8 The Autumn of the Earthquake

8　地动之秋

ONE FINE OCTOBER day when I was still inprimary school our desks started to tremble and shake.

10月一个晴朗的日子，当时我还在读小学，忽然感觉我们的课桌椅开始剧烈地摇晃、晃动起来。

Our classes were still mixed at that age,and all the boys and girls yelled, ‘Earthquake!’We ranoutside as we had been taught to do.

因为年纪还小，我们都还是男女合班上课。男孩女孩们都开始大叫地震了，边喊边往外跑，就像学校平时教导我们的一样。

All the children gathered around ourteachers as chicks swarm to a mother hen.

所有的孩子都聚在老师们的身旁，像是小鸡在寻求母鸡的保护。

Swat lies on a geological fault line and weoften had earthquakes, but this felt different.

斯瓦特坐落在一条地质断层带上，所以这里经常发生地震，但这次的地震不太寻常。

All the buildings around us seemed to beshaking and the rumbling didn’t stop.

我们周遭的所有建筑物都在摇晃，耳中隆隆声不绝。

Most of us were crying and our teacherswere praying.

孩子们大多被吓哭了，老师们则都在祈祷。

Miss Rubi, one of my favourite teachers,told us to stop crying and to stay calm; it would soon be over.

我最喜欢的老师之一茹比小姐要我们别哭了，保持冷静，地震应该很快就会平息。