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Living the Dream in Paris
话题归类 阅读难度 词数
航展路上遇抢劫 五星 1123
Our inner wisdom is persistent, but quiet.
It will always whisper, but it will never stop knocking at your door.
~Vironika Tugaleva
Glass exploded in my face as the deafening percussion pounded my ears. “GET DOWN! GET DOWN!” Brad screamed. “THEY’RE SHOOTING AT US!” I dove to the floor of the Mercedes, just as a big, hairy hand reached menacingly toward me. My fantastic dream had just turned into a living nightmare!
We were driving in the middle of Paris, heading toward the huge international airshow there. The French presidential entourage was ahead of us, jamming traffic as far as the eye could see. It would take us forever to get through the gridlock. I found myself muttering under my breath at the delay while praying for patience. The French military and Paris police were guiding the President of the Republic through the mess as quickly as they could. Once he was clear, the rest of us could finally follow.
I had been looking forward to this airshow for a long time. Our aviation university had a booth and chalet booked there, and I was part of the team organizing our share of the massive event. We had rented several huge Mercedes Benz limos to haul our staff and our printed material and other promotional items to the show. My vehicle had Mike and Brad in front, two burly Air Force veterans who had been doing the heavy lifting, while I rode in the back, jammed in with packages of brochures and lots of giveaway goodies.
Since I had been excited about this trip for a long time, it wasn’t surprising that I was having recurring dreams about it. The dreams were generally convoluted yet pleasant, except for one repeating theme. I would see a door at the end of a hallway that seemed ominous. I chalked it up to stress and didn’t let it ruin my trip.
Our group had made all the preparations and were now putting our plans into action. However, we hadn’t expected that the President of France would be going to the show at the same time and on the same road. It made sense, of course, since he would be delivering the opening speech at the Paris Air Show. There was nothing we could do but sit in the traffic jam until it got moving again.
That’s when the windows exploded in the car we were in, and we hit the deck, fearing the worst. The hairy hand that I could see reaching toward me through the pulverized glass grabbed my bag and hauled it out through the smashed window. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was being robbed. My whole life was in that purse.
It turned out the robbers hadn’t actually shot at us; they had run through the packed lanes of traffic to the back of our rental car and smashed in the windows with hammers. By the time we reacted, they had grabbed what they could and escaped on foot through the gridlock.
I had been worried about being stuck in traffic, but now I was covered and nicked by shards of glass, and all my important documents had disappeared with the criminals. My passport, cash, credit cards, cell phones, official documents, personal stuff, and laptop computers were all in that bag. It was a terrible blow. I didn’t see how I could recover.
Mike and Brad felt sheepish about misinterpreting the attack and not being able to catch the robbers. There was nothing we could do except wait out the traffic jam, as I shook broken glass out of my hair in the back seat of the car and Mike dug through the emergency kit for bandages.
Once finally clear, we found a police station to make our report. They said that this type of crime was common in blocked traffic. Their police force had been concentrated on protecting their President, so we got some sympathy but didn’t receive a lot of help. Next, we headed to the rental agency to file a claim and exchange our damaged vehicle. Finally, we headed to the American Embassy to start the paperwork to replace my passport.
The whole day was shot. I was exhausted and devastated by the loss of my bag. The documents, credit cards, and ID would be difficult to replace, and some of the data on the stolen laptops was irreplaceable. I couldn’t even think about what had happened without breaking into tears. I tried to pull myself together as I walked through the lobby of my hotel. I had to repeat the whole sordid tale to the staff at the front desk as I requested a replacement key for my room. I had checked in on our arrival first thing that morning but hadn’t seen the room yet since we rushed straight off to the airshow. I was past caring if I had a decent room. I just wanted to try to get some sleep and for this horrible day to end.
Finally accommodated, I walked to the elevator like a zombie with leaden feet. I was totally fried and could barely make it to my room. The elevator ascended, the door slid open, and I found myself staring at the same ominous door at the end of the hallway that I had seen in my dream. The number on the door confirmed it was mine.
This was unbelievable. I froze, and the elevator door shut again in front of posing myself, I hit the button to reopen the elevator despite my dream about that door. I needed to get some sleep.
The elevator opened again, giving me another view of the hallway. In the same instant, amazingly, my room door at the end opened! Out popped the same hairy man who had stolen my bag earlier that day! He clearly had taken the original key from my bag and found the hotel and room from the writing on the key fob, boldly setting himself up for another score. Our eyes locked as he recognized me and raced toward me.
I frantically punched the Close Door button, just before he had time to reach me in the elevator. Inside, I held down the Ground Floor button, screaming at the elevator to move faster. When it opened on the lobby, I ran shouting to the staff in the reception area, alerting them to what had just happened.
We never saw the crook emerge. He must have taken the back stairs into the alley to make his escape. I was chilled to the bone thinking about what could have been.
My persistent hotel hallway dream had made me pause just long enough to save myself from a dangerous situation. From then on, I learned to listen to my dreams and trust my gut instincts, no matter how odd they may seem.
一、文章梗概（80-160词）:
去参加航展的路上，作者遇到了交通大阻塞。借着交通阻塞，有人敲碎了作者的车窗，抢走了作者放有重要物品的包，警察爱莫能助。作者沮丧地回宾馆休息时，发现房门竟是他梦中反复出现的那个不吉祥的门。惊恐之际，那个劫匪突然从房间里出来了！四目相对，作者慌张地乘着电梯逃离到接待处——正是那个反复出现的梦，救了作者一命。
二、生词识记：
单词 音标 词性释义 单词 音标 词性释义
percussion [p k n] n.撞击 nick [n k] v.划伤
dove [d v] (dive过去式)俯身 shard [ ɑ d] n. (玻璃等)碎片
menacingly [ men s li] adv.凶巴巴地 sheepish [ i p ] adj. 难为情的
entourage [ nturɑ ] n. 随行人员 misinterpret [ m s n t pr t] vt. 曲解; 误解
gridlock [ ɡr dl k] n.市区交通堵塞 replace [r ple s] vt. 更换
mutter [ m t (r)] v.咕哝;发牢骚 devastated [ dev ste t d] adj.悲痛欲绝的
clear [kl r] adj.畅行无阻的 leaden [ ledn] adj.沉重的
chalet [ le ] n. 小屋 fried [fra d] adj. 累坏的，筋疲力尽
haul [h l] vt. 拖; (用力)拽 ascend / 'send/ vi.上升
burly [ b li] adj. 高大强壮的 boldly [ b ldli] adv.大胆地
jammed in with 塞满了…… set oneself up for… 为自己（做坏事）创造条件; 准备（再次作案）
recur [r k (r)] vi. 重现 another score 再打劫一次
convoluted [ k nv lu t d] adj. 晦涩难懂的 frantically ['fr nt kl ] adv.疯狂地
ominous [ m n s] adj. 不吉利的 punch [p nt ] vt. 压(按钮)
chalk sth up to… 把…归因于… crook [kr k] n.坏蛋; 骗子; 贼
hit the deck 迅速趴下（在车座底） persistent [p s st nt] adj. 反复出现的
pulverize [ p lv ra z] vt. 粉碎 gut [ɡ t] adj. 本能的
smash in 用力撞破 instinct [ nst kt] n. 本能; 直觉
三、佳句积累：
（一）动作描写
1. Glass exploded in my face as the deafening percussion pounded my ears.
随着震耳欲聋的撞击声在我耳边炸响，我面前的车窗玻璃被撞碎了。
2. I dove to the floor of the Mercedes, just as a big, hairy hand reached menacingly toward me.
我立马趴在车底上，这时，一只毛茸茸的大手恶狠狠地向我伸来。
3. I found myself muttering under my breath at the delay while praying for patience.
我小声地抱怨塞车导致我不能按时参加航空展，又暗暗告诉自己要有耐心。
4. The hairy hand that I could see reaching toward me through the pulverized glass grabbed my bag and hauled it out through the smashed window.
我看到一只毛茸茸的手穿过碎玻璃窗，伸向我，一把抢走我的包，从碎窗户里拽了出来。
They had run through the packed lanes of traffic to the back of our rental car and smashed in the windows
with hammers.
劫匪们穿过拥挤的车道，跑到我们租来的汽车后面，用锤子砸碎车窗玻璃。
6.By the time we reacted, they had grabbed what they could and escaped on foot through the gridlock.
等我们反应过来的时候，他们已经抢走了东西，穿过拥堵的交通，逃之夭夭了。
7.Finally accommodated, I walked to the elevator like a zombie with leaden feet.
终于可以安顿下来了，我拖着沉重的脚步，似僵尸般，向电梯走去。
8.Out popped the same hairy man who had stolen my bag earlier that day!
那天早些时候抢走我包的那个毛茸茸的家伙突然出现了！
9.Our eyes locked as he recognized me and raced toward me.
四目相对之际，他认出了我，向我冲过来。
10.When it opened onto the lobby(=at the lobby level), I ran shouting to the staff in the reception area, alerting them to what had just happened.
当电梯到达大堂，门一开，我便跑向接待区的工作人员，大喊着提醒他们刚刚发生的事情。
（二）情绪描写
1. My fantastic dream had just turned into a living nightmare!
我的美梦变成了一场活生生的噩梦。
2. The dreams were generally convoluted yet pleasant, except for one repeating theme.
尽管梦的主题总是一成不变，这些梦通常虽令人费解，但也令人愉快。
3. That’s when the windows exploded in the car we were in, and we hit the deck, fearing the worst.
就在那时，我们乘坐的车窗被敲碎了，我们趴在车座底下，担心最糟糕的情况要发生了。
I was exhausted and devastated by the loss of my bag.
包被抢走了，我也因此又累又极为难过。
I couldn’t even think about what had happened without breaking into tears.
我甚至一想起所发生的事情，眼泪就情不自禁地夺眶而出。
Composing myself, I hit the button to reopen the elevator despite my dream about that door.
冷静下来，不顾那扇总是出现在我梦中的门，我还是用力按下电梯按钮，以重新打开电梯门。
四、微写作:
请描写一个司机堵车时被抢劫的场面
Earlier that day, a few robbers smashed in the windows with hammers.The driver dove to the floor,fearing the worst as the deafening percussion pounded his ears. A big hairy hand reached out toward him and grabbed his bag and hauled it out through the smashed window. By the time he reacted, they had grabbed what they could and escaped on foot through the jammed traffic.
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