鐵軌上的極速營救

江西 江海連

面對迎面快速駛來的火車，他并沒有退縮，而是堅持營救困在車中的珍妮絲……

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It was late, about 10：15 pm, when Janice arrived at the Bellport, New York train station. She'd just returned from visiting her mother who lives in Philadelphia. Brought up by the single mother alone since 4 years old, Janice made it a rule to visit her every other month. She quickly got off the train, walked into the parking lot and jumped into her car. All these were so familiar to her since she had traveled the route so many times. After a short break, Janice happily began the 20-minute drive home. She knew that her husband and seven-year-old son were eagerly waiting for her return.

She was practically driving as usual when, out of nowhere, a minivan (小型面包車) hit Janice's car, knocking her backward some 100 feet onto the railroad tracks. Realizing what had happened after a few seconds, she was scared and tried to escape from the car. But she failed to open the door.

As it happened, Peter, a volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, had just closed his book and was going to bed when he heard the loud sound of metal on metal and shattering (破碎) glass coming from not far outside his bedroom window. He grabbed a flashlight and ran out of the door, knowing that there could be a car accident nearby and that it was difficult for the police to reach there in a short time on such a dark night.

The first car he came upon was the minivan that had hit Janice's. Peter rushed over to check if the driver was alive. Once he concluded the driver was OK, he looked around and spotted Janice's car on the railroad tracks.

Meanwhile, he heard a sound of an on-coming train. As a volunteer firefighter, Peter calmly ran to the passenger side. After smashing the door open with a rock, he pushed aside the airbags, grabbed Janice's arms, and pulled her toward him across the passenger seat until he could help her out. Peter's heroic actions were reported by the local newspaper, but he simply said, “Any firefighter would have done what I did. We're always on duty.”

Reading Check

1. What's the function of the first paragraph?

A. To briefly introduce the background.

B. To show the danger of driving alone.

C. To praise Janice's deep love for her mother.

D. To describe the difficult life of a single mother.

2. What can we know about Peter?

A. He was sleeping when the accident happened.

B. He found it difficult to search for the drivers.

C. He was once a professional firefighter.

D. He has retired from teaching.

3. What does the underlined word “smashing” in the last paragraph mean?

A. Pulling. B. Lowering. C. Breaking. D. Pushing.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Peter?

A. Proud and adventurous. B. Calm and modest.

C. Strict and quiet. D. Mean and old-fashioned.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Useful expressions

bring up 撫養

make...a rule 使……成為慣例

be familiar to 為……所熟悉

wait for 等待

as usual 照常

look around 環顧四周

Ⅱ. Difficult sentence

He grabbed a flashlight and ran out of the door, knowing that there could be a car accident nearby and that it was difficult for the police to reach there in a short time on such a dark night. 他抓起手電筒，從門口跑了出去，知道附近可能發生了車禍，在這么黑的夜晚，警察很難很快趕到那里。

【點石成金】該句中knowing...on such a dark night作伴隨狀語，其中that后緊跟兩個賓語從句，there could be a car accident nearby和it was difficult for the police to reach there in a short time on such a dark night。