(Written by Hu Ao, a Senior 3-to-be in Beijing)

          I’ve had to open my textbooks again even though the summer vacation has just begun and the books have been closed for only a week.  Mrs. Yin, my math teacher, told me yesterday that there will be a very important examination on August 1^st.  

          She said that if I get a good result I’ll be able to join a very good class, and as I’m a glutton for punishment, I said, “Thank you for telling me about it; I’ll start reviewing right away.”

          When we finished talking, I pretended that I had already succeeded and was in the new class.  I was a little nervous, as there were many new faces to get used to. 

          This last term, I’d really liked my classmates.  They were all my friends; I had no enemies.  One could say that we were just like a big happy family, as every morning we read books together, and during the noontime break some of us read, some wrote, and others took naps.  Everyone was quiet – soft in their movements – because they didn’t want to annoy anyone near them. 

          The classes next to us hadn’t been nearly as good.  They were much too noisy.

          This summer in Beijing is hotter than ever.  It’s impossible to even think of arranging an outdoor game in the afternoons.  Listless, I sit here looking through the window at the leaves of the trees as they absorb the unblinking rays of the sun.  The bodies of the trees stand on the sides of the roads and seem to sway slowly like someone with heat stroke who finds it difficult to keep upright.  Moisture rising from the earth distorts the sun’s rays and causes the edges of buildings in the distance to wave in the air like floating wood on water.  One expects a mirage on the Gobi, but not here in Beijing.  

(Written by John, a high school student in Beijing)

          Life offers equal opportunities to everyone. Making good decisions will lead to a better life, but an equally important factor is how we persist in attempting to reach our goals. We live in a world of difficulties. Overcoming problems is not easy and some complain, “Oh, it’s too hard for me; I’m going to give up.” Others, however, have a different viewpoint; they say to themselves, “I can’t let these problems get the best of me; I must try my best.”

          What kind of attitude do you have? I think most of want to succeed.  However, you may wonder if you have enough self-confidence to do so. People often think that it is not easy to solve all their problems, but if they don’t try, they’ll never get the result they want.

          My math used to be poor. Time after time, it proved to be a barrier to the success I so badly wanted. So I decided to spend more time on it; I went to my teacher’s home for his advice many times and completed countless exercises.  Gradually, I began to make progress.  Although it wasn’t easy for me, I was very happy about the final result.

          During the World Cup – while watching players try for goals many times – I became conscious of the fact that the word “try”, as pronounced in English means “kick” in Chinese.  I was thinking of writing this article as I watched, and the thought occurred that if people faced with difficulties would “try”, they’d “kick” all of their problems away.

          All of the teams in that competition were eliminated except Italy, the eventual winner, but I was especially interested in their game with Germany.  Most people favored Germany, but they lost.  As the game had approached the last two minutes, it was expected that they would control the ball, but they couldn’t.  Italy hadn’t given up.  They worked even harder than before and won the game with 2 goals. 

          There are many examples of success coming to those who don’t give up. The next time, you consider yourself defeated, remember the Italian team. If you don’t give up and work hard, you can be a winner, too.