I had always believed that men and women in our country were not only equal in social position but also in intelligence. But when I first entered the college, I found that some boy students seemed indeed to be more intelligent and much quicker at understanding than girl students. I felt somewhat inferior, and I began to doubt whether I could succeed. Are men and women really equal in intelligence?

 

　　I am often troubled by the question. Then I happened to got hold of a book about Madame Curie. I was deeply impressed by her strong will power. Madame Curie worked hard so she became a top student in her university. After graduation she became a well-known physicist and some years later she got the Nobel Prize. From then on, she became a great encouragement to me in my study. Where there is a will, there is a way. At last I became the top student in my class and got the first prize in the English and physics competitions. This made me fee certain that women are no less clever than men. Besides, I was also active in physical exercises. I joined the track and field team and took part in ping-pong competitions. I was really proud of myself for being the women‘s all-round champion①in the sports meet of our college. This proved again that a girl can do just as well as a boy.As a matter of fact, many women in our country have proved that they can make just as great contributions to the four modernizations as men. For instance, Hua Yi (華怡), an expert of hovercrafts②, and Xie Lijuan (謝麗娟), the vice-mayoress③ of Shanghai are just two examples.

 

　　I firmly believe there will be more and more women writers, women scientists, and women enterprisers④ in our country. I hope I can become one of them in the near future.