描述你成长的环境以及它如何影响你的人生目标

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

Small Town

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：

1．文字优美
2．细节描写使文章真实可信
3．家庭环境对成长的影响十分自然
4．人生目标阐述的非常清晰
5．条理清晰

翻译：

[命题要求：描述你成长的环境以及环境如何影响你形成人生目标]

我家乡的小镇

在麻萨诸塞州的Hampden，那里没有红绿灯，没有商场或者电影院，我们所拥有的只是草地和效区远足。一个微型的商业区包括了一个加油站和便利店，一家比萨店，以及一家当地退休老人经常去喝咖啡的乡村餐馆。如果你在Hampden延着主路向南边的山开，你会进入一条乡村公路，路的两边是农场，老式新英格兰谷仓和Holstein乳牛。开到半山腰就到了我的家：一间小型的乡村农场住着我的家庭和农场里的山羊，鸭子以及小鸡。我的父母自从在兽医学院认识后，就搬到这里来实现他们在乡村中建立一个家庭的梦想。

我的早期童年基本上是在屋子后面的山上度过的， 一只手抓着我最爱的山羊Heidi那又厚又白的毛，而另一手则握着一大串的野生蓝莓。我的家庭（包括狗和山羊们）经常在周末的时候探索附近的美景，并在靠近山顶的地方吃中饭。在那一刻，我觉的我和大自然还有我的家庭完全的溶合在一起。我的父母教我的妹妹和我该如何了解我们的环境，教我们辨别松树和橡树，灰色松鼠和红色松鼠。他们也会告诉我们一些关于他们自己的故事，通过这些故事告诉我们在人与自然的关系中什么是仁慈，谦逊以及同情。
 
不管从区域上看还是人口上看，Hampden都非常小，但她给人的感觉其实并不小。我的父母在有关镇上的事务中都非常活跃，并且尽他们的努力在保护当地的土地不因发展而被占用。我母亲是Hampden土地计划和保护委员会的主席，我们曾在一起制作传单，发通讯报，并且为了保护镇上的土地每月都出席镇里的会议。父母的激情是我教养的一部分，并且我因此参加了每一项当地活动。从保护当地野生植物的请求到Hampden年度会议上的土地计划，我全身心的爱着我的家乡并参与建议她美丽的自然环境。

在我们的屋子里，每顿家庭聚餐都是由美食伴着社会、政治和道德主题的讨论。我们的意见虽然不是完全一致，但我的父母总是强调从多方面考虑问题的重要性。过去的两个暑假，我组织了一项给贫困儿童送食物的活动。这项活动是在我了解到暑假期间的食物捐赠有所减少之后发起的，

帮助这些不幸的儿童使我非常的感动，甚至超过了保护家乡的环境和野生动植物。尽管我热爱自然和那些动物们，我仍然希望把我的人生投入到帮助贫困人群的工作中，特别是帮助那些年轻的孩子们。我希望鼓舞他们去改变世界（和保护自然），就像我的父母和镇上的其他人激励我的方式。