Renke He
Renke He is a Chinese student, who is studying at Widener University. He has studied English for 10 years, beginning in primary school and continuing into college. He has traveled to English speaking countries before such as the United States for vacation 17 years ago, and Australia when he was 10 years old. Currently, he is enjoying his time living and studying in the United States. His major is business management because he wants to establish his own company when he finishes his studies and receives more experience. After college, he wants to work in the United States to gain experience, and eventually receive his green card, so he can become an American citizen. In addition, he can play piano and he also has a lot of honor certificates for piano. He really enjoys playing piano, but also enjoys sharing this experience with one of his favorite people: his 4 year old sister.
Dear Readers,
My favorite assignment is Definition of Love, because I can enjoy and recall those feelings of love again. I am also most proud of this assignment because I really put my own emotion into it when I was writing this essay. I always struggle with my grammar, and sometimes I made some mistakes when I was writing the essay. When I was writing and revising these assignments, I could find some mistakes, and learn how to fix and avoid these for next time. The peer reviews helped me to enhance my writing skills. Now I believe I can write more than when I first came here.I also think that I have become better than some of my peers. All in all, I want to show all of my writing, including additional assignments and in-class timed writings. I want to constantly improve my English writing, so this is a good way to improve, find my mistakes, solve the problems, and learn from it. I hope this portfolio helps you to understand my writing journey through my assignments clearly.
Sincerely,
Renke He
Sincerely,
Renke He
Stay With Reading and Writing
Reading and writing are the most important things in our life, and they are everywhere such as newspapers, books and letters. As students, we should write essays for teachers. For other people, they will write a cover letter to their boss. For me, I am a college student, so I read and write everyday. There are three actions of learning to read and write. First, I need a quiet atmosphere like a library or cafe. I will find a corner to sit and drink a cup of coffee. This atmosphere can make me relax, so that I can focus on my work. Then, I ask questions if I do not understand the main idea of the reading passages or writing assignments. I will write down my questions first. When I get to class, I will communicate with my classmates or even teachers. For example, one day when I was in senior high school, I did not understand one of my reading passage’s main ideas. I wrote down the question, then called my classmate. Through our communication, we solved the problem. Last, I make some notes while I am reading books. I will write down some beautiful, important sentences such as one of my notes “failure is the mother of success.” Until now I remember it, and I think I will never forget it. For writing, when I understand the assignment, then I will prepare some materials to improve my writing. Say the assignment is about a person, I will find some information about that person. All in all, I think if use these three actions to learn reading and writing, I will become stronger and stronger.
My Lovely Childhood
My favorite childhood place was Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Chengdu is a well-known city in China, famous for their food, historic sites, and location. When I was 8 years old, I left my hometown to study in Chengdu, and I studied there for ten years. Most of my childhood memories are there. First and foremost,the food in Chengdu is famous for being spicy. Although it is spicy, it is delicious, like Mapo toufu and hot pot. Hot pot is when we mix the meat and vegetables in hot oils. They are spicy and delicious enough. All the hot pot shops are crowded at 7 o’clock everyday. People are crazy about eating hot pot. Second, it is known for historic sites such as Tianfu Square and Wuhouci,which is similar to a museum that shows things from the Warring States Time and Three Kingdoms Period. They attract a large number of people to visit. Last, Chengdu is located in the South of China. It is a typical basin, so the weather in Chengdu is wonderful, warm in the winter, and cool in the summer with distinct seasons. I love Chengdu, it can give me everything. All in all,when I finish my studies, I will go back and work in Chengdu.
Friendship
Friendship it is not food that we eat when we are starved, but it can help fill up our empty mind when we feel lonesome. It is not clothes to wear when we are cold, but it is able to keep a stream of warmth welling up in our heart. A life without a friend is a life without a sun and like fish without water. Friendship is one of the most important things in everyone’s life. Friends change your life just by being a part of it, and make you believe that there really is good in the world. They convince you that there really is an open door just waiting for you.
We need our friends everywhere. When I am ill, play some games, and have my birthday, I need my friends. When I was ill in school, or outside without my family, friends were the most important people to help me. When I was a senior high student, I went to Beijing with my best friends. After 7 days in Beijing, I was ill because I ate a lot. I had a stomachache in the evening, and I could not bear it. I called my friend and told him what happened, and he got up and took me to the hospital. It was midnight, and it was really difficult to get a taxi. My friend just stood in the street and waited for nearly 15 minutes. When we were in the hospital, he helped me to find the doctor and buy some medicine. When we came back to the hotel, it was 5 o’clock. We rested the next day, and finally, I recover from an illness. He was a great friend, and we had a lot in common, step by step we became best friends. Because we are good friends, every week we came back to my home together to share in the same interests. His math was better. so that when I met with some math problems, I could find him to help me. He helped me most of the time. Now I study abroad, but he is still in China. He is studying at the most wonderful Chinese University. I really miss him, and we always pass by QQ or email to contact with one another. Maybe he will come to the United States next year. That is the most important information for me, and I really hope he can come to the U.S. as soon as possible.
Basketball is the most enjoyable sports that I like. Because I like playing basketball, I can make some friends on the playground or basketball team. When I was in China, studying in high school, we had a basketball match every year, I was the main force in my class’ team. In one grade’s match, unfortunately, we met a stronger team in the quarter final. Every sportsmen strove in the match, but finally we lost by one point. I was sad about that. I laid down on the playground for a period of time. My teammates, also my friends, came to communicate with me. He said, “It is just a match, do not be disappointed, we can still play basketball everyday, and failure is the mother of success( From Chinese LUNYU). We can enhance our basketball skills form the match, do not give up”. I felt gratitude. I knew our friendship would become better and better.
Last, is about the need for friends on my birthday. At my birthday party, all of my friends came, and some of them gave me gifts. Because my 18th birthday party was my last party in China, all of my friends cherished this time together They wrote down some words for me ,sang a song, and gave me a lot of gifts. I was so surprised that day. I could not control my tears. Finally, we took some photos to remember the moment.
All in all, when you are down, friends lift you up. When you lose your way, friends guide you and cheer you on. Good friendships do not come along easily, and we are thankful to have met each other we must walk past everything that threatens them and see a future better. No matter what happens, we should always keep our friends in our heart. Do not let them walk away. The relationships we make will keep us going ahead.
We need our friends everywhere. When I am ill, play some games, and have my birthday, I need my friends. When I was ill in school, or outside without my family, friends were the most important people to help me. When I was a senior high student, I went to Beijing with my best friends. After 7 days in Beijing, I was ill because I ate a lot. I had a stomachache in the evening, and I could not bear it. I called my friend and told him what happened, and he got up and took me to the hospital. It was midnight, and it was really difficult to get a taxi. My friend just stood in the street and waited for nearly 15 minutes. When we were in the hospital, he helped me to find the doctor and buy some medicine. When we came back to the hotel, it was 5 o’clock. We rested the next day, and finally, I recover from an illness. He was a great friend, and we had a lot in common, step by step we became best friends. Because we are good friends, every week we came back to my home together to share in the same interests. His math was better. so that when I met with some math problems, I could find him to help me. He helped me most of the time. Now I study abroad, but he is still in China. He is studying at the most wonderful Chinese University. I really miss him, and we always pass by QQ or email to contact with one another. Maybe he will come to the United States next year. That is the most important information for me, and I really hope he can come to the U.S. as soon as possible.
Basketball is the most enjoyable sports that I like. Because I like playing basketball, I can make some friends on the playground or basketball team. When I was in China, studying in high school, we had a basketball match every year, I was the main force in my class’ team. In one grade’s match, unfortunately, we met a stronger team in the quarter final. Every sportsmen strove in the match, but finally we lost by one point. I was sad about that. I laid down on the playground for a period of time. My teammates, also my friends, came to communicate with me. He said, “It is just a match, do not be disappointed, we can still play basketball everyday, and failure is the mother of success( From Chinese LUNYU). We can enhance our basketball skills form the match, do not give up”. I felt gratitude. I knew our friendship would become better and better.
Last, is about the need for friends on my birthday. At my birthday party, all of my friends came, and some of them gave me gifts. Because my 18th birthday party was my last party in China, all of my friends cherished this time together They wrote down some words for me ,sang a song, and gave me a lot of gifts. I was so surprised that day. I could not control my tears. Finally, we took some photos to remember the moment.
All in all, when you are down, friends lift you up. When you lose your way, friends guide you and cheer you on. Good friendships do not come along easily, and we are thankful to have met each other we must walk past everything that threatens them and see a future better. No matter what happens, we should always keep our friends in our heart. Do not let them walk away. The relationships we make will keep us going ahead.
Love is a Story
We can feel love everywhere. There are three factors that define the feeling of love, which are family, friends, and study. The most important one is family. We stay with our own family for most of our time. If your mother or family members give you encouragement, maybe you will feel love. If your wife or husband gave you a kiss, you will feel love. For instance, when I am playing the piano for a long time, and when I feel bored, then my sister will come to give me a cup of water or tell me a story because she is only 4 years old. I feel love when I stay with my family. When the weather was cold, my mother were say to me to add some clothes. When I was tired, my mother were have fun with me. Love is powerful in the family, they can give you a lot of positive energy. After that, it is friends. When you have some problems in your life or at school, your friends come to help you. I think through this you can feel love. One day I had a problem in my math homework. I had no idea how to solve that question, and I was thinking for a long time. Finally, my friends came to help me solve the problem. I was so happy about that. On my birthday, my friends gave me gifts and sang a birthday song for me. I felt love in that moment. Finally, when I got high scores on the exam, I felt love.When I solved the hard problems when I studied,I felt love. Like when I solved some problems by myself, I felt love in that sense of accomplishment. All in all, love is everywhere. You need to discover it. As for me, they are family, friends and study.
Chinese Education & Test Taking
Nowadays education is more and more important for many counties, and in China, the government thinks education is really important. However, in some ways they are not well. According to research, a majority of people think Chinese education is not doing very well, and they think the students are just good at test taking.It is not good for their lifestyle. Some of them think Chinese education is good because they can get a high score or maybe good jobs when they are finished with their studying. For me, I do not think Chinese education is good enough because nearly most schools just concentrate on the scores of the test, but not concentrate on the students life and health. I think they need to improve on this problem. Most Americans think that Chinese students are good at test taking, memorization, math, and are very serious. Sometimes they like to focus on small details and Chinese students study hard in middle and high school, but when they are at the university, they are outgoing and relaxed. This is the most popular stereotype that Americans have of Asians.
Most American people think that Chinese students are good at test taking.They pass their tests easily. For example, Professor Dewees suggested, “most of Chinese students are good at their math” ( L. Dewees, personal communication, Oct 25, 2013).That means when they came to The United States, their superiority is math. When they have a math test, Chinese students only need half of the test time to finish the test and still get high scores, which is hardly possible for most American students. Also, when Chinese students have an exam, they have their own method to solve the test problems because the test is so ordinary for them. When they are in middle or high school, they have their own method to identify the correct solution to testing problems. Chinese education makes most Chinese students this way. For me, when I had a midterm exam or final exam, the week beforeI would review the whole chapter, find out the problem, and find resources to sovle the problems. I think most Chinese students are working toward the test in this period of time, so they can pass it easily. That is why most American people think that Chinese students are good at tests and easily pass. Also,Doctor Johnson exclaimed that,“Chinese students are good at memorization ” (G. Johnson, personal communication, Oct 25, 2013). Most Americans claim that Chinese students easily remember the important ideas before tests or exams, so they can recite them, and remember them, so that they can get a high score. For instance, before I have test or exam, I will sit in the library and find the books that we need to see, summarize some important ideas and recite them before I have a math test. I will do some exercises to find what is difficult for me, and where I should be careful. If it is a reading or history test, we should recite some ideas which the teacher instructed during class. Most Chinese students are like me, they can find the important ideas and recall them carefully because most of us want to get high scores and a high GPA on the final. That is why most American people think that Chinese students are good at memorization. |
I think the Chinese government attaches great importance to base education, so that these stereotypes are caused by a lot of American people. Every Chinese student has seven or more than seven classes when they study in primary school, middle school, and high school. These classes cannot be canceled and you must go to the class everyday. Even we do not like some of the classes, but we have no choice and are used to it. I think this is the main reason why most American people think Chinese students are good at these kind of things. I think increased communication is a good way to discontinue the progression of this stereotype, like American and Chinese exchange students. For example, lead a group of American students to study in China, and a group of Chinese students to study in the United States. During their life and study, maybe they can change their conception of the stereotype. They can learn something else, learn something which is impossible to learn in their own country, and that is an excellent way to discontinue the progression of this stereotype.
Also, Professor Lake indicates, “some American people think that Chinese students like to focus on some small details” (C.Lake, personal communication, Oct 25, 2013) .Sometimes this habit is good, and sometimes is not good. I think it depends on what kind of questions or what kind of situations you have. If you discuss something really important, then it is suitable to focus some details.It means we do not want to miss anything. On the other hand, if you discuss something that is not detailed, that means we do not need to focus it. However, some Chinese students still like to focus on them. It is not good and can sometimes hurt someone, so I think sometimes students focusing on small details might be a problem. There are some differences between Chinese education and American education. In general people say that Chinese students study hard in high school and middle school, on the other hand, American students are more relaxed in middle and high school. At the university, Chinese students are relaxed, on the contrary, American students study hard. Also, Chinese education concentrates on students’ study, while American education focus on students’integrated development. This is the most important difference between Chinese and American education. All in all, like most American people say, Chinese students are good at a lot of things in their study. They are good at test taking, memorization, focusing on small details, math, they are very serious. They study hard in middle and high school, but in college, they relax. Currently, more and more students are studying abroad, especially in China. Chinese students like to study abroad in the United States. This is a good signal for everyone, and also an opportunity for some American to better understand these cultural differences. |
Helicopters and Planes
There are several ways to compare and contrast helicopters and planes. First, helicopters and planes are both vehicles and fly in the sky, we can always see planes take off from nearby cites, and helicopters that fly overhead during military operations. Second, they can carry people everywhere. Third, they are convenient for people to traveling. In contrast, the difference between helicopters and planes are that helicopters are slower than planes. The cost of helicopters are cheaper than planes. Last, helicopters can only carry a few people, but planes can carry a lot. As we can see, these are several ways to compare and contrast with helicopters and planes.