We all know Beijing's application for hosting the Olympic Games in 2008 to be one of great events in China nowadays. For achieving it, more and more Beijingers are showing their utmost enthusiasm and support by different means from young one to the aged. I would like to tell a common story that happened there.
Last Saturday, a welcome snow was here at long last after people's wishful waiting. Early morning, I was gapemouthed as I drew the curtains at sight of a beautiful world covered with snow. The street was sparse of passersby only traffics like snails crawling, now and then cheers coming from several children throwing snowballs broke silence of the chilly morning. I was almost drunk with the fascinating scene untill I remembered another important thing of today. A few days ago, I heard an English training class was opened freely to the residents of our district, which was organized by residents committee in order to popularize daily English conversation for greeting Olympics, and every week once. It was intense curiosity drove me to go there for a look.
I was a bit late for the bad weather. When I entered I saw a small classroom was seated full and the teacher had begun his lesson. It was not so easy that I found a empty seat at the back. I noticed most people coming here were not young anymore, some old men with grey hair even one of them bring his grandson with him, an obedient child. Beause of the cold, thick overcoats were still not took off, they had been absorbed in their listening and sometimes taking some notes. On the blackbord were some words written in English:“Welcome China”, the teacher read it aloud and the students following after him practised more than once, time after time. The biggest problem they were faced with was cacoepy but none flinched at it. The teacher taught them how to pronounce, how to utilize the shape of mouth and under his guidance and rectification everyone has made obvious progress. Seeing their rapt expression I almost forgot their ages. The teacher was a young man with enough patience, his teaching was not only straightaway but full of humor, when he told about the use of “uncle”, he said,“not like Chinese, when we say‘uncle’, we can't know at all what it refers to is your mother’s brother or your father’s, even have no idea if he is older than your mother or father, or younger. It doesn't seem to accord with our habits maybe domestic relations of we Chinese are too complex.” This made the entire class laughing.
Beside me was sitting an aunt of over 50 years old, at break I chat with her and soon we were familiar with each other. I came to know she had been a worker in a factory nearby for her lifetime, now retired at home. She hurried to join as soon as she heard having English courses here.“If I could know a little English, at least one day when I meet some forgein friends in the street who are in difficulies, I could give a little help for them,” as said, she paged the teaching material in her hand and pointed at several lines of words, “I’v already memorized some of them and it took me a long time,”a happy smile emerging on her face,“but...”stopped briefly she said shame-making,“don't laugh at me, my English basis is far too poor, so, I have to mark these Chinese words around them, which pronuncation sound alike.” Along her finger I saw thickly dotted Chineses bestrewing aroud those English phrases, it was not a“good”way to learn English like this, of course. However, I could say nothing, it is difficult, or inimaginably, for these elderly people to accept a new language within such a short time, who had never got to English before and knew nothing about it even unable to read correctly such simple letters as“A”“B”“C”, when, who could criticize them for they done instead of being moved by their studiousness and courage?
Two hours flied and the class was over, a special English class after my graduation. I was being infected deeply though the contents of teaching was so easy to me. Like all Chinese, hosting the Olympics is also a dream in my heart, this desire is getting stronger and stronger when our motherland has acquired refulgent achievements in all aspects after its opening to the world, especially the victories taked by Chinese athletes at the Sydney Olympics. I am ashamed that I have been thinking about what I should do but without action. What I told is one story I have experienced, the similar stories for Bid may be taking place everyday. True, it is worthy of excitement provided that we may achieve success, here it looks as though the result shouldn’t be so important, in a great country that has a long history as well ancient civilizations there is a most important thing that is spirit, everything can be changed, but, not our belief. This is what I got from that class.
