Fear is a fact of life everyone faces from time to time. In most cases fearis a healthy reaction to a dangerous situation. But sometimes fear can be so extreme, so overwhelming, that it interferes1 with normal living. That is what happened to me driving cross-country last summer.

　　心驚膽顫的事情人人在生活中都偶爾會碰到。驚恐大都是對危險倩況的一種積極反應(yīng)。不過，有時驚恐會達到極端、不堪承受的程度，以至干擾正常的生活。這正是我去年夏天在駕車橫穿北美大陸途中所經(jīng)歷的情況。

　　I'd agreed to help my brother, Mac, move from the East Coast to California. He would drive a rental2 truck loaded with his belongings3 and I would follow him in his sedan, then fly back. We figured it would be a simple trip, with four or five motel stops along the way.

　　我答應(yīng)幫弟弟麥克從東海岸把家搬到加利福尼亞州。到時他將開租來的卡車拉上全部家什，我跟在后面幫他把小車開過去，然后乘飛機返回。我們估計這趟旅行很簡單，中途在四五家汽車旅館落落腳就行了。

　　Living and working in coastal4 Georgia for most of my life, I did not have a great deal of long-distance driving experience. Looking back on it today, I can see that I'd always felt a twinge of fear when driving over small bridges and along hilly highways. And as I was getting ready for the trip I had a vague concern about the steep mountain roads that lay ahead. But I thought I would get used to them.

　　我長這么大，大多生活和工作在沿海的佐治亞州，沒有多少長途駕駛的經(jīng)驗。今天回想起來，其實我每逢開車過小橋、走山路時都提心吊膽。在為此行作準備時，我心里就開始為即將面對的山路忐忑不安。不過當時我以為自己能夠適應(yīng)。

　　As we crossed some high bridges near the Blue Ridge5 Mountains on the first leg of our trip, a kind of breathlessness gripped me, a sinking, rolling sensation in the pit of my stomach. I tended to veer6 slightly away from the edge of the roadway and the drop-off beyond. My knuckles7 whitened from my tense grip on the steering8 wheel. At the end of each bridge, a great rush of relief would come over me, only to be replaced in short order by fear of the next obstacle.

　　上路后的第一程，我們就碰上了藍脊山脈附近高懸的大橋。我簡直緊張得透不過氣來，心頭發(fā)緊，有種人仰馬翻的感覺。我極力想把車開向里側(cè)一些，躲開那可能滑下陡坡的邊沿。我緊緊地握著方向盤，手指關(guān)節(jié)繃得沒有了血色。每穿過一座高橋我就會大大地舒一口氣，可等在前面的是又一個令人畏懼的關(guān)口。

　　When we stopped in Nashville the first night, I mentioned my feelings to Mac, who is the practical sort. "Oh, that's nothing," he said cheerfully . "Lots of people hate driving on mountain roads and high bridges. Just turn up the music on your radio and focus on that. Keep your mind occupied."

　　旅程的第一天晚上，我們停在了納什維爾。我對麥克談了自己的感受。他是那種務(wù)實的人。“哦，沒關(guān)系，”他興致勃勃地說，“許多人害怕走山路、過高橋。只要打開收音機專心聽音樂就行。不要胡思亂想。”

　　I gave him a weak smile and said good night. But later as I tossed and turned in bed, I couldn't chase away the apprehension9 I had about the high driving ahead. The more I tried not to think about it, the more my mind kept going back to that helpless feeling of panic I had on the first leg of the journey. My fear seemed to possess a life of its own. You're being childish , I chided myself. This is ridiculous ! If I could just close my eyes and relax, I thought, the renewal10 of a good night's sleep would drive the fear away.

　　我沖著他勉強笑笑，道了一聲晚安。但后來，我躺在床上輾轉(zhuǎn)反側(cè)，一想到要走的山路，心中的焦慮就怎么也揮之不去。越是盡力于去想它，反倒越是回味上路、第一程就出現(xiàn)的那種揪心無助的感覺。這種恐懼似乎根深蒂固，永久存在。太幼稚了，我責備自己。真可笑!想，如果我能閉上眼放松下來，重新美美地睡一覺，恐懼就會被驅(qū)散。

　　But it didn't go away. All through the flatlands of Arkansas, Oklahoma , north Texas and New Mexico it lay like a coiled snake inside of me. When we approached the high plateau of northern Arizona it began to stir. As the grades grew steeper and the curves sharper, my sense of control faltered11, "It's all in your head," I kept repeating desperately12. "There is no danger. It's all in your head."

　　但是恐懼并沒消逝。在經(jīng)過阿肯色州、俄克拉何馬州、得克薩斯州北部和新墨西哥州的那些大平原時，恐怖像蛇一樣盤踞在我心中?？煲竭_亞利桑那州北部的高原地帶時，它又開始蠢蠢欲動。隨著坡越來越陡，彎越轉(zhuǎn)越急，我漸漸有了控制不住之感。“全是胡思亂想，”我拼命反復(fù)地提醒自己。“沒有危險。完全是胡思亂想。”

　　Yet I couldn't defeat the terror. Mile after mile it was like an invisible force drawing my attention toward the edge of the road where the soft shoulder gave way to thin air. I tried everything I could think of. I cranked up the radio. Sang songs. Recited poetry. All to no avail. The palms of my hands were so sweaty that I had to squeeze the steering wheel to keep my grip.

　　然而我就是不能戰(zhàn)勝恐懼。一英里接著一英里，像是被一種無形的魔力拽著一樣，我一路上怎么也不能讓注意力離開那令人窒息的崖邊，那里沒有平緩的山肩，有的只是稀薄的空氣。凡屬能想到的辦法我都試了——打開收音機，唱歌，背詩——一切都無濟于事。我的掌心里滿是汗水，只有用力壓擠方向盤才能把它抓牢。

　　I kept closing the gap between my car and my brother's truck, inching toward the reassuring13 glow of the taillights like a frightened sheep following a shepherd. I could see Mac watching me in his rearview mirror , and that night at supper in Kingman, Arizona, he said, "Leigh, you're tailgating . You're much too close for these mountain roads." He studied my face for a moment, then added, "Tomorrow will be the last day of high country. Just try to hang in there. We've got this far okay. You know there's nothing to be afraid of."

　　我盡量縮小與弟弟的卡車的距離，緩緩地移動，盯住他的尾燈，心中才賂有一絲安慰，就像一只嚇壞了的小羊緊跟在羊館的屁股后面一樣。我能看見麥克正從后視鏡里望著我。那天晚上在亞利桑那州的金曼吃飯時，他說：“莉，你是在尾追。在這樣的山路上那距離太近了!”他注意了一下我的表倩，接著說：“明天是最后一天的山路了。務(wù)必再堅持一陣子，我們走了這么遠，不是好好的嘛。你知道沒有什么可怕的。”

　　I understood that. I had to go on. But the prospect14 of hairpin15 turns and sheer drop-offs made it impossible for me to eat any supper. Mac tried to keep the conversation breezy, but it didn't help. I excused myself early and went to bed, exhausted16.

　　我知道。我必須堅持下去?？墒且幌氲侥切︰字型的急轉(zhuǎn)彎和直上直下的大陡坡我就沒了胃口。麥克盡量想讓談話輕松些，但不管用。我找借口早早抽身，去上床睡覺，這時倍感精疲力竭。