Wheeling the Snake
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
In eastern Washington there are rolling hills called the Horse Heavens.
华盛顿东部有被称作"马天堂"的滚滚地丘.
There are natural springs here, which feed Elliot’s Lake.
这里有天然的泉水,供应埃利奥特湖.
From a dam at the head of the lake, concrete ditches nearly 10 feet deep and 15 feet wide channel irrigation water down to the farmlands below.
从湖头的一座大坝上,混凝土沟道深近10英尺,宽15英尺的河道灌溉水下至下方的农田.
One of these ditches snakes five miles down to the alfalfa fields near Benton City.
其中一条沟口有蛇 从五英里到本顿城附近的阿尔法法地
In November and December, the water is stopped, and the concrete pipeline is empty.
11月和12月相继停止通水,混凝土管线已空出.
From Benton City, you can see the concrete ditch twisting down from the lake.
从本通市,可以看到从湖面向下曲折的混凝土沟.
The skateboarders and in-line skaters at the Drury Middle School and Benton High call it the Snake.
德鲁里中学和本顿高中的滑板选手和内线滑板选手称之为"蛇".
The goal is to ride the Snake on your choice of wheels all the way to bottom.
目标是骑"蛇"在你选择的轮子上一路走到底.
When you fall, they call it being bitten.
当你跌倒, 他们称它被咬了。
Those few who have actually wheeled the Snake sew a coiled snake patch on their jackets.
那些真正把"蛇"轮到身上的人 在他们的夹克上缝了个圈状的蛇皮
Late Halloween night, ten-year-old Isaac Green was still awake.
万圣节深夜,十岁的艾萨克·格林还醒着.
He lay in bed with no hope of getting to sleep any time soon.
他躺在床上,没有希望 睡觉的任何时间很快。
He had been out trick-or-treating earlier, consuming most of his candy along the way.
他早些时候就出去玩耍了 一路吃他大部分的糖果
He got a lot of candy.
他得到了许多糖果。
He ate a lot of candy.
他吃了很多糖果。
But it wasn’t the sugar that was keeping him awake.
但并不是糖让他保持清醒。
Earlier that day the gates on the irrigation system had been closed.
当天早些时候,灌溉系统的大门被关闭。
The Snake was alive!
蛇还活着!
Isaac lay there dreaming of hips, corners, curves, and the 20-foot long, two-foot-high iron rail that ran along the bottom in an area called Lizard Ditch.
Isaac躺在那里梦想着臀部,角,曲线,以及20英尺长,两英尺高的铁轨,沿着底部行走在被称作"蜥蜴地"的区域.
Then there was the Snake itself.
然后是"蛇"本身。
Only a handful of older teenagers had ever wheeled the Snake without being bitten and earned the patch.
只有少数年长的青少年 曾驾驶"蛇"而未被咬伤 并赢得了补丁。
Isaac wanted that patch in the worst of ways.
Isaac最想要那块地
Last year as he skated Lizard Ditch, he would look up at the Snake and dream about how he would ride it.
去年他滑出利扎德地奇时,会抬头看"蛇"并梦到他如何骑.
Of course, he never did.
当然,他从来没有。
But Isaac knew he and his best friend, Sam, were going to do it.
但以撒知道他和他最好的朋友山姆会这么做.
He and Sam were two of the three best skaters in their school.
他和山姆是他们学校最好的三个滑冰选手中的两个.
Even though it was late, he decided to call Sam and tell him that this was the year.
虽然时间已经很晚,他还是决定给山姆打电话,告诉他今年已经到了.
He reached for the phone just as it rang.
电话响起时他就接通了
Startled, he answered, “Hello?”
他说:“你好?
“Hi, it’s Jessie.”
" 嗨,这是杰西。 “
Jessie was the third best skater in his school, even if she was a girl, and also Isaac’s friend.
杰西是学校的第三好花样滑冰手,即使她还是个女孩,也是艾萨克的朋友.
“Let’s do it,” she said.
她说, " 让我们做到这一点 " 。
“Do what?”
“怎么办? “
“The Snake,” she challenged.
她对“蛇”提出质疑。
“You, Sam, and me!”
"你,山姆,还有我!"
“Well, I.
“嗯,我。
There was a knock at his bedroom door.
他的卧室门被敲了一下
“Isaac,” said his dad from the hall, “who’s on the phone?”
“Isaac,”他父亲在大厅里说,“谁在打电话? “
“It’s Jessie.”
" 这是杰西。 "
“Well, don’t be too long.”
“好吧,不要太久。 “
“I won’t.”
“我不会的。 “
He paused for a second, as much to let his dad get down the hall as to come up with an answer for Jessie.
他停下来一秒钟, 让他的爸爸走下大厅 想出一个答案给杰西。
“Sorry,” he said.
他说,“对不起,”
“Well,” she asked, “you want to?”
“嗯,”她问:“你想吗?” “
“This is so weird.
“这太奇怪了。
I was just calling Sam to ask him the same thing.
我只是给Sam打电话 问他同样的事情。
Yeah, why not!”
是的,为什么不!”
“Yesss!”
“是的!”
“Hey,” Isaac laughed as he hung up, “don’t forget your broom!”
"嘿,"以撒在挂电话时笑道:"别忘了你的扫帚! “
It was a tradition for the skaters, on the first Saturday after the dam closed, to sweep out the ditch.
这是滑冰者的传统,在大坝关闭后的第一个星期六,扫出沟渠.
Isaac fell back on his pillow, his mind racing.
Isaac倒回了枕头,他的思想在奔跑.
The next morning, Isaac boarded over to Sam’s house with his broom.
第二天早上,以撒带着扫帚登上山姆的家.
Sam was still asleep, but his mom let him go down to his bedroom to get him up.
山姆当时还在睡觉,但他妈妈让他去他的卧室扶他起来.
Isaac smacked the bed with the broom, and Sam came awake, fast.
Isaac用扫帚打倒了床,Sam醒了过来,很快.
“Hey, what the.
"嘿,这是什么。
“Let’s go!”
让我们去!
“Go?
“走吗?
Oh, yeah, I forgot.
哦,是的,我忘记了。
We’ve got to sweep the ditch.”
我们必须扫清沟渠。 “
“And,” Isaac said, picking a miniature Snickers bar out of Sam’s Halloween bag on the floor, “we’re going to ride the Snake!”
" 而且,"以撒说,从山姆的万圣节口袋中从地上取出个小的"斯尼克斯"酒吧,"我们要骑"蛇"!
“No way!”
绝对不行!
Sam said, as he quickly rolled out of bed.
Sam说,当他迅速从床上滚出。
“Jessie and I are going to do it.
“杰西和我将要这样做。
You want to?”
你想吗? “
Sam, realizing that Isaac was dead serious, muttered, “I want to, but what about Cliff?”
Sam, 意识到Isaac是严肃的, “
Cliff!
克里夫! 克里夫! Cliff!
Cliff was a senior at Benton High.
克里夫是本顿高中的高级生.
He was the bad guy’s bad guy.
他是坏人的坏人。
Last year while Sam, Jessie, and Isaac were goofing at the rail on Lizard Ditch, Cliff rode by and did a poor backside 180-kick flip, plowing right into Sam.
去年当山姆,杰西,和以撒 在利扎德迪奇的铁路上傻了, 克里夫骑着,做了一个可怜的后腰 180克翻转, 犁右到山姆。
Cliff was so mad he nearly blew a gasket.
克里夫很生气,差点炸了垫子
“Get out of here,” he snapped.
"滚出这里,"他崩溃了。
“This is no place for kids.
“这里不适合孩子。
If I catch you here again, you’ll be skating on your face!”
若我再在这里抓到你,
Then he wheeled off.
然后他转了身
They had avoided Cliff ever since.
从那以后他们一直避开了克里夫
As Sam pulled on a sweatshirt, he continued, “He’s never going to let us get to the top, let alone ride down.”
他接着说道, “他绝不会让我们上台, “
“I’ve got an idea,” Isaac laughed.
我有一个主意,
“What if we take Jordie, Sandra Glassner’s little brother?
“如果我们把桑德拉·格拉斯纳的弟弟乔迪带走呢?
Cliff is interested in Sandra.
克里夫对桑德拉感兴趣.
He has to be nice to Jordie.”
他必须对乔迪好 “
“Do we have to?”
“我们必须这样做吗? “
Sam groaned.
萨姆呻吟.
“Jordie’s a rollerblader, not a skateboarder!”
"乔迪是滚球,不是滑板!"
“He could be a hip-hopper for all I care.
“他可能是我所关心的嘻哈。
He’s our ticket to the top,” chuckled Isaac.
他是我们的最高票,
“Let’s go!”
让我们去!
By the time the boys got to the base, Jessie was already sweeping the Lizard rail.
当孩子们到达基地时 杰西已经在扫荡利扎德的铁路了
With her broom in hand, she ran up the rounded side of the ditch to the two of them.
她拿着扫帚跑到水沟的圆形侧面去取回了两人.
“Bad news, guys,” she quipped.
“坏消息,
“Remember last year?
“记得去年吗?
Our good friend Cliff isn’t going to let us get near the Snake.”
我们的好朋友克里夫不会让我们靠近"蛇"。 “
“Jordan Glassner’s going to get us up.”
“约旦格拉斯纳会让我们起来。 “
As if he’d been cued, Jordie rolled up on his skates.
Jordie的滑板上滚了起来。
“What’s up, boarders?”
“怎么样, “
he said sarcastically as he wheeled by.
他一转身就讽刺我
“Hey, Jordan,” Isaac shouted.
艾萨克喊道:“嘿,约旦,”
“Come here!”
" 过来! "
“What?”
“什么情况? “
Jordan asked suspiciously as he turned back to the group of skateboarders.
乔丹在返回滑板组时提出疑心.
“Well,“ Isaac said, “you’re a good skater, right?”
" 那么,"以撒说道:"你是一个很好的滑冰运动员,对吧? “
“I’m the best!”
“我是最棒的!”
he snapped.
他崩溃了。
Jessie and Sam rolled their eyes in disgust.
Jessie和Sam都恶心地翻了双眼
“Then there’s no question as to whether you can ride the Snake or not?”
" 那么,你是否可以骑蛇是毫无疑问的? “
Isaac asked.
艾萨克问。
“Any time,” Jordan bragged.
“随时”,约旦吹嘘。
“Well,” Isaac continued, looking at the others, “we’re gonna do it today, and we want you to go with us.
Isaaac继续看着其他人, “我们今天就要这么做,
Meet us back here in an hour.
一小时后回来
We’ll go up together.”
我们一起上去。 “
Unwilling to walk away from the challenge, Jordie muttered, “Uh, sure, I’ll be here.”
Jordie不情愿逃避挑战, “
He tried to mask his fear as he rolled away.
他试图掩盖他的恐惧 当他滚走。
Without saying a word, the three began warming up; skating the rail.
三人不言而喻,起而取暖;滑行铁路.
They were so intent on their practice that they didn’t notice the long, ominous shadow stretching across the empty ditch.
他们如此热衷于实践,
Sam rolled down one side and was on his way back up the other side to do a quick kick when a large meaty hand pushed him in the chest.
山姆倒下一面,正赶回另一面去快速地踢出一脚,当时一只大肉质的手将他推入胸口.
He flew off his board and skidded hard down the concrete bank.
他飞出他的板子 并硬地滑倒了混凝土银行。
If it hadn’t been for his elbow pads, he would have been really hurt.
若不是他的肘部,
He looked up angrily, ready to explode.
他愤怒地抬头 准备爆炸
His temper cooled quickly.
他的脾气很快凉了
It was Cliff!
这是克里夫!
“Sorry, kid,” Cliff sneered, “didn’t see you.”
“对不起,孩子,”克里夫打喷嚏,“没看到你。 “
By now, Isaac and Jessie were kneeling beside Sam, looking up at the bully.
现在 Isaac和Jessie跪在Sam旁边 看着那个恶霸
“That is so chicken, Cliff,” snarled Jessie.
"那太胆小了,克里夫"
“You are such a loser!”
你真是个失败者!
Cliff was never in the mood to take anything from anybody, even a girl.
克里夫从来就没心情从任何人身上夺走任何东西 甚至一个女孩
He dropped his board and started down the pipe.
他放下了棋盘,从管子上开始.
Just then Jordie skated up.
刚才乔迪溜了
“Hey, Cliff,” he said.
他说:“嘿,克里夫,”
“My sister is down at the base and wants to talk to you.
“我妹妹在基地,想和你谈谈。
Something about a movie.”
关于电影的事 “
“Huh?
“啊?
Sandra?”
桑德拉吗? “
asked Cliff, distracted.
问克里夫,分心。
“She wants to see me?”
“她想见我? “
Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed his board and ran thundering down the hill.
在没有等待答案的情况下,他抓住了板子跑下山去打雷.
“Man, that was lucky,” Isaac sighed in relief.
以撒叹息,
“Your sister was really looking for him?”
“你姐姐真的在找他吗? “
“No,” laughed Jordie, “I made it up.”
“不,”嘲笑乔迪,“是我编的。 “
“Gee!”
"Gee!" (英语).
said Sam, scrambling to his feet.
山姆说,走去他的脚。
“Let’s get up there while we’ve got the chance.”
「趁有机会, “
The hike to the dam, the beginning of the Snake, took them nearly an hour.
步行到水坝,蛇的开始, 花了将近一个小时。
At the top, five high-school kids stood around idly spinning the wheels on their boards.
在顶部,有五个高中生 袖手旁观地转动着他们的棋盘
One of them was trying to stop the bleeding on a bad scrape on his arm.
其中一人试图阻止他手臂上被刮伤而出血.
The group looked nervous, none of them ready to try the Snake.
剧组看起来很紧张,他们都没有准备好尝试"蛇".
Jordie, Isaac, Jessie, and Sam all turned together and looked down.
乔迪,以撒,杰西,和萨姆都转过身来低头.
The ditch was steep and ran straight for about a hundred yards before breaking into a hard right turn.
地沟很陡峭,直跑了约100码后再冲入硬右转.
While the three boarders watched, Jordie nervously sat on the edge of the ditch and laced up the boots of his in-line skates.
在三位登机者观看时,乔迪紧张地坐在了沟边上,将他一行的滑冰鞋的靴子拉起.
Buried in their own thoughts, they didn’t say anything.
他们没有说什么。
Jordie took a deep breath, “Okay, let’s do it!”
Jordie深呼吸一口气, “
Isaac stepped onto his board and crouched a bit as the wheels bit into the side of the ditch.
Isaac踩上板子并蹲了一下,当轮子被咬入沟边时.
He could hear the others following.
他听到其他人在后面。
The ditch was steeper than anything he had ever boarded, and soon he was going way too fast to make the first turn.
水沟比他登上过的任何水沟都陡峭,很快他走得太快,无法进行第一次转弯.
He kicked the tail out on his board and skidded to a stop.
他把尾巴踢出他的板上 滑到一站。
The others pulled up behind him.
其他人从他身后拉起
“I don’t know,” said Isaac hesitantly, “this is really steep.”
艾萨克犹豫地说:“我不知道, “
From above, taunts and catcalls came from the high schoolers.
从上而来,取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取取
They found some measure of courage in harassing those who had taken the challenge that they couldn’t.
他们发现有一定程度的勇气来骚扰那些接受他们无法接受的挑战的人。
The four of them might have changed their minds.
四者或有变相.
They might have walked down.
他们可能走了下来。
But Jessie removed that option.
但是杰西取消了这个选择。
“Blow it out your ears!”
“把耳朵挖出来!”
she yelled back at them.
她骂他们回来。
Then she stepped on her board, and just like that, she was gone!
然后她踩上她的板子, 就这样,她走了!
The others, not to be outdone by a girl, followed.
其他人,不要被一个女孩所超越,就跟着他们。
They fairly flew down the next section.
他们飞下一节
They were moving so fast, the air seemed to be sucked right out of their lungs.
空气似乎从肺里吸出
They had ridden through several of the early turns when Sam raced past Jessie and then tipped an edge.
山姆跑过杰西,然后向边缘倾斜时 他们穿过了几个早期的转折
He spun a ragged 360 and nearly dropped, almost bitten.
他打出360分,差点被咬了
Again, they stopped.
他们又停下来了
They were all breathing hard, openly frightened.
他们都呼吸困难,公开害怕。
If it was possible, the Snake was even steeper in this section.
如果有可能的话,"蛇"在本节甚至更陡.
Without saying a word, they climbed to the top of the ditch only to be confronted by Cliff.
他们一言不发,就爬到沟的顶上,只为被克里夫所对.
When Cliff was mad like this, he liked to hit something.
克里夫生气的时候,他喜欢打东西.
The only something in reach was Isaac.
唯一能接触到的是以撒
Roaring profanities, Cliff swung his fist.
咆哮出出出出出出出出出出出相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相
Isaac had two choices—to get on his board and ride, or to let Cliff have some punching practice.
Isaac有两个选择:上他的棋盘骑马,或让Cliff练拳。
There was really no choice.
真的没有选择
With wheels roaring on the rough concrete surface, the four of them blasted down the hill.
随着车轮在粗糙的混凝土地表上咆哮,四人从山上被轰出.
They flew into the final curve and through a crowd that had gathered at the edge of Lizard Ditch.
他们飞入了最后曲线,并穿过聚集在利扎德迪奇边缘的人群.
The last three hundred feet of concrete was all sparks and dust as they each dug in their edges and ground to a stop.
最后三百英尺的混凝土都是火花和灰尘 他们各自从边缘和地上挖到一站
They stood there looking dazed and trying to catch their breath.
他们站在那里看着晕倒想呼吸
Up the hill, kids from their school were running toward them, whooping and shouting.
在山上,他们学校的孩子 朝他们跑来跑去,大叫大叫。
The four looked at each other and then laughed.
四相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相相
There was really nothing to say.
真的没什么好说的
They had done what few had done before.
他们做了以前少有的事。
They had wheeled the Snake, and not one of them had been bitten.
他们开过"蛇"的车 没有一个被咬过
Skateboarders and rollerbladers all over the county still talk about that ride.
滑板机和滑板机 遍及全县 仍然谈论的骑。
It’s what legends are made of.
这是传说的由来。
It’s what makes wheeling the Snake as cool as it is.
这让蛇的车轮变得很酷。
Few have tried, and fewer have earned the coiled snake patch.
很少有人尝试过 也很少有人赢得了圈状的蛇补丁