LESSON SIXTEEN

ADVENTURE ON HIGHWAY 66

A snowstorm can be exciting. But too much snow can cause trouble. I learned this in a way I will never forget.

My name is Tom Johnson. I’m a bus driver. At five o’clock one morning I turned my bus onto Highway 66. It was snowing. But I was used to driving in all kinds of weather. Maybe the storm wouldn’t last long, I thought.

As I drove, I counted my passengers. There were 14 – nine men, four women and a little two-year-old boy. It was so early that most of them were still asleep. No one seemed to worry about the storm.

After an hour or two, I felt the wind getting stronger. It was snowing harder, and I had to drive even more slowly and more carefully. I wished I had never started out.

Real Trouble!

Soon the wind had piled the snow into drifts. But I still thought I could get through. I stepped on the gas. The wheels turned quickly, but instead of going toward the bus slid into a drift four feet high. The men got out and pushed the bus. But it wouldn’t move, not one bit!

At first the passengers joked about being stuck in the snow. They felt sure that help would come very soon. Now and then I turned on the motor to keep the bus warm.

One man said with a laugh, “They must be talking about us on the radio right now.” He was right. We found out later that news flashes were being broadcast – “Bus stuck on Highway 66. Road blocked. Passengers in danger!”

When help did not come, I began to worry. Snow was still falling. It had grown colder, much colder.

“We’re in real trouble,” I said to myself. “There’s still enough gas, and while it lasts the motor will keep the bus warm. When it’s gone, everyone will be freezing cold. That poor little boy!”

I told the passengers, “I’m going up the road. I’ll get gas and food. When it gets cold in here, let the motor run a while. You’ll be warm enough. I’ll get back as soon as I can.”

Then I stepped out of the bus and into the snowstorm.

Fighting the Storm

It was snowing much harder now. The whiteness hurt my eyes. Snowdrifts had covered the highway in many places and I kept falling down and bumping my knees. I stayed on the road by following the telephone poles.

As it was growing dark, I came to a car stuck in a drift. There were people in it – safe and warm. They asked me to stay. But I thought of the passengers waiting for help. I went on.

By seven o’clock, the wind was blowing harder than ever. I had been fighting the storm for five hours. Oh, how I wanted to rest! But I knew I couldn’t. if I did, I would freeze.

In the darkness I kept losing my way. I bumped into fences and bushes. The bumps told me when I was off the highway. Each time I fought my way back again.

Then I began to fall over my own feet. Down I went, again and again. Was I falling asleep? I slapped my face hard. The slaps kept me awake. I pushed on through the snow.

End of the Adventure

Hours later I saw lights ahead. They looked strange and not very clear, but beautiful! I pushed on toward them.

Step by step I came nearer the first building. It was a gas station. I could have asked for help there. But I was so worn out I wasn’t thinking clearly. So I went right by, trying to get to the next lights on the road.

Suddenly, my legs gave out under me. I fell in a snowdrift and lay there. I couldn’t get up, but I was wide awake now. “Don’t give up. Don’t give up,” I kept telling myself. I tried to shout, but I couldn’t. My voice was too weak.

All at once I knew what to do. I could whistle. Taking a deep breath, I gave a sharp whistle through my teeth.

“You need help?” called a voice out of the darkness.

“Yes,” I tried to shout, but my voice sounded strange. “I can’t walk.”

“Keep talking. We’ll get to you in a minute,” said the voice.

Some men got to me and carried me into the gas station. As soon as I could, I told them about the bus. At first, they could not believe I had come so far. I had been out in the storm for nine hours!

The men put blankets, food and gas on a heavy truck. It had a special motor and chains to help it travel through snow.

I found out later that the truck reached the bus at two o’clock in the morning. The bus was still warm and the passengers were safe.

They cheered when the truck came. Then they all started talking at once.

“Where’s our driver? Did he send you after us? Is he all right?”

“They’re taking him to the hospital,” one of the men said. “He’s half frozen. But he’ll be fine in a few days. Believe it or not, he walked 12 miles to get help for you!”

Later, many of the passengers visited me.

“We want to thank you,” they said. “You saved our lives. We think you’re a hero.”

“It takes more than a long walk to make a hero,” I answered. “I just take care of my passengers. That’s my job.”

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS

Adventure n. 冒险，冒险活动

Highway n. 公路；大路

Snowstorm n. 大雪，暴风雪

Johnson 约翰逊（姓）

Be used to doing something习惯于做……

Storm n. 风暴；狂暴天气

Passenger n.乘客，旅客；过路人

Drift n. 吹积物；（漂流或吹积物的）一堆

Get through (使)通过

Step on the gas 踩油门

Wheel n.轮，车轮；机轮；轮状物

Slide (slid, slid) vt. & vi. 滑；（使）滑动

Joke n. 笑话；玩笑 vi. 开玩笑

Stick (stuck, stuck) vt. (阻)塞；陷入

Motor n. 发动机，马达

Flash n. 电讯

Broadcast (broadcast, broadcast) vt. & vi.（用无线电或电视）广播；播送 n.广播，播音

Block vt.阻塞；拦阻

Whiteness n.白；苍白

Snowdrift n.（被风吹成的）雪堆

Bump vt. & vi. 碰，撞，撞击

Bush n.灌木，短树；灌木丛

Slap vt. 掌击 vi. 拍打 n.掴，拍；掌击 slap somebody’s face 打某人的耳光

Awake (awoke, awoke或awaked) vt.唤醒，使醒 vi.醒 adj.醒着的

Push on 推动，推进；努力向前

Step by step逐步的；逐渐的

A gas station（汽油）加油站

Wear out使筋疲力尽

Give out 用完，耗尽；精疲力竭

Wide adv.全部地，充分地

Cheer vt. & vi.欢呼，高呼

Believe it or not信不信由你

NOTES TO THE TEXT

1.       I learned this in a way I will never forget. 我对这点是通过我永远不会忘记的方式才认识的。
in a way 通过某种方式或途径

2.       I wished I had never started out. 我要是没把车开出来就好了。

3.       But I still thought I could get through. 但我仍然认为我是可以通过的。
get through 有“通过”“完成”“到达”的意思。

4.       But it wouldn’t move, not one bit! 但汽车推不动，一点儿也推不动！

5.       “Bus stuck on Highway 66. Road blocked. Passengers in danger!” 公共汽车在66号公路上受堵。道路受阻。旅客处于危险之中。
以上几句是报刊和广播用语，可以省略动词和不用被动语态。整句应该是：A bus is stuck on Highway 66. The road is blocked. The passengers are in danger!”

6.       When it’s gone, everyone will be freezing cold. 一旦汽油用光了，人人都要冻僵了。
it指gas。

7.       I’m going up the road. 我要沿着大路往前去。
go up 在这里相当于go forward。

8.       Then I began to fall over my own feet. 这时我开始踉跄向前，拌倒在自己的脚上。

9.       Suddenly, my legs gave out under me. 突然，我的两条腿支撑不住了。
此处give out = completely tired out, exhausted, fail, 是“筋疲力尽”的意思。

10.   It takes more than a long walk to make a hero. 英雄可不是光走一段长路就当得上的。

EXERCISES

Ⅰ. Answer the following questions:

1.       Which highway was the bus driven onto?

2.       What was the weather like that morning?

3.       How many passengers were there on the bus? Most of them were asleep, weren’t they? Why?

4.       Did they worry about the storm? How do you know?

5.       What gave the bus-driver really trouble?

6.       How did the driver keep the bus warm? Why?

7.       Why did the driver begin to worry? And what did he do then?

8.       Why couldn’t he wait for help together with his passengers?

9.       Did the people in the car stuck in a drift ask him to stay? Did he accept it? Why not?

10.   The driver pushed on through the snow with great difficulty, didn’t he? How long did he fight the storm? Did he take a rest? Why not?

11.   What did he see hours later?

12.   What happened to him suddenly? Why couldn’t he shout?

13.   How did the men find him? Where did they carry him to?

14.   How long had he been out in the storm?

15.   What’s the end of the story? Were all the passengers saved? What did they do then when they learned that their driver was in the hospital?

Ⅱ. Give a word or phrase, beginning with the letter(s) given, which has the same meaning as those in brackets:

1.       P       (a person going from one place to another)

2.       Bu      (strike or knock with force)

3.       B       (a small low tree)

4.       J       (something said or done to cause amusement)

5.       Bl      (a thick covering)

6.       Ad      (a journey that is strange and exciting and often dangerous)

7.       H       (a broad main road leading from one town to another)

8.       W    out (be tired)

Ⅲ. Complete the following sentences according to the text:

1.       Too much snow can cause      .
a. discomfort  b. trouble  c. illness  d. happiness

2.       The driver turned his bus onto Highway 66 at      .
a. five  b. six  c. noon  d. breakfast

3.       The driver thought the storm      .
a. would stop in an hour  b. wouldn’t stop  c. would last long  d. wouldn’t last long

4.       After an hour or two, the driver had to drive more slowly and carefully, because     .
a. he had started out  b. most of the passengers were asleep  c. the weather had changed  d. it was snowing harder

5.       Instead of going forward the bus slid into a drift     .
a. five feet high  b. four feet high  c. four feet wide  d. four feet long

6.       Now and then the driver turned on the motor to keep the bus      .
a. move  b. clean  c. warm  d. safe

7.       The driver went up the road to ge      .
a. someone for help  b. gas and food  c. some water  d. some oil and wood

8.       The driver wanted to rest after      .
a. driving so fast  b. fighting the storm for five hours  c. bumping into fences  d. shouting for help

9.       The driver kept telling himself “     ”
a. Don’t go ahead  b. Don’t give up  c. Don’t stop walking  d. Don’t worry about the storm

10.   Taking a deep breath, the driver let out a sharp      .
a. shout  b. whistle  c. laugh  d. cry

11.   Hearing the whistle some men came to the driver and carried him into      .
a. a hospital  b. the bus  c. the gas station  d. the bush

12.   The men put blankets, food and gas on      .
a. the bus  b. the snowdrifts  c. a heavy truck  d. the road side

Ⅳ. Translate the following sentences into Chinese, paying attention to the italicized words:

1.       I am used to swimming in winter.

2.       That’s the lake where I used to swim.

3.       They thought the storm wouldn’t last long.

4.       Have you found the word on the last page?

5.       What’s wrong with your voice? It sounds strange.

6.       Have you heard the strange sounds coming from upstairs?

7.       I bumped into fences and bushes and almost lost my way.

8.       The bumps told me when I was off the highway.

9.       She has to help her mother, who is too old to work.

The driver walked 12 miles to get help for his passengers.

REVISION Ⅳ

Ⅰ. Underline the word in which the italicized part has a different sound from that of the other words in each of the following groups:

1.       Department  market  reward sparkle garment farmer marquis bookmark card start carpet

2.       Pain waist paint brain failure faint mainly chain Britain praise

3.       Least  seat  ready  treat  defeat  deal  repeat  increase

4.       Scream  dreadful  breast  meadow  breath  health

5.       Ceiling  seize  weight  receive

6.       Serf  mercy  permit  nervously  Berlin  perfect  verb  refer

7.       Loose  droop  bloom  cookie  roof  shoot  balloon  coo

8.       Sword  record  normal  comfort  ordinary  fork  shortly

9.       Worthy  worse  storm  worship  word  worm  words

10.   Couch  nervously  count  announce  schoolhouse  account

11.   Surface  surprise  murmur  burst  fur  burden  furnish  curl

Ⅱ. Fill in the blanks with the words in brackets in their proper parts of speech:

Model: The news filled them with      .(proud) → The news filled them with pride.

1.       The soldiers were filled with     when they heard all the villagers had been killed by the enemy. (angry)

2.       The success of our experiment is a great       to us all. (satisfy)

3.       They have       in sending every one of the satellites into space. (success)

4.       The adventurer gave a       smile to all those who came to greet him. (friend)

5.       Astronauts must do their work       in laboratories to prepare for the great changes that take place in space. (care)

6.       It will be       to drive a motor-car through such a storm. (difficulty)

7.       It’s extraordinary how        used this simple machine is. (wide)

8.       In time of       man’s brains work much faster than normal. (dangerous)

9.       “You are quite        young man,” the old man with a thick moustache said to me. (mistake)

10.   The boy showed great       in fighting the enemy. (brave)

Ⅲ. Translate the following sentences into Chinese, paying attention to the italicized words:

1.       The boys ran along the river, shouting at the top of their voices.
As he walked along, someone called him from behind.

2.       Each of the boys walked past him but he pretended not to see anyone.
He has been busy for the past few weeks.

3.       Tom took out of his pockets all that he owned.
I heard it with my own ears.

4.       Luckily, help came at the time when it was most needed.
Will you please help me with the package?

5.       His heart beat faster when he heard his name called.
He gave the dog a good beating.

6.       His forehead feels as hot as a burning stove.
Are you feeling better today?

7.       It was John who led the strike from beginning to end.
The old woman who usually sits in a wheel chair led a very hard life in the past.

8.       They went out of the shed when the storm was over.
He’s still healthy and strong though he’s over eighty.
Franz hurt his ankle while climbing over the fence.
He went over and shook hands with the passenger.

Ⅳ. Tell the function of each clause in the following sentences, then translate the sentences into Chinese:

1.       Do you know whose office this is?

2.       I can’t hear you clearly because there’s a lot of noise outside the window.

3.       I’m sure everything is going to be all right.

4.       The scientist who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1921 was Albert Einstein.

5.       What he said was dreadful.

6.       He explained that he had missed the bus, so he hadn’t been able to come on time.

7.       There’s nothing that I’d like better than a cup of tea right now.

8.       The thing that pleased me most is that the whole thing was done by ourselves.

9.       This is one of the places where bamboo grows best.

10.   The inspector told the old professor why they wanted to catch those two men.

Ⅴ. Translate the following sentences in Column Ⅰ into Chinese and those in Column Ⅱ into English:

Ⅰ                                              Ⅱ

1.       They are practicing singing a new song.             1. 你必须多练习画马。

2.       He gave up drinking only two weeks ago.            2. 我父亲只是在三个月前才戒烟的。

3.       As soon as I turned towards him the boy             3. 校长一进教室，学生们就都停止说话了
stopped making faces.

4.       Have you finished writing the notice on the bulletin board?  4. 你写完了那封贺信了吗？

5.       He suggested having a meeting on Tuesday that week.  5. 她建议邀请小王来参加你的生日宴会。

6.       She enjoys listening to music                      6. 他爱看足球比赛。

7.       The camera kept shaking as the car ran.              7. 他们日夜不停地做实验。

Ⅵ. Fill in the blanks with the verbs in brackets using the proper tense and voice:

We       (walk) along the road when we       (hear) someone        (shout), “Help! Help!”  The man       (call out) several more times before we       (can, find) him. He        (be) in the lake, about a hundred feet from the shore. There       (be) a small boat near him. We       (know) immediately what       (happen). He       (fall) from the boat and       (can not swim) well enough to reach it or to get to shore. As we        (run) towards the lake, I       (see) him        (sink), and I        (be) afraid that he        (drown). But in a moment his head        (appear) again.

Quickly John        (throw off) his coat,       (jump) into the water, and       (start) swimming towards the drowning man. He        (reach) him just as the man        (go) down again. John       (reach out) his hand, trying to take hold of the man’s clothing or his hair before he        (sink). But the man       (open) his arms in fear,       (catch) John around the neck, and this       (draw) John down under the water. John       (fight) to keep his head above the water and at the same time       (try) to swim toward the boat, pulling the man with him.

John        (jump) into the water with no thought for his own safety. I       (be) not so brave. But I       (do, follow) him in a moment or two. I        (swim) to the boat. I       (can) not get into it, so I       (start) to push it towards John and the man.

When I        (reach) them, John       (be) very tired. He       (be) so worn out that both of them       (may, drown) if I        (not arrive) with the boat. Together, we        (get) the man to shore, holding to the boat with one hand and swimming with the other.

The man       (look) dead, but his heart       (still beat). We       (make) him comfortable, and John        (do) what he         (can) for him while I         (run) to the nearest house to call a doctor. When I         (get) back, the man         (begin) to come to. He        (open) his eyes a little and        (start) to move.

By the time the doctor        (come), the man        (be) able to sit up, but he still        (look) very stick. The doctor        (take) him to the hospital, and when we        (call) late at night to ask about him, they         (tell) us that he        (be) just fine in a day or two.

Ⅶ. Read the play and act it out:

Foold!

John: Has Uncle Bob arrived yet?

Jack: No, and I’ve just heard a flood warning on the radio. He may not be able to get back from Upton. The river is rising fast.

Betty: He’s quite likely to be late anyway. It may not be because of the flood. He always leaves at the last minute; but he’ll probably be in time for his part in the concert.

(The telephone)

John: Hello, This is the theatre.

Uncle Bob: Is that you, John?

John: Yes, what’s happened? Why aren’t you on the way yet?

Uncle Bob: I’m at Upton – at Hill Farm. The river has flooded the roads. The buses have stopped running and farmers are using boats to rescue the sheep. It’s not likely to get any better, so I don’t know how I can get to the theatre.

John: Possibly the police will help us. I’ll ring them and explain our problem. What’s your telephone number?

Uncle Bob: Upton 456.

John: I’ll ring you back 456 right … goodbye.

Uncle Bob: Goodbye.

Betty: Ring 999, John Quickly!

John: 9 … 9… 9… Hello! That the police station? Can you help us, please? We’re giving a concert tonight for some old people. But our singer is at Upton and can’t get here because of the floods. Can you possibly send a police car? Yes, … soon as possible … Oh, thank you. The address is: Hill Farm, Upton. Thank you very much. Goodbye.

Betty: Do you think they’ll bring him back in time? Are you sure? They may not manage it. If so, what shall we do?

Jack: It will very likely take half an hour. We might sing some more songs to fill in the time.

(10 minutes later)

Betty: What’s that noise? Is it a fire-engine?

John: No, it’s a lorry.

Jack: You’re wrong. It is a fire-engine, and it’s stopping here.

Betty: It’s brought Uncle Bob. Here he is.

Uncle Bob: Hello, everybody! Better late than never! That was an exciting trip. First a boat, then a tractor, and last of all a fir-engine, and here I am. The fire-engine came to help some people in flooded house in Upton. Then it brought me straight to the theatre. I may be a bit late, but I’m safe and sound. Couldn’t someone help me and get me some dry clothes?

Jack: So the police did send a car to fetch you. I must tell everyone.

Betty: Hurry up everybody! Only five minutes left before the start of the show.

Flood n.洪水；水灾 vt.淹没  Upton阿普顿  likely adj.很可能的  anyway = anyhow adv.不管怎样；无论如何  rescue vt.援救，营救  fire-engine救火车  lorry n.卡车  better late than ever亡羊补牢（永不为迟）

Safe and soud平安无恙，安全