麻辣校园

                           Sports, English and Life

2008 Beijing Olympic Games is around the corner, only 29 days ahead; we learn English every day; and each day is a precious unit of our life---so you see, sports, English, and life are closely related with one another, and they may be more closely related in another way if you read on to come with me to a new conclusion.

“Learning English is like playing table tennis.” I often explain to my students this way, “If you have a good coach, you’ll improve your playing skill dramatically, otherwise you’ll learn little or even go astray.” A good teacher is vital to the students.

“Learning English is like a marathon race.” I prefer the simile to refer to English learning, “If you run ahead of the others, you feel confident, energetic, and happy, excited when you dash to the finish line---taking examinations, otherwise you feel frustrated, and pressured when you lag behind, helpless and exhausted as you struggle towards the finish line---look, the process is the same, and you haven’t run an inch less, but the results and feelings are so different.” This, I am sure, will spur us to think on, and we can’t help asking questions as such:

Have you got a good partner or a good friend like a good coach?

Have you ever thought about your life---a process in which if you march ahead confidently, you feel happy, and meaningful or if you slack behind lazily, you feel unhappy, and meaningless?

Since you need friends and partners, be sure to find and keep good ones like those good coaches;

Since you live your life as a process, be sure to live it with all your vigour and vitality, with all your imagination and creation.

Here, shall we come to such a conclusion and keep such an attitude towards life?

Let’s live to win as we do in sports;

Let’s live to improve ourselves as we do in English learning.

(July 10, 2008)