I worked in the basement of a Caltech campus building that had been periodically haunted by the specter of the upper half of a roofer who had fallen from the six story roof twenty years earlier. 我在加利福尼亚理工大学校内的一个地下室里工作。20年前,有个盖屋顶的工人从这栋六层楼的房顶摔了下去,从此,这楼就闹鬼,那个工人的上半身总在这楼里游荡。 On the day of the 6.0 Whittier earthquakes of 1987 I arrived at the building an hour earlier than usual and took the elevator to the top floor where the snack bar was located. After buying a cup of coffee from the dispenser I strolled out of the snack room onto the penthouse balcony to gaze over the lovely campus. Just as I was about to take a sip of coffee the whole building jolted upwards and nearly knocked me off balance. Thinking the short earthquake could be a precursor to an even bigger earthquake, I turned to find my way to the stairwell. However, as I turned I was slammed to the tarmac so violently and swiftly that I had no time to break my fall with my hands. 1987年惠蒂尔发生6级地震的那天,我比平常早到了一个小时。坐着电梯到了顶楼的快餐店,从自动售货机买了一杯咖啡后,我踱出小吃店,走到有遮阳雨篷的阳台边,欣赏这可爱的校园景色。正当我要嘬口咖啡时,突然整个建筑向上晃动起来,我差点失去平衡。我想这个轻微的地震之后肯定还会有场剧烈的地震发生,便转身想下楼去。但我一转过身,我就被狠狠地甩倒在停机坪上,速度之快让我都没时间用手撑着不至于跌倒。 |