品味人生篇04：The Fire一场火灾

A couple, John and Mary, had two lovely children. John had just been asked to go on a business trip and would be gone for several days. Mary would go along too. They hired a reliable woman to care for the children and made the trip, returning home a little earlier than they had planned.As they drove into their home town feeling glad to be back, they noticed smoke, and they went off their usual route to see what it was. They found a home in flames.

Mary said, "Oh well it isn’t our fire, let’s go home." But John drove closer and exclaimed, "That home belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant. He wouldn’t be off work yet, maybe there is something we could do." "It has nothing to do with us," protested Mary. But John drove up and stopped and they were both horror stricken to see the whole house in flames. A woman on the lawn was in hysterics screaming, "The children! Get the children!" John grabbed her by the shoulder saying, "Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are!" "In the basement," sobbed¹ the woman, "down the hall and to the left."

In spite of Mary’s protests John bolted for the basement which was full of smoke and scorching² hot. He found the door and two children. As he left he could hear some more whimpering. He delivered the two badly frightened and nearly suffocated³ children into waiting arms and started back asking how many more children were down there. They told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and screamed, "John! Don’t go It’s suicide! That house will cave in any second!"

But he ran into the smoke filled hallway and into the room. At last he found both children.

As he stumbled up the endless steps the thought went through his mind that there was something strangely familiar about the little bodies clinging to him, and at last when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air, he found that he had just rescued his own children. The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping…

1 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

2 scorching   

adj. 灼热的

参考例句：

• a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
• a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

3 suffocated   

（使某人）窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 )； （将某人）闷死； 让人感觉闷热； 憋气

参考例句：

• Many dogs have suffocated in hot cars. 许多狗在热烘烘的汽车里给闷死了。
• I nearly suffocated when the pipe of my breathing apparatus came adrift. 呼吸器上的管子脱落时，我差点给憋死。