夏季是溺水事件的多发期。在酷热难耐的8月，人们喜欢到清凉的水边避暑。如不慎落入水中，该怎么办呢？掌握科学的自救方法是一方面，更重要的还是临危不乱的心态。在遇到险情的时候，如果我们还能保持头脑冷静，就更有可能快速找到解救办法。
下面这篇故事的主人公名叫怀亚特，他和伙伴们乘坐皮划艇经过一处狭长的峡谷。
那是阿肯色河流经科罗拉多州最险峻峡谷的河段，一条长达10英里的“白色水域”。White water是湍急的河流流过岩石时呈现的碎浪水花，翻滚的白沫形成一片白色水域。
当时船上有七个人，向导布洛迪的喊声几乎被水声淹没。
他们前面还有一艘搁浅的船，船上的人等待着救援。为了去营救，怀亚特一行人的船故意撞上去，结果导致他们自己的船急速倒退，卷入湍急的水流。
“所有人，向后划！”听惯了向前划的怀亚特愣住了。
等他反应过来已经太迟，船撞上了峭壁，他被甩出船外。强势的河流推搡着怀亚特，他四处张望，发现自己落水的地方竟然离船有40多米远，超出了布洛迪可以给他扔救生索的范围。
不过，布洛迪也说过，假如落水了，要仰面漂浮在水上，脚对着下游的方向，这样双腿可以减缓暗礁的撞击。怀亚特保持冷静，随后开始一场教科书式的自救……
故事原文如下：
Into the Rapids
坠入湍流
By Bradford H. Robie
Art by Melissa Manwill
One minute, Wyatt was perched on the edge of the raft like everyone else. The next, he was falling overboard, right into the monstrous rapids.
They were on the Arkansas River, navigating a 10-mile stretch of whitewater that passed through one of Colorado’s deepest canyons. There were seven people on the raft: six paddlers and Brody, their guide. Brody had cautioned them that some of the rapids would be intense. “Just follow my commands and we’ll do fine,” he yelled over the thundering river.
Wyatt had become accustomed to Brody’s instructions of “Forward one stroke!” and “Forward two!” But now Brody was telling them to paddle backward.
Just seconds earlier, they had freed another raft that was hung up on a rock by intentionally slamming into the stalled raft. But the momentum had caused their own raft to enter some tricky rapids too quickly.
“All back, everyone, hard!” Brody shouted. “We do not want to hit this!” But it was too late. The raft rammed into the canyon wall. As they bounced back, one end of the raft was sucked downward. Suddenly, water was pouring in everywhere.
The paddlers struggled to keep their balance, but as the boat popped back up, Wyatt was thrown backward into the water. His body took off like a shot.
He was overwhelmed by the river’s frightful power. The water tossed him around, pummeling him with waves, pulling him under, thrusting him up. He caught breaths whenever he could.
He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see Brody about to toss him the lifeline, but he’d already moved 50 yards ahead of the raft.
I can’t believe this is happening, Wyatt thought. On either side of him, the canyon walls rose straight up like skyscrapers, offering nothing to hold on to.
He tried to remember the safety talk he had half-listened to. “If you fall out, we’ll either pull you back in or I’ll throw you a lifeline,” Brody had told them.
Wyatt’s brother, Johnny, had leaned toward him, whispering, “Wouldn’t it be awesome to fall in?”
“Like a flume ride,” Wyatt had joked, grinning.
Dad had shushed them, making it clear they should be listening to the guide.
“If you do fall in,” Brody had continued, “don’t stand up. Float on your back, feet facing downriver and held high so your legs can cushion any rocks you might run into.”
Wyatt rolled onto his back now, pointing his feet downstream, and lost his grip on the paddle that was still in his hand. He watched as the paddle quickly disappeared into the whitewater.
He knew he had to let go of the idea that someone was going to swoop down and save him. I have to get out of this myself, he realized.
He thought of his middle-school basketball tournament—how he had kept calm and blocked out the crowd while shooting foul shots. Don’t panic, he told himself.
The river quieted momentarily and Wyatt was able to catch his breath. Around the bend, he saw a stretch of riverbank with some tumbled-down rocks that might provide a handhold.
Then he saw something even more promising: the raft they’d freed earlier was pulled up alongside the riverbank. Its crew spotted Wyatt and started waving frantically. “Swim!” they shouted. “Swim to us!”
His hopes ignited, Wyatt turned onto his stomach and swam. He gave it everything he had.
“You can make it!” they yelled.
He was getting closer, but the relentless current was pushing him downstream, away from the raft. Wyatt adjusted his angle by aiming higher upriver and swam even harder, using every last ounce of energy.
Finally, he was just a yard away. Knowing this was his only chance, he took two strokes and lunged for the raft.
Immediately, he felt strong hands grabbing hold of his life vest and pulling him from the river. As he collapsed in a shaking heap, someone asked him if he was OK, but Wyatt was too winded to speak.
A moment later, his team’s raft pulled up next to them. After Wyatt had recovered, Dad, Brody, and the other guide helped him climb into their raft.
“You did a great job getting out of a dangerous situation,” Brody told him. “You really kept your head.”
Wyatt grinned self-consciously, and then Brody said, “OK, team. We’ve got one more set of rapids today, and then we’re home free.”
Wyatt looked at him in disbelief.
“Don’t worry. They’re small,” Brody said reassuringly. “Besides, the river’s our only ticket home.”
Wyatt nodded as Brody handed him an extra paddle. He had a new respect for the river’s power. But now, that same power was going to carry him safely back.
Brody pushed them off. “Forward paddle, everyone!” he called. And they started for home.
本文刊登在《英语沙龙》（原版阅读）2022年8月刊
责任编辑：Zan
