In the latter half of the Year 2008, the whole nation was shocked by the Sanlu Milk Scandal: Sanlu Company put excessive melamine into its milk and aroused kidney stones in many infants and toddlers, which in turn, caused a considerable amount of casualties and put innumerable innocent children into suffering. The minute after the news was released, the Sanlu Group was denounced by the whole nation and was claimed to shoulder the total responsibility to this scandal. However, after a careful observation and rational consideration, I must say that other authorities, instead of Sanlu Group alone, should also take up some responsibilities.
There is no denying that Sanlu Group is the culprit in this notorious crime and should bear the primary responsibility. Since Sanlu Group is the one who put melamine into its milk and gave rise to such an uproar, it must put a stop to what it arouses. It have the responsibility to compensate for these afflicted consumers, to reclaim all its questioned milk from the market, to do whatever it can at all costs to minimize the losses suffered by the victims. However, as the old saying goes, he who only has an intention to commit a crime cannot actually commit one unless he was provided the tool. If Sanlu Group wasn’t provided melamine by others, such a miserable story couldn’t have happened. So the melamine provider cannot shierk from his own portion of responsibility, because in a sense, he was the accomplice in this case without which all what happened today can only be a planning and may stand a fat chance of becoming reality. Moreover, relevant authorities should also be blamed in this scandal. It goes without saying that prevention is better than cure. If the watchdog of food quality and safety of our country had posed more stringent regulations and imposed stricter supervision on the food quality and safety,
including that of milk and dairy products, this tragedy can be nipped in the bud. So the authorities
concerned should also share a portion of blame. 30 / 42 What Impressed You Most In the Year of 2008? 2008 is a year filled with big events as for China: blizzard disaster in the beginning of the year which hinders many people from reunion with their families for the Chinese New Year; the strong earthquake ravaged Sichuan province in May 12th, caused a huge casualty of about 80000 and turned many people into homeless, bereaved or handicapped; the successful Beijing Olympic Games which attracted unprecedented number of athletes from all over the world to compete and brought China into spotlight which arouse our national proud; the launch of Shenzhou VII which declared China’s successful change into the world’s 3 rd country able to launch a manned spacecraft. All of these are unforgettable events which caught the global attention and care towards China.
Among all the great episodes, I have to admit that the Sichuan earthquake leaves the most indelible imprint on my heart. First, Sichuan earthquake gave full expression to our national cohesion. When the news of earthquake was heard, people all over the country were shocked and came to quick response. They gave everything they can to help those people who were suffering from the disaster. Some donated money, clothes, foodstuff, furniture and so on, some went to the ravaged place to help them in person as volunteers, some even died unfortunately in their attempt to save others. People from all walks of life showed great solicitude to the sufferings of these afflicted people just as if they were in their shoes.
It is this kind of national solidarity that makes the quake relief work a big success. Besides, our compatriots’ sympathy and respect for the quake victims greatly touched me. During the quake relief period, many university students voluntarily pray for the quake victims and those who were still suffering from the disaster. At 2:18 p.m. of June 12th, exactly the same time Sichuan earthquake began to shock one month before, an unprecedented silent pray lasting 3 minutes was held for the victims in the quake. The national flag was at half mast and all the entertainment centers and amusement parks were closed for 3 continuous days to pay homage to the deceased. All these fully demonstrated our respect and sympathy for the victims of the quake.
Last but not the least, Sichuan earthquake elicited the quick and effective response in tackling natural disasters of our government. The minute after the quake was reported, relief missions were dispatched to he quake-hit regions without any delay. Premier Wen Jiabao even went to the ravaged place and directed the relief work in person, which impressed media across the globe. Quake shelters and makeshift facilities were quickly manufactured and transported to the needy places immediately after they were made. The rapid and effective response taken by the authorities not only won the praise and trust of our compatriots, but also was acclaimed by the global media and international community. Although other things may still be said about the reasons why Sichuan earthquake leaves me the deepest impression, the above 3 reasons arealready sufficient to make my standpoint convincing. It is said that adversity can bring out the best and brightest side of people and that’s exactly what I saw and was impressed by the quake.










