我想我大概永远也搞不清在那个早晨到底发生了什么。我情愿相信是那些海牛和我一起参加了一个新生命的庆祝仪式,而我则是它们邀请的客人。随着时间的流逝,这也成了我珍藏的记忆。
在那次意外的邂逅中,我感受到在这个巨大的星球上,生命之间的一种极致的和谐。这份记忆慢慢变成了忧伤时唱给自己的一首歌,快乐时跳起的一段舞蹈。
Walking alone on a remote beach in southwest Florida, I was startled to hear splashes and a deep sigh coming from the water just offshore.
As I squinted in the direction of the sounds, the rounded gray back of a sea creature rose amid a red froth, rolled turbulently at the surface, then sank back into the Gulf. Moments later a broad nose emerged and exhaled in a great snuffling breath. It was a manatee, and by the looks of the reddish-colored water and the way it was thrashing, it was in trouble.
I had often watched manatees in these warm coastal waters, but I'd never seen one act like this before. Usually just their big nostrils appeared for a gulp of air as they foraged on sea grasses or swam slowly to greener underwater pastures. But I also knew how common it was for these lumbering giants to be gashed by boat propellers or entangled in crab traps.
I wanted to help, but what could I do? There was no one else on the beach, and the nearest phone to call the Marine Patrol was miles away.
Tossing my beach bag onto the sand, I began wading toward the animal, who continued to writhe as if in distress. I was still only waist deep when I came close enough to make out the bristly whiskers on the manatee's muzzle as it thrust up out of the sea. Then, to my surprise, a second muzzle, much smaller, poked up beside it.
I pushed on through the shoal water, but now the manatees were also moving toward me. Before I knew what was happening, I was in chest-deep water encircled by not one or two, but at least three blimplike bodies. I felt elated and slightly dizzy like the kid who is 'it' in a schoolyard game.
A bulbous snout emerged next to me. In the translucent water, I could clearly see the rest of the huge mammal, and there, nestled close behind her, a smaller version of her massive body.
Then, with incredible gentleness for such an enormous creature, the larger manatee nudged the little one with her paddle-shaped flipper and pushed it to the surface beside me. I wanted to reach out and touch the pudgy sea baby, but I hesitated, not knowing the rules of this inter-species encounter.
As the two slipped back underwater, two other manatees moved in from behind and slid by, one on either side, rubbing gently against my body as they swam past. They circled and repeated the action, this time followed by the mother and her calf. Emboldened by their overtures, I let my hand graze the side of the small manatee, now clinging to the mother's back, as they made their pass. Its skin felt rubbery and firm like an old fashioned hot water bottle.
The group completed several more circuits. Since they obviously enjoyed touching me, I began stroking each of them as they sidled by. When one of them rolled over for a scratch, I knew I had made the right move.
Eventually my new friends made their way off towards deeper water. I stood anchored to the spot, not wishing to break the spell, until finally the rising tide forced me back to shore.
I suppose I will never know exactly what took place that morning. I like to think that the manatees included me in their celebration of a birth; that I was welcomed to meet the newest member of their tribe. But over time I have come to cherish the experience without questions.
During that unexpected rendezvous, I felt more in tune with the rhythms of life on this vast planet than I ever have. The memory has become a song I sing to myself when I have the blues, a dance I do to celebrate joy.
And each year, during the last week of May, I pack a lunch and head for that isolated stretch of beach for a quiet little birthday picnic on the shore. After all, you never know who might show up for the party.
SAT阅读材料:The Maysville Road veto
专家详解SAT阅读策略 助你突破阅读难题
SAT阅读素材:Let the Great World Spin
美国高考SAT阅读测试的应对策略
初三和高一的学生如何备考SAT阅读?
SAT阅读英文小说推荐 5部
专家解读SAT阅读考试的注意事项
SAT阅读长难句解析
SAT阅读材料:Trauma Teddies
SAT阅读修辞手法运用大全
跟专家学习SAT阅读长难句
SAT阅读题练习 12月15日
SAT阅读应该遵循的基本原则
SAT阅读素材:Modern urban design
SAT阅读句子填空题解题技巧
SAT阅读素材:a learning sysstem
SAT阅读技巧 排除法
SAT阅读材料:WordNet
SAT阅读的特点和应试技巧
SAT阅读素材 unsolved math problems
SAT阅读高分宝典 句型部分
帮你分析SAT阅读常见问题及解决方案
SAT阅读材料:How We Learn
SAT阅读中修辞手法的使用:低调陈述
提高SAT阅读能力的两个有效方法
SAT阅读官方练习题
专家详解:五种方法突破SAT阅读
SAT阅读练习:urban design
SAT阅读长难句学习要点
SAT阅读高分宝典 篇章部分
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |