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SCMP Reporter

Inspirational athlete

Liu Xiang  clinched a stunning victory in the 110 metres hurdles at this year's East Asian Games in Macau.

Liu wasn't expected to win, even though it is one of his best races.

But, in the final, he showed determination and put in all his effort.

Liu is  one of my favourite sportsmen.

He is committed to sports, and works hard to be the best he can be.

He is also never afraid to say daring things to the press.

At last year's Olympic Games in Athens, he taunted western athletes by saying that Chinese runners would be in front of western runners.

Luckily, he won his race, and  his words were inspirational for his compatriots.

Liu's story is my motivation to fight on, especially when I'm  faced with a difficult  situation.

Patrick Tse

Homantin Government  Secondary School

Integrate English into your daily life

Students are becoming increasingly aware of the importance to improve their English.

But teenagers  often find learning English  boring. Actually there are  many ways to practise  English outside of school.

Learning a language  generally consists of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Students will  benefit if they get more chances to sharpen these skills and immerse themselves in English.

To do this, students need to be willing to take the first step.

When it comes to reading, besides textbooks, we have many alternative choices like English newspapers such as the Young Post, magazines like National Geographic, and books like the Harry Potter series.

These materials are more fun to read than school books, and students can expand their vocabulary and learn different styles of writing.

With regard to writing, students  should use proper English to chat  on ICQ. This  makes  using English relaxing and fun.

Students can also  make foreign friends on the Net. Communicating with native English speakers will  help you develop writing skills and  learn popular idioms.

You can also write to newspapers -  through exchanging ideas with others, you can express yourself better.

For oral skills,  I strongly recommend  joining the Speech Festival.

Speaking publicly  improves  your pronunciation, accuracy and intonation and you can

have fun with your friends and learn from other students' performances.

To strengthen listening skills,  watch TV and listen to songs.

You can get to know more about foreign cultures and learn colloquial language while being entertained.

Learning English can be a lot of fun if you try.

Huen Yuk-wan

Hoi Ping Chamber of  Commerce Secondary School

Choose the path that's right for you

If you fail the HKCEE, should you repeat Form Five? Only under certain circumstances.

If you fail, you should ask yourself why. Did you try your best, or were  too busy watching television, playing the computer or dating?

If you were just lazy,  I would advise you to have another go.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

But if you think you are incapable of passing the exams, or that it would be  disgraceful to repeat the year, you can attend other programmes, ranging from those offered by the Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) to  SPEED of Polytechnic University to SCOPE of City University.

If you have the potential to study, repeat Form Five.  There is strong competition in the job market, and university graduates are more  likely to find work.

Joining the vocational programmes also costs an enormous amount of  money. Why not study in an economic and comfortable way?

Whichever route you choose,  the key to success is to try your best.

Bonnie Wu

St Rose of Lima's College

It's important to have good role models

Fashion icons like Kate Moss have a great impact on  young people.

I think Kate Moss ought to start acting responsibly.

She was recently photographed taking drugs and had to check into a rehabilitation centre.

She should remember that, 'as you sow, so shall you reap'. In other words, your actions have consequences.

Young people are easily influenced and we need role models that inspire us. A good role model should never act in bad faith.

Young people  often just blindly follow what their idols do. They do not see their faults.

Teenagers also lack judgment as they don't have much confidence in themselves.

That is why they also need good parents  to care for and guide them,  and to give them the strength to find their own determination.

Then young people will work hard to achieve their goals.

I hope that all of us  choose the right role models and learn from them with a positive attitude.

Fion Fong Yuen-ying

St Rose of Lima's College



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