Grandma’s marriage into the Shan family was the will of heaven, implemented9 on a day whenshe and some of her playmates, with their tiny bound feet and long pigtails, were playing beside aset of swings. It was Qingming, the day set aside to attend ancestral graves; peach trees were infull red bloom, willows10 were green, a fine rain was falling, and the girls’ faces looked like peachblossoms. It was a day of freedom for them. That year Grandma was five feet four inches tall andweighed about 130 pounds. She was wearing a cotton print jacket over green satin trousers, withscarlet bands of silk tied around her ankles. Since it was drizzling13, she had put on a pair ofembroidered slippers15 soaked a dozen times in tong oil, which made a squishing sound when shewalked. Her long shiny braids shone, and a heavy silver necklace hung around her neck – Great-Granddad was a silversmith. Great-Grandma, the daughter of a landlord who had fallen on hardtimes, knew the importance of bound feet to a girl, and had begun binding16 her daughter’s feetwhen she was six years old, tightening17 the bindings every day.
A yard in length, the cloth bindings were wound around all but the big toes until the bonescracked and the toes turned under. The pain was excruciating. My mother also had bound feet,and just seeing them saddened me so much that I felt compelled to shout: ‘Down with feudalism!
Long live liberated18 feet!’ The results of Grandma’s suffering were two three-inch golden lotuses,and by the age of sixteen she had grown into a well- developed beauty. When she walked,swinging her arms freely, her body swayed like a willow11 in the wind.
Shan Tingxiu, the groom’s father, was walking around Great-Granddad’s village, dung basketin hand, when he spotted19 Grandma among the other local flowers. Three months later, a bridalsedan chair would come to carry her away.
After Shan Tingxiu had spotted Grandma, a stream of people came to congratulate Great-Granddad and Great-Grandma. Grandma pondered what it would be like to mount to the jingle20 ofgold and dismount to the tinkle21 of silver, but what she truly longed for was a good husband,handsome and well educated, a man who would treat her gently. As a young maiden22, she hadembroidered a wedding trousseau and several exquisite23 pictures for the man who would somedaybecome my granddad. Eager to marry, she heard innuendos24 from her girlfriends that the Shanboy was afflicted25 with leprosy, and her dreams began to evaporate. Yet, when she shared heranxieties with her parents, Great-Granddad hemmed26 and hawed, while Great-Grandma scoldedthe girlfriends, accusing them of sour grapes.
Later on, Great-Granddad told her that the well-educated Shan boy had the fair complexion27 ofa young scholar from staying home all the time. Grandma was confused, not knowing if this wastrue or not. After all, she thought, her own parents wouldn’t lie to her. Maybe her girlfriends hadmade it all up. Once again she looked forward to her wedding day.
Grandma longed to lose her anxieties and loneliness in the arms of a strong and noble youngman. Finally, to her relief, her wedding day arrived, and as she was placed inside the sedan chair,carried by four bearers, the horns and woodwinds fore28 and aft struck up a melancholy29 tune30 thatbrought tears to her eyes. Off they went, floating along as though riding the clouds or sailingthrough a mist.
Grandma was lightheaded and dizzy inside the stuffy31 sedan chair, her view blocked by a redcurtain that gave off a pungent32 mildewy33 odour. She reached out to lift it a crack – Great-Granddad had told her not to remove her red veil. A heavy bracelet34 of twisted silver slid down toher wrist, and as she looked at the coiled-snake design her thoughts grew chaotic35 and disoriented.
A warm wind rustled36 the emerald-green stalks of sorghum lining37 the narrow dirt path. Dovescooed in the fields. The delicate powder of petals38 floated above silvery new ears of wavingsorghum. The curtain, embroidered14 on the inside with a dragon and a phoenix39, had faded afteryears of use, and there was a large stain in the middle.
Summer was giving way to autumn, and the sunlight outside the sedan chair was brilliant. Thebouncing movements of the bearers rocked the chair slowly from side to side; the leather liningof their poles groaned40 and creaked, the curtain fluttered gently, letting in an occasional ray ofsunlight and, from time to time, a whisper of cool air. Grandma was sweating profusely41 and herheart was racing42 as she listened to the rhythmic43 footsteps and heavy breathing of the bearers. Theinside of her skull44 felt cold one minute, as though filled with shiny pebbles45, and hot the next, asthough filled with coarse peppers.
Shortly after leaving the village, the lazy musicians stopped playing, while the bearersquickened their pace. The aroma46 of sorghum burrowed47 into her heart. Full-voiced strange andrare birds sang to her from the fields. A picture of what she imagined to be the bridegroomslowly took shape from the threads of sunlight filtering into the darkness of the sedan chair.
Painful needle pricks48 jabbed her heart.
‘Old Man in heaven, protect me!’ Her silent prayer made her delicate lips tremble. A lightdown adorned49 her upper lip, and her fair skin was damp. Every soft word she uttered wasswallowed up by the rough walls of the carriage and the heavy curtain before her. She ripped thetart-smelling veil away from her face and laid it on her knees. She was following local weddingcustoms, which dictated50 that a bride wear three layers of new clothes, top and bottom, no matterhow hot the day. The inside of the sedan chair was badly worn and terribly dirty, like a coffin51; ithad already embraced countless52 other brides, now long dead. The walls were festooned withyellow silk so filthy54 it oozed55 grease, and of the five flies caught inside, three buzzed above herhead while the other two rested on the curtain before her, rubbing their bright eyes with blackstick-like legs. Succumbing56 to the oppressiveness in the carriage, Grandma eased one of herbamboo-shoot toes under the curtain and lifted it a crack to sneak57 a look outside.
She could make out the shapes of the bearers’ statuesque legs poking58 out from under looseblack satin trousers and their big, fleshy feet encased in straw sandals. They raised clouds of dustas they tramped along. Impatiently trying to conjure59 up an image of their firm, muscular chests,Grandma raised the toe of her shoe and leaned forward. She could see the polished purplescholar-tree poles and the bearers’ broad shoulders beneath them. Barriers of sorghum stalkslining the path stood erect60 and solid in unbroken rows, tightly packed, together sizing one anotherup with the yet unopened clay-green eyes of grain ears, one indistinguishable from the next, asfar as she could see, like a vast river. The path was so narrow in places it was barely passable,causing the wormy, sappy leaves to brush noisily against the sedan chair.
The men’s bodies emitted the sour smell of sweat. Infatuated by the masculine odour,Grandma breathed in deeply – this ancestor of mine must have been nearly bursting with passion.
As the bearers carried their load down the path, their feet left a series of V imprints61 known as‘tramples’ in the dirt, for which satisfied clients usually rewarded them, and which fortified62 thebearers’ pride of profession. It was unseemly to ‘trample’ with an uneven63 cadence64 or to grip thepoles, and the best bearers kept their hands on their hips65 the whole time, rocking the sedan chairin perfect rhythm with the musicians’ haunting tunes66, which reminded everyone within earshot ofthe hidden suffering in whatever pleasures lay ahead.
When the sedan chair reached the plains, the bearers began to get a little sloppy67, both to makeup68 time and to torment69 their passenger. Some brides were bounced around so violently theyvomited from motion sickness, soiling their clothing and slippers; the retching sounds frominside the carriage pleased the bearers as though they were giving vent70 to their own miseries71. Thesacrifices these strong young men made to carry their cargo72 into bridal chambers73 must haveembittered them, which was why it seemed so natural to torment the brides.
One of the four men bearing Grandma’s sedan chair that day would eventually become mygranddad – it was Commander Yu Zhan’ao. At the time he was a beefy twenty-year-old, apallbearer and sedan bearer at the peak of his trade. The young men of his generation were assturdy as Northeast Gaomi sorghum, which is more than can be said about us weaklings whosucceeded them. It was a custom back then for sedan bearers to tease the bride while trundlingher along: like distillery workers, who drink the wine they make, since it is their due, these mentorment all who ride in their sedan chairs – even the wife of the Lord of Heaven if she should bea passenger.
Sorghum leaves scraped the sedan chair mercilessly when, all of a sudden, the deadeningmonotony of the trip was broken by the plaintive74 sounds of weeping – remarkably75 like themusicians’ tunes – coming from deep in the field. As Grandma listened to the music, trying topicture the instruments in the musicians’ hands, she raised the curtain with her foot until shecould see the sweat-soaked waist of one of the bearers. Her gaze was caught by her own redembroidered slippers, with their tapered76 slimness and cheerless beauty, ringed by halos ofincoming sunlight until they looked like lotus blossoms, or, even more, like tiny goldfish that hadsettled to the bottom of a bowl. Two teardrops as transparently77 pink as immature78 grains ofsorghum wetted Grandma’s eyelashes and slipped down her cheeks to the corners of her mouth.
As she was gripped by sadness, the image of a learned and refined husband, handsome in hishigh-topped hat and wide sash, like a player on the stage, blurred79 and finally vanished, replacedby the horrifying80 picture of Shan Bianlang’s face, his leprous mouth covered with rottingtumours. Her heart turned to ice. Were these tapered golden lotuses, a face as fresh as peachesand apricots, gentility of a thousand kinds, and ten thousand varieties of elegance81 all reserved forthe pleasure of a leper? Better to die and be done with it.
The disconsolate82 weeping in the sorghum field was dotted with words, like knots in a piece ofwood: A blue sky yo – a sapphire83 sky yo – a painted sky yo – a mighty84 cudgel yo – dear elderbrother yo – death has claimed you – you have brought down little sister’s sky yo –.
I must tell you that the weeping of women from Northeast Gaomi Township makes beautifulmusic. During 1912, the first year of the Republic, professional mourners known as ‘wailers’
came from Qufu, the home of Confucius, to study local weeping techniques. Meeting up with awoman lamenting85 the death of her husband seemed to Grandma to be a stroke of bad luck on herwedding day, and she grew even more dejected.
Just then one of the bearers spoke86 up: ‘You there, little bride in the chair, say something! Thelong journey has bored us to tears.’
Grandma quickly snatched up her red veil and covered her face, gently drawing her foot backfrom beneath the curtain and returning the carriage to darkness.
‘Sing us a song while we bear you along!’
The musicians, as though snapping out of a trance, struck up their instruments. A trumpetblared from behind the chair:
‘Too-tah – too-tah –’
‘Poo-pah – poo-pah –’ One of the bearers up front imitated the trumpet87 sound, evoking88 coarse,raucous laughter all around.
Grandma was drenched89 with sweat. Back home, as she was being lifted into the sedan chair,Great-Grandma had exhorted90 her not to get drawn91 into any banter92 with the bearers. Sedan bearersand musicians are low-class rowdies capable of anything, no matter how depraved.
They began rocking the chair so violently that poor Grandma couldn’t keep her seat withoutholding on tight.
‘No answer? Okay, rock! If we can’t shake any words loose, we can at least shake the piss outof her!’
The sedan chair was like a dinghy tossed about by the waves, and Grandma held on to thewooden seat for dear life. The two eggs she’d eaten for breakfast churned in her stomach, theflies buzzed around her ears; her throat tightened93, as the taste of eggs surged up into her mouth.
She bit her lip. Don’t throw up, don’t let yourself throw up! she commanded herself. You mustn’tlet yourself throw up, Fenglian. They say throwing up in the bridal chair means a lifetime of badluck.?.?.?.
The bearers’ banter turned coarse. One of them reviled94 my great-granddad for being a money-grabber, another said something about a pretty flower stuck into a pile of cowshit, a third calledShan Bianlang a scruffy95 leper who oozed pus and excreted yellow fluids. He said the stench ofrotten flesh drifted beyond the Shan compound, which swarmed96 with horseflies.?.?.?.
‘Little bride, if you let Shan Bianlang touch you, your skin will rot away!’
As the horns and woodwinds blared and tooted, the taste of eggs grew stronger, forcingGrandma to bite down hard on her lip. But to no avail. She opened her mouth and spewed astream of filth53, soiling the curtain, towards which the five flies dashed as though shot from a gun.
‘Puke-ah, puke-ah. Keep rocking!’ one of the bearers roared. ‘Keep rocking. Sooner or latershe’ll have to say something.’
‘Elder brothers?.?.?. spare me?.?.?.’ Grandma pleaded desperately97 between agonising retches.
Then she burst into tears. She felt humiliated98; she could sense the perils99 of her future, knowingshe’d spend the rest of her life drowning in a sea of bitterness. Oh, Father, oh, Mother. I havebeen destroyed by a miserly father and a heartless mother!
Grandma’s piteous wails100 made the sorghum quake. The bearers stopped rocking the chair andcalmed the raging sea. The musicians lowered the instruments from their rousing lips, so thatonly Grandma’s sobs101 could be heard, alone with the mournful strains of a single woodwind,whose weeping sounds were more enchanting102 than any woman’s. Grandma stopped crying at thesound of the woodwind, as though commanded from on high. Her face, suddenly old anddesiccated, was pearled with tears. She heard the sound of death in the gentle melancholy of thetune, and smelled its breath; she could see the angel of death, with lips as scarlet12 as sorghum anda smiling face the colour of golden corn.
The bearers fell silent and their footsteps grew heavy. The sacrificial choking sounds frominside the chair and the woodwind accompaniment had made them restless and uneasy, had settheir souls adrift. No longer did it seem like a wedding procession as they negotiated the dirtroad; it was more like a funeral procession. My grandfather, the bearer directly in front ofGrandma’s foot, felt a strange premonition blazing inside him and illuminating103 the path his lifewould take. The sounds of Grandma’s weeping had awakened104 seeds of affection that had laindormant deep in his heart.
It was time to rest, so the bearers lowered the sedan chair to the ground. Grandma, havingcried herself into a daze105, didn’t realise that one of her tiny feet was peeking106 out from beneath thecurtain; the sight of that incomparably delicate, lovely thing nearly drove the souls out of thebearers’ bodies. Yu Zhan’ao walked up, leaned over, and gently – very gently – held Grandma’sfoot in his hand, as though it were a fledgling whose feathers weren’t yet dry, then eased it backinside the carriage. She was so moved by the gentleness of the deed she could barely keep fromthrowing back the curtain to see what sort of man this bearer was, with his large, warm, youthfulhand.
I’ve always believed that marriages are made in heaven and that people fated to be together areconnected by an invisible thread. The act of grasping Grandma’s foot triggered a powerful drivein Yu Zhan’ao to forge a new life for himself, and constituted the turning point in his life – andthe turning point in hers as well.
The sedan chair set out again as a trumpet blast rent the air, then drifted off into obscurity. Thewind had risen – a northeaster – and clouds were gathering107 in the sky, blotting108 out the sun andthrowing the carriage into darkness. Grandma could hear the shh-shh of rustling109 sorghum, onewave close upon another, carrying the sound off into the distance. Thunder rumbled110 off to thenortheast. The bearers quickened their pace. She wondered how much farther it was to the Shanhousehold; like a trussed lamb being led to slaughter111, she grew calmer with each step. At homeshe had hidden a pair of scissors in her bodice, perhaps to use on Shan Bianlang, perhaps to useon herself.
The holdup of Grandma’s sedan chair by a highwayman at Toad112 Hollow occupies an importantplace in the saga113 of my family. Toad Hollow is a large marshy114 stretch in the vast flatland wherethe soil is especially fertile, the water especially plentiful115, and the sorghum especially dense116. Ablood-red bolt of lightning streaked118 across the northeastern sky, and screaming fragments ofapricot-yellow sunlight tore through the dense clouds above the dirt road, when Grandma’s sedanchair reached that point. The panting bearers were drenched with sweat as they entered ToadHollow, over which the air hung heavily. Sorghum plants lining the road shone like ebony, denseand impenetrable; weeds and wildflowers grew in such profusion119 they seemed to block the road.
Everywhere you looked, narrow stems of cornflowers were bosomed120 by clumps121 of rank weeds,their purple, blue, pink, and white flowers waving proudly. From deep in the sorghum came themelancholy croaks122 of toads123, the dreary124 chirps125 of grasshoppers126, and the plaintive howls of foxes.
Grandma, still seated in the carriage, felt a sudden breath of cold air that raised tiny goosebumpson her skin. She didn’t know what was happening, even when she heard the shout up ahead:
‘Nobody passes without paying a toll127!’
Grandma gasped128. What was she feeling? Sadness? Joy? My God, she thought, it’s a man whoeats fistcakes!
Northeast Gaomi Township was aswarm with bandits who operated in the sorghum fields likefish in water, forming gangs to rob, pillage129, and kidnap, yet balancing their evil deeds withcharitable ones. If they were hungry, they snatched two people, keeping one and sending theother into the village to demand flatbreads with eggs and green onions rolled inside. Since theystuffed the rolled flatbreads into their mouths with both fists, they were called ‘fistcakes’.
‘Nobody passes without paying a toll!’ the man bellowed130. The bearers stopped in their tracksand stared dumbstruck at the highwayman of medium height who stood in the road, his legsakimbo. He had smeared131 his face black and was wearing a conical rain hat woven of sorghumstalks and a broad-shouldered rain cape132 open in front to reveal a black buttoned jacket and a wideleather belt, in which a protruding133 object was tucked, bundled in red satin. His hand rested on it.
The thought flashed through Grandma’s mind that there was nothing to be afraid of: if deathcouldn’t frighten her, nothing could. She raised the curtain to get a glimpse of the man who atefistcakes.
‘Hand over the toll, or I’ll pop you all!’ He patted the red bundle.
The musicians reached into their belts, took out the strings134 of copper135 coins Great-Granddadhad given them, and tossed these at the man’s feet. The bearers lowered the sedan chair to theground, took out their copper coins, and did the same.
As he dragged the strings of coins into a pile with his foot, his eyes were fixed136 on Grandma.
‘Get behind the sedan chair, all of you. I’ll pop if you don’t!’ He thumped137 the object tuckedinto his belt.
The bearers moved slowly behind the sedan chair. Yu Zhan’ao, bringing up the rear, spunaround and glared. A change came over the highwayman’s face, and he gripped the object at hisbelt tightly. ‘Eyes straight ahead if you want to keep breathing!’
With his hand resting on his belt, he shuffled138 up to the sedan chair, reached out, and pinchedGrandma’s foot. A smile creased139 her face, and the man pulled his hand away as though it hadbeen scalded.
‘Climb down and come with me!’ he ordered her.
Grandma sat without moving, the smile frozen on her face.
‘Climb down, I said!’
She rose from the seat, stepped grandly onto the pole, and alit in a tuft of cornflowers. Hergaze travelled from the man to the bearers and musicians.
‘Into the sorghum field!’ the highwayman said, his hand still resting on the red-bundled objectat his belt.
Grandma stood confidently; lightning crackled in the clouds overhead and shattered her radiantsmile into a million shifting shards140. The highwayman began pushing her into the sorghum field,his hand never leaving the object at his belt. She stared at Yu Zhan’ao with a feverish141 look in hereyes.
Yu Zhan’ao approached the highwayman, his thin lips curled resolutely142, up at one end anddown at the other.
‘Hold it right there!’ the highwayman commanded feebly. ‘I’ll shoot if you take another step!’
Yu Zhan’ao walked calmly up to the man, who began backing up. Green flames seemed toshoot from his eyes, and crystalline beads143 of sweat scurried144 down his terrified face. When YuZhan’ao had drawn to within three paces of him, a shameful145 sound burst from his mouth, and heturned and ran. Yu Zhan’ao was on his tail in a flash, kicking him expertly in the rear. He sailedthrough the air over the cornflowers, thrashing his arms and legs like an innocent babe, until helanded in the sorghum field.
‘Spare me, gentlemen! I’ve got an eighty-year-old mother at home, and this is the only way Ican make a living.’ The highwayman skilfully146 pleaded his case to Yu Zhan’ao, who grabbed himby the scruff of the neck, dragged him back to the sedan chair, threw him roughly to the ground,and kicked him in his noisy mouth. The man shrieked147 in pain; blood trickled148 from his nose.
Yu Zhan’ao reached down, took the thing from the man’s belt, and shook off the red clothcovering, to reveal the gnarled knot of a tree. The men all gasped in amazement149.
The bandit crawled to his knees, knocking his head on the ground and pleading for his life.
‘Every highwayman says he’s got an eighty-year-old mother at home,’ Yu Zhan’ao said as hestepped aside and glanced at his comrades, like the leader of a pack sizing up the other dogs.
With a flurry of shouts, the bearers and musicians fell upon the highwayman, fists and feetflying. The initial onslaught was met by screams and shrill150 cries, which soon died out. Grandmastood beside the road listening to the dull cacophony151 of fists and feet on flesh; she glanced at YuZhan’ao, then looked up at the lightning-streaked sky, the radiant, golden, noble smile still frozenon her face.
One of the musicians raised his trumpet and brought it down hard on the highwayman’s skull,burying the curved edge so deeply he had to strain to free it. The highwayman’s stomach gurgledand his body, racked by spasms152, grew deathly still; he lay spread-eagled on the ground, a mixtureof white and yellow liquid seeping153 slowly out of the fissure154 in his skull.
‘Is he dead?’ asked the musician, who was examining the bent155 mouth of his trumpet.
‘He’s gone, the poor bastard156. He didn’t put up much of a fight!’
The gloomy faces of the bearers and musicians revealed their anxieties.
Yu Zhan’ao looked wordlessly first at the dead, then at the living. With a handful of leavesfrom a sorghum stalk, he cleaned up Grandma’s mess in the carriage, then held up the tree knot,wrapped it in the piece of red cloth, and tossed the bundle as far as he could; the gnarled knotbroke free in flight and separated from the piece of cloth, which fluttered to the ground in thefield like a big red butterfly.
Yu Zhan’ao lifted Grandma into the sedan chair. ‘It’s starting to rain,’ he said, ‘so let’s getgoing.’
Grandma ripped the curtain from the front of the carriage and stuffed it behind the seat. As shebreathed the free air she studied Yu Zhan’ao’s broad shoulders and narrow waist. He was so nearshe could have touched the pale, taut157 skin of his shaved head with her toe.
The winds were picking up, bending the sorghum stalks in ever deeper waves, those on theroadside stretching out to bow their respects to Grandma. The bearers streaked down the road,yet the sedan chair was as steady as a skiff skimming across whitecaps. Frogs and toads croakedin loud welcome to the oncoming summer rainstorm. The low curtain of heaven stared darkly atthe silvery faces of sorghum, over which streaks158 of blood-red lightning crackled, releasing ear-splitting explosions of thunder. With growing excitement, Grandma stared fearlessly at the greenwaves raised by the black winds.
The first truculent159 raindrops made the plants shudder160. The rain beat a loud tattoo161 on the sedanchair and fell on Grandma’s embroidered slippers; it fell on Yu Zhan’ao’s head, then slanted162 inon Grandma’s face.
The bearers ran like scared jackrabbits, but couldn’t escape the prenoon deluge163. Sorghumcrumpled under the wild rain. Toads took refuge under the stalks, their white pouches164 popping inand out noisily; foxes hid in their darkened dens117 to watch tiny drops of water splashing downfrom the sorghum plants. The rainwater washed Yu Zhan’ao’s head so clean and shiny it lookedto Grandma like a new moon. Her clothes, too, were soaked. She could have covered herself withthe curtain, but she didn’t; she didn’t want to, for the open front of the sedan chair afforded her aglimpse of the outside world in all its turbulence165 and beauty.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
betrothed
|
|
| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
sorghum
|
|
| n.高粱属的植物，高粱糖浆，甜得发腻的东西 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
swampy
|
|
| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
bumper
|
|
| n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
rumours
|
|
| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
wizened
|
|
| adj.凋谢的；枯槁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
overflowed
|
|
| 溢出的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
tattered
|
|
| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
implemented
|
|
| v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
willows
|
|
| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
willow
|
|
| n.柳树 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
drizzling
|
|
| 下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
embroidered
|
|
| adj．绣花的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
slippers
|
|
| n. 拖鞋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
binding
|
|
| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
tightening
|
|
| 上紧，固定，紧密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
liberated
|
|
| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
spotted
|
|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
jingle
|
|
| n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
tinkle
|
|
| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
maiden
|
|
| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
innuendos
|
|
| n.影射的话( innuendo的名词复数 )；讽刺的话；含沙射影；暗讽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
afflicted
|
|
| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
hemmed
|
|
| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
complexion
|
|
| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
fore
|
|
| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
melancholy
|
|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
tune
|
|
| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
stuffy
|
|
| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
pungent
|
|
| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
mildewy
|
|
| adj.发霉的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
34
bracelet
|
|
| n.手镯，臂镯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
chaotic
|
|
| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
rustled
|
|
| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
lining
|
|
| n.衬里，衬料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
petals
|
|
| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
phoenix
|
|
| n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
groaned
|
|
| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
profusely
|
|
| ad.abundantly | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
racing
|
|
| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
rhythmic
|
|
| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
skull
|
|
| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
pebbles
|
|
| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
aroma
|
|
| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
burrowed
|
|
| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的过去式和过去分词 )；翻寻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
pricks
|
|
| 刺痛( prick的名词复数 )； 刺孔； 刺痕； 植物的刺 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
adorned
|
|
| [计]被修饰的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
dictated
|
|
| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
coffin
|
|
| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
countless
|
|
| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
filth
|
|
| n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
filthy
|
|
| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
oozed
|
|
| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
succumbing
|
|
| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的现在分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
sneak
|
|
| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
poking
|
|
| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
conjure
|
|
| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
erect
|
|
| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
imprints
|
|
| n.压印( imprint的名词复数 )；痕迹；持久影响 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
fortified
|
|
| adj. 加强的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
uneven
|
|
| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
cadence
|
|
| n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
hips
|
|
| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
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： |
|
|
|
|
67
sloppy
|
|
| adj.邋遢的，不整洁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
makeup
|
|
| n.组织；性格；化装品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
torment
|
|
| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
vent
|
|
| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
miseries
|
|
| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
cargo
|
|
| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
chambers
|
|
| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
plaintive
|
|
| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
remarkably
|
|
| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
tapered
|
|
| adj. 锥形的，尖削的，楔形的，渐缩的，斜的 动词taper的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
transparently
|
|
| 明亮地，显然地，易觉察地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
immature
|
|
| adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
blurred
|
|
| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
horrifying
|
|
| a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
elegance
|
|
| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
disconsolate
|
|
| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
sapphire
|
|
| n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
lamenting
|
|
| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
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： |
|
|
|
|
87
trumpet
|
|
| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
evoking
|
|
| 产生，引起，唤起( evoke的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
drenched
|
|
| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
exhorted
|
|
| v.劝告，劝说( exhort的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
banter
|
|
| n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
tightened
|
|
| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
reviled
|
|
| v.辱骂，痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
scruffy
|
|
| adj.肮脏的，不洁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
swarmed
|
|
| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
humiliated
|
|
| 感到羞愧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
perils
|
|
| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
wails
|
|
| 痛哭，哭声( wail的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
sobs
|
|
| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
enchanting
|
|
| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
illuminating
|
|
| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
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： |
|
|
|
|
105
daze
|
|
| v.(使)茫然，(使)发昏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
peeking
|
|
| v.很快地看( peek的现在分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
blotting
|
|
| 吸墨水纸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
rustling
|
|
| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
rumbled
|
|
| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
slaughter
|
|
| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
toad
|
|
| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
saga
|
|
| n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
marshy
|
|
| adj.沼泽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
plentiful
|
|
| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
dense
|
|
| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
dens
|
|
| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
streaked
|
|
| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
profusion
|
|
| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
bosomed
|
|
| 胸部的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
clumps
|
|
| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
croaks
|
|
| v.呱呱地叫( croak的第三人称单数 )；用粗的声音说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
toads
|
|
| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
dreary
|
|
| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
chirps
|
|
| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的第三人称单数 )； 啾； 啾啾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
grasshoppers
|
|
| n.蚱蜢( grasshopper的名词复数 )；蝗虫；蚂蚱；（孩子）矮小的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
toll
|
|
| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
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： |
|
|
|
|
129
pillage
|
|
| v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
bellowed
|
|
| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
smeared
|
|
| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
cape
|
|
| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
protruding
|
|
| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
strings
|
|
| n.弦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
copper
|
|
| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
thumped
|
|
| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
shuffled
|
|
| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
creased
|
|
| （使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
shards
|
|
| n.（玻璃、金属或其他硬物的）尖利的碎片( shard的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
feverish
|
|
| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
resolutely
|
|
| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
beads
|
|
| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
scurried
|
|
| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
shameful
|
|
| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
skilfully
|
|
| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
shrieked
|
|
| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
trickled
|
|
| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
cacophony
|
|
| n.刺耳的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
spasms
|
|
| n.痉挛( spasm的名词复数 )；抽搐；（能量、行为等的）突发；发作 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
seeping
|
|
| v.（液体）渗( seep的现在分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
fissure
|
|
| n.裂缝；裂伤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
bastard
|
|
| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
taut
|
|
| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
streaks
|
|
| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
truculent
|
|
| adj.野蛮的，粗野的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
shudder
|
|
| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
tattoo
|
|
| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
slanted
|
|
| 有偏见的； 倾斜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
deluge
|
|
| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
pouches
|
|
| n.（放在衣袋里或连在腰带上的）小袋( pouch的名词复数 )；（袋鼠等的）育儿袋；邮袋；（某些动物贮存食物的）颊袋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
turbulence
|
|
| n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |