How often one hears children wishing they were grown up, and the old wishing they were young again! Each age has its pleasure and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting any time in useless regrets．
Childhood is a time when there are few duties to make life hard．If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after, and loved whatever he may do．It’s impossible for him to be given so much again in his life without having to do anything in return．Besides, life is always giving new things to the child．A child finds pleasure in playing in the rain, or in the snow．His first visit to the seaside makes him wild．But a child has his pains：he is not free to act as he wishes．He is continually being told not to do this, not to do that, or being punished for what he has done wrong．His life is therefore not perfectly happy．
When the young man starts to make his own living, he becomes free from the discipline(约束)of school and parents．But at the same time he is forced to accept duties．He can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably．If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry．And if he breaks the law of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison．If, however, he works hard, has truth in mind, and has good health, he can have the great happiness of seeing himself make steady progress in his job and of building up his own position in society．
Old age has always been thought of as the worst age, but it is not necessary for the old to be unhappy．With old age should come wisdom and the ability to help others with advice．They can have the joy of seeing their children making progress in life; they can watch their grandchildren growing up around them and, perhaps, best of all, they can, if their life has been a useful one, feel the happiness of having come through the battle of life safely and of having reached a time when they can lie back and rest, leaving others to continue the fight．(421words)
(1)
A child’s main advantage is that he is free of duties and his disadvantage is that he is lack of freedom．
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(2)
Each young person can build up his or her position in society．
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(3)
Each age has its pleasure and its pains, and the happiest person won’t waste any time in useless regrets．
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(4)
The old are all wise and able to help others with advice．
