Issue136 （高频）friends 欢迎互拍！

yuchenUID: 2111079

ISSUE 136 - "The absence of choice is a circumstance that is very, very rare."

Is it true that the absence of choice is a rare circumstance, as the speaker claims? Except some special situations which might be devoid of choice, I fundamentally agree with the speaker. Actually what we really lack is the ability to discover and create the choices.

Admittedly, some things which we do not have the right to choose do exist in the world. When you came to this world, your parents, gender even nationality have become the facts which cannot be changed. Actually, these facts may largely influence a person's life. A boy who was born in a rich American family could receive well-round education and further his study in the top universities which may be only a beautiful dream for a child living in the slum of Africa even though he or she is very smart. Let’s get down to another well-known instance Helen Keller who became blind and deaf after an illness when she was nineteen months old. In front of this fact, she had no choice but accepted although this seems really unfair.

However, everyday and everywhere we are faced with thousands of choices and have to make our own ones. What should I eat at breakfast, a piece of bread or a cake? Should I walk to the workplace or drive there? Should I study all night or spend this time on a wonderful movie? Similar questions may appear in our minds every minute and “to be or not to be” we have to choose an answer. Someone may argue that these cases are trivial and meaningless, yet there are still circumstances in which people choose from many alternatives for their future. A boy may hesitate over the choice between getting married with his lover and still being a bachelor without fear about being trapped in marriage. A senior college student may decide to apply for a job with high salary or go aboard for a better education. In short, from all these examples discussed above, we can confidently draw a conclusion that in most cases we do not lack choices.

Sometimes, as some people complain, we may have the sense that the life leaves us with no choice. The problem lies in that the choices provided may be considered not viable or attractive. Yet choosing to fear and lose hope is also a choice which will never be a good one. As long as we have an appropriate attitude to these difficult situations and endeavor to improve ourselves, we could find or even create better choices. Back to the example about Helen Keller, facing the terrible fact, that girl still chose to fight with her fate. Due to her courage and strength, Helen Keller proved that her deafness and blindness could not stop her from being an extraordinary person. Similarly, Lance Armstrong the greatest bicyclist and the world’s only seven-time winner of the Tour de France, had cancer when he was twenty-five. Although doctors claimed that he would never continue the cycling career, Lance chose to take an active role in the treatment and live strong in front of cancer. His choice to live strong not only makes him a cancer survivor but also brings him victories in the Tour de France after his recovery.

To sum up, choices actually exist everywhere. Although sometimes we don’t have the absolute freedom of choice, as long as we do not give up the hope and stick to an optimistic attitude, what we can win may be a better outcome rather than so-called destiny.

susan-bjUID: 2185966

这个我还没做呢，先做再说

susan-bjUID: 2185966

拙见：
a, Actually what we really lack is the ability to discover and create the choices.去掉the

b, Admittedly, some things which we do not have the right to choose do exist in the world. 没有权利选择吗？我觉得无能为力是不是会好一点？ 可以用cannot, lack the ability to, enable, ...

c, When you came to this world, your parents, gender even nationality have become the facts which cannot be changed.  换个人称, one

d, ..., which may be only a beautiful dream for a child living in the slum of Africa even though he or she is very smart --> though as smart as he is, for the one lives in a slum of Africa, this is only a beautiful dream

e,Sometimes, as some people complain, we may have the sense that the life leaves us with no choice.  这句我看不太懂

yuchenUID: 2111079

谢谢，意见很中肯！
最后那个其实就是说
Some people complain that the life leaves us with no choice.
我给说复杂了。