Chapter 86

He scrambled¹ after the spinning aluminum³ hat and caught it before it hit the ground. He came panting back to where Hank stood grinning. “Hot dog and man alive,” he exclaimed studying the swinging trees to cover the flush of embarrassment⁴ brought on by the open fondness of Hank’s grin, “she is a windy one tonight, friend; oh yeah.” “Not as windy as some,” Hank judged, telling himself that as winds and friends went, all in all, a man could do a whole lot worse than old Joby and the storms he blew. A whole hell of a lot worse. Because even when he was as obvious as a forty-milean-hour gale⁶ you still couldn’t help wanting to go along with him. Most people, when they tried to cheer you up, didn’t make fools out of themselves; they could be a lot more subtle about it than Joe could with his prancing⁷ and hollering, but they couldn’t be nearly as successful. I think this was because he didn’t try to be subtle; he didn’t care if he made a fool out of himself, just so long as he made you happy with the fool. And as we hurried around, buttoning up the show for the night, I was so tickled⁹ at him working to improve my mood that I clean forgot for a while what’d caused the mood in the first place. Right up to when we headed up to the crummy I couldn’t remember (He’s sitting there awake; I tell him to scoot over...); then I heard a flock of geese off down country and toward the 528 ken¹⁰ kesey town and I remembered just exactly what was bugging¹¹ me (I ask him what he’d been doin’ to pass the day. He says writing. I ask if it was more poetry and he looks at me like he doesn’t have the vaguest inkling what I’m talking about), because hearing them geese is just like the phone ringing; even with the wire tore out it’s still the same yammering, the same crazy pestering¹³ and wheedling¹⁴, even if I can’t make out the words. And hearing the geese, and thinking about the phone wire being tore out...that screwy phone call from the night before finally came back to me. It had been dangling¹⁵ just out of my memory’s line of vision ever since last night, like one of those dreams when you can remember the feeling but not the dream. I started the crummy and headed off to the boat at the bottom of the hill, trying to get the memory straight. The whole conversation started coming back to me, clear as a bell; I still wasn’t sure right then whether it had really happened or was just a dream, but, real or a dream, I could remember it damn near word for word. It was from Willard Eggleston, the little gink who used to run the laundry. He was all keyed up and excited and so screwy-sounding I thought at first he was actually drunk. I was still about nine-tenths asleep and he was trying to tell me some story about him and the colored girl that used to work for him, and about their child—this was what made me think he was drunk—about the child the two of them had had. I just listened for a while, polite, like I did with the other calls, but after he rambled² on long enough I began to see this wasn’t like the others; I began to see he wasn’t just calling to give me a hard time, that there was something else on his mind behind all of his rambling¹⁶ and roaming talk. I let him go on; pretty soon he drew a long breath and said, “That’s the story, Mr. Stamper; just like it happened. Every bit the truth, I don’t care what you think.” I said, “All right, Willard, I’ll go along with you, but—” “Every word of it the Lord’s pure truth. I know, I personally know, so I don’t care if you go along with me or not—” “All right, all right; but you had more on your mind when you called than telling me how proud you are to be able to sire yourself a pickaninny—” “A boy, Mr. Stamper, a son! and not sometimes a great notion just sire him; I was able to pay for his way in the world like a man should for his son—” “Okay, have it your way: a son, but—” “—until you went and made it impossible for a fellow to make profit enough to pay for the overhead—” “I might hafta be showed just exactly how I did that, Willard, but for the sake of argument—” “You’ve all but bankrupted the whole town;do you need to be showed that?” “All I need is just for you to get on around to what you had on your mind when—” “I’m doing exactly that, Mr. Stamper—” “—because there’s a lot of other anonymous¹⁷ callers these days waitin’ their turn at me; I don’t want to tie up the line too long with one when so many—” “I am not anonymous, Mr. Stamper; I want you to be sure of that; this is Eggleston, Willard—” “Eggleston; all right, Willard, now just what is it you had to tell me—other’n your secret loves—at, ah, twelve-twenty-two in the morning?” “Just this, Mr. Stamper: I’m on my way this very moment to kill myself. Ah? No wise comment? This wasn’t what you expected, I’ll bet? Not from Willard Eggleston, I’ll bet? But it’s as true as I’m standing¹⁸ here. You’ll see. No, don’t try to stop me. And don’t try to phone the police, because they couldn’t reach the place before I do anyway, and if you phoned they would know I phoned you, wouldn’t they? And that I phoned to tell you it was your fault that I was forced into—” “Forced? Willard, now listen—” “Yes, forced, Mr. Stamper. You see, I have a very large policy with double indemnity¹⁹ in case of violent death, naming as beneficiary my son. Of course, until he’s twenty-one it will—” “Willard, those companies don’t pay on suicide!” “That’s why I can’t have you telling anyone, Mr. Stamper. You see now? I am dying for my son. I’ve arranged everything to look like an accident. But if you were to—” “Willard, you know what I think?” “—to tell anyone about this phone call then I would have died in vain, wouldn’t that be true? And your guilt²⁰ would then be doubled—” “I think that you been seeing too many of your own movies.” “No, Mr. Stamper! You wait! I know you people think that I’m totally without courage, that I’m just ‘that spineless Willard Eggleston.’ But you’ll see. Oh yes. And don’t bother trying to stop me, my mind is made up.” “I ain’t trying to stop you from anything, Willard.” “You’ll see tomorrow; oh yes, you’ll see 530 ken kesey what kind of spine²¹—” “I ain’t trying to stop anybody from anything, but you know, that looks to me like a pretty poor excuse for spine as far as I’m concerned—” “It’s no use trying to talk me out of it.” “What I’d call a man with spine is a man able to pay for his kid by living for him, no matter how hard it comes—” “I’m sorry, sorry, but you’re just wasting your breath.” “—not by dying for him. That’s a lot of crap, Willard, dying for somebody.” “Just whistling at the wind, Mr. Stamper.” “That’s the one thing that everybody in the world can do, ain’t it, Willard? is die . . . living is the hassle.” “No use, Mr. Stamper, not the slightest. I’ve made my decision.” “Well, good luck, then, Willard. . . .” “There’s no way anyone can—what” “I said ‘Good luck.’ ” “Good luck? Good luck? Then you don’t believe I’m going to do it!” “Yeah ...I think I do; I think I probably do. But I’m tired, and not thinking too sharp, and ‘good luck’ is about the best I can offer.” “The best you can offer? Good luck? To someone who—” “Christ almighty²², Willard; you want me to read you a page of scripture²³ or something? ‘Good luck’ seems as good as anything in your case; it’s better than ‘Have fun.’ Or ‘Bon voyage.’ Or ‘Sweet dreams.’ Or just plain old ‘Good-by.’ Let’s leave it like that, Willard: Good luck, and I’ll toss in the good-by for good measure . . . okeydoke?” “But I haven’t—” “I got to try to get some sleep, Willard. So, with all my heart, good luck—” “—completely finished telling—” “—and good-by.” “Stamper!” Willard hears the phone buzz in his ear. “Wait, please. . . .” He stands in the booth, surrounded by his three dimly lit reflections, listening to that electric hum. This isn’t the way he planned it; not at all. He wonders if he should call back, make the man understand! But he knows calling back won’t do any good because the man obviously does believe his story, whether he understands completely or not. Yes. There is every indication that he believes him. But . . . no evidence at all that he was concerned; not even the slightest! Willard returns the receiver back to its black cradle. The phone thanks him for his dime²⁴ with a polite clatter²⁵ as it drops the coin from the points into the box. Willard stares at the phone for a long time, not thinking of anything at all; until his sometimes a great notion breathing fogs the images from the glass walls and his feet and calves²⁶ go to sleep. Back in his car he starts the motor and turns up Necanicum Street toward the coastal²⁷ highway, driving slowly through the twisting rain. The enthusiasm he felt at his house is all but gone. The anticipation²⁹ dampened, the adventure of the night blunted. By that man’s cruel indifference³⁰. How could the devil not care? How could he have the heart to not care even the slightest? How could he have the right! He reaches the highway and turns north, traveling along the edge of the dunes³¹ in a gradual rise toward the palisades where the Wakonda lighthouse stirs the thickening sky. The muffled³² cadence³³ of the surf to his left annoys him and he turns on the radio to drown it out, but it is too late to pick up local stations and the terrain³⁴ is becoming too hilly to pick up Eugene or Portland; he switches it off. He continues to rise, following the flicker³⁵ of white guardposts that line the cliff side of the highway; he is too high now to hear the surf, but a feeling of annoyance³⁶ continues to nag³⁷ at him. . . . That Hank Stamper and his talk about spine; what kind of way is that for a man to react to such a desperate phone call, just brushing it off with a good luck and good-by? . . . What gave him the right? By the time he reaches the stone-fenced view point near the top his chin is quivering, and by the time he is approaching the turn the hot-rod crowd calls Bustass Curve, his whole body is quaking with grim outrage³⁹. He drives on past the turn. He has half a mind to go back and make another call, by golly! Even if the man doesn’t understand completely, he has no right to be so heartless. Not when he is so much to blame! him and the rest of that bunch. No! No, he certainly does not! Willard pulls into the drive that leads off to the lighthouse, and backs out, turning around. Fuming⁴⁰ with indignation, he heads back toward town. No, by golly; no right! Hank Stamper is no better than anybody else! I have every bit as much spine as he does! And I will prove it! To him! And Jelly! And everybody! Yes I will! And I’ll do everything possible to help drag him off his high horse! Yes I will! I promise, I swear I will . . . And, hissing⁴¹ down from the palisades along the wet, winding⁴² 532 ken kesey pavement, swollen⁴³ with anger and determination and life, Willard goes into a slide on the very turn he had picked weeks before, and unintentionally keeps both his appointment and his promise. . . . “Oh...heard tell over the news, I did...you recollect⁴⁴ that puny⁴⁵ little drink of water owned the laundry till he took over the picture show a year or so back? Willard Eggleston? Well sir, they scraped his carcass offn the rocks out by Wakonda Head this mornin’. Slammed through the guard rail, he did, sometime last night.” The old man followed this piece of information with a loud belch⁴⁶ and returned to the less spectacular gossip about the townspeople’s trials and tribulations⁴⁷. He hadn’t expected any of us to pay the news much attention; the man was too vague an entity⁴⁸ to concern any of us. Even Joe, who usually could be counted on for elaboration about any of the local citizenry, admitted that he knew about as much about the unfortunate carcass as I did: that the little man sold tickets to the movies and had displayed about as much life as did an arcade⁴⁹ fortune-telling dummy⁵⁰ in his little glass case. Nobody knew much about him. . . . Yet the news of this lifeless thing’s death doubled Brother Hank over like a cannonball to the stomach, producing sudden coughing and a sheet-white face. Joe’s immediate⁵¹ diagnosis⁵² was “Bone in the throat! Bone stuck in the throat!” and he was out of the chair like a shot and banging away at Hank’s back before any of the rest of us even had time to suggest a cure. The old man’s opinion was “Leave off poundin’ on him, for god’s sake . . . all he’s doin’ is gettin’ set to sneeze”—and he held his snuff can in front of Hank’s mouth as though the snuff might coax⁵³ the reluctant sneeze forth⁵⁴ with its aroma⁵⁵. Hank pushed both Joe and the can away. “Damn!” he declared. “I’m not trying to choke or sneeze, neither one! I’m all right. I just had a tinge⁵⁶ in my back is all, but Joe beat it to death.” “Are you sure you’re all right?” Viv asked. “What do you mean, a tinge?” “Yes, I’m sure.” He insisted he was perfectly⁵⁷ all right and, sometimes a great notion much to my disappointment, neglected to answer her second question (I would have enjoyed knowing what a “tinge” was myself ), choosing instead to get up from the table and stride across to the refrigerator. “Don’t we have a can of cold beer on the place?” “Don’t have a can of no kind of beer.” The old man shook his head. “Not beer, wine, nor whisky, an’ I’m drastic low on snuff, by god, if you want to hear some real tragic⁵⁸ news.” “What’s the matter? I thought we had a standin’ order at Stokes’s?” “I guess you ain’t heard,” Jan said. “Henry’s old friend Stokes has cut us off. Stopped delivery.” “Friend? That ol’ spook? Shoot, I ain’t no more friend to that—” “Stopped delivery? How come?” “He said it was because there wasn’t any other stops out this way for his delivery truck to make,” Jan answered from beneath her eyelids⁶⁰. “But the real reason is—” Hank slammed the refrigerator door. “Yeah; his real reason is . . .” He picked up the clock from the stove and looked at it; everyone waited for him to go on; even the kids had stoped eating and were exchanging the scared glances kids exchange when the big folks is actin’ funny. But Hank decided⁶¹ not to go into real reasons: “I think I’ll go on up and hit the sack,” he said, putting the clock back. “An’ miss Wells Fargo?” Squeaky asked incredulously, lifting an eyebrow⁶³. “You don’t ever miss Wells Fargo, Hank.” “Dale Robertson’ll have to handle Wells Fargo without me tonight, Squeaks⁶⁴.” The little girl pursed her lips and lifted both eyebrows⁶⁵ at that; oh boy, the big folks was really actin’ funny tonight. Before he left the kitchen Viv hurried across to feel his forehead, but he said all he needed was a decent night’s little sleep without phone calls, not a head rub, and clumped⁶⁶ on up the stairs in his boots. Viv looked after him, worried and wordless. And her worry and wordlessness worried me. Especially the wordlessness, in view of Hank’s footwear: it was as unusual for cork⁶⁷ boots to pass the first step without Viv’s calling out, 534 ken kesey “Boots,” as it was for Dale Robertson to ride the Wells Fargo stage without Hank sitting glued to the TV set with Squeaky on his lap. I couldn’t understand my brother’s funny actin’ any more than Squeaky could (I did know, however, that it was no more brought on by a mere⁶⁸ lack of sleep than by bone in the throat; his reaction to the theater-owner’s death was so classic a reaction to bad news that he might have taught Macduff a thing or two) but I was very quick to pick up on Viv’s concern. “He’s more a man than I am,” I said with grudging⁶⁹ good nature, “because I certainly could use a head rub.” She seemed not to hear. “Yes. I admire the man his health. . . .” I stood up, groaning⁷⁰. “He was able to make it up those stairs, at least.” “You going up to bed too, Lee?” she asked, turning at last to me. “Going to attempt it. Everybody wish me luck.” She was looking back at the stairwell again. “I’ll drop around to your room in a bit,” she said absently, and added, “I wish I could find that thermometer.” So, with mysterious WATCH OUT still echoing in my head, I vowed⁷¹ that the time had come. Tomorrow was V-day, without fail. And if I could not understand the qualms⁷² I felt, I could nevertheless still understand that a dilution⁷³ of Viv’s concern was in the offing unless I moved quickly. I could still understand that if one is to alter iron at all he’d best strike while that iron is still hot. I didn’t need a thermometer for that. . . . The old house is noisy even without television. The children talk in whispers, and the rain outside seems to whisper back, but the geese call full-throated and brazen⁷⁴ as Hank lies listening. ...(I don’t even bring a paper to read. I just hop⁷⁵ right in the sack. I’m about asleep when I hear the kid come up and go on down to his room. He’s coughing a little, sounds about as real as the cough Boney Stokes been putting on thirty years. I listen to see if anybody else comes up, but there’s a flock goes so loud I can’t hear. Thousands and thousands and thousands. Flying round and round and round the house. Thousands and thousands and thousands. Banging against the roof, crashing sometimes a great notion through the walls till the house is full of them gray feathers beaks⁷⁶ at my ear hard and hollering at me beating chest and neck and face hard whacking⁷⁷ wings of thousands and thousands louder than—) I woke up, feeling like something was haywire. The house was dark and quiet and at the foot of the bed the glow-dial clock said it was about half past one. I laid there, trying to figure what had woke me. The wind was blowing outside, crashing rain against the window so hard it sounded every once in a while like that old river out there was rising up in the dark and striking at the house like a big swaying snake of water. But that wasn’t what woke me; if I was woke up by every little wind kicking against the window I would of died of exhaustion⁷⁹ years ago. Looking back, it’s easy to figure what it was: the geese had all shut up. There wasn’t a sound, not a hoot⁵⁹ nor a honk⁸⁰. And the hole left in the night by their honking⁸¹ was like a big roaring vacuum; enough to wake anybody. But at the time I didn’t realize that. . . . I slid out of bed, taking it real easy to keep from waking Viv, and I got hold of the six-cell light I keep in the room. The way the weather was carrying on out there I decided I maybe ought to have a look at the foundation, seeing as I hadn’t checked before going to bed. I walked over to the window and put my face up near the glass and shined the light off in the direction of the bank. I don’t know why. Laziness, I reckon. Because I knew that even on a clear day it was next to impossible to see the foundation from that window on account of the hedge. But I reckon I was just punchy enough to hope this time it would be different and I would see the bank and it would be fine. . . . Out past the glass there seemed to be nothing but rain being whipped around in long filmy sheets, like the banners of the wind. I was just standing there, stroking the beam of that light back and forth, still about half sacked-out, when all of a sudden I see out yonder a face! A human face! floating out there on the rain, wide-eyed, wild-haired, with a mouth twisted in horror like a thing been trapped outside in the storm for centuries! I don’t know how long I stared at it—maybe five seconds or 536 ken kesey five minutes—before I gave a yell and jumped back from the window. And saw the face mimic⁸² my actions. Oh! Oh for chrissakes . . . It’s just a reflection, nothing but a reflection. . . . But so help me god, it was about the wildest thing I ever had happen to me; the worst scare I ever had in my life. Worse than in Korea. Worse even than the time I seen the tree falling at me and I tripped right underneath⁸³ it and fell next to a stump⁸⁴ and the tree hit that stump like a two-ton maul driving a stake; the stump was pounded a good six inches into the ground but it protected me so I didn’t suffer no more than the loss of my breakfast. That particular incident shook me so bad I laid there without moving for a good ten minutes, but I tell you so help me god, that wasn’t nowhere near the scare I got from that reflection. I heard Viv hustle⁸⁵ around behind me. “What is it, honey?” “Nothing,” I told her. “Nothing. I just thought for a minute there the bogey⁸⁶ man was after me.” I laughed a little. “Thought the old boy had come for my ass⁵ at last. I looked out the window to check the foundation, and there the sonofabitch was, face looking like death warmed over.” I laughed again, and finally turned from the window and walked to sit on the edge of the bed beside her. “Yessiree, a regular fiend in the night. See him yonder?” I shined the light up toward my face again so’s Viv could see the reflection for herself, and made a face at her in the window. We both laughed, and she reached out to take my arm and hold it against her cheek, the way she used to do when she was pregnant. “You were tossing and turning so; did you finally get to sleep?” “Yeah. I guess them geese finally give up tryin’ to get in.” “What woke you, the storm?” “Yeah. The rain woke me, I imagine. The wind. She’s walkin’ and talkin’ out there tonight. Dang. I bet that river’s comin’ up, too. Well, you know what that means . . .” “You’re not going down to check, are you? It’s not that bad. It’s just blowing a lot. It couldn’t have come up so much since you checked after supper.” sometimes a great notion “Yeah . . . except I didn’t check tonight after supper, remember? I had a bone in my throat.” “But it was all right when you came home from work; that was just before supper....” “I don’t know,” I told her. “I should go check. It’d be safest.” “Honey, don’t,” she said and squeezed my arm. “Yep, one hell of a scare,” I said, shaking my head. “Most like it was the dream had a lot to do with it; getting me ripe for a scare, sort of. I’d been dreaming again that college dream again, you know? Only this time the reason I quit wasn’t because I was just too duncy to hack⁷⁸ it, but because Ma’d died. I come home from school and found the old lady dead, like the time when I was a kid. It happened just like it really did: I found her bent⁸⁷ nearly double, with her face in the launder⁸⁸ tray. And when I touched her she tipped sideways and banged to the floor, still bent, like she was frozen bent, like a piece of a root. ‘Probably a stroke,’ was what Dr. Layton said. ‘Probably suffered a stroke while she was washing and fell in the water, drown before she could come to.’ Hmm. . . . Only in this dream I’m not a kid; I’m twenty or so. Hmm. . . .” I thought about it a minute, then asked Viv, “What you suppose, Doctor; am I completely schitzish?” “You’re completely nuts. Get under the covers. . . .” “Funny, ain’t it ...the geese hushing up all at once. I almost think that’s what woke me.” Looking back, I know damn well that’s what woke me. “That or the rain knocking to remind me I ain’t checked the foundation tonight . . .” Looking back, a guy can always pick him out some topnotch reasons to explain what happened. He can say the reason he woke up like he did was because the geese hushed; and the reason that reflection spooked him so was the dream he’d been having leaving him in a kind of spooky frame of mind... (I sit there on the bed, listening to the rain. I can feel her cheek pushed up against my bicep, all warm and smooth, and her hair falling down in my lap. “I’m sure it’s all right, honey,” she says. “What’s that?” I say. “The foundation,” she says. . . .) A guy can even look back and see that the thing that happened 538 ken kesey the next day at work was because of them dreams and reasons, along with thinking about that nut Willard Eggleston, and with all that week working so hard and not sleep enough when I got home...he can look back and say there was the why of it . . . (I shake my head. “I don’t know,” I say. “I know I ought to go down there and check, just run a light over the waterline to see how things are...but oh lord god,” I say, “how I hate the thought of pulling on a pair of ice-cold boots and go slopping out in that soup . . .”) Even that flu bug¹² that was going the rounds, a fellow could add that on, looking back . . . (I reach over for my trousers off the back of the hard chair. “Especially,” I say, “the way my kidneys are giving me hell. . . .” “Your kidneys?” she says. “Yeah, you remember, they used to bother me some just after we was married; Layton said it was from riding all the way across the country on the cycle with no support on; floating kidney or something was what he called it. Hadn’t troubled me none for the last couple years. Till today. I skidded⁸⁹ offn a peeled one and whanged hell outa my rear end and back—” “Oh,” she says, “bad? Let me look.” She flicks⁹⁰ on the bed light. “It’s okay,” I tell her. “Sure,” she says. “Sure, it’s always okay with you.” She sits up and gets hold of the scruff of my hair and pulls me back over on the bed. “Now roll over to your stomach and let me look.”) Yeah, a fellow can look back and add up all the reasons and say, “Well, it ain’t really so hard to figure how come I was so punchy and so logy, and so careless out working the state park the next day, what with all the hassles banging at me so long; no, not really so hard...” (She pulls up my undershirt. “Hon-ey! . . . it’s all raw.” “Yeah,” I say into the covers, “but nothin’ to fuss over. Nothing you can do with a bruised⁹¹ butt⁸ anyhow but pee blood for a few days while it heals. I tell you, though: you might see can you unravel⁹² some of the kinks in my shoulders while you got me here...okeedoke?”) But just the same, being able to look back and give reasons and all that still don’t do much toward making a man proud of what happened because of them reasons. Not if he can look sometimes a great notion back as well and see how he could have kept it from—no, not could; look back and see how he by god should have kept it from happening. There’s shames a man can never reason away, though he looks back and piles up reasons over them forty dozen deep. And maybe those are the shames a man never should reason away . . . (She gets up and goes to the dresser for something and switches on the electric heater on her way back. She’s wearing the nightgown with the one broken strap⁹³. I smell that she’s got the analgesic⁹⁴ before it touches my back. “Boy,” I say, “that’s all right. I sure didn’t realize how knotted up I was.” She hums along with the electric heater for a while, then commences to sing in just this least little whisper possible. “Redbird in a sycamore tree-ee, singing out his song,” she sings. “Big black snake crawls up that tree and swallows that poor boy whole.” “That’s nice,” I tell her. “Dang, that’s nice. . . .” She rubs round and around and around; and it is nice, it’s very nice . . .) Hank breathes deeply, his lips damp against the back of his forearm as he lies on his stomach. The hands slither over him like a warm and fragrant⁹⁵ oil. The heater beside the bed purrs pleasantly, glowing at him from across the room in a deep orange spiral. Viv sings: “Bluejay pulled a four-horse plow⁹⁶ Sparrow why not you-oo? ’Cause my legs is little an’ long An’ they might get broke in two.” He rolls to his back. In thick, warm oil. And reaches his maimed hand languorously⁹⁷ up to take the dangling strap and pull her down toward him . . . Wild geese flying through the air Through the sky of blue-oo... The rain strikes against the window and draws back and strikes again without effect. The wind strums the four insulated power lines that swoop⁹⁸ over the river to the house, making the 540 ken kesey house hum in deep response. Hank falls asleep with the lamp still burning and the heater still purring, and the slim liquid hands once again flowing warmly across his back . . . They’re now a-floating where the south sun glows So why not me and you. . . . Sometimes—after futile⁹⁹ all-nights—deserts fill my workhouse and smoking sand gets in my eyes . . . and I must split the swollen cabin to check the dawn, to find: the creek¹⁰⁰ still parties with the moon ...the thrusting pine and whippoorwills still celebrate the sun. It generally works, and things are cool, but sometimes— after cutting out—nothing out there happens but the night. And those days were best forgotten. In the morning Lee refused absolutely to rise from bed; there would be no carrier to sleep the day away in at the new grounds, and he was damned if he’d get out of the house just to sit like a mudflat Indian under a rubber poncho¹⁰¹, frustrated¹⁰² and frozen, while the rain slowly washed the remaining shreds¹⁰³ of his life downhill into the river. He was determined¹⁰⁴ to remain firmly in bed; no amount of persuasion¹⁰⁵ on Joe Ben’s part was going to work this morning. “Lee, boy, think of this.” Joe raised a finger significantly. “You don’t even have to ride the boat up river this time. We’re taking the pick-up all the way to the job.” Then the finger began to jab, icy and insistent¹⁰⁶— “Come on. Hop up; get up now—” “What?” I was shaken from warm dreams of victory by that cold little jab of reality. “What? Get up? Are you serious, Joe?” “Certainly,” he told me seriously, then launched a new sales campaign. Through a scrim of sleepy I saw Joe Ben’s fanatic¹⁰⁷ eyes crackling green at me from their orange rims¹⁰⁸. A happy Caliban. He was offering me some kind of nice little excursion in the pickup¹⁰⁹. I half listened, sitting up and reaching for another handful of aspirins from the dish beside my bed. All night long I had been chewing them like salted peanuts to foil any attempt a thermometer might make to reveal my actual sickness. 542 ken kesey “Josephus,” I interrupted, “a ride in the pick-up somehow just does not compete with the ride I’m now taking. Have a handful of aspirin¹¹⁰. Get a nice buzz on.” I leaned back and pulled the covers over my head, remembering that this was the day I had chosen for my assault, for the final step in my plans. To stay home. With the remembering, excitement began to run through me, but I managed to keep my voice appropriately weak and muffled. . . . “No, Joe. No no no, I’m sick sick sick”—and at the same time allow just enough of an edge of malicious¹¹¹ amusement show to let Joe know better. I reasoned that Brother Hank had sent him on this mission to my bedroom, for I was positive that Hank too understood the importance of this day. Everything had led up to it. It could not be denied. At long last it was inevitable¹¹² that I would have to spend the day home from work...alone... except for the old man, who slept most of the mornings and sometimes a good part of the afternoons if he didn’t go into town, and for Viv. The thought of my brother’s anxiety lent a new dimension to my undercover excitement, as well as a glow to my frozen extremities¹¹³. “Forget it, Joe. No. I’m not going.” I burrowed¹¹⁴ deeper. “But Lee, boy, you might be needed!” “Joe, stop, you’re getting my rear cold. Besides”—I raised an edge of the sheet to eye him meaningfully—“just why is it that my company is so important? Needed? I don’t recall being needed before. Why now, Joe? Why now does poor Hank feel it necessary to have me continually in sight? Is he afraid to leave me alone? Some harm come to me, perhaps?” “What are you talking, poor Hank?” He jerked away my quilt; “Hank don’t have nothing to do with my comin’ up here; what’s wrong with you? Hank don’t give a snap one way or the other. No sir! I came up here thinking you’d be interested—as a scholar—interested in the way logging was one time performed. History, man, yeah, history right out there! Come on with us, what do you say?” I laughed and struggled to repossess the quilt from Joe. “Joe, tell Hank that as far as history goes, that I—as a scholar—don’t give a snap one way or the other myself. Night-night.” And drew my head back into the warm darkness, pretending to sleep . . . sometimes a great notion Joe Ben turned and walked away from Lee, scratching the tip of his nose with a broken nail. Out in the hall he saw Viv coming out of old Henry’s bedroom. His face brightened and he took her hand. “Viv, honeybun, I—we all—we need you to do a thing for us! Need it real bad. The old boy up and around? He was gonna give us last-minute advice on handlogging. Oh yeah. Anyway. Look, we need somebody to run us up to the job in the pick-up and then get back to town and get a set of cotter pins soon’s the stores open. Need ’em bad, honeybun. Now you been close to Leland and all . . . also! I think the boy should drop in on Doctor Layton. I don’t like the sound of that throat.” She smiled at him. “You’re one to talk about the way a throat sounds.” Joe’s voice would frighten a bear. “Me? The trouble is—didn’t I ever tell you this?—the doctor didn’t beat all the phlegm outa me when I was born. It ain’t a sickness with me. I’m too lovable to be sick. But what do you think about Lee?” “I don’t know, Joe,” she answered. He went on talking and she waited to see what he was getting at. Viv knew when Joe Ben was rearranging the truth to his own ends; everyone generally knew except Joe. Even when the reasons behind his rearrangements were obscure, people usually went along with Joe because they had learned that in the end his reasons were always unselfish. When she saw he had finished his jittery¹¹⁵ outburst, Viv nodded and agreed to talk with Lee, though she was still in the dark about his motives¹¹⁶. Frowning, her slim light brows drawn¹¹⁷ together, she went to Lee’s room and knocked on the door. “Lee?” Thump¹¹⁸ thump thump. “Who’s there?” I mumbled¹¹⁹ from beneath my quilt. “Go away.” Hank will now have to try himself, I thought, since Joe has failed, and maybe get angry enough at my malingering to lose his cool. Thump thump? The door opened and I steeled myself. WATCH OUT. Zero hour. If he did lose his cool the game would be mine. He was approaching the bait once more; the trap lay in readiness. All he needed to do was get a little angry, just enough to poke¹²⁰ the trigger (my nose, I hoped; please 544 ken kesey my nose and not my lovely teeth, after all those years of braces¹²¹ and agony having them straightened). I would squeal¹²² in terror. Viv would rush to my aid, defending me against the cad, soothing¹²³ my poor nose as he fumed¹²⁴ with frustration¹²⁵ ...and the game would be mine, nothing left for me but to take her away. So imagine my shock when I saw, instead of Hank, it was Viv who lifted that quilt to peek¹²⁶ in. “Morning,” she piped. “No,” I groaned¹²⁷. She was insistent. “Morning, Lee; up up up.” “Can’t,” I groaned again, but she said I must get up. To go to town. She told me she would worry unless I went to see a doctor about my throat and the swollen glands¹²⁸ in my neck. “So up, Lee; I don’t plan to take no or can’t for an answer. Get some warm clothes on while I tell Hank to wait”—and left before I could protest further. Puzzled, I managed to drag myself from the warm bed and shuffle¹²⁹ down to another morose¹³⁰ breakfast in the steamy kitchen. The tinny music of Joe’s radio only emphasized the silence. I ate slowly, curious, completely at a loss to understand her insistence¹³¹ on medical attention. Did she also object to my being left behind? Could she be worried about being alone with one so obviously harmless? Impossible. I ruminated¹³² slyly over my oatmeal and was right on the verge¹³³ of making crafty¹³⁴ alterations¹³⁵ in my plans—Viv could drive me in; my fever, you know, feeling a bit giddy—when a second unforeseen event turned up to further complicate¹³⁶ matters. Old Henry, all decked out in his going-t’-town best, came rumbling¹³⁷ down the steps, hawking¹³⁸ terrific hornlike blasts from an early-morning larynx as he struggled to pull on a heavy sheepskin-lined parka. ...“Here we go, bullies¹³⁹, here we go.” I sighed. It was going to be that sort of day.... “Yep, here we go. Today we really whup ’er, boys! Hm. Look at the rain. Fine-looking weather. Goddam, looks almost like you was aimin’ to run off without me.” They all turned from the table to watch the old man work to pull on the parka; when he turned they saw he had removed his arm cast.. . . “Henry,” Viv, she says to me when she sees. “Oh, Henry.” She’s standing at the table, about to give Leland some sausage, sometimes a great notion when she points at my wrist with the fork. “All right,” she says. “What did you do with it?” “Goddam thing came off whilst I slept, if you got to know,” I tell her. “So when I heard you talking I thought to myself: Henry, you better ride into that doctor with Leland to see about should you maybe take the one off your leg.” I knocked agin the pant leg with my knuckles¹⁴⁰ to show them how holler it sounds. “Hear that? I ain’t sure but the damn leg rotted clean away in there. So I’m goin’ along, if nobody minds too much.” “Okay,” Hank, he says. “Let’s get with it. We ought to make it there right at daylight.” Joe Ben, he rides in the back of the pick-up with the equipment. Hank, he drives. Beside Hank, Leland, he sits, nodding with his eyes closed, and next to the door I sit, trying to get squirmed around to some comfortable position for the goddam booging plaster leg. On the ride up to the new show site I try to give the boys some notion of what to expect up there today. Explaining as much as I can about handlogging, about this and that, about a man really oughten to be cutting in this wind and rain but since you can’t get around it then you go to more’n ever pay attention to the drift of the rain, to the gusts¹⁴¹ you see off in the distance comin’—you can see ’em, off there, shakin’ the tops of trees like some big goddamn invis’ble bird flyin’ at ya—an’ watch those ’cause they can kill ya ...but you mainly got to be watchful¹⁴² after the stick is on the ground whilst you’re buckin’ it because you are fallin’ the bastard¹⁴³ to slide anyhow an’ she ain’t always so polite as to wait for ready set go ...and you mainly most of all need to study the trough she ought to take down hill, an’ there’s where a man needs to know his beans! “Takes some experience, huh?” “Yes sir! Know his onions!” My fossilized father had taken it into his head that he had to ride into town with us, and nothing would budge¹⁴⁴ him. During the pick-up ride he talked on and on, rocking back and forth with his left hand cradled against his chest. The hand was blue and thin-looking, more like the limb of something ripped untimely from the womb than the hand of an octogenarian. He 546 ken kesey rocked the hand, cooing over it in a bemused, sing-song way as we drove toward the state park. When he spoke¹⁴⁵ of some particularly exciting aspect of logging the hand stirred restlessly. I watched its fetal movements, wondering what I would say to the doctor at the hospital . . . “Needs to be on the jump every second, a man does . . .” They reached the end of the paved road. Hank consulted a section quadrangle map to see that it matched the section marker tacked¹⁴⁶ to the tree. “Hold it here . . .” (Figuring that I’d best double check before we started work: tired and none too clear-headed . . .) “What’s that section shingle¹⁴⁷ yonder read, Joe?” (I didn’t want to have the hill cleared, then find I was cutting the wrong forest. Joe called back a number and it checked; this was our show. “Better look around, bub.” I nudged Lee upright. “Better wake up and watch the turns or you won’t make ’er back to the highway, let ’lone be able to drive back up here tonight to pick us up,” I told him. He looks at me. I don’t know. I just feel tired. The pick-up rocked and pitched up a steep pan of streaming ruts, then leveled off and traveled for a few minutes along the ridge¹⁴⁸ before I stopped it out on the lip of a rim³⁸. I opened the door and took a look down: below us, down one steep sonofagun of a hill through the shaggy trunks of firs, was the river. I pulled on the emergency brake and put the pick-up into neutral. “This is our slope,” I said. “The state park commission want these trees cleared to give tourists a view of the river. I imagine from this high they can see the coast from here too. Can you find your way back, bub?” “I’ll be along with him,” the old man said, before Lee could answer, “and I could get back here with my head in a sack.” The old man’s voice had grown real calm as we got closer to the site. There was none of that tomfool childish sound been in his talk of late. And when he looked off at-the tree trunks, the huge looming¹⁴⁹ trunks never seen anywhere any more except in government parks, his face set-up hard and his old toothless mouth pulled down. “I can show him the way back here in pitch dark an’ hurricane,” he says and gives the kid another nudge . . .) “What?” Once more I was jolted¹⁵⁰ awake. Just as Hank had sometimes a great notion predicted, we had reached the work site in a dead heat with gray dawn. Henry had reached into the cab to goose me awake for a look. Through the window I saw firs fingering the interminable rosary of rain. The old man stood, talking and pointing down through a shaggy opening in the forest. Hank got out and walked to his side, leaving me to sit in the muttering pickup. Joe Ben was shivering from his long ride in the back, anxious for the old man to finish his grabbing so he could get to work and warm up, but Brother Hank’s attitude toward Henry had become very attentive¹⁵¹, almost respectful for some reason. Their conversation drifted in through the heater vents¹⁵² under the dash... (“Blamed right; worked many a slope just like this one forty years ago.” “Fierce terrain.” “Worked many a one fiercer,” the old man let me know. “Hear you tell it, this country use to all be eighty-degree slopes with earthquakes and geysers,” I said, shucking him a little. He frowned and scratched his wet old noggin. “I can’t call to mind any geysers right off,” he said. “But I admit earthquakes plagued us some.” And we both laughed a little, taking it easy while Lee came to enough to manage driving Why can’t he wake up? and while Joe drug the stuff out of the back end...) At the rear of the pick-up, a ways apart from Hank and old Henry, Joe Ben was already unloading the gear; the saws and gas cans stood already against the fender and he was dragging out the old wooden hand-carved screwjacks and leaning these alongside the sleek¹⁵³ and shiny Homelite saws, hurriedly, ready to get with it, hot to get at it and show old Hank that by golly just me and him is enough and then some! So I shag that gear out like a tiger. Hank and Henry talk. The kid gets out but he don’t offer to help. He just stands watching, coughing occasionally into his fist like he’s about to drop dead on the spot. Behind me there with Hank the old man stands at the edge of the road—that limp hand cradled in his other hairy claw— looking off down the hill—the rain swirls¹⁵⁴ about the trees, the sound of gullies being dug into the mountainside is like the 548 ken kesey sound of a busy highway roaring past somewhere nearby— Hank and me’ll show ’em. The old man raises his hand to point to an outcropping of mossy rock. “Set up over yonder,” he says to Hank. “Start low close to the river an’ work up. These here bastards¹⁵⁵ are big. We won’t need but a day or so cuttin’ to fill the contract.” “How about stopping time, do you reckon?” Hank asks. “We don’t want to float logs past Andy in the dark, do we?” The old man wrinkles his face, thinks about that a minute. “That’s something, that is something . . . let me see, from here it’ll take oh, a good hour’n half to float to him. Now, the river’s high and the tide’s ebbin’. Say one good hour, you say so Joe Ben?” I tell him sure and he says, “So stop cuttin’ one good hour before dark, ’bout tide change.” He turns and starts back toward the pick-up. “I’ll see that them cotter pins get back up here quick as possible.” He catches Lee by the sleeve and shakes him. “You alive, boy? Or you need some ass-kickin’ to bring you to? Get in there. You drive. Let’s wag it an’ shag it. Say, by the by, Hank . . .” The old man aims his finger at Hank. (As the pick-up was backing up and turning, leaving me and Joe in the rain there, Henry rolled down the window and called back, “What the hell you mean any goddam way, runnin’ down so low on cotter pins? Do I hafta do all the thinkin’ for this worthless outfit¹⁵⁶? Do I hafta do all the goddam figgerin’?” Then they faded off. There the kid goes. Back to the valley, there he goes. . . . Joe Ben grinned at me as the pick-up drove off with the old man still calling. “Hardboiled ol’ owl²⁸, ain’t he?” Joe said and started dancing off toward the outcropping Henry had pointed¹⁵⁷ out, rearing to get at it. I follow after the squeak⁶² of Joe’s radio. Like in a dream. Can’t seem to get my mind off that pick-up, on my business. And we headed out . . .) On Main Street old Henry went into Stokes’s Hardware— hoping I’ll run onto the old spook, sort of—for them cotter pins. Leland, he stays behind in the pick-up to wait for me. Stokes ain’t there, but the nigger behind the counter, he’s damned rattled¹⁵⁸ to see me. He kind of shudders¹⁵⁹ when I ask for the pins, and starts to tell me sorry, Mr. Stamper, but Mr. Stokes sometimes a great notion said no service . . . so I say piss on him I’ll serve myself, and look and find the size I want and pick them from the shelf myself before the proprietor¹⁶⁰ can think of a good answer to that. “Much obliged,” I tell him real nice. “Just put ’em on the Stamper tab.” And I go back out and get in the pick-up, where the boy’s setting there waiting. “Let’s go, son. Before we get accused o’ robbery.” In town, after a brief stop for parts, Henry dropped me at the doctor’s office to drive on to the Snag, where he said he could “pass the wait profitably.” I told him I would wait in the outer room if he wasn’t back when the doctor finished with me, and I walked to the desk; a forty-five-year-old Amazon in white informed me that I would have to wait, asked me to be seated, then glared at me for an hour over the top of a magazine while I fought sleep on a septic-scented couch and wished I could join my old father at his place of profitable waiting. . . . After I drop the kid at the doctor’s I decide to drive on to the Snag for a little slash¹⁶¹. See what’s the news. Mainly me, it looks like. My coming in kind of stirs things up a mite¹⁶², but I say piss on ’em and head for the bar. I have me two whiskies while I read the scribbled¹⁶³ notes pinned up there near the door, advertising¹⁶⁴ all kinds of paraphernalia¹⁶⁵, and I’m about to get me a third when Indian Jenny comes driving through the door like a big old cow. She blinks around and sees me and she comes bearing down on me with fire in her eye. “You!” she says to me, “you all, your whole family, you, you’re bad as hell on us, being so stubborn.” “Jenny! By god now, you like a drink? Teddy, see what Jenny here’d like.” I act like everything’s normal as pie, just like I done at Stokes’s. I’m darned if I show them I know better.

1 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 rambled   

（无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论

参考例句：

• We rambled through the woods. 我们漫步走过树林。
• She rambled on at great length but she didn't get to the heart of the matter. 她夹七夹八地说了许多话也没说到点子上。

3 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。

4 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

5 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

6 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

7 prancing   

v.（马）腾跃( prance的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lead singer was prancing around with the microphone. 首席歌手手执麦克风，神气地走来走去。
• The King lifted Gretel on to his prancing horse and they rode to his palace. 国王把格雷特尔扶上腾跃着的马，他们骑马向天宫走去。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 tickled   

（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐

参考例句：

• We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。
• I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。

10 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.

11 bugging   

[法] 窃听

参考例句：

• Okay, then let's get the show on the road and I'll stop bugging you. 好，那么让我们开始动起来，我将不再惹你生气。 来自辞典例句
• Go fly a kite and stop bugging me. 走开，别烦我。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

12 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

13 pestering   

使烦恼，纠缠( pester的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He's always pestering me to help him with his homework. 他总是泡蘑菇要我帮他做作业。
• I'm telling you once and for all, if you don't stop pestering me you'll be sorry. 我这是最后一次警告你。如果你不停止纠缠我，你将来会后悔的。

14 wheedling   

v.骗取（某物），哄骗（某人干某事）( wheedle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He wheedled his way into the building, ie got into it by wheedling. 他靠花言巧语混进了那所楼房。 来自辞典例句
• An honorable32 weepie uses none of these33) wheedling34) devices. 一部体面的伤感电影用不着这些花招。 来自互联网

15 dangling   

悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
• The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。

16 rambling   

adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的

参考例句：

• We spent the summer rambling in Ireland. 我们花了一个夏天漫游爱尔兰。
• It was easy to get lost in the rambling house. 在布局凌乱的大房子里容易迷路。

17 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

18 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

19 indemnity   

n.赔偿，赔款，补偿金

参考例句：

• They paid an indemnity to the victim after the accident.他们在事故后向受害者付了赔偿金。
• Under this treaty,they were to pay an indemnity for five million dollars.根据这项条约，他们应赔款500万美元。

20 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

21 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

22 almighty   

adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的

参考例句：

• Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
• It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。

23 scripture   

n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段

参考例句：

• The scripture states that God did not want us to be alone.圣经指出上帝并不是想让我们独身一人生活。
• They invoked Hindu scripture to justify their position.他们援引印度教的经文为他们的立场辩护。

24 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

25 clatter   

v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声

参考例句：

• The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.碟子碗碰得丁丁当当的。
• Don't clatter your knives and forks.别把刀叉碰得咔哒响。

26 calves   

n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解

参考例句：

• a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
• The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

28 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

29 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

30 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

31 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

32 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

34 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

35 flicker   

vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现

参考例句：

• There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。
• At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时，光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现，几乎并不灿烂。

36 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

37 nag   

v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人

参考例句：

• Nobody likes to work with a nag.谁也不愿与好唠叨的人一起共事。
• Don't nag me like an old woman.别像个老太婆似的唠唠叨叨烦我。

38 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

39 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

40 fuming   

愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟

参考例句：

• She sat in the car, silently fuming at the traffic jam. 她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• I was fuming at their inefficiency. 我正因为他们效率低而发火。

41 hissing   

n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
• His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

42 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

43 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

44 recollect   

v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得

参考例句：

• He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。
• She could not recollect being there.她回想不起曾经到过那儿。

45 puny   

adj.微不足道的，弱小的

参考例句：

• The resources at the central banks' disposal are simply too puny.中央银行掌握的资金实在太少了。
• Antonio was a puny lad,and not strong enough to work.安东尼奥是个瘦小的小家伙，身体还不壮，还不能干活。

46 belch   

v.打嗝，喷出

参考例句：

• Cucumber makes me belch.黃瓜吃得我打嗝。
• Plant chimneys belch out dense smoke.工厂的烟囱冒出滚滚浓烟。

47 tribulations   

n.苦难( tribulation的名词复数 )；艰难；苦难的缘由；痛苦

参考例句：

• the tribulations of modern life 现代生活的苦恼
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence. 这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

48 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

49 arcade   

n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道

参考例句：

• At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.在早晨的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。
• In our shopping arcade,you can find different kinds of souvenir.在我们的拱廊市场，你可以发现许多的纪念品。

50 dummy   

n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头

参考例句：

• The police suspect that the device is not a real bomb but a dummy.警方怀疑那个装置不是真炸弹，只是一个假货。
• The boys played soldier with dummy swords made of wood.男孩们用木头做的假木剑玩打仗游戏。

51 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

52 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

53 coax   

v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取

参考例句：

• I had to coax the information out of him.我得用好话套出他掌握的情况。
• He tried to coax the secret from me.他试图哄骗我说出秘方。

54 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。

55 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

56 tinge   

vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息

参考例句：

• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。
• There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.她声音中流露出一丝忧伤。

57 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

58 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

59 hoot   

n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭

参考例句：

• The sudden hoot of a whistle broke into my thoughts.突然响起的汽笛声打断了我的思路。
• In a string of shrill hoot of the horn sound,he quickly ran to her.在一串尖声鸣叫的喇叭声中，他快速地跑向她。

60 eyelids   

n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色

参考例句：

• She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。
• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

61 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。

62 squeak   

n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another squeak out of you!我不想再听到你出声！
• We won the game,but it was a narrow squeak.我们打赢了这场球赛，不过是侥幸取胜。

63 eyebrow   

n.眉毛，眉

参考例句：

• Her eyebrow is well penciled.她的眉毛画得很好。
• With an eyebrow raised,he seemed divided between surprise and amusement.他一只眉毛扬了扬，似乎既感到吃惊，又觉有趣。

64 squeaks   

n.短促的尖叫声，吱吱声( squeak的名词复数 )v.短促地尖叫( squeak的第三人称单数 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者

参考例句：

• The upper-middle-classes communicate with each other in inaudible squeaks, like bats. 那些上中层社会的人交谈起来象是蚊子在哼哼，你根本听不见。 来自辞典例句
• She always squeaks out her ideas when she is excited. 她一激动总是尖声说出自己的想法。 来自互联网

65 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。

66 clumped   

adj.[医]成群的v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的过去式和过去分词 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声

参考例句：

• The bacteria clumped together. 细菌凝集一团。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He clumped after her, up the stairs, into his barren office. 他拖着沉重的步伐跟在她的后面上楼了，走进了他那个空荡荡的诊所。 来自辞典例句

67 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

68 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

69 grudging   

adj.勉强的，吝啬的

参考例句：

• He felt a grudging respect for her talents as an organizer.他勉强地对她的组织才能表示尊重。
• After a pause he added"sir."in a dilatory,grudging way.停了一会他才慢吞吞地、勉勉强强地加了一声“先生”。

70 groaning   

adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。
• The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着，无人救助。

71 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

72 qualms   

n.不安；内疚

参考例句：

• He felt no qualms about borrowing money from friends.他没有对于从朋友那里借钱感到不安。
• He has no qualms about lying.他撒谎毫不内疚。

73 dilution   

n.稀释，淡化

参考例句：

• There is no hard and fast rule about dilution.至于稀释程度，没有严格的规定。
• He attributed this to a dilution effect of the herbicide.他把这归因于除草剂的稀释效应。

74 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

75 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

76 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

77 whacking   

adj.（用于强调）巨大的v.重击，使劲打( whack的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• a whacking great hole in the roof 房顶上一个巨大的窟窿
• His father found him a cushy job in the office, with almost nothing to do and a whacking great salary. 他父亲给他在事务所找到了一份轻松舒适的工作，几乎什么都不用做，工资还极高。 来自《简明英汉词典》

78 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

79 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

80 honk   

n.雁叫声，汽车喇叭声

参考例句：

• Don't honk the horn indiscriminately.不要乱鸣喇叭！
• While passing another vehicle,you must honk your horn.通过另一部车时必须鸣按喇叭。

81 honking   

v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停，喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flocks of honking geese flew past. 雁群嗷嗷地飞过。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

82 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

83 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

84 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

85 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

86 bogey   

n.令人谈之变色之物；妖怪，幽灵

参考例句：

• The universal bogey is AIDS.艾滋病是所有人唯恐避之不及的东西。
• Age is another bogey for actresses.年龄是另一个让女演员头疼的问题。

87 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

88 launder   

v.洗涤；洗黑钱（把来路可疑的钱弄得似乎合法）

参考例句：

• She wore a freshly laundered and starched white shirt.她穿一件刚刚浆洗熨烫过的白色衬衣。
• The gang launders the steal money through their chain of restaurants.这帮匪徒通过他们的连锁饭店洗赃款。

89 skidded   

v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区

参考例句：

• The car skidded and hit a lamp post. 那辆汽车打滑撞上了路灯杆。
• The car skidded and overturned. 汽车打滑翻倒了。

90 flicks   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的第三人称单数 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• 'I shall see it on the flicks, I suppose.' “电影上总归看得见。” 来自英汉文学
• Last night to the flicks. 昨晚看了场电影。 来自英汉文学

91 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

92 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

93 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

94 analgesic   

n.镇痛剂；adj.止痛的

参考例句：

• The hospital advised an analgesic for chest and shoulder pains.医院建议用止痛药治疗胸部和肩部疼痛。
• Aspirin is a mild analgesic.阿司匹林是药性平和的止痛药。

95 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

96 plow   

n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough

参考例句：

• At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
• We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

97 languorously   

adv.疲倦地，郁闷地

参考例句：

• He was sprawling languorously on the sofa. 他疲倦地平躺在沙发上。 来自互联网

98 swoop   

n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击

参考例句：

• The plane made a swoop over the city.那架飞机突然向这座城市猛降下来。
• We decided to swoop down upon the enemy there.我们决定突袭驻在那里的敌人。

99 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

100 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

101 poncho   

n.斗篷，雨衣

参考例句：

• He yawned and curled his body down farther beneath the poncho.他打了个呵欠，把身子再蜷拢点儿，往雨披里缩了缩。
• The poncho is made of nylon.这雨披是用尼龙制造的。

102 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

103 shreds   

v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件）

参考例句：

• Peel the carrots and cut them into shreds. 将胡罗卜削皮，切成丝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want to take this diary and rip it into shreds. 我真想一赌气扯了这日记。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

104 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

105 persuasion   

n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派

参考例句：

• He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说，他才决定离开。
• After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后，她同意去了。

106 insistent   

adj.迫切的，坚持的

参考例句：

• There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
• He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

107 fanatic   

n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a football fanatic.亚历山大是个足球迷。
• I am not a religious fanatic but I am a Christian.我不是宗教狂热分子，但我是基督徒。

108 rims   

n.（圆形物体的）边( rim的名词复数 )；缘；轮辋；轮圈

参考例句：

• As she spoke, the rims of her eyes reddened a little. 说时，眼圈微红。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• Her eyes were a little hollow, and reddish about the rims. 她的眼睛微微凹陷，眼眶有些发红。 来自辞典例句

109 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

110 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

111 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

112 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

113 extremities   

n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地

参考例句：

• She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities. 我觉得她那副穷极可怜的样子实在太惹人注目。 来自辞典例句
• Winters may be quite cool at the northwestern extremities. 西北边区的冬天也可能会相当凉。 来自辞典例句

114 burrowed   

v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的过去式和过去分词 )；翻寻

参考例句：

• The rabbits burrowed into the hillside. 兔子在山腰上打洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She burrowed her head into my shoulder. 她把头紧靠在我的肩膀上。 来自辞典例句

115 jittery   

adj. 神经过敏的, 战战兢兢的

参考例句：

• However, nothing happened though he continued to feel jittery. 可是，自从拉上这辆车，并没有出什么错儿，虽然他心中嘀嘀咕咕的不安。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• The thirty-six Enterprise divebombers were being squandered in a jittery shot from the hip. 这三十六架“企业号”上的俯冲轰炸机正被孤注一掷。

116 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

117 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

118 thump   

v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声

参考例句：

• The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
• The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。

119 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。

120 poke   

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。

121 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

122 squeal   

v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音

参考例句：

• The children gave a squeal of fright.孩子们发出惊吓的尖叫声。
• There was a squeal of brakes as the car suddenly stopped.小汽车突然停下来时，车闸发出尖叫声。

123 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

124 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。

125 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

126 peek   

vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥

参考例句：

• Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
• Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛，别偷看。

127 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

128 glands   

n.腺( gland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a snake's poison glands 蛇的毒腺
• the sebaceous glands in the skin 皮脂腺

129 shuffle   

n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走

参考例句：

• I wish you'd remember to shuffle before you deal.我希望在你发牌前记得洗牌。
• Don't shuffle your feet along.别拖着脚步走。

130 morose   

adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的

参考例句：

• He was silent and morose.他沉默寡言、郁郁寡欢。
• The publicity didn't make him morose or unhappy?公开以后，没有让他郁闷或者不开心吗？

131 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

132 ruminated   

v.沉思( ruminate的过去式和过去分词 )；反复考虑；反刍；倒嚼

参考例句：

• In the article she ruminated about what recreations she would have. 她在文章里认真考虑了她应做些什么消遣活动。 来自辞典例句
• He ruminated on his defenses before he should accost her father. 他在与她父亲搭话前，仔细地考虑着他的防范措施。 来自辞典例句

133 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

134 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

135 alterations   

n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变

参考例句：

• Any alterations should be written in neatly to the left side. 改动部分应书写清晰，插在正文的左侧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code. 基因突变是指DNA 密码的改变。 来自《简明英汉词典》

136 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

137 rumbling   

n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词

参考例句：

• The earthquake began with a deep [low] rumbling sound. 地震开始时发出低沉的隆隆声。
• The crane made rumbling sound. 吊车发出隆隆的响声。

138 hawking   

利用鹰行猎

参考例句：

• He is hawking his goods everywhere. 他在到处兜售他的货物。
• We obtain the event horizon and the Hawking spectrumformula. 得到了黑洞的局部事件视界位置和Hawking温度以及Klein—Gordon粒子的Hawking辐射谱。

139 bullies   

n.欺凌弱小者, 开球 vt.恐吓, 威胁, 欺负

参考例句：

• Standing up to bullies takes plenty of backbone. 勇敢地对付暴徒需有大无畏精神。
• Bullies can make your life hell. 恃强欺弱者能让你的日子像活地狱。

140 knuckles   

n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝

参考例句：

• He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘，握得指关节都变白了。
• Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》

141 gusts   

一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作

参考例句：

• Her profuse skirt bosomed out with the gusts. 她的宽大的裙子被风吹得鼓鼓的。
• Turbulence is defined as a series of irregular gusts. 紊流定义为一组无规则的突风。

142 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

143 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

144 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

145 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

146 tacked   

用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝

参考例句：

• He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。
• The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。

147 shingle   

n.木瓦板；小招牌(尤指医生或律师挂的营业招牌)；v.用木瓦板盖（屋顶）；把（女子头发）剪短

参考例句：

• He scraped away the dirt,and exposed a pine shingle.他刨去泥土，下面露出一块松木瓦块。
• He hung out his grandfather's shingle.他挂出了祖父的行医招牌。

148 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

149 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

150 jolted   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。

151 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

152 vents   

（气体、液体等进出的）孔、口( vent的名词复数 )； （鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的）肛门； 大衣等的)衩口； 开衩

参考例句：

• He always vents his anger on the dog. 他总是拿狗出气。
• The Dandelion Patch is the least developed of the four active vents. “蒲公英区”在这四个活裂口中是发育最差的一个。

153 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

154 swirls   

n.旋转( swirl的名词复数 )；卷状物；漩涡；尘旋v.旋转，打旋( swirl的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Swirls of smoke rose through the trees. 树林中升起盘旋的青烟。 来自辞典例句
• On reaching the southeast corner of Himalaya-Tibet, It'swirls cyclonically across the Yunnan Plateau. 在到达喜马拉雅--西藏高原东南角处，它作气旋性转向越过云南高原。 来自辞典例句

155 bastards   

私生子( bastard的名词复数 )； 坏蛋； 讨厌的事物； 麻烦事 （认为别人走运或不幸时说）家伙

参考例句：

• Those bastards don't care a damn about the welfare of the factory! 这批狗养的，不顾大局！ 来自子夜部分
• Let the first bastards to find out be the goddam Germans. 就让那些混账的德国佬去做最先发现的倒霉鬼吧。 来自演讲部分

156 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

157 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

158 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

159 shudders   

n.颤动，打颤，战栗( shudder的名词复数 )v.战栗( shudder的第三人称单数 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• It gives me the shudders. （（口语））它使我战栗。 来自辞典例句
• The ghastly sight gave him the shudders. 那恐怖的景象使他感到恐惧。 来自辞典例句

160 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

161 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

162 mite   

n.极小的东西；小铜币

参考例句：

• The poor mite was so ill.可怜的孩子病得这么重。
• He is a mite taller than I.他比我高一点点。

163 scribbled   

v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
• He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

164 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

165 paraphernalia   

n.装备；随身用品

参考例句：

• Can you move all your paraphernalia out of the way?你可以把所有的随身物品移开吗？
• All my fishing paraphernalia is in the car.我的鱼具都在汽车里。