2014年職稱英語(綜合類)教材閱讀理解文章及譯文47

　　Narrow Escape

　　We had left the hut too late that morning. When we stepped outside, the sky beyond the mountains to our east was already livid with colour.1 It meant the day would be a hot one, and the warmth would loosen rocks that were gripped by ice.

　　As soon as we stepped out on to the face, it became obvious this was going to be an awkward route. The main problem was talus, the debris that collects on mountainsides. Talus is despised by mountaineers for two reasons. First, because it can easily be pushed off on to you by people climbing above. And second, because it makes every step you take insecure.

　　For about 30 minutes we moved steadily up the face. The rock was in poor condition, shattered horizontally and mazed with cracks. When I tried to haul myself up on a block of it, it would pull out towards me, like a drawer opening. My hands became progressively wetter and colder2. Then came a shout. "Cailloux! Cailloux!" I heard yelled from above, in a female voice. The words echoed down towards us. I looked up to see where they had come from.

　　There were just two rocks at first, leaping and bounding down the face towards us, once cannoning off each other in mid-air. And then the air above suddenly seemed alive with falling rocks, humming through the air and filling it with noise. Crack, went each one as it leapt off the rock face, then hum-hum-hum as it moved through the air, then crack again. The pause between the cracks lengthened each time, as the rocks gained momentum and jumped further and further. I continued to gaze up at the rocks as they fell and skipped towards me. A boy who had been a few years above me at school had taught me never to look up during a rock fall. "Why? Because a rock in your face is far less pleasant than a rock on your helmet," he told us. "Face in, always face in."

　　I heard Toby, my partner on the mountain that day, shouting at me. I looked across. He was safe beneath an overhanging canopy of rock. I could not understand him. Then I felt a thump, and was tugged backwards and round, as though somebody had clamped a heavy hand on my shoulder and turned me to face them. A rock had hit the lid of my rucksack.

　　I looked up again. A rock was heading down straight towards me. Instinctively, I leant backwards and arched my back out from the rock to try to protect my chest. What about my fingers, though, I thought: they'll be crushed flat if it hits them, and I'll never get down. Then I heard a crack directly in front of me, and a tug at my trousers, and a yell from Toby."Are you all right? That went straight through you."The rock had pitched in front of me, and passed through the hoop of my body, between my legs, missing me but snatching at my clothing as it went.

　　Toby and I had spent the evening talking through the events of the morning: what if the big final stone hadn't leapt sideways, what if I'd been knocked off, would you have held me, would I have pulled you off? A more experienced mountaineer would probably have thought nothing of it. I knew I would not forget it.

　　詞匯：

　　livid 鉛色的;青灰色的;非常生氣的

　　awkward 笨拙的;尷尬的;棘手的;

　　grip 緊握;支配 vt. 緊握;夾緊

　　注釋：

　　1. When we stepped outside, the sky beyond the mountains to our east was already livid with colour. 我們走到外面，東面籠罩在山上的天空是青灰色的。

　　2. For about 30 minutes we moved steadily up the face. The rock was in poor condition, shattered horizontally and mazed with cracks. When I tried to haul myself up on a block of it, it would pull out towards me, like a drawer opening. My hands became progressively wetter and colder. 我們平穩(wěn)前進了30分鐘。巖石的狀況很不好。當我們試圖把自己拉上去，它就會滑向我們，像一個打開的抽屜。我的手巨劍出汗變得冰冷。

　　3. Then I felt a thump, and was tugged backwards and round, as though somebody had clamped a heavy hand on my shoulder and turned me to face them. A rock had hit the lid of my rucksack然后我感到了一陣重擊，緊緊向后拉扯，像是有人使勁兒地用手夾住我的肩膀然后把我轉向面對他的方向。一塊石頭砸在了我背包的蓋子上。

　　練習：

　　1. Why was it “too late” by the time they left the hut in the morning?

　　A) It would be uncomfortable climbing in hot weather.

　　B) The livid colour of the sky would hurt their eyes.

　　C) Rocks loosened by melting ice could be dangerous.

　　D) They wouldn't be able to walk on the melting ice.

　　2. The first reason given to explain why mountaineers hate talus is_______.

　　A) that climbers above you might cause it to fall on you

　　B) that it allows people climbing above you to push off

　　C) that it makes people climbing above you feel insecure

　　D) that it can cause other people to push you off the mountain

　　3. What is likely to be the meaning of "Cailloux"?

　　A) Rocks are flying through the air.

　　B) Rocks are falling.

　　C) There are loose rocks on the ground ahead.

　　D) There are rocks everywhere.

　　4. What is sarcastic in the words of the boy in paragraph four?

　　A) He didn't keep his ''face in".

　　B) Not every climber wears a helmet.

　　C) It is very difficult not to look up during a rockfall.

　　D) Being hit by a rock isn't "pleasant" at all.

　　5. In what sense was Toby "safe"?

　　A) The overhanging rock would protect him from falling rocks.

　　B) He felt a hand on his shoulder.

　　C) His rucksack was protected.

　　D) He had hidden under a canopy.

　　答案與題解：

　　1. C 本題的問題是：為什么說他們離開小屋的時間晚了?由第一段可以知道答案“It meant the day would be a hot one, and the warmth would loosen rocks that were gripped by ice. ”可知巖石的狀況已經(jīng)不是很好了，故此題的正確答案為 C。

　　2. A 本題的問題是：登山者討厭斜坡的第一個原因是什么?由原文第二段可以直接得出答 案?！癋irst, because it can easily be pushed off on to you by people climbing above. ”

　　3. B 本題的問題是：“Cailloux”這個詞的意思是什么?由第三段后半部分與第四段開頭可知 這個單詞是石頭滑落的意思?！癷t would pull towards me, like a drawer opening”“There were just two rocks at first, leaping and bounding down the face towards us, once cannoning off each other in mid-air.”

　　4. D 本題的問題是：在第四段男孩話語中諷刺的是什么?由第四段“‘Why? Because a rock in your face is far less pleasant than a rock on your helmet，’he told us. ‘Face in, always face in.’”可知正確答案為 D。

　　5. A 本題的問題是：Toby安全的標志是什么?由文中第五段“I looked across, he was safe beneath an overhanging canopy of rock. "可以得出答案。

　　譯文：九死一生

　　那天早上我們離開露營的小屋已經(jīng)很晚了。我們走到外面，東面籠罩在山上的天空是青灰色 的。這意味著將會是很熱的一天，溫暖會使被冰緊裹的石頭慢慢地松開。

　　正當我們走在表面的時候，很明顯它變成了一段很難走的路。主要的何題是斜坡J在山坡上 有很多的碎石。斜坡被登山者反感的原因有兩個。首先，爬在上面的人很容易摔下去。其次，它使你走的每一步都很危險。

　　我們平穩(wěn)前進了30分鐘。巖石的狀況很不好。當我們試圖把自己拉上去，它就會滑向我們， 像一個打開的抽屜。我的手逐漸出汗變得冰冷。突然有一聲大喊“Cailloux! Cailloux!”我聽到來 自上面的一個女人的呼喊。聲音成回聲向下傳向我們。我抬起頭尋找它來的方向。

　　最開始只有兩塊石頭，彈跳著移向我們，在半空中撞擊。而此時上方的空氣也好像隨著掉 落的石頭有了生命，巨大的噪聲充斥在空氣中。撞擊聲在石頭表面，嗡嗡聲游蕩在空氣中，之 后又有了撞擊聲。每次撞擊聲之間都有;段時間的空隙，石頭越跳越遠。我一直盯著石頭，感 覺馬上它就要到我這里來一樣。在學校一個比我高幾年級的男孩告訴過我，當石頭掉下來時千 萬不要抬頭?！盀槭裁础? “因為石頭砸在你的頭盔上要遠遠好過砸在你的臉上?！彼嬖V我們。 低頭，永遠低頭。 -

　　我聽見那天和我一起登山的同伴Toby在喊我。我看了過去，他在一個延伸出的石頭下面，已 經(jīng)安全了。我不能理解他。然后我感到了一陣重擊，緊緊向后拉扯，像是有人使勁兒地用手夾住 我的肩膀然后把我轉向面對他的方向。一塊石頭砸在了我背包的蓋子上。

　　我再次抬起頭。一塊石頭垂直地向我硒下來。本能地，我向后傾斜，拱起我的背保護我的 胸部。我的手指怎么辦，我想，如果被砸上肯定會被砸扁，再也不能恢復。我聽到了在我正前面 的一聲巨響，有人使勁兒拉我的褲子。Toby大喊：“你還好吧，石頭徑直向你砸過來。?！笔^在 我雙腿間擦身而過，雖然沒有碰到我，但是刮到了我的衣服。

　　Toby和我用整晚的時間回味早上發(fā)生的一切：假如那塊大石頭沒有從旁邊滑過，如果我被撞到，你會扶住我嗎，我會把你也刮倒嗎?對于一個有豐富登山經(jīng)驗的人來說這也許沒有什么，但我知道我永遠不會忘記這件事。