守望者眼里的麦田

我圣诞节的作业之一是写10篇作文，老师一共提供了20个话题，我只要从中选10即可。

It has been said, “Not everything that is learned is contained in books.” Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?

“When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.” Do you agree or disagree with this quotation?

Do you think it is a good idea for a teenager to have a job while being a student?

Is it better to enjoy your money when you earn it or is it better to save your money for some time in the future?

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? With the help of technology, students nowadays can learn more information and learn it more quickly.

Some people prefer to get up early in the morning and start the day’s work. Others prefer to get up later in the day and work until late at night. Which do you prefer?

Some people like to do only what they already do well. Other people prefer to try new things and take risks. Which do you prefer?

One should never judge a person by external appearances. Do you agree or disagree?

What do you want most in a friend - someone who is intelligent, or someone who has a sense of humor, or someone who is reliable? Which one of these characteristics is most important to you?

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Grades encourage students to learn.

Is it more important to be able to work with a group of people on a team or to work independently?

If you could travel back in time to meet a famous person from history, what person would you like to meet?

If you were asked to send one thing representing The United States to an international exhibition, what would you choose?

Some people believe that the best way of learning about life is by listening to the advice of family and friends. Other people believe that the best way of learning about life is through personal experience. Compare the advantages of these two different ways of learning about life. Whic do you think is preferable?

Some people choose friends who are different from themselves. Others choose friends who are similar to themselves. Compate the advantages of having friends who are different from you with the advantages of having friends who are similar to you. Which kind of friend do you prefer for yourself?

Some people say that physical exercise whould be a required part of every school day. Other people believe that students should spend the whole school day on academic studies. Which opinion do you agree with?

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Playing a game is fun only when you win?

If you could make one important change to Roman Catholic High School, what change would you make?

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Playing games teaches us about life.

In the future, students may have a choice of studying at home by using technology such as computers or television or of studying at traditional schools. Which would you prefer?

People recognize a difference between children and adults. What events (experiences or ceremonies) make a person an adult?

Every generation of people is different in important ways. How is your generation different from your parents’ generation?

Some students prefer to study alone. Others prefer to study with a group of students. Which do you prefer?

对于美国学生来说，圣诞等于年底。因为学校会从圣诞节一直放假放到新年以后。昨天是the last school day of the year，我们没有上课，仅仅去Cathedral做了弥撒。

什么是Cathedral？我不知道用中文怎么翻译。Cathedral是设有主教座位的大教堂，是教区（archdiocese）的中心。

有幸坐在Cathedral最前面，高清晰地看清楚了弥撒全过程。他们在唱歌、念经的时候，我的嘴巴紧闭着，因为我坚持我的信仰。与此同时，我环顾周围，大多都是白人在参与，黑人当作没事发生，好像想快点把弥撒结束一样。跟大家说个笑话，上次我问一个黑人，你是不是天主教徒，他说是。接着我又问，你每个星期天去不去教堂？他说有时候去，不过有时候我起床起晚了就不去了。我这个学期一共换了四次课程表，从最低级的课程攀升到最高级的课程，课程里的黑人也随之减少。沃森说的话是不是也有一些道理呢？Think it over。

弥撒做完了以后，离开教堂时，和学校的Father Bongard握手，他说Merry Christmas，我说you too。校长也在握手。我想起了今年暑假，我在申请新学校的时候，Father Bongard带领我和我妈妈看了学校一圈。前天我在放学的路上见到了他，他记得我的名字，并且也跟我握手，还问我最近学习情况怎样。有一次我的课程表出了问题，在走廊上找到校长，帮我解决了问题。在中国，见到校长比见到国家主席还高兴，我在美国轻易就见到了，而且我没有感觉到他们比我高等，也没有丝毫畏惧之感。我不知道我以前在大陆读书的那个校长会不会知道有我这个人，如果他在街上见到我，他会不会和我握手？他或许会见到我就当见到蚂蚁一样，当看不见。如果我遇到了问题，他会不会帮我？如果我去找他帮忙，他或许会说：“找别人”。他心里会想：“我这都要帮你，我还是校长吗？”中国的校长高高再上，却获得一堆臭骂；美国的校长和神父，对学生友好平等，却得到了学生的尊重。

昨天在一个华人教堂搞活动的时候，有一个分享活动，说说自己想感谢谁。我感谢了我的家人和教堂的工作人员，但忘记了我学校的神父、校长、老师和同学。在这里，我补足感谢他们。

学生是学校的最重要部分，没有学生，何来学校？学校要懂得尊重学生，校领导们不应该高高在上，而是要尽量和学生友好，帮助学生。

上个星期去一家商店申请工作，可是没有回音。看来美国商店招人很严格，问了一大堆看似简单又很难的问题，例如说：“从科学的角度来看，你能否连续站立超过8个小时？”“如果你发现你的同事对老板有意见，你该怎么办？”“如果你看到地上有积水，很容易让客人滑到，你会怎么办？”这些问题比SAT还难，涉及生活常识和人情世故。工资是6.5 USD per hour。

最近我看了很多让我感动的电视节目，我发现人除了要有最基本的道德良知以外，还需要有坚韧不拔的品质。我知道，肯定有人会说我在说废话了。这些人往往没有经历过极大的困难。每次我看励志电影的时候，我现在可以深深的体会到电影主人公在他遇到困难时的痛苦无助、和悲伤和他克服困难的精神—坚韧不拔。

眼睁睁地看着这一年要过去了，我不想计算自己失去什么或者获得什么，因为这样只会越算越悲。不到10天，我正在计划下一年。不知道下一年我会走上怎样的路，不知道下一年我会遇到什么事情，一切都是未知数，只可以硬着头皮往前走了。

祝大家圣诞快乐和新年快乐。

在和菜头的指引之下，我找到了这篇被各大新闻网站删除的文章。不为什么，仅仅因为中国人应该有知情权。

转载正文：

　核心提示:2007年1月1日，高唐县民政局地名办主任董伟因为之前在网上发帖称”没钱了，还搞什么建设”被指侮辱县委书记孙兰雨,被送进高唐县看守所,同时被关的还有王子峰、扈东臣,他们被当地电视台报道为“重大网络刑事犯罪团伙”。

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By Francis P. Church

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

一直以来，我都在博客上评论政治时事的东西，但我不是一个政客。说难听点，政客都是一堆屎。为什么？因为政客永远只会干一件事：政治。政客为了政治而政治，that’s why and how they got their names.

现在的官员，无论在哪个国家，都是代表着富人的利益。每定下一条法律或者实施一个政策，都是为了保护富人的利益。世界上最伟大的政客，我认为，是华盛顿和富兰克林。但是他们也一样，在美国建国以后，他们所建立的法律或者政策，都是倾向着富人。

华盛顿有奴隶，他和富兰克林，两位美国的建国老大，都不敢废除奴隶制度。因为他们不敢惹毛当时的富人，当时的富人喜欢有奴隶伺候他们。如果华盛顿和富兰克林一旦说废除奴隶制度，惹毛了那群富人，美国会完蛋的，他们也会跟着完蛋。他们不敢惹毛富人，所以只好得罪穷人了。穷人要去做奴隶，关我屁事，只要我可以稳稳地坐着美国总统和建国者的位置就好了。

在21世纪的今天，布什攻打伊拉克。你以为布什先生真的没事找事干去打伊拉克吗？其实是美国的富人要富人去打伊拉克，获得石油，这样对那群富人的生意有好处。作为报答，富人将会给布什竞选基金。富人间接地掌握了大全，政客只是富人的机器罢了。

美国的医疗制度垃圾之极（你可以去看看电影Sicko来了解一下），希拉里在竞选总统的时候，提出了“全民保险”的政策。这个政策大概是这样的，每个美国居民都要买医疗保险，没有钱买的政府帮忙买。政府帮忙买保险，用谁的钱？还不是用纳税人的钱。这些钱去了哪里？都到保险公司去了。obviously，保险公司给了希拉里竞选基金，所以希拉里定下了这个政策，全部美国居民都去买保险，that is，全部美国居民都要交钱给保险公司。

马克思说过，历史是阶级斗争的过程和结果。在这么多的阶级斗争中，往往都是富人赢，穷人输。李世民说过，水能载舟，亦能覆舟。但是，水要覆舟，必须到一定程度。如果穷人要推翻富人的统治，他们的愤怒和痛苦必须上升到他们忍无可忍的程度，所以，政客和富人要做的一件事就是，把他们的愤怒控制住，而不是为他们造福。每次闹革命或改革，肯定会有死伤，所以，穷人有时候会选择忍耐，而不会拿自己的生命去赌博。所以，当权者和富人，只要适当地把穷人的愤怒控制住，压下去，那就可以了。如果政客和富人无法控制住穷人的愤怒，穷人反抗并且胜利了，建立了新的政权。新政权的政客又会为了富人而制定政策和法律，穷人又再次受苦……一切周而复始地循环。

政客永远只会为富人牟利，而不是为穷人造福。为人民服务的不是政客，而是人民自己。你想为人民服务？千万不要去从政，要么你会被踢出局，要么你会成为富人的奴隶。最后跟大家说一句，热爱生命，远离从政。