chapter 23

Light steps, the steps of a woman, came along the invisible pathway and the man in front of me moved forward and seemed to lean against the fog. I couldn't see the woman, then I could see her indistinctly. The arrogant¹ carriage of her head seemed familiar. The man stepped out very quickly. The two figures blended in thefog, seemed to be part of the fog. There was dead silence for a moment. Then the man said: "This is a gun, lady. Gentle now. Sound carries in the fog. Just hand me the bag." The girl didn't make a sound. I moved forward a step. Quite suddenly I could see the foggy fuzz on the man's hat brim. The girl stood motionless. Then her breathing began to make a rasping sound, like a small file on soft wood. "Yell," the man said, "and I'll cut you in half." She didn't yell. She didn't move. There was a movement from him, and a dry chuckle². "It better be in here," he said. A catch clicked and a fumbling³ sound came to me. The man turned and came towards my tree. When he had taken three or four steps he chuckled⁵ again. The chuckle was something out of my own memories. I reached a pipe out of my pocket and held it like a gun. I called out softly: "Hi, Lanny." The man stopped dead and started to bring his hand up. I said: "No. I told you never to do that, Lanny. You're covered." Nothing moved. The girl back on the path didn't move. I didn't move. Lanny didn't move. "Put the bag down between your feet, kid," I told him. "Slow and easy." He bent⁶ down. I jumped out and reached him still bent over. He straightened up against me breathing hard. His hands were empty. "Tell me I can't get away with it," I said. I leaned against him and took the gun out of his overcoat pocket. "Somebody's always giving me guns," I told him. "I'm weighted down with them till I walk all crooked⁷. Beat it." Our breaths met and mingled⁸, our eyes were like the eyes of two tomcats on a wall. I stepped back. "On your way, Lanny. No hard feelings. You keep it quiet and I keep it quiet. Okey?" "Okey," he said thickly. The fog swallowed him. The faint sound of his steps and then nothing. I picked the bag up and felt in it and went towards the path. She still stood there motionless, a gray fur coat held tight around her throat with an ungloved hand on which a ring made a faint glitter. She wore no hat. Her dark parted hair was part of the darkness of the night. Her eyes too. "Nice work, Marlowe. Are you my bodyguard⁹ now?" Her voice had a harsh note. "Looks that way. Here's the bag." She took it. I said: "Have you a car with you?" She laughed. "I came with a man. What are you doing here?" "Eddie Mars wanted to see me." "I didn't know you knew him. Why?" "I don't mind telling you. He thought I was looking for somebody he thought had run away with his wife." "Were you?" "No." "Then what did you come for?" "To find out why he thought I was looking for somebody he thought had run away with his wife." "Did you find out?" "No." "You leak information like a radio announcer," she said. "I suppose it's none of my business--even if the man was my husband. I thought you weren't interested in that." "People keep throwing it at me." She clicked her teeth in annoyance¹⁰. The incident of the masked man with the gun seemed to have made no impression on her at all. "Well, take me to the garage," she said. "I have to look in at my escort."We walked along the path and around a corner of the building and there was light ahead, then around another corner and came to a bright enclosed stable yard lit with two floodlights. It was still paved with brick and still sloped down to a grating in the middle. Cars glistened¹¹ and a man in a brown smock got up off a stool and came forward. "Is my boy friend still blotto?" Vivian asked him carelessly. "I'm afraid he is, miss. I put a rug over him and run the windows up. He's okey, I guess. Just kind of resting." We went over to a big Cadillac and the man in the smock pulled the rear door open. On the wide back seat, loosely arranged, covered to the chin with a plaid robe, a man lay snoring with his mouth open. He seemed to be a big blond man who would hold a lot of liquor. "Meet Mr. Larry Cobb," Vivian said. "Mister Cobb--Mister Marlowe." "Mr. Cobb was my escort," she said. "Such a nice escort, Mr. Cobb. So attentive¹². You should see him sober. I should see him sober. Somebody should him sober. I mean, just for the record. So it could become a part of history, that brief flashing moment, soon buried in time, but never forgotten--when Larry Cobb was sober." "Yeah," I said. "I've even thought of marrying him," she went on a high strained voice, as if the shock of the stickip was just beginning to get to her. "At odd times when nothing pleasant would come into my mind. We all have those spells. Lots of money, you know. A yacht, a place on Long Island, a place at Newport, a place at Bermuda, places dotted here and there all ever the world probably--just a good Scotch¹³ bottle apart. And to Mr. Cobb a bottle of Scotch is not very far." "Yeah," I said. "Does he have a driver to take him home?" "Don't say 'yeah.' It's common." She looked at me with arched eyebrows¹⁴. The man in the smock was chewing his lower lip hard. "Oh, undoubtedly¹⁵ a whole platoon of drivers. They probably do squads¹⁶ right in front of the garage every morning, buttons shining, harness gleaming, white gloves immaculate--a sort of West Point elegance¹⁷ about them." "Well, where the hell is this driver?" I asked. "He drove hisself tonight," the man in the smock said, almost apologetically. "I could call his home and have somebody come down for him." Vivian turned around and smiled at him as if he had just presented her with a diamond tiara. "That would be lovely," she said. "Would you do that? I really wouldn't want Mr. Cobb to die like that--with his mouth open. Someone might think he had died of thirst." The man in the smock said: "Not if they sniffed¹⁸ him, miss." She opened her bag and grabbed a handful of paper money and pushed it at him. "You'll take care of him, I'm sure." "Jeeze," the man said, pop-eyed. "I sure will, miss." "Regan is the name," she said sweetly. "Mrs. Regan. You'll probably see me again. Haven't been here long, have you?" "No'm. His hands were doing frantic¹⁹ things with the fistful of money he was holding. "You'll get to love it here," she said. She took hold of my arm. "Let's ride in your car, Marlowe." "It's outside on the street." "Quite all right with me, Marlowe. I love a nice walk in the fog. You meet such interesting people." "Oh, nuts," I said. She held on to my arm and began to shake. She held me hard all the way to the car. She had stopped shaking by the time we reached it. I drove down a curving lane of trees on the blind side of the house. The laneopened on De Cazens Boulevard, the main drag of Las Olindas. We passed under the ancient sputtering²⁰ arc lights and after a while there was a town, buildings, dead-looking stores, a service station with a light over a nightbell, and at last a drugstore that was still open. "You better have a drink," I said. She moved her chin, a point of paleness in the corner of the seat. I turned diagonally into the curb²¹ and parked. "A little black coffee and a smattering of rye would go well," I said. "I could get as drunk as two sailors and love it." I held the door for her and she got out close to me, brushing my cheek with her hair. We went into the drugstore. I bought a pint²² of rye at the liquor counter and carried it over to the stools and set it down on the cracked marble counter. "Two coffees," I said. "Black, strong and made this year." "You can't drink liquor in here," the clerk said. He had a washed-out blue smock, was thin on top as to hair, had fairly honest eyes and his chin would never hit a wall before he saw it. Vivian Regan reached into her bag for a pack of cigarettes and shook a couple loose just like a man. She held them towards me. "It's against the law to drink liquor in here," the clerk said. I lit the cigarettes and didn't pay any attention to him. He drew two cups of coffee from a tarnished²³ nickel urn⁴ and set them in front of us. He looked at the bottle of rye, muttered under his breath and said wearily: "Okey, I'll watch the street while you pour it." He went and stood at the display window with his back to us and his ears hanging out. "My heart's in my mouth doing this," I said, and unscrewed the top of the whiskey bottle and loaded the coffee. "The law enforcement in this town is terrific. All through prohibition²⁴ Eddie Mars' place was a night club and they had two uniformed men in the lobby every night--to see that the guests didn't bring their own liquor instead of buying it from the house." The clerk turned suddenly and walked back behind the counter and went in behind the little glass window of the prescription²⁵ room. We sipped²⁶ our loaded coffee. I looked at Vivian's face in the mirror back of the coffee urn. It was taut²⁷, pale, beautiful and wild. Her lips were red and harsh. "You have wicked eyes," I said. "What's Eddie Mars got on you?" She looked at me in the mirror. "I took plenty away from him tonight at roulette--starting with five grand I borrowed from him yesterday and didn't have to use." "That might make him sore. You think he sent that loogan after you?" "What's a loogan?" "A guy with a gun." "Are you a loogan?" "Sure," I laughed. "But strictly²⁸ speaking a loogan is on the wrong side of the fence." "I often wonder if there is a wrong side." "We're losing the subject. What has Eddie Mars got on you?" "You mean a hold on me of some sort?" "Yes." Her lip curled. "Wittier²⁹, please, Marlowe. Much wittier." "How's the General? I don't pretend to be witty³⁰." "Not too well. He didn't get up today. You could at least stop questioning me." "I remember a time when I thought the same about you. How much does the General know?""He probably knows everything." "Norris would tell him?" "No. Wilde, the District Attorney, was out to see him. Did you burn those pictures?" "Sure. You worry about your little sister, don't you --from time to time." "I think she's all I do worry about. I worry about Dad in a way, to keep things from him." "He hasn't many illusions," I said, "but I suppose he still has pride." "We're his blood. That's the hell of it." She stared at me in the mirror with deep, distant eyes. "I don't want him to die despising his own blood. It was always wild blood, but it wasn't always rotten blood." "Is it now?" "I guess you think so." "Not yours. You're just playing the part." She looked down. I sipped some more coffee and lit another cigarette for us. "So you shoot people," she said quietly. "You're a killer³¹." "Me? How?" "The papers and the police fixed³² it up nicely. But I don't believe everything I read." "Oh, you think I accounted for Geiger--or Brody--or both of them." She didn't say anything. "I didn't have to," I said. "I might have, I suppose, and got away with it. Neither of them would have hesitated to throw lead at me." "That makes you just a killer at heart, like all cops." "Oh, nuts." "One of those dark deadly quiet men who have no more feelings than a butcher has for slaughtered³³ meat. I knew it the first time I saw you." "You've got enough shady friends to know different." "They're all soft compared to you." "Thanks, lady. You're no English muffin yourself." "Let's get out of this rotten little town." I paid the check, put the bottle of rye in my pocket, and we left. The clerk still didn't like me. We drove away from Las Olindas through a series of little dank beach towns with shack-like houses built down on the sand close to the rumble³⁴ of the surf and larger houses built back on the slopes behind. A yellow window shone here and there, but most of the houses were dark. A smell of kelp came in off the water and lay on the fog. The tires sang on the moist concrete of the boulevard. The world was a wet emptiness. We were close to Del Rey before she spoke³⁵ to me for the first time since we left the drugstore. Her voice had a muffled³⁶ sound, as if something was throbbing³⁷ deep under it. "Drive down by the Del Rey beach club. I want to look at the water. It's the next street on the left." There was a winking³⁸ yellow light at the intersection³⁹. I turned the car and slid down a slope with a high bluff⁴⁰ on one side, interrurban tracks to the right, a low straggle of light far off beyond the tracks, and then very far off a glitter of pier⁴¹ lights and a haze⁴² in the sky over a city. That way the fog was almost gone. The road crossed the tracks where they turned to run under the bluff, then reached a paved strip of waterfront highway that bordered an open and uncluttered beach. Cars were parked along the sidewalk, facing out to sea, dark. The lights of the beach club were a few hundred yards away. I braked the car against the curb and switched the headlights off and sat with my hands on the wheel. Under the thinning fog the surf curled and creamed, almost without sound, like a thought trying to form itself on the edge of consciousness. "Move closer," she said almost thickly.
I moved out from under the wheel into the middle of the seat. She turned her body a little away from me as if to peer out of the window. Then she let herself fall backwards⁴³, without a sound, into my arms. Her head almost struck the wheel. Her eyes were closed, her face was dim. Then I saw that her eyes opened and flickered⁴⁴, the shine of them visible even in the darkness. "Hold me close, you beast," she said. I put my arms around her loosely at first. Her hair had a harsh feeling against my face. I tightened⁴⁵ my arms and lifted her up. I brought her face slowly up to my face. Her eyelids⁴⁶ were flickering⁴⁷ rapidly, like moth⁴⁸ wings. I kissed her tightly and quickly. Then a long slow clinging kiss. Her lips opened under mine. Her body began to shake in my arms. "Killer," she said softly, her breath going into my mouth. I strained her against me until the shivering of her body was almost shaking mine. I kept on kissing her. After a long time she pulled her head away enough to say: "Where do you live?" "Hobart Arms. Franklin near Kenmore." "I've never seen it." "Want to?" "Yes," she breathed. "What has Eddie Mars got on you?" Her body stiffened⁴⁹ in my arms and her breath made a harsh sound. Her head pulled back until her eyes, wide open, ringed with white, were staring at me. "So that's the way it is," she said in a soft dull voice. "That's the way it is. Kissing is nice, but your father didn't hire me to sleep with you." "You son of a bitch," she said calmly, without moving. I laughed in her face. "Don't think I'm an icicle," I said. "I'm not blind or without sense. I have warm blood like the next guy. You're easy to take--too damned easy. What has Eddie Mars got on you?" "If you say that again, I'll scream." "Go ahead and scream." She jerked away and pulled herself upright, far back in the corner of the car. "Men have been shot for little things like that, Marlowe." "Men have been shot for practically nothing. The first time we met I told you I was a detective. Get it through your lovely head. I work at it, lady. I don't play at it." She fumbled⁵⁰ in her bag and got a handkerchief out and bit on it, her head turned away from me. The tearing sound of the handkerchief came to me. She tore it with her teeth, slowly, time after time. "What makes you think he has anything on me?" she whispered, her voice muffled by the handkerchief. "He lets you win a lot of money and sends a gun-poke around to take it back for him. You're not more than mildly surprised. You didn't even thank me for saving it for you. I think the whole thing was just some kind of an act. If I wanted to flatter myself, I'd say it was at least partly for my benefit." "You think he can win or lose as he pleases." "Sure. On even money bets, four times out of five." "Do I have to tell you I loathe⁵¹ your guts⁵², Mister Detective?" "You don't owe me anything. I'm paid off." She tossed the shredded⁵³ handkerchief out of the car window. "You have a lovely way with women." "I liked kissing you." "You kept your head beautifully. That's so flattering. Should I congratulate you, or my father?" "I liked kissing you."Her voice became an icy drawl. "Take me away from here, if you will be so kind. I'm quite sure I'd like to go home." "You won't be a sister to me?" "If I had a razor, I'd cut your throat--just to see what ran out of it." "Caterpillar⁵⁴ blood," I said. I started the car and turned it and drove back across the interurban tracks to the highway and so on into town and up to West Hollywood. She didn't speak to me. She hardly moved all the way back. I drove through the gates and up the sunken driveway to the porte-cochere of the big house. She jerked the car door open and was out of it before it had quite stopped. She didn't speak even then. I watched her back as she stood against the door after ringing the bell. The door opened and Norris looked out. She pushed past him quickly and was gone. The door banged shut and I was sitting there looking at it. I turned back down the driveway and home.

1 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

2 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

3 fumbling   

n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理

参考例句：

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

4 urn   

n.（有座脚的）瓮；坟墓；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• The urn was unearthed entire.这只瓮出土完整无缺。
• She put the big hot coffee urn on the table and plugged it in.她将大咖啡壶放在桌子上,接上电源。

5 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

6 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。

7 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

8 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

9 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

10 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。

11 glistened   

v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Pearls of dew glistened on the grass. 草地上珠露晶莹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Her eyes glistened with tears. 她的眼里闪着泪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 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。

13 scotch   

n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的

参考例句：

• Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
• Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

14 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。

15 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

16 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

17 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

18 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 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。

20 sputtering   

n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出

参考例句：

• A wick was sputtering feebly in a dish of oil. 瓦油灯上结了一个大灯花，使微弱的灯光变得更加阴暗。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Jack ran up to the referee, sputtering protest. 贾克跑到裁判跟前，唾沫飞溅地提出抗议。 来自辞典例句

21 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

22 pint   

n.品脱

参考例句：

• I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
• In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

23 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

24 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

25 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

26 sipped   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
• I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句

27 taut   

adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的

参考例句：

• The bowstring is stretched taut.弓弦绷得很紧。
• Scarlett's taut nerves almost cracked as a sudden noise sounded in the underbrush near them. 思嘉紧张的神经几乎一下绷裂了，因为她听见附近灌木丛中突然冒出的一个声音。

28 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

29 wittier   

机智的，言辞巧妙的，情趣横生的( witty的比较级 )

参考例句：

30 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

31 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

32 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

33 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 rumble   

n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说

参考例句：

• I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
• We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。

35 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。

36 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》

37 throbbing   

a. 跳动的,悸动的

参考例句：

• My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动，身子在不住颤抖。
• There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。

38 winking   

n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到，简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

40 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

41 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。

42 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

43 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

44 flickered   

（通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
• These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。

45 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

46 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》

47 flickering   

adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的

参考例句：

• The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。
• The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。

48 moth   

n.蛾，蛀虫

参考例句：

• A moth was fluttering round the lamp.有一只蛾子扑打着翅膀绕着灯飞。
• The sweater is moth-eaten.毛衣让蛀虫咬坏了。

49 stiffened   

加强的

参考例句：

• He leaned towards her and she stiffened at this invasion of her personal space. 他向她俯过身去，这种侵犯她个人空间的举动让她绷紧了身子。
• She stiffened with fear. 她吓呆了。

50 fumbled   

（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下

参考例句：

• She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
• He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

51 loathe   

v.厌恶，嫌恶

参考例句：

• I loathe the smell of burning rubber.我厌恶燃着的橡胶散发的气味。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

52 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

53 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

54 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。