个人传记:自传-Autobiography-高中

自传

【内容提示】
假定你是一名黑人男子，现在正上大学。请根据下面提供的要点写一篇自传：
①1941年12月7日出生于Brooklyn的贫民区。家里有5口人：父母，两个姐姐和我。我是惟一的儿子，儿时在街上玩耍。
②小时候经常受到父母和老师的惩戒。我在小学学习成绩一般。上完小学我进了一所职业中学。我的朋友全是男生，都不学习，我的成绩很糟。
③上了高中我对学习产生了兴趣，成绩上升。我开始听别的学生讨论智力问题，不久我也参加了。后来我参加了黑人文化俱乐部，我知道了许多黑人的事。
④在中学期间，我还见到许多非洲新国家来的官员，他们讲法语，我也学会了法语。后来我还自学了西班牙语，到了高年级我被选为班主席。
⑤因为家里穷，上大学对我来说很困难，但母亲鼓励我，坚持让我继续深造。中学毕业后，开始我上夜大学，现在半工半读上全日制大学，我的专业是国际关系与经济学。
【作文示范】
Autobiography
I was born in a very poor section of Brooklyn on December 7,1941. There were five persons in my family including my father, my mother, my two sisters and myself. I was the only son, and my childhood was spent playing in the streets with the other boys and getting into troubles. I was often punished by my parents and teachers.
After elementary school, where I had been an average student, I went to a vocational high school① in my neighborhood. My friends were all boys who cared nothing about studying and my grades went from bad to worse.
From the time I entered the second high school, I began to take an interest in my studies and my grades improved. I started to listen to the other students discuss intelligent issues②and soon I began to take part in. One day, someone asked me to join the Negro Culture Club where the students discussed the contributions of the Negro race. Now my eyes were really opened. For the first time, I learned that my race had many famous people who had played an important role in world history. I was filled with a new sense of pride and self-respect. From then on, I read every book in the school library on Negro history. Also during these high school years, I met many officials from the new African nations. Because most of them spoke French, I learned to speak French and then went on to teach myself Spanish. In my senior year, I was elected president of my class. My goals were now definite and I knew I want to continue my education.
Going to college was difficult for me because my family was very poor and needed my help with money. My mother, however, encouraged me and insisted that I continue my education. Therefore, when I graduated from high school, I started attending night college and working all day. After two years I changed to day college and a part-time job. Now I am a fulltime student in my junior year③, majoring in international relations and economics④.
It is difficult for a young man to speak of his philosophy of life, but I believe it is very important for every person to have a sense of pride and dignity⑤in his own worth. My aim in life is  to  help my  people become better off economically. Also, I would like to do something to help mankind and to promote brotherhood⑥among all men of all nations, no matter what color they are.
【词语解释】
①vocational [v+u'keiM+nl] high school 职业中学
②intelligent issue[in'telidN+nt 'isju:] 智力问题
③junior['dNu:nj+] year （大学）三年级
④majoring in international relations and economics 主修国际关系和经济学
⑤dignity['digniti] n．尊严；尊贵
⑥promote brotherhood [pr+'m+ut 'br)J+hud] 促进兄弟般的关系
【写法指要】
1）本文全面叙述了作者从出生到写自传时的经历：从出生谈起，讲到家庭成员，儿时在街上玩耍，父母和老师的责罚，受教育情况，以及在校参加政治活动等，面面俱到。
2）自传体记叙文通常按时间顺序写，如本文即是。像“after elementary school”，“from the time”，“from then on”，等都是最有用的语篇标记词（discourse markers）或衔接词语（cohesive words and phrases）。