15篇文章贯通六级词汇Unit07-Part1

[00:12.89]The Decision

[00:14.21]Dr. Sam said to me:

[00:17.05]“I don't know how to

[00:18.48]say this, except to come

[00:19.79]right out with it, Miriam.

[00:21.21]The tests we did last week

[00:22.96]show that there are abnormalities

[00:24.28]with the fetus 1. I recommend

[00:26.36]you consider an abortion 2.”

[00:27.99]I sat, hands folded together in

[00:30.84]my lap, numbed 3 by his words.

[00:32.92]The world around me disappeared

[00:34.88]as I strove to absorb

[00:36.20]the dreadful news Dr. Sam

[00:37.62]was giving me. His voice

[00:39.70]came to me as if spoken

[00:41.23]in a tunnel, hollow and echoing.

[00:44.29]Could this be true? The baby

[00:46.37]inside me, the miracle created

[00:48.67]by love, wasn't perfect!

[00:50.42]“Your baby has a condition

[00:52.61]known as Down's Syndrome 4. The problems

[00:55.12]you will face if you don't

[00:57.09]terminate this pregnancy 5 could be

[00:58.63]overwhelming, especially now that

[01:01.04]Paul is no longer with you.”

[01:03.01]Here I was, thirty nine

[01:05.52]years old, pregnant for the first time,

[01:08.14]and my doctor, my trusted friend,

[01:10.56]was telling me I should kill

[01:12.96]this innocent life in my womb.

[01:14.38]I knew I had to respond

[01:16.46]but words escaped me. Finally,

[01:18.21]I was able to speak. “I need

[01:20.95]some time to consider my options.

[01:22.80]With all that has happened

[01:24.55]in the past month and a half,

[01:25.76]I don't want to do anything

[01:26.96]without knowing all I can about this.”

[01:29.48]“You don't have long, Miriam.

[01:31.67]You are eleven weeks along

[01:33.31]and it's dangerous to perform

[01:34.73]an abortion after twelve weeks,

[01:36.15]try not to prolong your decision.”

[01:39.00]“It's too much for me to

[01:41.07]get my head around right now.

[01:42.61]I need to think. I promise

[01:44.47]I?ll get back to you

[01:45.78]in a day or so.” I left

[01:47.42]the office in a daze 6.

[01:48.95]What was I going to do?

[01:50.05]Where would I begin? Who,

[01:51.80] besides Dr. Sam, would be able

[01:54.42]to advise me? My parents were

[01:56.83]on the other side of the world,

[01:58.47]teaching in China. I felt that

[02:01.31]if I could talk to Mom,

[02:02.74]held in her comforting arms,

[02:04.60]she would give me some

[02:05.58]of her wisdom. If I could

[02:07.66]be face-to-face with Dad, he would

[02:09.96]give me strength. They were

[02:11.82]all I had left in my world.

[02:13.35] My husband, Paul, had been killed

[02:16.31]in a traffic accident six weeks ago.

[02:18.93]Mom and Dad had gone back to

[02:20.57]China a week after the funeral,

[02:22.32]when they thought I was

[02:23.52]able to cope with my loss.

[02:24.95]There was nowhere to turn.

[02:26.70]I had to face reality.

[02:29.11]This was a decision

[02:30.63]I would make on my own.

[02:32.28]I needed to gather all the information

[02:35.01]I could about Down's syndrome.

[02:36.54]I wasted no time. I went to

[02:39.28]the library to begin my research.

[02:40.92]The steps to the future

[02:42.78]were in my hands.

[02:43.98]The first medical journal I chose

[02:46.50]explained the causes of Down's syndrome.

[02:49.45]Normally, each egg and sperm 7 cell

[02:52.30]contains 23 chromosomes 9, and,

[02:54.92]when they unite, 23 pairs

[02:58.21]or 46 in total. Occasionally,

[03:01.16]an accident occurs when the egg

[03:03.90]or sperm cell is forming,

[03:05.65]creating an extra chromosome 8 number 21.

[03:08.38]This extra chromosome results in

[03:11.88]the features of Down's syndrome.

[03:13.85]In the past, this disorder 10 was

[03:16.37]called “Mongolism” because of

[03:18.12]the facial characteristics including

[03:20.09]slanted eyes and a small, flattened 11

[03:21.95]nasal bridge. It is a common

[03:24.68]genetic birth defect affecting about

[03:27.09]one in 800 to 1000 births when

[03:29.93]the mother is 30 years of age.

[03:32.01]The odds 12 of my having a Down syndrome

[03:34.64]increased to one in 100 because

[03:36.72]I was in my fortieth year.

[03:39.24]There is no cure for this disorder.

[03:41.86]Neither is there any prevention.

[03:44.05]My child would be developmentally and

[03:46.35]physically retarded 13 to a greater

[03:48.29]or lesser 14 degree. She could have

[03:51.13]numerous health problems. It was unlikely

[03:53.54]she would ever marry and

[03:55.07]her having children was out

[03:56.49]of the question. Her life expectancy 15

[03:58.24]could be as little as 55 years.

[04:01.08]Paul and I had been married

[04:03.71]for ten years and had always

[04:05.24]regretted the fact that I had

[04:06.88]been unable to conceive. After

[04:09.18]he died, I attributed my nausea 16, vomiting 17

[04:12.68]and lethargy to my grief, never

[04:15.09]suspecting that I might be pregnant.

[04:17.27]Poor Paul would never know that

[04:19.79]we would have a child together.

[04:21.43]This thought alone was what

[04:23.73]made me realize that I wouldn't

[04:25.48]be able to have an abortion,

[04:26.69]no matter what obstacles

[04:27.89]might be ahead of us.