U4 A Heroes among us

我们身边的英雄

Who's a hero these days? In an era of heightened heroism, the word hero has become more common. We use hero to describe both victims and survivors of all kinds of difficulties and tragedies. Who are the heroes among us?

谁是当今的英雄？在一个英雄主义发扬光大的时代，“英雄”一词已经变得更加常见。我们把各种困难和悲剧的受害者和幸存者都称为“英雄”。那么，我们身边哪些人是英雄呢？

In the days subsequent to a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, many described 20-year-old political associate Daniel Hernandez as a hero. During the horrible shooting, he courageously ran through the danger to save the life of one of the victims, his boss and friend, congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Daniel held her head up so she could breathe and applied pressure to her wounds. He spoke tender words of sympathy, telling her that he would find her husband and her parents and that everything would be fine. And he never left her side, staying beside her in the ambulance all the way to the hospital.

在亚利桑那州图森市枪击案发生后的日子里，许多人都把20 岁的政界同事丹尼尔•赫尔南德兹描述为英雄。在骇人的枪击案发生时，他勇敢地冒着危险，去救助受害者之一、也是他的上司和朋友的加布里埃尔•吉福德议员。丹尼尔把她的头托高，便于她呼吸，并用力摁住她的伤口。他用温柔体贴的话语安慰她，告诉她他会把她的丈夫和父母找来，告诉她一切都会好的。而且，他一直守护在她身边，在去医院的路上，他也一直在救护车里陪伴在她身旁。Another hero from the mass shooting in Tucson was Dory Stoddard. Dory gave his life for his wife, Mavy. Dory and his wife had been friends since childhood and when Dory heard shots ring out he immediately fell on top of his wife to shield her from the hail of bullets. At the memorial service, the priest said: "Dory didn't die a hero; he lived a hero." Long known for his remarkable spirit and love of humanity, Dory Stoddard died as he had always lived, assisting others.

图森枪击事件中的另一位英雄是多利•斯托达德。多利为保护妻子梅维献出了自己的生命。多利和他的妻子自小青梅竹马。一听到枪声，多利马上扑在妻子身上为她挡住扫射过来的子弹。在葬礼仪式上，牧师说道：“多利一生英雄，非死才为英雄。”多利•斯托达德一直以来以精神高尚、富有爱心而为大家所熟知，他至死也同他生前一样在帮助他人。

These are civilian heroes, who acted instinctively with courage and grace when caught up in extraordinary circumstances.

这些都是平民英雄。他们在特别危急的情况下，本能地做出勇敢而高尚的举动。

But what about first responders, whose job is, in the words of the widow of a fallen police officer, to "rush toward danger"?

但是，那些应急救援人员是否也算是英雄呢？用一位已故警官遗孀的话来说，他们的工作就是“迎着危险上”。

In Toronto, Canada, downtown life stopped when more than 11,000 police and other emergency responders marched solemnly through the streets to honor Sergeant Ryan Russell, a 35-year-old “good man and good cop", who believed deeply in his commitment to protect and serve. Sgt. Russell moved quickly to protect others from harm. He tried to stop a drunk driver in a stolen snowplow with only his police automobile and his goodwill to help others. Sadly, Sgt. Russell

was unable to stop the drunk driver and was killed in the effort.

在加拿大多伦多市，11，000多名警察和其他应急救援人员肃穆地在大街上游行，纪念一位具有高度保护和服务意识的“好男人和好警察”、35 岁的瑞安•罗素警佐。当时整个市中心的其他活动都停止了。罗素警佐迅速采取行动，保护他人免受伤害。他仅凭着一辆警车和一颗帮助他人的善良的心，试图挡住一辆醉驾司机驾驶的偷来的扫雪车。不幸的是，他没能拦住醉驾司机，不幸牺牲。

It used to be that the word hero was reserved for those who performed acts of distinct courage beyond the call of duty. A soldier who runs through gunfire to rescue other military personnel is seen as a hero. So are larger-than-life leaders such as Nelson Mandela, who emerged after 27 years of jail, confined in a solitary chamber. He made the choice not to be bitter, and worked hard as South Africa's first black president to establish harmony and helped society reconcile its conflicted past.

在过去，“英雄”一词仅限于称呼那些做出超乎职责范围的特别英勇的行为的人们。一位战士冒着枪林弹雨去抢救其他战友，他被看作英雄。同样，超凡卓越的具有传奇色彩的领袖人物也是英雄，比如纳尔逊•曼德拉。被囚禁于单人牢房27 年后，曼德拉终于摆脱了牢狱生活。他没有抱怨，作为南非的第一位黑人总统，他努力奋斗，致力于创建和谐国家，促进社会化解以往的矛盾。

But today, our heroes are average men and women, "everyday heroes" to whom we can relate, people like us.

但是今天，我们的英雄是平凡的男男女女，他们是我们看得见、摸得着的“平民英雄”，是和我们一样的普通人。

However, while many people honor Sgt. Russell, some people raise this question when they try to make sense of a tragedy like Sgt Russell's: "Some first responders do not succeed in helping others and they get injured or die in their efforts. Do these people become heroes because of what happens to them as they try to help others - instead of what they actually make happen?"

虽然很多人尊重罗素警佐，但有些人在试图理解像罗素警佐这样的悲剧时提出了一个问题：“有些应急救援人员在帮助他人时没能获得成功，而自己却受伤或牺牲了。这些人不是因为他们成功帮助了别人，而是因为他们在帮助别人时所遭遇的不幸才成为英雄的吗？”

I asked road safety advocate Eleanor McMahon whether she thought Sgt. Russell was a hero.

我问道路交通安全倡导者埃莉诺•麦克玛农，她是否认为罗素警官是位英雄。

Ms. McMahon's late husband, a police officer, was killed by a drunk truck driver in a 2006 off-duty bicycling accident. Through grief and rage, Ms. McMahon founded Share the Road, a cycling association, and worked tirelessly until the government established " Greg's Law ", legislation that gave authority to police to immediately seize the automobiles of drunk drivers caught on the road.

麦克玛农女士的已故丈夫曾是一名警官，2006 年的一天，他未当班，却在骑车时因一名醉驾卡车司机肇事而丧生。在悲伤和愤怒中，麦克玛农女士创立了“道路共享单车联合会”，一个自行车协会。她不懈地努力，直到政府颁布了格雷格法案，授予警察在路上一旦发现醉驾司机就当场予以扣留车辆的权力。

Ms. McMahon replied that she thought Sgt. Russell was indeed a hero. "Just imagine, in the middle of an intense snowstorm this policeman thinks: I've got to

stop this snowplow before it hurts others." Ms. McMahon summed up why she considered many police officers to be heroes: "It's natural to be afraid of danger. It's natural for that fear to cause most people to rush toward safety and away from danger. Heroes do just the opposite. They rush toward danger to help those in need."

麦克玛农女士回答说，她认为罗素警官确实是英雄。“想象一下，在狂风暴雪中，这位警官想道：我必须挡住这辆扫雪车，不让它伤及他人。”麦克玛农女士概括了为什么她认为许多警官都是英雄的原因：“害怕危险是正常的。大多数人因害怕危险而奔向安全之处躲避危险，这也是正常的。而英雄则恰恰相反。他们迎着危险上，为的是帮助需要帮助的人。”

We count on first responders to rush toward danger, especially when it involves us or those we love. We expect nothing less. So when one of them dies doing that, we should recognize the heroic action even though we may doubt our own capacity to be heroic ourselves.

我们指望应急救援人员冲向危险，尤其是当我们或我们所爱的人身处险境时。这正是我们对应急救援人员的期望。所以，当他们中的一位因冲向危险而遭遇不幸时，我们应认可他们的英勇行为，哪怕我们可能怀疑自己是否具有这样的勇气。

The inspiring stories of heroes help remind us that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, whether it is in the fulfillment of their duties or as part of everyday life. We honor the fireman, the policeman, and the average citizen by recognizing their heroism. Perhaps, even more importantly, we honor them by working to change the circumstances that led to their death. By honoring them we can be inspired by them. Will we be heroes when circumstances call on us to act heroically? Hopefully, we will!

英雄们激励人心的事迹有助于提醒我们，平凡的人也可以做出不平凡的事，不管是履行职责，还是在日常生活中。我们向消防员、警察和普通平民致敬，赞扬其大无畏的精神。也许，甚至更为重要的是，我们要通过改变让他们遭遇不幸的环境来向他们致敬。通过缅怀他们，我们可以从中得到鼓舞。一旦有情况召唤我们挺身而出时，我们会当英雄吗？但愿我们会！

U4 B

A hero's aspiration

一位英雄的愿望

Officer Jonda's pulse quickened. Road conditions were dangerous on that cold, dark wintery night. The fierce storm made it hard to see, but she could tell the car ahead of her was in trouble. It was swaying. It was not swaying violently, and was still barely within the lane, but on the winding road in the fierce November rain, it was enough. Jonda had a sixth sense for accidents and lived in terror of them ever since that awful night so many years ago. She still couldn't abolish the terrible image of that teenager screaming for help, her help. Help that she had been unable to give as she was driven back by the intense heat of the car fire.

琼达警官的心跳加快了。在那个寒冷、漆黑的冬夜，路况险恶。狂风暴雨令人视线不清，但她能感到前面的车出了麻烦。那辆车开得歪歪扭扭。虽然歪得不是很厉害，还勉强开在车道里，但在十一月大雨滂沱中的蜿蜒道路上，这已经够悬的了。琼达对事故有着第六感，并且自从很多年以前那个可怕的夜晚之后，她一直生活在对事故的恐惧中。那个十几岁的少年呼喊求助——向她求助——的骇人情景至今在她脑海中，挥之不去。她当时无能为力，因为汽车燃起的大火使她无法靠近。

Her subsequent report on the incident had dutifully noted the facts, as she had been trained to write them, facts that did not include screams or pain. It was strange to talk about them one way: a string of facts for a police report; and to think about them in another: burning metal and deep tire tracks on the slippery concrete, bits of safety glass like primitive crystals reflecting in pools of blood. These were memories Jonda could never really turn off. She leaned on her training for support, and these days she never ignored any signs of the next accident. She made a gesture to turn on the patrol car's flashing lights, but her partner, David, beat her to it; he too had sensed the danger. "Let's pull that car over before someone gets hurt," he said.

她在事后的事故报告中按照以前的培训要求，就事论事地记录了事实，并没有对尖叫声和伤痛的描述。记录的是一种形式，即警方报告中的一连串事实；而回忆却是另一种形式：熊熊燃烧着的金属、湿滑水泥地上深深的车胎痕迹，还有散落在血泊中、如天然水晶般闪烁的安全玻璃碎屑。记录和回忆竟会如此不同，着实令人奇怪。这些成为琼达脑海中始终摆脱不掉的记忆。她靠着受过的训练来支撑自己。现在，她再不会放过任何预示下一起事故的征兆。她动手要去打开巡逻车上的警灯，但是她的搭档戴维抢先一步打开了警车顶灯，他也觉察到了险情。“我们让那辆车靠边停下，以免有人出事，”他说道。

The big car slowed, but not enough to stop at the warning sign as the driver slammed on the brakes. The car slipped off the road into the Dalton River.

那辆大轿车的司机猛踩刹车，车子慢了下来，但还是来不及停在警示线内。车子滑下公路，掉进了道尔顿河。

Jonda quickly brought the police car to a halt and got out. Yelling at David to call for backup help, she slipped down the side of the road to the water's edge.

琼达急忙停下警车，来到车外。她一边喊着让戴维呼叫支援，一边沿路肩下滑到河边。The rain had swelled the river into a raging monster. It roared well over its banks, rushing swiftly with tree limbs caught in the raging current. And half submerged

in the current was the car. As big as it was, the force of the water had heaved it against a tree, the passenger seat submerged, water rushing over the windshield. "Dear Lord!" Jonda prayed. "Never again!" This is too much, too familiar, Jonda thought.

雨水使河水猛涨，变成一头凶猛的怪兽。它咆哮着冲上两岸，夹杂着被急流冲下的树枝，汹涌奔腾。那辆车一半己被水流淹没。尽管车不小，但是水流的力量把它顶在一棵树上，副驾驶座一侧被淹没，河水漫过挡风玻璃。“我的上帝啊！”琼达祈祷道。“不要再像上次一样啊！”这样的事让人受不了，太熟悉了，琼达心想。

The driver would not have had time to make it out, Jonda knew. Her flashlight beam barely cut through the heavy rain, but she could still see the trapped driver screaming and banging the window. And the car was filling up with water.

琼达知道，司机肯定来不及脱身。倾盆大雨中，她手电的光亮几乎没什么用，但是她还是能够看到被困司机在叫喊着，拍打着车窗。河水正在灌满车厢。

"David, I need the window hammer!" Jonda called over her radio and rushed toward the car. By the time she was at the driver door, the water was rushing up to her waist, and unbelievably cold, like her legs had been encased in ice. If she didn't work quickly, she could lose the feeling in her lower body and collapse. “戴维，我需要破窗锤！”琼达向对讲机呼叫，并冲向车子。当她来到驾驶员一侧的车门时，水已经涨到她的腰部，而且冰冷刺骨，她的双腿就像被冰包裹住一样。如果她动作不够快，她的下半身可能就会失去知觉，她就会瘫倒。

Through the window, Jonda saw the woman with water up to her chest. A work badge pinned to her chest identified her as Sandy. And she was old, 65 or 70. She would not last long in the icy water. Her eyes, betraying her intense fear, were locked on Jonda's. "Save me," she screamed.

透过车窗，琼达看到那位妇女，水已经淹到她的胸口。她胸前别有一枚工作胸卡，写着她的名字桑迪。她年事己高，有65 岁或70 岁。她在冰冷的水中支撑不了多久。她的眼中流露出极度的恐惧，直直地盯着琼达的眼睛。“救救我，”她大声呼喊着。

David caught up with Jonda and passed her the window hammer. "Ma'am," she yelled through the window, "I need you to turn away from the glass! I'm going to break through!" The woman turned her head, and Jonda struck. The glass, thick as the old car was big, barely cracked. And with a heavy heart Jonda felt the car heave. The current was loosening it from the tree.

戴维赶到琼达身边，把破窗锤递给她。“夫人，”她透过车窗喊道，“请你转过身，避开玻璃！我要把车窗砸开！”那位妇女转过头去，琼达砸向车窗。这辆旧车车身大，窗玻璃也厚，砸一下几乎不见裂缝。这时，琼达感到车起伏了一下，她不禁心头一沉。水流正把车推离那棵树。

Jonda struck again with all her might and this time, mercifully, the window broke into little pieces. Water rushed in and the car heaved again, soon to be carried downstream.

琼达用尽全力又砸了一次，谢天谢地，这次车窗碎成了小片。水灌了进来，车又起伏了一下，它很快就会被冲到下游。

The woman tried to speak through her shivering lips. "Tell my grandchildren I love them," she moaned.

那位妇女颤抖着双唇，努力想说些什么。“告诉我的孙子孙女，我爱他们，”她呜咽着。

Jonda leaned in and wrapped her arms around the woman. "We're not going to lose you, Sanely! Put your arms around my neck and hold on! David, grab my waist and pull!"

琼达探进身子，用自己的双臂箍住妇女。“桑迪，我们不会让你死的！你抱住我的脖子，抓紧！戴维，搂住我的腰往外拉！”

With all her strength in the icy water, Jonda grabbed the slender woman out of her seat and through the broken window, David pulling at her waist. The car heaved one last time, and just as the woman cleared it, it was swallowed by the water.

戴维搂住她的腰往外拉。同时，琼达在冰冷的水里用尽全力把那位瘦弱的妇女拖出驾驶座，从砸破的车窗拉了出来。车最后又起伏了一下，那位妇女刚被救出，车就被水吞没了。The woman was crying in Jonda's arms. "It's all right, ma'am," Jonda said, tears streaking down her cheeks, unable to let go of the woman. "We didn't lose you! We didn't lose you!" she cried. Stiff and sore, Sandy cried, "Thank you!"

那位妇女在琼达的怀里哭了。“没事了，夫人，”琼达说道，泪水顺着她的脸颊滚落下来，她抱紧那位妇女不愿松开。“我们没有失去你！我们没有失去你！”她哭着说。四肢僵硬酸痛的桑迪也哭着说道：“谢谢你！”

Since the accident, the two women have become close friends. "She's a fantastic woman," Sandy says. "She just refused to let me die. I'm forever grateful to her." But Jonda feels she has much to be grateful for too, because finally, she is healed and free of the acute nightmares of her past.

自从那次车祸之后，两位女士成了亲密的朋友。“她是一个了不起的女人，”桑迪说。“她绝不让我死。我永远感激她。”但是琼达感到她也同样很感激。因为她内心的创伤终于愈合了，她终于摆脱了过去痛苦的噩梦。