“Who attacks a city does not fear the use of force, learning to read is difficult. Science has obstacles, hard work is the way to surpass them.”
Recently, this poem by Vice Chairman Ye has been on my mind. It has inspired me and given me the strength to break through foreign language barriers and fight my way to the summit of technology. Because of requirements at my job, I decided to teach myself English. Leaders and comrades were very supportive, and some also sent me handy study materials and books. However, I quickly realized that a lot of time is needed to master a language, and I became discouraged. On Sunday, my mother came over and saw me frowning, and she said, “I knew that you would have that look on your face. Come now; I will give you a gift”. Mom opened her bag, and I saw a calligraphy piece with the name “Li” on it. It was a quote from Vice Chairman Ye’s “Research”. After dinner, Mom talked about this poem. She talked about past battles, the difficulties of today, the ideals of the youth, and the strong will of the revolution. Mother and I stayed up until midnight talking all about it.
There is no time for sleep. I have to get up and keep pushing forward. The moon is shining in the sky and the stars are shining as I turn around and listen carefully. Downstairs they seem to still be reading. Looking off into the distance, it seems that I can still see the lights of Zhongnanhai… Ah, but it is just a fleeting sight, like the waves of the sea. I thought of Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, and Commander Zhu. I thought of Chairman Wang and Vice Chairman Ye, the older generation of proletarian revolutionaries. The revolutionary volunteers were established in their youth. In order to seek the truth of the revolution and seek the liberation of the people, they struggled through countless hardships and so many battles. When the revolution encountered a defeat, they were not discouraged. At critical junctures in the revolution, they committed their lives to the cause and were desperate to move forward in exchange for the happy lives we have today. How could they go forward so bravely? It is because their purpose was so clear. The lofty ideals gave them amazing perseverance to overcome difficulties and obstacles.
The difficulty now facing us is the need to study and improve science and technology. Why is it so hard to face of this difficulty? The key point is that there is no clear meaning of “study” and no revolutionary cause is established. Therefore, it is impossible to have an indomitable will when trying to overcome the obstacles involved with science and technology.
“攻城不怕坚，读书莫畏难。科学有险阻，苦战能过关。”
最近几天，叶副主席的这首诗总是反复地出现在我的脑际，它给我启发，给我力量，使我下决心，要把外语关攻破，为攀登科技高峰而战斗。
根据我工作任务的需要，我决定要自修英语，领导和同志们都很支持，有的同志还送了我自修的课本。可是我一共学了没有一个学期就泄气了。要自修补外语，真是太难了！星期天母亲回来了，见我愁眉苦脸的样子说：“我就知道你会有这个样子，来，我送给你一个礼物。”母亲打开报纸包，我一看是用隶书写的一幅字画，上面写的就是叶副主席的《攻关》。晚饭后，母亲从这首诗谈起，谈到过去的战斗，谈到今天的困难，谈到青年的理想，谈到革命的意志，一直谈到时钟敲了十二点，母亲才去睡觉，我却毫 无睡意。起身推窗，明月在天，繁星灿烂，转身细听。楼下（5楼）好像还有人在读书。向远望去，似乎还能看见中南海的灯光闪闪……。啊，我一时心潮如涌，有如大海的波澜。我想到了毛主席、周总理、朱总司令，想到了华主席、叶副主席老一辈无产阶级革命家。从青年时代就立下了革命志愿，为寻求革命的真理，为求得人民的解放，他们渡过多少艰辛，经过多少苦战啊。在革命遇到转折的时候，他们不灰心，在革命的危急关头，他们舍生忘死，拼命向前，才换来今天我们的幸福生活。他们为什么能这样勇往直前，因为他们的目的非常明确，崇高的理想，给他以战胜艰难险阻的惊人毅力。
现在摆在我们面前的难关，就是科学技术，为什么在这一难关面前自己就软下来呢？关键是没有明确“攻关”的意义，没有树立革命事业心。因而就不可能有百折不挠的意志，能不能攻克科学文化这一关。
