新浪博客
I’m on the 87th floor of the World Trade Center. That’s power. The
drawstrings on his window shades would appear to
sway[vi] slightly, but it was an
illusion[vii]. Although they were 1,040 feet
in the sky, The WTC was quite steady.
以前，亚当·梅布拉姆常常喜欢看着暴风雨敲打他办公室的窗户：你以为这就算力量吗？梅布拉姆心里一定在嘲笑。我身处世贸中心的87层，这才是力量的象征。办公室百叶窗的拉绳似乎微微地晃动了一下，不过那只是幻觉。尽管它们处于离地达1040英尺的高空，但世贸中心是相当稳固的。
When Mayblum felt a devastating[viii] rumble on that September morning, he glanced at[ix] the drawstrings. They were careening wildly, three feet in either direction.九月的那个上午，梅布拉姆听到有东西被摧毁的强烈轰隆声时，他瞟了一眼百叶窗的拉绳。它们在疯狂地左右摇摆，摆幅达三英尺。
Mayblum would be one of thousands cast into an extraordinary purgatory[x] that morning.[xi] While as many as 25,000 would find their way to safety, 5,000 would not.那天上午梅布拉姆注定成为成千上万被迫投入炼狱的成员之一，其中有25000人能安全逃生，另有5000人则没能如此。
For some, it was a matter of[xii] geography[xiii] — not just which tower they worked in or on which floor, but in which corner of the building. 对有些人来说，能否逃生，这是一个地理位置问题---不仅仅是取决于他们在哪座楼工作，在哪层楼工作，也取决于他们在大楼的哪个角落。
For some, the choices were as basic as which staircase to use. Others faced the ultimate moral dilemma[xiv]: Save yourself, or save another.[xv]对有些人来说，问题简单到选择走哪个楼梯。但对其他一些人来说，他们则陷入道义上的两难境地：救自己，还是救别人。
The confusion[xvi] inside Adam Mayblum’s office at May Davis, a financial services firm, lasted just seconds.[xvii] He knew he needed to get out. 梅布拉姆供职于梅·戴维斯金融服务公司，当时他办公室的混乱状况只持续了几秒种，他知道他得逃生。
He ripped his T-shirt into pieces, soaked[xviii] the pieces in water and gave them to colleagues to cover their faces.[xix] Among them: Harry Ramos, head trader at May Davis. Mayblum had worked with Ramos off and on[xx] for 14 years.[xxi] 他把T恤衫撕成碎片，浸到水里，然后把它们分发给同事，用来捂住脸。这些同事中有公司首席交易员哈利.拉姆斯。算起来，他俩断断续续共事有14年之久了。
Sparks bit at Mayblum’s ankles as he raced for the stairs.[xxii] He bolted down two flights before realizing that his trading partner, Hong Zhu, had been left behind.[xxiii] He went back upstairs, the whole area now filled with smoke and burning jet fuel.[xxiv]当梅布拉姆冲向楼梯时，四溅的火花烧伤了脚踝。他冲下了两段楼梯之后才想他的搭档朱洪还在后面没跟上，于是他又折回楼上，这时整个楼上都浓烟弥漫，飞机燃料正在燃烧。
There was no sign of Hong. Mayblum hurried down again and made it to the 78th floor, a transfer[xxv] lobby where one set of elevators and stairs ended and another began. He saw a reassuring[xxvi] sight; Ramos had waded into the pandemonium to help panicked[xxvii] workers into a stairwell. 到处都没找到洪。梅布拉姆赶忙冲下楼，到了78层，那儿有一个转乘大厅，一段电梯和楼梯与另一段电梯和楼梯的交接处。在那，他看到令人欣慰的一幕：拉姆斯正在混乱的环境中帮助受惊吓的工人进入电梯井。
Mayblum continued his descent[xxviii], the muscles in his calves contracting in spasms.[xxix] On the 53rd floor, he came across a heavyset[xxx] man whose legs just wouldn’t move anymore.[xxxi]梅布拉姆继续下楼，他的小腿肚开始抽筋。在53层那他看到一个大块头，腿不能动了。
“Do you want to come, or do you want us to send help?” Mayblum shouted. 梅布拉姆冲他喊道：“你想跟我一起下楼，还是让我帮你叫救兵？”
The man asked him to send help. Adam said he would. 那个人让他叫人来帮忙，亚当答应了。
In the noise, smoke and sparks, Mayblum didn’t realize that his friend Hong Zhu was behind him in the stairwell the whole time. When Hong got to the 53rd floor, he came across Harry Ramos. Ramos had stooped[xxxii] to help the heavyset man Mayblum had seen earlier. “I’ll give you a hand[xxxiii],” Hong said.在一片噪音，浓烟和火花中，梅布拉姆没注意到他的朋友朱洪在电梯井里一路跟在他后面。洪到了53层，他碰到了哈利·拉姆斯。拉姆斯正停下来在帮助梅布拉姆之前遇到的那个大块头，洪说：“我来帮你一把。”
Together, Ramos and Hong helped the man down one more flight to an elevator.洪和拉姆斯两人一起帮那大块头下了一段楼梯来到电梯前。
“Don’t take it,” a Port Authority official screamed.一名港务局官员大叫：“别坐电梯。”
Hong and Ramos tried to send a magazine down in the elevator to test its safety. But when they pressed the “down” button, the doors wouldn’t close. So Hong decided that he would be the guinea pig instead.[xxxiv]洪和拉姆斯把一本杂志放进电梯，想测试一下是否能安全下行，但按下“下行”的按钮后，电梯门却关不上。于是洪决定当小白鼠，亲自试一下。
He stepped inside, and the doors shut behind him.他走进电梯，门在他身后关上了。
Hong took the elevator down to the 44th floor, the next transfer lobby. So far, so good.[xxxv] He pressed “52,” went back up and collected Ramos and the heavyset man. 洪乘电梯来到44层，这里有另一个转乘大厅。到目前为止，一切顺利，他按了“52”，上去接拉姆斯和大块头。
On 44 Hong and Ramos helped the man toward the last bank of elevators that would take them all the way down.到了44层，洪和拉姆斯帮大块头来到最后一段电梯前，这段电梯可以一直把他们送下一楼。
Hong pressed the “down” button again. Nothing. They would have to take the stairs.洪又按了“下行”的按钮，电梯没反应。他们只能走楼梯了。
Ramos and Hong tried to support the man. “One step at a time,” Hong said.拉姆斯和洪一直尽力架着大块头。洪说：“一次迈一步。”
They had been trying to get out for an hour and five minutes. They were on 36 when they felt the South Tower collapse[xxxvi]. 为了逃生，他们已经走了一小时零五分，当下到36层时，他们感觉到南楼倒塌了。
“We really have to move,” Hong said. 洪说：“我们真的得快点走了。”
The rumbles of the collapsing tower next door seemed to sap[xxxvii] the heavyset man of his last gasps of energy.[xxxviii] “I can’t do it anymore,” he said, sitting down. 隔壁南楼倒塌的轰隆声似乎夺抽走了大块头最后的力气，他瘫坐了下来，说：“我再也走不动了。”
Hong and Ramos tried to persuade[xxxix] him to continue. “You don’t have to move your legs!” Hong shouted. “Just move your butt. Let’s go!” But the man couldn’t go on. 洪和拉姆斯想劝他继续，洪大喊道：“你不用挪腿，只要挪动你的屁股就行，走吧！”但那个人实在走动不了。
A fireman ran up to them. Hong expected that he would join in to get the heavy man to move. Instead, the fireman turned to Hong. 一个消防队员向他们跑过来，洪希望他能过来帮忙，但他没有，而是转向洪。
“Who are you, screaming at him to get out?”[xl] the fireman shouted. “You get out!”消防队员大声叫道：“你以为你是谁，居然朝他喊，叫他出去？你自己快出去！”
Hong looked at Ramos, who was still standing with the heavy
When Mayblum felt a devastating[viii] rumble on that September morning, he glanced at[ix] the drawstrings. They were careening wildly, three feet in either direction.九月的那个上午，梅布拉姆听到有东西被摧毁的强烈轰隆声时，他瞟了一眼百叶窗的拉绳。它们在疯狂地左右摇摆，摆幅达三英尺。
Mayblum would be one of thousands cast into an extraordinary purgatory[x] that morning.[xi] While as many as 25,000 would find their way to safety, 5,000 would not.那天上午梅布拉姆注定成为成千上万被迫投入炼狱的成员之一，其中有25000人能安全逃生，另有5000人则没能如此。
For some, it was a matter of[xii] geography[xiii] — not just which tower they worked in or on which floor, but in which corner of the building. 对有些人来说，能否逃生，这是一个地理位置问题---不仅仅是取决于他们在哪座楼工作，在哪层楼工作，也取决于他们在大楼的哪个角落。
For some, the choices were as basic as which staircase to use. Others faced the ultimate moral dilemma[xiv]: Save yourself, or save another.[xv]对有些人来说，问题简单到选择走哪个楼梯。但对其他一些人来说，他们则陷入道义上的两难境地：救自己，还是救别人。
The confusion[xvi] inside Adam Mayblum’s office at May Davis, a financial services firm, lasted just seconds.[xvii] He knew he needed to get out. 梅布拉姆供职于梅·戴维斯金融服务公司，当时他办公室的混乱状况只持续了几秒种，他知道他得逃生。
He ripped his T-shirt into pieces, soaked[xviii] the pieces in water and gave them to colleagues to cover their faces.[xix] Among them: Harry Ramos, head trader at May Davis. Mayblum had worked with Ramos off and on[xx] for 14 years.[xxi] 他把T恤衫撕成碎片，浸到水里，然后把它们分发给同事，用来捂住脸。这些同事中有公司首席交易员哈利.拉姆斯。算起来，他俩断断续续共事有14年之久了。
Sparks bit at Mayblum’s ankles as he raced for the stairs.[xxii] He bolted down two flights before realizing that his trading partner, Hong Zhu, had been left behind.[xxiii] He went back upstairs, the whole area now filled with smoke and burning jet fuel.[xxiv]当梅布拉姆冲向楼梯时，四溅的火花烧伤了脚踝。他冲下了两段楼梯之后才想他的搭档朱洪还在后面没跟上，于是他又折回楼上，这时整个楼上都浓烟弥漫，飞机燃料正在燃烧。
There was no sign of Hong. Mayblum hurried down again and made it to the 78th floor, a transfer[xxv] lobby where one set of elevators and stairs ended and another began. He saw a reassuring[xxvi] sight; Ramos had waded into the pandemonium to help panicked[xxvii] workers into a stairwell. 到处都没找到洪。梅布拉姆赶忙冲下楼，到了78层，那儿有一个转乘大厅，一段电梯和楼梯与另一段电梯和楼梯的交接处。在那，他看到令人欣慰的一幕：拉姆斯正在混乱的环境中帮助受惊吓的工人进入电梯井。
Mayblum continued his descent[xxviii], the muscles in his calves contracting in spasms.[xxix] On the 53rd floor, he came across a heavyset[xxx] man whose legs just wouldn’t move anymore.[xxxi]梅布拉姆继续下楼，他的小腿肚开始抽筋。在53层那他看到一个大块头，腿不能动了。
“Do you want to come, or do you want us to send help?” Mayblum shouted. 梅布拉姆冲他喊道：“你想跟我一起下楼，还是让我帮你叫救兵？”
The man asked him to send help. Adam said he would. 那个人让他叫人来帮忙，亚当答应了。
In the noise, smoke and sparks, Mayblum didn’t realize that his friend Hong Zhu was behind him in the stairwell the whole time. When Hong got to the 53rd floor, he came across Harry Ramos. Ramos had stooped[xxxii] to help the heavyset man Mayblum had seen earlier. “I’ll give you a hand[xxxiii],” Hong said.在一片噪音，浓烟和火花中，梅布拉姆没注意到他的朋友朱洪在电梯井里一路跟在他后面。洪到了53层，他碰到了哈利·拉姆斯。拉姆斯正停下来在帮助梅布拉姆之前遇到的那个大块头，洪说：“我来帮你一把。”
Together, Ramos and Hong helped the man down one more flight to an elevator.洪和拉姆斯两人一起帮那大块头下了一段楼梯来到电梯前。
“Don’t take it,” a Port Authority official screamed.一名港务局官员大叫：“别坐电梯。”
Hong and Ramos tried to send a magazine down in the elevator to test its safety. But when they pressed the “down” button, the doors wouldn’t close. So Hong decided that he would be the guinea pig instead.[xxxiv]洪和拉姆斯把一本杂志放进电梯，想测试一下是否能安全下行，但按下“下行”的按钮后，电梯门却关不上。于是洪决定当小白鼠，亲自试一下。
He stepped inside, and the doors shut behind him.他走进电梯，门在他身后关上了。
Hong took the elevator down to the 44th floor, the next transfer lobby. So far, so good.[xxxv] He pressed “52,” went back up and collected Ramos and the heavyset man. 洪乘电梯来到44层，这里有另一个转乘大厅。到目前为止，一切顺利，他按了“52”，上去接拉姆斯和大块头。
On 44 Hong and Ramos helped the man toward the last bank of elevators that would take them all the way down.到了44层，洪和拉姆斯帮大块头来到最后一段电梯前，这段电梯可以一直把他们送下一楼。
Hong pressed the “down” button again. Nothing. They would have to take the stairs.洪又按了“下行”的按钮，电梯没反应。他们只能走楼梯了。
Ramos and Hong tried to support the man. “One step at a time,” Hong said.拉姆斯和洪一直尽力架着大块头。洪说：“一次迈一步。”
They had been trying to get out for an hour and five minutes. They were on 36 when they felt the South Tower collapse[xxxvi]. 为了逃生，他们已经走了一小时零五分，当下到36层时，他们感觉到南楼倒塌了。
“We really have to move,” Hong said. 洪说：“我们真的得快点走了。”
The rumbles of the collapsing tower next door seemed to sap[xxxvii] the heavyset man of his last gasps of energy.[xxxviii] “I can’t do it anymore,” he said, sitting down. 隔壁南楼倒塌的轰隆声似乎夺抽走了大块头最后的力气，他瘫坐了下来，说：“我再也走不动了。”
Hong and Ramos tried to persuade[xxxix] him to continue. “You don’t have to move your legs!” Hong shouted. “Just move your butt. Let’s go!” But the man couldn’t go on. 洪和拉姆斯想劝他继续，洪大喊道：“你不用挪腿，只要挪动你的屁股就行，走吧！”但那个人实在走动不了。
A fireman ran up to them. Hong expected that he would join in to get the heavy man to move. Instead, the fireman turned to Hong. 一个消防队员向他们跑过来，洪希望他能过来帮忙，但他没有，而是转向洪。
“Who are you, screaming at him to get out?”[xl] the fireman shouted. “You get out!”消防队员大声叫道：“你以为你是谁，居然朝他喊，叫他出去？你自己快出去！”
Hong looked at Ramos, who was still standing with the heavy