北京外国语大学《811英语能力测试（写作）》历年考研真题及详解

目录

2011年北京外国语大学811英语能力测

试（写作）考研真题及详解

2012年北京外国语大学811英语能力测

试（写作）考研真题及详解

2013年北京外国语大学811英语能力测

试（写作）考研真题及详解

2014年北京外国语大学811英语能力测

试（写作）考研真题及详解

2015年北京外国语大学811英语能力测

试（写作）考研真题及详解

2011年北京外国语大学811英语能力测试（写作）考研真题及详解

I.Summarizetheview(s)inthefollowingpassage(around300words)and

thenwriteacommentary(around500words)(70points)

Iappreciatethearts,Ilovefilm,TV,musicandbookslikemostpeople,I

enjoytheoccasionaltriptothetheatreorartgalleryandIaminaweofthe

skilloftheworld’sgreatestathletes.AlthoughIhaveanappreciationfrom

theseartsandgainenjoymentfromthemonthewholeIdetestwhatthey

havecollectivelybecome.It’slongsincegonebeyondproviding

entertainmentandhasevolvedintoabusinessthatwecallthe“entertainment

industry”.Thefaceofthisindustryisamosaicofaestheticallypleasing

maskscoveringacollectivelyignorantmindcontrolledonlybyfinancialgain

andtheultimatesocialstatusof“celebrity”.

Inthewesternworlditnowseemsthatthestatusof“celebrity”hasbecame

akintothatoftheGodstatus.Welooktothesepeoplewiththeirplasticfaces

andhollowmindsthataremotivatedbygreedasrolemodels,atasktheyare

neithersuitablefornorcapableof.Thisstatusoftheirsispromotedbya

mediathathaslongsincegivenuponreportingrealnewsinfavourof

religiouslyfollowingthelivesofcelebrities.Themoremediaattentionthey

getthemoreattentionisdrawnawayfromtherealissuesthatweshould

reallybeconcerningourselveswith.

Thisrolemodelresponsibilitythatsocietyhasplaceduponthecelebrity

statushaseitherbeenignoredbythecelebritiesorabused.Celebritiesarethe

worstpossiblerolemodelforanysociety,especiallytheyoungwholookup

tothemwithsuchadmiration.Celebritiesglamorisesex,abusedrugs,

degradewomen,promoteignoranceandultimatelyofallthepeoplein

society,theyarenotfitforpurpose.

Itappearsthatcelebritiesactivelysexualisethemselveslikehigh—end

prostitutes,thisisintimatedbythoseinsocietywhoareinfatuatedwiththe

cultofcelebrity.Asaresultsocietyhasbecomeincreasinglyshallow,the

measureofmanisnolongerhismoralsbuthisappearance,andasaresult

moralityhaslostitsplaceinsocietyinfavourofcasualsex,andother

morallydeprivedactionsadvocatedbythecelebrity.

Thecelebrityculthasalsoonceagainreducedthestatusofwomeninsociety

whoareovertlyobjectifiedbybothsexesinthecelebrityworld.Whetherit

bearapperboostingabouthissexualexploitswithhis“bitch”orafemale

singersellingheralbumsnotbyhervoicebutbyparadingherselfhalfnaked

alloverTV,thishasbecomeinter-woundintooureverydaylifeanditisnow

acceptedthatwomenareobjectsofsex.

Itseemstheterm“‘n-word’”hasmadeitbackintosocietythistimethrough

popularmusic.Althoughitstillconjuresupimagesof1960’sAmerican

racismandslaveryitistoleratedevenbythosewhoitshouldoffendmost.

Narcoticsusehasbecomeanotherdecedentpastimeglorifiedbythe

celebritieswhoexcusethemselvesthroughthebiasedandignorantpress.

Thenwehavetheviolenceportrayedinmovies,musicandvideogamesin

suchawavthatitappearsalmostfashionabletoshootone’sfellowmanor

bashhisheadinwithabat.

ItsickensmetoknowthatFootballerscanearn￡90,000perweekandhave

therespectofthousandswhileafront.LinesoliderfightinginAfghanistan

mightbeonlessthan￡20,000peryear,yetthelatterisdoingasignificantly

moreimportantjobthananyfootballereverwillbutnobodyknowshisname

orsacrifice.

Ihavenoticedthisgetprogressivelyworseovertheyears,Ifailtoseewhyit

isthatsocietyisfascinatedbyagroupofpeoplewhoaremotivatedbyselfish

desiresandgreed.ItonlyseemsappropriateonATStosuggestthatthismay

becausedbysometypeofmassbrainwashingorasymptomoftheNWO’s

plans,howeverIdonotthinkthisistrue.RatherIthinkthatitisjusta

symptomofthenatureofmanwealwaysseemtowantmoreandareforthe

mostincapableofahumblestatus.Greediswhatisfuellingthisultimately

evilandcorruptculturethatwehavedeveloped.

Thecelebritieswanttogetrichbyflauntingtheirmediocretalentand

beautifulyetplasticfaces.Theirproducers,agents,directorsandjustabout

everyoneelseinthisentertainmentindustrywanttogetrichbyprostituting

thecelebrities.Theignorantmasseswhofollowthemseeksimilarrichesand

sotheyimitatethecelebratesineverythingtheydoinattempttofindsimilar

richesbecausethey,likemostofmen,areinherentlygreedyandlazy.

Becomingacelebritybygoingona12talentcompetitionisamucheasier

andlazierwaytoachieveriches,withouthavingtogothroughthechallenge

ofworkingthroughauniversitycourseorcareerladder.Thesepeoplewho

worshipthesecelebritiesasacollectiveomnipotentbeingarefundamentally

greedyandlazy.

Celebritiesdomakesomecontributiontoasocietyinhelpingtoshameour

culture,howeveritismyopinionthatdoctors,religiousleaders,troops,

scientistsandsoonmakeamuchmoresignificantcontributiontoour

communitiesandshouldthereforeberespectedandpaidinthesamewayas

celebrities.Celebrityculturehascreatedasocietywheretheignorantand

selfishareleadingandbreadingtheselfishandignorant...

【答案】

Summary:

ThoughIappreciatetheartandartisticactivities,Idetestthe“entertainment

industry”theyhavenowbecome,forthisindustryishypotheticaland

producestheso-called“celebrity”.

Inthewesternworld,thestatusof“celebrity”hasbecomesimilartothatof

theGodstatusasrolemodelsandtheydon’tdeservesuchstatus.Thisis

attributedtothemedia,whogiveupreportingtherealissues.Celebritiesare

theworstpossiblerolemodelforanysocietyfortheyignoreorabusetheir

rolemodelresponsibilityandtheyarenotfitforpurpose.Celebritieshave

alsohadbadinfluenceonthesocietyandthosewhoadmirethecelebrities

becauseofthemorallydeprivedactionsadvocatedbythecelebrity.The

celebrityculthasalsoonceagainreducedthestatusofwomeninsocietyand

womenbecomeobjectsofsexduetotheimagesoffemalecelebrityonthe

screen.Popularmusichasbroughtbacktosocietythe‘n-word’which

arousestheracialdiscriminationandcelebritieshavemadepublicdrugabuse

andviolencethroughmoviesorreportoftheirpersonallivesbythebiased

andignorantpress.Footballersappearingonthescreencanearnmuchmore

thanthefrontlinesoldier,whosejobisofgreaterimportanceandatthecost

oftheirlives.

Thissituationgetsprogressivelyworseovertheyearsandgreediswhatis

fuellingthisultimatelyevilandcorruptculture.Thecelebritiesaregreedy

andlazywhenseekingriches,whilethesepeoplewhoworshipthese

celebritiesareasgreedyandlazy.

Celebrityculturehascreatedasocietywheretheignorantandselfishare

leadingandbreadingtheselfishandignorant.Otherrespectfulprofession,

whichhavecontributedmoretosocietyshouldbemuchmorerespectedand

getbetterpaid.

Commentary:

Celebrities,aspublicfigures,havegreatinfluenceonpeople’slives,thelives

ofyoungpeopleinparticular.Andinthisworldwithincreasinglyexplosive

informationandfreeaccesstoit,thesecelebritieswouldtakeaevengreater

roleinourlives,representingnotonlywhattheyshouldbeintheirworkson

screen,butalsotheirrealvaluesandideas.

Thesecelebritiesorstarscanplaypositiveroleintheaudience’slives,only

whentheyobservetheirprofessionalethicsandbehaveethicallyonscreen.If

theydoso,theycannotonlybringtotheaudiencemeaningfulandinteresting

workstoenjoyandentertainwith,butalsoguidetheaudiencewithright

moralstandardsandencouragetheaudiencetodowhattheyshoulddorather

thanwhattheywantto.Inthisprocess,allpersonnel,includingtheactoror

actress,director,screenwriter,producerandetc.intheentertainmentindustry

areveryimportant.Theymustbehaveinaccordancewiththeirprofessional

ethicsandproduceworkstoeducate,tomoveortoentertaintheaudience.

Butcelebrities,ifinvolvedinnegativeorimmoralthings,willexertbad

influenceonaudiences,especiallytheirfans,whoadmiresthemnotonly

becausewhotheyareincertainworks,butalsobecausewhotheyreallyare.

Andsomeextremistfansmayevenjustifythewrongdeedsoftheiridols,

whichisutterlydestructive.Andinmodernworld,itseemsthatscandalsor

gossipsalwaysaccompanythecelebrities;thingslikedrugabuseand

involvementinsexualscandalseemquitecommon.

Fortunately,inChina,celebritiesarenotthathigh-profile,arrogantand

privileged.Theyhavetobehave,atleastinpublic,andstayawayfrom

immoralthingsorscandals,forChineseaudiences,asarelativelyrational

group,woulddespisethoseimmoralonesandmakethemlosefaceoreven

fame.Inthisinformationageinparticular,wheneveryonehasaccessto

posteringpicturesorvideosandwiththerapidspreadingandexchangeof

information,awrongdoingmaycostthecelebritylargeamountsoffansor

potentialfansandhismoralreputationaswellasthepublictrustonhim.And

themediaisalsorelativelyharshonthecelebrities,whoareoftenwatchedby

themediaforanybignews.Andscandalsseemsalwayswinovergoodnews.

SoinChina,celebritiesneedtobequitecarefulabouttheirpersonallife.So

ingeneral,Chinesecelebrities,thoughnotcompletelyimmunefromscandals,

arerelativelytrustworthy.

Anyway,weshouldlookatthecelebritiesinareasonableway.Actually,they

mayseembrilliantonscreen,butafterall,theyarejustasordinarypeopleas

usbehindthescreen.Itisjustthattheychooseadifferentjobfromusatthe

costoftheirprivacyandtakinganunevenwaytobecomefamousfrom

nobody.Andaslongastheybecomesomebody,theyhavetheir

responsibilitytoshoulderinthesociety.Soappreciatebutnotbeovercrazy

aboutcelebritiesandthebestthingtodoistogrowwithyouridolandenjoy

yourcolorfullife.

II.Writeanessay(around1000words)ononeoftheissuesbelow,using

relevantreasonsand/orexamplestosupportyourviews.Youressayshould

havegoodstructure,clearmeaningandaccurateexpression,andshouldbe

writteninyourownwords.(80points)

Topic1：

Cultureshouldbepriortoeconomy.Allthroughtheworld,onlyacountry

withstrongculturecanboastastrongeconomy.

Topic2：

Inaninformationagelikethis,theimportanceofteacher’srole,especially

theroleofmoralguidance,isfadinginuniversity,becausestudentsareable

toandaremoreeasilyinfluencedbyinformationtheyreceivedfromvarious

sources.

【参考范文】

TheImportantRatherThanDominantRoleofCulture

Culture,asthefundamentalbasisforanation,playsavitalroleinthe

developmentofanation.Especiallyinthiscompetitiveworld,whenitis

referredtoasthesoftpowerandisattachedgreatimportancetobyall

countries.Butbynomeansshouldculturebeplacedpriortoeconomy.

Andacountrywithstrongculturedoesn’tnecessarilyboastastrongeconomy

orastrongnation.Onlywhenabalanceisachievedbetweenastrongculture,

astrongeconomyandastrongsocialstructurecantheypromiseastrong

nation.

Cultureindeedmattersinmanyways.Someelementsofculture,likethatof

language,valuesideas,customsandetc.areessentialpartsinpeople’slives.

Theycanprovideguidanceforpeople’sactionsanddirections.Theycan

enlightenandeducatepeople.Theycaninfluencethethoughtsofpeople.And

languageisasignificanttoolfortheexchangesbetweenpeopleandforthe

creationandrecordsofnewculturalelements.Besides,otherelements,like

socialmechanismandinstitutionarewhatguaranteetheorderofhumanlife.

Socultureisfundamentaltootheractivitiesandcansupportthedevelopment

ofeconomy,societyandotheraspectsofhumanlife.

However,theprosperityofanationaswellasthatofthecultureis

inseparablewiththeeconomicbasis.AfamousChinesesayinggoesthat

“onlywhenpeoplearefedandsecuredintermsoffood,cantheylearnabout

theethicsandvirtues”.Elementsofculture,suchasethicalstandardsandlaw

canonlyemergeandgetimplementedwhenpeoplepossessenoughfoodfor

theirsurvival.Andwhenpeoplegetthesesupplied,theycanthenbeengaged

inobservingethicalstandardsandlaws.Wouldtheyreallysticktomoral

qualitiesandvirtueswhentheirsurvivalisthreatened?Maybetherearesome

moralists,butforthegeneralpublic,nothingmattersmorethansurvivaland

basiclivingnecessities.

Theemergenceofastrongcultureisalwaysaccompaniedbyastrong

economy.Forexample,inthepeaktimeofthefeudalsysteminancient

China,thatistheProsperityundertheReignofTaizonginTangDynasty,

Chinaboastedastrongculture,withstablesocialorderandlowcriminalrate.

AndconverginginChang’an,thethenCapital,werepeoplefromdifferent

ethnicgroupsandevenmerchantsfromsouthandcentralAsia.All

surroundingcountrieswouldcometovisitandadmirethispowerfuldynasty.

Andthisprosperityofculturecaninnowaybeachievedwithoutthe

flourishingeconomyatthattime.Aswasrecorded,duringthereignof

Taizong,appropriatepolicieswereadoptedtorelievethetaxesonfarmers,so

agriculturegetsdeveloped,whilefarmer’sincomeandlivingstandardsget

improved.Besides,manyotherincentiveswereimplementedtofacilitatethe

commercialdevelopmentduringthatperiod,regardlessofthelowstatusof

merchantsinotherfeudaldynasties.Besides,withanopenpolicy,Chang’an

alsoembracespeoplefromdifferentethnicgroupsandcountries,sothe

famousSilkRoadandMarineSilkRoadwerefullymadeuseofduringthat

time.TaketheQingDynastyasanotherexample.Asadynastybestowed

withbrilliantculturebyitspredecessors,ithadinheritedmanyprecious

culturaltraditions.Andwithitsprosperouseconomyinitsfirstfewyears,it

couldstillmaintainitsstatusasastrongnation.However,withitseconomy

declining,people’slivesaswellasitsstatusdeclined,soitcouldnolonger

overlooktheworldinitscultureandpower.Whatapatheticfact!Soastrong

cultureisnotenoughforastrongnation.

Thedevelopmentofcultureandtheprosperityofanationcanneverbe

isolatedfromanorderlyandreasonablesocialstructure.Onlywitha

favorableenvironment,canculturegetnurturedanddeveloped,whilethe

overallstrengthofanationgetselevated.Anotherreasonfortheprosperityof

TangDynastyisthesoundsocialorder,acleangovernmentaswellasthe

well-structuredpoliticalsystemforofficials.Inthisway,policiesbythe

dynastycanbewellputintopracticeandthesocialordercanbemaintained;

thatiswhytheeconomyandculturecanflourish.WhilethefailureofQing

Dynasty,causedinpartbythedecliningeconomy,couldalsobeattributedto

thebackwardsocialstructure—especiallywhenitssocialsystemisfarworse

thanthatofthewesternpowers—thechaoticsocialorderandthecorrupted

officials.Sothewholeatmospherecouldbecorruptedanddegraded,letto

saythecultureinfluencedbyit.Soaflourishingcountryalsorequiresa

soundsocialstructureapartfromastrongculture.

Allinall,asinglestrongculturecanneverpromiseastrongnationandto

achievethatgoal,wemuststrikeabalancebetweenculture,economic

developmentandsocialstructure.Focusonlyoneconomicdevelopment

whileignoringculturaldevelopmentandsocialstructurewillcostanationits

long-termdevelopmentandtheincentiveforitsdevelopment.Whereas,focus

solelyontheadjustmentofsocialstructurewhileneglectingthedevelopment

ofcultureandeconomywillbringthecountrytodecline,andeven

destruction.Andwiththesingleattentionpaidonlytoculturaldevelopment

andculturalactivities,acountrycanneverrunfar.Sothereisnosucha

prioritybetweenthem,onlybybalancingtheirdevelopment,canacountry

gainsustainableandsustaineddevelopment.

ThatmayexplainwhyinChina’smodernizationdrive,Chinastickstothe

coordinateddevelopmentofeconomic,social,culturalandecological

civilization.Andinrecentyears,thoughChinahasattachedgreatimportance

tocultureaspartofthesoftpowerofacountryanddevotedtodevelopingthe

softpowertopromoteChina’simageintheinternationalworld,hardpower,

suchaseconomic,militaryandtechnologicalpowerhaveneverbeen

overlooked.

Sostaycoolintermsofthestatusofculture.Itisimportantandessential,but

notdominant.Let’sseekaroadbystrikingabalancebetweenculture,social

structureandeconomicdevelopmentandaspireforastrongandpowerful

Chinaintheworld.

2012年北京外国语大学811英语能力测试（写作）考研真题及详解

招生专业：英语语言文学

科目名称：英语能力测试（写作）

(考试时间3小时，满分150分，全部写在答题纸上，答在试题页上无效)

I.Summarizethemainpointsinthefollowingessay(inabout300words)and

writeacommentary(inabout500words)relatingtheissueunderdiscussion

toChinesereality.(70points)

Americanstodayfeelvaguelyanduncomfortablydisconnected.Wetell

pollstersthatwewishwelivedinamorecivil,moretrustworthy,more

collectivelycaringcommunity.Theevidencefromourinquiryshowsthatthis

longingisnotsimplynostalgiaor“falseconsciousness.”Americansareright

thatthebondsofourcommunitieshavewithered,andwearerighttofearthat

thistransformationhasveryrealcosts.Thechallengeforus,however,isnot

togrieveoversocialchange,buttoguideit.

Creating(orre-creating)socialcapitalisnosimpletask.Theebbingof

communityoverthelastseveraldecadeshasbeensilentanddeceptive.We

noticeitseffectsinthestrainedintersticesofourprivatelivesandinthe

degradationofourpubliclife.Weakenedsocialcapitalismanifestinthe

thingsthathavevanishedalmostunnoticed—neighborhoodpartiesandget-

togetherwithfriends,theunreflectivekindnessofstrangers,theshared

pursuitofthepublicgoodratherthanasolitaryquestforprivategoods.

Namingthisproblemisanessentialfirststeptowardconfrontingit,justas

labeling“theenvironment”allowedAmericanstohearthesilentspringand

namingwhatBettyFriedancalled“theproblemthathasnoname”enabled

womentoarticulatewhatwaswrongwiththeirlives.

Namingourproblem,however,isbutapreliminarytothetougherchallenge.

Inaworldirrevocablychanged,aworldinwhichmostwomenareemployed,

marketsglobal,individualsandfirmsmobile,entertainmentelectronic,

technologyaccelerating,howcanweneverthelessreplenishourstocksof

socialcapital?Likemostsocialissues,thisonehastwofaces—one

institutionalandoneindividual.

Weneedtocreatenewstructuresandpolicies(publicandprivate)tofacilitate

renewedcivicengagement.LeadersandactivistsineverysphereofAmerican

lifemustseekinnovativewaystorespondtotheerodingeffectivenessofthe

civicinstitutionsandpracticesthatweinherited.Atthesametimeweneedto

fortifyourresolveasindividualstore-connect,forwemustovercomea

familiarparadoxofcollectiveaction.EvenifIprivatelywouldpreferamore

vibrantcommunity,Icannotaccomplishthatgoalonmyown—it’snota

meeting,afterall,ifonlyIshowup,andit’snotaclubifI’mtheonly

member.ItistemptingtoretreattoprivatepleasuresthatIcanachieveonmy

own.Butinsodoing,Imakeitevenharderforyoutosolveyourversionof

thesameproblem.Actionsbyindividualsarenotsufficienttorestore

community,buttheyarenecessary.

SoourchallengeistorestoreAmericancommunityforthetwenty-first

centurythroughbothcollectiveandindividualinitiative.Irecognizethe

impossibilityofproclaiminganypanaceaforournation’sproblemsofcivic

disengagement.ButI’moptimisticthat,workingtogether,wecanonceagain

beascivicallycreativeasourProgressiveforefathers.

Figuringoutindetailhowtorenewourstockofsocialcapitalisadaunting

task.Therearesixspheresthatdeservespecialattentionfromaspiringsocial

capitalists:youthandschools;theworkplace;urbanandmetropolitandesign;

religion;artsandculture;andpoliticsandgovernment.Myfocusinthisessay

isonyouthandschools.

PhilosophersfromAristotleandRousseautoWilliamJamesandJohnDewey

havebegundiscussionsofcivicswiththeeducationofyouth.Theyhave

ponderedtheessentialvirtuesandskillsandknowledgeandhabitsof

democraticcitizensandhowtoinstillthem.Tostartwith,goalscanbesetto

increaseparticipationanddeliberationinsubstantiveactivities—fromteam

sportstochoirsandfromorganizedaltruismtograssrootssocialmovements.

Themeanstoachievethesegoalsandthenewformsofconnectednessmight

bedifferentfromthoseofthemid-twentiethcentury,butsome“old-

fashioned”ideasarerelevant.Takecivicseducationlessonsforexample.We

knowthatknowledgeaboutpublicaffairsandpracticeineverydaycivic

skillsareprerequisitesforeffectiveparticipation.Soreformedandimproved

civicseducationinschoolshouldbepartofourstrategy—notjust“howabill

becomesalaw,”but“HowcanIparticipateeffectivelyinthepubliclifeof

mycommunity?”Imagine,forexample,theciviclessonsthatcouldbe

impartedbyateacherinahighschool,workingwithstudentstoeffectpublic

changethatherstudentsthinkisimportant,likegettinglightsfora

neighborhoodbasketballcourt.

Weknowotherstrategiesthatwillwork,too—meaningful,regular

communityserviceprograms,well-designedservicelearningprogramsand

intergenerationalmentoring,tonamejustafew.Interestingly,researchshows

thatvoluntaryprogramsseemtoworkaswellasmandatoryones.

Volunteeringinone’syouthisamongthestrongestpredictorsofadult

volunteering.Researchesalsoshowthatsmallerschoolsencouragemore

activestudentinvolvementandparticipation.Smallerschools,likesmaller

towns,generatehigherexpectationsformutualreciprocityandcollective

action.Sodeconcentratingmega-schoolsorcreatingsmaller“schoolswithin

schools”willalmostsurelyproducecivicdividends.

Ofcourseoureffortstoincreasesocialparticipationamongyouthmustnot

belimitedtoschooling,parentsandtheoldergenerationshouldbeinvolved.

Withthejointeffortsofinstitutionsandindividuals,betterplansand

programsofacombinationofvaluesandfuncanbedesignedtoincrease

civicengagementoftheyouthandpreparethemforthenewcentury.

【答案】

Summary:

ThebondsbetweenAmericancommunitieshaveweatheredandpeoplefeel

disconnected.Sotoimprovethesituation,thechallengeliesinguidingit

towardsabetterdirection.

Thedecliningofcommunityisasilentanddeceptiveprocess,whichcanbe

demonstratedinthedisengagedprivateandpubliclife.Buttorealizeand

nametheproblemisjustthefirstyetessentialstepforward.Andafterthat,

wearefacedwithtoughchallengesinthisworldwithirrevocablechanges,to

recreateoursocialcapitalandthisproblemhavetobedealtwithfrom

institutionalandindividualaspects.Andweneedtocreatenewstructuresand

improvetheeffectivenessofthecivicinstitutionsandpracticesandfortifythe

resolveofindividualstore-connectforcollectiveactiontodealwiththe

problem.AndIamconfidentthatwiththecollectiveandindividualinitiative,

wecanagainbecivicallyconnected.

Torenewourstockofsocialcapital,aspiringsocialcapitalistsshouldpay

attentiontosixspheres,andthispassageonlyfocusesonyouthandschools.

Civicsisanimportanttopicofancientphilosophersfordiscussionanditis

closelyrelatedwiththeeducationofyouth.Sothefirststepistosetgoalsto

increaseparticipationanddeliberationinsubstantiveactivities.Reformedand

improvedcivicseducationisalsopartofourstrategyforeffective

participationinthepubliclifeofthecommunity.Therearemanyother

strategiesincludingvoluntaryprograms,thatwillalsoworkandsmaller

schoolsarealsoausefulmethodforstudentinvolvementandparticipation.

Parentsandtheoldergenerationcanbeinvolvedinoureffortsandwiththe

jointeffortsofinstitutionsandindividuals,wecanincreasecivicengagement

oftheyouthandmakethembetterpreparedforthefuture.

Commentary:

China’sEstrangedCommunity

Inthisworldwithincreasinglymaterialprosperity,Chinaisnoexception

fromtheerodingofthedisengagedcommunitiesandrelationshipsinits

society.

Thedetachedrelationshipsandthedegradedethicscanbefoundeverywhere:

fromthedefamiliarizedrelationshipbetweenneighbourstotheignored

beggarsontheway,fromthoseintentionallyengagedinfindingfaultwith

driversbyfallingbehindacartothosewhowouldneveroffertheirseatsto

theeldersonabusorhelptheelderlyacrossthestreet.Itseemsthatpeople’s

valueofethicshavedisappearedwiththeemergenceofeconomicbooming

andbetterlivingstandards.

Distrustpermeateseverywhere.However,asanationwithbrilliant

civilizationandexcellenttraditions,Chinaonceboastedasanationofvirtues

wherethesayingthat“Tohaveacloseneighbourisfarbetterthantohavea

distantrelative”waswell-knowntoeveryhousehold,andwherethevirtueof

mutualhelpandrespectingtheelderlywaswelladvocated.Whatanironyit

istotherealitynowadays.Thoughinsomeruralareas,thetraditionalethical

standardsarestillobservedinsomeway.Buttheerosionspreadseverywhere

quietlyandprogressively.Andeventhosewhoinsistmaygetfrustratedand

hurtatthedauntingrealitywherethesecertainethicalqualitiesarerefused

anddeemedsilly.Itseemsasifwhentheenvironmentispolluted,ourheart

alsocatchesanillness.

Whatcanthisbeattributedto?Ithinktherearetwoaspectswhichwemay

thinkover:thesocietyandtheindividualsourselves.Firstall,inthis

competitiveandambitioussociety,itseemsthatmaterialwealthhasbecome

theprimarymeasureforsuccess.Peoplecan’thelpjudgingapersonbyhis

dress,byhissalaryandbyhisappearanceotherthansomethinginside.And

insuchsociety,materialwealthareindeedrequiredforahome,forafamily

andforeverythingheneededtobesafeandsecureinthischangeableworld.

Wefeelandwearemadetofeelthatweneedtobewealthy,sohurry,oryou

maybeleftbehindbythiscoldworld.Itisnotstrangethatpeoplewill

becomeestrangedandcompetitiveinthissocietyandgettobesusp