1. A Volcano Eruption 火山爆发 ( Unit 5 The power of nature, Book 6 )

As the best candidate, I was appointed to collect and evaluate information for a database about diverse natural disasters, such as hurricanes, typhoons or thunderstorms. Sometimes I did this by giving out questionnaires to those who went through them. But sometimes I had to go through actual disasters myself. The Musaki Volcano was one of them.[来源:Zxxk.Com]

At that time, I lived in a bungalow alongside the volcano with a novelist, who came for the appreciation of its eruption. One day, when I was drawing diagrams on the balcony and he was bathing inside, the volcano erupted unexpectedly. The ash and lava fountains shooting highly in the sky varied from 50 to 100 meters in height. It was absolutely fantastic! I even noticed a rainbow appear in the fog caused by a heat wave. [来源:Z_xx_k.Com]

But, glancing through our surroundings, I foresaw the potential danger and found no guarantee of our safety. The uncomfortable gas almost made us unconscious. Sweats of anxiety began to drop. Managing to stop panicking and trembling, we quickly put on our protective suits, helmets and boots and eventually made our way to a safe place. How lucky we were even though my precious equipment and documents were all burnt to the ground!

作为最好的候选人，我被委派为一个数据库收集和评估各种自然灾害的信息，例如飓风、台风或雷暴等。有时我通过向经历过这些灾害的人分发调查问卷来收集信息，有时却得亲自经历实际的灾害。Musaki火山就是其中之一。

那时，我和一名来欣赏火山爆发的小说家同住在火山边上的一座平房里。有一天，当我正在阳台上画图表而他在屋里洗澡时，火山突然爆发了，喷射到天空中的火山灰和岩浆喷泉从50米到100米不等，这一情景绝对地奇异，我甚至还注意到一条彩虹出现在热浪造成的雾里。

然而，我向四周看了一下，马上预见到了潜在的危险，也发现了我们的安全毫无保障。令人不舒服的气体几乎使我们失去知觉，忧虑的汗水开始流淌下来。我们努力使自己不要惊慌和颤抖，迅速穿上保护套装、头盔和靴子，最后成功前往安全的地方。尽管我珍贵的设备和文件都烧得精光，但是我们真的非常幸运。[来源:Zxxk.Com]

[来源:学科网]

2. Mark and a Seal 马克和海豹 ( Unit 3 Under the sea, Book 7 )

Mark rented an accommodation with his pension near the shore. He paid annual visits there to enjoy the vivid beauty in the depths of the pure sea.

Once, with his underwater telescope and flashlight, Mark dived along the boundary between the steep reef and the area of seaweed conservation. Suddenly, an awesome Antarctic seal with sharp teeth appeared opposite him. Every cell in his body was scared to death. But soon, he was aware that he wasn’t the target of an attack. With a neat wound in its lip caused by a shark, this grey seal was washed upside down by the tides time after time. But it tried to jog Mark as if to urge him to help it. So Mark abandoned fleeing away. With its teamwork, Mark used a net to drag the seal to the shallow water. Without pausing he helped it out after a simple operation and settled it in a narrow cave by the seaside. Every time he brought it tasty fish, it would yell and suck his hands happily. Witnesses said their anecdotes reflected a magic dimension of the relationship between humans and animals.

马克用他的退休金在海岸边租了一间住所，每年都去那儿欣赏纯净的大海深处那生动的美丽。

有一次，马克带着他的水下望远镜和手电筒，潜到陡峭的暗礁和海草保护区间的分界线。突然，一只长着尖利牙齿、使人畏惧的南极海豹出现在他对面。马克吓坏了，但是很快，他就意识到，他不是攻击的目标。这只灰色海豹的唇上有道鲨鱼咬出的整齐伤口，还时不时地被潮水冲得头上脚下。尽管如此，它却总是努力轻轻碰撞马克，似乎在催促他帮助它。于是马克放弃了逃跑。在这只海豹的合作下，马克用一张网把它拖到浅水区，并毫不停歇给它动了一个简单的手术，帮助它解决了问题，然后将它安置在海边一个狭窄的洞里。每次当马克给它带来鲜美可口的鱼时，它就会高兴地大声叫唤，还吮吸他的手。目击者都说他们的轶事映射出人与动物关系中奇妙的一个方面。