For many English learners learning to write fluently in English is much more challenging than learning to speak fluently. Even for advanced level learners, written communications can come much more slowly in English than spoken communications. 

Writing in English needs to follow rules of grammar much more closely than in spoken English. For example, if someone says 'Please borrow me your pen' in conversation, it's clear from the context that the speaker intended to say 'Please lend me your pen'. In written communication, words are even more important because they lack visual context. Especially if you are working in a business setting, making mistakes can cause miscommunication which might lead to problems. In conversation, you can smile and make a good impression. With writing, all you have are your words. 

Imagine if you're at a party. You might have a conversation with someone and only understand a few words. However, because you're in the context of a party, you can make all the mistakes you want. It doesn't matter. Everyone is having fun. When it comes to writing, there's not so much room for error. 

Spoken English is much more spontaneous(自发的) than written English. It's looser and mistakes don't necessarily impact your ability to communicate clearly. In writing, it's important to think about how to write to the intended audience. You need to understand who will be reading your writing. It takes time to figure these things out. 

We expect more of what we read. We expect it to be true, entertaining or informative. When there's an expectation, there's pressure to perform well. With speaking, with the possible exception of giving a presentation, there's not nearly so much pressure unless you're closing a business deal. 

It is important when teaching written English skills -- especially for business English -- to be aware of the challenges that learners will face when learning to function in a written English environment. 

 Parents are often surprised at their children's ability to use technology. A five-year-old child may easily find and use apps on a smart phone. A ten-year-old child can move up through the levels of a video game easily. Their parents may think their children were born geniuses （天 才）！ 

 Natural geniuses, however, are not common. But your parents are right if they think you are smarter than them. Most children are born smarter than their parents. This has been proved（证明）on IQ tests around the world recently. These tests have shown that over the last 100 years, each new generation （一代人）has become smarter than the older ones. In other words, you are smarter than your parents and your parents are smarter than your grandparents.  

 This increase in intelligence is called the "Flynn Effect（效应）". It was named after James Flynn. Flynn is a university professor （教授）in New Zealand. He first noticed this in 1980. According to his research, with each new generation, average （平均的）IQ scores would increase by twenty percent.  

 But why are people getting smarter? Flynn and many other researchers believe this has something to do with technology. New technologies have further developed our brains. They have made us think better. So we may be better at completing the missing parts of a puzzle than our parents.  

 But being smart doesn't make you wise. Wisdom （智慧）comes with age and experience. A high score on a computer game will not help you solve the everyday problems of life. For that, a smart kid will turn to the wisdom of his parents and grandparents.  

Many Chinese primary and middle-school students can't do housework today and do not take such work seriously. As a result, some are unable to cook or wash their own clothes when they enter college.

The Ministry of Education has recently released the new curriculum standard(新课程标准) for housework education for students from Grade 1 to Grade 9, making it an independent course that students must take at least once a week. The new standard requires students in Grade 1-2 to learn to sweep the floor, Grade 3-4 to learn to plant cabbages, and Grade 5-6 to master the skills of cooking two to three dishes. Students in junior middle schools will learn to repair simple electrical machines. This new standard has been widely welcomed by the public.

Wang: We all know the importance of housework education. However, at home, some students are unable to do the simplest housework, as their parents insist they should devote themselves to study. Some of them gradually grow to be unwilling to do any kind of housework. Housework education is supposed to raise students' interest in labor, help them experience different kinds of housework and, most importantly, correct their attitudes toward labor. The housework course will become an important step to develop and improve personalities of students.

Li: In order for students to develop in an all-round way, it's absolutely necessary to add the housework course to school curriculums, which aims to encourage students in primary and secondary schools to progressively learn and love housework. It is important to make the housework class interesting, so that the students will really gain some practical skills. For this reason, schools should add professional(专业的) teachers to give the classes, instead of adding this new stress on parents and other teachers who are already busy with their daily work.

Zhang: Some people think it's unnecessary to waste time on learning housework. If you want to have a meal, you can order food online, and for electrical machine repairs, you can ask for specialized help. However, people with the basic skills for daily life can go much more confidently and smoothly through everyday life.

It is the first step in encouraging young students to develop a healthy concept(观念) of labor and to be able to take care of themselves in daily life.