概要写作
重新阅读"A LETTER
HOME",根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
A LETTER HOME
Dear Rosemary,
Thanks for your letter, which
took a fortnight to arrive. It was wonderful to hear from you. I know you're
dying to hear all about my life here, so I've included some photos which will
help you picture the places I talk about.
You asked about my high
school. Well, it's a bush school – the classrooms are made of bamboo and the
roofs of grass. It takes me only a few minutes to walk to school down a muddy
track. When I reach the school grounds there are lots of "good
mornings" for me from the boys. Many of them have walked a long way,
sometimes up to two hours, to get to school.
There's no electricity or
water and even no textbooks either! I'm still trying to adapt to these
conditions. However, one thing is for sure, I've become more imaginative in my
teaching. Science is my most challenging subject as my students have no concept
of doing experiments. In fact there is no equipment, and if I need water I have
to carry it from my house in a bucket!
The other day I was showing
the boys the weekly chemistry experiment when, before I knew it, the mixture
was bubbling over everywhere! The boys who had never come across anything like
this before started jumping out of the windows. Sometimes I wonder how relevant
chemistry is to these students, most of whom will be going back to their
villages after Year 8 anyway. To be honest, I doubt whether I'm making any
difference to these boys' lives at all.
You asked
whether I'm getting to know any local people. Well, that's actually quite
difficult as I don't speak much of the local English dialect yet. But last
weekend another teacher, Jenny, and I did visit a village which is the home of
one of the boys, Tombe. It was my first visit to a remote village. We walked
for two and a half hours to get there—first up a mountain to a ridge from where
we had fantastic views and then down a steep path to the valley below. When we
arrived at the village, Tombe's mother, Kiak, who had been pulling weeds in her
garden, started crying "ieee ieee". We shook hands with all the
villagers. Everyone seemed to be a relative of Tombe's.
Tombe's father, Mukap, led us
to his house, a low bamboo hut with grass sticking out of the roof—this shows
it is a man's house. The huts were round, not rectangular like the school
buildings. There were no windows and the doorway was just big enough to get
through. The hut was dark inside so it took time for our eyes to adjust. Fresh
grass had been laid on the floor and there was a newly made platform for Jenny
and me to sleep on. Usually Kiak would sleep in her own hut, but that night she
was going to share the platform with us. Mukap and Tombe were to sleep on small
beds in another part of the hut. There was a fireplace in the centre of the hut
near the doorway. The only possessions I could see were one broom, a few tin
plates and cups and a couple of jars.
Outside Mukap was building a
fire. Once the fire was going, he laid stones on it. When hot, he placed them
in an empty oil drum with kau kau (sweet potato), corn and greens. He then
covered the vegetables with banana leaves and left them to steam.
I sniffed the food; it smelled
delicious. We ate inside the hut sitting round the fire. I loved listening to
the family softly talking to each other in their language, even though I could
not participate the conversation. Luckily, Tombe could be our interpreter.
Later, I noticed a tin can
standing upside down on the grill over the fire. After a short time Tombe threw
it out of the doorway. I was puzzled. Tombe told me that the can was heated to
dry out the leftover food. They believe that any leftovers attract evil spirits
in the night, so the food is dried up in the can and the can is then thrown out
of the hut. Otherwise they don't waste anything.
We left the village the next
morning after many goodbyes and firm handshakes. My muscles were aching and my
knees shaking as we climbed down the mountain towards home. That evening I fell
happily into bed. It was such a privilege to have spent a day with Tombe's
family.
It's getting late and I have
to prepare tomorrow's lessons and do some paperwork. Please write soon.
Love,
Jo
答案: The passage is written in the form of a letter. It is written by a young volunteer teacher who is working as a high school teacher in Papua New Guinea. In her letter she writes about her experiences as a teacher and her visit to a student's home. The photos are an important part of the letter as they illustrate some of the volunteer's experiences.