Mini Essay: 《我》

Writing something about myself in chinese to practice for upcoming 'o' level higher chinese examinations.


我曾是个牙牙学语的小女孩。我曾什么都不知道。我曾犯过许多错误。但随着岁月流逝，我成长了。我睁大眼去看周围、看书、看世界。我胜任了三年的学生领袖。从我的经历中，我学到了不少知识。同时，这段时间里，我也发现了我的兴趣爱好。对唱歌我是特别喜欢。歌曲好像有种特别的魔力，吸引着我。因此，我有了人生的第一个目标：当一名歌手！虽然有点不切实际，但我还是很高兴唱。这几年，我还参加了不少歌唱比赛，场场都让我回味无穷。想起来，我为梦想做了不少。不经一番寒刺骨，何来扑鼻梅花香？我这梦想可没那么容易达成，所以我会更加努力，为梦想前进。除了梦，我还有个温馨的家。虽然只是3方式的租屋，但日子过的还算挺舒服的。那是因为有爸爸妈妈在，常鼓励我、支持我与帮助我。对此，我表示非常感谢。我爱你们！现在，我有我的性格、我的想法和我的朋友。我是个坚持的女生。有时候可能不听父母的话，但平时我都很乖，今年也非常用功读书，准备着‘O’水准考试。我相信我不会辜负父母的期望，考进所好学校，以后找份好工作，可以好好孝顺他们！在这个非常时刻，我决不放弃，我一定会发奋图强的！

Mini Essay: Stand Up

      
      Iceskaters probably fell countless times when they started out as amateurs. How about us?
            Falling down is easy but standing up from where we fall is difficult. We have cleared our first subject for 'O' levels-- English. Well, almost everyone said they screwed up more or less. Since 'O' level grades are based on a bell curve, shouldn't most of us be around the same? After taking the exam, I think there is nothing to be demoralized about. Good or bad, it's over, we can't do much about it.
             I remembered once when my English dropped to pit bottom. Horrible feeling. Despite the challenges, I climbed up slowly. My family, teachers and friends had constantly encouraged me. Soon, I was back to the standard I was. My prelim results was atrocious too, but I picked myself up. I know the feeling of not doing well just shuts everyone down from studying. However, I trust that so long as we learn from our mistakes, accept it and move on, we could achieve better results.
            The worse we did, the more we need to improve. For this period, we need to stand up quickly from where we fell. We need to come back with more courage, confidence and determination, fast. Failing is not the end of everything, it is the beginning. So, let's grip our teeth and walk towards greater heights. 
             Dear friends, we'll survive this test together. So don't stop believing! 

Mini Essay: Write about an occasion when you had to remain calm under pressure.

           The lights went on. A hall fully packed with guests, there's hardly room to move around freely. The staff, excited participants and technical crew were already on stand by. My heart skipped a beat. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. Then, the hosts declared enthusiastically, "Three, Two, One... Ladies and Gentlements, welcome to Fuhua Secondary School's Talent Quest competition 2011!" At the backstage, our student council vice president, Amy approached me with a big smile. She gave me a soft pet on the shoulders and whispered, "It's our first time organising such a big event, please make sure nothing goes wrong."


           First, the principal, vice principal and special guests were invited to be seated at the front rows. Next, the hosts asked the first contestant to go on stage to perform. Meanwhile, as the competition carried on as planned, I was chatting with Amy. Two minutes have passed and it was as silent as the grave. Wait, something is not right!  The contestant seems nervous and at a loss on stage. "Oh no!" I exclaimed. It was too late before i realised that this was a technical fault.


           I raced towards the public announcement room. On the way, i thought, everybody is counting on me to make this event work. As the overall in charge of the event, how could I have made such a mistake? I would have checked the video tapes and audio tracks a thousand times, suppose i knew this would happen. How should I to answer to the audiences back there? I could picture the disappointed and impatient looks on the contestants' faces. I had a strong headache. The fact that there are hundreds of people seated in the hall and all the negative thoughts just make me feel extremely pressurised.


           As i reached the public announcement room, i checked with the staff on duty immediately. Initially, I ignored their explanations. I headed straight to the laptop. I tried clicking the icons on the screen but nothing happened. I panicked even more. Then, I told myself to be calm, the situation is in a mess but i really need to calm down and think. I began listening to the staff patiently. After a good five minutes, we figured out how to play the music clip. "Phew..." I let out a long sigh of relief. I ran quickly back onto the stage and apologised to the guests for the long waiting time. The event continued without interruptions throughout, fortunately.


           That day was really a horrifying day. I never expected an technical fault to occur and it was really difficult to remain calm under such a pressurising situation. One lesson I've learnt through this experience is to always double check beforehand.

Mini Essay: Should lessons be extended without early notification?

      I disagree that lessons should be dragged for a period of more than 10min without early notification. Although the teacher may not be able to complete what he or she was doing, I think the students should be dismissed. This is because students' plans after lesson are disrupted, they may be running late for other lessons and they may not be absorbing the information effectively during the extended time.


            I believe after lessons, most students would have their own plans. If the lesson is right before a break or recess, a drag in the lesson would result in reduction of the break time. For example, there was once i was really hungry and the lesson just before lunch was extended for half an hour without prior notice. I had to starve for this period and i was not in my best condition to take in the information the teacher had taught.


           Next, there is a possibility that other lessons line up after that lesson. Extending lessons without prior notice will cause students to miss the beginning of the next lesson. This could lead to some of the students who have lessons, after that particular lesson that was dragged, to spend extra time catching up with what they have missed out.


           Last but not least, the students may not be able to retain the information taught to them within the extended time. In my school, a lesson for a particular subject lasts for no longer than an hour. Plus, within lessons, there is a short break which is approximately 5minutes long. It is more stressful and tiring for many students to carry on learning if lessons are dragged on more than 10minutes without early notification.


           In conclusion, I strongly believe that lessons should not be extended without early notification. I suggest teachers should plan out how to carry out their lessons within the time frame given effectively and efficiently to maximise students' learning.