6:15 AM
MIRANDA lay still for a long time. She was terrified that Daisy would return, but unable to do anything about it. In her mind, Daisy came stomping1 into the room in her motorcycle boots, knelt on the floor, and looked under the bed. Miranda could see Daisy's brutish face—the shaved skull2 and the broken nose and the dark eyes that looked bruised3 by the black eyeliner. The vision of that face was so scary that sometimes Miranda just squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could, until she saw fireworks on the back of her eyelids4.
In the end it was the thought of Tom that made her move. Somehow she had to protect her eleven-year-old son. But how? There was nothing she could do alone. She would be willing to put her body between the gang and the children, but it would be pointless: she would be thrown aside like a sack of potatoes. Civilized5 people were no good at violence, that was what made them civilized.
The answer was the same as before. She had to find a phone and get help.
That meant she had to go to the guest cottage. She had to crawl out from under the bed, leave the bedroom, and creep downstairs, hoping she would not be heard by the gang in the kitchen, praying that one of them would not step into the hall and see her. She needed to grab a coat and boots, for she was barefoot and naked but for a cotton nightdress, and she knew she could not go three yards, dressed as she was, in a blizzard7 with the snow two feet deep. Then she had to make her way around the house, staying well away from the windows, to the cottage, and get the phone she had left in her handbag on the floor by the door.
She tried to summon her nerve. What was she frightened of? The tension, she thought: the strain was petrifying8. But it would not be for long. Half a minute to go down the stairs; a minute to put on coat and boots; two minutes, perhaps three, to tramp through the snow to the cottage. Less than five minutes, that was all.
She began to feel resentful. How dare they make her scared to walk around her own father's house? Indignation gave her courage.
Shaking, she slid out from under the bed. The bedroom door was open. She peeped out, saw that all was clear, and stepped onto the landing. She could hear voices from the kitchen. She looked down.
There was a hat stand at the foot of the stairs. Most of the family's coats and boots were kept in a walk-in closet in the boot lobby by the back door, but Daddy always left his in the hall, and she could see his old blue anorak hanging from the stand, and below it the leather-lined rubber boots that kept his feet warm while he walked Nellie. They should be enough to keep her from freezing to death while she plowed9 through the snow to the cottage. It would take her only a few seconds to slip them on and sneak10 out through the front door.
She started to tiptoe down the stairs.
The voices from the kitchen became louder. There was an argument going on. She heard Nigel say, "Well, bloody12 well look again, then!" Did that mean someone was going to search the house? She turned and ran back, going up the stairs two at a time. As she reached the landing, she heard heavy boots in the hall—Daisy.
It was no good hiding under the bed again. If Daisy was being sent back for a second search, she was bound to look harder this time. Miranda stepped into her father's bedroom. There was one place she could hide: the attic13. When she was ten years old, she had made it her den14. All the children had, at different times. The door of the suit cupboard stood open.
She heard Daisy's steps on the landing.
She fell to her knees, crawled inside, and opened the low door that led to the attic. Then she turned and closed the cupboard door behind her. She backed into the attic and closed the low door.
She realized immediately that she had made an error that might be fatal. Daisy had searched the house a quarter of an hour or so ago. She must have seen the door of the suit cupboard standing15 open. Would she now remember that, and realize that someone must have closed it subsequently? And would she be smart enough to guess why?
Miranda heard footsteps in the dressing16 room. She held her breath as Daisy walked to the bathroom and back. She heard the sound of cupboard doors being flung open. She bit her thumb to keep from screaming with fear. There was a brushing sound as Daisy rummaged17 among suits and shirts. The low door was hard to see, unless you got down on your knees and looked under the hanging clothes. Would Daisy be so thorough?
There was a long moment of quiet.
Then Daisy's footsteps receded18 through the bedroom.
Miranda felt so relieved that she wanted to cry. She stopped herself: she had to be brave. What was happening in the kitchen? She remembered the hole in the floor. She crawled slowly across to take a look.
* * *
HUGO looked so pathetic that Kit6 almost felt sorry for him. He was a short man, and pudgy. He had fatty breasts with hairy nipples and a belly19 that hung over his genitals. The thin legs below his round body made him look like an ill-designed doll. He seemed all the more tragic20 by contrast with his usual self. He was normally poised21 and self-assured, dressed in natty22 suits that flattered his figure, and he flirted23 with the confidence of a matinee idol24. Now he looked foolish and mortified25.
The family were crowded together at one end of the kitchen, by the pantry door, away from any exits: Kit himself, his sister Olga in her black silk wrap, their father with swollen26 lips where Daisy had punched him, and Olga's husband, the naked Hugo. Stanley was sitting down, holding Nellie, stroking her to keep her calm, afraid she would be shot if she attacked the strangers. Nigel and Elton stood on the other side of the table, and Daisy was searching the upstairs.
Hugo stepped forward. "There are towels and things in the laundry," he said. The laundry was off the kitchen, on the same side as the dining room. "Let me get something to wrap around me."
Daisy heard this as she returned from her search. She picked up a tea towel. "Try this," she said, and flicked27 it at his crotch. Kit remembered, from school shower-room horseplay, how that could sting. Hugo let out an involuntary yelp28. He turned around, and she flicked it again, catching29 him on the backside. He skipped away, into the corner, and Daisy laughed. Hugo was completely humiliated30.
It was unpleasant to see, and Kit felt slightly sick.
"Stop playing around," Nigel said angrily. "I want to know where the other sister is—Miranda. She must have slipped out. Where did she go?"
Daisy said, "I've looked all over the house twice. She's not in the building."
"She could be hiding."
"And she could be the invisible fucking woman, but I can't find her."
Kit knew where she was. A minute ago he had seen Nellie cock her head and lift one black ear. Someone had entered the attic, and it had to be Miranda. Kit wondered if his father had noticed Nellie's reaction. Miranda was no great threat, up there with no phone, wearing only a nightdress. Still Kit wondered if there was a way he could warn Nigel about her.
Elton said, "Maybe she went outside. That noise we heard was probably her."
Nigel's reply betrayed exasperation31. "So how come you didn't see her when you went to look?"
"Because it's bloody dark!" Elton was becoming irritated by Nigel's hectoring tone.
Kit guessed the noise outside had been some of the kids, fooling around. There had been a thud, then a scream, as if a person or animal had hit the back door. A deer might have bumped into the door, but deer did not scream, they made a mooing sound like cattle. A large bird could conceivably have been blown against the door by the storm, and might have made a noise like a scream. However, Kit thought the likeliest culprit was Miranda's son, young Tom. He was eleven, just the right age for creeping around at night, playing commandos.
If Tom had looked through the window and seen the guns, what would he do? First he would search for his mother, but he would not find her. Then he would wake his sister, perhaps, or Ned. Either way, Nigel had little time to spare. He needed to capture the rest of the family before anyone made a phone call. But there was nothing Kit could do without blowing his cover, so he sat tight and kept his mouth shut.
"She was only wearing a nightdress," Nigel said. "She can't have gone far."
Elton said, "Well, I'll go and check the outbuildings, shall I?"
"Wait a minute." Nigel frowned, thinking. "We've searched every room in the house, yeah?"
Daisy said, "Aye, like I told you."
"We've taken mobile phones from three of them—Kit, the naked gnome32, and the snotty sister. And we're sure there are no others in the house."
"Aye." Daisy had checked for phones when she was searching.
"Then we'd better check the other buildings."
"Right," Elton said. "There's a cottage, a barn, and a garage, the old man said."
"Check the garage first—there will be phones in the cars. Then the cottage and the barn. Round up the rest of the family and bring them here. Make sure you get all their phones. We'll just keep them all under guard here for an hour or two, then we'll run."
It was not a bad plan, Kit thought. When all the family was in one place, with no phones, there would be nothing they could do. No one was going to come to the door on Christmas morning—no milkman, no postman, no delivery van from Tesco or Majestic33 Wine—so there was no danger of any outsider becoming suspicious. The gang could sit tight and wait for daylight.
Elton put on his jacket and looked out of the window, peering into the snow. Following his gaze, Kit noticed that the cottage and barn across the courtyard were barely visible through the snow by the light of the outside lamps. There was still no letup.
Daisy said, "I'll check the garage if Elton goes to the cottage."
Elton said, "We'd better get on with it, someone might be calling the police right now."
Daisy pocketed her gun and zipped up her leather jacket.
Nigel said, "Before you go, let's shut this lot up someplace where they can't cause trouble."
That was when Hugo jumped Nigel.
Everyone was taken totally by surprise. Kit had written Hugo off, as had the gang. But he leaped forward with furious energy, punching Nigel in the face again and again with both fists. He had chosen his moment well, for Daisy had put her weapon away, and Elton had never drawn34 his, so Nigel was the only one with a gun in his hand, and he was so busy trying to dodge35 blows that he could not use it.
Nigel staggered back, bumping against the kitchen counter. Hugo went at him like a fiend, thumping36 his face and body, screaming something incomprehensible. In a few seconds he landed a lot of blows, but Nigel did not drop the gun.
Elton was the quickest to react. He grabbed Hugo and tried to pull him off. Being naked, Hugo was hard to grasp and, for a moment, Elton could not get a grip, his hands sliding off Hugo's moving shoulders.
Stanley released Nellie, who was barking furiously, and the dog flung herself on Elton, biting his legs. She was an old dog, and had a soft mouth, but she was a distraction37.
Daisy reached for her gun. The barrel seemed to catch on her pocket lining38 as she tried to draw it out. Then Olga picked up a plate and threw it across the room at her. Daisy dodged39, and the plate hit her glancingly on the shoulder.
Kit stepped forward to grab Hugo, then stopped himself.
The last thing he wanted was for the family to overwhelm the gang. Although he was shocked by the true purpose of the theft he had organized, his own survival was uppermost in his mind. It was less than twenty-four hours since Daisy had almost killed him in the swimming pool, and he knew that if he failed to repay her father, he faced an end every bit as painful as death from the virus in the perfume bottle. He would intervene on Nigel's side, against his own family, if he had to—but did he have to? He still wanted to maintain the fiction that he had never seen Nigel before tonight. So he stood helplessly looking on as contrary impulses clashed within him.
Elton put both arms around Hugo in a powerful bear hug. Hugo struggled gamely, but he was smaller and less fit, and could not shake Elton off. Elton lifted Hugo's feet off the ground and stepped back, pulling him away from Nigel.
Daisy kicked Nellie accurately40 in the ribs41 with a heavy boot, and the dog whimpered and fled to the corner of the room.
Nigel was bleeding from his nose and mouth, and there were angry red marks around his eyes. He glared malevolently42 at Hugo and raised his right hand, which still grasped the gun.
Olga took a step forward, shouting: "No!"
Instantly, Nigel swung his arm and pointed43 the gun at her.
Stanley grabbed her and held her back, saying at the same time, "Don't shoot, please don't shoot."
Nigel kept the gun pointed at Olga and said, "Daisy, have you still got that sap?" Looking pleased, Daisy took out her blackjack. Nigel nodded toward Hugo. "Hurt this bastard44."
Seeing what was coming, Hugo began to struggle, but Elton tightened45 his hold.
Daisy drew back her right arm and smashed the blackjack into Hugo's face. It hit his cheekbone with a sickening crunch46. He made a noise between a shout and a scream. Daisy hit him again, and blood spurted47 from his mouth and ran down his bare chest. With a spiteful grin, Daisy eyed his genitals, then kicked him in the groin. She hit him with the blackjack again, this time on the top of his head, and he fell unconscious. But that made no difference to Daisy. She hit him full on the nose, then kicked him again.
Olga let out a wail48 of grief and rage, broke free of her father's grasp, and threw herself at Daisy.
Daisy swung the blackjack at her, but Olga was too close, and the blow whistled behind her head.
Elton dropped Hugo, who slumped49 on the tiled floor, and made a grab for Olga.
Olga got her hands on Daisy's face and scratched.
Nigel had his gun pointed at Olga but he hesitated to shoot, no doubt fearing that he would hit Elton or Daisy, both of whom were struggling with Olga.
Stanley turned to the stovetop and picked up the heavy frying pan in which Kit had scrambled50 a dozen eggs. He raised it high in the air then brought it down on Nigel, aiming at the man's head. At the last instant Nigel saw it coming, and dodged. The pan hit his right shoulder. He cried out in pain, and the gun flew from his hand.
Stanley tried to catch the gun, but missed. It landed on the kitchen table, an inch from the perfume bottle. It bounced onto the seat of a pine chair, rolled over, and dropped to the floor at Kit's feet.
Kit bent51 down and picked it up.
Nigel and Stanley looked at him. Sensing the dramatic change, Olga, Daisy, and Elton stopped fighting and turned to look at Kit holding the gun.
Kit hesitated, torn in half by the agony of the decision.
They all stared at him for a long moment of stillness.
At last he turned the gun around, holding it by the barrel, and gave it back to Nigel.
收听单词发音 |
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stomping
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| v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的现在分词 ) | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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blizzard
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| n.暴风雪 | |
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petrifying
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| v.吓呆，使麻木( petrify的现在分词 )；使吓呆，使惊呆；僵化 | |
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plowed
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| v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过 | |
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sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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guts
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| v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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rummaged
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| 翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查 | |
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receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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natty
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| adj.整洁的，漂亮的 | |
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flirted
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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mortified
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| v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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humiliated
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| 感到羞愧的 | |
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exasperation
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| n.愤慨 | |
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gnome
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| n.土地神；侏儒，地精 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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41
ribs
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| 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 | |
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42
malevolently
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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45
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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46
crunch
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| n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声 | |
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47
spurted
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| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的过去式和过去分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺 | |
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48
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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49
slumped
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| 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] | |
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50
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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51
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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