365个英语简短小故事-340. School Bus Crashes

An elementary school bus driver pulled into a gas station in Ohio because he had to use the bathroom. Instead of turning off the engine and taking the key with him, the driver left the bus running. “It was cold outside, and I didn’t want the kids to get chilly¹ while I was using the bathroom,” he told a police officer. There were 20 kids on the bus. The driver forgot to set the emergency brake because he was in a hurry, he said.

The bus slowly started rolling away from the gas station. As the bus picked up speed, the kids began yelling and screaming. Ten-year-old Jake had the composure to run forward to the driver’s seat and grab the steering² wheel. He pressed hard on the brake pedal and managed to stop the bus as it approached a guard rail overlooking a creek³ bed. Jake turned off the ignition. After the cops arrived at the scene, they congratulated Jake on his heroic effort.

“That is one cool kid,” said the police sergeant⁴. “I told him he would make a great police officer when he grows up.”

Jake wasn’t impressed with what he had done. “Stopping the bus,” he said, “was easy compared to playing Grand Theft Auto⁵ III,” his favorite action video game. The bus driver, walking along the highway when arrested by the police, was initially⁶ charged with “leaving a child unattended while motor vehicle is running.” While that is only a minor⁷ driving violation⁸, the county district attorney said he hoped to upgrade the charge to a felony because of the number of children involved.

“Whatever he is charged with,” the DA said, “I will see that he never drives a bus in this county again.”

 

1 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

2 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

3 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

4 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

5 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。