Thematic Reading
＼Text A＼
The Meaning of Education
Joyce Wang
［1］If you go to my middle school，you will find quite a strange sight—almost all the students（both boys and girls）have extremely short hair，baggy uniforms and thick glasses．This is because，according to the education department of our city，teenage years are not the time for looking pretty．As I entered an international high school，all my new friends asked me about my hair．Some thought that I went to a military school，others thought I was going for androgynous style．Then I dyed my hair blue．For the first time ever，I was not deemed shallow for caring about how I looked．I felt free and beautiful．Standing at the crossroads of two hair aesthetics，I was also experiencing the clash of two almost opposite school systems．Although the big gap in their principles did give me some hard time adapting，in the end，I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity of integrating values from both systems，and finally building a value system of my own．
［2］I have a typical background，in the sense that I am the only child in my family from a small city．I went to public schools，received standard education and followed rules that every other average Chinese student followed．A typical school day with a class size of 72 people lasted from 8 AM until 6：30 PM，with“optional”study hall after dinner．We were required to recite countless academic articles and theories，followed by mountains of homework that kept us up until after midnight every single day．People generally felt pressured not to pursue artistic or athletic interests outside of school because they were“too time-consuming”and harmful for anyone who even“dream of a brighter future in a bigger city”．In the last year of middle school，I gradually realized that I was not enjoying my learning experience as much as I should．Knowledge seemed to be a burden，not a source of joy．As someone who has a natural inclination for learning new things，I began to wonder whether this education is truly suitable for me．
［3］My new high school seemed at first to be the perfect solution to all of my problems．It is a multicultural community with students and faculty comprised of 100 nationalities．The school itself and the IB（International Baccalaureate）diploma are classic representations of liberal Western education，offering many options for students to choose from and explore．The day I got my acceptance letter，I did not shed a single drop of tear—but I knew my life was about to change in very drastic ways and I was more ready than ever for the“happily ever after”．
［4］However，my high hopes were not met．After switching to the international school systems，for a while I found myself in a surprisingly similar dilemma，which was and still is the biggest challenge I face in my education—the freedom to try new things．In the old system，I was strongly advised against trying new things because we were told to stick to what we were good at already—a logical fallacy，because how can one know what they are good at without trying it in the first place？However，in my new school，it worked the opposite way—we were strongly encouraged to try new things，be risk-takers and explore our possibilities．At first，it seemed so ideal．I finally had the chance to try new things I had dreamed of before！Little did I know that everything came with an opportunity cost．As I was about to choose my classes at the start of the year，the idea of doing Philosophy intrigued me．It was a subject that didn’t exist in my old school．Also，discussing different schools of thought and perspectives sounded very interesting and challenging．I thought that this was the kind of opportunity I came to this school for，so I took the course in Higher Level（which means more in-depth analysis，stricter assessment criteria and more class hours），despite the fact that this was the course with a lowest ratio of Chinese students in my school．A few days into this course，I was already struggling—the English vocabulary that philosophers used was very difficult，and a lot of my peers seemed to be better acquainted with philosophy．The heated discussion intimidated me and I barely spoke up in class．
［5］It took me weeks of hard work to regain confidence and finally start to participate．My philosophy notebook was filled with questions to contemplate after each class．Finally，it paid off—the first paper that I wrote got an almost perfect score，and I was extremely happy for this achievement．On the other hand，for my friends who were a bit slower at adapting，Philosophy was a nightmare．They got unsatisfying grades，bad report comments，and when they tried to switch to another subject，they were told by the dean to“take responsibility for their risky choices”．His reactions really affected my opinions of the school．Now，when other interesting yet challenging classes or study programs are offered，I hesitate to take them and usually give them up in the end because of my fear of facing the same situation my friends did．The teachers are not going to give me good grades just because I took on a challenge．The whole system seemed so self-contradictory：students are encouraged to try new opportunities，but if they fail，they are responsible because they put themselves at such risk．In the end，this seemingly liberating policy is just an illusionary choice，implicitly forcing students not to take challenging courses，which led to the same end result．
［6］Because of these experiences a question arose in my mind—is it a myth that international schools commonly seen as“education for rich spoiled kids”are better than Chinese school systems？The answer is absolutely yes．In fact，both of the systems have taught me things which shaped me into who I am today．From my Chinese education，I learned the importance of academics and hard work．By challenging myself academically，I was able to gain determination and persistence that helped me in my everyday life．I can also choose to spend my time socializing，exploring new things or practicing a musical instrument．It is so reassuring to hear teachers say that students are way more than a number grade．However，this is not the reason for me to give up on studying—the fact that academics is not the most important thing does not mean it does not have any value．Some weeks I would choose to do my math homework over going out for movies and dinner，because academics matters to me a lot．As time went by，I started to find my own balance．When my friends tell me to go easy on my test revisions or forget about that“useless”assignment，I remind myself of my roots and follow what my heart really says．It makes absolutely no sense that people are denouncing the traditional Chinese education so much because of the heavy study load—we were also learning more and at a much faster pace than the education I received here in an international school．Although life could be stressful，it is no other than a different path of life instead of a way to“torture”the students．
［7］On another note，as a Chinese person，I recognize the true underlying value of our traditional education system—equality．In a country with 20% of the world’s population，resources are scarce and opportunities are more than valuable．It is only fair that we use a tough education system to filter out those who are not as willing to work hard for their goals．There may be a lot of repetition，but that is the best way to measure hard work rather than simply intelligence（which can be a gift from nature）．Our harsh yet extremely just education system provides numerous opportunities for those who did not win the birth lottery to flourish in a way they could not have imagined before．
［8］Now I am finally combining the two and taking up an initiative to show my community the values I stand for and hope to make a difference．I am tired of listening to other people’s often biased opinions and sick of complaining．None of the education systems in the world are perfect；they each have their flaws but we should always hold a positive attitude towards the opportunity to learn new things offered to us and make the most of what we have．
（1，446 words）
＼Word Tips＼
1．androgynous adj．雌雄同体的
2．aesthetics n．美学
3．integrate vt．使……完整，结合
4．inclination n．倾向，爱好
5．dilemma n．困境，进退两难
6．fallacy n．谬论，谬误
7．intrigue v．引起兴趣，使迷惑
8．assessment criteria 评估准则
9．ratio n．比率，比例
10．acquaint vt．使熟悉，使认识
11．intimidate vt．恐吓，威胁，胁迫
12．illusionary adj．错觉的，幻影的
13．myth n．错误的观点，神话
14．denounce vt．谴责，公然抨击
15．underlying adj．潜在的，根本的
16．lottery n．彩票，碰运气的事(https://www.daowen.com)
17．initiative n．主动权，首创精神
＼After-reading Exercises＼
I．Directions：The following are five multiple choice questions to test your understanding of the passage．Choose the best answer for each of them．
1．According to the passage，which of the following statements is NOT mentioned about the life in the author’s first middle school？
A．All the students had short hair and uniforms．
B．They had mountains of homework．
C．They were required to recite articles and theories．
D．They had an easy school life．
2．What is new about the author’s international school？
A．The school represents liberal Western education．
B．The school offers many options for students to choose from and explore．
C．The school comprises students and faculty of 100 nationalities．
D．All of the above．
3．Why did the author find herself in a surprisingly similar dilemma？
A．She could not adapt to the life in the new school．
B．She had language communication problems．
C．It was not free to try new things as it claimed seemingly．
D．She did not know how to get on well with others．
4．According to the passage，the word“myth”in paragraph 6 means________．
A．fallacy
B．fairy tale
C．idea
D．impression
5．What does the author feel through the two educational systems？
A．None of the education systems in the world is perfect．
B．We should always hold a positive attitude towards the opportunity to learn new things．
C．Neither A nor B．
D．Both A and B．
Ⅱ．Directions：Translate paragraphs 7 8 into Chinese．