美国小学英语教材5:第171课 为朋友而勇敢(12)（在线收听）

Long before he expected it, the snow-covered bulk of a stone wall seemed to leap out of the blinding snow curtain and rush toward him. Almost too late he jumped, and soaring through the air struck the slope again a good thirty feet beyond.

早在他预料到之前，一堵被雪覆盖的石墙似乎从眩目的雪幕中跳出来，冲向他。几乎来不及了，他跳了起来，在三十英尺外的山坡上又一次冲上了天空。

He tried to figure where he was coming out and what hindrances he might yet encounter, but the effort was useless. But the lightning speed at which he was traveling made thought almost impossible. Again, with the same terrible swiftness the final barrier loomed ahead. He leaped, and, at the very take-off, a gasp of horror was jolted from his lips by the sight of a two-horse sledge moving along the road directly in his path!

他想弄清楚自己从哪里出来，还会遇到什么障碍，可是这一切都无济于事。但他以闪电般的速度行进，这几乎使人无法想象。最后一道障碍又以同样可怕的速度逼近了。他跳了起来，刚一起飞，看见一辆两匹马拉的雪橇正沿着他的道路向前移动，吓得他直喘气。

It was all over in a flash. Helpless to avoid the collision, Paul nevertheless twisted his body toward the left. The next instant he landed badly, his feet shot out from under him, and he fell backward with a stunning crash.

一切都在一瞬间结束了。保罗无法避免碰撞，但还是把身体向左扭去。接着，他重重地摔了一跤，两只脚从身下伸出来，他向后一倒，发出一声惊人的撞击声。

His first knowledge was of two strange faces bending over him and of hands lifting him from where he lay half buried in the snow. For a moment he was too dazed to speak or even to remember. Then, with a rush of immense relief, he realized what had happened, and gaining speech, he blurted out the story of Bill Hedges’ injury and the need for help.

他最初知道的是有两张陌生的脸俯在他身上，还有两只手把他从半埋在雪里的地方举了起来。他一时发呆，说不出话来，甚至想不起来了。然后，他如释重负，意识到发生了什么事，他说话了，脱口而出比尔·赫奇斯受伤和需要帮助的事情。