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.

我出生在廣東，在中國大陸最南部的省份，在冬季溫度極少會低于5度。在過去的19年里，我從未見過雪。我不記得從什么時候開始我夢想看到真正的雪，經歷了一個荒涼的冬天。

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.

在我進入大學之前，我從來沒有預料到上海和廣州的氣候差異這么大。但到了十月，落下金色的葉子和寒冷的風暗示著今年冬天會很冷。
October walked away in the whisper of the falling leaves.Winter approached in November, and then December.

十月，走在落葉的沙沙聲中。冬天在十一月就來了，然后十二月。

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.

耀眼的金色已經消失，只剩下赤裸的枝條在寒冷的空氣中伸展。草曾經像細羊毛地毯一樣厚，現在在任何地方也找不到了。我所看到的是九月翠綠色泥濘的田野。
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.

我認為看到溫和的，從地平線和那些赤裸的枝條中跳出來太陽是很需要運氣的。即使在陽光明媚的日子，氣溫仍然很低。校園被遺棄而且沒有生氣。

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.

這是我一直向往的嗎？它可以被稱為一個寒冷的冬天？我想我應該感到滿足。上海仍在南方。我不能期待更多。但仍有一些東西在我的腦海里，因為它只是我夢想的第一步。我每天都在祈禱下雪。一場小雪就可以了。上帝再次聽到了。
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.

我永遠不會忘記圣誕節的早晨。在去圖書館的路上，一個白色的小精靈跑到我的外套上。我花了超過一分鐘的時間才意識到發生了什么。信不信由你，下雪了。我突然明白了為什么上帝在冬天把所有的生命跡象都帶走了。他一定是清理一個舞臺來給他寵壞的雪孩子。

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

淚水涌上了我的眼睛，我感謝上帝和特別的，寒冷的冬天。

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。