Who Was Ronald Reagan 罗纳德·威尔逊·里根

It was already dark, and the beach at Lowell Park was closed for the day. Dutch Reagan, the seventeen-year-old lifeguard, was helping¹ the park manager, Mr. Graybill, close up the changing rooms when they heard muffled² cries and splashing. A swimmer had sneaked³ into the park for an after-hours swim. Now he was in trouble, caught in the fast-flowing waters of the Rock River.

Dutch peeled off his glasses and dived into the dark water. He followed the sounds. A desperate man was struggling to keep his head above water. The swimmer was so panicky that he tried to fight off his rescuer.

Dutch was afraid the man would drown them both. At last, the swimmer was too exhausted⁴ to fight anymore. Dutch held the man’s head out of the water and swam one-armed back to shore.

“PULLED FROM THE JAWS⁵ OF DEATH” screamed the headline in the Dixon, Illinois, Evening Telegraph. The paper called Dutch a hero, adding that he had saved twenty-five lives so far.

Dutch Reagan worked as a lifeguard for six summers. For the most part, the job was not glamorous⁶. Early every morning, Dutch had to stock the snack bar. There was no refrigerator, just three big ice chests. So he would stop at the icehouse for a 300-pound slab⁷ of ice. After chopping the ice into three big chunks⁸, he carried them, one by one, to the beach.

No matter how hot it got, Dutch didn’t take a swim. The rule was that the lifeguard never got his suit wet unless he was in the water to save a life. The Rock River was famous for dangerous currents. In the past, people had been swept downstream. They had gotten trapped in the sluice⁹ gate of the dam. It had been up to the lifeguard to dive around the dam and get the body.

Dutch was proud of his work. Every time he pulled a swimmer from the river, he would carve a notch¹⁰ into an old log near his station.

After six summers, the log had seventy-seven notches¹¹ cut into it. Patrolling the beach was hard work, twelve hours every day of the week, but Dutch enjoyed being responsible for the safety of the swimmers at Lowell Park.

Many years later, when he was known as Ronald Reagan, he became the fortieth president of the United States. But Dutch always looked back on his days as a lifeguard as one of the best times of his life.
 

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 sneaked   

v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状

参考例句：

• I sneaked up the stairs. 我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
• She sneaked a surreptitious glance at her watch. 她偷偷看了一眼手表。

4 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

5 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

6 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

7 slab   

n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上

参考例句：

• This heavy slab of oak now stood between the bomb and Hitler.这时笨重的橡木厚板就横在炸弹和希特勒之间了。
• The monument consists of two vertical pillars supporting a horizontal slab.这座纪念碑由两根垂直的柱体构成，它们共同支撑着一块平板。

8 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

9 sluice   

n.水闸

参考例句：

• We opened the sluice and the water poured in.我们打开闸门，水就涌了进来。
• They regulate the flow of water by the sluice gate.他们用水闸门控制水的流量。

10 notch   

n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级

参考例句：

• The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
• He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。

11 notches   

n.（边缘或表面上的）V型痕迹( notch的名词复数 )；刻痕；水平；等级

参考例句：

• The Indians cut notches on a stick to keep count of numbers. 印第安人在棒上刻V形凹痕用来计数。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They cut notches in the handle of their pistol for each man they shot. 他们每杀一个人就在枪托上刻下一个V形记号。 来自辞典例句