CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Once you see things differently, you gain power. All of a sudden there is enlightenment.” Joan Chen PPenelope Spence glanced over her shoulder as Walker turned onto the Ravenel Bridge and headed toward Mt. Pleasant. Opened in 2005 and built at a cost of over $500 million dollars, with a span of 1,546 feet it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Crossing the Cooper River just north of the historic section of the Charleston peninsula, its twin spires¹ and miles of graceful² cables make a striking backdrop for tourist photos. Looking back she could see the South Carolina Aquarium³ and could just about make out the famous “Rainbow Row” of restored Charleston style homes along East Bay Street that have inspired a thousand artists and many more photographers. Far in the distance, at the mouth of the harbor, was Ft. Sumter and just beyond, the Atlantic Ocean. Looming⁴ on the Mt. Pleasant side of the Cooper was the USS Yorktown, a World War II era aircraft carrier now converted into a fl oating museum. She felt the Bronco reach the apex⁵ of the span at the center point between the two massive towers and start the gradual 150-foot descent back down. Charleston, the town she and 14 generations of her family had called home for over 250 years, melted behind her as they headed north on U.S. 17 in the direction of Myrtle Beach. She sighed as she considered the fact that she had no idea when she would see the city again, if ever. More than 121 The Fourth Awakening⁶ one bridge had been crossed. Walker understood the whipsaw of emotions she was experiencing and didn’t intrude⁷ on her thoughts by speaking. Instead of getting on I-526 as she had expected, Walker continued a few more miles and made a left on State Route 41. The road was poker⁸ straight with light traffic. Penelope smiled when she thought about the Bronco. In Charleston, it was a noticeable eyesore, but on the back roads of rural South Carolina it was just another battered⁹ truck with a garden-variety redneck behind the wheel. They drove in silence for nearly half an hour before Walker turned on his left turn signal in the small town of Huger— pronounced “Huge Gee”— and headed west on State Route 402. He finally broke the silence. “What was the last you heard about Senator Horn?” “Stable, but still critical.” “That’s too bad. We really wanted Horn to go on the talk shows this morning.” “Excuse me?” “Your article today got the ball rolling, and the senator’s appearance would have caused a feeding frenzy¹⁰ in the media. That alone could have been enough to force Homeland Security to come clean on our research.” “What do you mean?” “Classified or not, Horn was ready to go public. That would have put tremendous pressure on Homeland Security to declassify¹¹ it. You could then have written anything you wanted with impunity¹². Now we have to go to plan B.” “Plan B?” “You and I will be spending a great deal more time together then I initially¹³ thought.” “Sorry,” Penelope said. “Don’t be. I enjoy your company.” “Thanks. What happens next?” “We have a very narrow window of opportunity here. With your help, we either flip¹⁴ Noah Shepherd, or put so much heat on Homeland Security that the decision is taken away from Shepherd and made by the Secretary of that department. He has much more political exposure, and with what’s happened in the past 24 hours he’s probably already starting to feel the heat. We have to move quickly before anyone can change their mind.” “How do you propose doing that?” 122 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “Before Senator Horn’s stroke I would have said he was going to ram¹⁵ it through for us, with you covering the story. Now it’s all up to you.” “Me?” “Yes. We have to make as much information public as quickly as possible. Right now, because of your story about my arrest and escape combined with the rumors¹⁶ about what Horn was going to say, our opponents are back on their heels. That won’t last for very long.” “How long do you think you’ll have?” “I’m guessing we’ll need to get Hermes declassified¹⁷ and in the media in the next 48 to 72 hours. If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we’ll get another chance. Horn’s condition will temper some of the attacks on me and Hermes, since they will appear in bad taste if he’s still in critical condition. The only winner here is you.” “Me?” “Yes,” Walker said calmly and without even a hint of regret or emotion “His stroke has greatly increased the value of the stories you’re going to write.” Penelope wasn’t sure how to take Walker’s last comment. While it was true that if she were the only source of information on a breaking story it would enhance her value, the thought of benefiting from another’s suffering went against the grain of her conscience. Walker’s analysis was as cold-blooded as it was accurate. She turned and stared out the front windshield as an uncomfortable silence settled in again. The Bronco came up on a Ford¹⁸ F-150 pickup¹⁹, laboring²⁰ at 15 mph under the posted limit, pulling a bass²¹ boat. Walker inched up on the rig, let a Honda Civic²² headed the other direction pass, then hit the gas. The Bronco’s big V-8 accelerated with such force that Penelope was unexpectedly pressed back into her seat. While the Bronco might not be much to look at, with a powerful engine, new tires and a tight transmission, clearly it could hold its own if evasion²³ were necessary. As the minutes ticked by, something else dawned on Penelope. “Th ere won’t be any story if I can’t get in touch with Mark Hatchet²⁴ at the Post.” Looking around the Bronco for a pen and paper she didn’t see any. “I wish I had something to take notes with.” “Look under your seat.” Puzzlement crept over Penelope’s face as she felt something thin and metallic²⁵ wedged under the seat. She pulled out a laptop computer. Her laptop. “Where did this come from!?” 123 The Fourth Awakening “I got it out of your house last night.” “What?” “I thought it might come in handy. I bought you a lighter²⁶ power plug…” “What?” “You plug it into the cigarette lighter and…” “I know what a lighter plug is,” she said angrily. “What were you doing in my house?” “I already told you. I was getting your laptop for you.” “You were in my house last night?” “Yes.” “Wait a minute,” as another thought occurred to Penelope. “I keep my laptop in my bedroom.” She glared at Walker. “Well?!” “Well, what?” “I keep my laptop in my bedroom.” “That’s a statement, not a question.” Furious, Penelope slowly asked her question, enunciating each word carefully. “Were… you… in… my… bedroom… last… night… while… I… was… asleep?” “Yes… I… was. I told you I was getting it for you since you were going to need it, and it was unlikely you would bring it to our meeting. I did it for you.” “For me? You were in my house. Hell! In my bedroom stealing my laptop so you could give it back to me today?” “Yes.” “Did you set the fi re after you finished looting my house?” “No. That started hours after I had left .” “Are you the one who told me to run?” “In a manner of speaking.” “What the hell does that mean?” Walker shrugged²⁸ and his eyes locked on the road in front of them. “No, no don’t tell me; let me guess. I’m not ready to understand.” Walker struggled to keep a poker face and kept driving. “Do you know who caused the fi re?” “Of course. So do you.” “You’re talking nonsense again!” “Am I? All things considered, you’ve got your laptop, and you got out of the house uninjured. I would think that would make you happy.” 124 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “What would make me happy is for you to have prevented my house from burning down, but for now I’ll settle for you telling me what caused it.” Walker shook his head. “Sorry, you’re not ready yet.” Penelope grunted²⁹ and slammed both of her fists on the dashboard of the Bronco. Small clouds of dust and lint³⁰ came out of the air vents³¹. “You know, I think you are the most annoying person I’ve ever met.” “Th anks.” “That wasn’t meant as a compliment.” “I know.” Walker shook his head in appreciation³², “You shouldn’t be so frustrated³³. You really need to let yourself relax and be grateful for how far you’ve come so quickly.” “Having come so far still doesn’t mean you’re going to start giving me any straight answers, does it?” “No. But you’re a lot closer.” “What does that mean?” “When you can tell me who started the fire and why, let me know.” Penelope glared a hole though Walker. “I give up.” She said, throwing her hands up in despair. “Will I be able to talk to Mark Hatchet and send him an article?” “You will not be able to speak directly to Hatchet until tomorrow, but you will be able to send him your article. We’ll find a Wi-Fi coffee shop and bounce your article around the globe for a few hours so it can’t be traced. “Cool. What happens tomorrow?” “We’ll be at the compound.” “Won’t they be able to trace a call from there?” “Maybe, but I doubt it.” “Why do you doubt it?” “We’ll be using Walker Industries’ communication satellite. Th ey tried to hack³⁴ it before, but I doubt they’ll try again.” “Why? What happened?” “When we detected the hack, we retaliated³⁵. It led to quite a bit of messy back and forth³⁶ with the NSA, some of our government contracts, our…” “When did all of this happen?” “About six months ago, when they first started aggressively looking for me. Let’s just say they experienced some computer problems.” “Wait a minute,” Penelope said with a smile. “That was around the time 125 The Fourth Awakening there was a foul³⁷ up with Social Security checks and they were late going out. The Secretary of the Treasury³⁸ was almost forced to resign.” “No comment.” Michael Walker smiled, but didn’t take his eyes off the road. “You didn’t.” Penelope began to laugh. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “My God! You did! You hacked³⁹ the Treasury Department’s computers to get the National Security Agency off your back?” “They were a lot easier than trying to hack the NSA.” “Didn’t you get in any trouble?” “No. But we certainly got their attention. We quietly reached a ceasefi re agreement. ‘You leave our stuff alone and we’ll leave your stuff alone.’ Th e politicians in Washington are more afraid of the AARP than anything I might have been doing.” “You’re awful,” Penelope said wiping a tear from her eye aft er laughing so hard. “So, now are you going to tell me exactly what happened with the Hermes Project?” “No.” “No?” Penelope’s smile vanished. “What do you mean, no!?” “Senator Horn is the big story right now. You were the last reporter to speak to him and you have a pretty good idea what caused his stroke. With everything that happened yesterday now on the record, you’ve already got a huge story to write. Without the senator, the Hermes Project will have to wait until it’s declassifi ed.” Penelope opened her mouth to protest but stopped when she realized Walker was right. It would be a huge build-up piece for when she fi nally got to the compound. Every news outlet⁴⁰ in the world would be waiting for her to file her report. “Okay. But what if the Hermes story breaks before you get around to telling me about it?” Walker smiled. “Even if they should somehow find the compound, which I highly doubt they will, I promise you an exclusive interview with both me and Dr. Altman.” “On the record and you’ll give me direct answers to all of my questions?” “Absolutely.” “I’m going to hold you to that.” Penelope said as she plugged her laptop in to the cigarette lighter. For the next two hours they rode in relative silence, 126 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin broken only by Penelope asking Walker a few clarifi cation questions. She ended up with two articles, one long and one fairly short. Both were a bit wordier then her normal style, but Mark would edit as he saw fit. She wanted to give him everything she had since they didn’t have the ability to discuss the copy over the phone. Th e first and longer piece was a general overview⁴¹ of her day with Horn, what had happened at the brig, and as much as she knew about the Hermes Project. The shorter and most dramatic piece was her recap of what had happened in the interview room with Walker and Horn. She was intentionally⁴² vague about the Hermes Project and gave no indication that she was sitting an arm’s length away from Michael Walker. “I’m done.” “Excellent. We’re near Florence, South Carolina. We should be able to find a Wi-Fi site somewhere.” As if on cue, a McDonald’s marquee on U.S. 52 proclaimed “Free Wi-Fi”. Penelope was still doing a fi nal proofread⁴³ when Walker wheeled the Bronco into a space near the door. She was surprised when she felt the passenger side door open. Walker extended one hand for the laptop and the other to Penelope. “Such a gentleman,” Penelope said as she disengaged the laptop from the cigarette lighter and handed it to Walker. Walker selected a table by the window with a clear view of their vehicle, then pushed a piece of paper in Penelope’s direction. “What’s this?” She asked. “That’s the email address you should send the article to and the name you should use on the file. But first we need to run it through an encryption program.” “Excuse me, but if the NSA and Homeland Security are monitoring emails wouldn’t a document using your encryption be like sending up a flare⁴⁴ asking them to come and arrest us?” “Very nice,” Walker said with the nod of his head. “But encryption probably is the wrong word. This is a name substitution program. Any emails, and especially any that originate from the southeastern United States with your name and words like Walker Industries, Hermes or Th e Washington Post, among others, will be instantly flagged. What we’re going to do is change them to something else and have them converted back just before the document is sent over to your editor.” “Are you sure that will work?” Penelope asked. 127 The Fourth Awakening Walker’s eyes twinkled and a broad grin covered his face. “I’m pretty confident this will work.” “Oh, Lord,” Penelope said with a laugh loud enough that heads turned in the restaurant. Looking around she leaned in and whispered. “You wrote the NSA email search program, didn’t you?” “We might have been involved in that project.” “I can see why these guys don’t want you running around without adult supervision,” Penelope said shaking her head. “How long before Mark will get this?” “Four or five hours.” Walker motioned toward the front counter. “You want anything?” Penelope glanced up at the menu board. “A fi sh sandwich and sweet tea.” She turned back to her computer and grimaced⁴⁵; she was having problems getting linked to McDonald’s Wi-Fi. “I hate computers…” Before she could make any further comments on the annoying complexity⁴⁶ of modern electronics, Walker had spun⁴⁷ her laptop around and his fingers were dancing across the keyboard. “I’m going to freshen up,” she said, sliding out of the booth. When she got back the fi le had been sent and her food was waiting for her. To her surprise Walker had ordered himself a Big Mac combo and a chocolate shake. But, as if to show opening her car door for her wasn’t a fluke, he had politely waited for her return before starting to eat. “Sir,” Penelope said in her best Scarlett O’Hara impersonation, “You have the manners of a true Southern gentleman.” “I’m from Miami,” Walker said with a shrug²⁷. “Which is about 600 miles south of Charleston. That almost makes you a Yankee to me.” “Oh, Fiddle-dee-dee,” Penelope said as she shook a napkin into her lap and took a bite of her sandwich. After a few moments of silent chewing she pointed⁴⁸ to a dot of special sauce in the corner of Walker’s mouth that he immediately wiped away. “With all of this talk about enlightenment I was expecting you to be a vegan.” Walker smiled as he took another bite of his Big Mac. “What makes you think I’m not?” “You’re eating a Big Mac might be a clue.” “Am I?” Penelope’s mind flashed back to her lunch with Joey at the Sunfi re Grill⁴⁹ and remembered how Joey had a completely diff erent recollection 128 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin of the meal they had shared. “You are a very odd man.” “Th anks.” “Wasn’t a compliment.” “I know.” . BBack in the Bronco and on the highway, the adrenaline rush from the chase downtown and the jolt⁵⁰ Penelope had gotten from writing another article that would be tomorrow’s front page was starting to wear off. Running on only a few hours sleep, a deep fatigue⁵¹ crept over her. Not only was she exhausted⁵² physically⁵³, but she was mentally and emotionally drained. Less than two days ago she had been sitting at home minding her own business and now she had helped someone escape from prison, her house burned to the ground, a man she had worked closely with for six years suffered a stroke, and she had beaten up a federal agent. Here she was in a car, wearing a wig⁵⁴, headed who knows where with the guy she had helped bust⁵⁵ out of the clink. All in all, this was not her typical weekend. Almost as if he was reading her mind, Walker reached behind the driver’s seat and tossed her a pillow. Looking in the back to see what else he might have, she saw camping gear, an assortment⁵⁶ of tools and some lumps covered with a blue plastic tarp. She tucked the pillow between her shoulder and the window, and in less than 30 seconds was fast asleep. . PPenelope Spence’s eyes didn’t open again until she felt the Bronco slowing to a stop. The sun was low in the western sky. Walker was pulling into a Cracker⁵⁷ Barrel Restaurant and she realized that despite the quick lunch at McDonalds, she was famished⁵⁸. Though she had been trying to go vegetarian⁵⁹, the smell of grilling⁶⁰ meat and poultry⁶¹ coated in flour and frying in vats⁶² of grease set her mouth to watering. Th is was going to be a real test. “Where are we?” she asked. “A restaurant.” “I can see that. A bit more general, please.” “Third planet from the sun.” “If you’re going to be like this the whole time,” she said with a smile, 129 The Fourth Awakening “then I’m going home.” Penelope’s smile faded when she realized what she had said, and she lowered her eyes. Walker noticed the mood change and decided⁶³ to give her a straight answer. “We’re just outside of Mt Airy, North Carolina. We’re far enough from Charleston that we can safely get on the interstate now.” Penelope shook off the wave of weepy emotion that was trying to control her. “Where are we headed?” “Inside a restaurant,” Walker said with a smile as he held the door open. She waved a warning finger in Walker’s direction. “I’ve already kicked one person’s butt⁶⁴ today…” . PPenelope Spence couldn’t remember a meal that had tasted better or that she had enjoyed more. Walker must have read her mind. Because of the disruption of her normal sleep cycle, she was more in the mood for breakfast food than a traditional dinner type meal. Cracker Barrel had been the perfect choice; breakfast all day. Sitting across from each other like old marrieds instead of next to each other like lovers, they began talking for the first time. Since each had read the other’s bio, they were more like friends renewing an acquaintance than strangers sharing a meal. Walker shook his head whenever she started to ask questions that he didn’t want overheard, so they kept the conversation light. His research department had done a heck of a job. He seemed to know an awful lot about her. “So,” Walker asked with a smile. “Do you still dance?” “You asked me that before.” “Yes, but you didn’t give me much of an answer. I was curious. Your fi rst two years of college it looked like you planned to be a dancer, then when you had to declare your major you headed into journalism⁶⁵ instead. Was there a reason?” “Other than the fact that my mother would have come to New York City, dragged me back to Charleston by my hair, then locked me in the room next to my crazy Aunt Martha?” “That was your mother’s reason. What was yours?” “You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Walker shrugged and waited for an answer. “In the summer between my sophomore⁶⁶ and junior year I got a job on 130 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin Broadway. It wasn’t much. I was a vacation replacement⁶⁷ for some of the girls in the chorus line of Chicago.” “Wow! Cell Block Tango is one of my all-time favorites.” Walker’s eyes brightened as he propped⁶⁸ his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his fists. Penelope had his full and complete attention. “That must have been exciting.” “If you’re going to patronize me…” “I’m serious, that’s one of my favorites.” “It sounds more glamorous⁶⁹ than it actually was. The tedium⁷⁰ of eight shows a week began to wear on me pretty quickly. As the fall semester approached I had to make a decision. Th ey offered me a full time position, but the experience had made it an easy choice. Dancing was my passion. Turning it into a job took all of the fun out of it.” “Interesting.” Walker nodded his head as if he completely understood. “You seem to know a great deal about my personal life, just how many of your employees have you had stalking me?” she asked as she motioned to the waitress for a refill of her sweet tea. “A small army,” Walker answered as he sipped⁷¹ his plain water—no ice, no lemon. She had gotten over the embarrassment⁷² of their food order and was feeling refreshed. The waitress had used a huge tray to carry the assorted⁷³ bowls, plates and platters. Four of them—a plate with a large stack of pancakes and three eggs over easy, a bowl with fried apples, another bowl with cheese grits⁷⁴ and a side plate of buttered sourdough rye bread—had gone to Penelope’s side of the table, while Walker’s French toast and side of plain grits had fit on a single plate. “I didn’t want to admit it in the brig but I had been having problems with food, just like you said.” She told him the grits/risotto story. “So,” Walker said as casually⁷⁵ as if he were asking her opinion on the chances for rain. “You were able to completely change the reality of those around you while maintaining your own reality.” “I don’t know if I would have described what happened in those terms.” “How would you have described it?” “I was going friggin’ nuts.” “That’s also a possibility.” “You’re so reassuring⁷⁶.” When the check arrived, he left a three dollar tip for a $20 bill. 131 The Fourth Awakening “Last of the big tippers?” “We don’t want to be a big tipper or a lousy tipper. We just want to be another customer at another dinner rush. We don’t want to give our waitress a reason to remember us.” In the warm glow of a full tummy and good conversation with an attractive man of her own age Penelope had momentarily forgotten that much of the federal government and probably every state and local police department in the country were looking for them. Walker’s caution brought it all back and put a knot in her recently filled stomach. At the cash register, she placed a pack of Tums on the counter, which Walker paid for along with their bill. . TThey were headed due north on I-77 in the mountains of Virginia as the sun set over the Allegheny Mountains. It was a Sunday night, and the traffi c was light. “Okay,” Penelope said as she adjusted herself in the bucket seat. “What exactly is the Hermes Project?” “First, a bit of history. We are on the cusp of the Fourth Awakening of mankind…” “Okay. Let me stop you right there. A news story must deal in facts. My generation, which now controls all of the newsrooms, already survived the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. If you start talking like a middle-aged⁷⁷ hippie, I don’t care how much traction⁷⁸ you’ve gotten from your arrest and Horn’s stroke, there is not a major paper in the country that will touch this story, except maybe the Psychic⁷⁹ Hotline.” “I know. That’s why we need you.” “I don’t follow…?” “You have credibility with the media. We don’t. If we try to tell this story we’ll be branded as kooks and nut jobs by the people we’re up against.” “Ok. Then tell me about Hermes.” “Without the background context, you could be like so many others that get completely hypnotized by the significance of the breakthrough we’ve made, and miss the bigger story.” “Which is?” “The Fourth Awakening is coming and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

1 spires   

n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her masts leveled with the spires of churches. 船的桅杆和教堂的塔尖一样高。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• White church spires lift above green valleys. 教堂的白色尖顶耸立在绿色山谷中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

3 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

4 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

5 apex   

n.顶点，最高点

参考例句：

• He reached the apex of power in the early 1930s.他在三十年代初达到了权力的顶峰。
• His election to the presidency was the apex of his career.当选总统是他一生事业的顶峰。

6 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

7 intrude   

vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰

参考例句：

• I do not want to intrude if you are busy.如果你忙我就不打扰你了。
• I don't want to intrude on your meeting.我不想打扰你们的会议。

8 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

9 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

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

10 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

11 declassify   

v.撤销保密

参考例句：

• These reports were only declassified last year.这些报告去年才被撤销了密级。
• Does the president have the power to declassify information?总统有权利解密相关信息吗？

12 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

13 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

14 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

15 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

16 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 declassified   

adj.解密的v.对（机密文件等）销密( declassify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Thousands of classified documents have now been declassified. 数以千计的保密文件现在被解密了。
• The software used for Siemens S7-300 encryption logic block declassified. 此软件用于对西门子S7-300加密逻辑块解密。

18 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

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

19 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。

20 laboring   

n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• The young man who said laboring was beneath his dignity finally put his pride in his pocket and got a job as a kitchen porter. 那个说过干活儿有失其身份的年轻人最终只能忍辱，做了厨房搬运工的工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But this knowledge did not keep them from laboring to save him. 然而，这并不妨碍她们尽力挽救他。 来自飘（部分）

21 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

22 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

23 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

24 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

25 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

26 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

27 shrug   

v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)

参考例句：

• With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。
• I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。

28 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

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

29 grunted   

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

参考例句：

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

30 lint   

n.线头；绷带用麻布，皮棉

参考例句：

• Flicked the lint off the coat.把大衣上的棉绒弹掉。
• There are a few problems of air pollution by chemicals,lint,etc.,but these are minor.化学品、棉花等也造成一些空气污染问题，但这是次要的。

31 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。

32 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

33 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》

34 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。

35 retaliated   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次，他讥讽她没有经验，她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
• The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句

36 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。

37 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

38 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

39 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

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

40 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

41 overview   

n.概观，概述

参考例句：

• The opening chapter gives a brief historical overview of transport.第一章是运输史的简要回顾。
• The seminar aims to provide an overview on new media publishing.研讨会旨在综览新兴的媒体出版。

42 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

43 proofread   

vt.校正，校对

参考例句：

• I didn't even have the chance to proofread my own report.我甚至没有机会校对自己的报告。
• Before handing in his application to his teacher,he proofread it again.交给老师之前，他又将申请书补正了一遍。

44 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

45 grimaced   

v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He grimaced at the bitter taste. 他一尝那苦味，做了个怪相。
• She grimaced at the sight of all the work. 她一看到这么多的工作就皱起了眉头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

46 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

47 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

48 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。

49 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

50 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

51 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

52 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

53 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

54 wig   

n.假发

参考例句：

• The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
• He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。

55 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

56 assortment   

n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集

参考例句：

• This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全，任君选择。
• She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。

57 cracker   

n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干

参考例句：

• Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
• There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。

58 famished   

adj.饥饿的

参考例句：

• When's lunch?I'm famished!什么时候吃午饭？我饿得要死了！
• My feet are now killing me and I'm absolutely famished.我的脚现在筋疲力尽，我绝对是极饿了。

59 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

60 grilling   

v.烧烤( grill的现在分词 )；拷问，盘问

参考例句：

• The minister faced a tough grilling at today's press conference. 部长在今天的记者招待会上受到了严厉的盘问。
• He's grilling out there in the midday sun. 他在外面让中午火辣辣的太阳炙烤着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

61 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

62 vats   

varieties 变化，多样性，种类

参考例句：

• Fixed rare issue with getting stuck in VATS mode. 修正了极少出现的VATS模式卡住的问题。
• Objective To summarize the experience of VATS clinic application. 目的总结电视胸腔镜手术(vats)胸外科疾病治疗中的临床应用经验。

63 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。

64 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。

65 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

66 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

67 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

68 propped   

支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。
• This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。

69 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

70 tedium   

n.单调；烦闷

参考例句：

• We played games to relieve the tedium of the journey.我们玩游戏，来解除旅行的沉闷。
• In myself I could observe the following sources of tedium. 从我自己身上，我所观察到的烦闷的根源有下列一些。

71 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

72 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。

73 assorted   

adj.各种各样的，各色俱备的

参考例句：

• There's a bag of assorted sweets on the table.桌子上有一袋什锦糖果。
• He has always assorted with men of his age.他总是与和他年令相仿的人交往。

74 grits   

n.粗磨粉；粗面粉；粗燕麦粉；粗玉米粉；细石子，砂粒等( grit的名词复数 )；勇气和毅力v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的第三人称单数 )；咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The sands [grits] in the cooked rice made my tooth ache. 米饭里的砂粒硌痛了牙。 来自辞典例句
• This process also produces homing and corn grits. 此法也产生玉米麸(homing)和玉米粗粉。 来自辞典例句

75 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

76 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

77 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

78 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

79 psychic   

n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的

参考例句：

• Some people are said to have psychic powers.据说有些人有通灵的能力。
• She claims to be psychic and to be able to foretell the future.她自称有特异功能，能预知未来。