考研英语时文赏读（110）：那些被装在塑料袋里的孩子

　　Vietnamese Children Taken Across River in Plastic Bags to Get to School

　　越南的孩子们被装在塑料袋里过河去上学

　　A couple of Vietnamese villagers have been working together to ferry a group of schoolchildren in plastic bags across a river just so they can get an education.

　　几个越南村民一起把孩子们装在塑料袋里送过河，好让他们能去上学。

　　The children of the Huoi Ha village in Vietnam risk their lives on their way to school every time there are strong rapids during the rainy season, according to Voice of Vietnam.

　　据《越南之声》报道，每逢雨季来临，越南霍海村的孩子们都要冒着生命危险渡过湍急的河流去上学。

　　The children normally rely on the makeshift bamboo bridge that was set up by the village to help people cross the stream. During the rain, the children often resort to using rafts, but problems usually occur when the rapids are too strong.

　　孩子们通常会走临时架设的竹桥过河，竹桥是村民们为方便人们过河而建造的。在雨季来临之际，孩子们通常会划着木筏过河，但如果水流太过湍急，问题就会产生。

　　So, the fathers of the children came up with a solution to put them into a plastic bag and carry them across the stream.

　　于是，这些孩子的父亲们想出了一个解决办法，他们把孩子们装进塑料袋里，然后拖着袋子前往对岸。

　　“We have warned local residents of latent risks to travel through the stream by plastic bags, but the swift-flowing water can also sweep rafts away, so they have to choose this way,”said Vang A Po chairman Na Sang Commune.“Earlier, a local person was injured in a capsized raft here.”

　　那桑公社的主席 Vang A Po 说：“我们警告过当地居民使用塑料袋渡河是存在潜在风险的，但湍急的水流很容易把木筏冲走，所以他们也是迫不得已才选择这种方式来渡河的。早先时候有一位当地人在渡河时因木筏侧翻而受伤。”

　　Meanwhile, Nguyen Minh Phu, chairman of Muong Cha District, claimed that using the bags is common in the area.

　　与此同时，Muong Cha 区主席 Nguyen Minh Phu 也表示，使用塑料袋过河的方法其实在该地区很常见。

　　While the method is effective, the chairman insisted that they only use it as a last resort when the stream is high and it is dangerous to pass the bridge.

　　但他强调，虽然利用塑料袋过河的方法很管用，但只有当河流水位高涨、过桥危险时，才会将其作为最后的选择。

　　However, after the obstacle of crossing the stream is done, the children and their families still have to walk for five more hours on a slippery terrain before they reach the school. The children often stay at the school for a week before coming home to their parents during the weekend.

　　但即使借助塑料袋安全渡过了河流，孩子们和家长们还得在湿滑难走的乡间小路上再步行5个多小时才能到达学校。因此，孩子们一般都选择住校，只有在周末时才会回家。

　　(全文共287个词，环球时报)

　　重难点词汇：

　　makeshift  n. 权宜之计，凑合 adj. 临时的，权宜之计的

　　resort  n. 凭借，手段；度假胜地；常去之地 vi. 求助，诉诸；常去；采取某手段或方法

　　latent  adj. 潜在的；潜伏的；隐藏的

　　capsize  vt. 倾覆；翻覆；弄翻 vi. 翻；倾覆；翻覆

　　obstacle  n. 障碍，干扰，妨碍；障碍物

　　slippery  adj. 滑的；狡猾的；不稳定的

 

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