The saying is so old that you may take it lightly, but actually the saying is never out-of-date and still applicable in many cases today. Frankly speaking, there are still many of us knowing the saying but rarely learning from it. In other words, we dont really put it into practice, which can account for why we always gain nothing but failure and tears in the end. A persons effort is not necessarily proportional to ones success, but nothing can be achieved if you stand still and keep imagining without making any effort.

    In most cases, we tend to blame our failures on the bad luck. In fact, the fault lies in ourselves. We only care about what we can gain, but never realize that we must suffer from pains first. Life is, in a sense, a harsh battle. There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is no pains in vain, either. The Buddha said: If someone is suffering pains, he (or she) is either atoning for ones crime of previous existence or laying the solid foundation for the beautiful future life.  

    As for us, since our first life challenges are around the corner, too many expectations from parents, the heavy burden of study and the fear of future are filling us with worries and sinking us in low spirits. We take pains with our work in hope for a better life.

   You must have heard that “Genius is made by 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”You may not be a genius, but do live up to your sweat.

  The exhausted man was watering a weak and little tree by using his watering can. He bent his body, expecting the little tree’s growing, but wasn’t regardful of the tiredness and his sweat. When the sun shone fiercely, the tree was bid enough to provide a pleasant shade for the sleeping man. The strong tree was glad to share its umbrella with the man who had devoted all is attentions to it.

  So do we when we get along with the nature now. However, the reality tends to be disappointing. People damaged a lot of trees to make wooden products which caused a long-term global warming or even an extensive landslide. In addition, people once used DDT to kill insects so that they could have a good harvest, but this kind of agricultural chemical was absorbed into animals, and then affected human beings eventually. People didn’t take the environment into account so they couldn’t get any protection from the nature, finally suffering the consequence of their using DDT. In other words, people now had better pay efforts in getting along with the nature harmoniously. It is planting more various trees that can control today’s polluted air. Then, after studying, why can’t we put what we have learned into practice to commit ourselves to finding more environmental friendly materials because of the benefit to the nature?

  What I have got from the pictures, is not only the relationship between the man and the tree, but also how the nature will respond to us in its own way if we put our heart into loving it.

                                                                   高三（2） 顾宇帆

(3)

As can be seen from the left picture, a man is watering a small tree with sweat pouring off his head. On the contrary, in the right picture, he is sleeping on a fold chair, relaxed and comfortable. The tall and flourish tree at his back forms a “green umbrella” protecting him from the strong sunshine.

The pictures remind me of the experience when I learnt to ride a bike. I almost practiced it every day. I had even hurt myself many times before I finally adapted to it. Nowadays riding a bike provides me with great convenience and pleasure which proves that my perseverance has paid off.

However, in our society, there are quite a few people who always blame their failure on lack of fortune, never thinking of taking action to make a change in their life. As a result, they gain nothing but regret and depression in the end.

No pains, no gains. It is will power and persistence that motivate the growth of dreams. For a far-sighted person, putting his dream into practice is the key to being a winner in life. The more efforts you pay, the more benefits and life experience you gain from your achievements.

高三（2） 倪卿运

(4)

A man is watching a small ungrown-up tree with sweat on his face. Afterwards, through his perseverance and effort, the little tree finally turns into a huge one and provides shadow for the man under the bright sunlight. What we see from the picture illustrates that no pains, no gains.

As is known to all, what we can acquire is proportional to what we have paid. To harvest more, the first thing we ought to do is to make efforts. After that, insistence is essential. Not only does the process of working hard needs a strong enthusiasm, but also it requires long-term persistence. And at last, with the combination of those two things, all you have to do is to wait for your harvest.

The picture reminds me of my studying. Studying is also a process of paying and gaining. It is your hard work that matters most but not your intelligence. Only by doing so can you achieve your success, as if the man brings up the tiny tree and eventually benefits from it.

高三（6） 颜怡青

(5)

As can be seen from the pictures, when there was only a small tree with few leaves the man watered it while the sweat dripped from his face. After the little tree grew up into a towering tree, it became a natural and beautiful umbrella to protect the man from being exposed to the sunlight ad provided the man with a nice shelter.

    As the old saying goes, no pains no gains. It is suitable for the environment education and social interpersonal relationship as well. With regard to the environment, how much youll get depends on your giving. For the two same plants, the one that you carefully take care of may benefit you a lot some day in the future while the other can’t. The more attention you pay to them, the more they‘ll reward you.

    As for education, only by working hard can you really gain the knowledge and nice scores. It is your efforts that can give yourself a brighter future. Not until you go into the society for work will you actually understand how important it is to learn hard.

Last but not least, the social interpersonal relationship also plays an important role in our lives. Little help brings much return. It is also inseparable from our lives.

In conclusion, in the face of everything in the world, we should always remember that nothing can be gained without your efforts. Only through hard work can we get the fruits of victory.

高三（6）路佳慧

(6)

In the two pictures, we can see the man watering a young tree, dripping with sweat when the tree has grown up the man rests under it with satisfied expression.

It is common knowledge that no pains no gains. What’s more, achievement is directly proportional to effort. The more you devote, the greater achievement you will get. But in reality, many people intend to make progress without effort. However, few of them succeed actually. Because there is no shortcut to the achievement.

No pains no gains. The only way we can achieve the success is to have our feat on the ground, and do our duty.

高三（7）王晓琳

作文二

2．联系实际，表达该图带给你的启示。

1

As can be seen from the picture, a group of people at the table are having a big meal. Instead of having a warm discussion and chat, they are all focusing on their mobile phones and communicating with their net-pals or sharing the photos of food they taken from the dinner.

   The picture does reveal some problems worthy of our concern. Nowadays having dinners together seems to be a “silent meeting”. We no longer enjoy the pleasant atmosphere created by a group of close friends or relatives having a face-to-face chat. These phenomena probably result from the fascinating games and convenient communication through electronic devices and various chatting tools such as We Chat, QQ, Sina Blog and so on. In this case, not only will we become strangers in social association but also the society will lack real expression of emotions.

    It is time to put away our mobile phones and care about our family, friends and other people around us. Only through real communication experience can we enjoy the happiness and friendships the life brings to us.

高三（2）倪卿运

2

    As can be seen in the picture, it’s time to have a meal. Nevertheless, instead of having the meal together and talking with each other, everyone is buried in the virtual communication as well as social software. Shouldn’t we not only attach importance to the face-to-face communication but also resist the temptation of the virtual world?

    This picture does reveal a phenomenon frequently taking place in daily life. On one hand, only through face-to-face communication can we shorten the distance between us and others. It contributes to building a better relationship in the society. When it comes to having a meal, playing a mobile phone is very impolite and rude, which poses a negative impact on the atmosphere.

    On the other hand, with the rapid development of science, what is a priority for us seems to be the phones and the virtual world it brings. A wealth of students are so addicted to computers and phones that they ignore their study, even their future. Thus we should be the master of them rather than the slave.

    To sum up, the picture is extraordinarily thought-provoking. In our daily life, we ought to learn to use electronic products moderately as well as communicate with people in face more.

高三（2） 石亦曾

3

As can be seen in the picture, all the people at the table are using mobile phones to chat, read news, and send E-mails and so on. Without uttering any words, they are just focusing on their cell phones, heads bent.

After seeing the picture, I cannot help falling into deep thought. Nowadays, it is common for us to play with our phones almost anywhere and anytime. We seem not able to communicate with others in real life, not able to enjoy the surrounding scenery, not able to understand the world without the cell phone. All the people suffer from a disease called mobile phone cancer because we lack the ability to chat with people face to face, see the scenery with eyes or feel the world by our hearts. It is the dependence on the cell phone that makes us lazier, farther from each other and colder in heart.

How long haven’t you observed the people close to you? How long haven’t you got out to see the beautiful scenery with your own eyes not by your cell phone? Let’s put down the cell phone to feel the world, and you will taste the flavor of the real world.

高三（5）龚雅雯

4

We can see in this picture that during probably a family dinner, everyone was playing the mobile phone instead of talking to each other, even the painter himself can’t help himself to play mobile phone.

This picture does show some problems worthy of our concern. It is said that we live in a digital world where the only need of everyone is to be ‘connected’, and only in one means-the Internet. But when people don’t care about the real communication and turn to the RENREN , QQ, Facebook for a chat, will they get the feeling of being loved, being noticed, being connected? I think not, chatting with a man you can’t see means you don’t really know him, after the empty conversation you’ll feel empty, and as no living man can talk to you face to face (remembering that you always watch your phone), you’ll feel empty in real life and pay all your attention to the web, which only worsens your situation. A dead loop as it is, there is only one way to break it up, it is to talk to your family, because the Internet can only provide you with one aspect-your aspect while your family can provide you at least three. So turn off your phone-and look at the world to make you look alive again.

I know it can’t be easy, but no pains no gains, you’ll lose your not-so-true friend on the net and harvest the true friendship. I think it will be a worthy bargain.

高三（6） 王越

5

As can be seen from the picture, there are many people sitting around the table where many delicious dishes have been placed. But nobody eat the dishes, they are all playing their mobile phones, neglecting everything except for the small phone.

   The picture does reveal some problems of our concern. With the rapid development of our country, an increasing number of new electronic products have come out. They seem to be helpful and make life more convenient in all aspects. But the fact that electronic products have deprived human beings of their manners and social communications obliges me to believe they are a curse rather than a blessing.

In brief, we should use the electronic products properly in case they dominate our daily life, which may lead to the lack of our morals and happy life. From what has been discussed above, l appeal to people to put down their mobile phones in public.

高三（6） 施杰

6

As we can see from the picture, all the people use the apps such as QQ. We chat on their phones instead of talking to each other while having a dinner together.

This picture does reveal some social problems which is worthy of our concern. With the rapid development of the technology, the invention and popularity of the mobile phone does benefit our daily life and simplify our life. Nevertheless it is when the phone provides easy access to every concern of the world that it also extends the gap between the hearts of people. Less communication, ‘poker face’ are the words which are used to describe today’s social issues. People lack communication in today’s society.

We should let the cell phone be a part of our life rather than the whole part in our life. It can never be too late to put down the phones and go out to see how beautiful the real world is.

高三（6） 华昕昀

7

From the picture, we can see that everyone around the dining table is using a mobile phone, forgetting to enjoy the delicious food without looking at or communicating with others. They don’t even blink their eyes as if using the cell phone is all the reason why they are there. What a boring dinner!

    It is a common scene which can be seen almost anywhere and anytime. It seems like nobody can live without the mobile phone and the Internet. Clearly, they have taken control of our life. Of course we can’t deny that modern technology does bring convenience and pleasantness to us. But every coin has two sides. If we can’t make use of it properly, we’ll no longer be the masters but slaves. Being addicted to the cell phone can certainly do harm to the relationship between you and your friends, not to mention the damage to our eyes and mind.

   In this sense, put down your cell phone and take your time with your family and friends. Keep in mind what is really important and learn to treasure the real and permanent relationship with others we value.

高三（8） 孟哲文

作文三

用实例谈谈你对“More haste，less speed”这句话的理解。

（1）

       An old saying of wisdom says: “More haste, less speed.” Though many people no longer believe in such statement anymore, analysis of history proves them wrong.

       The failure of the “Great Leap Forward” in China during the 1950s provides perfect evidence that more haste can only lead to less speed. During the 1950s, Chairman Mao made a statement that China “must reach the level of Britain and America in terms of agriculture and industry within 5 years”, and thus started the Great Leap Forward. However, as a matter of fact, famers faked on the report of annual production, often reporting 100 times greater than the exact number. And people in the urban areas tool out all their iron products and melt them to increase the production of steel. As a result, the country experienced severe famine in 1961 which killed a lot of people, and the steel production was far from satisfactory for lack of modern technology.

       History sheds light on the present. Speed is indeed of the essence, but is we put too much emphasis on speed, too much that we ignore the presence of the natural rules, we will eventually fail. After all, man can never do anything just by pure motivation. The tragic epilog of the Great Leap Forward has warned us of the destructive power of haste, and wish man can really learn from it.

高三（2）俞乔帧

（2）

“More haste, less speed.” Is a wise saying indeed for those who try to run before walk? It shows that speed does not always give happy results, Even Roman can’t be built in a day, as my bitter memory clearly reminds me.

It was an important physics examination, which l finished in an hour while the given time is two hours. I was overwhelmed by my pride, as I glanced through others who were struggling in the paper, I’m faster than anyone. But this pride only lasted for exactly two days because my grade is one of the worst in the class. The defeat is not good to taste, though excellent medicines are always sore.

This unhappy memory did teach me a lesson of “More haste, less speed”. An important lesson, one must say, because if Emperor Zhu knew the lesson, many lives could be spared and maybe his cruelness would not exist. This saying encouraged Charles not to publicize his great solution of the rule of Fama before he was sure there was no mistake. Sometimes, slowing down won’t be much harm, it can make you rethink you action, correct the wrong doings in previous progress, to choose a wiser path, therefore make your later decision smoother. Haste can bring carelessness, and slowness is also a virtue in this fast-paced world, which can’t really slow you down, but make you faster.

高三（6） 王越

作文四

假设你校英语报就“Better safe than sorry”还是“Nothing ventured，nothing gained”展开讨论，你对该话题很感兴趣，写一篇短文陈述自己的观点。你的短文必须包含以下内容：

1. 你赞同哪一种说法；

2. 用一个具体事例说明你为什么赞同这一说法。

（1）

When it comes to the topic of  “Better safe than sorry” or “Nothing ventured , nothing gained”，I’ll give my answer firmly : the latter one.

Innovation is needed everywhere so that our nation, our world can develop, and our life may get better. Beside, innovation comes from human’s venturing again and again, one after another. Therefore, we need to venture, to innovate; it’s our human’s responsibility to improve the world. We don’t have to be afraid of the old rules and the difficulties we meet with on the innovation road. No breakthrough, no development. Edison tried 3681 materials before he invented the bulb; Columbus did the sail himself even at the risk of his own life and eventually he became the first one to find new land. Venturing makes wonders and brings people a brand-new life.

Even just as a teenager, we can also innovate. We are still young; so don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and just try and take adventures. We can just write down our new, brilliant ideas that nobody else ever thought about and try to make it come true. The courage is the point!

No adventure, no development. I’ve made this rooted in my deep heart, so will you join me now ?

高三（2） 陆怡雯

（2）

Our school English Post now holds a heated discussion between “Better safe than sorry” and “Nothing Ventured, nothing gained” .I firmly support the second.

In a time of competition, it’s continuous adventure that made you gain everything you want. It’s clear that except your parents, few people will give you a helping hand genuinely in society when you are in trouble. When it comes to the experience that can prove it, they flood to me at once.

I still have a clear memory of the swimming class in primary school. Most of us didn’t master swimming well, especially for me. Thanks to the terrible drowning in my first try of swimming, an unforgettable sense of horror had formed in my heart. But the coaches didn’t mind that, just pulling us into the pool one after another. After that, I took up hard training with my fathers for 3 weeks and finally surprised the coaches, as well as my other classmates who still can’t swim.

I will keep this experience rooted in my heart, for it teaches me that if I want to add a brilliant touch, the best way is to risk everything I have as long as I can achieve the goal. The more you risk, the more rewarding the result is for you. Maybe someone is curious about what it will be if the result is bad. I will just tell you that you were born with nothing, what are you afraid of? So keep your heads up and face whatever challenge you meet with.

高三（2）林晓阳

（3）

       I am in support of the statement "Nothing ventured, nothing gained".

       First of all, I will have to state that this statement is in no means an opposition to "Better safe than sorry". Security is crucial, since in most times you only get one shot. But I will have to point out that venturing does not necessarily indicate the loss of security. Trade-offs must be made, and when the profit outweighs the consequence of the risk, I think its worth having a try. After all, according to the Game Theory, you still have certain possibility of gaining if you give a try.

       To be honest, I myself used to support security as well, but my idea changed when I lost a precious opportunity.

       It was in Grade 8 when I had this opportunity to participate in a nation-level English contest. I had a competitor for this opportunity whose English was, to say, not as fluent as mine. Anyone would assume that it was me who got this opportunity. But in fact, I quit, for fear of losing in the competition. Certainly, I regretted later, as my competitor won the second prize. It was then that I realized what precious chance I had just missed. And from then on, I had become willing to take risks.

       As a conclusion, considering the mass loss of losing an opportunity and the slight risk that is totally bearable since we are so young, I would say: Embrace the risks.

高三（2） 俞乔桢

（4）

While “Better safe than sorry” seems to be a more practical lifestyle,

I prefer “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”, which indicates diverse possibilities in life.

When it comes to the topic, vivid memories come flooding back to the days when I together with my friends went to climb the mountain one day. There were two ways to reach the mountain top. One was taking a sightseeing bus and walked for a short distance while the other was walking up all the steep stairs. Most of my friends chose the former, but one friend and I decided to experience the whole process of climbing.

During the initial period, we were at ease, chatting and laughing, but when we came to realize the “endless” stairs, the journey became a challenge of perseverance and determination. But the amazing sceneries of ancient trees and colorful wild flowers surprised us in deed. We took many photos and later showed them to other friends. They all regretted not climbing with us and missing the chance of getting close to nature.

Life should be full of mysteries and challenges while we need adventures to reveal and meet with them instead of living in a cage made of safety. It’s time to change the conventional way and expose ourselves to a more extensive world.

高三（2） 倪卿运

（5）

In my opinion, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” is more suitable for me to support. As high school students, we are at the age of adventuring and following our dreams without hesitation.

      When I was ten years old, my parents suggested my joining an activity about exploring the forest. Never before had I been staying alone outside my home, and I thought it such an impossible mission as to be done. However, under the persuasion of my friends and parents, I took part in the activity.

      During the activity, I learnt a lot that was different from the knowledge in the textbooks. I built up a solid friendship between my teammates. And the adventure in the forest let me know that treasures were around and all you needed was courage, perseverance and curiosity. I gained experience that would benefit me in my lifetime. In the adventure, I also learnt how to put up a campsite, how to prevent myself being bitten by insects and how to recognize the direction.

      In short, “Nothing ventures, nothing gained”. Only if you have tried and got yourself benefited will you gain the surprise that is beyond expectation. Life is an adventure, so why not screw up your courage and begin an adventure that many people dream of?

高三（5）秦慧敏

（6）

      It seems to me that “nothing ventured, nothing gained” outweighs “better safe than sorry”. My parents always tells me that I need to seize the opportunity instead of letting it slip through my fingers even if it risks something.

      Einstein was not that famous when he was just a junior clerk. He wrote three articles which challenged the standard physics system straightly. So revolutionary were his articles that nobody even took a look at them. Unsurprisingly, it was his new theory that solved the academic problems. Hardly could people believe his brand-new idea should tear the building of standard physics into pieces like a flood in a flash. Today, in some parks, there still stand statues of Einstein, who is recognized as the father of modern physics.

      To get higher achievements and reputation, we all have to risk something. Never will we find free lunch.

  高三（5）茹昊栋

（7）

      As a teenager, I love the rewards brought by adventures and when I have experienced the difficulties followed by the challenges and overcome them, I think all the costs are rewarding.

    Only when we break out the traditional rules, will we find a new land. If we just live the same life every day, we’ll gain nothing and waste our precious time. Exploring new things means adventures unless we do something ventured.

    Someone who is afraid of mistakes and losses, sticking to his rules always lives in the world based on the theory. On the other hand, I agreed that we should be careful about the decisions we make and reduce some meaningless losses.

    I prefer the opinion that we should take the adventures based on the carefulness and analyze whether it’s worth trying.

     Be creative and be cautious.

高三（6） 陈奕璇

（8）

    As I have learned, our school English newspaper raised a question whether “Better safe than sorry” or “Nothing ventured, nothing gained ”was much better. As far as I know, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” seems to dominate the history.

    Every magnificent revolution in history was nothing other than adventure. For example, Chinese spent 100 years revolutionizing China’s government and finally succeeded. If they didn’t resist the empire、the invaders、the authorities, they might still be alive, but they would never gain rights and democracy. And of course, many of the Chinese people died, but it was their death that led to the final success. Without their devotion, we might still live in the fire like the Middle-Eastern. 

Therefore, it’s wiser to take the risk following our dreams. However impossible they look now, as long as we try our best, we have chances to make it. Dangerous as our dreams may be, there is light in front of us.

In brief, I can’t agree with the saying about adventure more.

高三（6） 莫嘉寅

（9）

   Our school has a discussion about “Better safe than sorry” or “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” in its English newspaper. As far as l am concerned, l am in favor of the later.

   Although many of my memories have faded, l still can remember the day when l learned to ride my bicycle. In the course of training, l fell off from the bike again and again. Because of countless failures, I was so exhausted and disappointed that l even wanted to give it up. But l made a firm fist against sweeping in front of the failure and continued to train. Eventually l managed to fide the bike by trial and error. The devotion is worthwhile, because it has given me great convenience to go to school by bike.

   The unforgettable experience makes me pretty convinced that no pains, no gains. If l had given up half away at that time, l would achieve nothing. It is human nature that people have unpleasant associations with hardships. However, hardships and difficulties are the key to success. Everything can be done along with great efforts and a firm belief.

    From what has been mentioned above, it is better to keep in mind that nothing ventured, nothing gained.

高三（6） 施杰

（10）

   Recently，there is a topic about "Better safe than sorry. “Or "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." on our school newspaper. It has triggered a hot discussion about which one is right among students. From my perspective, if you dont venture, you wont gain the best.

   It was in a summer holiday, so my family travelled together to a valley. The tourist attraction set a place built with glasses for people to enjoy the scenery better. My parents were so excited that they couldnt wait to have a try, but I was afraid of falling down from the glass. They encouraged me and told me that I would be surprised if I did. Then, we headed for the challenge-sky walk. As soon as I got there, I was totally amazed by the beautiful scenery. The wind breezed and touched my face gently. I have never seen such a beautiful valley! I can still remember very clearly now what I saw at that time.

   If you dont move your first step to try, you will miss the best thing. Dont get hooked in the thing which you are satisfied with now. There must be a better one, if you venture. 

高三（6） 何宇航

（11）

Compared with the saying “Better safe than sorry”, I prefer to agree with another one “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” which has a lot in common with another saying: opportunities always follow risks. Life without anything new isn’t the life I would like to live.

      Captain James Cook was an ordinary businessman in the 16^th century. With the push for more gold, he bought several ships and he himself acted as captain in Royal Naval office of England. He wasn’t the only one to join in the gold rush, but he was one of the few luckiest to gain much gold at last. Every businessman knows the rule that chances always company risks, yet not every one of them would take it. Captain Cook took the risk, with a large investment, made a large fortune, and what was more, became the first man who discovered the east shore of Australia.

     To gain anything, we need to pay something for it at the very beginning, then we may gain what we deserve. Captain Cook also knew that he might lose his boats, people or everything even his life. Plague, which was widely spread at that time, meant death to people; thunderstorms, which struck frequently on sea, cost his men their lives. But he finally won the game of his own fortune. So in my opinion, the more risks we take, the more gains we will have. Money, time, or even life can be the things we venture and life without venture is boring and unrealistic.

高三（8） 孙梓浩