The first drops of rain are huge. They splat into the dust and imprint the windows with the individual signatures. They plink on the 10)vent pipe and plunk on the 11)patio roof. Leaves shudder under their weight before rebounding, and the sidewalk wears a coat of shiny spots.
The rhythm accelerates; plink follows plunk faster and faster until the sound is a roll of drums and the individual drops become an army marching over fields and
rooftops. Now the first bolt of lightning stabs the earth. It is heaven’s exclamation point. The storm is here!
The rain now becomes a 12)torrent, flung 13)capriciously by a rising wind.
Together they batter the trees and level the grasses. Water streams off roofs and out of rain spouts. It pounds against the window in such a steady wash that I am sightless. There is only water. How can so much fall so fast? How could the clouds have supported this vast weight? How can the earth endure beneath it?
Pacing through the house from window to window, I am moved to open-mouthed wonder. Look how the 14)lilac bends under the assault, how the 15)day lilies are
flattened, how the hillside steps are a new-made waterfall! Now 16)hailstones thump upon the roof. They pounce white against the grass and splash into the puddles. I think of the vegetable garden, the fruit tree the crops in the fields; but, thankfully, the hailstones are not enough in numbers or size to do real damage. Not this time. 第一阵雨意来势汹汹。它们碎裂于尘埃之上，在玻璃窗上印满了点点斑痕。雨点把通风管敲得叮咚作响，将露台顶打得噼噼啪啪。树叶被砸得瑟瑟发抖，难以抬头；而人行道则披上了一层熠熠闪光的外衣。
雨点的节奏加快了，叮咚噼啪声越来越密集，一阵紧似一阵，连成了一片急促的鼓点，颗颗雨滴也汇集成了一支行进于田野和屋顶上的大军。刹那间，第一道闪电犹如上天画下的惊叹号，狠狠地刺向了大地。暴风雨来了！
这时，大雨倾盆如注，奔流不息，狂风将雨水抛洒得飘摇不定。风雨交加，恣意地抽打着树木，将草坪夷为平地。雨水从屋顶上一泻而下，漫出了排水管。它一刻不停地泼洒在窗户上，让我什么都看不清了，眼前只有水。这么多的雨水怎能下得这么急促？这么巨大的重量云层怎能承受得住？这样猛烈的冲击大地又怎能经受得起？
我在房间里从一个窗口踱到另一个窗口，屋外的景象使我瞠目结舌，惊叹不已。瞧，在暴风雨的袭击下，丁香花折弯了腰，萱草倒伏于地，山坡上的石阶小道变成了一帘新辟的瀑布！这时突然下起冰雹来，乒乒乓乓地砸在屋顶上，顷刻间草地上银珠纷飞，水洼里水花四溅。我开始担心起园里的蔬菜、果树，还有田里的庄稼；不过，幸好冰雹的数量不算多，个头也不算大，还不足以造成什么重大的损失，至少这次是不会的了。
