2019.6-2

　Writing

　　As John Donne put it, no man is an island, entirely of itself. This is especially true of people in modern society where all are connected in one way or another. To stay connected and create a close bond in our relationships, we need mutual understanding and respect.

　　The world is so complicated that things are not what they seem. In other words, appearances do not measure up to reality. Therefore, understanding each other is perceived as something important in that it enables us to avoid misunderstanding. With understanding, we are able to put ourselves in the shoes of others rather than judge people and things at their face value. Respect is equally important, if not more so. It is the cornerstone for the building of a broad range of relationships. A respectful person would be popular in all relationships because he or she values and appreciates others, while a disrespectful one is unlikely to have friends because people tend to avoid him or her. Besides, any relationship without due respect would eventually dissolve.

　　Therefore, both understanding and respect are crucial qualities that allow us to build trust and to create a harmonious relationship.

　　正如约翰·多恩所言，没有人是一座孤岛，与世隔绝。这句话用在现代社会的人们身上尤其恰当，因为当今人们彼此之间互有关联。为了保持联系并建立紧密的关系，我们需要互相理解和尊重。

　　世界如此复杂，事务不像表面看起来那么简单。或者说，表面与实质往往并不相符。故相互理解是避免彼此误会的重要一环。有了理解，我们就能够设身处地从对方角度看问题，而非根据表象来判断人或事。尊重别人同样、甚至更重要。它是所有关系的基石。一个懂得尊重别人的人会受到欢迎，因为他懂得珍惜和欣赏他人，而一个不懂得尊重别人的很可能没有朋友，因为大家往往选择远离他。还有，任何缺乏必要的尊重的关系最终都会破裂。

　　因此，理解和尊重是帮助我们建立信任以及创造和谐关系的重要品质。

　Translation

　　Currently, Chinese is the language with the most native speakers in the world. A significant difference between Chinese and Western languages is that Chinese is made up of characters instead of letters. Chinese is the oldest among the writing systems that are still in use today. Although people from different regions in China may not understand one another's dialects, they have little difficulty in communicating because of a unified written form of Chinese characters. Throughout history, Chinese has played an important role in rallying the Chinese nation. Nowadays, with China's booming economy and growing global influence, an inreasing number of people in other countries start to learn Chinese.

　　汉语现在是世界上用本族语人数最多的语言。汉语与西方语言的一个重要区别在于它是以方块字(character)而不是以字母构成。目前仍在使用的书写系统中，汉语是最古老的。在中国，来自不同地区的人可能听不懂对方的方言，但由于汉字有统一的书写形式，他们交流起来几乎没有任何困难。汉语历史上对团结中华民族发挥了重要作用。今天，随着中国经济的快速增长和全球影响力的增强，越来越多其他国家的人也开始学习汉语。