| Energy | |
February 8, 2016
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| In this era in this country, the government needed to limit their citizen's use of energy because they made a promise internationally to cap the emission of energy. It was the week of January, the family was upset. Their energy allowance this month was almost used up, and the mother just realized it. That night she told her husband, "I'm sorry, but I made a mistake about our energy allowance this month." The father weakly said, "What's done is done. We need our kids' cooperation." Soon a family emergency meeting was held. "Again?" the high school daughter complained, "Last time, last summer, I couldn't use the bus and I rode my bike for the first time in ages, that was tiresome. Dad, can you give me a ride?" The father said, "We are not kidding. We can't use our car until the end of the month. Use your feet." "My feet?" "Riding a bike is dangerous during the winter." The daughter was speechless. The junior high son remembered last summer. Their mother also forgot to check
The father remembered that they used wet towels often to wipe and cool their bodies, this time they would need warm clothes. He announced that they should help each other in this time of emergency. In the bed, the husband said to his wife it was ages since they had gone camping and he would like to cook outside the following night. She was happy seeing her husband, who had been kind of busy recently and had little chance to be with her and the children. The next evening, the father left work earlier than normal. He stopped by a park and gathered some twigs. In the garden, after preparing a fire in the brick stove, he started to make something with snow. The son came back from school and asked, "What are you doing?" The father replied, "I'm making a snow-hut." "What for?" "Just warming myself and maybe it will be warmer eating dinner here than eating in the cold house." The son happily started to help him. Soon, the mother and the daughter came back from shopping. (They met at the supermarket and bought some stuff for this evening's event.) They were amazed to find the snow-hut already half completed. The mother and the daughter started to cut meat and vegetables for barbecue and a stew. The father left the finished part of the hut to his son, and hung a pot on the fire and started to boil water for a stew. After the water boiled, the mother put the ingredients in it. The father stuck the barbecue skewers around the fire. Soon, a good smell started to fill the air. Now, the hut was warm enough with the four of them sitting on the camping mat, and a couple of candles on the small table. The father poured hot wine that he had warmed in the hot water into his wife's glass and his. They made a toast. After dinner, they played cards. It was the first time in years they played cards because recently the children got into computer games. Noticing the cheerful voices, the neighboring old couple came and asked them what they were doing. The father said that it was embarrassing but their energy limit was used up. The man replied that they could offer them their kitchen and rooms. The wife nodded. The father and mother thanked them very much, but politely declined saying if they received their kindness, they would become more careless about using energy. The old couple said that if they insisted, they agreed, but any time that they needed to, they could use their rooms. They returned to their house. "Good people." They all nodded. The daughter said, "I've never seen them quarrel like you two." The father looked at the wife who was uneasy and said, "Anyways, this is a very good chance for the family to sit close and talk about something. Maybe Mom needs to forget about checking the energy allotment sometimes throughout the year." The two children mumbled. After all, the hut was too small for all of them to sleep, even for two adults; so, the father and the son remained. Sleeping together was not bad for them although it was rare recently. In the meantime, the mother and the daughter were thinking the same way. It was a cold night, but somehow warm. |
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*emission when gas, heat, light, etc is sent out into the air C)
*allowance :an amout of something that you are allowed (C)
*twig :a small, thin branch on a tree (C)
*skewer :a long metal or wooden stick for putting through pieces of meat while cooking them (L)
*allotment :the process of sharing something, or the amount that you get (C)