j and e explore their problem areas

Five more minutes, ladies,? announced Ms. Crumb¹ to her Constance Billard ninth-grade creative writing class. She pulled her curly black hair out of the way and prodded² the wax in her right ear with the eraser of a yellow number two pencil. ?Remember, it?s notwhat you?re writing about buthow you describe it.? None of the girls looked up. They were too busy writing, and besides, they really didn?t want to see what Ms. Crumb was doing when she thought they weren?t looking. They?d already been grossed out enough times. According to the girls,all the female teachers at Constance Billard were lesbians, but Ms. Crumb was the only teacher at Constance who was officially out. She wore a rainbow pin to school every day, shared a country house in New Paltz with five other women, and often referred to her ?partner??as in, ?The other night my partner was drinking Amstel Lite and watching Barbara Walters, who she has a total crush on,while I sat in the kitchen and graded your papers.? Every year the ninth graders looked forward to having Ms. Crumb?s creative writing class, assuming she?d be cool and down-to-earth since she was so forthright⁴ about her sexuality. But after a day in her classroom her students realized they weren?t just going to sit around for forty-five minutes talking about girl stuff with a woman who liked girls?they were going to have to write things every day in class, read them out loud,and then listen to Ms. Crumb and their classmates criticize what they had written in a sometimes not very nice way. Ms. Crumb was a major hardass, but as far as subjects went, creative writing was still a hell of a lot better than geometry. Today Ms. Crumb had asked the girls to pick a partner? in the platonic⁵ sense?and write a paragraph describing a part of their partner?s body. Of course Elise and Jenny had picked each other. They were beginning to do almost everything together. It?s odd that we decorate our ears with earrings⁶ and don?t try to cover them,Jenny wrote.They?re just as indecent as the parts we do cover, like bare holes that go straight into our heads. My friend Elise?s ears are small, with a little blond fuzz on them. She has good hearing, too, because she never says, ?What?? and asks me to repeat myself. I guess she keeps them pretty clean. Jenny looked up and decided⁷ to erase³ the last line and replace it with something else. Ms. Crumb might get offended, since she obviously had some kind of ear-cleaning fetish. But instead of writing something else to replace the ear-cleaning line, Jenny?s mind wandered back to her e-mail. She?d been checking it regularly, just like Blair had told her to; however, the only messages she?d gotten had been jokey ones from Elise and her brother, telling her to stop checking her e-mail and get back to her homework. She glanced at Elise, who was scribbling⁸ away, already on her second page. Jenny wished she had Dan?s knack⁹ for the written word. She was better at detailed¹⁰ drawings and painting and calligraphy¹¹. At the top of the page she drew an elaborate drawing of Elise?s ear and the side of her face, hoping she?d score points for being artistic¹², even if her essay sucked. Her mind wandered again, to the blond boy she?d spotted¹³ in Bendel?s. Was he artistic, too? The bell rang to mark the end of last period and Ms. Crumb stood up and brushed chalk dust from her dark gray wool pinafore dress that looked like it had been made by nuns¹⁴ somewhere cold and fashionless, like Greenland. ?Time?s up, ladies. Pencils down. You can hand in your papers as you leave.? She tucked her maroon-stockinged feet into a pair of black felt L.L. Bean clogs¹⁵. ?Happy Thursday afternoon!? ?So what?d you write about?? Jenny asked Elise after they had packed up their book bags and were on their way out the school doors. ?None of your business,? Elise answered, blushing. ?Don?t think I?m never going to find out. You?ll probably have to read it out loud on Monday,? Jenny reminded her. ?I wrote about your ears, but it kind of sucked.? The two girls bowed their heads against the fierce February wind and headed over to Lexington to take the bus down to Bloomingdale?s on East Fifty-ninth Street. Elise had enlisted¹⁶ Jenny to help her to find the perfect pair of jeans for less than eighty dollars, and, as usual, Jenny needed some new bras, since she was always wearing out the elastic¹⁷ or breaking the underwires in the ones she had. Bloomingdale?s was a tacky war zone of tourists sporting the new tracksuits and sneakers they?d just bought at Nike Town, along with gaggles of blue-haired bargain hunters, but it was the only place to go for oversized bras and moderately priced jeans other than Macy?s, which was simply gross. Those with better taste and bigger credit limits went to Bergdorf?s, Bendel?s, or Barneys, but for people like Jenny and Elise, Bloomingdale?s would just have to do. ?I can?t believe you can just put those on and they?re the perfect length,? Jenny said enviously¹⁸ as she watched Elise try on her first pair of Paris Blues¹⁹ jeans in the dressing²⁰ room. Jenny was barely five feet tall and had to shorten everything. Elise was five foot seven, but she had other problems, like her completely flat chest and the podge that padded her hip²¹ bones and lower back like a second butt²². Elise scrunched²³ up her freckled²⁴ face and stared down at the bulges²⁵ riding above the waistband of the low-rise jeans. ?See why I can?t eat in public?? she grunted²⁶, sucking in her stomach and tugging²⁷ on the waistband. The jeans were 9 percent Lycra, but that didn?t seem to make much difference. She exhaled²⁸ and let her stomach out, giving up. ?Okay, forget it. Next pair.? As Elise inched herself out of the reject ones, Jenny held up a beautiful pair of dark rinse²⁹ flared³⁰ Seven jeans that were on sale and would be a major score if they fit. She noticed Elise was wearing light blue lacy underwear and quickly averted³¹ her eyes so Elise wouldn?t accuse her of staring. Elise took the jeans, slipped her feet into them and slid them up around her hips³². ?Oh my God. I can?t believe I forgot to tell you this,? she said, tugging on the button-fly waist. ?Before creative writing I heard Kati Farkas and Isabel Coates talking about Nate Archibald in the bathroom at school. They said he almost had to go tojail because he was caught dealing³³ to some twelve-year-olds in the park. His dad had to go down to the police station and bail³⁴ him out, but he still has to go torehab . Weren?t you guys kind oftogether for a little while? Did you hear about this? Isn?t it crazy?? Jenny hadn?t heard, and she wasn?t quite sure how she felt about it. Nate had pretty much blown her off completely in the end, brushing her away like a pesky fly, so she guessed he?d gotten what he deserved. Besides, Nate seemed like the type of guy who would always rise to the top again, unscathed. Why should she waste any more time worrying or eventhinking about him? She watched Elise struggle with the copper³⁵ buttons on her jeans. They were perfect everywhere else, but the waist was so tight there was no way she?d ever be able to sit down in them. ?Why don?t you just try the next size up?? Elise squinted³⁶ her hard blue eyes stubbornly. She did that kind of a lot, causing Jenny to wonder if she needed glasses. ?Because, Miss Size Zero, I?m a size seven, not a size nine. Pass me another pair, and stop staring at my fat.? ?I?m not,? Jenny insisted, handing her a stretchy pair of Lei jeans that were a little too distressed³⁷, with frayed³⁸ cuffs³⁹ and holes in the pockets, but with a wide, low waist that looked like it might actually sit nicely on Elise?s hips. ?And it?s not like anyone has to know what size you are. I won?t tell.? Jenny immediately thought of her own size issue. She hadn?t planned on inviting⁴⁰ Elise into the dressing room with her when she tried on bras. Sure, they were becoming close friends, but was it really necessary for Elise to know that she wasn?t just a D cup, but adouble D? Still, it seemed mean not to reciprocate⁴¹ when Elise had invited her to help try on jeans. Elise wrinkled up her nose at the Leis. ?Those are way too fake looking.? ?So what do you want to do?? Jenny asked, tossing the jeans on the bench in the back of the narrow dressing room. Elise buttoned up her uniform and slid her feet into her prissy black flats. It amazed Jenny how neat-and-sweet-little-school-girl Elise appeared until you got to know her. ?I?m keeping the Sevens. I know they don?t fit now, but I?m planning to lose ten pounds before the end of the year. Andyou?re going to help me.? Jenny nodded. It wasn?t like she didn?t ever buy stuff that was too small. Yes, it?s calledaspirational shopping. Every girl with ambition does it. The dressing rooms in the lingerie department were dirty, cramped⁴², and badly lit. With her back to Elise, Jenny pulled her cornflower blue V-neck J. Crew sweater over her head and threw it on the stool in the corner. Then she pulled her white Gap T-shirt off and dropped it on the floor, crossing her arms over her breasts self-consciously. ?Which one do you want to try on first?? Elise asked, sorting through the plastic hangers⁴³ that Jenny had hastily snatched up with businesslike efficiency. ?The lacy black one with the funky⁴⁴ clasp or the comfy white cotton one with the extrawide straps⁴⁵?? ?Just hand me the black one,? Jenny mumbled⁴⁶, reaching behind her to retrieve⁴⁷ the bra. She unhooked the ugly beige supersupportive Bali bra she was wearing and let it fall to the floor, fumbling⁴⁸ with the black bra while trying to keep the insides of her elbows pressed against her ribcage to cover herself. The straps on the black bra were shortened all the way, and the clasp was a strange gold metal contraption instead of the normal hook and eye. Jenny glanced up to find Elise watching her in the mirror. The dressing room had mirrors on three sides, so it wasn?t like Jenny was really achieving anything by turning her back. ?Want some help?? Elise took a step forward. Jenny?s back was rigid⁴⁹. She could pretty much forget about being modest. Elise was going to see her boobs no matter what. She let her arms drop and turned around, full frontal. ?Help me loosen the straps?? she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. She handed Elise the bra, her breasts hanging in front of her like fully⁵⁰ risen loaves of sourdough bread. She had to admit it felt slightly liberating⁵¹. Slightly liberating and totally embarrassing. Elise set to work adjusting the bra, not even trying to hide the fact that she was staring at Jenny?s boobs at the same time. ?Wow. They reallyare big,? she observed. ?How can you be so tiny and have such big bobos?? Jenny put her hands on her hips and stared back at Elise, trying to come up with a smart retort, but instead she burst out laughing. ?Bobos?? she giggled⁵². Elise blushed and handed Jenny back the bra. ?I?ve always called them that. Ever since I was little.? Jenny slid the straps over her arms and then turned around. ?Can you figure out the clasp?? Elise hooked it closed and Jenny turned around again. The bra had great support, but her boobs were pressed so close together, her cleavage was a mile deep. Elise was still staring. ?Do you think it?s too slutty?? Jenny asked. She giggled. ?I mean, this kind of makes my bobos look even bigger.? Elise had stopped blinking, which was what she always did when she was distracted. ?You know when you asked me what I wrote about today in creative writing?? she asked. Jenny nodded and turned around so Elise could unhook the bra. ?Well, that?s what I wrote about. Your bobos.? Jenny?s back went rigid again. If a guy told you he?d written about your breasts, you pretty much knew he was either hitting on you or he was a pervert⁵³. But since Elise was a girl and her friend, Jenny wasn?t sure how to feel about it. ?I think I?m done,? she said quickly. She picked her old bra up off the floor and slipped it on. ?I?m going to buy the black one.? They?d brought eight bras into the dressing room but Jenny had only tried on one. ?Are you sure you don?t want to try some of the others?? Elise asked. Jenny pulled on her T-shirt and tucked her sweater under her arm. The tiny dressing room suddenly felt extremely claustrophobic. ?Nah,? she answered, yanking aside the black curtain and stepping back into the main room of the lingerie department, which of course was wall-to-wall bras. It would be nice to go someplace where breasts weren?t the main focus of everyone?s attention.  Like another planet?

1 crumb   

n.饼屑，面包屑，小量

参考例句：

• It was the only crumb of comfort he could salvage from the ordeal.这是他从这场磨难里能找到的唯一的少许安慰。
• Ruth nearly choked on the last crumb of her pastry.鲁斯几乎被糕点的最后一块碎屑所噎住。

2 prodded   

v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up. 她用手指杵他的肋部把他叫醒。
• He prodded at the plate of fish with his fork. 他拿叉子戳弄着那盘鱼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

4 forthright   

adj.直率的，直截了当的 [同]frank

参考例句：

• It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offence.又直率又不得罪人，这有时很难办到。
• He told me forthright just why he refused to take my side.他直率地告诉我他不肯站在我这一边的原因。

5 platonic   

adj.精神的；柏拉图（哲学）的

参考例句：

• Their friendship is based on platonic love.他们的友情是基于柏拉图式的爱情。
• Can Platonic love really exist in real life?柏拉图式的爱情，在现实世界里到底可能吗？

6 earrings   

n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子

参考例句：

• a pair of earrings 一对耳环
• These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 scribbling   

n.乱涂[写]胡[乱]写的文章[作品]v.潦草的书写( scribble的现在分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• Once the money got into the book, all that remained were some scribbling. 折子上的钱只是几个字！ 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• McMug loves scribbling. Mama then sent him to the Kindergarten. 麦唛很喜欢写字，妈妈看在眼里，就替他报读了幼稚园。 来自互联网

9 knack   

n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法

参考例句：

• He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
• Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难，但有窍门。

10 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

11 calligraphy   

n.书法

参考例句：

• At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上，人们请他留字。
• His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。

12 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

13 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

14 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

15 clogs   

木屐； 木底鞋，木屐( clog的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Clogs are part of the Netherlands national costume. 木屐是荷兰民族服装的一部分。
• Clogs are part of the Dutch traditional costume. 木屐是荷兰传统装束的一部分。

16 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

18 enviously   

adv.满怀嫉妒地

参考例句：

• Yet again, they were looking for their way home blindly, enviously. 然而，它们又一次盲目地、忌妒地寻找着归途。 来自辞典例句
• Tanya thought enviously, he must go a long way south. 坦妮亚歆羡不置，心里在想，他准是去那遥远的南方的。 来自辞典例句

19 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

20 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

21 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

22 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

23 scrunched   

v.发出喀嚓声( scrunch的过去式和过去分词 )；蜷缩；压；挤压

参考例句：

• The snow scrunched underfoot. 雪在脚下发出嘎吱嘎吱的声音。
• He scrunched up the piece of paper and threw it at me. 他把那张纸揉成一个小团，朝我扔过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 freckled   

adj.雀斑；斑点；晒斑；（使）生雀斑v.雀斑，斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her face was freckled all over. 她的脸长满雀斑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Her freckled skin glowed with health again. 她长有雀斑的皮肤又泛出了健康的红光。 来自辞典例句

25 bulges   

膨胀( bulge的名词复数 )； 鼓起； （身体的）肥胖部位； 暂时的激增

参考例句：

• His pocket bulges with apples. 他的衣袋装着苹果鼓了起来。
• He bulges out of his black T-shirt. 他的肚子在黑色T恤衫下鼓鼓地挺着。

26 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

27 tugging   

n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句

28 exhaled   

v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气

参考例句：

• He sat back and exhaled deeply. 他仰坐着深深地呼气。
• He stamped his feet and exhaled a long, white breath. 跺了跺脚，他吐了口长气，很长很白。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

29 rinse   

v.用清水漂洗，用清水冲洗

参考例句：

• Give the cup a rinse.冲洗一下杯子。
• Don't just rinse the bottles. Wash them out carefully.别只涮涮瓶子，要仔细地洗洗里面。

30 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

31 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

32 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

34 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

35 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

36 squinted   

斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。
• I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

37 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

38 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

39 cuffs   

n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口
• The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。

40 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

41 reciprocate   

v.往复运动；互换；回报，酬答

参考例句：

• Although she did not reciprocate his feelings, she did not discourage him.尽管她没有回应他的感情，她也没有使他丧失信心。
• Some day I will reciprocate your kindness to me.总有一天我会报答你对我的恩德。

42 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

43 hangers   

n.衣架( hanger的名词复数 )；挂耳

参考例句：

• The singer was surrounded by the usual crowd of lackeys and hangers on. 那个歌手让那帮总是溜须拍马、前呼後拥的人给围住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want to put some of my good hangers in Grandpa's closet. 我想在爷爷的衣橱放几个好的衣架。 来自辞典例句

44 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

45 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

46 mumbled   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
• George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

47 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

48 fumbling   

n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理

参考例句：

• If he actually managed to the ball instead of fumbling it with an off-balance shot. 如果他实际上设法拿好球而不是fumbling它。50-balance射击笨拙地和迅速地会开始他的岗位移动，经常这样结束。
• If he actually managed to secure the ball instead of fumbling it awkwardly an off-balance shot. 如果他实际上设法拿好球而不是fumbling它。50-50提议有时。他从off-balance射击笨拙地和迅速地会开始他的岗位移动，经常这样结束。

49 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

50 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

51 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

52 giggled   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

53 pervert   

n.堕落者，反常者；vt.误用，滥用；使人堕落，使入邪路

参考例句：

• Reading such silly stories will pervert your taste for good books.读这种愚昧的故事会败坏你对好书的嗜好。
• Do not pervert the idea.别歪曲那想法。