Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 The car spun and flipped as it sank deeper and deeper. It became pitch-dark, and Ben got so dizzy he couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. It was like being in a locked box filled with water or… a plane. A fighter jet that had crashed into the ocean. Ben remembered the stories Dad had told him about pilot training. It took years to learn to be an F-16 pilot. And the training never ended. There were always new formations to learn, different

汽车在越陷越深的过程中不停地旋转和翻转。 周围一片漆黑，本头晕得分不清哪条路是上，哪条路是下。 就像被锁在一个装满水的盒子里，或者一架飞机。 一架坠入大海的战斗机。 本想起了爸爸给他讲的飞行员训练的故事。 学习成为一名F-16飞行员花了几年时间。 训练从未结束。 总是有新的阵型需要学习，不同的

drills to practice. The worst, Dad said, were the water survival drills. Every military pilot is trained so they can survive in a water crash. A plane sinks quickly, and fills with water in seconds. Even the best pilot will get completely confused under the water, just like Ben felt now. And so the air force puts its pilots through practice drills. Twice a year, Dad went to a special training center where he was blindfolded, strapped into a fake cockpit, flipped over, and dunked into a freezing-cold pool. He had to unstrap, find an exit, and swim to the surface — all while holding his breath. In his early years, Dad sometimes failed the test. A rescue diver had to fish him out and drag him to the surface. But there was no rescue diver waiting for Ben now. He would escape, or he would drown. Ben closed his eyes and remembered what Dad had said about escaping from a sunken plane: how

练习练习。爸爸说，最糟糕的是水中生存训练。 每个军事飞行员都受过训练，因此他们可以在水上坠毁中生存。 飞机下沉得很快，几秒钟内就充满了水。 即使是最好的飞行员在水下也会完全困惑，就像本现在的感觉一样。 因此，空军让飞行员进行训练。 爸爸每年两次去一个特殊的训练中心，在那里他被蒙住眼睛，绑在一个假的驾驶舱里，翻个身，然后把自己泡在冰冷的水池里。 他不得不解开带子，找到一个出口，游到水面上，同时屏住呼吸。 早年，爸爸有时考试不及格。 一名救援潜水员不得不把他捞出来拖到水面上。 但是现在没有救援潜水员在等本。 他要么逃跑，要么淹死。 本闭上眼睛，想起了爸爸说过的如何从沉没的飞机中逃生的话

pilots turned their hands into eyes, how they would feel their way through the plane until they found a way out. Doors don't work in a sinking plane; the pressure of the water seals them shut. Pilots need to find a hole, or break a window. The water was past Ben's mouth now, brushing against his nose. He lifted his chin and took a deep breath, knowing it would be his last until he got to the surface. His hands fumbled blindly along the surfaces of the car. He tried to picture what he was feeling — the seat, the roof, the window. He found the window button, but nothing happened when he pushed it. The car's electricity must have stopped working in the water. Now he had just a few seconds left. His lungs felt as if they were going to explode. He was losing strength. He groped until he found the steering wheel. There wasn't much room in Ojisan's tiny car, but he managed to pull his knees to his chest, and swing his body around. With all

飞行员把他们的手变成了眼睛，他们如何在飞机上摸索着前进，直到找到出路。 在下沉的飞机上，门不起作用;水的压力使它们关闭。 飞行员需要找到一个洞，或者打破一扇窗户。 水从本的嘴里流过，擦着他的鼻子。 他抬起下巴，深吸了一口气，知道这将是他到达水面前的最后一口气。 他的手在汽车表面盲目地摸索着。 他试着想象自己的感觉——座位、屋顶、窗户。 他找到了窗户的按钮，但他按了一下，什么也没发生。 汽车在水里一定是停电了。 现在他只剩下几秒钟了。 他的肺好像要爆炸了。 他的力气越来越少了。他摸索着找到了方向盘。 奥吉桑的小车里空间不大，但他设法把膝盖拉到胸前，扭动着身体。 与所有

his might, he kicked at the window of the passenger door. Boom. The window didn't budge. He kicked again, and again. Boom. Boom. Boom. CRACK! Ben gave one last kick, and the glass popped out of the frame.

他用他的力气踢了踢副驾驶车门的窗户。 繁荣。窗户没有动。 他踢了一遍又一遍。 繁荣。繁荣。繁荣。裂缝!本最后踢了一脚，玻璃弹出了镜框。

He turned and squirmed through the opening, fighting the force of the water gushing into the car. He pushed against the car with both feet, and rocketed up to the surface. But he had barely taken one breath when he was sucked under again. The water seemed to be alive, with powerful arms that thrashed Ben, tore at him. Each time he fought his way to the surface to take a breath, the water grabbed him and pulled him down again. He couldn't keep this up, he knew. The water was winning. And then he caught a glimpse of something big bobbing in the water, just a few feet away. He had no idea what it was. For a second, he imagined it was a whale. Ben threw his body forward, kicking with every ounce of energy he had left. It was a couch! Ben managed to pull himself up. He gulped in the air, filling his aching lungs again and again.

他转过身，扭动着身子从洞口钻了出来，奋力抵抗着涌进车里的水。 他用两只脚顶着汽车，飞快地浮上水面。 但他还没来得及呼吸，就又被吸了进去。 水似乎是活的，用有力的手臂拍打着本，撕裂着他。 每次他挣扎着要浮出水面呼吸时，水又抓住他，把他拉下去。 他知道自己撑不下去了。 水赢了。就在这时，他瞥见几英尺远的地方，有个大东西在水里上下浮动。 他不知道那是什么。 有那么一瞬间，他以为那是一条鲸鱼。 本把身体向前一甩，用尽他剩下的每一分力气踢着。 原来是沙发!本设法爬了起来。 他大口地吸着空气，一次又一次地灌满疼痛的肺。

His mouth and nose were filled with the disgusting water. He spit and coughed and blew out his nose, trying to get rid of the bitter chemical taste. He blinked his eyes, which felt as though they had been burned. Slowly, Ben caught his breath. His vision cleared. He looked around him, unable to believe that what he was seeing was real. For as far as he could see, there was water — a churning black soup choked with shredded wood, slabs of glass and metal, and other wreckage. Ben tipped his head back and screamed. "Mom!" he shouted. "Ojisan! Harry!" His voice echoed out, and nobody called back. There was not another person anywhere to be seen. The wave had swept them all away.

他的嘴巴和鼻子里充满了恶心的水。 他吐唾沫，咳嗽，擤鼻涕，试图摆脱苦涩的化学味道。 他眨了眨眼睛，觉得眼睛好像被烧伤了。 慢慢地，本喘了口气。 他的视力恢复了。他环顾四周，不敢相信他所看到的是真的。 因为在他所能看到的范围内，那里有水——一种翻腾的黑色汤，里面塞满了木头碎片、玻璃板、金属板和其他残骸。 本向后仰着头尖叫起来。 “妈妈!”他喊道。“Ojisan !哈利!”他的声音回响着，没有人回话。 周围没有别的人。 海浪把他们全都卷走了。