Found science is basically a course that has to be taken bv en-ery American student in freshman year．Ahhough the knowledge con-tained in the texts covered a large area ot。seientific field including physics，chemistry，astronomy and geography，but generally speaking it is not a hard suject．For each section of the book，there is not as much exercise as there is in China．What I feel good about this textbook is the perfect explanation of the concepts．In textbooks of Americans．au-thors are always taking quantities of papers to explain definitions by us-ing figurative languages．Take one of the theories mentioned in the sci-ence textbook as an example．In the section of astronomy，to let students understand the idea that the universe is continuing expanding．the au-thor wonderfully veers our mind from the universe to a basin of puff the dilating of which can make the holes further and further away from each other just like the stars there in the universe．It is so visualized that I as a foreign student understood in English at once．Having left West High School and its science classes for so long，this is one of the a few vivid memories in my mind．
Aside from the different explanations of the texts in comparison to China，the experiments that I did there is also the reason why I preferthis classes here．I still remember first joining the experiments in Found Science．I was so astonished．It was my first time to see people trying to research something by playing with clips，crayons and colorful cards just like what kids did in my kindergartens．To my surprise，such kinds of labs are held often in American science class．What I still could re-call is that my science teacher once took clips as the lab of recognizing atoms，compounds and mixtures．She grouped the clips into several dif-ferent colors and asked us to make them up in terms of atoms，com-pounds and mixtures．It was a lab illustrating the micro structure of matter．We Were like playing the whole class，and it seemed that nobody learned from it．However to me it was unforgettable．Looking the way of teaching on surface，it was no more than a simple game．Nonetheless，thinking it deeply into the concepts，it was a way of showing the samething structurally clear．It was my first time realizing that chemical ex-periments are not necessarily associated with reagents．It could be just a model．I still remember how we analogized the movement of things we couldn’t normally see including the revolution and rotation of planets in astronomy in a similar way．What a lab is in American science class I experienced could be in forms of drawing or even playing．For whichev-er of them，they were closely related to the visualization of knowledge．
Unlike what we do in China，there in West High I never had a unittest for more than twice．In most of Chinese high schools，exams are quite frequent．For each of the subjects，we usually have two or even three big tests for one unit if we didn"t do well in the previous one．Of course，in the science class in America，we once had such an experi-ence too．The average score was exaggeratedly lower than usual．Ms．Secrist did not really get angry with HS but she did show her dissatis-factions．She spent a honst half of a class talking with us．To be honest，I liked her sincere tone of asking for advice from us．She seemed kind of self-condemned．On the second day，each of us received a survey col-lecting suggestions and opinions of us from all the science teachers．They said that they really wanted some improvements through this fail-ure．Right at that time，I was moved by their senses of responsibility．Though it was under such a situation，teachers did not give us a second test eventually．What I am saying is not absolutely affirming that all things done by American teacher was right．Chinese teachers as well have their own advantages．The two different cultures naturally conduct different educations．What I am trying to say is that the American edu-cation of science I experienced is very unique．I have no means of praising what is good or criticizing what is bad but to share some of my authentic feelings．
The science class was one of my favmites．Every morning，it start-ed at five past eight．Sometimes now，with the rising of sun and the singing of birds，I am often reminded of the science class in West High．
