Shortly after six in the evening, the sky over the Yangtze River in Fuling, Chongqing, was already turning grey. A cry for help came from the bank. A person was struggling in the water, and the head had almost gone under. Xiao Miaomiao, who works in an office nearby, heard the sound and ran out. He did not stop to put on his shoes. He ran to the water barefoot and jumped in.
The river was cold, deep and fast. Xiao reached the person and found that she had lost consciousness. He held her tightly and kept her head above the water, but the current kept pushing them away from the bank. At almost the same moment, Yu Fei, who runs a shop nearby, heard the shouting. He grabbed a swimming ring and jumped in too. The two men had never met, yet they worked like a team at once. Yu pulled the ring in front, and Xiao pushed the person from behind. Step by step, they fought the water and moved back toward the shore.
On the bank, a crowd had gathered. When the ring came close, many hands reached out together and pulled all three of them up. Someone called the emergency number at once. Xiao and Yu were wet through and completely tired out, but they stayed until the medical workers took over, and then they left quietly. Neither of them is a professional rescuer. One comes from Anhui, the other from Chongqing. Both simply live and work in this city.
A rescue like this almost never depends on one hero. It needs a man who runs without his shoes, a shop owner who grabs a ring, and strangers who reach out at the right second. None of them had time to think about the risk. What they did was small and quick and human. The river is wide, but on that evening the distance between a stranger and a helping hand was only a few meters.
Words to know:
- current (水流；水流方向)
- consciousness (意识)
- barefoot (光着脚的)
- grab (抓起；抓住)
- shore (岸；岸边)
- emergency (紧急情况；急救)
- rescuer (救援人员)
- professional (专业的；职业的)
长难句拆解 · not … until 与转折并列
原句：Xiao and Yu were wet through and completely tired out, but they stayed until the medical workers took over, and then they left quietly.
整句由 but 连接两个分句：前一分句 Xiao and Yu were wet through and completely tired out 说明状态，后一分句 they stayed until … and then they left quietly 说明行动。
were wet through 是固定说法，意思是浑身湿透，through 表示从里到外；tired out 是「累到极点」，比 tired 程度强很多。
stayed until the medical workers took over 中 until 引导时间状语，强调动作一直持续到某个时间点为止；take over 是短语动词，意思是接手、接管。
注意 and then 的顺序：先守在现场，再离开，这个先后顺序是句子的重点。
直译：肖和余全身湿透、精疲力尽，但他们一直待到医护人员接手，然后才悄悄离开。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读常把原文换个说法再来问你，先遮住右边，自己说一遍再对照。
- almost gone under → nearly sank / was about to go below the surface（说明危急）
- lost consciousness → passed out / became unconscious（失去意识）
- kept her head above the water → held her head out of the water / stopped her from going under（托住头部）
- worked like a team at once → cooperated immediately / acted together right away（立刻配合）
- tired out → exhausted / worn out（精疲力尽）
- took over → took charge / stepped in（接手处理）
- reached out → stretched out their hands / lent a hand（伸手相助）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- T/F/NG: Xiao Miaomiao and Yu Fei had known each other before the rescue.
- 简答：Why did Xiao Miaomiao run to the river without shoes?
- 选词填空：The two men fought the strong ______ and moved back to the shore. (current / consciousness / emergency)
参考答案与解析
- F（错误）。第二段原句是 The two men had never met, yet they worked like a team at once。题目说他们此前就认识，把 never met 反过来说，属于把否定改成肯定的偷换结论。
- Because he heard a cry for help and did not stop to put on his shoes. 第一段说 He did not stop to put on his shoes. He ran to the water barefoot and jumped in。原因不是赶时间上班，而是情况太急。
- current。第二段原句是 they fought the water，同段反复出现 the current kept pushing them away，current 指水流。consciousness 是意识，emergency 是紧急情况，都不能和 fought 搭配表示「对抗水流」。
中文译文
傍晚六点刚过，重庆涪陵的长江边天色已经发灰。岸上传来呼救声。有人在水中挣扎，头几乎沉了下去。在附近办公楼上班的肖苗苗听见声音就冲了出来。他没顾上穿鞋，光着脚跑到江边，纵身跳了下去。
江水又冷又深、又急。肖苗苗游到落水者身边，发现对方已经失去意识。他死死托住她，尽力让她的头保持在水面之上，可水流一直把他们往远离岸边的地方推。几乎在同一时刻，在附近开店的余飞听到喊声，抓起一个游泳圈也跳了下去。两个人从未见过面，却立刻配合得像一支队伍。余飞在前拉着泳圈，肖苗苗在后托举着落水者。他们顶着江水，一步一步往回挪。
岸边已经聚起了一群人。泳圈靠近时，许多只手一起伸出来，把三个人拉了上去。有人第一时间拨打了急救电话。肖苗苗和余飞浑身湿透、体力耗尽，却一直守到医护人员接手，然后才默默离开。他们都不是专业救援人员。一个来自安徽，一个来自重庆。两人只是在这座城市生活和工作。
这样的救援几乎从来不靠一个英雄。它需要一个没顾上穿鞋就跑的人，一个抓起泳圈就跳的店主，还有在正确的那一秒伸出手的陌生人。他们都没时间考虑风险。他们做的事很小、很快、很有人味。江水很宽，但那个傍晚，一个陌生人和一只援手之间的距离，只有几米。