Jenny's expedition diary

甘肃甘谷县第三中学 康慧珍

体裁约441 8分钟记叙文文章词数 建议用时

难词探意

1.culprit /'kʌlprɪt/ n.罪犯

2.wretched /'retʃɪd/ adj.难受的；悲惨的

3.mat /mæt/ n.小地毯；垫子

4.seep /siːp/ v.渗透

5.mutter /'mʌtə(r)/ v.嘀咕；（私下）抱怨

My alarm goes off at 4 am.I've been feeling sick all night, not sure if theculpritis the water I took or the awful tasting camp food I fed myself for dinner last night.All I know is that this morning, I feel terrible, and I will continue to feel terrible because I am completely out of water—the clean water I saved in my bottle from yesterday is now frozen,as is everything I left out last night, including my shoes.

I don't want to move, but I know I won't feel any better until I find water.The stars are breathtakingly beautiful, but it's far below freezing at 3,500 meters altitude at this hour.I'm still feelingwretched, and that, combined with the frigid temperature is making riding very difficult.I can't feel my feet nor hands.

“Fix your own problems,” I yelled at myself.“You are, effectively, alone in the wilderness.Any complaints must be dealt with by yourself.” In this instance, fix-your-own-problems means finding a way to restore function to your hands.It's so cold that I'm experiencing pain when I grab my brake levers, and I know that isn't a good thing.Unfortunately, I'm already wearing everything I own, and I really can't stop moving—I need to get some water.I step off the route and drag my bike through the riverbed towards where the clear water is flowing.I can hardly believe my eyes, but the water is, indeed, moving.I'm saved!

My water filter is completely frozen and is of no use, so I get my stove set up quickly to boil a drink.While the stove is on, I set up my ground mat underneath me to keep myself warm.I curl up in my sleeping bag and watch the pot boil, falling asleep sitting upright three times during the process.After getting my first drink of water, I decide that my body is weak right now—to try and ride in my current state is just a poor use of my time.I'd better get a bit more rest.I set my alarm for 40 minutes and instantly fall asleep.

When the alarm goes off, the sun is cooking me inside my bag.It's an incredible sensation to feel the warmthseepingdown to my bones.Slowly, I drag myself out of my bag.“Let's try this again,” Imutter to myself, as I restart my usual morning routine of porridge and coffee while packing up my bags and preparing the bike to ride.

Reading Check

1.What makes the author feel terrible?

A.Her alarm clock.

B.Food shortage.

C.A lack of clean water.

D.Her frozen shoes.

2.What's the meaning of the underlined word “frigid” in paragraph 2?

A.Changeable.

B.Very cold.

C.Very dry.

D.Expected.

3.Which word can best describe the author?

A.Easy-going.

B.Warm-hearted.

C.Energetic.

D.Purposeful.