宇宙最强矿工 [矿工]
时间：2018-12-27 03:32:44 来源：柠檬阅读网 本文已影响 人 
This is a true story in Africa. Once, six miners were excavating1 coal in a very deep mine. Suddenly, the mine collapsed2, and the exit was blocked. The miners were isolated from outside. This kind of accidents happened very often there. According to their experience, they realized that what they needed most was oxygen3, which might last three hours for them.
At the time, among the six people, only one of them had a watch. So they agreed that the miner who had the watch should announce the time once every half hour. When the first half hour passed, the miner with the watch mentioned lightly "Half hour has passed". But he was exceptionally strained4 and worried at heart, because he was announcing the approaching dead line. At this time, he brainstormed and decided to reduce the pain of death of others. The second half hour passed, but he kept silent. Another quarter passed, then, he braced5 himself up and said: "One hour passed." In fact, 75 minutes have already passed. Another hour passed, the miner with the watch announced for the third time that the so-called half hour passed. His co-workers thought that 90 minutes had passed, but only he knew that 135 minutes had passed.
Four and half hours passed before the rescure workers arrived. To the surprise of everyone, five of the six miners survived. Only one of them was suffocated6- he was the miner with the watch.
Because of the unconsciousness of the miners, they did not know when the miners stopped announcing time, but he had brought hopes of life to others.
这是发生在非洲的一个真实的故事。6名矿工在很深的矿井下采煤。突然,矿井倒塌,出口被堵住,矿工们顿时与外界隔绝。这种事故在当地并不少见,凭借经验,他们意识到他们最需要的是氧气,井下的空气最多还能让他们生存三个半小时。
6人当中只有一人有手表。于是大家商定,由戴表的人每半小时通报一次。当第一个半小时过去的时候,戴表的矿工轻描淡写地说:“过了半小时了。”但是他的心里却是异常地紧张和焦虑,因为这是在向大家通报死亡线的临近。这时他突然灵机一动,决定不让大家死得那么痛苦。第二个半小时到了,他没有出声,又过了一刻钟,他打起精神说:“一个小时了。”其实时间已经过了75分钟。又过了一个小时,戴表的矿工才第三次通报所谓的“半小时”。同伴们都以为时间只过了90分钟,只有他知道,135分钟已经过去了。
事故发生四个半小时后,救援人员终于进来了,令他们感到惊异的是,6人中竟有5人还活着,只有一个人窒息而死――他就是那个戴表的矿工。
由于幸存者意识模糊,人们无法知道那位牺牲者是何时停止报时的,但他给了同伴求生的希望。
注释
①excavate v.挖掘
②collapse v.(使)倒塌
③oxygen n.[化]氧气
④strain n.过度的疲劳
⑤brace v.支持
⑥suffocate vt.使窒息,噎住,闷熄
