2008年高考英语湖北卷 - 阅读理解C

One August afternoon, Richard Allen dropped off his last passenger, Mrs. Carey. Lifting two grocery bags, he followed her across the yard and stood on the step of her house. Glancing up, he saw a large wasp nest under the roof. Allen had heard that wasps can become more likely to sting in summer. He mentioned this to Mrs. Carey, who had opened the door.
8月的一个下午，理查德·艾伦接送他的最后一位乘客凯里夫人。他提着两个杂货袋，跟着凯里夫人穿过院子，站在她家的台阶上。抬头一看，屋顶下有只巨大的蜂巢。艾伦听说黄蜂在夏天更容易螫人，他向开了门的凯里太太说起这事。

“Oh, they don’t bother me,” she said lightly. “I go in and out all the time.”
“哦，它们不打扰我，”她轻声说道，“我一直进进出出。”

Anxiously, Allen looked at the nest again - to see the wasps flying straight at him. “Hurry!” he shouted to Mrs. Carey. “Get in!”
艾伦焦急地又看了看蜂巢，黄蜂直直地朝他飞来。“快！”他对凯里夫人喊道，“进去！”

She stepped quickly inside. Allen ran for his mini-bus. Too late; they were upon him. Just as he jumped aboard, half a dozen red spots showed on his arm, and he felt more on his back and shoulders.
她很快地走了进去。艾伦跑向他的小巴车。太迟了；黄蜂向他发起进攻。就在他跳上车的时候，手臂上出现了六个红点，背部和肩膀上的感觉更加强烈。

As he was driving down the road, Allen felt as if something was burning at the back of his neck, and the “fire” was spreading forward toward his face. And immediate anxiety took hold of him. Allen knew that stings could cause some persons to die. But he had been stung the previous summer and the after-effects soon passed. However, what he didn’t know what that the first sting had turned his body into a time bomb waiting for the next to set off an explosion.
当他沿着公路行驶时，艾伦觉得脖子后面好像有什么东西在燃烧，“火”正向他的脸蔓延。他立即感到焦虑不安。艾伦知道蜇伤会导致一些人死亡。但他在去年夏天被蛰了，很快后遗症就消失了。然而，他所不知道的是，第一次蜇伤把他的身体变成了一颗定时炸弹，等待下一次引爆。

Miles from the nearest medical assistance, Allen began to feel his tongue thick and heavy and his heartbeat louder. Most frightening, he felt his breathing more and more difficult. He reached for the radio mike, trying to call the mini-bus center, but his words were hardly understandable. Signals were also poor that far out. He knew a rescue team was on 24-hour duty at the Amherst Fire Department’s north station. So his best chance was to make a run for it.
离最近的医疗救助站还有几英里，艾伦开始感到舌头又厚又重，心跳加速。最可怕的是，他感到呼吸越来越困难。他伸手去拿话筒，想要打电话给迷你巴士中心，但他的话很难听懂，那么偏僻的地方信号也很差。他知道阿默斯特消防局北站有一支救援队24小时值班。所以，他最好的机会就是冲刺。

Rushing down the mountain, Allen tried not to panic, focusing his mind on each sharp turn. He was almost through the last of them when he felt sure he was going into shock. Just then he reached for the radio mike again.
艾伦快速驶下山，尽量不惊慌，把注意力集中在每一个急转弯上。在要过最后一个急转弯时，他感觉自己要休克了。于是他又伸手去拿话筒。

“Call fire station,” he shouted, concentrating to form the words. “Emergency. Bee sting. Emergency. There in ten minutes.”
“打电话给消防站，”他喊道，集中精力说，“紧急情况。蜂螫。紧急情况。十分钟后到。”

“Five-ten,” the center replied.
“五点十分，”中心回答。

Hold on, Allen thought. Keep your eyes open. Breathe. Keep awake.
坚持住，艾伦想。睁大眼睛，呼吸，保持清醒。

At last he reached the station. Two firemen ran out. Allen felt their hands grasp him before he hit the ground. You made it, he thought.
终于他到达了消防站。两名消防员跑了出来。艾伦在他下车之前，感觉到他们的手抓住了他。他知道自己得救了。