奥黛丽：坚韧与救赎的故事

刘菲

（江西省师范大学附属中学）

作者在救治一只名为奥黛丽的小狗的过程中，学到了在生活中珍惜每一件小事的重要性，领悟到耐心和无条件的爱的真谛，并理解到将时间、精力和资源奉献给他人的价值所在。奥黛丽的存在不仅改变了主人公的生活，也让她以崭新的视角审视整个世界，使这段经历成为一次关于友谊、韧性和无私奉献的深刻思索。

I am a country music singer and although I love animals,I didn’t have a pet for several years due to all of the traveling that comes with performing.Back in 2020,it was going to be my biggest year of touring yet: five months straight in 14 countries.When everything fell apart due to COVID-19,I was devastated,but I knew there had to be a reason and a bigger plan for me.

In a state of extreme sadness from all my hopes and dreams being ripped away,I was sitting in my living room scrolling Instagram when a beautiful little face popped up on my feed.Along came a dog.

She had been found in an abandoned house in Texas with a spinal injury and both of her back feet severed.She was bleeding,had no food or water,and was riddled with infection.She urgently needed fostering due to the extreme care she required to heal her wounds.Her face stopped me dead in my tracks,and I knew that my husband and I had to take her.I called Steve into the room and said,“We are taking this dog.”I named her Audrey.

The next day Audrey was dropped off at our house with a box full of diapers,gauze and wound tape.

It was love at first sight.We immediately gave her everything she needed and anything she wanted,and we were determined to provide her with the life she deserved.Still,it wasn’t easy — far from it.Healing her physical and mental wounds has been one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life.After six harrowing surgeries,five different sets of prosthetic legs,years in a wheelchair,and so much heartache,she was finally ready to try to walk.

Adjusting to her new legs was tough for Audrey,but she prevailed.Finally,after three years and nine surgeries on each leg,an experimental fish skin graft by Dr.Tomas Infernuso of Animal Surgical Center healed her legs for good.

We could say we saved Audrey’s life,but I don’t think that would be the truth because she really saved our lives.She became a beacon of light for me during a very dark time in my life.She showed me that terrible things can happen to you,and you can be resilient and move on stronger than you were before.If she can overcome what she went through,I feel like I can overcome anything that comes my way.

Caring for Audrey truly changed my life.She taught me to enjoy the little things in each and every day.She taught me patience and unconditional love,and that you give your time,energy and resources to others because it makes you feel good,not because you deserve or wish for something in return.I am a better person because of Audrey,and I look at the world in a very different light.

【故事背景简介】

本文是“人与自然”主题语境下一个关于人与狗互相救赎的故事。该文章曾刊登于HuffPost（《赫芬顿邮报》）。

故事中的主人公原本是一位热爱动物但因巡演频繁而无法养宠物的音乐人，然而，2020 年的疫情使得原本充满期待的巡演计划夭折，让她感到无比沮丧。在这段人生低谷中，她偶然发现了一只被遗弃在废弃房屋中的狗，名叫奥黛丽。奥黛丽身患重伤，需要关怀和治疗。主人公和丈夫毅然决定收养她，经历了多次手术、假肢更换以及实验性手术等一系列困难，奥黛丽最终顺利适应新的腿部，并治愈了身体上的创伤。在这个过程中，奥黛丽不仅成了主人公生活中的拯救者，更是一盏明灯，为她带来了友谊、韧性和无私奉献的深刻体验。作者通过对奥黛丽的照顾学到了在生活中珍惜每一件小事的重要性，领悟到了耐心和无条件的爱的真谛，并理解到将时间、精力和资源奉献给他人的价值所在。奥黛丽的存在不仅改变了主人公的生活，也让她以崭新的视角审视整个世界。

全篇译文

我是一名乡村音乐歌手，虽然我喜欢动物，但由于表演需要经常旅行，我已经好几年没有养宠物了。2020 年将是我迄今为止巡演最多的一年：连续五个月在 14 个国家巡演。当一切都因新冠疫情而分崩离析时，我感到非常沮丧，但我知道对我来说必须有一个理由和一个更大的计划。

我所有的希望和梦想都被剥夺了，我感到极度悲伤，当时我正坐在客厅里浏览Instagram，这时一张美丽的小脸突然出现在我的动态中。一只狗来了。

她被发现在得克萨斯州一所废弃的房子里，脊椎受伤，双后脚被切断。她流血不止，没有食物或水，并且全身感染了。她迫切需要寄养，因为她需要极度小心来治愈她的伤口。她的脸让我完全愣住了，我知道我和我丈夫必须带走她。我把史蒂夫叫到房间里，说：“我们要带走这只狗。”我为她取名奥黛丽。

第二天，奥黛丽和一个装满尿布、纱布和缠绕胶带的盒子被送到我们家。

这是一见钟情。我们立即给了她需要的一切和她想要的任何东西，我们决心为她提供她应得的生活。尽管如此，这并不容易——远非如此。治愈她身体和精神上的创伤是我一生中做过的最困难的事情之一。在经历了六次痛苦的手术、五套不同的假肢、多年坐在轮椅上以及如此多的心痛之后，她终于准备好尝试走路了。

对于奥黛丽来说，适应她的新腿很困难，但她做到了。最后，经过三年时间以及每条腿进行的九次手术，动物外科中心的 Tomas Infernuso 博士进行的实验性鱼皮移植手术治愈了她的双腿。

我们可以说我们拯救了奥黛丽的生命，但我不认为这是事实，因为她确实拯救了我们的生活。在我人生最黑暗的时期，她成了我的灯塔。她向我展示了可怕的事情可能会发生在你身上，而你可以保持韧性并比以往更坚强地继续前进。如果她能克服她所经历的一切，我觉得我就能克服我遇到的任何事情。

照顾奥黛丽确实改变了我的生活。她教我享受每一天的小事。她教会我耐心和无条件的爱，以及你把时间、精力和资源给予他人是因为这让你感觉良好，而不是因为你值得或希望得到某些回报。因为奥黛丽，我成了更好的人，我以一种截然不同的眼光看待世界。

人教版课标单词复现

fall apart崩溃；瓦解（必修一Unit 3）

abandonvt.舍弃;抛弃;放弃（选必三 Unit 4）

bleedvi./ vt.流血；放血（选必二 Unit 5）

riddlevt./ n.谜语；打洞（必修三 Unit 1）

infectionn.感染；传染（选必二 Unit 1）

urgentlyadv.紧急地；急迫地（选必二 Unit 5）

trackn.跑道；足迹；铁路轨道vt.&vi.追踪；跟踪（必修一Unit 3）

determinedadj.坚定的；有决心的（必修二Unit 4）

deservevt.应得；值得（选必四 Unit 4）

surgeryn.手术；外科手术（选必三 Unit 2）

adjustvt./ vi.调整；适应（选必一 Unit 4）

toughadj.困难的；坚强的（必修二Unit 3）

experimentaladj.实验的；试验性的（必修一Welcome Unit）

overcomevt.克服；战胜（选必一 Unit 5）

patiencen.耐心；忍耐力（必修二Unit 5）

resourcen.资源；手段（必修二Unit 4）

词汇积累

devastatedadj.extremely upset and shocked 极为震惊的；毁灭性的

如：His family is absolutely devastated.他的一家感到极为震惊。

ripv.to tear sth or to become torn,often suddenly or violently（突然或猛烈地）撕破，裂开

如：She ripped the letter open.她撕开那封信。

popv.to suddenly appear,especially when not expected（让人意外地）突然出现；冷不防冒出

如：The window opened and a dog's head popped out.窗子打开了，冷不防一只狗探出头来。

severvt.to cut sth into two pieces;to cut sth.off sth.切断；中断

如：His hand was severed from his arm.他的手从胳膊上截断了。

harrowingadj.very shocking or frightening and making you feel very upset 令人痛苦的；令人心碎的

如：You’ve had a harrowing time this past month.过去的这个月你过得太痛苦了。

resilientadj.able to feel better quickly after sth unpleasant such as shock,injury,etc.有弹性的；能复原的

如：He’ll get over it ─young people are amazingly resilient.他会克服这些的——年轻人的适应力惊人。

一词多义

scrolln.卷轴；vi.滚动

如：I covered the scroll in sealing wax,and affixed a red ribbon.我用封蜡将卷轴封好，并系上一根红丝带。

如：Scroll down to the bottom of the document.向下滚动到文件末尾。

fostervt.促进；培养；养育；收养

如：The club’s aim is to foster better relations within the community.俱乐部的宗旨是促进团体内部的关系。

如：They have fostered over 60 children during the past ten years.在过去十年间，他们抚育了60 多个儿童。

prevailvi.盛行；流行；战胜

如：Those beliefs still prevail among certain social groups.这些信念在某些社会群体中仍很盛行。

如：Justice will prevail over tyranny.正义必将战胜暴虐。

美句赏析

She taught me patience and unconditional love,and that you give your time,energy and resources to others because it makes you feel good,not because you deserve or wish for something in return.

翻译：她教会我耐心和无条件的爱，以及你把时间、精力和资源给予他人是因为这让你感觉良好，而不是因为你值得或希望得到某些回报。

结构分析：本句是一个复合句。这个句子由两个主句组成，它们被并列连词“and”连接。第一个主句描述了“她”所教导的内容，而第二个主句引入了一个关于给予他人的普遍陈述或原则。这一原则通过一个原因状语从句进一步解释，指明人们应该给予他人，不是期望得到回报，而是因为这给予给人带来满足感。

阅读小练

一、用括号中所给单词的正确形式填空。

1.With a sense of urgency,the firefighters__________ (urgent) entered the burning building to rescue the trapped residents.

2.The athlete’s __________(determine) efforts in training paid off when she won the gold medal at the international competition.

3.__________(adjust) to a new culture and lifestyle can be difficult,but with time and effort,one can find a sense of belonging.

4.The __________(abandon) building,with broken windows and crumbling walls,stood as a reminder of neglect.

5.The news of the economic downturn left many small businesses feeling __________(devastate),unsure of their financial future.

二、根据文章内容，选出最佳答案。

1.How did the author discover Audrey?

A.On Instagram.

B.In an animal shelter.

C.On a pet adoption website.

D.Through a friend’s recommendation.

2.Why did Audrey urgently need fostering?

A.She was a stray dog.

B.She was too young to be left alone.

C.She was aggressive towards other animals.

D.She had a spinal injury and severed back feet.

3.How did Audrey’s physical condition change over the years?

A.She remained in a wheelchair.

B.She became completely immobile.

C.She gradually recovered without surgeries.

D.She underwent multiple surgeries and prosthetic fittings.

4.According to the author,what did Audrey teach about giving to others?

A.Give to receive.

B.Give for personal gain.

C.Giving is a sign of weakness.

D.Give to feel good,not for something in return.

答案与解析

一、1.urgently 2.determined 3.Adjusting 4.abandoned 5.devastated

二、1.A。细节理解题。根据文章第二段内容可知，作者在浏览Instagram 时看到了Audrey 的照片，即通过社交媒体Instagram 发现了Audrey。故选A。

2.D。细节理解题。根据文章第三段第一句和第三句可知，Audrey 在得克萨斯州的一座废弃房屋中被发现，脊椎受伤，两只后腿截肢。由于她的伤势需要极端细心的照料，因此她急需寄养。故选D。

3.D。细节理解题。根据文章第五段最后一句可知，Audrey 经历了六次手术，尝试了五套不同的假肢，多年来一直使用轮椅，并最终通过多次手术和假肢更换来治愈她的腿。这是Audrey 多年来身体状况变化的描述。故选D。

4.D。推理判断题。根据文章最后一段第三句可知，Audrey 教会了作者，将时间、精力和资源给予他人是因为这让你感觉良好，而不是期望得到回报。故选D。