又是一年春天
侯发山
那年我高三,有一天,妈告诉我,“妗子”捎来信儿,让我周六去给她帮忙,刨树。
终于盼到周末,又要干活啊。我把书包甩到沙发上,很不痛快。还是到舅家去,我心里就更不愿意了。舅家在小关南边的大山里,虎脑村,路也不好走,还要走好远。有时走上半天也瞅不见个人影,瘆得慌。
看到我一脸不高兴,妈说:“舅, 还有你表哥都不在家,难为你妗子了。她有了难,轻易不来信,这次张了口,你就去吧。”
“妈,高三课程紧张,还有作业呢。”我推辞道。
“你舅,还有你妗子,平时白疼你了。不说别的,哪年少吃人家的核桃了?”妈恼了。
舅家的门前有条蜿蜒小路,路边长着一棵又高又大的核桃树。核桃每年都结得嘟嚕连串,从不空枝。上小学时,一到星期天,就缠着爸妈到舅家去,害怕核桃长熟了,被表哥他们摘吃完。稍微懂事了,知道核桃树是舅家的摇钱树,表哥表姐也很少吃,核桃都卖了,卖核桃的收入要维持全家人平时的一应开销。再到核桃成熟的季节,即便有其他事,我也就不好意思去了。不过,每到过年的时候,
舅和妗子到镇上来卖核桃,总要留一些送到我家。
想到这里,我对妈说:“ 好吧,我明个去……”。
当时是春天,那个核桃树已经开花了。一串串、绿绿的核桃花挂在枝头,像女孩的小辫子,在微风中轻盈地舞蹈,煞是好看。
妗子看到我来了,很高兴,忙抓把柴火去给我煮荷包蛋。
我吃了荷包蛋,背上馒头跟着妗子去刨树。等来到那棵大核桃树下,我愣住了:怎么刨这棵啊?听妈说,这棵核桃树一年结好几百斤核桃,有上千元的收入。树又没干枯,怎么舍得刨啊?
妗子也不说话,使劲抡起䦆头,发狠地刨着。
“妗子……”我心里藏着多个问号,想弄清刨这棵树的原因,张开嘴却不知道该如何表达。
妗子不说话,也没抬头。
“妗子,您咋啦?”我又叫了一声。
妗子扔掉䦆头,抱着树干哭泣起来。
我一下子手足无措,不知该怎么安慰妗子。没了这棵核桃树,等于妗子家的银行被盗了,她能不伤心吗?
“瞧我这没出息样……村里要修水泥路,这棵树碍事,不刨掉不中。”妗子朝我凄然一笑,细碎的泪珠如朝露般挂在她长长的睫毛上。
原来是这样。我顺嘴说道:“赔偿多少钱? 少了可不中!”
“哪能这样说话?修路是为了咱自己方便,比起人家,咱,唉!”妗子说罢,摇了摇头。
我看着妗子,不明白她话里的意思。
妗子说:“李支书为了咱村,丢了在郑州每年上百万的生意。为了修路,人家带头捐款。还有在外办厂的苏家,头一次捐了8万,第二次捐了2万……”说罢,妗子又抡起䦆头刨起来。
眨眼间,几年光景过去了。
今年春上,得知我从大学回来了,妗子打来电话,让我到南岭新村给她帮几天忙。
南岭新村?妗子家搬家了?挂断电话,我急忙问妈。
没搬家。妈说,小关镇的获坡、杨树洼、虎脑三个村合成一个村,就是南岭新村。如今那里大变样了,城里人都争抢着去旅游呢。
听妈这么一说,我来了兴致,问给妗子帮啥忙。
会是啥忙?妈说。眼前富,拾粪士;长远富,栽树木。
我骑上摩托直奔南岭新村。路是水泥路,宽阔,平整,像飘带似的,时而挂上山脊,时而落入谷底,时而钻进树林,时而缠在山腰。不时有各种小轿车、摩托车从我身边经过。
我循着水泥路把车骑到了一栋两层小楼前,楼房像是刚竣工的。没错,就是舅家,因为楼房旁边还保留着原来的石窑。
几年不见,妗子不但不显老,好像年轻了不少,脸色红润,一扫过去的沉重。
跟着妗子来到地里,地里已栽了不少树。相邻的地里,不少村民也在栽树。我问:“妗子, 都是栽的啥树啊?”
妗子说:“核桃树。 老辈人讲,高山松树核桃沟,溪河两岸栽杨柳。”
“妗子你说得老关哩。这些树苗要不少钱吧?”
“政府补贴一部分,咱自己掏一点。
我说:“妗子, 都种树,不种庄稼了? 妗子说:“山上的地,不能机械化,种地不划算。一亩地种40棵,五六年后就能挂果,一棵树按1000块来说,一亩地就是40000块。若是种粮食,也就是千把块钱的收入。”
听妗子这么一说,我感到种核桃是比种地强,但依靠这点收入想脱贫奔小康,那是戴草帽亲嘴,差远喽。我不便打扰妗子的兴致,把话题引开了:“舅呢, 在外打工赚了不少钱吧,小楼都盖起来了。”
妗子撇了一下嘴说:“打工也不中,这不都回来了,打算整农家乐呢。今儿你舅和你表哥去镇里买装修材料了……一个农家乐镇里补助两万块呢。
“不算咱家,村里已经开了十家,生意好的,一年能挣二十多万。”妗子说这话的时候,眉毛、眼睛里都透露出掩饰不住的喜色。
妗子忍不住告诉我:“你表哥找了个对象!明年春上结婚,你可来啊。”
“真的?”表哥已经三十好几了,之前谈了几个,都黄了,就是因为住在山窝里,家里还穷。
“一定来!一定来!”我忙不迭地答应,心里也跟吃了表哥的喜糖似的,丝丝的。
(有删改)
(注)①妗子:民间用以称呼舅母。
Last Friday, my friend David called me and invited me and our friend Tom to a party in his university. Tom and I are in same class. We both wanted to go to the party, but there was a problem—we'd have a final exam on the (come) Monday.
“Don't worry. We can come back on Sunday and won't miss the exam,” really (want) to go to the party, Tom said. So I decided to go him.
The party was great and we (true) enjoyed ourselves there. However, we stayed up late on Saturday night and slept all day on Sunday and didn't make it back to our university until Monday morning. We missed the exam. Then we went to our professor's office and explained we missed the exam. We lied that there was a flat tire(车胎漏气)on our way back to the university. Our professor (agree) that we could take the exam the following day.
When it was time to take the exam, Tom and I (take )to different rooms. After we opened the test paper, we saw only one question, “Which tire?”
Neither Tom nor I answered the question. Instead we told our professor the truth. Luckily, he later gave (we) the real test paper . And both Tom and I made a (decide): never to lie again.
In 2006,Paul Letourneau of Worcester,Mass,lost his parents,his home and his pet dog.And that August,his lifelong mild depression took a turn for the worse as he became suicidal(有自杀倾向的).
“I said I didn't want to be alive anymore,”Letourneau,67,recalled telling his best friend.
He and his friend had gone for a walk when Letourneau stopped and asked his friend about ways to die painlessly.His friend advised him to admit himself to a hospital.
“When I went back home,physically,I was shaking so much-and emotionally,I couldn't stop,”Letourneau said,“I knew I had to get help.”
For many men,it takes a lot more than feeling down to recognize that they are depressed and then step through the doors of a hospital,or a friend's or relative's home to ask for help.Men who are depressed usually refuse to get appropriate treatment,depression experts and patients say.
“When men get depressed,the depression can be quite severe,”said Dr.lan Cook,professor of psychiatry at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.“The challenge is getting men to acknowledge that they're depressed.”
Depression affects about 15 million people in the United States,according to the National Institutes of Mental Health,and men get depressed about half as often as women.
“It's unclear how much of this is a reporting bias,”Cook said.“The stigma(耻辱)issues are somewhat different for men than they are for women.”
“Men intend to consider that asking for help is a sign of weakness,but when they can't complete the task of bringing themselves to the Promised Land,they become at risk.” said Steven Lappen,who was once a depression patient.
Fixed or growth mindset — which do you have?
We live in an uncertain world with all the technological advances we are experiencing, which meanse is a requirement for a change in midset (思维模式). In order to be on top of our game both personally and organizationally, we need to develop a growth mindset.
A fixed mindset supposes that you have native abilities and are naturally clever or skilled in certain areas of life. When you receive infonnation about how you have performed in a test or set of tasks t you may worry about how you are judged. Our parents probably said to us when we were young,"Since you scored really well in the test, you must be clever." However, by being repeatedly told “You are clever” or “You are really good at your job”,a person's self—respect is actually dainagcd.
The growth—mindset person a view life as a series of exciting challenges and want to constantly learn. Brain activity occurs in this mindset when they receive information about what they could do belter or improve. They do not view their abilities as fixed or us failure. Learning is king and the more they practice , the more they know they will succeed.
What is important is giving praise around process and not around ability. For example , instead of saying"Since you got a great score, you must be clever" f say " You got a great score, and you must have tried really hard". This creates challenge in individuals and the meaning of mindsets is massive for business. Fixed-mindset managers are not fans of giving feedback (反馈). They do not want to stretch themselves or others because they fear failure. Therefore their business may stand still because there is no risk or innovation (创新) occurring.
Listen from your own fixed mindset — for example ," I can't do that” — and answer with a growth-mindset response — “I can't do that yet!" Remember there is no such thing as failure and there is s only learning. If you don't fail occasionally ,you will never learn to change and grow.
银保监会12月14日发布《互联网保险业务监管办法》,自2021年2月1日起施行。办法明确互联网保险业务定义,即保险机构依托互联网订立保险合同、提供保险服务的保险经营活动。规定同时满足以下三个条件的保险业务即为互联网保险业务:保险机构通过互联网和自助终端设备销售保险产品或提供保险经纪服务,消费者能够通过保险机构自营网络平台的销售页面独立了解产品信息,消费者能够自主完成投保行为。办法规定,互联网保险业务应由依法设立的保险机构开展,其他机构和个人不得开展互联网保险业务。办法规定了保险机构及其自营网络平台应具备的条件,包括网站备案、信息系统、安全防护、等级保护、营销模式、管理体系、制度建设、监管评价等。
I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career.
I wasn't an excellent student because I didn't do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn't have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn't the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job — looking after two little girls. It wasn't too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she'd give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn't often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification(资格证书)if I wanted to work with children. I didn't think I would be accepted because I didn't take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I've got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren't top of the class at school.
Just now, I entered the website "Topic for Today". I feel (interest) in the report on middle school students' using cellphones on campus. In fact, more students now come to school cellphones. My schoolmates have different opinions. Some think is convenient to get in touch with others with the cellphone, also makes them feel safe especially in time of trouble. Besides, it is nice to enjoy (variety) functions of different cellphones.
Others think differently. First, the cellphone is not must in school, as there are some IC phones there, (make) it easy to call others. Second, many students often play egames and send (message) with their cellphones, even in class, which will surely have bad effects on their study. What's more, a large amount of time and money will (waste). In my opinion, the cellphone is a useful tool in our daily life. But it doesn't mean we can use it (free) in school.
I had always found interesting to talk to foreigners and learn about the cultural differences between countries. Last Saturday, I (meet) a man from France who explained to me the French greeted each other. Now I know the French usually shake hands when they meet they know each other well, they kiss each other on the cheek. When (say) goodbye, they shake hands again. So it is not (usual) for a Frenchman who you greeted several minutes ago (come) and shake hands with you again.
Every culture in the world has its own taboos. It is necessary that we (be) aware of them because breaking a taboo may be an (annoy) experience. For example, in Japan, “4” and “9” are considered to be numbers that are unlucky. We should know this in order not to cause (offend).
One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend. "One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states." said Neville Alexander, Director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town.
In response to the spread of English and the increased multi-language trends arising from immigration, many countries have introduced language laws in the last decade. In some, the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters. One of the first such legal provisions(规定) was the 1994 "Toubon law" in France, and the idea has been copied in many countries since then. Such efforts to govern language use are often considered as futile by language experts, who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process.
It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the "purity" of a language by law. Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language. English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world, but that has not been a barrier to acquiring superiority and power. Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of the state regulation is that it has never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things. English has never had a state-controlled authority for the language, similar, for example, to the Academic Francaise in France.
The need to protect national languages is, for most western Europeans, a recent phenomenon—especially the need to ensure that English does not unnecessarily take over too many fields. Public communication, education and new ways of communication promoted by technology, may be key fields to defend.
—I had ________to,but one of my classmates called on me.
Wanted, Someone for a Kiss
We're looking for producers to join us in the second of London 100FM. You'll work on the station's music programs. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss100.
Father Christmas
We're looking for a very special person preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.
Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December17 to December24 except Sunday, 10:30—16:00
Excellent pay.
Please contact the Enterprise Shopping Center, Station Parade, East Bourne.
Accountants Assistant
When you join the team in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or somebody who has office experience.
Wealden District Council
Software Trainer
If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make our decision, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of £15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV (简历) to Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.