英語閱讀小故事

　　閱讀既是一種能力的表現形式,更是語言學習的一大助力。下面小編為大家帶來，歡迎大家閱讀!

　　1：

　　An eight-lane steel bridge on interstate 35 collapsed during evening rush hour. Dozens of cars plummeted 60 feet into the Mississippi River. Ten people died, and more than 50 were seriously injured. The bridge was being repaired because it was found to be structurally deficient; it needed to be reinforced. Like many bridges throughout America, the bridge was built more than 40 years ago. Traffic was much lighter then. Nowadays, cars, buses, and big trucks cross the bridge steadily, even late at night.

　　“I heard a terrific boom. It was like the loudest thunder I ever heard,” said one witness to the disaster. She ran out of her car to see what was happening. She saw cars falling into the river and heard people screaming. She heard the loud cracking sounds of the bridge collapsing and splashing sounds as bridge sections and vehicles hit the water. “It was horrible,” she said.

　　Engineers had no explanation for the collapse. They said the bridge had been inspected recently. The report said that, although it was structurally deficient, the bridge was not unsafe. Since the report did not declare the bridge unsafe, the decision was to simply reinforce it at strategic locations.

　　Americans were shocked that an American bridge could simply collapse. The news was all over TV, radio, and most newspapers. One newspaper investigation revealed that almost 10 percent ***about 59,000*** of America’s bridges were structurally deficient.

　　Initially, some people speculated that terrorists might have rigged a bomb to the bridge. Others noted that all the pigeon poop on the bridge’s support rails might have eroded the steel. One blogger wrote that, before he drove over another bridge in America, he would make sure that a life jacket was in the front seat next to him.

　　2：

　　Jenny was hot for Roger. They were both nurses, and they were both married—to someone else. Jenny knew that the feeling was mutual; Roger had that sparkle in his eye whenever he saw her. He often grabbed Jenny’s hand and pulled her aside to talk to her privately about something that was quite unimportant. They frequently gave each other shoulder massages. It was only a matter of time, Jenny figured.

　　“You’d better be careful,” Carol said. “You don’t think anyone has noticed the two of you? It’s not like you’re being very secretive.” Carol was Jenny’s coworker and best friend.

　　“Well, we don’t have anything to be secretive about,” Jenny replied. “We’re not doing anything, so we don’t have to be careful about anything.”

　　“Who are you kidding? You’ve told me plenty of times how hot you think Roger is. What are you going to do when he gets tired of just flirting? You won’t be able to resist. And then, the fun will be over sooner than you think. You could both end up getting divorced. And then, even if you married each other, how could you trust each other, since both of you would be cheaters?”

　　Jenny told Carol that her imagination was out of control. Nothing was going to happen. Just then, Carol saw Roger walking toward them. He quietly came up behind Jenny and gave her a big, tight hug. Jenny grinned broadly. Carol rolled her eyes and walked away.

       3：

　　It was a hot, sunny day. The waves off Santa Barbara were almost three feet high because of a distant Pacific storm. Surfers were having fun. Then the fun ended. One surfer started yelling. Surfers on the beach saw him swinging his arms. He went under water. Then he came back up, shouting for help.

　　“He was in big trouble,” said one woman on shore. She called 911. He was still shouting and fighting. They could not see a shark, but they knew the surfer was being attacked by one. Again, the surfer went under. Four surfers hopped onto their boards and swam rapidly out to the surfer. By the time they got to him, he was alone. The shark had given up on the taste of the rubber wetsuit and the battle that the surfer had put up.

　　The 24-year-old man was groaning in pain, but he was still alive. The surfers put him on a board and paddled back to shore. “I don’t think he’s going to make it,” said someone on the beach. “Look at that leg.”

　　A helicopter arrived shortly afterward. Paramedics hopped out and examined the victim. They thanked the surfers and the woman for their aid, and put the man into the chopper. A hospital spokesman said an hour later that the surfer would survive—he was in fair condition. Meanwhile, because there was nothing they could do and because the waves were still good, most of the surfers were out on their boards.