大學畢業已經過了半個世紀之久，回首前塵，有些往事已模糊，有些依舊清晰，或在記憶深處翻滾，栩栩如生，彷彿是【昨日之事】。
有件往事令我印象深刻，我們大一英文作文的老師、美籍猶太人Mr. Alter常有選擇性【失憶的趣事】，不知是無心的疏忽，還是有意的想磨練我們英文作文的寫作技巧，【三不五時】會【舊題重出】，聽聞同學笑聲，反應是【神色自若、老神在在】，他總是【一派輕鬆】微笑的說：【How you write counts as much as what you write! (= The style (of writing) is as important as the content.)｛你怎麼寫和你寫些什麼同等重要；文筆和內容同等重要。｝】的確是如此，如果我們重新啟動思考，切入點不同，觀點自然有異，很多事也隨著褒貶異位，很多事也因人、地、時的不同而可能有所改變。我自己就有過【今日之非】否定【昨日之是】，或【今日之是】否定【昨日之非】。古人說：【朝聞道，夕死可以！】那麼，【朝有錯，夕改又何妨？】
記得，大二英國文學史老師余光中教授應邀到嘉女演講，演講後，在座談會時，悠然自得、輕鬆、微笑地對《嘉女青年》編輯群說：【寫出好的文章沒有ROYAL ROAD｛王道｝，要對事務敏感，要對文字敏感。】慚愧！虛度了數十年光陰，我連皮毛都沒有學到，更不要說做到余光中老師的【至理名言】，他強調：【對事務敏感】，才能【言之有物】、內容紮實；【對文字敏感】，才能行文流暢、獨樹一格。
有些事是【知易行難】，有些事是【知難行易】，兩者一線之隔、一念之間，【山不轉、路轉；路不轉、人轉；人無法轉、念頭轉。】念頭轉了，時常會有【柳暗花明又一村】的奇想，也許轉個彎，【桃花源】就在眼前，腦海裡浮現出全新的思考方向。
Mr. Alter教我們一年【大一英文作文】，余光中老師教我們一年【大二英國文學史】、一年【大三英詩】，時間長久，在老師們【傳道、授業、解惑】的【潛移默化】中【耳濡目染】，自然而然多少會想學Mr. Alter和余光中老師，但是，我知道自己的【斤兩】，相差豈只【十萬八千里】，不敢【不自量力】、也想【東施效蘋】，想來體驗、感受Mr. Alter的【How you write counts as much as what you write! ｛你怎麼寫和你寫些什麼同等重要；文筆和內容同等重要。｝ 】或余光中老師的【寫出好的文章沒有ROYAL ROAD｛王道｝，要對事務敏感，要對文字敏感。】，我只是【隨心所欲】、想到什麼就寫什麼來【kill free time消磨空閒時間】，雖然心裡這樣想，【只要有心、沒什麼忌諱、文思泉湧時，無事不能入文，如果能練就下筆如有神助、行雲流水、收放自如，日久習慣成自然，『也許』，每個人都有可能塑造出自己獨特的WRITING STYLE〈寫作風格〉】，我想，那只是我的【癡心妄想】。
我在台灣師大二年級時，參加學校英語系舉辦的英文作文比賽，比賽題目當場抽出的是「MOSQUITOES」，我覺得好寫，但不容易寫好，心裡想，大部分同學都會「聚焦focus on」蚊子的擾人、傳染疾病等(what you write/內容)，當時我靈機一動，決定採用自述法(how you write/寫法)，也許筆法較少人用，得到評審老師之一梁實秋教授較高的給分(作文紙背面的評分表)，僥倖得到了第二名，杜校長親筆簽名贈送「GONE WITH THE WIND飄/亂世佳人」，余光中老師也簽名贈送三本英詩選集，文後的附件為大二時參加英文作文比賽的原文。
*****(說明:英語中心辦公室向舉辦英文作文比賽單位索回獲獎者的原稿，將原文登在英語中心專刊，之後，原稿發還給獲獎者。)*****
MOSQUITOES
We do not have any records of our family history as human beings do. I can not tell when and where we mosquitoes began to exist in this colorful world. But hard times have come to us since insecticides were invented.
As the seasons go round and hot weather comes, in particular, when it is scorching summer, we begin to be active and enjoy our lives. We are fated to have the habit of living in the dirty water where we also lay eggs to create our young. Our offspring can grow faster than human beings. But our life span is rather short. Nevertheless, we never feel sad as human beings do when they are dying. All good things will sooner or later come to an end.
We feed on human blood. That accounts for why people regard us mosquitoes as unbearable foes. They can easily put our lives to an end with anything they get. Sometimes when we are biting people, we may be bitten to death .They can strike us to death with their big hands. We mosquitoes are considered to be merciless and should be cursed. You may think we like to bite humans. It is not our fault and we are not entirely to blame. It is our destiny. People want to live as long as possible, and so do mosquitoes. Sucking people’s blood is our way of “keeping body and soul together.” Of course, we poor little mosquitoes can not withstand human heavy blows.
I fully understand why human beings hate us so much, but we just can not help it. The almighty Creator puts poison inside our blood, and so we leave poison in people’s blood every time we bite them. The poison may bring people some terrible diseases, like malaria. But to tell the truth, we have no positive intention of harming mankind. We are peaceful and love peace, too. We wish all creatures could live in harmony. We know live-and-let-live plays an important part on earth.
I admit that human beings are more intelligent than we mosquitoes. They can destroy our homes and eliminate us if they try to do in every way possible. It seems our doomsday is near at hand. It is said that God will save human beings. But who will save us mosquitoes?
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