It was the last English class of the term. Instead of opening a textbook, Cozy wrote a single question on the board: 'What has this year taught you?' The classroom was silent for a moment. Then Li Lei stood up. 'I have learned that a sentence is not just a group of words,' he said. 'A sentence is a window. The attributive clause was the first window I opened, and it has been open ever since.'
Jack spoke next. 'My favourite discovery was the passive voice,' he said. 'I used to write only about what I did. Now I can write about what is done, what was done and what will be done. 'The bridge was built in 1920; it is being repaired now; it will be opened again next year.' That single sentence connects the past, the present and the future.' His classmates clapped.
Jack 接着发言:“我最喜欢的发现是被动语态,”他说,“我以前只会写‘我做了什么’。现在我能写‘什么被做、什么曾做、什么将被做’。”这座桥建于 1920 年;它正在被修复;明年它将重新开放。这一句话就连接了过去、现在和未来。”同学们鼓起掌来。
🔊
Han Mei shared her journal with the class. 'My most useful tool is the -ed form,' she said. 'Encouraged by my first success, I wrote every day. Surprised by my own progress, I kept going. A habit formed over one hundred days is hard to break. And my favourite grammar point is subject-verb agreement: 'Everyone in our class loves English' — one subject, one verb, one perfect match.'
Lily was the last to speak. 'I have learned that language is a key,' she said softly. 'With it, I opened the door to Chinese food, Chinese music and Chinese friends. The reason why I love this class is simple: here, mistakes are never punished; they are corrected with patience. I have been learning English for six years, but this is the first year when I truly enjoyed it.'
Cozy walked to the front and looked at his students with pride. 'This year, you have learned grammar and vocabulary,' he said. 'But more importantly, you have learned to be brave, to be curious and to be kind. The exam tomorrow is important, but it is not the whole story. Remember: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step — and every one of you has already taken that step.' The bell rang, and the students stood up, applauding their teacher.