阅读下面短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
Although not as much as in the past,
grandparents are the teachers of the Navajo (纳瓦霍人) youth. They make young
people aware of life at an early age. The parents grant them the privilege of
teaching the children, and the grandparents take great pride in raising the
children or at least having a big part in raising them.
Young children often stay with their
grandparents for years at a time developing a close and trusting relationship.
The grandparents teach the children Navajo legends and the principle of life,
emphasizing both new culture trends and the preservation of traditions.
The grandparents are also often the leading
figures in teaching the youth the arts of weaving, caring for the livestock,
using herbal medicine, and other arts and crafts.
The children are taught to respect their
elders, to care for them, to help them whenever they are in need, and to learn
from them. Young people are urged to listen with care to the words of their
elders and to keep as much wisdom as possible. Grandparents often go to social
gatherings and traditional events, and the young have opportunities to learn
more about their culture and traditions.
I live with my grandmother for thirteen
years, and she raised me in the old ways of our people. Although I was going to
school, she taught me as much as she could about our traditions. She was a
beautiful woman. If I had a chance, I would listen again to her wise teachings,
expressed with kindness in a soft voice that touched my heart.
We used to plant corn and pumpkin every
summer. They never grew big enough to feed us, but we planted them anyway. I
asked my grandmother why. She said, "Grandson, our plants will be far more
beautiful than the flowers outside the fence." I did not understand until
one day I saw their beauty as I was coming over the hill with her. She said, "Anything
that is a part of you is always far more beautiful than the things which you
pass by." We had some beautiful years together. I am glad she is a part of
me and I am a part of her.
Children used to be well disciplined,
possessing more respect for culture, tradition, and beliefs than they do now.
The world of the Navajo has been influenced by the western world, and the
grandparents have less control and influence than they used to. But the young
people who have been touched by their teachings have glimpsed a way of life
beyond what most people know today.