3 . High-Wire Act

Mickey Wilson had been on the mountain only a few seconds when he heard the scream. Wilson, 28 years old, had just gotten off the cable car (索道缆车) at the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Keystone, Colorado, along with his friends Billy Simmons and Hans Mueller. Their friend Richard had been on the cable car ahead of them, but when the men reached the top of the lift, he had disappeared. The men walked toward the source of the scream and found skiers stopped on the slope, pointing to the cable car. And then the friends screamed too.

“Oh, Richard!” yelled Mueller.

When Richard had tried to jump off the cable car, his backpack had been caught in the chair, which then dragged him back down the hill. In the process, the backpack belt twisted around his neck, making him breathless. Now Richard’s body was swinging four feet above the snow. The cable car operator had quickly stopped it, and the friends kicked off their skis and ran toward the scene. They made a human pyramid to try to reach Richard, but the unconscious man was too far off the ground. With the clock ticking, Wilson ran to the ladder of a nearby lift tower. Scared skiers watched as he struggled the 25 feet. After he reached the top, Wilson’s first challenge was to climb onto the two-inch steel cable that held the chairs. He handled the balance and height bravely, but he knew he could not walk on the cable. Therefore, he calmed down and sat over it and then used his hands to pull himself to Richard quickly. Wilson’s greatest fear wasn’t that he’d fall, but that he wouldn’t reach Richard. “This was life or death,” he said.

When he reached Richard’s chair, Wilson swung a leg over the cable and attempted to drop down onto it. But as he did that, his jacket caught on the movable footrest, which was in the up position. The footrest began to slide down, with Wilson attached. But before that could happen, he managed to free himself and reached Richard.

Fortunately, the ski patrol (巡查) had gathered below and performed emergency treatment on Richard, who had been hanging for about five minutes, then skied him down to an ambulance.

That night, Richard called from the hospital to express his thanks to Wilson, his other friends and the workers at the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area.

8 . Any car accident is frightening, but an accident in which your vehicle is thrown into the water, with you trapped inside, is absolutely terrifying.     1    However, most deaths result from panic, without a plan or understanding what is happening to the car in the water. By adopting a brace(支撑) position, acting decisively and getting out fast, you can save yourself from a sinking vehicle.

Brace yourself for impact (撞击力). As soon as you're aware that you're going off the road and into a body of water, adopt a brace position. The impact could set off the airbag system in your vehicle, so you should place both hands on the steering wheel in the “ten and two” position.

Undo your seat belt.     2     Unfasten the children, starting with the oldest first. Forget the cell phone call. Your car isn’t going to wait for you to make the call.

    3     Leave the door alone at this stage and concentrate on the window. A car’s electrical system should work for up to three minutes in water, so try the method of opening it electronically first. Many people don’t think about the window as an escape option either because of panic or misinformation about doors and sinking.

Break the window. If you aren’t able to open the window, or it only opens halfway, you’ll need to break it with an object or your foot. It may feel counterintuitive (有悖常理的) to let water into the car.     4    

Escape when the car has equalized. If it has reached the dramatic stage where the car cabin has been filled with water and it has become balanced, you must move quickly and effectively to ensure your survival.     5     While there is still air in the car, take slow，deep breaths and focus on what you’re doing.

Three friends and I was driving on a highway. While we were going at least 50 miles per hour, we passed over a car. It had broken down, stopped on the side of the road. My friend slows down, and pulled behind the other car. He got out of the car immediate and before I knew it he was helping the other person push the car down the road to a spot where wasn’t so close to the passing cars. From the way they were pushing the car, it looked as if my friend was pushing them all by himself. I thought my friend help a complete stranger like this was a great thing, but I won’t forget his good nature or character.