It was late, about 10:15 p.m., when Janice Esposito arrived at the New York train station and began the 20-minute drive home. She had traveled the route so many times that she almost drove on autopilot (自动驾驶): a left onto Station Road, then a left on Montauk Highway, and then — bang! Out of nowhere, a car T-boned Janice’s car, pushing her backward onto the railroad tracks.
As it happened, Pole Dipinto was getting ready for bed. He’d just closed his book when he heard the loud crash not far outside his bedroom window. A volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, 64, never stopped to think. He grabbed a flashlight and still in his pajamas (睡衣), ran out of the door. “Any firefighter would have done what I did,” he said, “We’re always on duty.”
The first car he came upon was the one that had hit Janice. Once Dipinto concluded the driver was OK, he looked around and spotted Janice’s car lay across the railroad tracks. And then he heard a terrible sound: the bells signaling an on-coming train.
Dipinto rushed to Janice’s car and banged on the driver’s side window. She just looked at him, her eyes unfocused. “I don’t know where I am,” she said. She seemed unhurt. “Honey, you’re on the railroad tracks,” Dipinto shouted, “We have to get you off right now!” He pulled hard on the door handle, but it didn’t work. The heavy train, traveling at 65 miles per hour, was heading toward them. Dipinto ran to the passenger side and threw open the door. “Please, God, don’t let her be trapped”, he thought. He pushed aside the airbags, grabbed Janice’s arms, and pulled her toward him across the passenger seat until he could help her out and walk her to safety. Within six seconds, he estimated, the train crashed into the car.
“It was like a Hollywood movie,” Dipinto told reporters the next day. But this one had a difference. That night, the hero arrived in pajamas, not in a fire truck.
【小题1】What can we know about the accident from Paragraph 1?| A．Running vehicle crashed into Janice’s car. |
| B．Janice didn’t know the route well. |
| C．Janice drove too fast. |
| D．Janice’s car pushed backward another vehicle. |
| A．He was the volunteer firefighter who was on duty that night. |
| B．He first confirmed the other driver before he came to Janice’s rescue. |
| C．He was in sound sleep in his bedroom when the accident happened. |
| D．He wasn’t aware of the coming train when he was rescuing Janice. |
| A．Janice didn’t know where she was. |
| B．All the doors of Janice’s car were in good condition. |
| C．Dipinto rescued Janice without difficulty. |
| D．The airbags protected her in some way. |
| A．A Dangerous Heavy Train | B．A Hollywood Movie |
| C．A Hero in Pajamas | D．A Horrible Car Accident |
