A Bleak Winter

　　I was born in Guangdong, the southernmost province in mainland China where in winter the temperature seldom falls be low 5C.  For the past 19 years, I had never seen snow.  I couldn't remember from when I had been dreaming of seeing a real snow, and experiencing a bleak winter.

　　Before I entered the university, I had never expected the climate difference of Shanghai and Guangzhou.  But as October came, the falling golden leaves and the chilly winds indicated that this winter would be cold.

　　October walked away in the whisper of the falling leaves.Winter approached in November, and then December.

　　The dazzling golden color already faded away, leaving only the bare branches sticking out into the frosty air. Grass that was once as thick as a fine cardigan carpet could no longer be found anywhere. What I saw were the slushy fields which were jade green in September.

　　I considered it a great fortune to watch the sun, which was mild, jumping off the horizon and into those bare branches.Even on sunny days, the temperature was still low. The campus was left deserted and lifeless.

　　Was this what I had been longing for? Could it be called a bleak winter? I thought I should feel satisfied. Shanghai is still in the south. I couldn't expect more. But there was still some thing in my mind, as it was only one step to my dream. I prayed every day for a snow. A slight one could be enough. Once again.God heard.

　　I'll never forget the morning of Christmas. On my way to the library, a white elf found its way into my coat.  It took me more than a minute to realize what was happening. Believe it or not, it snowed. Suddenly I understood why God took all the signs of life away in winter.  He must have been clearing up a stage for his spoiled kid  snow, to show off.stage for his spoiled kid  snow, to show off.

　　Tears welled up in my eyes, for my thankfulness to God and to the special, bleak winter.

　　簡  評

　　本文描寫了一個在炎熱的廣州長大的女孩來到上海后經歷的第一個冬天，第一場雪。秋天的金色逐漸褪去后，一切有生命的東西都不復存在，只留下光禿禿的樹枝裸露在寒風中。作者對冬天的太陽印象深刻：盡管陽光普照，氣溫仍然很低。然而，作者并不滿足于此，仍時時期盼著下雪。終于，下雪了，作者將飄進衣服的雪花比喻成a white elf，非常富有情趣，自然地流露出作者當時的欣喜之情。最后，作者對冬天萬物凋零做了一個非常新穎但合理的解釋：清掃舞臺，為調皮的孩子——雪花上臺做準備。

　　文章對作者渴望感受嚴冬，期盼下雪的心情的描寫細膩生動

　　給人留下了深刻的印象。

　　(點評教師：黃鶯）