誰救了那個小男孩？

By Andy Simmons/金家軍（譯）

◆語篇導讀

化糞池是個污濁不堪、臭氣熏人的地方，平時人們路過這里都要繞道而行。然而，本文的主人公，一個13歲的女學生，在得知一男孩掉到化糞池里時，她挺身而出，通過窄窄的開口進到池里撈人，最終成功救出了這名男孩。

One day Madison Williams was studying in her bedroom in Dublin,Ohio when the door suddenly opened.It was her mother,Leigh Williams,with a terrible story:“A little boy fell into a septic tank(化糞池),and no one can reach him.”Then she asked her 13-year-old daughter，“Can you help?”

Madison and Leigh ran to a neighbor’s yard,where they found the boy’s mother and other adults around a septic tank opening that was a few inches above the lawn（草坪）.The opening was just a bit wider than

a basketball.The boy,who was only two years old,had slipped in and was drowning（溺水）inside a tank that was eight feet deep.

The men and women—who minutes earlier had been enjoying a party in a nearby home when they heard the boy’s mother shouting—were dropping ropes into the tank,hoping the child would catch it so they could pull him out.

Madison quickly surveyed the situation.She was the only one who could fit through the small hole.Without hesitation,she told the adults,“Lower me in.”Inside,the tank was dark,and the air was bad.In the process,parts of her body were hurt.

Minutes ticked by before Madison finally caught the foot tightly（緊緊地）.“Pull me up!”she shouted to the others above.

As they were pulled to the surface,the boy’s free foot got stuck.“Lower me down!”she shouted again.“I had to untie his foot until it was free,”she said later.Then,ten minutes after Madison had entered the tank,she and the boy were lifted(抬升)out.

◆語塊收藏

fall into掉進……；陷入……

slip in滑入；悄悄溜進去

without hesitation毫不猶豫

lower...in把……放進去

tick by時間在滴答聲中過去

pull up拉上去；拔起

get stuck被掛住；被卡住

untie his foot解開他的腳

◆典句賞析

1.One day Madison Williams was studying in her bedroom in Dublin,Ohio when the door suddenly opened.一天麥迪遜·威廉姆斯正在俄亥俄州都柏林自己的臥室里學習，就在那時門突然開了。

在“過去進行時+when+一般過去時”的句式結構中，when一般翻譯成“就在那時”。

2.Madison and Leigh ran to a neighbor’s yard,where they found the boy’s mother and other adults around a septic tank opening that was a few inches above the lawn(草坪).麥迪遜和利跑到鄰居的院子里,在那里他們發現男孩的母親和其他成年人正圍著化糞池，化糞池的開口高出草坪幾英寸。

where引導的是非限制性定語從句，where相當于地點副詞there。that引導的是限制性定語從句，that為關系代詞，指代定語從句的先行詞opening。

3.The men and women—who minutes earlier had been enjoying a party in a nearby home when they heard the boy’s mother shouting—were dropping ropes into the tank,hoping the child would catch it so they could pull him out.幾分鐘前，這些男人和女人在聽到男孩的母親大喊時正在附近的家中開派對，此刻他們正把繩索放進化糞池,希望孩子能抓住它,這樣他們就可以把他拉出來。

“The men and women”是主語，謂語是“were dropping ropes into the tank”。who引導的是定語從句，修飾“The men and women”，hoping是現在分詞，表示伴隨性動作或狀態，后接賓語從句“the child would catch it”；“so they could pull him out”是目的狀語從句，so后面省略了that。

◆理解自測

根據短文內容，從A、B、C、D四個選項中選擇正確答案。

( )1.What were the adults doing when the accident happened?

A.Having a picnic. B.Having a meeting. C.Having a party. D.Having a walk.

( )2.In your eyes,the girl is_________.

A.polite B.brave C.bright D.humorous

( )3.The girl entered the septic tank_________.

A.once B.twice C.three times D.four times

◆詞句微練

根據所給漢語句子，完成下列英語句子，每空一詞。

1.他正在看電視，就在那時郵遞員敲門了。

He was watching TV__________the postman knocked at the door.

2.鍵盤上的按鍵有時會卡住。

The keys on the keyboard sometimes___________________.

3.當我們等待時，時間在滴滴答答聲中很快地過去了。

When we waited,time__________________quickly.

4.當心，上次一個壞人解開自己的雙腳跑走了。

Be careful!A bad man___________________________and ran away last time.

5.他毫不猶豫地跳入河中拖出了那個男孩。

He jumped into the river________________and_______________that boy.