Uncle Lei Feng's legacy valued as egoism prevails

 　　BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Rising NBA star Jeremy Lin has won over many young basketball fans in China, but not Shi Shuaijun, who says his hero is an altruist¹ revered² by generations of schoolchildren as Uncle Lei Feng.

　　Lei Feng has won Shi's admiration³ for making sacrifices to benefit others, which may come as a surprise considering the boy lives in a country where decades of market-oriented reform have resulted in an economic boom and the emergence⁴ of self-interest.

　　The 12-year-old boy studies at a school named for the icon⁵ dubbed⁶ "Chairman Mao's good soldier."

　　Shi transferred to Lei Feng Primary School from his hometown in Hebei province two years ago.

　　His mother hoped he could "learn from Lei Feng's spirit of being industrious⁷ and diligent⁸, and learn to be a good man" at the school.

　　Nestled on the quiet Xitao Hutong in downtown Beijing, the primary school serves as a shrine⁹ to the moral icon that has inspired millions of Chinese since the 1960s.

　　Signs of Lei can be spotted¹⁰ almost everywhere at the school: his huge portrait on the wall greets visitors; an exhibition room where his deeds are shown; and a school song named "Lei Feng Is Always with Us."

　　About two kilometers from Shi's school is Houhai, a bustling¹¹ bar strip dominated by pop music and well-heeled crowds, where little, if anything, related to Lei Feng can be found.

　　Lei Feng, a solider of the People's Liberation Army, died in an accident at the age of 22 in 1962. He became a national icon after Chairman Mao Zedong called on the whole nation to learn from his passion for helping¹² others and his devotion to his work.

　　In a song popular in the 1960s and 1970s, "Learning from the Good Example of Lei Feng," the essence of Lei Feng's merits was summarized as "being loyal to the (Communist) Party, serving the people heart and soul, living in a plain way and working hard, and ready to serve as a screw that never rusts¹³ for the revolution."

　　As times have changed, however, these values have been challenged even at Lei Feng Primary School when pragmatism began to prevail in the 1980s and the moral icon was considered outdated¹⁴.

　　In 1987, the Xicheng district education bureau decided¹⁵ to transfer two classes at a neighboring school to Lei Feng Primary School, but some parents refused to send their children there as they were afraid that "Learn from Lei Feng" activities would take up too much of the children's time and energy, distracting them from their studies.

　　Some parents even demonstrated in front of the municipal government, according to a brief school introduction on its website.

　　MORALITY CONCERN

　　Three decades into China's reform and opening-up drive, people have started to take another look at the values Lei Feng represents after several major events prompted reflection and debate on public morality.

　　The debate escalated¹⁶ when a toddler in Foshan, Guangdong province, was hit by two vehicles but left bleeding and ignored by a dozen passersby¹⁷ in November last year.

　　The death of the two-year-old girl ignited public outcry and forced Chinese people to rethink their morality in an era when Lei Feng no longer holds the country's moral compass.

　　Zhu Dongli, a cultural critic and researcher with the Chinese National Academy of Arts, says cases like that of the ignored, injured child reflect people's apathy¹⁸.

　　"The logic¹⁹ of a market economy is to maximize self-interest. Lei Feng's merits are what today's society are most short of, and, therefore, a most wanted value," Zhu said.

　　Li Lulu, a professor of sociology with Beijing-based Renmin University of China, says that it is good that Chinese people nowadays have a diversified²⁰ pool of idols²¹ from which to choose.

　　"But that doesn't necessarily mean Lei Feng's spirit is outdated and should be forgotten. On the contrary, Lei's merits of being ready to help others, self-discipline and devotion to work are what today's young people should learn from," Li said.

　　As part of its efforts to establish the socialist²² core value system, the Communist Party of China in November last year proposed to further promote "Learn From Lei Feng" activities.

　　The call was followed by new measures across the country.

　　In Beijing, the municipal government has decided to mark each Saturday "Learn from Lei Feng Day," encouraging residents to participate in various volunteer activities.

　　The Ministry²³ of Education has also ordered to take "Learn from Lei Feng" as a factor in evaluating students' performance.

1 altruist   

n.利他主义者，爱他主义者

参考例句：

2 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

3 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

4 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

5 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

6 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 industrious   

adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的

参考例句：

• If the tiller is industrious,the farmland is productive.人勤地不懒。
• She was an industrious and willing worker.她是个勤劳肯干的员工。

8 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。

9 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

10 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

11 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

13 rusts   

n.铁锈( rust的名词复数 )；（植物的）锈病，锈菌v.（使）生锈( rust的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Copper nails are better than iron nails because the iron rusts. 铜钉比铁钉好，因为铁会生锈。 来自辞典例句
• The axenic culture of rusts has been achieved on various defined media. 在各种规定的培养基上可得到锈菌的单体纯净培养物。 来自辞典例句

14 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

15 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

16 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

17 passersby   

n. 过路人(行人,经过者)

参考例句：

• He had terrorized Oxford Street,where passersby had seen only his footprints. 他曾使牛津街笼罩了一片恐怖气氛，因为那儿的行人只能看到他的脚印，看不到他的人。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• A person is marceling on a street, watching passersby passing. 街边烫发者打量着匆匆行人。

18 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

19 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

20 diversified   

adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• The college biology department has diversified by adding new courses in biotechnology. 该学院生物系通过增加生物技术方面的新课程而变得多样化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Take grain as the key link, develop a diversified economy and ensure an all-round development. 以粮为纲，多种经营，全面发展。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 idols   

偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像

参考例句：

• The genii will give evidence against those who have worshipped idols. 魔怪将提供证据来反对那些崇拜偶像的人。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史
• Teenagers are very sequacious and they often emulate the behavior of their idols. 青少年非常盲从，经常模仿他们的偶像的行为。

22 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

23 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。