高中英语教学：Horses in the Snow

HorsesintheSnow

Inspiredbyatruestory

BySusanMargaretChapman

BENRACEDOUTofschool.Twoweeksofholidays!Christmaswasalmosthere.He

jumpedoverpilesofsnowontheroadandsliddownatobogganruninthepark.

Whenhegothome,hewentintothebarntocheckonhispony,Scout.Heslipped

himasugarcubefromhispocket,andScoutnuzzledhisshoulder.Benstarted

towardthehouseandsawhisolderbrotherJackstartingthesnowmobile."Unde

Mikejustcalled/'saidJack."Heranoutofgasonthebigtrail.Wanttocome?"

"Sure!”saidBen.Hezippedintothehouse,pulledonhiscold-weathergear;

heavyboots,helmet,andgoggles,andhoppedontheback.Theysetoffslowly.The

snowwasfreshanddeepontheremotemountainpath.WhentheygottoUncle

Mike'ssnowmobile,Jackwentoverwiththegascan.Benputonhisthickwoolhat

andwalkedupanddowntokeepwarm.Helookedupthemountainandsaw

somethingmoving.Maybeitwasadeer.Helookedagain.Wasitamoose?Hewent

backtothesnowmobiletogetthebinoculars.Nowhecouldseethereweretwo

animals.Onehadawhitespotonitsforehead.Coulditbeahorse?Wayuptherein

thesnow?Jackclimbedbackonthesnowmobile.HegaveUncleMikeawave,and

said,〃Let'sgo,Ben.Fmfreezing!'7Bensaid,"Ithinktherearehorsesupthere!"

Hepointeduptothesnowytrees."What!”saidJack."Noway.Mustbemoose.Let'

sgo."Benlookedbackupthemountain,buthecouldn1tseeanything.Hewassure

theywerehorses.HeslowlysatbehindJack.ATDINNERBENsaid,"Isawtwo

horsesuponthemountaintoday."Hisfatherstoppedeatinghisstew."Ymsure/1

saidBenfirmly.〃H'm,〃saidhisdad.theyarehorses,theymustbetrappedby

allthissnow.Butnoonehastalkedaboutlosinganyhorses."/zIfthey'retrapped,

wehavetodosomething/7saidBen,hisvoicerising.HisdadlookedatJack."Well,

inthemorninggotakealook.Taketherifleandsomehay.Iftheylookasiftheycan

survive,givethemthehay.Ifnot...”Jacklookedgrim,andslowlynodded.Ben

knewwhatthegunwasfor;andhischestwentcold.FIRSTTHINGINthemorning,

BenwokeupJack.〃Let'sgo,let'sgo!"hesaid.Jackwashalfasleep.〃OK,OK：

hemumbled."Justletmehavesomecoffee."Theysetoffinthecold,crispsnow.

WhentheygottotheplacewhereBenhadseenthehorses,theystoppedand

lookedup.Nohorses.Theywaitedforafewminutes.Benstompedupanddown

tryingtogetwarmintheminustwenty-fivedegreeweather.Jackbangedhishands

together."Well,yourhorsesaren'tthere.Let'sgohome!""Wait,Jack."Benput

twofingersinhismouthandgavetheloudestwhistlehecould.Jackhadtaught

himhowtodoit.〃Doitagain/1saidJack.Hewhistledatthesametime.Heusedthe

binocularsforaminute."Iseethem.Aheadjustpoppedup.They'rehorsesall

right.Ithinkthey7reatthetopoftheoldhikingroad.Let'strytotakethe

snowmobileupthatway."Theystartedup.Thesnowmobilesankabitinthedeep

snow,buttheykeptgoing.Atlasttheyreachedtheclearingwherethehorsesstood.

"Ohno!〃saidBen."They'restarving!Lookattheirribs/1Oneofthehorseshad

lostalotofhair,andtheirtailswerealmostgone.Theireyeswerelifelessand

tired.Jackwalkedaroundthehorses."Well,"saidJack,sighing,pickinguptherifle.

"IguessIbetterusethis.There'snowaytogetthemdownthroughthesnow.And

theylookprettybad.""No!No!”saidBen.Onehorseturnedandlookedathimand

madeasoftlittlenoise."Weshouldtry,“pleadedBen.〃Howdoweknowhowbad

theyreallyare?Dadcangetthevet!”"Well,Idon'tknow/'saidJackslowly.He

walkedaroundthehorsesagain.Hepattedthebigbrownoneontheneck.Itmade

asad,smallgroaningsound."Maybeyou'reright/1Hesuredidnftwanttohave

toshootthesehorses.Benquicklygotthehayoffthebackofthesnowmobileand

spreaditaroundinpiles.Thehorsesatehungrily,andBenpouredwaterintoapail

forthem.Withonemorepattoeachhorse,JackandBenclimbedonthe

snowmobileanddrovebackdownthemountainasquicklyastheycouldtoreport

theirnews.BACKATHOMEthefamilyhadahurriedmeeting.〃Howwillweever

getthemdown?”theirmotherasked."Maybewecouldgetahelicoptertoliftthem

out,“saidJack.Dadshookhishead."They'dprobablybreaktheirlegslanding/'

“Whatifweputthemonabigsled?”Momsaid.don'tknowhowwecouldget

asledthatbigupthere/'Dadsaid."Ithinkthekindestthingtodoistoputthem

outoftheirmisery/7"No!"saidBen"We'IIjusthavetoshovelapathortunnel

then."Hisparentsraisedtheireyebrows."That'salongway,andalotofsnow.Idon'

tknowifitcanbedone,“Dadsaid,“unlesswehaveanawfullotofpeople

shoveling/1Bencouldseehewaswarmingtotheidea."We'IIfindsome!”said

Ben.Hegrabbedhiscoatandboots."Comeon,Jack,letsgo!”Jacklooked

questioninglyathisdad."Itmightbepossible/1Dadsaid."Worthatry,Iguess.”

Buthedidn'tsoundhopeful.THETWOBROTHERSwentfromdoortodoorasking

everyonetocomeandhelp.Theywenttothehardwarestoreandthegasstation.

Theyputnoticesupinthegrocerystoreandthelibrary.Theywenttothebankand

thehotel.Thentheytookthesnowmobilebackupthemountainwithmorehayand

waterandsomewarmblankets.Thehorsesseemedhappytoseethem.Benstill

hadoatsandsugarcubesinhispocketforScout,andhegavethemsome.Benand

Jackstartedshoveling.Theyworkedforhoursbutonlymadeasmalldentinthe

snow."Thisishopeless/'saidJack.Heleanedonhisshovelandwipedhisdripping

nose."Let'sgohome.Nooneisgoingtohelp/1wWecan7tgiveup/'saidBen.

Buthisfingerswerefrozen,andhisnosefeltnumb.Suddenly,agroupof

snowmobilersarrivedwithshovelsandhotchocolate.TheyhadfollowedBenand

Jack7stracksupthetrail."OK,boys/1theysaid.'Takeabreak.Therearemore

coming!”Forthenextweek,peoplecameandshoveledeveryday,andadeep,

narrowtrenchveryslowlyworkeditswaydownthemountain.Itwasalmost

Christmas,butnoonehadtimetoeventhinkaboutthat.JackandBenwentevery

daytofeedandwaterandtalktothehorses.Ontheseventhday,theyknewthey

werealmostthere.JackandDadsetoutearlywiththesnowmobile,soBendecided

toridehisponytothemountain.WhenhegottothebottomfhetiedScouttoa

treeandlistened.Hecouldhearmuffledvoicesandthesoundofshovels.Inafew

minutestherewasacheer,andtwomenwithshovelsbrokethroughthesnowat

thebottom.Everyonewascelebratingandhuggingeachother.Somewereoncell

phones,callingeveryonetheyknew.BengrinnedfromeartoearandgaveScouta

bighug.Thenhewentasfastashecouldupthetunneltotheclearing.Hisdadput

ahalteroneachhorse,andheandJackstartedtoleadthemdownthetunnel.But

thefirsthorsewouldn11go!Itwasscared!/#Iwasafraidofthat/7saidDad.Thenthey

triedtheotherhorse.Thesamethinghappened.Bengavethefrightenedhorses

somecarrots.Theystillwouldn1tmove."Iknow!"1saidBen."YIIgetScout!/ZHe

randownthetunnelandgotScout.Scoutwasn'thappyaboutgoingintothe

tunnel.Hestoppedandrefusedtomove."Comeon,Scout,youcandoit；said

Ben.Hewasoutofbreathandpantingfromrunningallthatway.HegaveScout

someoatsandstrokedhisnose.Hetriedagain,andthistimeScoutfollowed

nervously.Whentheyarrivedatthetop,Jacksaid,〃Ohno,Ihopewedon'thave

threehorsesstuckuphere/7Ben'sheartfroze,butheledScoutovertothehorses.

Theysniffedandnickeredgentlyateachother