耶书仑
世事洞明皆学问
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- 2008-09-27
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Dr. Xu, a well-respected teacher who is specialized in English writing, also a friend of mine, asks her students to read a story, a lengthy one of over 10000 words. The story is about Cleopatra, a historical figure who once served as the Queen of Egypt. When done with the reading, students have to produce a one-page written piece to answer the question of: Cleopatra: What kind of a woman was she, anyway?
One G7 kid completed his work of over 1000 words. When a G12 student （一个中国大陆的学霸）had read it, all she said was, “Wow! I am really impressed but also embarrassed…” Here is the beginning and ending of the kid’s writing:
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Cleopatra: What kind of a woman was she, anyway?
(The first para): Nobody really knows who Cleopatra was: The Serpent of the Nile? A learned ruler? An African Queen? All we can do is to look back at history and guess.
…
(The last para): All hands prepared for war. With battles, the winner gets to tell the tale. In this case, it was Octavian, who saw Cleopatra as a threat to Rome, and all we really know is that it was a bloody mess. Antony disemboweled himself to the knowledge that Cleopatra was “dead”. Victorious Octavian walked into town, taking her as a prisoner and taking away all her riches and treasures. Then he marched down and killed Caesarion and named Egypt the property of his personal colony. So who was Cleopatra? It’s yours to decide.
One G7 kid completed his work of over 1000 words. When a G12 student （一个中国大陆的学霸）had read it, all she said was, “Wow! I am really impressed but also embarrassed…” Here is the beginning and ending of the kid’s writing:
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Cleopatra: What kind of a woman was she, anyway?
(The first para): Nobody really knows who Cleopatra was: The Serpent of the Nile? A learned ruler? An African Queen? All we can do is to look back at history and guess.
…
(The last para): All hands prepared for war. With battles, the winner gets to tell the tale. In this case, it was Octavian, who saw Cleopatra as a threat to Rome, and all we really know is that it was a bloody mess. Antony disemboweled himself to the knowledge that Cleopatra was “dead”. Victorious Octavian walked into town, taking her as a prisoner and taking away all her riches and treasures. Then he marched down and killed Caesarion and named Egypt the property of his personal colony. So who was Cleopatra? It’s yours to decide.
