One rainy day last year, while I was returning home from Mersing, a town in the east coast of Malaysia, I witnessed an accident which I shall never forget.

I was returning home in my father's car. It was raining heavily and the road could not be seen clearly. My father, an old man, was driving slowly to avoid an accident. The journey, therefore, seemed unusually long, and I began to feel tired. Then, suddenly, a small car, running at great speed, overtook our car. My father was shocked at the recklessness of the driver of that car. We could not count the number of persons in that car, but were sure that there were at least five, including two children. My father at once predicted that tragedy would befall the occupants of the car. After this prediction I began to grow impatient. I did not wish to see any ugly scene resulting from an accident. Though the car had gone quite far its rear lights would still be seen.

In the distance there was a narrow bridge. Looking at the way the car was being driven, I too was now sure that an accident would occur and sure enough it did occur. This is how it happened.

A lorry was coming from the opposite direction. It was already on the bridge. The driver of the small car, however, could not slow down in good time. He lost control of the car which skidded and plunged into the swollen river. Somehow, the driver managed to slip out of the car, but the others were doomed. When we arrived at the bridge, we were touched deeply by what we saw. Two children were struggling in the river and we could do nothing to save them. Their mother, as we came to know later, was at the bottom of the river, trapped in the car, and they were swept away by the rush of the current and drowned. The driver, and father of the children, began to cry piteously for the wife and children he had lost so suddenly. It was indeed a very touching scene and I shall never forget this day.

NEW WORDS:

1. witness (v): chứng kiến, làm chứng

2. overtake (v): (overtook- overtaken): bắt kịp, vượt

3. recklessness (n): tính thiếu thận trọng, tính hấp tấp, tính khinh suất, tính liều lĩnh

4. tragedy (n): thảm kịch, bi kịch

5. occupant (n): người sở hữu, người sử dụng

6. skid (v): trượt xe

7. swollen (adj): dâng lên cao; phình ra

8. doomed (adj): phải chịu số phận bi đát

9. struggle (v): vùng vẫy, vật lộn

10. piteously (adv): thảm thương, đáng thương hại