描述一下你成长的环境和此对你人生发展目标的影响

[Prompt: Describe the environment in which you grew up and how it shaped your personal goals.]

There are no traffic lights in Hampden, Massachusetts. Instead of malls or movie theaters, we have hay fields and hiking trails. The tiny business district consists of a gas station/general store, a pizza parlor, and the country restaurant that is a popular hangout among the retired coffee-drinking locals. If you drive down Main Street, turning south towards the mountain, you enter a winding country road lined with open pastures, old New England barns, and Holstein cows. Halfway up the mountain is my home: a small rustic farm shared with my family and an assortment of dairy goats, ducks, and chickens. My parents, both city folks who met in veterinary school, moved here to realize their dream of raising a family in the country.

I spent much of my early childhood on the mountain behind my house, clutching the thick, pearly-white fur of my beloved goat Heidi in one hand and a fistful of wild blueberries in the other. My family (dogs and goats included) and I would spend weekends exploring the almost surreally beautiful landscape, eating lunch in a grassy field located near the top. It was during these hours spent on the mountain that I felt truly connected to nature and my family. My parents taught my younger sister and me how to understand our surroundings, pointing out pine trees from oaks, red squirrels from grays. They told us stories about their own lives as well, weaving lessons in kindness, humility, and compassion into the fabric of nature and human relationships.

Though Hampden is small in both size and population, it never felt that way. My parents are extremely active in town affairs and have gone to great lengths to preserve local land from the threats of development. My mother is the president of the Hampden Land Project and Conservation Committee, and we have worked together to make flyers, send out newsletters, and attend monthly town meetings in hopes of saving the town’s open space. My parents’ fervor and passion were part of my upbringing, and I involved myself in every local event and cause that arose. From petitioning to save the local wildlife sanctuary to running the Hampden Land Project Booth at the annual town fair, I kept myself involved -- and thus connected to both my hometown and its beautiful natural setting.

In my house, every family meal is dedicated to discussing various social, political, and ethical issues. Although we don’t always agree, my parents have always stressed the importance of giving back to one’s community in various ways. For the past two summers I have organized a food drive to benefit poor children. I originally began this project after learning that food pantry donations decrease in the summer, even as school lunch programs are ending for vacation.

Working to help these unfortunate children moved me even more than helping to preserve the environment and wildlife of my town. Though I love animals and nature, I wish to dedicate my life to working with people, especially young children. I hope to inspire them to work towards changing the world (and preserving nature) in the same way my parents and other members of my town have inspired me.

点评：

这是一篇命题式的文章，文章开头的提示已经揭示出了这篇文章的主要内容。这篇文章主要讲述作者出身于马萨诸塞州的一个小镇上，镇上人的纯朴、热情以及镇上美丽、宜人的自然景色无一不使作者对这个小镇产生热爱。而父母是镇上大小事务的积极参与者，并为小镇免受开发所带来的威胁做出了很大的贡献。作者从小受父母这方面的影响，也渐渐地投身于小镇的发展事业上去。文章的最后一段是作者感情升华的部分，作者希望可以通过教导小孩子们，让他们知道人与自然和谐共处的重要性，激发他们改变当今发展的现状，激发他们去爱护和保护大自然。

作者并没有摆出种种的事例以显示自己为小镇劳心劳累，而是把自己在工作中所想和所感悟到的东西写出来。可以说这是一篇以情动人的文章，并没有过多的华丽词藻，却可以把一份纯真的心表达出来，让人可以感受到作者的一片真心和苦心。虽然文章感情的表达是很满的，但是结构略显凌乱，连贯性较差，给人的感觉有点象随笔录。但总的来说，这篇还算是一篇值得参考的文书。

译文：

提示：描述一下你成长的环境和此对你人生发展目标的影响。

小镇

马萨诸塞州的汉普登小镇上是没有交通灯的。它不像一些大城市那样有购物商场和影院，我们有的只是无边际的草原和弯弯曲曲的爬山小道。小镇上的商业中心是由一间加油站，一家杂货店，一家比萨饼店和一家餐馆所组成。这家餐馆很受镇上的人欢迎，特别是一些退休了的老人，他们比较喜欢到餐馆去喝咖啡。如果你沿着小街主道开车，并向着大山的那个方向开去，你会发现一条乡间小道，小道旁边是开阔的草原，古老的新英格兰谷仓还有一些荷兰黑白花牛。沿着这条小道上山，到半山腰的时候你就会发现我的家:那是一个小的农场，里面住着我的家里人还有我的羊群、鸭群和鸡群们。我的父母都是城里人，他们是在一间兽医学校里面认识的，后来就搬到这里来了。其实他们都有一个共同的梦想，就是在乡村小镇里过生活，所以他们才搬到这里来的。

我小时候大部分的时间都是在我屋后的那座大山里度过的，一只手攫着我心爱的Heidi小山羊的珍珠般白的软毛，另外一只手就满满的拿着野生蓝莓。周末的时候，家里人包括我的狗和山羊们和我都会出去游玩，去寻觅更美的风景，而且可以在山顶的草地上享受我们丰盛的午餐。只有在那时我才感觉到自己和家里人还有大自然是融合在一起的。我的父母会教我和我的妹妹们如何识别大自然的万物，例如教我们如何区分松树和橡树，红松鼠和灰鼠。他们也会说他们自己的故事，用亲善、和谐和爱心编织着人与自然和平相处的故事。

虽然汉普登地方小而且人口又少，但是我们从来不会觉得自己缺少些什么。我的父母都很积极地参与到镇上的事务并且为保护小区免受由于城市发展所带来的威胁作出了很大的努力。我妈妈是汉普登镇土地规划和保存项目委员会的主席，我们一起制作和派发宣传册，同时也为保护我们小镇家园而参加每月的镇上例会。我父母对镇上事务的热心和激情对我的成长有一定的影响，我也像他们一样献身于镇上的大小事务。从恳求保存我们小镇上的自然环境到在年度小镇交易会上建立我们汉普登土地保存项目的摊位，我时刻都保持着积极的态度，因此我感觉自己时刻都与我的家乡和家乡的美丽风景紧密联系在一起。

在家里，每次吃饭的时候我们总会讨论一些社会、政治和种族的问题。虽然我们的意见不尽相同，但是我的父母在讨论的时候总会强调民族社区发展的多样性。在过去的两个夏季我组织了一次为贫困小孩募捐的活动。因为我发现夏季时候学校的物料募捐就减少了，尽管学校在假期一般都结束午餐供应，但是我还是组织了这次的募捐活动。

通过帮助这些不幸的小孩使我不再局限于环境保护和小镇的事务工作。虽然我很喜欢动物和大自然，但是我更希望自己可以与人共事，特别是小孩子们。我希望我可以激发他们去改变这个世界，去保护大自然，就像当时父母和其他镇上成员激发我一样。