CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” Eugene Ionesco “That sounds pretty ominous¹.” Walker laughed. “The Fourth Awakening² is a natural progression in human development and shouldn’t be feared or misunderstood. One of the reasons we sought you out was because you could explain what is going on in language that could be understood by the average person on the street.” “You win, we’ll do background first, but I want to establish a few ground rules.” “Such as?” “No psychobabble or New Age gibberish. I want the fi ve “W’s. Who, what, when, where and why.” “I can work with that.” “I’m not done. I need verifiable facts, and not opinions or interpretations⁴ based on divine intervention⁵ or the reading of tea leaves.” “Fair enough.” “One more,” Penelope said with a sideways glance. “If I ask a direct question, could you at least pretend to give me a direct answer?” A broad smile broke across Walker’s face. “Just because you haven’t understood an answer doesn’t mean it wasn’t direct.” “I thought your goal was to reach as broad an audience as possible? If it is too dense⁶ for me to translate then we’re both wasting our time.” 133 The Fourth Awakening “Fair point,” Walker answered with a sigh. “I’ll try to rein⁷ in my enthusiasm. If I lose you anywhere, let me know.” Walker waited for an acknowledgement, which he got in the form of a nod, before continuing. “We are on the cusp of the Fourth Awakening of mankind…” Penelope chuckled⁸ softly. “Here we go.” “What now?” “How many times have you practiced this?” “Is it that obvious?” “Oh yeah.” “What was the giveaway?” “You used the exact same phrase a minute ago and for the fi rst time since I met you, it sounded like you were reading off of a teleprompter. Why the prepared speech?” “It is critical that you grasp the historical perspective. Without an understanding of what happened previously⁹ will be difficult to fully¹⁰ grasp what’s happening now. We need you to see the big picture.” “You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought, and you did buy me a nice dinner.” Penelope leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. “The least I can do is listen to your little presentation. Please, proceed.” Walker glanced sideways at Penelope and cleared his throat. “We are on the cusp of the Fourth Awakening of mankind. During these transition periods the entire fabric¹¹ of societal structures changes and a new way of thinking emerges that is completely revolutionary and results in the abandonment of old ideas and methods of functioning both individually and collectively making it impossible to ever return to the old way of thinking.” Walker glanced over at Spence and saw that she was staring at him with her mouth open. “What?” he asked. “Who wrote this for you?’ “I did, with the help of some of the academics at the Hermes project.” “Academic, huh? That explains it.” “Explains what?” “I don’t think I’ve heard a sentence that long since college. It does show you are absolutely right about one thing.” “What would that be?” “If that’s the best you can come up with; you guys really need some help telling your story.” 134 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “If you think this is bad,” Walker said with a laugh. “You should have heard some of the earlier draft s.” Penelope shivered slightly. “I’ve run across tons of people who believe that just because they got over 700 on their English SAT when they were seventeen it automatically made them the next Hemingway.” “I’ve seen some of that first hand recently,” Walker answered. “What do you suggest?” “Since I’m a reporter, we could try the interview format¹². I ask a few questions. We’ll see if you have it within your powers to give me some straight answers. Which, by the way, the jury is still out on.” “Hmm,” Walker answered as he fixed¹³ his eyes on the road. “Oh, don’t get pouty,” Penelope said as she rested her hand on Walker’s arm. “I’ll make you a deal. We try it my way for awhile and I’ll promise to read every word of your little speech.” “And view the PowerPoint?’ “Yes, I’ll even watch the PowerPoint.” “Okay. Where do you want to start?” “You claim the Fourth Awakening is upon us; since this is all new to me you’ll need to define what constitutes an Awakening.” “I thought I just did.” “Let’s try it again, maybe with punctuation¹⁴ this time.” “Okay. An Awakening occurs whenever there is a major shift in people and the way they view the world around them.” “For example.” “For example when humanity moved from compact familial groups of hunter gathers to the first non-family based small farming communities. From there we moved to even more complex social orders such as city and nation states. Once you’ve gone from a cave to a hut to indoor plumbing¹⁵, there is no going back.” “I guess there is a certain logic¹⁶ to that. Why do you call them Awakenings?” “Are you a morning person?” “Yes. Annoyed the heck out of the rest of the family. My ex-husband was one of those three cups of coffee before you can talk to me kind of guys. Why?” “That’s a perfect example.” “Perfect example of what?” 135 The Fourth Awakening “Of one reason I decided¹⁷ to call it an Awakening.” Penelope sighed and shook her head. “We were running along fi ne there for a few minutes then suddenly you go off the rails again.” Walker laughed and a broad grin covered his face. “The point is people wake up at different rates. Some bounce out of bed at their best while others have to shake off the cobwebs. Some wake up at the crack of dawn while others sleep in until noon. This is exactly what happens in an Awakening. There is an adjustment period before everyone gets on the same page.” “Oh,” Penelope said while shaking her finger at Walker. “I get it. Some people take longer to adjust to the dawning of a new day than others.” Walker continued on. “The big question, as you have so artfully pointed¹⁸ out, is how to put this into language that will resonate with the most people. Some of the folks at the compound wanted me to use the currently accepted names for the eras but I didn’t think it would fl y with the general public. ” “Currently accepted by whom?” “Some of the most enlightened minds of our time.” “I suppose that would include you?” Walker shrugged¹⁹ but didn’t answer. Penelope thought for a moment then asked, “Out of morbid²⁰ curiosity what did these enlightened minds call these eras?” “Th e first era, pre-200,000 BCE, is referred to as the Archaic²¹ Structure. After the First Awakening came the Magical Structure which was followed by the Mythical²² Structure…” “Ha!” Penelope said with a short laugh. “I guess these folks were all Beatles fan.” “Where did that come from?” “Sounds like you guys were having your own personal Magical Mythical tour.” “You have a very interesting thought processes.” “Th anks.” Walker grimaced²³ slightly. “That wasn’t a compliment.” They both laughed. “With that level of verbal craftsmanship,” Penelope said. “I can’t imagine why you guys don’t have people knocking down your doors begging for more.” “Actually there is a large body of supporting work and some truly outstanding books on this subject. Jean Gebser’s The Ever Present Origin. 136 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin Allan Combs’ The Radiance of Being. Ken³ Wilber’s Up fr om Eden. I’ll get you a reading list if you’d like.” “Maybe later. Did they help with your little prepared remarks?” “I wish,” Walker said while shaking his head. “Gebser is dead so unless we have a séance he’s not available. As for the others, with every spy agency in the world looking for the Hermes Project we didn’t dare try to contact them. I was afraid to even go through Walker Industries’ PR department. Th at left me with a bunch of lab rats and PhD physicists²⁴ to help me write this. ” “Oh my. Do you think Combs and Wilber could have done better?” “Absolutely. When you read their stuff you’ll understand. Th ey are gifted writers who could have put this into language that even a reporter could understand.” “Hey!” Penelope said in mock protest. Walker shot Penelope a knowing glance but didn’t reply. Puzzled, Penelope asked, “What was that look for?” “When you read their work, you’ll understand. “Whatever,” Penelope said. “I think your instincts are spot on about using the Awakening language over the era structure thingy. That’s a very elegant way of describing all of this.” “Excellent.” “What kind of a time-frame are we looking at for these Awakenings to completely take hold?” “It can be hundreds if not thousands of years.” “Thousands of years?” “Yes. After the first Awakening the adjustment period was over 100,000 years.” “Really? Why so long?” “There are a lot of factors that can affect the amount of time it takes for an Awakening to be fully engaged. While the progress is always ongoing²⁵, environment, weather, geography, food supply and other outside forces have always played a role in human development. Plus, there is the inherent nature of the Awakenings themselves.” “What does that mean?” “Around the time everyone is just getting used to the current Awakening, the next one starts and the cycle repeats itself.” “The early risers are on a different page than the night owls²⁶?” “Essentially²⁷ that’s correct. Everyone develops at their own pace.” 137 The Fourth Awakening “I see,” Penelope said as she rubbed her chin. “What happened 200,000 years ago that merited the First Awakening?” “That was when Homo sapiens are thought to have emerged in East Africa.” “I guess that would qualify as a pretty big change.” Walker nodded. “Progress in human development was pretty slow back then. It took around 150,000 years before the next Awakening and that is when things started to get interesting.” “Interesting?” “Are you familiar with Joseph Campbell?” “Are you kidding? I went to an Ivy²⁸ League college when he was in his heyday²⁹. I stood in the rain for two hours to get tickets to hear him speak.” “Excellent,” Walker said as he nodded his approval. “Then just imagine this Second Awakening being the canvas he used as the background for his Power of the Myth theory. Spoken language emerged during the time of the early shamans, and great myths were told around the campfi re. For the fi rst time, early humans became self aware and while still considering themselves a part of nature they understood they were somehow diff erent.” “What does that mean?” “We began to explore our spiritual side through myth and the creation of Gods and other unseen forces to explain things we didn’t yet understand. Most importantly we became aware of our own mortality. We started to fear death and began to seek a deeper understanding of the cycle of life and how it applied³⁰ to us.” “How did you conclude that?” “We started to develop increasingly complex rituals of burying our dead to prepare them for the aft erlife.” “Your proof ?” “We moved from simple burial sites during the First Awakening to those big pointy things in the deserts in Egypt in the Second. I would say that is a pretty impressive progression.” “Pointy things? Th e pyramids?” “Sure. The ancient Egyptians are thought to have believed the soul would survive as long as the body survived. The body was preserved and wrapped in linen³¹ in case the owner happened to return for it later. They put food and gold in with the mummies in case they got hungry or 138 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin needed cash. Have you ever heard of the terracotta army in China at the grave of the first emperor?” “I’ve seen that in person. It’s amazing.” “A very different burial ritual but easily on the same scale as the pyramids.” “Interesting.” “Interesting indeed. But without an incredible number of things happening around 14,000 years ago we probably wouldn’t be here talking.” “I’ll bite. What happened 14,000 years ago?” “In the middle of the Second Awakening the last great ice age ended and we had the perfect storm for human development.” “And?” “And, people were physically³² and mentally in position to take advantage of it.” “Take advantage of what?” “As the planet warmed it became much more hospitable³³ for human development. Early humans were able to plant crops and keep livestock³⁴ which allowed for larger fixed population centers. As the food supply grew and became more predictable there was a population explosion in Homo sapiens just as our primary rivals disappeared.” Penelope made a face and slowly shook her head. “Do you work at being obtuse³⁵ or is that just your default mode?” “What?” Walker asked. “Who were our rivals?” “During the Second Awakening,” Walker answered. “Homo sapiens were one of three high intelligence species. The Neanderthals vanished around 30,000 years ago and Cro-Magnon became extinct right around the time of the great thaw³⁶.” “Do you think early Homo sapiens did them in?” Walker shrugged. “What exactly caused their demise³⁷ is the subject of great debate but as always the winners get to write the history books. Th e romantic theory is the smarter more nimble Homo sapiens squeezed out first the dumb lumbering³⁸ Neanderthals then the Cro-Magnon. You can still see that theory everyday in bad insurance ads on television. Considering that Cro-Magnon had nearly the same brain capacity as us and was bigger and stronger, it is impossible to say what happened. Th e key point is Homo sapiens were ready to seize the opportunity. And they 139 The Fourth Awakening did.” Walker smiled and glanced over at Penelope with a twinkle in his eyes. “More importantly, we had the first irrefutable proof that we’re all connected through thought.” “What is your irrefutable proof ?” “Art for one…” “Art?” “Yes. Art is always a good indicator³⁹ of an Awakening firmly taking hold. In the middle of the Second Awakening we saw rudimental art in the form of cave drawings and crude fi gurines.” “Where is your proof ?” “The famous Chauvet and Lascaux caves in France. Th e Aboriginal⁴⁰ Ubirr wall art in Australia. There was the Pachmari Hills in India. Th e Apollo 11 and Wonderwerk Caves in southern Africa. Fell’s Cave at the tip of South America. Is that enough for you?” Penelope looked at Walker and shrugged. “Enough of what?” “All of this art was produced at roughly the same time and all are very similar. How do you explain people in every corner of the world who didn’t even know the others existed all having the same thought at roughly the same time if we’re not all connected in some way?” Penelope rubbed her chin again. “It could have been a coincidence,” she said without much conviction. “That was my third choice right behind an alien invasion populating the planet,” Walker said with a laugh. “Plus there are many others.” “Such as?” “Metallurgy, ship building, planting and harvesting crops, and astrology to name a few. They all emerged at around the same time worldwide in roughly the same forms. During the last part of the Second Awakening the changes in mankind were stunning⁴¹. In only a few thousand years humans went from grunting⁴² cave dwellers⁴³ living in small groups to building city-states and writing epic⁴⁴ poems. Completely independent of each other, many cultures around the world went through their own Bronze Age and Iron Age at approximately the same moment. This is a clear example of the universal consciousness.” The look on Penelope’s face told Walker she was not convinced. “So you’re saying some kind of universal light bulb suddenly clicked on 14,000 years ago?” “It was already on; it just got a whole lot brighter. That’s what happens 140 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin when there is an Awakening; everything changes. Something triggers the change but it can take centuries for all of the rough edges to be smoothed away. From a purely⁴⁵ clinical perspective, emerging humans had the brain capacity for hundreds of thousands of years for this type of development but, in my opinion, it took a change in the global climate to trigger the event.” “So,” Penelope said with a sideways bemused glance. “You’re saying this Second Awakening was caused by Global Warming?” Walker chuckled and shook his head. “Considering the amount of emotion in that phrase these days, I don’t think I would call it Global Warming. But, that is essentially correct. Plus there were internal changes in humans.” “Such as.” “No longer having to live a hand to mouth existence, we began to turn inward and became more spiritual. As we tried to understand our place in the universe we saw the emergence⁴⁶ of a shaman or priest class that was held in high regard in these new social structures. Elaborate rituals were created. Cats started liking⁴⁷ us…” “Cats? What?” “Until this period, cats wouldn’t have anything to do with humans. That was a big step in our evolution.” “Cats?” “Yes.” Penelope’s mouth opened, but she thought better of it and motioned for Walker to continue. “Cats are some of the most instinctive⁴⁸ animals on the planet. When they sensed that we had changed, they started to allow us to live with them.” “Allowed us to live with them?” “You’re not a cat person then?” “No.” “Ahh.” “Ahh, what?” “Something else you’ll have trouble understanding.” “Cats?” “You don’t choose a cat, a cat chooses you.” “I see. Cats. Anything else?’ “Yes. Humans discovered time.” Penelope closed her eyes and scratched her forehead as she tried to 141 The Fourth Awakening compose her next thought. “So, let me get this straight, you’re telling me you believe time did not exist until around 14,000 years ago?” “Of course it existed, but time wasn’t understood in the same way we perceive it. The hunter gatherers noted⁴⁹ the things that were important to them but mostly lived in their present moment. After the Second Awakening humans became much more aware of the past and future, which is no minor⁵⁰ development. For example, like any agricultural based society, the Egyptians needed to know when to expect the annual flooding of the Nile. They noticed a few days before the spring fl oods that Sirius, the Dog Star, was visible just before sunrise. Based on that they devised a 365 day stellar calendar sometime around 4,300 BCE that was reasonably accurate even by modern standards. They also used a lunar one for ceremony and festivals the same way we do today.” “What do you mean the same way we do?” “Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon following the equinox. The same logic applies to Jewish high holidays and Islamic Holy Days. That’s why the dates change every year, to correspond with the moon.” “Interesting.” “Plus the entire social structure changed. Hunter gathering⁵¹ societies were largely family based. Farming brought the first small settlements that placed importance on what someone could do rather than who they were related to. Not only were the groupings increasingly larger, we saw the ascension of Pharos, Emperors and Kings who were oft en considered to be the direct descent of God. This was a huge change.” “Hmm,” Penelope said as a frown twisted her mouth downward. “What?” Walker asked. “These are some awfully⁵² big leaps of faith based on some pretty sketchy⁵³ facts.” “Such as?” “The universal thought thing. That’s a bit hard to swallow.” “Why?” “Suppose it is snowing. It wouldn’t take a collective consciousness to tell me to put on a coat. There are some things that people are just naturally going to do.” “I agree.” “Really? That’s a fi rst.” 142 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “Sure,” Walker said with a quick laugh. “That’s because it is a perfectly⁵⁴ natural progression. It takes everyone a while to get their head around this concept. Just keep asking yourself why do people in different parts of the world keep making the same discoveries, all around the same time? As we move along I’ll give you some more examples for you to try to rationalize away.” Penelope gave Walker a playful punch in the shoulder. “I have to admit this is an interesting way of looking at things.” “Good,” Walker answered. “Then we’re making some headway here. Plus this has been fun.” “I guess that depends on your definition of fun.” “Come on,” Walker answered shaking his head in disbelief. “Front page of the Post. Help breaking a lunatic out of prison. Getting your house blown up.” Walker motioned toward the blond wig⁵⁵ Penelope was still wearing. “New hairdo. What more could anyone ask for?” Penelope self-consciously adjusted the hair piece. “You are a certifi able nut job.” “Th anks.” “Wasn’t a compliment.” Walker shrugged. “All of that was just the warm up act. This is where it really gets interesting.” “Do tell.” “Around 3,000 years ago we had the Third Awakening. From now on we’ll be talking about stuff you already know, or think you know, just presented in a manner you probably had never considered. Since you’ve studied history and have a quick mind we won’t need to go into great detail. What I’ll need you to do is start thinking of the facts you learned in school and look at how they support my theory of the Awakenings. If you can do that then all of this will start to make sense.” “Where’s the fun part?” “The adjustment period for the Third Awakening is almost over and it’s time for the Fourth Awakening. That’s why you’re here.”

1 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

2 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。

3 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.

4 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

6 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

7 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

8 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。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

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

11 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

12 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

13 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。

14 punctuation   

n.标点符号，标点法

参考例句：

• My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
• A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。

15 plumbing   

n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究

参考例句：

• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche. 她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。
• They're going to have to put in new plumbing. 他们将需要安装新的水管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

17 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。

18 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。

19 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》

20 morbid   

adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的

参考例句：

• Some people have a morbid fascination with crime.一些人对犯罪有一种病态的痴迷。
• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like.不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。

21 archaic   

adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的

参考例句：

• The company does some things in archaic ways,such as not using computers for bookkeeping.这个公司有些做法陈旧，如记账不使用电脑。
• Shaanxi is one of the Chinese archaic civilized origins which has a long history.陕西省是中国古代文明发祥之一，有悠久的历史。

22 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

23 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》

24 physicists   

物理学家( physicist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说，这是受挫折的一年。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
• Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。

25 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

26 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

27 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

28 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

29 heyday   

n.全盛时期，青春期

参考例句：

• The 19th century was the heyday of steam railways.19世纪是蒸汽机车鼎盛的时代。
• She was a great singer in her heyday.她在自己的黄金时代是个了不起的歌唱家。

30 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

31 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

32 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。

33 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

34 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

35 obtuse   

adj.钝的；愚钝的

参考例句：

• You were too obtuse to take the hint.你太迟钝了，没有理解这种暗示。
• "Sometimes it looks more like an obtuse triangle,"Winter said.“有时候它看起来更像一个钝角三角形。”温特说。

36 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

37 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

38 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

39 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

40 aboriginal   

adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的

参考例句：

• They managed to wipe out the entire aboriginal population.他们终于把那些土著人全部消灭了。
• The lndians are the aboriginal Americans.印第安人是美国的土著人。

41 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

42 grunting   

咕哝的，呼噜的

参考例句：

• He pulled harder on the rope, grunting with the effort. 他边用力边哼声，使出更大的力气拉绳子。
• Pigs were grunting and squealing in the yard. 猪在院子里哼哼地叫个不停。

43 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

44 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

45 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

46 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

47 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

48 instinctive   

adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的

参考例句：

• He tried to conceal his instinctive revulsion at the idea.他试图饰盖自己对这一想法本能的厌恶。
• Animals have an instinctive fear of fire.动物本能地怕火。

49 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

50 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

51 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

52 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

53 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

54 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。

55 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。