Northwest University Youth

Author: Author Country: China
Editor-in-Chief: Ma Boyin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: "A young person's prosperity brings a nation's prosperity," Peking University, as China's highest institution of learning with a glorious revolutionary tradition and profound academic heritage. For over a century, generations of young people have pushed it forward, driving the nation, the country, and society forward. This book is a comprehensive introduction to the lives, studies, and thoughts of Peking University youth. The original authors are either students living on campus or teachers and people from all walks of life who have a deep affection for the university campus. Their articles exude the spirit of youth and an eternal pursuit of Peking University's spirit in the new century. Here, there are thoughts and dreams; here, there is life and academia. It can be said that it truly reflects all aspects of Peking University youth.
Excerpt:
Feeling GRE
An Lai asks: What feelings does GRE bring you?
Answer: Losing 2,000 yuan and four months of time. The sun has risen! Stretch your body, feel the golden, warm sunlight covering your entire body, and smell the fragrance of the fresh green air. Hmm, it's already the late spring. From the long night to the dawn, from the severe winter to the early spring, looking back at the footprints of your journey, some crooked, some straight, some deep, some shallow—each footprint is a story, each footprint tells a story. The next time I heard the word "GRE" was after I received Peking University's admission notice. San Shi told me about the deeds of a senior from Tsinghua University, saying she first took the TOEFL test, then the GRE test, and then went abroad. Though she mentioned it lightly, and though the ignorant San Shi read GRE as "Jia Yi," I still felt a heavy burden falling on my shoulders. At every stage of my life, my family has told me about the deeds of someone they know. I understand very well that this is to set goals for me, to set an example for me, and to ask me to follow the same path. This time, I was destined to take the GRE. As soon as I entered Peking University, I was surrounded by the atmosphere of taking the TOEFL and GRE tests. The bold actions of a few pioneers in my class who ventured into the unknown only deepened my sense that GRE was approaching step by step. GRE appeared before me as a monstrous, enormous beast. To fight it, I had prepared to eat without taste, sleepless nights, staring eyes, murmuring words, dazed, and even losing my mind. Indeed, GRE did not hesitate to strike first with a warning, then with a blow to the head, making you bow your head in submission.
Recalling how every night in the San Jiao building I was scolded by the cleaning staff, stubbornly refusing to leave with the belief of "sitting in jail until the end"; recalling how every morning I forced myself to open my eyes and wake up with the sun; recalling how I walked step by step through the biting wind and slippery ice to the GRE class; recalling how I always waited until the last moment to go to the canteen to taste the leftovers; recalling how during the Spring Festival, while others were reunited with their families, I was alone with a lonely lamp.
However, the declining mock test scores only made me heartbroken and desperate, feeling as if half a year of effort was about to be wasted. Alas, after suffering and reflecting, what sorrow is there like this! There is joy as well as sorrow, and where there is suffering, there is happiness. The help and encouragement from fellow students, as well as the pride of seeing mock test scores rise, added a touch of color to this dull and frustrating preparation process. What should not be forgotten is that, no matter the final result, the significant increase in vocabulary and the greatly improved reading ability during the GRE preparation process will undoubtedly become a treasure in our lives.
In the dormitory, a few people chattered endlessly about GRE, making my classmates who did not plan to take the test envy them and exclaim, "Not taking GRE means an incomplete life." So it seems that taking the GRE has also become a "fortress." Outsiders see the bustling and lively people inside, wanting to join them, but they don't realize that beneath the surface chaos lies how much sweat and tears, sorrow, pain, and despair there are—some have already lost heart and want to escape. Those who stay behind share only one wish: "After suffering, there will be sweetness."
After passing GRE, while my mind is relaxed, I also feel a sense of emptiness. I always feel that time passes slowly, and I have many idle hours each day. I often think, "Oh, should I study some vocabulary?" Suddenly, I realize that GRE has already passed like a fleeting cloud. Yesterday, a junior excitedly told me that he had also started taking the GRE class. Looking at the sparkling light in his thick glasses and the faint smile on his lips, I could only silently wish him well in my heart.