CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

“An Enlightened Master is ideal only if your goal is to become a Benighted¹ Slave.” Robert Anton Wilson AAfter the performance by James Steerforth, there was no shortage of volunteers from The Washington Post’s crew to participate in another demonstration². With the heavy shielding and limits on space, everyone had to be either shoehorned into the windowless control room or watch the demonstration on video monitors in the waiting area outside. Th ere was only enough space for the senior Post brass⁴, Penelope, Walker and Altman in the control room. There were three chairs in front of the control room console. Altman took the seat in the middle with Flickling to his left and Mitchell to his right. Walker, Spence and Hatchet⁵ stood behind them. “This entire area is heavily shielded,” Dr. Altman said. “Is that to keep interference out?” Hatchet asked. “Initially, that was the idea,” Altman said turning to make eye contact with Hatchet. “With our recent advances it is more important to keep our experiment contained. We used to have thick glass here in the control room but we had to replace it with something more resistant⁶ to our experiments. As we got better it started to affect this room as well. That’s why we will need to observe this via video.” “That sounds ominous,” Flickling said as he adjusted himself more comfortably in the chair. The plane trip and the long day were wreaking⁷ havoc⁸ on his lower back. “Is it safe in here?” 269 The Fourth Awakening⁹ “The risk is negligible,” Dr. Altman assured him. “We have gotten more and more skilled and better able to focus our eff orts.” On multiple viewing screens inside the control room, they all could see four reporters from the Post; two men and two women. Dressed in blue surgical¹⁰ scrubs, their body language said everything anyone needed to know about their relationships. Each had claimed a corner of the cube and was as far away from the others as possible. Their eyes kept darting¹¹ around like mice looking for the cat. Each kept shifting his or her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Both women had their arms folded across their chests and the two men refused to make eye contact with the other. “Normally I wouldn’t put those guys together in such a small space,” Hatchet said. “Are you sure this is what you want?” “They are bitter rivals?” Altman asked “That’s putting it mildly. We had to break up a fi st-fight between Steve and Alex in the newsroom last week over a story assignment. Joan and Celeste work the Capitol Hill beat and have been at each other’s throats for years.” “Then they’re perfect,” Walker said. “Let’s get started.” Altman turned on the microphone. “We’re going to begin now. Will each of you please be seated?” The four moved gingerly in the direction of the wobbly plastic table in the center of the cube and claimed one of the white chairs each. None made eye contact with any of the others. Altman flipped¹² a switch and, other than a red “In Use” indicator¹³ light blinking on the control panel, nothing seemed to be happening. “You may feel a slight dizziness. That is to be expected. Sit back and relax, this will not take very long.” Altman turned off the microphone and addressed the people in the control room. “We should start seeing a reaction in just a few moments.” “What kind of reaction?” “They are being hit with a very specific magnetic wave that will cause some portions of the brain to become less active.” “Is this the part you have to quiet first?” Franklin Mitchell asked. “Exactly,” Altman answered. “All of these subjects have strong and well-developed egos¹⁴. Decreasing activity in this part of the mind will cause them to experience the early stages of enlightenment.” “What the hell does that mean?” Mitchell demanded. 270 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “They will start to experience a level of contentment they have never thought possible.” Walker pointed¹⁵ toward the cube. “It has already started.” In the cube, the four people around the table no longer looked like mortal enemies. Their body language had gone from defensive¹⁶ to relaxed and open. They were actually smiling, possibly even at each other. Altman flipped on the microphone. “How are you all doing in there?” “I’ve never felt better in my life,” answered one of the male reporters. “Amazing,” said one the female reporters as she glanced around the table. The other three head nodded their agreement. “I feel like a weight has been lift ed off of me…” They all began to talking at the same time and only bits and pieces could be distinguished¹⁷. “I’m happier than…” “…total peace…” “…relaxed…” “….feeling of absolute serenity…” When they realized they had been talking over each other, all conversation stopped. They glanced around the table and all burst into laughter. They all began talking again, this time apologizing for their rudeness, then started laughing again. “I didn’t think I’d ever see this day,” Hatchet said as he watched the interplay with his mouth hanging open. “Th at’s amazing.” “That’s the future of mankind, if we can survive the transition.” “One of you better start explaining this,” Mitchell insisted with the tone of a person at the pinnacle¹⁸ of their worldly infl uence. “I think that’s enough, Carl,” Walker said. Altman nodded his agreement and the “In Use” light clicked off. Immediately, four members of the Hermes Project entered the test room and joined Th e Washington Post reporters in the cube. Th ey offered the test subjects bottles of water, which they quickly accepted. As the room began to fi ll with the rest of the WaPo people, loud animated¹⁹ conversations and laughter echoed off the walls as each of the reporters tried to describe to their compatriots what it had been like. “Gentlemen,” and with a nod toward Penelope, “and Lady,” Walker said. “We are on the cusp of the Fourth Awakening of mankind.” Walker pointed toward the cube. “And that is a perfect example of the potential. All we did was give each of them a nudge and shine a bit of light on the path; their innate²⁰ nature did the rest. In one hundred years or so, the way 271 The Fourth Awakening they are reacting and interacting will be the norm.” “So,” Hatchet said, “this will work on anyone?” “This is a much lower level of stimulation²¹ and considerably²² less focused than what James Steerforth went through. All that happened is we briefl y sped up a process that has already started. All four of those people have experienced something they may have found on their own tomorrow, next week, next year or decades from now.” “Is this a permanent change?” Mitchell asked. “Possibly, but not very likely in this case,” Dr. Altman said. “Th ey would have to spend much more time with us at this point to permanently²³ rewire their neuropathways and stabilize²⁴ the brain processes involved.” “It is important that you understand that this phenomenon is occurring spontaneously around the world, as we speak,” Walker interjected. “You’re saying the whole human race is moving in this direction?” Hatchet asked. “Yes. It’s the Fourth Awakening that was mentioned in the material we sent you. What we’re hoping is, with your help, we can get out in front of this and let people know what’s happening before it is too late because there is a potential dark side.” “That is why it is so urgent,” Dr. Altman added. “This technology can be used to enhance the human experience or, in the wrong hands, stifl e it. “I’m sorry,” Bill Flickling said, “I don’t see a problem here. If this can make the world a better place, then I just don’t see a problem.” “The problem,” Walker answered, “if we had shined a light on a slightly different path, some of them may have turned into monsters.” “What the hell does that mean?” Flickling demanded. “Some people,” Walker answered calmly. “When they reach the non-symbolic state of consciousness…” Franklin Mitchell cut Walker off in mid-sentence. “What the hell is this non-symbolic whatever you said and what does it have to do with the Hermes Project?” “Non-symbolic consciousness is difficult to describe since the vocabulary is still evolving and most of the current words are just placeholders. But generally speaking, in Eastern religions it is called enlightenment. In Western religions it is God’s divine grace.” A smile broke across Walker’s face. “To Luke Skywalker it was the Force. And it has everything to do with the Hermes Project.” 272 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “Look, Walker,” Bill Flickling said as he tried again to get himself more comfortable in his chair. “Everything I’ve seen today is damn impressive and you’ve got tomorrow’s front page. But if this is all you’ve got…” “The problem is,” Walker answered calmly. “Some people arrive at this state and still have personal and psychological baggage. Some of them are the exact people Senator Horn is afraid of; people who think they are God and the rest of us are just their play toys.” “What Michael is trying to say,” Dr. Altman interjected. “Th is Awakening is occurring and there are people that can use this technology for their personal or political advantage. We know or suspect at least six other groups that are currently involved in similar research to ours. It is important you understand with just a few minor²⁵ changes of the settings, I could have had your people at each other’s throats instead of having a group hug.” “There’s going to be a transition period,” Walker added. “We’re afraid a great number of people will get hurt or worse if we don’t get out in front of this.” “Okay,” Franklin Mitchell said as he stood up and tried to start pacing but gave up for lack of space in the control room. “You’re saying there may be other people out there whose intentions are not necessarily good and somehow this technology can be used as a weapon.” “Exactly,” Walker and Altman answered in unison²⁶. The senior managers from The Washington Post exchanged worried glances. Mark Hatchet spoke²⁷ for all of them. “I understand what you’re saying,” Hatchet said. “But until I see it, I’ll have trouble believing it.” “I won’t put any of my people through that,” Walker said fl atly. “You don’t have to.” Hatchet answered, his eyes locked on Walker’s. “I’ll do it.” “No.” Walker said. “Without a demonstration,” Flickling said, pulling himself out of his chair, “we’ve spent a great deal of time and money on a story that, while interesting won’t survive a 24 hour news cycle. In three days the Hermes Project will be forgotten.” Walker looked at Altman, who reluctantly nodded his approval. After Hatchet had changed into a blue surgical gown and removed his watch, he joined Walker in the plastic cube. All of the furniture except for a single plastic chair had been removed. “This is for your protection,” Walker said as he bound Hatchet’s wrists to the arms of the chair with white medical tape. 273 The Fourth Awakening Hatchet looked down at his wrists. “I don’t think that will hold me for very long.” “It doesn’t need to. We are only going to give you a short burst, but you will find it terrifying. One aspect of this will trigger your natural fi ght or flight instincts on a level that’s far beyond what you’ve experienced before. You will want to run but not be able to so you may try to fi ght. Do you understand?” “Yes.” “After that we will flood the room with a different blast that should nullify the fi rst one.” “Should nullify?” Hatchet said as he checked the tape on his wrists. “Don’t like the sound of that.” “The worst case scenario²⁸ is you wrestle²⁹ a bit with Timothy and his friends,” Walker nodded toward Ellison and the two others in the cube with him. “Just remember, you know what’s coming and the unknown is often the most frightening. It takes a few seconds to change the settings in the control room and depending on how you respond, it could feel like hours. Try to relax and go with it. Okay?” “Okay.” Hatchet forced a smile and waved to a ghost white Penelope who was standing³⁰ by the door to the control room. Penelope could hear her heart pounding in her ears and her palms were clammy. Th e reluctance³¹ of both Walker and Altman to allow any of their own people to do this demonstration concerned her mightily³². They both knew exactly what was about to hit Mark. How would he take it? Was it possible he would react like the men from Homeland Security and end up insane or worse? Penelope closed her eyes, drew in a deep cleansing³³ breath, and allowed herself to relax. Mark was going to be fi ne. Walker chatted privately³⁴ with Timothy Ellison and two of the youngest and largest members of Hermes. Their faces were grim but all nodded that they understood what to do. Ellison opened a storage case and removed three motorcycle style helmets that appeared to be larger and thicker than the off the rack versions. The three donned them, fastened the chinstraps, and took up positions inside the cube as far from Hatchet as space would allow. Walker joined the others in the shielded control room and nodded in the direction of Dr. Altman. “The headgear they are wearing will block the pulse,” Walker stated. The “In Use” light blinked on. At first there was no reaction by Mark 274 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin Hatchet. Then his eyes grew wild and his breathing started coming in gulps³⁵. He pulled his wrists to his mouth and started tearing the tape that was restraining him with his teeth. “I want out of here!” He screamed in a voice that sent chills up Penelope’s spine³⁶. With an unexpected burst of strength, he tore the last of the tape from his wrists and tossed the chair aside. Seeing his path to the door blocked, he started backing away from the other men in the cube. A guttural growl³⁷ was heard as Hatchet’s eyes danced between the other men in the cube. “My God,” Penelope gasped³⁹. “Is that what happened to those men you lost?” “That’s enough,” Walker shouted as he burst out of the control room. Walker, along with Ellison and the two other men in the cube all spread out and gingerly approached Hatchet. “Mark,” Walker said in a soothing⁴⁰ voice. “It’s all going to be fi ne. Just hang in there for a few more seconds.” Hatchet’s eyes danced between the four men until he backed into the wall and could retreat no further. “Carl!” Walker shouted as Hatchet grabbed the chair he had cast aside and threw it at the men who were closing in on him. It missed Ellison by inches. Altman worked frantically⁴¹ to change the setting on the control panel. The “In Use” light clicked on. “You won’t take me alive!” Hatchet shouted, as he lunged toward Walker who grabbed him in a bear hug. As the new pulse started to fi ll the chamber⁴², the rage began to leave Hatchet’s body. Walker, with the help of the others, lowered Hatchet gently to the floor where he curled up into a fetal position softly muttering, “You won’t take me alive.” Penelope pushed her way past Franklin Mitchell and ran into the cube. “Mark!” she shouted. The sound of her voice caused him to stop mumbling⁴³, and instead he began rocking on the cold concrete floor. “Mark,” she said softly. “It’s me, Nellie.” “Nellie?” His eyes slowly focused on the woman kneeling in front of him. A smile broke across his face. “Nellie! Wow. And I thought my last divorce was bad.” A huge smile covered Penelope’s face. “He’s okay. He’s okay!” Hatchet and Spence turned toward the control room door and saw Flickling and Mitchell on their feet, both white as a sheet. Neither moved and neither blinked until Walker rejoined them. 275 The Fourth Awakening Mitchell cleared his throat before speaking. “You’re telling us there are other people and governments who are working on this technology?” “Yes,” Walker answered. “The people have a right to know.” A grim Franklin Mitchell turned to Bill Flickling and nodded. Flickling, his hands trembling, pulled out his cell phone. All of the shielding kept him from getting a signal. He pointed to a phone on Dr. Altman’s workstation in the control room and asked, “Can I get an outside line?” Altman shoved the phone in his direction. Quickly dialing a number he said, “This is Flickling. Clear the front page and I want a minimum of four interior pages…” . FFor the next six hours, the Lazy S dining room was the western annex⁴⁴ of The Washington Post. Walker’s team had anticipated everything the newspaper people could need, from a good selection of wonderful food and drink, to high-speed Internet connections. At around six o’clock Jackson time, 8 p.m. Eastern, someone announced: “They’ve got footage up on YouTube of James Steerforth with his ping pong paddles doing his kung fu shuffl e…” Another voice added, “Some of the forums⁴⁵ are already starting to go nuts.” As eleven o’clock Eastern time approached, a hushed crowd began to form around the workstation Mark Hatchet had claimed for himself. Sitting next to him, her eyes flying across the screen, sat Penelope Drayton Spence as she finished one last proofread⁴⁶. “We good to go?” Hatchet asked. “One second,” Spence answered. For the past six hours, Penelope Spence had directly supervised the writing of over fourteen articles that would be appearing in the next edition of The Washington Post. In addition to the expected material on the history of the Hermes Project and what it had discovered, there were individual profiles on both Michael Walker and Dr. Carl Altman. Altman had worked with his old student Aaron Joseph, who had written a passable feature on exactly what they were doing and how it was accomplished⁴⁷. In addition there were articles titled, “Are you Awakening: Five Early Signs”, “What the Awakening Will Mean to You”, and “Protecting Yourself fr om Unwanted EM Pulses”. Each of the four reporters who had been in the 276 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin cube wrote outstanding stories about their experiences. Mark Hatchet even wrote a rare feature, in which Penelope allowed him to have a solo byline⁴⁸, on what had happened to him. The religious beat writer, who was mesmerized⁴⁹ by Michael Walker, wrote a detailed⁵⁰ history of the previous Awakenings, and a top-shelf analysis on how this Awakening and previous ones did not actually conflict with the world’s major religious texts. Needless to say, Timothy Leary didn’t make the cut. Hatchet’s cell phone rang. “Hatchet.” He listened intently, and then jumped to his feet. “The New York Times has just gone to press with this headline for their lead story.” He let the tension build for a moment, but with the tears in his eyes and the grin on his face he wasn’t about to bluff⁵¹ anyone. “I guess they need to start reading The Washington Post. Their lead headline: What is the Hermes Project?” A roar went up from the room full of tired journalists. It died down quickly as all eyes turned back to Penelope who, oblivious⁵² to what was swirling⁵³ around her, still sat staring intently at the computer monitor. The CEO of The Washington Post Group was sitting with the publisher and Michael Walker, sipping⁵⁴ a single malt whiskey, neat. “That’s quite some lady you’ve got there,” Mitchell said, his voice slightly slurred⁵⁶ from single handedly finishing an entire fi fth of the golden liquor in one sitting. “She is that.” Franklin Mitchell put his arm around the shoulder of publisher Bill Flickling. “I want you to hire her.” “After tomorrow, I don’t think we will be able to aff ord her.” “Did I stutter, Bill? I said hire her, I didn’t ask how much it was going to cost. Back up a damn Brinks truck, if you have to. Her name on the masthead will add five dollars a share to the value of our stock.” “Many of the old warhorses won’t like it if we pay her more than them.” “Then tell them to quit living off their past glory and go out and write something new. I want to see her name in my newspaper.” “Yes, sir.” Penelope fi nally finished the article and nodded her approval. “We’re good to go?” Hatchet asked again. “Yes.” With a flourish he hit the send button on his workstation. “We just went to press! Congratulations everyone! Great work!” 277 The Fourth Awakening Pandemonium⁵⁷ broke out in the room. Paper was tossed in the air; hugs and back slaps were exchanged. The doors at the far end of the room burst open and six members of Walker’s team rolled in carts with bottles of champagne⁵⁸ on ice. Everyone there knew they were part of the biggest scoop⁵⁹ in the history of publishing. Unlike the previous Awakenings, thanks to Penelope Drayton Spence, this one was going to be documented completely. With the way Walker and Altman were making the world aware of the changes that were coming, there would actually be a chance to avoid the slaughter⁶⁰ that had followed previous Awakenings. The corks⁶¹ began popping and, like a locker⁶² room after a team won a world championship; soon the spraying and drenching⁶³ began. Walker made eye contact with Kevin and Stevie, his Internet brain trust, and gave them a thumbs-up. With a few keystrokes, the “under construction” sign came down on FourthAwakening.com and the webpage went live. In multiple languages, complete information about the Fourth Awakening was presented, along with opportunities to join an online global discussion involving it. In the first 24 hours the site got over ten million hits; by the end of the week it would be second only to Yahoo! News as the most popular news URL on the World Wide Web. Mark Hatchet, his hair dripping wet from the many showers of champagne that had ensued, came over to Spence with a bottle in one hand and a glass in the other. “You did it, Nellie!” “I’m so grateful you called me, Mark!” She clinked her glass against his bottle and took a sip⁵⁵. Mark Hatchet climbed up on the table and called for quiet. “Let me have your attention, everyone.” The big dining room fell silent. “I’m sure no one in this room needs to be reminded that they will be able to tell their grandkids they were part of the biggest scoop of our time!” A whoop⁶⁴ went up in the room, and as it ebbed⁶⁵ Hatchet again motioned for quiet. “Please join me in raising a glass to Penelope Drayton Spence— the best damned investigative reporter in the world.” A roar of “Hear! Hear!” went up, followed by a chant of “Speech! Speech!” Her cheeks flushed slightly as Mark helped her up on top of the table. A prolonged and sustained round of applause followed and everyone in the room crowded in closer. Penelope tried to quiet them but they 278 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin were not having any of it. “Thank you, thank you,” Spence shouted over the noise. Glancing in Walker’s direction she saw that he, everyone from the Hermes Project, and the senior management of The Washington Post were also on their feet applauding. “Thank you, thank you.” The din³ finally died down enough for her to be heard over the people still applauding. “I would like to thank one of my oldest and dearest friends, Mark Hatchet, for trusting in me.” Penelope kissed Mark on the cheek, which drew oohs and ahhs from the Post staff. “And mostly I would like to thank Dr. Carl Altman, who doesn’t appear to be here, Michael Walker, and the entire Hermes Project.” Penelope turned and raised her glass to Michael Walker, who nodded slightly. “If it weren’t for their work, there wouldn’t be a story.” Penelope gathered herself for a moment before continuing. “And to all of you.” She looked around, her eyes glistening⁶⁶, at all the flushed faces in the room. “This is the kind of night that every journalist dreams of.” The room fell silent. “This is the big exclusive that everyone will be talking about tomorrow, and for weeks and even years to come. It was a team effort, and I owe each and every one of you a deep debt of gratitude⁶⁷ that will be difficult to repay. Thank you so much.” Another roar erupted. Hatchet checked his watch and shouted, “The online edition should be up by now. Let see how long this takes to get some legs.” In keeping with the rustic⁶⁸ style of the lodge⁶⁹, televisions were few and far between at Lazy S, and were never allowed in the dining room. Th is night they made an exception. Earlier, Walker’s men had brought in six TVs that, using the satellite dishes in the back yard, were displaying WNBC, WABC, WCBS, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. A small group was huddled⁷⁰ around the TVs when another whoop went up. “CBS just preempted⁷¹ Letterman.” “Ms. Spence, CNN is reading your lead article, word for word off the Internet.” “Fox News just broke in.” “There goes MSNBC.” “They cut off the Tonight Show in the middle of the monologue⁷².” Another round of excited congratulations followed as Nightline also gave way to the Penelope Drayton Spence show. Slapping herself on the forehead, Penelope grabbed her cell phone and 279 The Fourth Awakening called Joey. In all of the excitement she had forgotten to call. “Hello,” said Joey, somewhere between sleepy and irritated. Closer to irritated. “It’s me. Sorry I didn’t call but I’ve been busy.” “No problem.” “Really?” “Sure. That nice Sally Winters has called a couple of times to let me know you were fine. So have you jumped his bones yet?” “I’ve been busy.” “Busy doing what” “Turn on your TV.” “What channel?’ “Take your pick.” “I see you’re still timeless.” CNN was displaying a fi le photo that was taken years before when she won her Pulitzer. “Oh, my God!” She was wearing a puffy-sleeved dress, and her hair was teased with bangs. “Sally!” Sally Winters appeared instantly. “My assistant already has them on the phone. They have had the new media package for over four hours, but sometimes its amateur night at the cable networks after all the adults go home for dinner.” Sally Winters pointed to the screen, which was already displaying a head and shoulder shot of Penelope with the Tetons in the background that had been taken earlier in the day. “We’re going to go live on satellite in 20 minutes.” On cue a set of lights clicked on at the far end of the dining hall where a table had been set up in front of huge banner that had the football sized The Washington Post logos all over it. “We need to get you over to make-up.” “Joey, I have to go.” “I guess. Are there any awards bigger than a Pulitzer?” “A few.” Penelope hung up the phone and smiled in the direction of the bar. All of the noise had awakened⁷³ Dr. Carl Altman. He was standing, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers⁷⁴, next to Michael Walker. Dr. Atlman looked at Walker. “Savor this evening Michael. Now that we’ve revealed ourselves to our enemies we’re at much greater risk.” “I know. At least now, between the news coverage⁷⁵ and our webpage, people who have already started experiencing the Awakening will have a place to turn.” 280 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “How long before the jackals turn on us and start to discredit⁷⁶ our little exercise today?” “I’m sure it is already underway. A lot will depend on her.” Walker nodded toward Penelope. “We might make it through the Sunday talk shows, but I wouldn’t think much longer than that.” “I’m going back to bed.” Altman patted Walker on the shoulder. “Do you think what we did today will be enough?” “No. Not nearly.” 281 EPILOGUE “Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now—always.” Albert Schweitzer “What’s next?” Penelope Spence asked. “We’re done,” Sally Winters answered. “Done done?” “We are finished for the day.” “Thank God.” Penelope pulled the annoying piece of plastic out of her ear, as one of Sally’s assistants disconnected the microphone attached to her lapel. Starting with Good Morning America and the Today Show, the entire day had been a blur⁷⁷ of interviews. She had spoken to all the major networks and all the cable channels, even C-SPAN. And, she had done dozens of radio interviews with everyone from NPR to Rush Limbaugh. “Some people are here to see you,” Sally said. Penelope’s shoulders slumped⁷⁸. “I thought you said we were done.” “I think you’re going to want to talk to them.” Through the door burst fi fty pounds of sniffing⁷⁹, wiggling fur. “Sam?” Penelope said. Hearing a familiar voice and seeing a familiar face, the chocolate lab bounded to her side and leaned against her leg while she rubbed his ear. A few feet behind were her three children: Carrie, Kelly and William. “Oh, my God!” Penelope shrieked⁸⁰. They shared a bouncing group hug that got Sam so excited he began to run circles around them, barking with joy. “How did you get here?” 282 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin As usual, Carrie spoke for all of them. “Apparently⁸¹, Mr. Walker personally called each of our bosses and requested we get some time off , and then he had us brought here by private plane.” “How long have you been here?” “Just a few hours,” Carrie said. “Talk about organized chaos…” “A few hours!” Penelope glared at Sally Winters, who just shrugged⁸² and kept talking into one of her multiple cell phones. “Joey said you were busy.” Kelly added. “Joey is here, too?” “Along with Mr. Rickman,” Kelly added, with the innocence⁸³ only her middle child had ever successfully mastered, and been able to maintain her entire life. “He said something about a book deal and a movie deal. This is so exciting.” “Oh he did, did he?” Looking over her shoulder Penelope saw that Sally Winters had moved a bit further away. Leaving the cabin that had been converted to a makeshift “studio”, they stepped outside and Penelope had to put on her sunglasses. The transition in the past few hours had been startling. The area in front of the main building was crowded with people she recognized as Hermes Project members showing their friends and family around. Two large tents had been erected⁸⁴ and caterers were busy setting up tables and chairs in one tent, while carpenters installed a dance floor in the middle of the other, along with a bandstand at each end. At the east end at least 20 roadies were hustling⁸⁵ around setting up and testing equipment. Six large men were busy rolling into place in front of the bandstand what was obviously a full-sized grand piano covered in white satin. Others were setting up enough chairs for what looked like a full orchestra. At the west end a five-piece local cover band was tuning⁸⁶ their equipment. “This is going to be some party, Mom.” William said. All eyes turned when the woman screamed. “AHHHHHH!” Standing at the bottom of the steps of the main house was Joey Rickman. On her right arm was Franklin Mitchell the CEO of The Washington Post Group and in her left hand was a Grey Goose martini. Penelope screamed back. “AHHHHH!” Handing her drink to her new friend, Joey ran down the sidewalk as Penelope ran up. Meeting in the middle, both women began screaming 283 The Fourth Awakening at the top of their lungs. They hugged and bounced and screamed again as everyone within earshot laughed and pointed. “You did it! You did it! YOU DID IT!” “This has been an amazing couple of days.” “Angelina Jolie.” “What about Angelina Jolie?” Reclaiming⁸⁷ her martini from Franklin Mitchell who had just joined them, Joey said “That’s who should play me in the movie.” “Movie?” “Ron is in there talking to some guy from Sony or NBC/Universal, or whatever.” “Ron is negotiating a movie deal! He’s a criminal lawyer!” “Don’t worry, Amy is doing all the talking.” “Amy.” Franklin Mitchell shivered. “I’ve never seen anyone beat up Leon Steinberg like that. I thought he was going to cry.” “You know Frankie. Of course you do, he’s your new boss.” “He is?” “As soon as you sign the contract, Ms. Spence.” “Please, call me Penelope. What contract?” “Ron was in there, all full of himself. You know how he gets. Apparently, you are the now the highest paid print reporter in the world.” “And then some,” Franklin Mitchell added glumly⁸⁸. “Really?” “Ron got you all types of perks⁸⁹ too. Tell her, Frankie.” “Normal stuff for high-end talent.” “High-end talent,” Penelope thought to herself that she liked the sound of that. “First-class air travel, an apartment at the Watergate for when you’re in Washington, a twenty-four hour driver; it’s a pretty extensive list.” “I have to move to Washington?” A frown darkened Penelope’s face. “No,” Franklin Mitchell answered. “You can live anywhere you like. We’ll work around your needs.” “Frankie is taking me to the Kennedy Center next Saturday night. He says he is going to introduce me to the President.” “Really?” “We would love to have you and, if possible, Michael Walker join us,” Franklin Mitchell said. 284 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin A mischievous⁹⁰ grin covered Joey’s face as she nudged Penelope gently in the ribs⁹¹. “I think she would like that.” A sheepish grin covered Penelope’s face as she lowered her eyes and felt her cheeks get warm. “Excuse me,” Sally Winters said softly as she tugged⁹² on Penelope’s arm. The mood broken, Penelope’s shoulders sagged⁹³ as she sighed. “What now?” “I’ve had a request, and if you don’t want to do it everyone will understand.” “What’s the request?” “I know you’re exhausted⁹⁴ but some of the people really want to get home and they will be leaving early tomorrow and this might be their only chance.” “Chance for what?” “All of the members of the Hermes Project and the people from the Post would like to have individual photos taken with you. You know, for the walls in their offi ces.” Penelope’s mind immediately flashed back to the pictures on the wall behind Senator Horn’s desk. She was fl attered. “Of course…” Penelope turned to her children. “If it’s okay with you guys.” Carrie kissed her mother on the cheek. “No problem. This is your day, Mom, enjoy it.” Sally arranged the photo shoot so that the Teton Mountains were in the background, and her staff soon had it organized like a well-oiled machine. Each member got a one-on-one pic holding up a print copy of The Washington Post and, if they wanted, a group picture with their friends and family. It took less than an hour. “Let’s go,” Sally Winters said. “Where now?” “A hot bath and a nap, followed by a late and overdue⁹⁵ dinner.” Penelope dropped her head onto Sally’s shoulder. “Th ank you.” Before Penelope even had her shoes off, Sally had the bath water running. “If you need anything…” Penelope maneuvered⁹⁶ her out the door. “Thanks, I’ll be fi ne.” Alone for the first time in what seemed like months, Penelope savored⁹⁷ the quiet. After a long soak she decided⁹⁸ to check her closet to see what she should wear to dinner. Hanging inside the door was a garment bag with a handwritten note attached. “Please wear this tonight. Michael.” Pulling the zipper⁹⁹ down, inside she discovered a shimmering¹⁰⁰ dark blue 285 The Fourth Awakening silk dancing dress with a plunging¹⁰¹ back. As she lifted the bag off of the hook she noticed that her old dancing shoes, cleaned and polished, were on the floor waiting for her. Smiling, she sat on the end of the bed and tried on her old shoes. Not only had they been cleaned and polished, someone had taken the time to somehow soften¹⁰² the leather and make them as good as the day she had bought them. To her delight, they fi t perfectly¹⁰³. . TThe sun had dropped behind the Tetons and the food and drink had been amazing. During dinner, the local cover band had played a variety of tunes¹⁰⁴ to satisfy all tastes. After the dishes were cleared away, Michael Walker tapped a water glass and asked for quiet. “If everyone would please move into the other tent, thanks to the efforts of James Steerforth, we have a surprise for you.” It took about 5 minutes for everyone to be relocated. James Steerforth, dressed is one of his Vegas outfits¹⁰⁵, was standing in front of the satin covered piano doing magic tricks to the delight of a dozen small children. After everyone had settled in, he picked up a microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen.” He glanced lovingly at the group of children who were now sitting cross-legged on the floor at his feet. “Boys and girls.” Th e spotlight¹⁰⁶ narrowed on Steerforth as he moved away from the piano. There was a hustle¹⁰⁷ of activity behind him but in the dark, no one could quite make out what was happening. “At the request of Michael Walker, I have imposed on a dear friend of mine to perform for you this evening.” A murmur¹⁰⁸ began to build as those closest to the stage caught a glimpse of the man now seated on the piano bench. Not wanting to be upstaged, James Steerforth shouted, “Sir Elton John!” All of the stage lights clicked on and for a moment the 450 people in the tent weren’t sure they believed what they were seeing. Aft er the first bar of “Take me to the pilot of your soul” they were all on their feet cheering. For the next 90 minutes, Elton John and his band dazzled the crowd with his seemingly endless stream of hits. After the third encore, Elton John yielded the bandstand to a 16-piece swing band that began playing old favorites. About 15 couples, including “Frankie” and Joey, were slow dancing to “Moon River.” Hearing a familiar laugh, Penelope noticed Carrie and 286 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin William sharing a joke with Timothy Ellison. Penelope, self-conscious in the all too revealing silk dress, had thrown a shawl over her shoulders; it was finally getting cool enough that she didn’t feel overdressed. She had barely seen or spoken to Michael in the past 24 hours. Catching¹⁰⁹ a glimpse of him across the dance floor, she smiled when she saw that he had changed clothes since dinner. He was wearing a Roaring Twenties-style tuxedo¹¹⁰ that would have been perfect for the doorman at a Prohibition-era speakeasy. As the song ended and the dance floor emptied, Michael Walker pointed to the band leader who nodded his head. All of the lights in the tent went out, drawing a gasp³⁸ from everyone there. A spotlight clicked on putting a tight circle of light on the clarinet player. He rose to his feet and hit a note that Benny Goodman or Artie Shaw would have been proud to claim. The circle of light moved over to the drummer who took over for the clarinet player. As the heavy drum beats reverberated¹¹¹ through the valley, two more spotlights¹¹² clicked on; one on Michael Walker, the other on Penelope Spence. A roar went up in the tent. Michael Walker glided¹¹³ across the floor to Penelope and held his left hand out, palm up. “Ms. Spence.” “Mr. Walker.” “I believe you owe me a dance.” “I believe I do.” With a fl ourish she tossed the shawl aside, took his hand and joined him on the dance floor. Another, louder, roar echoed off the mountains. He spun¹¹⁴ her away so that the silk skirt twirled like a top, then pulled her back so that his chest was pressing against her shoulders and his mouth was next to her ear. The drummer stopped playing; the tent fell silent. All eyes were on the couple in the spotlights. “Tango?” “Of course.” “Argentine?” “Is there any other kind?” He pushed her away hard. Spinning twice, her heels clicking on the hardwood dance floor, she moved about six feet away from Walker and froze with the index finger of her right hand pointing at him; their eyes locked. 287 The Fourth Awakening “Wooo, go Mom,” Carrie shouted as the crowd roared again. “Maestro, if you please!” Walker shouted. “A Tango!” Th e crowd erupted again. The band began playing a steamy tango and the couple began circling each other. The only sound now was from the band as everyone in the tent was mesmerized. Suddenly they moved together, then began moving as one. For the next two minutes all Penelope Spence saw was Michael Walker’s eyes; all she heard was the music. Her heart was pounding and between the exertion¹¹⁵ and the elevation¹¹⁶, her breath was coming in small pants. “Are you ready for the big finish, Ms. Spence?” “I am indeed, Mr. Walker. You know, you were wrong about one thing.” “Really? What?” Penelope didn’t answer. As the song ended, her right ankle rested gracefully¹¹⁷ on Michael Walker’s shoulder and her hair was brushing the floor. She was twenty-three again. 288 The story continues online and with the next book in the series!

The End

1 benighted   

adj.蒙昧的

参考例句：

• Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened,heed only one side and you will be benighted.兼听则明，偏信则暗。
• Famine hit that benighted country once more.饥荒再次席卷了那个蒙昧的国家。

2 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

3 din   

n.喧闹声，嘈杂声

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。

4 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

5 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。

6 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

7 wreaking   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业，往往会严重破坏周边环境。
• The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。

8 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

9 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。

10 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

11 darting   

v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• Swallows were darting through the clouds. 燕子穿云急飞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Swallows were darting through the air. 燕子在空中掠过。 来自辞典例句

12 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

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

13 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。

14 egos   

自我，自尊，自负( ego的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their egos are so easily bruised. 他们的自尊心很容易受到伤害。
• The belief in it issues from the puerile egos of inferior men. 这种信仰是下等人幼稚的自私意识中产生的。

15 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。

16 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

17 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

18 pinnacle   

n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰

参考例句：

• Now he is at the very pinnacle of his career.现在他正值事业中的顶峰时期。
• It represents the pinnacle of intellectual capability.它代表了智能的顶峰。

19 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

20 innate   

adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的

参考例句：

• You obviously have an innate talent for music.你显然有天生的音乐才能。
• Correct ideas are not innate in the mind.人的正确思想不是自己头脑中固有的。

21 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

22 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

23 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

24 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

25 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。

26 unison   

n.步调一致，行动一致

参考例句：

• The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
• My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。

27 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。

28 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

29 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

30 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

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

31 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

32 mightily   

ad.强烈地；非常地

参考例句：

• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet. 他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
• This seemed mightily to relieve him. 干完这件事后，他似乎轻松了许多。

33 cleansing   

n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。

34 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

35 gulps   

n.一大口（尤指液体）( gulp的名词复数 )v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的第三人称单数 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住

参考例句：

• He often gulps down a sob. 他经常忍气吞声地生活。 来自辞典例句
• JERRY: Why don't you make a point with your own doctor? (George gulps) What's wrong? 杰瑞：你为啥不对你自个儿的医生表明立场？有啥问题吗？ 来自互联网

36 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

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

37 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

38 gasp   

n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说

参考例句：

• She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
• The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。

39 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

40 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

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

41 frantically   

ad.发狂地, 发疯地

参考例句：

• He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
• She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。

42 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

43 mumbling   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 )

参考例句：

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

44 annex   

vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物

参考例句：

• It plans to annex an England company in order to enlarge the market.它计划兼并一家英国公司以扩大市场。
• The annex has been built on to the main building.主楼配建有附属的建筑物。

45 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。

46 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。

47 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

48 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

49 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网

50 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

51 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。

52 oblivious   

adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的

参考例句：

• Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后，妈妈变得特别健忘。
• He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。

53 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

54 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

55 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

56 slurred   

含糊地说出( slur的过去式和过去分词 )； 含糊地发…的声； 侮辱； 连唱

参考例句：

• She had drunk too much and her speech was slurred. 她喝得太多了，话都说不利索了。
• You could tell from his slurred speech that he was drunk. 从他那含糊不清的话语中你就知道他喝醉了。

57 pandemonium   

n.喧嚣，大混乱

参考例句：

• The whole lobby was a perfect pandemonium,and the din was terrific.整个门厅一片嘈杂，而且喧嚣刺耳。
• I had found Adlai unperturbed in the midst of pandemonium.我觉得艾德莱在一片大混乱中仍然镇定自若。

58 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

59 scoop   

n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出

参考例句：

• In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
• Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。

60 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

61 corks   

n.脐梅衣；软木( cork的名词复数 )；软木塞

参考例句：

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

62 locker   

n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人

参考例句：

• At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
• He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。

63 drenching   

n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• A black cloudburst was drenching Siena at midday. 中午，一场天昏地暗的暴风雨在锡耶纳上空倒下来。 来自辞典例句
• A drenching rain poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in sheets along the ground. 一阵倾盆大雨泼下来了，越来越大的狂风把它顺着地面刮成了一片一片的雨幕。 来自辞典例句

64 whoop   

n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息

参考例句：

• He gave a whoop of joy when he saw his new bicycle.他看到自己的新自行车时，高兴得叫了起来。
• Everybody is planning to whoop it up this weekend.大家都打算在这个周末好好欢闹一番。

65 ebbed   

（指潮水）退( ebb的过去式和过去分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落

参考例句：

• But the pain had ebbed away and the trembling had stopped. 不过这次痛已减退，寒战也停止了。
• But gradually his interest in good causes ebbed away. 不过后来他对这类事业兴趣也逐渐淡薄了。

66 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

67 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

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

68 rustic   

adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬

参考例句：

• It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
• We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。

69 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

70 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

71 preempted   

v.先占( preempt的过去式和过去分词 )；取代；先取；先发制人

参考例句：

• A special news program preempted the scheduled shows. 特别的新节目取代预定计划的表演。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The armymen have preempted the powers of the local government. 军人已夺取了地方政府的权力。 来自互联网

72 monologue   

n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白

参考例句：

• The comedian gave a long monologue of jokes.喜剧演员讲了一长段由笑话组成的独白。
• He went into a long monologue.他一个人滔滔不绝地讲话。

73 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

74 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

75 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

76 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

77 blur   

n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚

参考例句：

• The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
• If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

78 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

79 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；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：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

80 shrieked   

v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
• Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

81 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

82 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》

83 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

84 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

85 hustling   

催促（hustle的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Our quartet was out hustling and we knew we stood good to take in a lot of change before the night was over. 我们的四重奏是明显地卖座的， 而且我们知道在天亮以前，我们有把握收入一大笔钱。
• Men in motors were hustling to pass one another in the hustling traffic. 开汽车的人在繁忙的交通中急急忙忙地互相超车。

86 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

87 reclaiming   

v.开拓( reclaim的现在分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• People here are reclaiming land from the sea. 这儿的人们正在填海拓地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• How could such a man need reclaiming? 这么一个了不起的人怎么还需要别人拯救呢？ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

88 glumly   

adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地

参考例句：

• He stared at it glumly, and soon became lost in thought. 他惘然沉入了瞑想。 来自子夜部分
• The President sat glumly rubbing his upper molar, saying nothing. 总统愁眉苦脸地坐在那里，磨着他的上牙，一句话也没有说。 来自辞典例句

89 perks   

额外津贴，附带福利，外快( perk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perks offered by the firm include a car and free health insurance. 公司给予的额外待遇包括一辆汽车和免费健康保险。
• Are there any perks that go with your job? 你的工作有什么津贴吗？

90 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。

91 ribs   

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

参考例句：

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

92 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

93 sagged   

下垂的

参考例句：

• The black reticule sagged under the weight of shapeless objects. 黑色的拎包由于装了各种形状的东西而中间下陷。
• He sagged wearily back in his chair. 他疲倦地瘫坐到椅子上。

94 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。

95 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

96 maneuvered   

v.移动，用策略( maneuver的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵

参考例句：

• I maneuvered my way among the tables to the back corner of the place. 我在那些桌子间穿行，来到那地方后面的角落。 来自辞典例句
• The admiral maneuvered his ships in the battle plan. 舰队司令按作战计划进行舰队演习。 来自辞典例句

97 savored   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• We savored the barbed hits in his reply. 我们很欣赏他在回答中使用的带刺的俏皮话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We savored, (the pleasures of) mountain life to the full. 我们充分体会了山居生活的乐趣。 来自辞典例句

98 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。

99 zipper   

n.拉链；v.拉上拉链

参考例句：

• The zipper is red.这条拉链是红色的。
• The zipper is a wonderful invention.拉链是个了不起的发明。

100 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

101 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

102 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

103 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。

104 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

105 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

106 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

107 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

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

108 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

109 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

110 tuxedo   

n.礼服，无尾礼服

参考例句：

• Well,you have your own tuxedo.噢，你有自己的燕尾服。
• Have I told you how amazing you look in this tuxedo?我告诉过你穿这件燕尾服看起来很棒吗？

111 reverberated   

回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射

参考例句：

• Her voice reverberated around the hall. 她的声音在大厅里回荡。
• The roar of guns reverberated in the valley. 炮声响彻山谷。

112 spotlights   

n.聚光灯（的光）( spotlight的名词复数 )；公众注意的中心v.聚光照明( spotlight的第三人称单数 )；使公众注意，使突出醒目

参考例句：

• The room was lit by spotlights. 房间被聚光灯照亮。
• The dazzle of the spotlights made him ill at ease. 聚光灯的耀眼强光使他局促不安。 来自辞典例句

113 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

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

114 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。

115 exertion   

n.尽力，努力

参考例句：

• We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
• She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡，她浑身发热。

116 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

117 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。