1. Words

chameleon

1. a small lizard (= a type of reptile ) that can change colour according to its surroundings 避役；变色蜥蜴；变色龙

2. (often disapproving) a person who changes their behaviour or opinions according to the situation 见风使舵的人；善变的人

perk

[释义]an advantage or benefit following from a job or situation 特殊待遇，特权[原句] There were so many perks to being "white" in a black family, I can't even front.

[仿写] One of the perks of working in rotation is to enjoy a 4-week vacation when you are off duty.

give sb a leg-up

[释义] to help sb to improve their situation 帮助,援助(改善环境)

[原句] If you're black in South Africa, speaking English is the one thing that can give you a leg up.

[仿写] When I applied for this job, understanding the local dialect had given me a leg up.

endear sb / yourself to sb

[释义] to make sb / yourself popular 使受欢迎(或喜爱、爱慕)

[原句] So the fact that I did speak African languages immediately endeared me to the black kids.

[仿写] Chuck's sense of humor and generosity has endeared himself to all of us.

2. Reflections

第四章变色龙，Trevor 继承了妈妈在语言上的天赋，成为语言上的变色龙，借由语言而不是肤色让他多次化险为夷，并且找到自己的归属。

因为肤色接近白人，当Trevor淘气犯错的时候，他的祖父母都不敢惩戒他： I'm scared I'm going to break him. I don't want to kill a white person. I'm so afraid. 种族隔离以及等级观念在祖父母那一辈留下深深烙印。 Soweto小城里99.9%的人口是黑人，白皮肤的 Trevor在这里受尽优待。

跟随妈妈的很多经历，让Trevor 体会到语言的力量：

- the quickest way to bridge the race gap was through language

-made me realize that language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.

-I became a chameleon. My color didn't change, but I could change your perception of my color.

Maryvale College私立教会学校让Trevor没有意识到肤色歧视现实（It was a wonderful experience to have, but the downside was that it sheltered me from reality.），转到公立学校 H.A. Jack后，Trevor 第一次意识到种族主义的现实：I was eleven years old, and it was like I was seeing my country for the first time. 黑人孩子因为语言接纳了Trevor，Trevor 也终于清晰的意识到自己在黑人中的真正归属感。I saw myself as the people around me, and the people around me were black.

人和其他动物最大的区别就在语言，语言为什么这么神奇，为什么这么重要？为什么语言甚至能打败肤色，让Trevor融入到黑人孩子中。我想语言是一种文化，一种价值观和信仰的体现。文中说的，不同的tribe有不同的语言，一般不会其他部落的语言，而白人通常认为黑人的语言低等不屑去学，学习语言，是对语言背后的文化信仰的尊重和理解。

Chapter 4 - Chameleon