Behind closed doors[1]——查字典英语网_其他

Behind closed doors[1]——查字典英语网

The letter was signed: Parents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters who want to see you grow up, make progress and be happy.

We Chinese have a special way of talking, which makes it possible to address something at great length without mentioning its name. Whoever wrote this open letter (for the sake of simplicity, let's assume it's a he) wanted to yell: "Don't have sex! It's bad for you!" But he simply could not utter this crucial word. It's a dirty word that must be avoided at all cost.

First, let's clarify the legal issue: A typical student enters college at the age of 19. That means, he or she is already one year older than the legal limit for defining an adult. By the time he is in his senior year (22) and she is a sophomore (20), they can legally marry in China.

In other words, they can have sex as long as it's consensual.

Obviously nobody is suggesting the cop comes to get them. And the moral ground is much more slippery.

The above letter, after making its way to the Internet, has elicited an avalanche of feedback, which neatly falls into two categories: Those who support the letter agree that students nowadays must be awakened from their degenerate ways; and those who oppose him argue he is being too nosy. There is essentially no middle ground.

I'm sure the first group would blame the "loose morals" of our day. But the real culprit, in my opinion, is our food. Because of what we eat, a 14-year-old today may have the physical maturity of a 19-year-old a generation or two ago. Had we been kept in an age of scarcity, with no supermarkets or dietary supplements, our college kids may still be acting like high-schoolers.