守住文化的根

河南 溫 超

題材：文化 體裁：敘議文 文章詞數：306 建議用時：6分鐘

I still remember the days when my grandmother used to take me on long walks along the summer grass.The sun was always shining on the small roots of the grass on the ground.I remember noticing how,even though the roots were small,they still managed to stick out.Even though there were other things that could attract people to the parts of the grass,somehow the mind always seemed to lead to the roots,where it all started its origins.

I have learned to realize early on that if you come from a culture that is different from the mainstream culture,eventually you will have to choose.And sometimes,the choosing isn't an easy process.Growing up as a Chinese in New Zealand,I have often felt the need to have to choose between the two cultures that I live by.Even with friends,I would be the outsider that is stuck somewhere in the middle.

On some days,I would choose to be another version of myself,dyeing (給……染色)my hair blonde.On other days,I would feel the need to relocate (遷移)to the Asian part of me.The part of me,also known as the“roots”of the grass,has always been kept hidden for some reasons.Whenever I redye my own hair black,I get the feeling that I am preserving some of the roots that I may have left behind.

Sometimes,we just want to preserve those roots that we have kept hidden.We try ex?tra hard to become“a part of”something we might have left behind.However,it is more meaningful if we allow that thing (culture in this case) to become a part of our daily lives.In this way,we will become less likely to forget“this”part of ourselves.

Reading Check

1.What can be inferred about the roots of the grass in paragraph 1?

A.They were too small to be seen.

B.They grew well in the summer daylight.

C.They looked less attractive than the leaves.

D.They were likely to grab people's attention.

2.What challenge did the author face while living in New Zealand?

A.She felt stuck between two cultures.

B.She shared few similarities with friends.

C.She lacked a sense of belonging to any culture.

D.She struggled to fit into the mainstream culture.

3.Why did the author dye her hair black again?

A.To create a new self?image. B.To hide the Asian part of her.

C.To preserve her cultural roots. D.To make her hair look natural.

4.What message does the author want to convey in the text?

A.Adapting to different cultures is vital.

B.When in Rome,do as the Romans do.

C.The longest journey begins with the first step.

D.Making culture be part of ourselves.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

Even though there were other things that could attract people to the parts of the grass,somehow the mind always seemed to lead to the roots,where it all started its origins.盡管還有其他東西可以吸引人們到草叢中，但不知何故，思緒似乎總會指向草根，那是一切開始的地方。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句，句中Even though 引導讓步狀語從句；where it all started its origins 是定語從句，修飾先行詞the roots。