25. A Woman Who Fell

　　It was rush hour and I was dashing to a train in New York City's Grand Central Terminal - As I neared the gate, a plump, middle-aged¹ woman sprinted³ up from behind, lost her footing on the smooth marble floor and slid onto her back. Her momentum⁴ carried her close to my shoes. Before I could help her, however, she had scrambled⁶ up. Gaining her composure, she winked⁷ at me and said, "Do you always have beautiful women failing at your feet?"

Notes:

　　(1) rush hour n. （大城市上下班时的）拥挤时刻；高峰时刻

　　(2) dash v.猛冲

　　(3) terminal n.（铁路、公路的）终点站

　　(4) near v.接近；靠近

　　(5) plump adj. 圆胖的；丰满的

　　(6) sprint² v.以全速缩短距离

　　(7) momentum n.动量（即物体质量与速度之乘积）

　　(8) scramble⁵ v.爬

　　(9) composure n.泰然自若

Exercises:

根据短文选择正确答案：

　　①The author was hurrying he ______.

　　A. wanted to catch a bus

　　B. wanted to catch a train

　　C. was driven by crowds

　　D. wanted a taxi

　　② The story happened during ______.

　　A. working time

　　B. the author's vacation

　　C. rush hour

　　D. a weekend

　　③The story happened______ .

　　A. in central New York

　　B. near the suburbs of New York

　　C. at a bus station in New York

　　D. at a railway station in New York

　　④ Why did the won-man fall over?

　　A. Because somebody behind her pushed her.

　　B. Because the author was blocking her way.

　　C. Because she "t her footing on the smooth marble floor.

　　D. Because she wanted to see how smooth the floor was.

　　⑤ What does "Do you always have beautiful women falling at imply?

　　A. The woman was complaining to the author.

　　B. The woman was mocking herself with humor.

　　C. The woman was angry at the fall.

　　D. The woman had seen some beautiful women falling at the author's feet before.

25.摔倒的女人

　　上下班高峰期，我匆匆奔向纽约豪华中心站去赶一趟火车。接近门口，一位肥胖的中年妇女从后面冲过来，没想到在平滑的大理石地面上失了脚，仰面滑倒了。她的惯性使她接近了我的脚。我正准备扶她，她却自己爬了起来。她镇定了一下，对我挤了一下眉，说道：“总是有漂亮女人拜倒在你脚下吗？”

练习参考答案：

①B②C③D④C⑤B

1 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

2 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

3 sprinted   

v.短距离疾跑( sprint的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sprinted for the line. 他向终点线冲去。
• Sergeant Horne sprinted to the car. 霍恩中士全力冲向那辆汽车。 来自辞典例句

4 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

5 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

6 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》