【英语写作II】范文两篇.doc

请大家打印、阅读如下两篇范文并带到周五（4月3号）课堂。The Sometimes Silent PartnerTo see how important music was to me, I tried going without it for an entire day. There were no songs playing on my alarm clock to wake me. There was no music on in the car while I drove to school. I went through the entire day without listening to a single CD. Did I survive? Of course I did. Was I miserable? You bet. I was alternately stressed out and bored. It felt like Lent, where I have to give up something I really enjoy. Music is a necessary and integral part of our lives, so much so that we may not recognize its value. From the most insignificant to the most important moments in our lives, music helps make our experiences complete. Music also helps up remember and celebrate our heritage as part of rituals and in everyday events. One place music plays an important role is in movies. Many of us think that background music reflects the action of a scene, which it does, but it also helps create the emotions we feel when we are watching that action. For example, would the shark-attack scenes in Jaws be as suspenseful without the famous “Ta-Dum, Ta-Dum” of the theme song? Would we be as likely to shed a tear in a sad movie without the swelling of violins in the background? Sound directors use this music to trigger a viewers emotional reaction to a movie. The beauty of a good movie soundtrack is that you dont notice it. The next time you put a tape in the VCR, try spending a few minutes watching the movie with the sound off. Chances are that your experience of the movie during those few minutes will be flat and maybe even boring. On the other hand, certain pieces of music have become all-important to us over time and have come to symbolize certain events. Can you imagine going to a baseball game and not singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game?” For me, this song and the six clear notes before the crowd yells “Charge!” are at the heart of enjoying the game. In other cases, a certain piece of music is central to an important ritual or ceremony. When an organist plays “The Wedding March”, we know that it is time for the bride to walk down the aisle. When Americans hear “The Star Spangled Banner,” they stand up and put their hands over their hearts. When we hear the harmonizing trumpets of the Olympic theme, we know that the games are about to begin or a medal is going to be awarded. Each of these pieces of music goes hand-in-hand with the ritual itself. It is hard for me even to think about one of these events without hearing its accompanying music. Finally, the importance of music is universal; it is used by people of all countries to remember their heritage and culture. For example, the people of Louisiana have continued to sing folk songs in Cajun French, keeping the language alive. Cajun musicians use the same instruments (the fiddle, accordion, and guitar) as their Acadian ancestors who immigrated to Louisiana. When they perform, these musicians pass on the language, traditions, and sounds of their forefathers and foremothers to the next generation. There are other ways people keep their heritage alive through music. For example, American Indians sing songs passed down from their ancestors as part of religious ceremonies. In my church, the choir sometimes sings hymns in Latin to reflect the ancient roots of our faith. Regardless of language or nationality, we all have probably gained some sense of our cultures through music. Songs can be the most familiar ties to our heritage because they are all around us; they are sung in times of celebration and of mourning, as part of ritual and as part of leisure. Whether it is front and center or behind the scenes, music helps give meaning to activities and events in our lives. In movies, ceremonies, or cultural gatherings, music is sure to play an important role. We may not always notice the presence of music in our lives and may sometimes take it for granted. Without it, however, our world would indeed be a silent place. （711 words） American and Chinese Child-Raising Most conscientious parents in America and China are keeping their eyes focused on their children. Dr. Benjamin Spock, a famous child-rearing expert, the author of the book Baby and Child Care, said in 1973, what is making the parents job most difficult is todays child-centered viewpoint. Both Chinese and Americans favor the children. Of course, there are great differences between the ways of child-raising in these two countries because of the different traditional cultures.American children are encouraged to be self-reliant from a very early age, for individualism, independence and self- reliance are the most distinctive American characteristics. Lisa is an American student at Nanjing University. She told me that when she was about 5 years old, her mom asked her to take care of her own clothes and bedroom and if she did well, her mom would praise her by giving her a kiss. Lisas parents seldom prevented her from being independent of them. Lisa also told me that when she was 15 or 16 years old and she wanted to have a part-time job to raise money so that she could go to California to visit her friend, her parents said O.K. to her.In contrast to American children, Chinese children are loved rather blindly by their parents. According to Chinese Education Newspaper, July 28th, 1989, more and more families each have an only child. These children are considered to be the sun, and the parents planets revolving around it. These children cant care for themselves without the help of their parents. Parents make all the arrangements for the children. They tell them what they should do and how they can do it. Some children rarely do housework, not even what they are able to do, such as cleaning their rooms, cooking meals and washing their own clothes. If the children show an inclination to be independent from their parents, for example, if they want to look for a part-time job or travel alone, the elders will object firmly, My dear, you are only 16. You are too young to do that.Many Americans believe that everyone needs some private time each day, to be alone and think ones private thoughts without others intruding on his private space. On the contrary, Chinese parents think that their children should have no secrets. They take it for granted that children should share any secret with their parents. Children should be honest and frank in front of them. Peter, an overseas student from the U.S.A. was very surprised to learn that his Chinese friends diaries could be read by their parents. He said that his parents would not look through anything that belonged to him without his permission. Every American knows that letters and papers lying on or in ones desk are private. Parents havent the right to read them, he said. However, in China, it seems that children are used to having their diaries read. While saying this, he shook his head with puzzlement in his eyes.There are differences between the attitudes of how to treat a child in America and China. In China, parents are accepted as rulers and masters. Their childrens relations with them are very formal and love for them is combined with fear. Parents act as the superiors of their children.When Chinese parents find the childrens friends always visit their home, they will observe them furtively and judge whether they are good or not for their children only by their actions and appearances. If parents think they are OK, they will not stop their children from making friends with them; but if they are not satisfied with the boy or the girl, they will instruct them, Well beat you on the legs if we see you with him (her) once more.However, in America, there seems to be much more social equality between parents and children than in China. There is less formal respect for and fear of the parents. To the children, their parents are something like good friends. In Seventeen (Nov. 1989). Susan Chace wrote in The Heat Is On: Your parents have just a few million suggestions, requirements and thoughts theyd like to share with you. To some extent, parents play the role of advisors, but not superiors.When American parents find their childrens friends not satisfactory, they will not tell their children directly that they should not stay with each other. They will say it tactfully. For instance, Peters mother often said to him, “Come home early” or “Can you be back home a little earlier to help me with the housework?”The degree to which American parent are involved in their childrens schools is often surprising to people of China. Besides encouraging their children to be good at both academic and extracurricular activities, Americans often volunteer to help with classroom or after-school activities, Diane Stanford and Zhang Xi-ren say in England and America (published in 1986). However, Chinese emphasize grades and scores. They believe that high marks are everything, so they forbid their children to attend nature clubs, musical organizations, art and drama groups, etc. These students have to root themselves in examination papers.Both American and Chinese parents want their children to be successful in the future,