An Exploration of Hypocrites

"You may know a person's face but not his heart" is a proverb that tells us to choose friends cautiously. Given that technology creates more convenient communication than before, it shrinks the time spent in connection and also breaks the limits of distance. Nowadays, even if there is a long distance between people, they can still communicate immediately. However, a problem also comes with highly developed communication. Human behaviors become more complicated, which confuses people on whether the speaker is sincere or hypocritical. People gradually get used to keeping some words without saying them, pretending to be another person, and masking themselves with a permanent "smile," eventually becoming hypocritical. To understand hypocrites, we should know how they got that way, why they continue to be that way, and why they are like liars.

A hypocrite is the product of social development. If there is only one person in the world, he would definitely not be a hypocrite because he doesn't need to care about any judgement. If there are two people in the word, the condition changes as they may interact as friends or enemies. However, both types require some communicative skills, like cooperating or negotiating. As a result, they must hide some information and may pretend to be friendly or have some advantages to make interactions go smoothly. Furthermore, if we extend the condition to the real world, which is comprised of numerous communities, people would be more likely to have more reasons to be hypocritical. Therefore, from the aforementioned, we can infer that hypocrites are people whose behaviors may contradict their personalities in order to socialize in the community.

The motives of hypocrites are based on benefits: what they can profit from and how to prevent a loss of those benefits. First of all, being a hypocrite can bring benefits because of their reputation. A good reputation makes celebrities more popular and gives them the ability to influence the public. In addition, media companies earn money by the number of listeners, readers, or viewers. As a result, talent agencies that create idols have developed since people have been using media more often. Nonetheless, do those stars behave genuinely? Actually their appearance and performance are designed to interest the audience, and advertising is the benefit they expect. Secondly, sometimes people present themselves hypocritically in order to maintain their benefits. One of my professors told me that humans, psychologically, also have a herd mentality that follows the direction of its community because it's more difficult to survive on one's own. Thus, even if people do not agree with a collective decision, they still pretend to comply with it. A well-known instance in Asia relies on Confucianism. If your superiors or colleagues invite you to a business lunch or dinner, you cannot refuse. Once you reject them, it also means that you are not one of them, and you will have less chance to be promoted.

A hypocrite is the personification of a lie. A good example is marriage. When people fall in love, they likely are hypocrites. From many divorce cases, most of them did not actually understand their lover's personality until one day when they feel something is different or they are not as loved as much as they were as the very beginning. Nevertheless, is it true? There is always no truth but a lie since everyone wants to be successful when they are going after someone. In fact, not only lovers but also they never change because they just disguise some of their true personalities and defects. Then, only after marriage or when they have been together longer, they will find the truth. Another example is politicians. Candidates always give the public a positive image when elections are coming. Also they usually tell lies about how their perfect policies can benefit people and improve the country. However, after they are elected, most of them are busy with accumulating their wealth and preparing for the next "harvest." So they still need to wear the good politician mask and tell more lies. The more beautiful lies they tell, the more votes they earn.

Almost all people are hypocrites. If you ask people whether they are hypocritical, the answer must be no because they are hiding their mendacious face. Today, perhaps to socialize or to benefit ourselves, we have many reasons to become hypocritical. People only show their good, their strength, and their false advantages to attract others. Therefore, we should open our eyes to scrutinize every relationship and never forget that "appearances always deceive."

Not Vegetables or Meat

As a personality, cheapskates still exist in our life. When I was young, I liked to read books, so I learned what a cheapskate was. A cheapskate is a kind of selfish person who just cares about his benefit. Its meaning can be found through two famous stories and my experience.

"The Merchant of Venice" by Shakespeare tells us a story about Antonio and Shylock. Antonio borrowed money from Shylock in order to help his friends, but Shylock got angry with him. At the end, Shylock wanted Antonio to cut his meat instead of paying more money. Shylock was a cheapskate because he was unfeeling as any wild beast. He didn't have any sympathy.

In Eugenie Grandet, author Balzac created a cheapskate who only cared about money. He didn't buy meat or vegetables all year round. He treated his only daughter as a trap to collect more money. Even Grandet watched and stroked his gold coins at midnight. Grandet was a slave to money; he lost his emotions. Try to imagine a mad person who was miserable even though Grandet himself could not.

A selfish person would never care about other people's feelings. My neighbor is very rich, but actually he drives a very old car. Although he owns a big company, he is demanding of his workers. His workers live in an ugly house, and they have few benefits. What's more, he is mean to his family. I never see his wife dress in beautiful clothes. His daughter always walks to school. What only concerns him is money. He aims at money, and everything else is less important.

From my point of view, all cheapskates have a very poor quality of life. They have lots of money, but they don't enjoy their lives. Basking in family life is relaxing, but cheapskates lack the kind of happiness. In the end, they will lose everything but their money.

Optimists

Is there anyone in the world who can be happy all the time? Optimists are the kind of people who treat danger like candy, who can comfort themselves easily when they get trapped into great sadness, and who can get over all their mental challenges. All kinds of difficulties will be a piece of cake when they meet an optimist. There are many kinds of optimists living in the world. No matter if it is fact or fiction, past or present, they decorate the world.

There is a famous Greek story about an optimist. Two frogs were caught by a snake, and they were already in its stomach. One frog was frightened to death. The other was an optimist, and he said to the coward, "Don't worry, buddy. It's a good place to live. It's warm and we have food." The coward was confused, "What are you saying? Where is the food?" "We are the food," said the optimist. The story contains irony, but there is no doubt that an optimist could treat danger like candy.

A friend of mine had a beautiful girlfriend after a lot of hard work to win her love. Unfortunately the relationship only lasted for one day. Most people would cry a river after losing such a wonderful dream, but my friend is an optimist. He said he had had an unforgettable experience in his life, and it was better than not having one at all. That's how an optimist thinks. That's how they get out of the traps of sadness.

Einstein is absolutely an optimist. A terrible fire damaged his lab where a magnitude of experiments. When others expressed their shocking exclamations about the loss of such great findings, Einstein gave them a simple smile. He admired the big fire that erased all of his mistakes and gave him a chance to make more progress. That's the great attitude of an optimist. Einstein got over his big challenge with a simple smile.

Optimists are happy all the time. They are normal people with some differences. They have wild minds. Their attitude teaches us how to treat difficulties and inspires us to improve ourselves. We may try to find optimists around us and try to feel what they think when they encounter difficulties. It is a good way to live happily.

My Major

Do you think international business is very popular in the world? Actually I think that is the main reason why I chose international business as my major. One reason is that many countries' businesses develop very fast. They need a lot of people who are good at business to help in their development. Secondly, international businesses can help people earn lots of money. Thirdly, international business can also make people think like economists.

There are many countries' businesses that are developing very fast, so they need a lot of people to join in their development. I would like to gain from that. In my hometown of Xiamen, our economy is increasing very quickly, but the government won't let the steps stop here. They still want to build more factories to help the city develop. On the other hand, now many people choose to trade with foreign companies because they could earn more money. That means people will have a better chance to develop economically if they are good at international business. Also, people could open their own business. If that is me, I will choose my business partners from other countries. For example, I believe I can make a lot of money if I could use my knowledge after a few years of practice. Third, I think international business could help me to better manage my business. If I have great knowledge about international business, I can have a hand in controlling my business in the best way possible.

International business could help people to earn lots of money. First, trade between different nations could really help people earn lots of money. Many economies are increasing quickly all over the world; international trade is unavoidable. If people are good at international business, they could earn lots of money. Second, if people are working in international companies, they could get paid well. For example, if people are working for Toyota, they could choose to work in different regional districts around the world. Someone from China like me could choose to work for the American district. Third, international business relates to stocks, in which one can make a lot of money. For example, if I am working for a company with a lot of stocks, I could use my knowledge to analyze them and know when it is good to buy and sell.

Finally, I think international business could help people think like economists. First, international business could change their thinking in different ways. People can learn that giving up something to get something later has its benefits. Second, people can develop a "special eye" on business, in which they know where they can earn more money. For example, people who are good at business know how to use their money. They usually see where they could put their money like buying real estate in a poor part of the country. Most people don't feel that it isn't profitable, but after a few years the government wants to develop that land, so it eventually becomes worth more than its cost. Also, the prices of real estate are increasing. and owners make a lot of money. Successful business men have this kind of "eye" on business; they know where to put their money.

Overall, I have given three ideas to explain why I want to major in international business. I think these days, it is a very good way to earn money. That is the reason international business is very popular, and that is why I am interested in it.

Homework for Thursday

Read Chapters 39-40
On a separate sheet of paper, write your answrs to the following activities

• Activity on page 518
• Activity on page 519
• Activity on pages 520-521
• Activity on page 521
• Activity on page 522

Chapter 40

• Colon - Joe, Mike, Ken
• Semicolon - Khoi, Zero
• Dash - Chen, Dhara, Jack
• Parentheses - Alex, Lenin, Kai
• Hyphen - Gao, Emma, Regine

How UWL Exceeded My Expectations

Do you know where La Crosse is? If you don't know, what do you imagine about it? Is it big, convenient, or scary? La Crosse is in the state of Wisconsin. It is a small town with a famous university, the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, which we call UWL. I wanted to study there, so I came to America in order to get a master's degree in education. However, my life at UWL is totally different from my expectations. Transportation, the people of La Crosse, and entertainment are different from what I expected in La Crosse.

First, I was surprised to find out that the public transportation is inconvenient in La Crosse. If one needs to go somewhere and doesn't have a car, he or she must take a bus. However, the buses only come every thirty minutes, and they only come once an hour on weekends. It is so inconvenient for me because I only have free time on the weekends to buy food and to go shopping. If I have to take time to wait for the bus, I am sure that I won't have enough time to do other things that are also important for me. Besides, the last bus also stops running very early on weekends. It stops around 7pm, so I cannot enjoy my weekends very much. I will worry about coming back to my dorm if I want to stay outside past 7pm.

Second, I also feel amazed that people are kinder here than in other countries I have been. Before I came to America, I thought that it maybe difficult to make friends because of my Asian face. However, when I first arrived, I met many Americans who were friendly and talked with me. Even if I walked along the street, they smiled at me and said hello. I feel so happy because I don't need to worry about making friends here. Besides, Americans are not the only kind people at UWL. I met many other people from different countries who are just as kind. Now, I'm taking a course in professional development for my master's degree in education. My international classmates always help me when I have problems with my homework. I really have a lot of great international friends now, and I enjoy my college life very much.

Third, it is a surprising thing for me to know there are a lot of activities in La Crosse, and they have exceeded my expectations. The television has taught me that Americans like to have parties and do many other interesting activities. However, it seems much more than I believed. When I just arrived here, I already joined many parties for birthdays, farewells, and just for fun. I gained many friends and learned about different cultures by joining these parties. They really taught me a lot from meeting different people. Moreover, the university also holds a lot of activities such as hikes, long-distance excursions, and picnics. It really gives me a lot of chances to understand Americans and their lifestyle.

To sum up, the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse is different from what I anticipated in terms of transportation, friendly people, and various activities. I think I cannot only savor my time with my friends and colleagues, but I can also gain a lot of knowledge here.

The Disadvantages of Living Off Campus

These days a booming number of students tend to live off campus. Mostly, they prefer to live alone than share a room with others. As an undergraduate student, I am renting an apartment off campus. Although renting an apartment has its conveniences, it also gives me some troubles, such as disputing bill payments, assigning housework, and worrying about security.

To lease an apartment off campus causes disputes among my roommates about paying the bills. For example, one of my roommates wastes electricity. He uses four times as much energy than the me and my other roommate. We decided to divide up the electricity bill in thirds at the beginning of each month. So angry were we that we sparked a passionate debate, and we did not get along well for days afterwards. Another example is that we wanted to catch the mouse that lived in our apartment. We were going to buy a mousetrap online, but one of my roommates didn't want to pay for it because he claimed that he didn't care about the mouse in the room. We ended up not buying the trap. As a result, we fed a crowd of mice.

In addition, sharing one room with other people confuses us on how to assign housework fairly between us. We have no right to urge the others to clean their own rooms, so an unpleasant smell always comes out into the shared room, which causes us to burst into anger. Another good point is that none of us likes to take care of the backyard behind our apartment. My roommates say that they do not have enough time to take care of it. Neither do it. We ended up with no grass in our backyard.

Last but not least, renting an apartment off campus leads us to face security issues. For instance, I parked my bike in the living room. For me, it's the best place to keep my bike. So surprised was I when I found that my bike was missing from our living room one day. Fortunately for us, the thief did not pose a great threat to our lives. On the other hand, I had to walk a long way to school. It was very dangerous for me. On the way to campus, I meet a great number of strangers, and I cross many intersections. I might be injured or even exposed to a life-threatening situation due to so many vehicles on the road.

To sum up, renting an apartment off campus has generated many issues that leave much to be desired. We must take proper action to improve the relationship between roommates, and also we ought to pay special attention to our safety.

Why I Am Interested in My Major

Is education important in one's life? If yes, then what should be one's major? Today in the world, there are so many fields of education from which one can choose. One's career depends upon one's interest. As every coin has two sides, different people have different opinions about choosing their career. It depends on one's interst in the subject. As Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by." The less traveled road has more new experiences and adventures, but the road that is more traveled has footsteps that people follow, and it's boring for me. Recently I started studying biochemistry because my major is pharmacology. Having just started my college studies, my experiences and my future easily demonstrate my reason for choosing pharmacology.

First it's my field of interest, and I believe that one should only do things that make one happy in life. I was not inspired by anyone, but biochemistry, which includes pharmacology, interests me. It would probably take four to five years for me to graduate, and I am planning to pursue a master's degree in pharmacology.

Pharmacology is the study about medicine and its effect on the human body to cure various kinds of diseases. I want to do something for the world through my education. For example, I would like to help India, which has the world's second largest population. Because it is a developing country, it faces challenges with poverty, illness, pollution, and many other problems. There are so many diseases, which don't have any cures, such as cancer, AIDS, and strokes. I want to find some way to cure these ailments.

Secondly I was wondering, if scientists cannot find a cure, how can I? Where there is a will, there is a way. Even if I don't succeed, I will at least have tried to help humanity. For example, after being a pharmacist I can open a pharmacy where poor people can get medicine at lower costs. Today there are cures for asthma, bronchitis, and lung cancer, but poor people cannot afford the medicine, and they ultimately die.

Last but not least, I can also perform research on people who will help the medicial field develop at a higher level. If I become a pharmacist, I can open a multinational pharmaceutical company that will help people to get medicine. For example, there are many pharmaceuticals and facilities in the world that cannot be found in some countries or regions. By opening such a company, I can help peole get medicine from all over the world.

Thus the advancement of pharmacy is developing within the next century and the future of the field is bright. I believe being a pharmacist is the best way to help people around the world.