There are usually two important ways to gain knowledge. The first one is to hear/pay attention to what teachers or others tell you, and to try our best to remember the knowledge we have just learned. In that case, we are like an empty box that awaits to be filled. The other way is to get knowledge by ourselves. We can read books and think about what we read. As we read more books, we definitely have a chance to access foreign books or cultures and can compare different opinions/points of view from different cultures on a same topic. Eventually, we absorb the useful things from both our own culture and foreign cultures and abandon cultural garbage. I have heard a lot of scholars who are well versed in different cultures around the world. After all, after developing for thousands of years, each of the culture which still exist on this planet must has good aspects that are worth being respected and discovered. So, if we don't want to be narrow-minded, we 'd better learn a foreign language from our childhood. Foreign languages are the bridges that help us connect with others around the world. As for me, I have been learning English since my junior high school period. Though my work doesn't require me to master a foreign language, I can understand the world well by reading English news.

There are generally two important ways to gain knowledge. The first one is to hear what teachers or others teach you, and try your best to remember what you have just learned. In that case, we are like an empty box waiting to be filled by others. The other way is to gain/acquire knowledge by ourselves. We can read books and think about the opinions that appear in the books. As we read more books, we definitely have chances(?) to access foreign books or culture. We might compare different opinions from different cultures on the same subject. Eventually, we absorb the useful things from both our own culture and foreign cultures, and abandon cultural garbage. I have heard a lot of scholars who are good at learning different cultures around the world. After all, having developed for thousands of years, each of the cultures that still exists on this planet must has its advantages worth being respected and learned. So, if we don't want to be narrow-minded, we should learn a foreign language starting in childhood. Foreign languages are the bridges that help us connect the world. As for me, I have been learning English from my junior high school years to now. Though my work doesn't require me to master a foreign language, I can understand/appreciate/have a view of the world well by reading English news.