The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) Chinese language test is underway.
The second question in the memorization of famous quotes and passages:
The line from Li He "Li Ping's Konghou Melody" that describes how music can shatter five-colored stones and bring about an autumn rain is: _____, "The shattering stones startle the heavens and bring about an autumn rain."
Third question:
In his poem "Visiting Shanxi Village," Lu You depicts the lively scene of the village. The lines that express the simple and honest folk customs are ____ and ____.
These are free points, all free points.
These poems were all memorized.
Shen Qi quickly provided an answer.
Li He's poem needs an additional line. "The place where Nuwa refined stones to mend the sky."
Lu You's poem includes two lines: "Flutes and drums follow the approaching spring festival; simple attire and ancient customs remain."
The next two fill-in-the-blank questions are grammar questions and error-finding questions.
Then came the multiple-choice questions.
"This..." After Shen Qi finished answering all the questions before the essay, he discovered that this National Paper I was actually so easily defeated.
Shen Qi spent over 30 minutes, without even putting in his full effort, before facing the essay writer directly.
They completely crushed the minions in front of them.
Shen Qi only has one opponent left, and that last one is also the most troublesome opponent—Writing Master.
As the essay writer says:
"Chen Jingrun was a renowned Chinese mathematician who, despite suffering from illness, tirelessly pursued Mathematical Research, working more than 12 hours a day without Chen Jingrun. For decades, he devoted himself to proving Goldbach Conjecture, ultimately achieving a major breakthrough that was recognized and praised by the international Mathematics Community."
Write an essay of no less than 800 words based on the material above.
Requirements: Choose a good angle, determine the theme, specify the genre, and create your own title; do not deviate from the content or meaning of the material, do not plagiarize, and do not copy.
"Who came up with this essay topic? They actually used Mr. Chen's 1+2 story as material..." Shen Qi trembled violently, almost shaking his underwear off.
When discussing Mr. Chen and his "1+2" proof, Shen Qi believed he understood the historical background better than the person who set the essay question.
Mr. Chen began studying number theory in the 1950s and continued until the 1960s. During those ten years, he did nothing but study one topic: Goldbach Conjecture.
After ten years of arduous work with unwavering dedication, Mr. Chen finally proved that, starting from a certain number N, every even number greater than 2 is either the sum of two prime numbers or the sum of a prime number and the product of two prime numbers.
This is what we commonly refer to as the "1+2" proof.
Because Mr. Chen did not tell us the value of N, Goldbach Conjecture has not yet been fully proven.
However, Mr. Chen's "1+2" proof is still the closest proof to Goldbach Conjecture in the world, and he made outstanding contributions to number theory.
"The essay prompt used Mr. Chen's example, asking me to write an essay of no less than 800 words, with a self-chosen title..."
Two words immediately popped into Shen Qi's mind: perseverance!
Indeed, today's society is becoming increasingly restless, with most people eager for quick success and instant benefits in pursuit of material enjoyment.
Mr. Chen remained true to his original aspiration and dedicated himself to his research. This spirit of enduring loneliness and seeking only to have a clear conscience is worthy of our respect and emulation.
Contemporary society needs the kind of dedication that Mr. Chen possesses!
Therefore, Shen Qi named his college entrance examination essay "Persistence".
It's a very ordinary self-selected essay topic, but that's not the point.
The focus is on the main body of the essay, which Shen Qi wrote with great emotion.
If the author of this essay were to cite the Nobel as an example, Shen Qi might not feel much connection to it. A foreigner, a chemist, established so many awards but not Math Prize. I feel no emotion at all, and might even feel a little amused.
Mr. Chen was different. His experiences, his professional background, his research topics, his achievements... all resonated deeply with Shen Qi.
Swish swish swish!
Shen Qi wields his pen with divine skill, and his writing process is remarkably clear.
Argumentative essays also require a writing strategy.
Shen Qi wrote an argumentative essay.
College entrance exam essays don't necessarily possess high literary value; they only need about 800 words, or at most a thousand, to demonstrate literary value. This is the kind of literary skill that only professional writers possess.
The most important criterion for college entrance examination essays is neatness.
The writing should be fluent, without requiring ornate language, but rather ensuring that the sentences are coherent and the words convey the meaning.
The article should have a complete structure, clearly and concisely stating the core arguments, supplemented with appropriate length of supporting evidence. Avoid being verbose and padding the word count with unnecessary words.
Exam graders are also readers, a special group of readers.
What examiners hate most is when candidates write over 700 words of nonsense, then add a few dozen words at the end as a summary that is inadequate and completely disorganized.
Shen Qi memorized a large number of college entrance examination essay templates before the exam, and he knew exactly what he should do.
Following the formula, writing in a formulaic way.
Although "The <Olympic Math Champion Shen Qi's Math Techniques>" has not yet been published, Shen Qi strengthened his writing practice during the months-long revision process, which can be helpful for writing essays in the college entrance examination.
Having written books and memorized essay templates, coupled with a wealth of emotional investment in his writing, Shen Qi finished his essay at 11 o'clock.
Judging by visual estimation, Shen Qi felt he had succeeded. "847 words, just right."
There was still half an hour left before the exam was due.
Shen Qi was not in a hurry to hand in his paper. He carefully checked his composition, reading it slowly and savoring it.
This is the college entrance examination, the only college entrance examination Shen Qi will ever take in his life; there will never be a second one.
Since it's unique, then cherish it.
Cherish it while enjoying it.
Enjoying it while shedding tears.
Shen Qi wiped his moist eyes; he was moved by the article he had written.
If a writer doesn't love their writing and can't even immerse themselves in it, how can they expect the examiner to give them a high score?
Shen Qi was deeply immersed in his own essay. Ah, it's so well written! It's full of emotion, genuine and touching.
There's no longer a reason to embrace this tenderness.
I won't revise the text; let it stay as it is.
That's how writing is. The first draft is always full of passion, and the first time is always exhilarating. Don't keep revising it. Often, the more you revise, the worse it gets. You turn what was originally a masterpiece into a flop.
Nothing is more beautiful than the first encounter.
With some time to spare, Shen Qi checked the reading comprehension and fill-in-the-blank questions from before the essay assignment one last time.
No problem, it should be fine.
The bell rang.
Time to hand in the paper.
All candidates in the examination room handed in their papers, including Shen Qi.
The bustling crowd of examinees left the examination hall.
Parents crowded outside the examination hall, eagerly awaiting the exam, yet also incredibly nervous.
The candidates' expressions ranged from joy to worry; they knew best what they had done on their own papers.
Shen Qi found his parents.
"How did the exam go?" Shen Zhishan and Fan Yunxia asked in unison. They weren't under much pressure, because no matter how the exam went, their son would be going to Yenching University.
The only suspense is whether Shen Qi can win the top score in the province and bring glory to the Shen Family.
"Chinese language, my first challenge, is much simpler than I imagined," Shen Qi said casually.