Lesson 1Question:1. Why did John Koshak decide to stay although he knew the hurricane would be bad?For the following reasons: For one thing, the house was 23 feet above sea level; for another,he was unwilling to abandon his home.2. How did the man prepare for the hurricane? Why was a generator necessary?They filled bathtubs and pails. Besides, they checked out batteries for portable radio and flashlights, and fuel for the lantern. A generator was necessary because John's father wired several light bulbs to it and prepared a connection to the refrigerator.3. What made it impossible for the Koshak to escape?It was impossible for the Koshers to escape both by car and on foot. The car's electrical system had been killed by water. Meanwhile, the water became too deep for them to escape on foot.4. Why did John Koshak feel a crushing guilt?Because he blamed himself for underestimating the power of the hurricane and then endangering the whole family by his wrong decision not to flee safer inland.5. Why did Grandma Koshak ask children to be sing?A: Because she knew how frightened the children were and wanted to boost their spirit.6. What was a hurricane party? What happened to the party gores?A hurricane party was the one that was held by several vacationers to enjoy the spectacle of the hurricane with a clear and broad view in the fancy Richelieu Apartments from where they believed they would be safe. Richelieu Apartments were smashed apart by the hurricane and 26 people perished.7. What did Grandma Koshak mean when she said," We lost practically all our possessions, but the family came through it. When I think of that, I realize we lost nothing important?" She meant that human lives are more important than material possessions.8. How did the community of Gulfport act after Hurricane Camille was over?They managed to make their lives return to normal and began rebuilding their community without any delay.Paraphrase:1. We're elevated 23 feet.Our house is 23 feet above sea level.2. The place has been here since 1915, and no hurricane has ever bothered it.The house was built in 1915 and since then no hurricane has done any damage to it.3. We can batten down and ride it out.We can prepare ourselves for the hurricane and manage to survive it without much damage.4. The generator was doused, and the lights went out.Water got into the generator, and it didn't work. As a result, the lights were put out.5. Everybody out the back door to the cars!Everybody go out though the back door and get into the cars.6. The electrical system had been killed by water.The electrical system in the cars had been destroyed by water.7. John watched the water lap at the steps, and felt a crushing guilt.When John watched the water inch its way up the steps, he felt a strong sense of guilt because he blamed himself for understanding the ferocity of Camille and endangering the whole family by mak ing the wrong decision not flee inland.8. Get us through this mess, will you?Oh, god! Please help us to get through the danger situation.9. She carried on alone for a few bars, then her voice trailed away.She sang a few words alone and then her voice gradually grew dimmer and stopped.10. Janis had just one delayed reaction.Janis didn't show her fear on the spot during the hurricane, but she revealed her emotions caused b y the hurricane several nights after the hurricane by getting up in the middle of the night, going ou tside and crying softly.翻译：1. But, like thousands of others in the coastal communities, John was reluctant to abandon his home unless the family---his wife, Janis, and their seven children, aged 3 to 11--- was clearly endangered. 但是，和沿海地区其他成千上万的人一样，约翰不愿舍弃自己的家园，除非他的家人—自己的家人贾妮斯以及他们的7个孩子，大的11岁，小的才3岁—明显处于危险之中。
2. The French doors in an upstairs room blew in with an explosive sound, and the group heard gun-like reports as other upstairs windows disintegrated.随着一声巨响，楼上一个房间的法式落地双开门被风吹倒了。
大家还听到楼上其他玻璃窗破碎时发出的像开枪一样的啪啪响声。
3. Frightened, breathless and wet, the group settled on the stairs, which were protected by two interior walls. 大家都吓坏了，气喘吁吁的，浑身都湿透了。
他们坐在楼梯上，楼梯两侧有内墙保护着。
4. Everyone knew there was no escape; they would live or die in the house. 大家都明白已无路可逃，无论是死是活他们都只能待在这个房子里了。
5. A moment later, the hurricane, in one mighty swipe, lifted the entire roof off the house and skimmed it 40 feet though the air. 不一会儿，一阵强风刮过，将整个屋顶掀到了空中，并将其抛到40英尺以外。