Topic 45 Getting up early vs. Staying up late

Meng Haoran, an ancient Chinese poet, wrote in one of his poems his happy feeling when wakened by the chirping of birds (щебетание птиц) in a spring morning. It seems that he did not get up early and waked "naturally" after a sound sleep (здоровый сон). What kind of timetable a person should follow depends on the character and habit of him and even on the job he does. I think it is important to arrange our life in such a way as to ensure high efficiency of our work and good to our health. Some people prefer to work until late at night because they feel that they can concentrate their mind in a quiet environment when others are in sleep.

My productivity soars on days where I wake up early. In addition, the morning creates the perfect environment to work due to the peace and quiet

For instance, many writers like to write at night. It is said that a famous French writer who lived in a small house on a hill at seaside was accustomed to working (привык работать) so late at night that the lamplight from the window was perceived (различались) by the sea crewmen as a signal leading their ships into the harbor. In China, people are encouraged to follow a regular living habit, which requires early sleep and early rise. For a long time in the past, China has been a traditional agricultural society, in which people lived a life that progressed slowly with the change of time.

Putting a cap on your sleeping and waking time also gives structure to your days and makes you more sensitive of the how you spend your time.

As an old Chinese saying goes, "a man should get up early so as to clean the house to prepare for the day's work." Even today, we can see many old people do exercise early in the morning in parks or open areas of cities. However, with the rapid social and economical development, people are now forced to some extend to abandon such a living style based on the progress of the time.

The morning tranquility is indescribable. No smses or phone calls either to take away your attention.

Nowadays, we are living in a fast changing society, sometimes we have to following a rhythm or timetable (расписание) according to the need of our work instead of our own will. But however we arrange (организуем) our life, we should try to take into account of our own conditions in order to do our work well.

Topic 46 Important qualities of a good son or daughter

Both sons and daughter are a blessing for the parents. It is a fact that the strongest and the most sincere love exists in the relation of the parents and their children.

No child is born good or bad, it is the qualities he adopts with the passage of time (с течением времени) that make him stand good or bad. A good son or a good daughter would be obedient (послушный) to his parents. It is a religious obligation, a social norm and an indication of refined behaviors (благородного поведения) and a peaceful family set up (созданная) for the children to be obedient to their parents.

Such a son or daughter would be dutiful (покорный, почтительный). He would know his duties as regards (что касается) his parents and would always try to fulfill those in time. In the age when a son or daughter can earn; they would earn and instead of taking money from their parents they will try to give them money. This will make them feel proud and think that they are getting back for what they had spent on their children.