【英文原文】
A real doctor
Agony is a remote mountain village which is far from town and far from civilization. The villagers own their own farms and open their own factories. Life here is generally quiet and peaceful.
But life also means a lot of inconveniences in this part of the world. For example, if someone is ill, it is difficult to get a doctor nearby. Some young people have been sent to study medicine in town, only once they are out of the village, few of them are willing to return to work here.
Old Joe and his wife live in a cottage at the end of their farm. They have a large flock of sheep and quite a few horses. The couple take their animals as their family members and spend most of their time looking after them.
One night, Old Joe was woken up by a piercing1) cry. He immediately realized that his sheep were being attacked by a pack of wolves. He jumped out of bed, took his gun and rushed out. In the dark, he saw a figure moving towards the sheep pen. He raised his gun and shot at it;the figure fell with a painful groan2). But somehow the voice sounded like his wife’s. He hurried to the figure, only to find his wife lying bleeding on the ground. She was seriously wounded.
Seeing what had happened, Old Joe couldn’t believe his eyes. He tore a piece of his shirt and wrapped up the wound for his wife with his shaking hands. He then gently carried her into the room and put her on the bed. He rushed out again and jumped onto a horse. He rode fiercely 3)down to the village where he hoped he could find help. A moment later he returned with a young man who was the son of a friend and how was a medical student on holiday.
Encouraged by Old Joe, the young man examined the wound and decided that surgery should be done immediately to get the bullet out. But when he saw the blood issuing4) from the wound, the young man’s hands began to shake violently and it was difficult for him to calm down. An immediate operation seemed impossible and Old Joe’s wife was in danger.
At this moment, they heard the sound of heavy and hurried foot steps outside and then in burst a middle-aged man dressed like a traveller. The new comer had a quick glance at the wounded and then said: “I can do it.” He took the instruments5) from the young man and made a sign to them to leave the room for a while.
Half an hour later, the middle-aged man came out and told Old Joe that the bullet had been taken out and everything would be all right. Old Joe was so grateful that he kept saying: “You’re a real doctor. You’ve saved my wife. You’re a real doctor.”
“No, I‘m a vet, only an animal doctor. ”The man smiled. “I’ve been making a survey for my article on animal raising environment in mountainous areas. It happened that I had just arrived at the village when you went to fetch this young man and I followed you here just in case you needed help. ”