Chapter 37

During breakfast I tell him a little about corks¹, but it’s just make-work talk, about how to grease them and how wet shoes take to grease better’n dry shoes and how the best application is a mixture of bear fat, mutton tallow, and neat’s-foot oil. And then Joe Ben claims it’s just as good to paint the whole boot with heavy floor paint and me and Joe get to arguing on that old bit so I don’t say any more to Lee. I wasn’t sure he was listening anyhow...) Henry returned with my “corks”—spiked² boots miserably³ cold and stiff, obviously the recent home of migrant scorpions⁴ and rats—and before I could flee all three set upon me and laced the leather horrors to my feet. Then they draped one of Joe Ben’s extra coats over me; Hank handed me a battered⁵ metal hat with a dozen coats of varicolored paint peeling red and yellow and orange, like a chapeau designed by Jackson Pollock; Jan thrust a lunch sack in my hand; Joe Ben gave me a pocketknife with eight blades; and they all stepped back to view the result. Henry rolled a doubting eye, allowed as how he guessed I’d hafta do till somethin’ with more meat on its bones showed up, and offered me a dip from his snuff can as a sign that I had passed review. Joe Ben said I’d do just fine, and Hank withheld⁶ judgment⁷. I was ushered⁸ out into a morning still totally dark save for a pale blue cast over the hills. I followed the silhouettes⁹ of Hank and Joe Ben down the invisible planks¹¹ to the dock while the old man lurched along behind, slicing the dark in a distracted fashion with the misty¹² beam of an enormous flashlight. While he walked he kept up a line of talk as aimless as the light: “That Evenwrite, now I don’t trust him; watch for booby traps. When we get this contract done I think by god—say, what about the drums on that donkey? You boys watchin’ out? Lord, I don’t want to be buyin’ new equipment. I was sayin’ the other day to Stokes that that old donkey wasn’t as old as this one and look at me still agoin’. ...Say now, Leland, did I tell you about my teeth?” He swung the light to his face and I watched while he removed a moldy-looking mouthful of molars. “What you think about that for lucky?” He spread back his lips. “Only three my own teeth left—lookee here—an’ two the sonofaguns meet. How ’bout that?” He laughed triumphantly¹³ and replaced the dentures. “Somethin’ more’n just luck about it, too, Joe Ben tells me; it’s a indication or something. ...You, Joe, don’t forget to lay the old oil on that boogin’ donkey drum, hear me? It’s good for another two or three seasons, treated proper. Whup. Don’t care for the way the sky looks. Hmm”—grumbling, mumbling¹⁴, “Ouch oh!” pausing occasionally to curse some paleolithic pain in his shoulder. “An’ oh yeah, have Bob watch them scalers when he drives down; they’re smooth as grease an’ they’ll cheat you ever’ time you sneeze. Those boys of Orland’s will be there from the mill to give us extra help, ain’t that right? An’ no coffee and bullshooting every twenty minutes. We ain’t Wakonda Pacific yet. Keep everybody on the jump. We got only a month left to Thanksgiving, you realize, only a month...” Keeping up a frantic¹⁵ free-association which he hoped would, by some miracle, save the day in spite of his monumental absence. “Hey, did you hear me about that donkey, dammitall? That drum?” Hank had been yanking at the starting rope of the outboard during the latter part of the harangue¹⁷; only after the motor caught with a burbling roar and the rope had been carefully secured beneath the rear seat and the gas tank checked, only then did Hank indicate any awareness¹⁸ of the old man. “You know . . .” He flipped¹⁹ the mooring²⁰ rope free and settled himself beside the motor, held out his hand for the flashlight, which Henry relinquished²¹ with about as much enthusiasm as Napoleon must have shown giving up his sword on the isle²² of Saint Helena....“You know . . .” turning the light on Henry and stopping whatever the old man was opening his mouth to say as though the beam had knocked the wind out of his bony frame “. . . you are sure a noisy old fart this morning.” Henry blinked in the glare. He started to shield his eyes against the light with his hand but decided²³ this would be a gesture of weakness unbefitting so noble a donkey, and lowered the hand, choosing instead to turn disdainfully away from the light and the sharper-than-a-serpent’s-tooth words of his disrespectful son. “Pshh.” And thus did he treat us to the magnificence of his profile framed there against the dramatic backdrop of dawn. He stood there—majestic, striking, confident that Valentino could not come close to matching those steely eyes, certain that when it came to classic facial proportion Barrymore was not even in the running—and slowly, deliberately²⁴ withdrew the snuff can from the pocket of his robe, thumbed it open with one hand, and placed a rolled ball of it in his lower lip... “Just look at ’im,” Hank whispered. The long cowl of white hair like blown clouds; the firm jaw²⁵; the intelligent brow; the nose hooking down over the horseshoe mouth... “Yeahhh,” Joe breathed. He remained profiled before us in the light’s beam, aristocratically austere²⁶, grandly aloof²⁷, as ludicrous as a buzzard, until Hank nudged Joe Ben in the ribs²⁸ and whispered again. “My, ain’t he handsome.” “Gosh, yes,” Joe Ben agreed, “no getting around it.” “You think I dast leave a sheik like that home with my pore little unprotected wife?” “Can’t tell,” Joe answered. “Mighty good-lookin’ head of hair for a man that age.” “Oh yeah. Like a prophet, kind of.” The whole thing had the ring of long practice; I imagined a scene not unlike this one went on nearly every morning. The old man tried to remain aloof. But in spite of all he could do I could see the grin creeping into the fierce features. “And will you just look.” Hank’s voice was full of mocking awe²⁹ and admiration³⁰. “Just look how fine those eyebrows³¹ are groomed³² and slicked up. Almost like he plucks them an’ puts stuff—” “Boogers!” the old man bellowed³³. “Sonsabitches! You ain’t got no respect!” He made a lunge for an oar¹⁶ leaning against the boathouse, but Hank gunned the boat just in time and left the outlandish figure charging around the dock, so furious, so outraged³⁴, and so obviously pleased by the teasing that I couldn’t help laughing along with Hank and Joe Ben as we pulled away up the river. They swing out into the water, laughing. The tenseness that overcame Lee during his breakfast lecture begins finally to subside³⁵ after the comedy on the dock, and Hank feels his concern for his wife’s mood lessen³⁶ as the boat leaves the house lights behind. (We futzed around on the dock with the old man like we usually do, and I noticed Lee laughed, showing he’s loosening up some. I think, Now’s the time to make a move and try to talk with him. Now’s the time forchrissakes to try to make some kind of contact.) And as the dawning sky grows brighter the two brothers find themselves glancing quickly at each other and away, waiting . . . I had at first feared I might be embroiled³⁷ in some small talk with Hank and my gnomish³⁸ cousin, but neither of them seemed any more inclined toward conversation than they had at the breakfast table. The air was cold. All of us were content to let the motor hold forth³⁹ in its rhythmical⁴⁰ way while we drew our own thoughts about us against the ice-blue dawn just beginning to give the mountains shape. I tucked my chin into the sheepskin top of the jacket Joe Ben had provided and averted⁴¹ my face so the stinging mist struck my cheek instead of my eyes. The bow thump-thump-thumped against the river’s surface; the motor warbled, a tight, high, full-throated whine⁴² underscored by the guttural churn of water; Hank weaved the boat up the river, responding to the grunted⁴³ instructions of Joe Ben, who sat in the bow watching for floating snags. “Stump there, cut left. Okay.” I felt warm and drowsy⁴⁴, entranced by the movement, the rocking ...and the vicious, singing hiss⁴⁵ of water speeding beneath the aluminum⁴⁶ hull⁴⁷ of the motionless boat. (All that ride up the river I sit like a knot on a log, no notion in the world how to talk to him or what to talk about. I think the only thing I said during the whole trip was something about how pretty the morning was . . .) Before me the dawn took on ghastly substance, becoming solid except for the trees and mountains ripped like jagged black holes to space. A dirty glaze⁴⁸ spread over the water. An oilslick; it will explode at the touch of a match, a river of hellfire stretching to the horizon. (You know? It’s hard to talk to somebody you ain’t seen in a long time and it’s hard not to. And it’s especially hard when you got a lot to say and no notion how to say it.) We rocked forward in the boat, past phantom⁴⁹ pilings suspended in mist, kerosene⁵⁰ lanterns behind windows of stage-set house-fronts where wind-up dogs toll⁵¹ the watch beside muslin trees; past muskrats⁵² pulling a V of silver down into their underwater hideouts, and waterfowl, startled, splashing into the air dripping shiny intestines⁵³. (And I’m right glad when we pull in to bank and take on Andy because I feel like the pressure’s eased a little bit just having somebody else around and I can quit fretting⁵⁴ about talking.) At a perilous⁵⁵ and tottering⁵⁶ plank¹⁰ pier⁵⁷ that continued out over the river like an extension of the path that came from the vine-tangled bank, we acquired another passenger. A droop-eyed, droop-mouthed, droop-shouldered hulk twice my size and not much more than half my age. He stumbled and stomped⁵⁸ about the bottom of the boat with his spiked boots, almost upsetting the boat, while Hank introduced us. “This here is—sit down, Andy—this here is your cousin Leland Stanford. Down now, dammit”—like a bear that had been stricken with all the traditional clumsy woes⁶¹ of the archetype adolescent, he had acne, an Adam’s apple and a timidity so stultifying⁶² that he was thrown into a fidgeting agony each time I glanced his direction. He sat hunched⁶³ between the peaks of his knees, rustling⁶⁴ a brown paper sack that held a full-grown turkey at very least, possibly two turkeys. I was touched by his discomfort⁶⁵. “I take it, Andy,” I ventured, “that you are part of the Stamper Industries?” He was put suddenly at ease by my question. “You bet,” he exclaimed happily. “You bet I am.” So at ease that he then fell immediately to sleep on a tarp at the bottom of the boat. A few minutes farther on we stopped again for another passenger, a man in his late thirties, garbed⁶⁶ in the traditional metal headgear of loggers and wearing a muddy pair of coveralls. “One of our neighbors,” Hank explained as we glided⁶⁷ toward him. “Named Les Gibbons. A sawyer for WP, outa work from the strike ...How’s she goin’, Les?” An older, hairier, dirtier, and slightly smaller animal than our first passenger, Les was as garrulous⁶⁸ as Andy was taciturn. His tongue worked continually to alternate a load of snuff and a charge of dialogue so overdone⁶⁹ in the colloquial⁷⁰ vein⁷¹ that it was difficult to remember this was a real person speaking real lines, not a character from an Erskine Caldwell novel. “Not s’ good, Hank,” Les answered. “Not s’ good. By dog, me ’n’ the woman ’n’ the kids, we done et the last measly bean ’n’ chewed the last salty bone ’n’ it shore beats me what this here world is acomin’ to. Them u-nyn boys they don’t do sompin’ awful quick we jes’ gonna be flat up agin it.” Hank shook his head, positively⁷² radiating sympathy. “I guess she’s tight all over, Les.” “Ain’t that a fack,” Les said, and paused to lean over the side of the boat and work a gob of tobacco from between purple lips. “Don’t look for no letup, neither, if ya ast me. Nope. Reason I’m agoin’ inta town today is, well, that I hear tell there’s road job hirin’ on part time. Diggin’. Well . . .” He shrugged⁷³ philosophically⁷⁴. “A beggar cain’t be a chooser, I don’t s’pose. You boys, now you, you’re probably makin’ hay, I bet. Eh? Eh? Pleased for you. Real happy an’ that’s a fack. You Stampers are good old boys. Yes, I’m really happy. But oh gawdahmighty but I surely do hate road work. An’ that’s the truth! They ever get you on the business end of a shovel⁷⁵, Hank? Oh, let me tell you, it’ no work for a white man...” The boat touched the other shore, and after spitting again— short, onto the seat—our passenger stood and disembarked decorously. “I thank you boys.” He nodded to me. “Real happy to make your acquaintance, young fella. Well, I surely thank you. I do hate to put you boys out, but till I can get my skiff back from Teddy—” Hank waved the gratitude⁷⁶ aside magnanimously. “Not a word, Les.” “Just the same, Hank . . .” His hand inched toward a billfold that we all knew he had no intention whatsoever⁷⁷ of opening. “Just the same I ain’t one to be beholden. Let me—” “Not another word, Les. Glad to help. I’d do the same for a white man.” They gave each other the pleasure of their smiles—Hank’s grin wide and innocent, Les’s like a broken clay dish—then Les clambered up the road, muttering thanks, ragged⁷⁸ and humble⁷⁹ as poverty itself, and climbed into a new Ford⁵⁹ Fairlane convertible⁸⁰. “Can you hold ’er a sec, Hank?” he called back. “Mornin’s are gettin’ chillier⁸¹ an’ sometimes the ol’ ragtop don’t start so good.” Hank nodded, amused, while little Joe Ben fumed⁸² at Les under his breath: “What you figure we could do for you, you cluck? give you a startin’ shove with the boat?” Hank laughed softly. He idled the boat against the bank until Les got a reaction from his car; then we started up river again. It was light enough so I could see Joe Ben’s face twisted into its own rendition of a frown. “I’ll slip up here one of these nights an’ roll that machine of his into the river.” “Les is a good old boy, Joe, an’ we wouldn’t want to be party to any ill that come to—” “Lester Gibbons is a cluck an’ always has been! What about the time he took off a whole season an’ left his woman to grub potatoes in Walterville? He oughta been tarred and feathered . . .” Hank winked⁸³ at me. “Does that sound like a Christian⁸⁴ attitude to you, bub? Joby, it ain’t like you to be hacked⁸⁵ at poor old Les. What harm’s he ever done us?” “Harm! He’d cut your throat, an’ you know it. Hank, sometimes I think you ain’t got the eyes the good Lord gave a goose. 198 ken⁶⁰ kesey Why, any man can see the way he’s gunnin’ for you. Yet you just fiddle⁸⁶ along, swallowin’ his bull.” “Joe’s always been my big matchmaker, Lee. He got me into more scrapes than I can recall.” “That ain’t so! That ain’t so! It’s just I sometimes try an’ get you to face up to what you got to do. Oh yeah. Lee, he’s the worst I ever seen for puttin’ off till tomorrow what he already put off till today. Just like this business with Floyd Evenwrite; if you’d told Viv about it way back when you knew you was gonna have to, you wouldna had her angered at you now.” “Okay, Joe,” Hank said quietly, strangely, “let’s us drop that.” “ ’Stead of lettin’ it go till she found out, there wouldn’t been near the fuss.” “Joe . . .” “He’s worst I ever seen, Lee. Especially when it’s got some-thin’ to do with women that he—” “Joby, I said drop it!” The order was so charged with emotion that it caused all three of us in the boat to stare at Hank in surprise.

1 corks   

n.脐梅衣；软木( cork的名词复数 )；软木塞

参考例句：

• Champagne corks were popping throughout the celebrations. 庆祝会上开香槟酒瓶塞的砰砰声不绝於耳。 来自辞典例句
• Champagne corks popped, and on lace tablecloths seven-course dinners were laid. 桌上铺着带装饰图案的网织的桌布，上面是七道菜的晚餐。 来自飘（部分）

2 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

3 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 scorpions   

n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You promise me that Black Scorpions will never come back to Lanzhou. 你保证黑蝎子永远不再踏上兰州的土地。 来自电影对白
• You Scorpions are rather secretive about your likes and dislikes. 天蝎：蝎子是如此的神秘，你的喜好很难被别人洞悉。 来自互联网

5 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

6 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 silhouettes   

轮廓( silhouette的名词复数 )； （人的）体形； （事物的）形状； 剪影

参考例句：

• Now that darkness was falling, only their silhouettes were outlined against the faintly glimmering sky. 这时节两山只剩余一抹深黑，赖天空微明为画出一个轮廓。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• They could see silhouettes. 他们能看得见影子的。

10 plank   

n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目

参考例句：

• The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。
• They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

11 planks   

（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点

参考例句：

• The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
• We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

12 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

13 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

14 mumbling   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him mumbling to himself. 我听到他在喃喃自语。
• He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. 宴会结束时，他仍在咕哝着医院里的事。说着说着，他在一块冰上滑倒，跌断了左腿。

15 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

16 oar   

n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行

参考例句：

• The sailors oar slowly across the river.水手们慢慢地划过河去。
• The blade of the oar was bitten off by a shark.浆叶被一条鲨鱼咬掉了。

17 harangue   

n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话

参考例句：

• We had to listen to a long harangue about our own shortcomings.我们必须去听一有关我们缺点的长篇大论。
• The minister of propaganda delivered his usual harangue.宣传部长一如既往发表了他的长篇大论。

18 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

19 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

20 mooring   

n.停泊处；系泊用具，系船具；下锚v.停泊，系泊（船只）(moor的现在分词)

参考例句：

• However, all the best mooring were occupied by local fishing boats. 凡是可以泊船的地方早已被当地渔船占去了。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• Her mind was shaken loose from the little mooring of logic that it had. 就像小船失去了锚，她的思绪毫无逻辑地四处漂浮，一会为这个想法难受，一会为那个念头生气。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

21 relinquished   

交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃

参考例句：

• She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward. 她把职位让给了表弟爱德华爵士。
• The small dog relinquished his bone to the big dog. 小狗把它的骨头让给那只大狗。

22 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

23 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。

24 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

25 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

26 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

27 aloof   

adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的

参考例句：

• Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
• On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。

28 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

29 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

30 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

31 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

32 groomed   

v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的过去式和过去分词 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• She is always perfectly groomed. 她总是打扮得干净利落。
• Duff is being groomed for the job of manager. 达夫正接受训练，准备当经理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 bellowed   

v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫

参考例句：

• They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
• He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

34 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

35 subside   

vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降

参考例句：

• The emotional reaction which results from a serious accident takes time to subside.严重事故所引起的情绪化的反应需要时间来平息。
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon.围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。

36 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

37 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

38 gnomish   

adj.似侏儒的，好戏弄的

参考例句：

• The Gnomish Mines go down about 8-10 levels. 矮人矿坑大概有8-10层。 来自互联网
• The other stairs lead to the Gnomish Mines, which is a branch of the main dungeon. 通常另一个是通往矮人矿坑的，这是游戏的一个分支。 来自互联网

39 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

40 rhythmical   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• His breathing became more rhythmical.他的呼吸变得更有节奏了。
• The music is strongly rhythmical.那音乐有强烈的节奏。

41 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。

42 whine   

v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣

参考例句：

• You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
• The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

43 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。

44 drowsy   

adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的

参考例句：

• Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉，还引起了头疼。
• I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。

45 hiss   

v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满

参考例句：

• We can hear the hiss of air escaping from a tire.我们能听到一只轮胎的嘶嘶漏气声。
• Don't hiss at the speaker.不要嘘演讲人。

46 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

47 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

48 glaze   

v.因疲倦、疲劳等指眼睛变得呆滞，毫无表情

参考例句：

• Brush the glaze over the top and sides of the hot cake.在热蛋糕的顶上和周围刷上一层蛋浆。
• Tang three-color glaze horses are famous for their perfect design and realism.唐三彩上釉马以其造型精美和形态生动而著名。

49 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

50 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

51 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

52 muskrats   

n.麝鼠（产于北美，毛皮珍贵）( muskrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

53 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

54 fretting   

n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的

参考例句：

• Fretting about it won't help. 苦恼于事无补。
• The old lady is always fretting over something unimportant. 那位老妇人总是为一些小事焦虑不安。

55 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

56 tottering   

adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠

参考例句：

• the tottering walls of the castle 古城堡摇摇欲坠的墙壁
• With power and to spare we must pursue the tottering foe. 宜将剩勇追穷寇。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

57 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

58 stomped   

v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She stomped angrily out of the office. 她怒气冲冲，重步走出办公室。
• She slammed the door and stomped (off) out of the house. 她砰的一声关上了门，暮暮地走出了屋了。 来自辞典例句

59 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

60 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

61 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

62 stultifying   

v.使成为徒劳，使变得无用( stultify的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• the stultifying effects of work that never varies 一成不变的工作造成的使人呆滞的后果
• At its worst it is corrosive and it is stultifying. 在最坏的情况下，时间具有腐蚀作用，而且使人更为愚钝。 来自互联网

63 hunched   

（常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的

参考例句：

• He sat with his shoulders hunched up. 他耸起双肩坐着。
• Stephen hunched down to light a cigarette. 斯蒂芬弓着身子点燃一支烟。

64 rustling   

n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的

参考例句：

• the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
• the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声

65 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

66 garbed   

v.（尤指某类人穿的特定）服装，衣服，制服( garb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The widow was garbed in black. 那寡妇穿着黑衣服。 来自辞典例句
• He garbed himself as a sailor. 他装扮成水手。 来自辞典例句

67 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

68 garrulous   

adj.唠叨的，多话的

参考例句：

• He became positively garrulous after a few glasses of wine.他几杯葡萄酒下肚之后便唠唠叨叨说个没完。
• My garrulous neighbour had given away the secret.我那爱唠叨的邻居已把秘密泄露了。

69 overdone   

v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度

参考例句：

• The lust of men must not be overdone. 人们的欲望不该过分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The joke is overdone. 玩笑开得过火。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

70 colloquial   

adj.口语的，会话的

参考例句：

• It's hard to understand the colloquial idioms of a foreign language.外语里的口头习语很难懂。
• They have little acquaintance with colloquial English. 他们对英语会话几乎一窍不通。

71 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

72 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

73 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

74 philosophically   

adv.哲学上；富有哲理性地；贤明地；冷静地

参考例句：

• He added philosophically that one should adapt oneself to the changed conditions. 他富于哲理地补充说，一个人应该适应变化了的情况。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Harry took his rejection philosophically. 哈里达观地看待自己被拒的事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

75 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

76 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

77 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

78 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

79 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

80 convertible   

adj.可改变的，可交换，同意义的；n.有活动摺篷的汽车

参考例句：

• The convertible sofa means that the apartment can sleep four.有了这张折叠沙发，公寓里可以睡下4个人。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了。

81 chillier   

adj.寒冷的，冷得难受的( chilly的比较级 )

参考例句：

• Something colder and chillier confronted him. 他正面临着某种更加寒冷、更加凄凉的东西。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

82 fumed   

愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟

参考例句：

• He fumed with rage because she did not appear. 因为她没出现，所以他大发雷霆。
• He fumed and fretted and did not know what was the matter. 他烦躁，气恼，不知是怎么回事。

83 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

84 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

85 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

86 fiddle   

n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动

参考例句：

• She plays the fiddle well.她小提琴拉得好。
• Don't fiddle with the typewriter.不要摆弄那架打字机了。