英语智慧背囊 04-一场火灾

[00:01.92]The Fire一场火灾
[00:05.09]A couple, John and Mary, had two lovely children.
[00:10.36]John had just been asked to go on a business trip and would be gone for several days.
[00:16.25]Mary would go along too.
[00:18.47]They hired a reliable woman to care for the children and made the trip,
[00:23.06]returning home a little earlier than they had planned.
[00:26.55]As they drove into their home town feeling glad to be back,
[00:30.09]they noticed smoke, and they went off their usual route to see what it was.
[00:35.54]They found a home in flames.
[00:37.73]Mary said, "Oh well it isn’t our fire, let’s go home."
[00:42.45]But John drove closer and exclaimed,
[00:45.32]"That home belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant.
[00:49.15]He wouldn’t be off work yet, maybe there is something we could do."
[00:53.29]"It has nothing to do with us," protested Mary.
[00:56.14]But John drove up and stopped and they were both horror stricken
[01:00.43]to see the whole house in flames.
[01:02.51]A woman on the lawn was in hysterics screaming,
[01:05.56]"The children! Get the children!"
[01:07.66]John grabbed her by the shoulder saying,
[01:10.29]"Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are!"
[01:13.35]"In the basement," sobbed the woman, "down the hall and to the left."
[01:17.42]In spite of Mary’s protests
[01:19.50]John bolted for the basement which was full of smoke and scorching hot.
[01:23.86]He found the door and two children.
[01:26.40]As he left he could hear some more whimpering.
[01:29.24]He delivered the two badly frightened and nearly suffocated children into waiting arms
[01:34.62]and started back asking how many more children were down there.
[01:38.44]They told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and screamed, "John! Don’t go back!
[01:44.23]It’s suicide! That house will cave in any second!"
[01:47.98]But he ran into the smoke filled hallway and into the room.
[01:51.26]At last he found both children.
[01:53.67] As he stumbled up the endless steps the thought went through his mind
[01:57.74]that there was something strangely familiar about the little bodies clinging to him,
[02:02.10]and at last when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air,
[02:05.64]he found that he had just rescued his own children.
[02:09.55]The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping…
[02:14.58]