- A Tip for College Students

　　在充满了竞争的时代，怎样在竞争中生存和发展？

　　The tempo of modern civilization has been much quickened in the last twenty years. While witnessing the dramatic changes in the better-off society, people begin to reconsider the question of "survival". "Survival" in the old sense does not bother us anymore. Instead, we are more concerned about how to "survive" in the human world full of competition.

　　A promising way to guarantee our survival is to get some living skills through education in schools. Schooling plays a key role in imparting wisdom and knowledge, and offering professional training to students. As is widely acknowledged, the school campus is a wonderland for anyone who wants to acquire self-improvement both intellectually and spiritually. In this sense, the campus is full of sources of getting to know and learn something. Then if everyone begins to be aware of this reality, they will devotedly work hard on it, and furthermore, competition will occur in various forms.

　　Competition always carries abreast challenges and opportunities to everyone involved. It might appear in an entrance exam, in a regular class, or in a small public speech. Those who fail to detect its real nature-whether an opportunity or a challenge a competition really is- will lose something more or less conducive to our growth. Of course, if we take the competition as an opportunity, we will favor it intentionally because they can help us outstand from the average; they will make us become the focus of public attention; they will grant us more chances and rights to succeed. As a matter of fact, opportunities are supposed to be more perceptible and welcoming than challenges. The truth is, however, we will lose more opportunities when we choose to take the "opportunity" fork at the crossroads. The other fork, ignored by us and defined as "fearful challenges", offers much more chances for the walker in competition.

　　We have such an inclination in life to overestimate ourselves and hold a thoughtless attitude towards the negative outlook of things.

　　We believe in the old saying, "Opportunity knocks but just once," so we always welcome it and devote all our spirit and efforts to it. The most devout believer of this saying are the graduates. Why? There are quite a number of them who pay full attention to positions in big cities and are willing to flood into developed areas under any circumstances, even though there will be too much uncertainty for their choices. Innumerable cases go straight to the same miserable end: God seems to refuse to help too many of His worshipers.

　　Then, how about the counterpart of our choice, the challenging competition? Challenges emerge both inside and outside the campus. We may find rivals in class or tough situations in academic performances. We may also get involved in the materialized culture trend, or stand at the road-crossing, hesitating about the options of social values or careers to take. We tend to do everything we can to escape hard circumstances of these kinds. Challenges sometimes produce worries, setbacks, or diffidence; nevertheless, they can also shape advantageous experiences, in which we are exposed to tests in our qualities and aptitudes. In this sense, challenges are full of instructions and enlightenment rather than burdens. The God of Fortune loves those who stand up to challenges with confidence. If we take and pass these tests, a great sense of accomplishment will crown us. The sweetness in trying moments is much stronger than that in "a-piece-of-cake" success.

　　In conclusion, to define the quality of competition seems to be far from valuable sense, for no matter what a competition is, an opportunity or a challenge, it will create nutritious elements for our growth.

　　So take a positive look at everything around. Keep our face to the sunshine, and we will not see the shadows.

　　(文/周影韶；英语辅导报 大学二年级版 04～05学年第8期； 版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)