I was on my way home from work, cutting through the Bryant Park. On that day, the sun seemed to set faster than usual, and suddenly I found myself walking in the dark. I was less than half a mile from my apartment, but the path would lead me over a bridge, across train tracks, and through an unlit underpass.
Then I heard him – a stranger running alongside me, partly obscured(遮掩) by the bushes. My mouth went dry; my legs felt like water. But I didn’t pick up my pace – instead, I stopped, turned, and faced him. He came out of the bushes and said he’d been watching me “for a long time”.
As he walked beside me, I guided us towards the edge of the park. When we reached the bridge, a train rumbled(轰鸣着缓慢行进) past, and he seized the moment, attacking me with a knife around my throat. The self-defense skills I had learned years before kicked in, and I pushed my finger into his eye, hard. And then came the shock: That didn’t frighten him away. My mind flashed back to a tip from an old guitar teacher: “Press the strings like you’re squeezing a flea(跳蚤).” I put all my strength into that finger, and finally he let go.
I was shaking with fear, but I looked him straight in the eye and began to back away. I turned to run the hell out of there, but then I remembered another self-defense lesson: Never run, because then you’re a target. So I walked away alone – through the dark tunnel as I dialed 911 with trembling fingers. If you ever find yourself in this situation, use these self-defense skills that you already know. They can really make all the difference to you.
【小题1】Which of the following word best describes the author’s way home?| A．Well-traveled. | B．Risky. |
| C．Boring. | D．Well-protected. |
| A．The author was desperate to go home. |
| B．The author was exhausted and thirsty. |
| C．The author was in a state of fear. |
| D．The author’s legs were wet. |
| A．The man is a casual acquaintance of her. |
| B．She was guarded home by the police finally. |
| C．She might feel grateful for her self-defense skills. |
| D．The man injured his eye himself when making an attack. |
| A．How I survived an attack | B．Whether fortune smiles on me |
| C．What one should do when in danger | D．Why self-defense skills are important |
