为什么学习

Abstract ： A student doesn't know why she is here in the college to study， and is depressed. I try to help her out of this， since not only she but also a lot of other students are faced with the same problem.

Keywords ： probable reasons for lacking

studying purposes probable ways to solve the problem

My dear young friend：

We got to know each other just this semester. Frankly speaking， I don't know you very well except that your oral English is fine. The other day I saw you sat there， silent and depressed， in class， and I wondered why such a good student would sit there doing nothing， so I approached you and we had a talk. Then I knew your problem： you lack direction；you don't have passion or motivation for study； you don't know why you have to sit there in the classroom every day one hour after another；you don't know why you study， so you are depressed and don't want to do anything. I could understand you perfectly well， because I used to be young. This is not trivial-- if you couldn't survive from this psychological problem， you situation would become worse， and you future life might also be affected in a negative way. But to tell you the truth， at that time， without too much thinking， I was not able to give you a satisfactory and persuasive answer immediately， nor could I ignore you and your problem after class.

You are a quiet and melancholy girl， thoughtful， careful， sensitive， and a little bit conservative， so it's not surprising that you raised such a question. Actually， it wasn't your own problem （ Don't be too nervous！）； it is an infectious disease that spreads out among young people， especially in cities， when they all know that a college certificate cannot guarantee them an expected and satisfying job and that those who don't study hard WILL successfully "find" an admiring job after graduation through some kind of means！

But still， we have to admit that knowledge is power； knowledge can bring us what we want. So， we have to study in order to gain knowledge， not only about English， but about everything. I'm writing this letter to help you go through your temporary difficulty， if it can be of any help. I say it's temporary， because as you become older， you will surely know why people should study. But the earlier you overcome the difficulty， the earlier and the more you would learn， and the better your future would be.

As for this question， a lot of people have written down a lot of essays and there are also a lot of proverbs and stories about it both in China and western countries. The most famous scholars might be Confucius and Francis Bacon. I'm sure you know them and some of their ideas. But why don't they work to you？ I guess maybe you are too familiar with them and they become cliché.

Now let's change a topic. We won't find the answer to "Why should people study？" anymore， because actually different people do have different reasons， although they may not tell. As for you， I hope the following tips might help：

1.Set goals and make specific plans for them.

You said you wanted to be a translator after graduation. That's a great idea. But have you ever thought whether you are qualified to become a translator？ Go to a translating company and see whether you can get a part-time job there， and find out what qualifications and certificates a translator will need to possess. You might be astonished and become further depressed， but it doesn't matter， you still have two years to strive for your dream. Get started now， make specific plans and accomplish them one by one， and you will be surprised by yourself some day. Dreams give us hope， and hope makes us move forward.

2. Join some societies and clubs.

There are many societies and clubs in

college （I'm sure you know them better than I do！）. Join the ones you are interested in and you may find that there are a lot of activities waiting for you and you may have to plan， organize and implement them. Thus you would be too busy to get depressed.

3.Try to free yourself， and talk to more people.

Don't be confined to and live in your own small world. Don't think that others are too different from you and you have nothing in common. If you don't communicate and exchange ideas with them， how do you know you have nothing in common？ Listen and listen with your heart to others； everybody has a story to tell， and after listening， you may find that all of your classmates （or most of them） have endured a lot and they deserve your respect. Pay less attention to yourself and more attention to others， your experiences will be enriched and your life will be more colorful. Experiences make people wise.

4. Read widely.

The world is much more large and complicated than you can think. In northwest China， there are still lots of children who don't have clean water to drink， nor a pair of complete shoes to wear； they don't have a normal blackboard to write， and some of them even don't have a ready road to walk. Some kids have to take care of their younger sister or brother， do the housework at home and labor work in the field， just because their parents are away from home… …Hard as it is， they never give up learning.

How much do you know about this， about China and the world？ Go read the news and reports， and watch the photos to broaden your horizons， and deepen your thoughts， to better understand difficulties， faith， hope and persistence.

5. Relax yourself from time to time.

The process of study sometimes is boring

and painful， but the fruit is sweet. Enjoy the unavoidable pain. If you are really tired， have a rest. Those who know how to relax themselves can learn better. We all know that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. But I also believe that you would be much more bored， if you do nothing and learn nothing for a week. Learn to keep the balance and make yourself comfortable.

Try out some of the tips above and see

whether they work to you. If yes， I'd be very happy.

But if you still want to know my answer， it wouldn't be difficult to understand. I study because I want to be more knowledgeable so that I can live a better life. If I knew much and knew how to teach better， I would gain students' respect， and I would take better care of my baby daughter as well as other family members； if I knew much， I would try to help those who are in difficulty； if I knew much I could reduce the possibilities of falling into dangerous situations…If I knew much， I could make myself healthier， wealthier and happier…All these make my life meaningful and significant. Now are you still confused？

（作者单位：陕西国际商贸学院国际经济学院外语系）