Lara at the Hill Road- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

Sunlight covered the city early on a Saturday in July. Lara hoped to reach the zoo before the penguin feeding finished. She has visited the city many times, yet never watched that show. A pocket guide, folded and colorful, rests in her small backpack. The bus stops at the base of Park Hill, and the driver nods. From there, the only route climbs uphill under wide maple branches. Warm air presses against her shoulders, and her water bottle feels lighter after each sip. She checks her watch and lifts her pace, but the slope keeps slowing her steps.

At the top, traffic lines the wide avenue, and a blinking light controls a single crosswalk. Cars inch forward, horns rise, and the numbers on her watch hurry past. Waiting there would steal precious minutes, so she scans the corner for another opening. A narrow footpath, partly hidden by shrubs, curls beside a fence that borders the same avenue. She turns onto it; gravel crunches, bird calls flicker, and cooler shade replaces the heat. Beyond the bushes, a small electric shuttle, which waits behind a wire gate, has been loading visitors. An empty seat stays near the door, and the driver smiles without a word. She steps aboard, the motor hums, and the shuttle glides through a service gate already open. Five minutes later, the bright green front gate of the zoo fills her view. Metal turnstiles click behind her, and flamingos flap water across a quiet pond.

七月的某個星期六早晨，陽光覆蓋整座城市。拉拉想在企鵝餵食結束之前趕到動物園。她雖然已多次造訪這座城市，卻從未看過那場表演。一本摺好的彩色袖珍導覽書靜靜躺在她的小背包裡。公車停在公園山丘腳下，司機朝她點點頭。從這裡開始，唯一的路徑沿著寬大的楓樹枝幹向上爬升。暖空氣壓在肩頭，水壺在每一次啜飲後都變得更輕。她看了看手錶，加快步伐，但坡度仍不斷拖慢腳步。

抵達山頂後，寬敞的大道擠滿車輛，閃爍的燈號控制著唯一的行人斑馬線。汽車緩慢前移，喇叭聲此起彼落，手錶上的數字卻飛快跳動。若繼續等待會浪費寶貴時間，她便在角落搜尋其他出口。一條被灌木半掩的狹窄小徑沿著圍籬蜿蜒，通向同一條大道。她踏上小徑，碎石嘎吱作響，鳥鳴穿梭，涼爽的樹蔭取代了熱浪。穿過灌木後，一輛塗有斑馬花紋的小型電動接駁車在鐵門後候著，遊客正被依序載入。門邊留有一個空位，司機靜靜地對她微笑。她登車，馬達低鳴，接駁車滑過已經敞開的服務門。五分鐘後，鮮綠色的動物園正門映入眼簾。金屬旋轉閘門在她身後喀噠作響，而火鶴正拍打水面，水花在寧靜的池畔四散。