“He who bears the greatest hardship becomes the greatest man.” This idiom shows Chinese people's traditional belief in the vital role that hardship plays in a person's life as they grow up. But today, as our lives have greatly improved, do we still need this so-called “hardship education”?

    “We definitely do.” said Wang Weiqiong, mother of a 15-year-old girl in Jiangxi. “Many children take everything for granted, as they've never known how difficult it is to make money.”

    Wang is not alone. According to a recent survey of 2,017 people done by China Youth Daily, 81.8 percent of the interviewees supported hardship education including experiencing life in poor areas, outdoor training, taking part-time jobs, and doing housework.

    Qiao Yu, from Tianjing Foreign Languages School, also supports the idea. “Hardship helps us grow and be prepared for the difficulties of society,” said the 18-year-old, who worked in a cake store this summer.

    But while it contributes to students' development, “hardship education shouldn't be seen as simply making students suffer,” Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of the China Youth and Children Research Center told China Youth Daily. “It should follow teenagers' growth” Sun said students could also do sports to learn to face difficulties, for doing sporting can greatly strengthen their bodies and minds.

【写作内容】

1). 以约30个词概括上文的主要内容。

2). 以约120个词发表你“对吃苦教育”的看法，内容包括：

（1.）你对“吃苦教育”概念的理解；

（2.）支持或反对对青少年进行“吃苦教育”，并给出2-3点理由。

【写作要求】

1). 可以参考阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2). 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；

3). 不必写标题。

【评分标准】

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯

Gossip

    “Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday?” Lindsey whispers to Tori.

    With her eyes shining, Tori brags, “You bet I did, Sean told me two days ago.”

    Lindsey and Tori aren't very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip and I have noticed the effects of gossip.

    An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic—breakups, trouble at home—that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.

    If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? The answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don't. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the “in group”. In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority.

    Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. For instance, if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The do's and don'ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.

    The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story” might have.

阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

    When a rather dirty, poorly-dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg for a few coins, do you hurry on, not knowing what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly hand over some money? What should our attitude to beggars be? There can't be no question that the world is full of terrible sad stories. It must be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is coming from. It seems cruel not to give some money to beggars.

    Certainly, most of the world's great religions order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally right in the old days, when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their arguments.

    First, some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually make a good living from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evils. Secondly, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs. Thirdly, there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one's sense of pride and self-dependence.

    Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people. Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and receive help.

    It is hard to come to a conclusion; there are various cases and we must deal with them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the giver.

    Children form opinions about drugs and alcohol at a very early age. Even four and five year olds have definite opinions about alcohol. Preschoolers, because of the commercials (商业广告) they see on TV, often think that alcohol helps people have more fun and be better athletes! Images of alcohol are everywhere in our society—consumption of alcohol is represented twice per hour in daytime shows, and three times in an average evening program. Also, posters about alcohol can be seen on buses, at underground stations, in streets and so on.

    Despite the wide spread of alcohol in our society, and the problems that can be connected with it, many parents feel uncomfortable when talking about alcohol with their children, or are not sure when and how to start. Many parents believe that teenage drinking is something that their children would never be involved in.

    Unfortunately, teenage drinking is very common in North Dakota. In a statewide survey of adolescents in junior and senior high school, only 24% claimed to have never consumed alcohol. When asked about their drinking in the past 30 days:

    •61% adolescents reported drinking

    •42% drank five or more drinks in a row

    •17% reported binge (大吃大喝) drinking

    •4.2% reported driving and drinking

    Other research on rural youth in North Dakota has found that about 10% of a sample of fifth and sixth graders were engaged in frequent drinking. Teenagers who reported alcohol use (especially those who began use in late elementary school and junior high school) were more likely to be depressed, feel less positive about both their family and friends, and have poorer grades.

    Research has found that children and even teenagers turn to their parents in making decisions about important things in their life. Decisions about using alcohol are undoubtedly something that parents will want to provide guidance about. So it's high time that parents should talk to children about alcohol seriously.

    There are some very good things about open education. This way of teaching allows the students to develop their own interests in many subjects.

    Open education allows students to be responsible for their own education. Some students do badly in the traditional classroom. The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning. Some students will be happier in an open education school. They will not have to worry about grades or rules.

    But many students will not do well in an open classroom. For some students, there are too few rules. These students will do little in school. They will not make good use of open education. Because open education is so different from traditional education, these students may have a problem of getting used to making so many choices. For many students it is important to have some rules in the classroom. They worry about the rules even when there are no rules. Even a few rules will help this kind of students. The last point about open education is that traditional teachers do not like it. Many teachers do not believe in open education. Teachers who want to have an open classroom may have many problems at their school.

    You now know what open education is. Some of its good points and bad points have been explained. You may have your own opinion about open education. The writer thinks that open education is a good idea, but only in theory. In actual fact, it may not work very well in a real class or school. The writer believes that most students, but of course not all students, want some structure in their classes. They want and need to have some rules. In some cases, they must be made to study some subjects. Many students are pleased to find subjects they have to study interesting. They would not study those subjects if they did not have to.

    Tired of all the pushing in supermarkets? Fed up with waiting in endless lines to pay for what you have bought? Angry at wasting time in traffic jams only to find no parking spaces when you eventually arrive at the store? If this is you, then online shopping is the answer to your dreams of trouble-free shopping, or is it?

    Online shopping brings its own challenges. Here are a few things to bear in mind when browsing (浏览) various websites. The claim (声称) made by online sites is that shopping online is a safe and secure way to make purchases. The evidence challenges this. In any case, you only have to be the victim of fraud (欺骗) once to experience all the problems that come with this form of deceiving. Use only sites that have a trusted history and an excellent reputation.

    Another problem is that the appearance of items in reality is often quite different from what you see on your computer screen. This might not be a problem if you are buying washing powder but could be a major disappointment when that beautiful blue dress you ordered turns up in green. Also, product descriptions are sometimes simply untrue! Perhaps the wisest plan is to purchase items where design and colour are not essential to customer satisfaction.

    Some even argue that online shopping indirectly contributes to global warming. Yes, your car can stay parked but how are online goods delivered? Often by some large vans pouring out carbon monoxide(一氧化碳) and adding to our already desperate traffic problems. You are also by now becoming increasingly irritated(烦恼的) by the fact that the delivery is late and you have wasted the leave from work to receive it!