Unit 7 - Kids On The Track（生死时刻）
At first it seemed as if it might just be an old box or rags ahead of the train. But then they realized just what it was.
"KIDS ON THE TRACK!"
Jack Murphy
Monday, May 1, 1989 was a pleasant morning in Ramsey, N.J. Kate Pritchard bent over her car trunk and struggled with the bags of groceries she'd just brought home. She heard the distant cry of a locomotive horn. The trains of Conrail passed less than 300 feet from the Pritchards' house. No fence separated their backyard from the track — only a thick row of trees. But, her sons, 3(1/2)-year-old Todd and 18-month-old Scott, were nearby, playing on the driveway.
"Stay right there," Kate said, "while Mommy puts the groceries away. Then we'll go inside and have lunch, okay?"
"Okay!" said Todd, giving a thumbs-up gesture he'd seen his father make.
"Okay!" echoed Scott, trying to copy his older brother.
They watched their mother enter the house with several bags.
Kate shut the refrigerator and hurried outside. Good. The boys were playing right where she'd left them.
As she lifted more bags from the trunk, Kate heard a train race past — a passenger express, she judged from its speed. She carried more bags into the house.
The sounds of the train apparently drew the boys' attention to the track. After making their way through the trees, they climbed to the top of the steep roadbed, knelt down along the railroad and began to play.
A few thousand feet west, a freight train rolled slowly toward the children. Overhead lights signaled to engineer Rich Campana that the passenger train ahead was out of the way, and they could resume their normal speed of 40 miles per hour. The engineer adjusted the accelerator, then turned to conductor Anthony Falzo, a man, medium in height and strongly built, who had worked for Conrail for almost half of his 35 years.
"So what'd you do over the weekend, Anthony?"
"Oh, not much. Mostly messing around — a little TV, then bed. What else?"
Campana smiled. "Hey, you'd better cool down, Anthony — you're getting to be a real party animal!"
The two men laughed. They were still laughing as the train began gathering speed, moving at 21 miles per hour.
Rich and Anthony spotted something ahead at the same instant.
"What's that up there?" asked the engineer. Anthony didn't answer. Staring intently, he was trying to identify the curious shape on the track ahead. A box? Old rags?
Suddenly both men realized what it was. Rich threw on the emergency brake and pulled on the air-horn handle with all his strength.
The horn's blast and Anthony's words exploded at the same time: "Kids on the Track!"
Anthony sprang through the cab door onto a narrow running board six feet above the wheels and raced to the front of the swaying train. Climbing quickly down a steel ladder, he paused at the bottom, two feet above the roadbed flashing by.
Now he could clearly see the two little children. They were sitting alongside the rail. Anthony waved wildly and shouted, "Get away! Get away!"
He mentally calculated the train's deceleration rate and groaned. We'll never stop in time.
Absorbed in play, Todd and Scott did not hear the train. Finally, as the sound became thunderous, Scott looked up and froze.
Though the train was slowing, Anthony knew it was still going faster than he could run. So he forced himself to wait until he would be close enough to leap off and grab the boys. With perhaps ten feet left between them and the sharp-edged snowplow blade at the front of the train, Anthony sprang forward from the ladder. Landing on the loose, fist-size stones alongside the track, he had to struggle to keep his balance. In two giant steps he almost reached the children. They stared up at him in wide-eyed shock. Anthony, throwing his body into space, flew toward them.
The unending blast of the train horn struck Kate Pritchard like a hammer blow. "The boys! " she cried, and raced out the door. They were gone!
The track, she thought. I must get to the track!
As his body crashed downward, Anthony covered Todd while reaching out with one arm to grab Scott and pull him clear of the track. But the train had caught up to them. Anthony saw the black steel edge of the snowplow blade hit the young child under the chin, driving his head back and scraping over his face. Instantly, blood flashed across the boy's forehead.
Part of the train then punched into the back of Anthony's work jacket, tearing the nylon fabric. Still, Anthony managed to pull Scott completely under him.
He's dead, Anthony thought. He felt sick with horror. Burying his face in the stones, he pushed downward on the two boys with all his strength as the train passed inches above them.
The first person Kate saw when she reached the halted train was Todd. Her older boy was jumping up and down and crying uncontrollably. But Kate could see he wasn't injured. She grabbed and hugged him. Then she saw the still figure of a man lying under the third car. Scott's head, a mask of darkening blood, was visible under him. Kate ran to them. "Scott!" she screamed.
Anthony twisted to face her. "Lady," he said, his voice calm, "go to your house. Call the police and ambulance." Kate, only half hearing him, extended her arms to take her baby. Anthony spoke again, more sharply, "Ma'am, listen! Go to your house and call the police — call an ambulance. Go!"
Kate tore back to the house, made the calls, then reached her husband, Gary, via his beeper.
When the first police car arrived, Anthony was still holding little Scott. The conductor knew from the child's cries that he was alive, but Scott might have internal injuries that any movement could worsen. So Anthony insisted the emergency personnel check the boy before he would release his grip. Miraculously, Scott's injuries were not serious, requiring just 13 stitches.
There had only been 14 inches between the plow blade and the ground. Reporters later asked Anthony if he had hesitated before risking his life.
"No," he replied. "All I could think was that those two little kids have their whole lives still ahead of them, and if I do nothing, they're dead. There was no way I could let that happen."
Soon after the incident, Anthony visited the Pritchards' home. He recalls putting his arms around Todd and Scott and lifting them. "It made me remember the moment when I first sheltered them under the train. It was a strange feeling, holding them again — and wonderful too."
Since that first visit, the Pritchards say that Anthony has almost become a member of the family. They also report that a fence now separates their neighborhood from the railroad track.
参考译文——生死时刻
生死时刻
杰克·墨菲
1989年5月1日，星期一，新泽西州的拉姆齐上午天气宜人。凯特·普里查德俯身站在车尾行李箱前，费力地收拾着刚买回家的一袋袋食品杂货。她听到远处火车的鸣笛声。联合铁路公司的火车经过的地方离普里查德家不到三百英尺，可在后院与铁轨之间没有栅栏，只有一排长得密密的树木。然而，她的两个儿子，三岁半的托德和十八个月的斯科特，就在近旁私家车道上玩耍。
“就呆在这儿，”凯特说，“妈妈去把食品放好，然后我们进屋吃午饭，好吗？” “好！”托德一面说，一面竖起大拇指，做着他以前看他父亲做的这个手势。
“好！”斯科特随声应和，试着模仿他哥哥的样子。
他们望着母亲提着几个袋袋走进屋子。
凯特关好冰箱门匆匆走出屋来，还好，两个孩子正在原地玩耍。
当她从车后行李箱里又提出几个袋子时，凯特听见有一列火车疾驶而过——是特快客车，她根据车速判断。她又将几个袋子拿进屋去。
火车的声音显然把两个孩子的注意吸引到铁轨上。两人穿过那排树木，爬上笔陡的路基，跪在地上玩了起来。
往西几千英尺处，一辆货车缓缓地朝两个孩子驶来。头顶上的灯向司机里奇·坎普纳发出信号，指示前面那辆客车已经开走，他们可以每小时40英里的正常速度继续运行。司机调整了加速器，转身面对列车员安东尼·法尔佐。安东尼中等身材，长得结结实实，现年35岁，已经为联合铁路公司干了差不多十六、七年。
“你周末都干点啥，安东尼？”
“唉，不干什么。大多是瞎混——看点儿电视，然后睡觉。还能干什么？”
坎普纳笑了。“嘿，你最好悠着点，安东尼——你都快成派对狂了。”
两人哈哈大笑。就在他们大笑的时候，正以21英里的时速运行的机车开始加速。 里奇和安东尼在同一瞬间发现火车前方有什么东西。
“那前面是什么？”司机问道。安东尼没回答。他目不转睛盯着前方看，试图辨识前方铁轨上那怪形怪状的东西。是盒子？还是旧衣裳？
猛然间，两个人都明白过来那是什么东西。里奇用尽全力猛地紧急刹车，并拉响了汽笛。 汽笛嘶鸣，与此同时安东尼大声嚷道：“铁轨上有孩子！”
安东尼冲出驾驶室，跳到车轮上方六英尺处一条狭窄人行踏板上，接着跑到摇摆的火车头前。他疾速爬下铁梯，停在梯子最后一级上，离他脚下飞速掠过的铁路路基有两英尺。现在，他可以清楚地看到两个孩子，他们正坐在铁轨旁边。安东尼拼命挥手示意，并大声喊叫：“走开！走开！”
他心里计算着火车的减速速度，痛苦地哼了一声。我们绝对不可能及时停车的。
托德和斯科特正玩得起劲，没听到火车的声音。最后，当火车轰隆隆驶近时，斯科特抬头一看，惊呆了。
尽管火车在减速，安东尼知道车速仍比他奔跑的速度快。所以，他强迫自己等待，等到离孩子足够近的时候，他再一跃而下一把将他们抓住。在孩子与火车头前的犁雪机锋利的雪铲只有约十英尺的时候，安东尼从梯子上纵身向前一跃。他落在铁轨旁拳头大小的散石上，使尽力气才保持住平衡。他跨出两大步，几乎就要够着两个孩子了。两个孩子吓坏了，目瞪口呆地望着他。安东尼纵身跃起，朝他们扑去。
火车汽笛不停地嘶鸣，凯特·普里查德听着就像是被铁锤猛击了一下。“孩子！”她一声惊叫，冲出屋门。两个孩子不见了！
铁道，她心想。我得去铁道那儿！
安东尼身子砸下地时，他一边护着托德，一边伸出一只手臂去抓斯科特，好把他拉离铁轨。但火车压了过来。安东尼只见雪铲的黑色钢刃击中幼孩的下巴，将他的头往后一推，铲子从他脸上刮过。顿时，鲜血从孩子额头溅出。
车身猛撞安东尼工作服的后背，把尼龙布都撕破了。但安东尼还是把斯科特完全拉到了自己身下。
凯特奔到停下的火车前，首先看到的便是托德。她的大儿子失去控制，在那儿乱蹦乱跳，大声哭喊。但凯特看出他没受伤。她抓过他紧紧抱住。随后她看见第三节车厢下一动不动躺着一个人。只见这人身子下面斯科特的脑袋上黑糊糊一片血污。凯特冲过去。“斯科特！”她尖声叫道。
安东尼扭转身子面对着她。“女士，”他对她说，声音很镇静，“回家去。叫警察和救护车来。”凯特没听进他的话，伸着手要抱孩子。安东尼又开口了，口气严厉了许多，“夫人，听着！回家打电话叫警察——叫救护车，快！”
凯特飞奔回家，打了电话，又通过寻呼机找到她丈夫加里。
第一辆警车到达时，安东尼仍然紧抱着年幼的斯科特。列车员从孩子的哭声知道他还活着，但斯科特可能有内伤，稍一动弹就有可能加重伤势。因此安东尼坚持让急救人员先对孩子进行检查，然后才放手。真是奇迹，斯科特伤势不重，只需缝十三针。
雪铲与地面之间只有十四英寸。记者后来问安东尼他在冒生命危险救孩子之前有否犹豫。 “没有，”他回答道，“我当时所想到的就是那两个孩子前头还有整个人生，如果我不采取行动，他们必死无疑。我决不能让这样的悲剧发生。”
事故发生后不久，安东尼去普里查德家探望。他还记得他用双臂抱住托德和斯科特并将两人举起的情景。“这让我想起当时在火车底下我护着他们的情景。再一次抱住他们的感觉是奇特的——也是美妙的。”
普里查德夫妇说，自从第一次来探望之后，安东尼几乎成了他们家庭的一员。他们还说，现在有道栅栏把他们的街区与铁轨隔开了。
New Words and Expressions:
trunk
n. 汽车后部的行李箱
struggle with
have difficulty handling or coping with 费力地对付
grocery
n. (usu. pl) 食品杂货
locomotive
n. 机车
horn
n. 喇叭
nearby
a., ad. 附近的；在附近
thumbs-up
n. 翘拇指（赞同或满意的表示）
gesture
n. 手势；姿势
echo
v. repeat (another's words, ideas, etc.) 重复
draw sb.'s attention to
make sb. aware of (sth.) 引起（某人）注意
steep
a. rising or falling sharply 陡峭的
kneel
vi. go down on the knees; rest on the knees 跪下；跪着
freight
n. 货物；货运
overhead
a. above one's head; in the sky 在上头的；架空的
signal
v. send ( sth. such as a warning or a message) by a light or an act 发信号传达
out of the way
远离，不碍事
resume
vt. begin again after a pause 重新开始，恢复
per
prep. for each 每
accelerator
n. 加速器，加速装置
conductor
n. (AmE) 列车员
medium
a. coming halfway between; not extreme 中等的
n. a means which can be used to express or communicate sth. 媒质，媒介
mess
vt. put into disorder 弄乱；弄脏
n. 混乱；脏乱
mess around
(infml) do things in an aimless way; spend time playing 随意做事；闲荡
hey
int. 嗨（用以唤起注意等）
cool down
(cause to) become calmer （使）冷静下来
spot
vt. see or recognize 看出，认出
instant
n. 片刻，瞬息
intently
ad. with great attention 专心地
rag
n. 破布；抹布；（pl）破旧衣服
brake
n. 制动器，刹车
pull on
用力拉
with all one's strength
使劲，用全力
blast
n. （汽笛等的）鸣叫
explode
vi. burst with a loud noise 爆发；爆炸
sway
v. (cause to)move or swing slowly from side to side （使）摇动；（使）摇摆
flash
vi. move very fast; produce a sudden bright light 飞驰，掠过；闪烁
calculate
v. 计算
deceleration
n. 减速
groan
v. 呻吟
thunderous
a. extremely loud 雷鸣似的；极响的
leap
vi. jump 跳，跃
grab
v. seize suddenly; take roughly and quickly 猛地抓取
blade
n. 刀刃，刀身；刀片
loose
a. 松散的
hammer
n. 榔头，锤
crash
vi. fall or strike suddenly, violently, and noisily 突然重重倒下；坠毁；碰撞
reach out
stretch one's arm, usu. in order to get or touch (sth.) 伸手抓
clear of
free from, not in contact with 离开；不接触
scrape
v. 刮，擦
instantly
ad. at once; immediately 立即，即刻
forehead
n. 前额
punch
v. hit hard 猛击，用力击
nylon
n. 尼龙
fabric
n. 织物，织品；构造，结构
horror
n. great fear or shock 恐惧，震惊
up and down
一上一下地
injure
vt. harm, hurt；damage 损害；伤害
injury n.
hug
vt. hold tightly in one's arms 紧抱
mask
n. 面具，面罩
visible
a. that can be seen 看得见的，可见的
twist
v. 转动；（使）扭曲；扭伤
ambulance
n. 救护车
ma'am = madam
女士，小姐
via
prep. by means of; by way of 通过；经过
beeper
n. BP机，拷机
internal
a. of or in the inside 内部的；内在的
miraculously
ad. like a miracle 奇迹般地
stitch
n. （缝合伤口、缝纫、刺绣等的）一针，针脚
risk
vt. put (sth.) in a dangerous position 使遭受危险
n. 危险，风险
no way
(infml) in no way; definitely not 不行；决不
incident
n. sth. that happens 事情；事件
shelter
vt. protect; cover 保护；遮蔽
n. 隐蔽处；躲避处
Proper Names
Jack Murphy
杰克·墨菲
Ramsey
拉姆齐（地名）
N.J.= New Jersey
（美国）新泽西州
Kate Pritchard
凯特·普理查德
Conrail
联铁（一家主要在美国东北部营运的铁路公司，Consolidated Rail Corporation的缩合词）
Todd
托德（男子名或姓氏）
Scott
斯科特（男子名或姓氏）
Rich Campana
里奇·坎普纳
Anthony Falzo
安东尼·法尔佐
Gary
加里（男子名或姓氏）
参考资料：
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