<p class="ql-block">最近整理电脑上的文档，不经意间发现了三篇到温哥华不久写的英语习作。现在读起来拗口，生涩，确实幼稚的很，但故事是真的。这勾起了我对学习英语多年的回忆。一路走来，确实艰辛!</p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;"><br></p> <p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">我是1975年上的中学，这个学校在城乡结合部，绝大多数学生来自农村，再加上当时这所学校没有被划成重点中学，本来有几个优秀的老师也不幸被调到其他重点学校，所以教学质量每况愈下。只是不知道现在怎么样了？</p> <p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">幸运的是我的英语老师是从上海外国语学院毕业的，风度翩翩，一表人才， 一口流利的英语。听说是因为什么问题被贬到这里来教书的（具体原因不清楚）。虽然英语水平很高，但放在教学上的心思肯定是有限的。所幸的是为我奠定了比较标准的英语口语。</p> <p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">由于当时已经开始高考，如果想升大学的话，就必须进入重点中学。可惜的是我成绩不好，没有被重点中学录取，我妈就通过熟人把我转到一个学校的重点班学习。幸运的是教我们英语的老师曾是国民党的翻译，在那个年代，哪有他的用武之地，哪有他的生存空间。被贬到中学教书就算是仁义的了。 他虽然年纪有点大，但不失学者风度，一口纯正的，非常流利英式英语，课堂上几乎听不到一句中文。这个水平对于我们这些初学者简直就是对牛弹琴，拔苗助长。究竟学了多少我也记不得了，反正知道什么是真正的英语了。</p> <p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">有了以上两位高水平的老师的教诲，我的口语还算比较标准，虽然听力不怎么样，但至少可以辨别发音的好坏。所以到了大学英语就学不下去了。第一堂课就让我怀疑我是不是在上英语课，怎么老师说的是我听不懂是四川话呢？我实在无法忍受听这样的英语，因此大学时期的英语就是混出来的，什么也没有学到!</p> <p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">毕业后分配到一个单位的教育科当数学老师，当时是改革开放的初期，单位评职称是需要英语水平的，所以我们科室就开办了英语培训班。我幸运的参加了一期的英语脱产培训。教我们的老师是一位非常严谨，思维清晰，声音清脆的年轻女老师， 她在教学中常常推成出新，利用当时的电脑，录音机等设备提高我们的听力，又邀请外国朋友给我们上课，在学习语言的同时让我们了解国外的文化与礼仪。她甚至还把她已经在国外定居的哥哥请回来给我们上课，令当时坐在台下的我羡慕不已。后来她被调到省上外事办工作，我们之间失去联系近十多年。令人惊讶的是我们在温哥华不期而遇，缘份啊！通过短训，我的英语水平得到长足的进步。但由于时间短加之学了之后没有可用之处就慢慢的荒废了，直到我来到温哥华。</p> <p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">来到温哥华后才知道自己的英语水平，听不懂说不出来，既是哑巴又聋子。于是又重新开启了慢长的学习之路。来到温哥华时我已经四十多岁还带着儿子，既上班又当家庭主妇，不仅需要挤出时间学英语，更要给自己的年纪较劲。个中痛苦只有我自己知道。好在功夫不负苦心人，今天让我再回头看过去的文章，才知道这么多年的付出终于换来了进步，真是直得高兴！</p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">下面的三篇短文就是我在学习中的习文。现在看来确实幼稚，不成熟，但却是我成长过程的见证。现原文附在后面，一字不改，见证我一路的努力！</p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">写到这里，耳边响起李宗盛的《真心英雄》。</p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">确实，没有随随便便就成功的，一分付出，一分收获，我还在耕耘的路上！</p> <p class="ql-block">Cats: Some Abilities Exceed Human’s</p><p class="ql-block">We had a cat when I was in China. She was a gentle and quiet cat with yellow and white striped hair, so we called her “Xiao Huang” which means “Little Yellow Cat.” She had been with us almost five years since she was three month old.</p><p class="ql-block">In the Chinese saying “Cat has nine times lives,” we didn’t understand this very much until this thing happened to our cat.</p><p class="ql-block">One morning, she chased a bird through our kitchen window, and unfortunately fell from the fifth floor to the ground. Desperately rushing downstairs, we found her lying on the ground breathing normally. We didn’t know how much injury she had. Gently taking her home and checking her thoroughly, we found she had only hurt one of her legs, and after minor treatment she stood up and started to walk around the house. How surprised we were! Since then, we looked at her as a strong cat.</p><p class="ql-block">Not only was she a strong cat, but also she proved herself an intelligent cat.</p><p class="ql-block">Two years later, we moved to a third floor apartment which had open stairs to the yard.</p><p class="ql-block">After I became pregnant with my son, we were told that cats can carry some disease which might affect the fetus (I didn’t know if it was true or not), so we decided to get rid of him. It’s cruel and sad, but my son is more important than anything else. One day after an informal goodbye ceremony, my mom put her in a cardboard box wrapped with rope and rode with her on a bike to the school where she was teaching, which was almost 20 km away. My mom kept her in an empty cottage near the school and fed her every day. We thought she was comfortable there.</p><p class="ql-block">But after two weeks, I heard a cat’s voice outside of our house. I opened the door and was so surprised to see our Xiao Huang standing in front of me. How happy we were to see her again. Of course the tiredness and excitement dominated her face. We didn’t know how she could find her way home, or what she experienced during the journey! How smart she was!</p><p class="ql-block">I can’t imagine how a human could survive falling five floors from a building as she did, and how people could find their way home if they found themselves in the same situation as the cat. </p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">That means cats have some abilities which humans don’t have.</p> <p class="ql-block">A Spare mattress</p><p class="ql-block">When you have a spare mattress and want to keep it for a while in case there is a chance you might need it, but you don’t have space to keep it, what will you do? </p><p class="ql-block">One of my friends kept the extra mattress on top of another, which made the bed very high. Not only was it very inconvenient, but also the trouble which the mattress brought made her regret this idea for the rest of her life. </p><p class="ql-block">On a quiet and sunny afternoon, her son was sleeping on that extra high mattress, and her dad was relaxing in the living room reading a newspaper. Everything seemed normal as usual until her dad heard his grandson wake up and start crying. He got up and turned his head to see the boy so close to falling from bed. He suddenly rushed into the bedroom and to save his grandson, but unfortunately he (the grandfather) fell on the floor and injured himself. At that time he totally lost consciousness and went into a coma. The family called 911, and then took him to hospital. Since then his world became dark, and he couldn’t stand up anymore. He had broken his neck.</p><p class="ql-block">After staying in hospital for several months, he still wasn’t able to stand up and to look after himself. He would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. This tragedy not only changed the poor grandfather’s life but also changed everyone’s life in the family.</p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">Sometimes giving things up is a wise choice, rather than keeping what we don’t need. Making our life easier and more simple will benefit everyone. </p> <p class="ql-block">An Unforgettable Day</p><p class="ql-block">I have worked in a group home for more than four years and looked after two ladies who are disabled and non-verbal. The only way they can express themselves is to use their eyes, facial expression and body language. This job is not easy and is very challenging, but sometime it is also enjoyable and rewarding too. I didn’t know how much they attached to me emotionally until the day I came back to work after a one month holiday.</p><p class="ql-block">It was a nice afternoon. I went into the house and greeted everybody. One of the two ladies (I’ll call her D) was sitting beside the dining table and the other lady (here named S) was in her wheelchair near to the table.</p><p class="ql-block">S was very excited when she saw me. As soon as I stood beside her, she started to use her hand to touch me, again and again, and it seemed she was telling me not to leave her again. At same time, D used her beautiful eyes to look at me; her eyes followed me around the house wherever I went. Her eyes touched the bottom of my heart. It was D’s way of telling me how much she had missed me in the only way that she could. I was so deeply touched that my own eyes well up with tears that burst out. I knew I had missed them too.</p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:justify;">This job can be is a tough and difficult, but there are still a lot of moments that make the job enjoyable and feel so worthwhile. I felt so appreciated and rewarded for looking after them.</p>