Chapter 8

Hari Seldon looked at the holograph of himself cast by Hummins projector¹. It was more dramatic and useful than a mirror would have been. In fact, it seemed as though there were two of him in the room.
Seldon studied the sleeve of his new tunic². His Heliconian attitudes made him wish the colors were less vibrant³, but he was thankful that, as it was, Hummin had chosen softer colors than were customary here on this world. (Seldon thought of the clothing worn by their two assailants and shuddered⁴ inwardly.) He said, "And I suppose I must wear this hat."
"In the Imperial Sector⁵, yes. To go bareheaded here is a sign of low breeding. Elsewhere, the rules are different."
Seldon sighed. The round hat was made of soft material and molded itself to his head when he put it on. The brim was evenly wide all around, but it was narrower than on the hats his attackers had worn. Seldon consoled himself by noticing that when he wore the hat the brim curved rather gracefully⁶. "It doesnt have a strap⁷ under the chin."
"Of course not. Thats advanced fashion for young lanks."
"For young what?"
"A lank⁸ is someone who wears things for their shock value. Im sure you have such people on Helicon."
Seldon snorted. "There are those who wear their hair shoulder-length on one side and shave the other." He laughed at the memory. Hummins mouth twisted slightly. "I imagine it looks uncommonly⁹ ugly."
"Worse. There are lefties and righties, apparently¹⁰, and each finds the other version highly offensive. The two groups often engage in street brawls¹¹."
"Then I think you can stand the hat, especially without the strap."
Seldon said, "Ill get used to it."
"It will attract some attention. Its subdued¹² for one thing and makes you look as if youre in mourning. And it doesnt quite fit. Then, too, you wear it with obvious discomfort¹³. However, we wont¹⁴ be in the Imperial Sector long.--Seen enough?" And the holograph flickered¹⁵ out.
Seldon said, "How much did this cost you?"
"Whats the difference?"
"It bothers me to be in your debt."
"Dont worry about it. This is my choice. But weve been here long enough. I will have been described, Im quite certain. Theyll track me down and theyll come here."
"In that case," said Seldon, "the credits youre spending are a minor¹⁶ matter. Youre putting yourself into personal danger on my account. Personal danger!"
"I know that. But its my free choice and I can take care of myself."
"But why--"
"Well discuss the philosophy of it later.--Ive atomized your clothes, by the way, and I dont think I was seen. There was an energy surge, of course, and that would be recorded. Someone might guess what happened from that--its hard to obscure any action when probing eyes and mind are sharp enough. However, let us hope well be safely away before they put it all together."

1 projector   

n.投影机，放映机，幻灯机

参考例句：

• There is a new projector in my office.我的办公室里有一架新的幻灯机。
• How long will it take to set up the projector?把这个放映机安放好需要多长时间？

2 tunic   

n.束腰外衣

参考例句：

• The light loose mantle was thrown over his tunic.一件轻质宽大的斗蓬披在上衣外面。
• Your tunic and hose match ill with that jewel,young man.你的外套和裤子跟你那首饰可不相称呢，年轻人。

3 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

4 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 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。

7 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

8 lank   

adj.瘦削的；稀疏的

参考例句：

• He rose to lank height and grasped Billy McMahan's hand.他瘦削的身躯站了起来，紧紧地握住比利·麦默恩的手。
• The old man has lank hair.那位老人头发稀疏

9 uncommonly   

adv. 稀罕(极，非常)

参考例句：

• an uncommonly gifted child 一个天赋异禀的儿童
• My little Mary was feeling uncommonly empty. 我肚子当时正饿得厉害。

10 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。

11 brawls   

吵架，打架( brawl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Whatever brawls disturb the street, there should be peace at home. 街上无论多么喧闹，家中应有宁静。
• I got into brawls in the country saloons near my farm. 我在离我农场不远的乡下沙龙里和别人大吵大闹。

12 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

13 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

14 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

15 flickered   

（通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
• These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。

16 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。