if they don’t eat. They have no money; their only choice is to steal. In this case, is looting morally acceptable? When looting is for survival or for a greater good, it should be considered as morally acceptable.

Firstly, in the cases of survival, when human lives are the matter, people should prioritize human lives over everything else. Looting without killing but saving a life is a noble act. In any case, saving more people is always justifiable. Human lives are the most valuable and are extremely limited. Human lives are irreplaceable. However, things like bread and food are all replaceable and small in worth. Humans are the dominant power on Earth; we can recreate things, but other things cannot recreate humans.

Secondly, looting for the greater good is a justified action. For example, a strong country is invading a weaker country. The weaker country sends out an agent to steal the top secret of the stronger country to save all their people and their country. In this case, the stronger country is invading other’s property with no justified reasoning. Many warriors would die in the battle; many commoners would be severely affected in the wars—if not killed, then unable to survive with no property and work. According to CBS News, over 50% of people were lost in the Ukraine war. All the losses were due to invasions and wars. But what if looting a major secret can prevent all the wars and damages? People should consider this as morally hortative!

In conclusion, when looting is for noble actions such as saving lives, survival, or for a much greater good. Looting should not be considered usually but should be considered comprehensively. When the benefits outweigh the damages caused by looting, it should be regarded as morally O.K.

[flower]

GCSE Lesson 1 Homework
In the extract from Dracula, the author Bram Stoker successfully constructed an atmosphere of tension and horror, which created suspense.
Firstly, the atmosphere Stoker created overall is depressing. For example, the narrator mentioned: “I felt that I was indeed in prison, and I seemed to want a breath of fresh air, though it were of the night.” When a person craves air——common sense is that in normal conditions, we have enough air———it is not a physical lack of air, but a mental craving for an opening, a craving to escape a place that feels like an enclosure. The narrator also described: “I start at my own shadow, and am full of all sorts of horrible imaginings.” Being shocked and scared by his own shadow shows the narrator’s nervousness and fear of this “accursed place.” Having “all sorts of horrible imaginings” of this place, the readers are envisioned with vivid scenes of a gray and dim room that feels eerie. However, the reason behind this, the purpose of this building, and the truth are all unknown.

Secondly, the description of the narrator’s flow of thoughts and feelings also creates a nervous atmosphere. For example, Stoker mentioned: “My only doubt was as to whether any dream could be more terrible than the unnatural, horrible net of gloom and mystery which seemed closing around me.” By describing and exploring the narrator’s thoughts, Stoker better engaged readers of the narrator’s thoughts and feelings toward this event and further explored the unknown mystery, which promoted the readers into pondering the truth and what might happen next. Also, Stoker described “I thought it was some trick of the moonlight, some weird effect of shadow.” This partial view of the narrator’s thoughts also prompted readers to further wonder and want to continue reading, which is also the effect of suspense. The diction of the “trick” of moonlight and the “weird” effect of shadow also created an eerie suspense.

Thirdly, how Stoker left a cliffhanger and an unsolved mystery at the end of the extract completed the atmosphere of suspense. For example: Starting from the beginning of the extract, how the narrator should not go to sleep in any other part of the castle is unknown and questioned by the readers. Also, the use of the clue “The Count’s hands” is something unknown —— how are his hands so special that the narrator “in any case could not mistake”? These are all questions for readers. The main event is the ultimate cliffhanger for this extract—— a person climbing out the window and crawling down a castle with the face down is downright astonishing and bizarre. All of the events and the descriptions does not make sense at all, while being shocking to the readers. The unsolved mysteries sufficiently add up to the suspense.

In conclusion, the depressing atmosphere, the detailed but partial description of the narrator’s flow of thoughts, and the cliffhanger left at the end, all add up to how the narrator described as the “accursed” place and creates suspense, which makes readers crave about the unanswered questions.

[flower]

Good evening, everyone! First, I have a question: Have you ever volunteered for a charity activity? Yes? Very nice.
According to UNESCO, about 244 million students between the ages of 6 and 18 are out of school, without education. This is mainly because of the unequal distribution of educational resources. Remote regions have fewer schools and fewer teachers, and the ability and levels of the teachers are also relatively low because they need such an excellent educational environment and resources. This resulted in the rate of progression to higher levels of school being only 6% in rural areas, compared to 21% in urban areas at the upper secondary level. Therefore, actions must be taken to help those students in need. We need more talents with better abilities for better societal development!
Therefore, today, I am here to inform you about a charity named AIEP, which is the Artificial Intelligence Education Program. We aim to use this century’s newest and most significant invention, AI, to promote and assist education in remote regions. Our final goal is to improve the rate of progression in remote areas.
However, we are facing difficulties in using AI to help those in need:
Firstly, we need to equip schools with electronics such as computers or iPads, which is a massive cost for us, as we want to help a wide range of people. This would need all of your help in investing and making donations.
Secondly, we must teach teachers and students in remote areas how to use AI correctly and efficiently. Otherwise, the help will not be virtual. Volunteers would be needed to prepare teachers online or offline, according to your preferences.
Though you might think this will take up so much of my time! This is very hard! Why should I do this? How will this benefit me?
This is a relatively easy activity. No matter how much money you have, your donation can make a significant difference: You can help by simply organizing charity activities, for example, Bake sales, drink sales, or performances that require tickets…these are all small things that could be a great help for those kids in the mountains! Your contribution, no matter how small, can bring a smile to a child’s face and open doors to a brighter future.
For volunteering to teach the use of AI: We all have the equipment and conditions for using AI, and if I am right, most of you should have already used AI. Making a short tutorial video would be helpful. Joining online meetings and answering questions from the kids and teachers from the remote areas will be even better for them. If you are available, joining our summer camp to actually go to the places to help the kids will be a great experience, not only for those kids in need of help but also for yourself as well.
This activity can be an excellent exercise for you, especially for students: Organizing activities practices leadership skills and ability to cope with real-life problems. Online meetings practices your public speech techniques, ability to explain things, and your logic. Offline activities are even more beneficial. Going to places that highly contrast with your living environment gives you a clearer worldview, you will know what other people in other places in the world are like, how their lives are like. Moreover, in a more strict environment, practice your adaptability and survivability. Teaching and helping the kids enhances your logic, presentation, social, and communication skills. This is not just a charitable act. It’s an opportunity for personal growth and learning that can shape your future.
In addition, charity is not just about individual benefits. It’s about the greater good. For applying to foreign colleges, having multiple experiences in charity volunteering or making significant donations might be a great help. But let’s consider the whole society! For society to improve, we need more intelligent people to invent new technology, improve life, promote philosophical thinking, and improve laws and rules…these all require people with high abilities. Therefore, for a greater societal improvement speed, for a better future, please join us and give a small contribution to your future societal world! Your contribution can be a catalyst for societal change and progress.

[flower]

I am extremely sorry for the delay.

In the extract Dombey and Son, the author Charles Dickens successfully described and envisioned readers the protagonist Florence’s thoughts and feelings. The extract describes the scene when Florence is distraught by the refusal of her only relatives, and she runs away to find her old friend. This scene emphasizes Florence’s mental state and changes by stating feelings aloud, emphasizing Florence being alone and creating a contrast between Florence and the outside world.

 

Firstly, Dickens directly uses emotional vocabulary to describe the protagonist’s feelings. For example, Dickens mentioned, “In the wildness of her sorrow, shame, and terror…” The use of the words “sorrow,” “shame,” and “terror” is very straightforward. This sentence also uses metaphor, comparing Florence’s sorrow, shame, and terror to wildness, implying that Florence’s negative feelings are powerful and surround and cover her, being empty and replacing everything from reality with emptiness, sorrow, shame, and terror. Moreover, the sentence at the beginning of this paragraph emphasizes Florence’s distraughtness. However, in the beginning, the readers do not know why Florence is so desperate, creating suspense and attracting readers to continue reading.

 

Secondly, Dickens emphasized Florence being “one” and alone. The text mentions that she is “left like the sole survivor on a lonely shore from the wreck of a great vessel…” Using simile to compare Florence with a “sole survivor” from a shipwreck already is exceptionally lonely. However, Dickens described her as the only survivor from a great vessel. This is a comparison: At first, Florence is one of many in a great vessel, but after the shipwreck, she becomes the only one from numerous people. As if this is not enough, she is left on a lonely, empty shore with no one. This simile symbolizes her internal mental world and displays her empty, isolated, depressing feelings of being rejected and unwanted.

 

Thirdly, Dickens created a striking contrast between Florence and the outside world. The text described a cheerful, bright, fresh day with blue skies. This contrasts with Florence’s internal world of empty, grey, and sorrowful wildness or a lonely shore after a shipwreck, emphasizing how Florence is lonely in her miserable feelings while others are in joy. The other’s joy did not respond to her a bit; instead, it made her more despairing, wanting to “hide her head” and flee. Moreover, Dickens mentioned, “But there were people going to and fro; there were opening shops and servants at the doors of houses; there was the rising clash and roar of the day’s struggle.” The reality world is bright, full of people, abustle and astir, and the exact opposite of Florence’s internal world and mental state. Being in an environment that highly contrasts with one’s internal often worsens the feelings, feeling more left out and isolated from the entire world.

 

In conclusion, by stating Florence’s emotions straightforwardly, emphasizing Florence’s internal world of being solitary, and contrasting her internal world with the outside environment, Dickens envisioned readers vividly of a grey, dark, gloomy, depressing, empty, and alone mental world of Florence, thus displaying Florence’s thoughts and feelings.

[Author]

Posts