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首页 » 英文科幻小说 » 基地系列 Forward the Foundation 迈向基地 » Chapter 13
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Chapter 13
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Trantor, the capital world-city of the Galactic Empire, had changed considerably1 since the day Hari first stepped off the hypership from his native Helicon thirty-eight years ago. Was it the pearly haze2 of an old man's memory that made the Trantor of old shine so brightly in his mind's eye, Hari wondered. Or perhaps it had been the exuberance3 of youth-how could a young man from a provincial4 Outer World such as Helicon not be impressed by the gleaming towers, sparkling domes5, the colorful, rushing masses of people that had seemed to swirl6 through Trantor, day and night.
    Now, Hari thought sadly, the walkways are nearly deserted7, even in the full light of day. Roving gangs of thugs controlled various areas of the city, competing among themselves for territory. The security establishment had dwindled8; those who were left had their hands full processing complaints at the central office. Of course, security officers were dispatched as emergency calls came through, but they made it to the scene only after a crime was committed-they no longer made even a pretense9 of protecting the citizens of Trantor. A person went out at his own risk-and a great risk it was. And yet Hari Seldon still took that risk, in the form of a daily walk, as if defying the forces that were destroying his beloved Empire to destroy him as well.
    And so Hari Seldon walked along, limping-and thoughtful.
    Nothing worked. Nothing. He had been unable to isolate10 the genetic11 pattern that set Wanda apart-and without that, he was unable to locate others like her.
    Wanda's ability to read minds had sharpened considerably in the six years since she had identified the flaw in Yugo Amaryl's Prime Radiant. Wanda was special in more ways than one. It was as if, once she realized that her mental ability set her apart from other people, she was determined12 to understand it, to harness its energy, to direct it. As she had progressed through her teen years, she had matured, throwing off the girlish giggles13 that had so endeared her to Hari, at the same time becoming even dearer to him in her determination to help him in his work with the powers of her "gift." For Hari Seldon had told Wanda about his plan for a Second Foundation and she had committed herself to realizing that goal with him.
    Today, though, Seldon was in a dark mood. He was coming to the conclusion that Wanda's mentalic ability would get him nowhere. He had no credits to continue his work-no credits to locate others like Wanda, no credits to pay his workers on the Psychohistory Project at Streeling, no credits to set up his all-important Encyclopedia14 Project at the Galactic Library.
    Now what?
    He continued to walk toward the Galactic Library. He would have been better off taking a gravicab, but he wanted to walk-limp or not. He needed time to think.
    He heard a cry-"There he is!"-but paid no attention.
    It came again. "There he is! Psychohistory!"
    The word forced him to look up. -Psychohistory.
    A group of young men was closing in around him.
    Automatically Seldon placed his back against the wall and raised his cane16. "What is it you want?"
    They laughed. "Credits, old man. Do you have any credits?"
    "Maybe, but why do you want them from me? You said, `Psychohistory!' Do you know who I am?"
    "Sure, you're Raven17 Seldon" said the young man in the lead. He seemed both comfortable and pleased.
    "You're a creep," shouted another.
    "What are you going to do if I don't give you any credits?"
    "We'll beat you up," said the leader, "and we'll take them."
    "And if I give you my credits?"
    "We'll beat you up anyway!" They all laughed.
    Hari Seldon raised his cane higher. "Stay away. All of you."
    By now he had managed to count them. There were eight.
    He felt himself choking slightly. Once he and Dors and Raych had been attacked by ten and they had had no trouble. He had been only thirty-two at the time and Dors-was Dors.
    Now it was different. He waved his cane.
    The leader of the hoodlums said, "Hey, the old man is going to attack us. What are we going to do?"
    Seldon looked around swiftly. There were no security officers around. Another indication of the deterioration18 of society. An occasional person or two passed by, but there was no use calling for help. Their footsteps increased in speed and made a wide detour19. No one was going to run any risks of getting involved in an imbroglio20.
    Seldon said, "The first one of you who approaches gets a cracked head."
    "Yeah?" And the leader stepped forward rapidly and seized the cane. There was a short sharp struggle and the cane was wrested21 from Seldon's grip. The leader tossed it to one side.
    "Now what, old man?"
    Seldon shrunk back. He could only wait for the blows. They crowded around him, each eager to land a blow or two. Seldon lifted his arms to try to ward15 them off. He could still Twist-after a fashion. If he were facing only one or two, he might be able to Twist his body, avoid their blows, strike back. But not against eight-surely not against eight.
    He tried, at any rate, moving quickly to one side to avoid the blows and his right leg, with its sciatica, doubled under him. He fell and knew himself to be utterly22 helpless.
    Then he heard a stentorian23 voice shouting, "What's going on here? Get back, you thugs! Back or I'll kill you all!"
    The leader said, "Well, another old man."
    "Not that old," said the newcomer. With the back of one hand, he struck the leader's face, turning it an ugly red.
    Seldon said in surprise, "Raych, it's you."
    Raych's hand swept back. "Stay out of this, Dad. Just get up and move away."
    The leader, rubbing his cheek, said, "We'll get you for that."
    "No, you won't," said Raych, drawing out a knife of Dahlite manufacture, long and gleaming. A second knife was withdrawn24 and he now held one in each hand.
    Seldon said weakly, "Still carrying knives, Raych?"
    "Always," said Raych. "Nothing will ever make me stop."
    "I'll stop you," said the leader, drawing out a blaster.
    Faster than the eye could follow, one of Raych's knives went sailing through the air and struck the leader's throat. He made a loud gasp25, then a gurgling sound, and fell, while the other seven stared.
    Raych approached and said, "I want my knife back." He drew it out of the hoodlum's throat and wiped it on the man's shirtfront. In doing so, he stepped on the man's hand, bent26 down, and picked up his blaster.
    Raych dropped the blaster into one of his capacious pockets. He said, "I don't like to use a blaster, you bunch of good-for-nothings, because sometimes I miss. I never miss with a knife, however. Never! That man is dead. There are seven of you standing27. Do you intend to stay standing or will you leave?"
    "Get him!" shouted one of the hoodlums and the seven made a concerted rush.
    Raych took a backward step. One knife flashed and then the other and two of the hoodlums stopped with, in each case, a knife buried in his abdomen28.
    "Give me back my knives," said Raych, pulling each out with a cutting motion and wiping them.
    "These two are still alive, but not for long. That leaves five of you on your feet. Are you going to attack again or are you going to leave?"
    They turned and Raych called out, "Pick up your dead and dying. I don't want them."
    Hastily they flung the three bodies over their shoulders, then they turned tail and ran.
    Raych bent to pick up Seldon's cane. "Can you walk, Dad?"
    "Not very well," said Seldon. "I twisted my leg."
    "Well then, get into my car. What were you doing walking, anyway?"
    "Why not? Nothing's ever happened to me."
    "So you waited till something did. Get into my car and I'll give you a lift back to Streeling."
    He programmed the ground-car quietly, then said, "What a shame we didn't have Dors with us. Mom would have attacked them with her bare lands and left all eight dead in five minutes."
    Seldon felt tears stinging his eyelids29. "I know, Raych, I know. Do you think I don't miss her every day?"
    "I'm sorry," said Raych in a low voice.
    Seldon asked, "How did you know I was in trouble?"
    "Wanda told me. She said there were evil people lying in wait for you ,slid told me where they were and I took right off."
    "Didn't you doubt that she knew what she was talking about?"
    "Not at all. We know enough about her now to know that she has some sort of contact with your mind and with the things around you."
    "Did she tell you how many people were attacking me?"
    "No. She just said, `Quite a few.'"
    "So you came out all by yourself, did you, Raych?"
    "I had no time to put together a posse, Dad. Besides, one of me was enough."
    "Yes, it was. Thank you, Raych."


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 considerably 0YWyQ     
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。
2 haze O5wyb     
n.霾,烟雾;懵懂,迷糊;vi.(over)变模糊
参考例句:
  • I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中,我看不见她。
  • He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。
3 exuberance 3hxzA     
n.丰富;繁荣
参考例句:
  • Her burst of exuberance and her brightness overwhelmed me.她勃发的热情和阳光的性格征服了我。
  • The sheer exuberance of the sculpture was exhilarating.那尊雕塑表现出的勃勃生机让人振奋。
4 provincial Nt8ye     
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人
参考例句:
  • City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
  • Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。
5 domes ea51ec34bac20cae1c10604e13288827     
n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 );像圆屋顶一样的东西;圆顶体育场
参考例句:
  • The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
  • Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网
6 swirl cgcyu     
v.(使)打漩,(使)涡卷;n.漩涡,螺旋形
参考例句:
  • The car raced roughly along in a swirl of pink dust.汽车在一股粉红色尘土的漩涡中颠簸着快速前进。
  • You could lie up there,watching the flakes swirl past.你可以躺在那儿,看着雪花飘飘。
7 deserted GukzoL     
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的
参考例句:
  • The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
  • The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
8 dwindled b4a0c814a8e67ec80c5f9a6cf7853aab     
v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
  • His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 pretense yQYxi     
n.矫饰,做作,借口
参考例句:
  • You can't keep up the pretense any longer.你无法继续伪装下去了。
  • Pretense invariably impresses only the pretender.弄虚作假欺骗不了真正的行家。
10 isolate G3Exu     
vt.使孤立,隔离
参考例句:
  • Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
  • We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。
11 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
12 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
13 giggles 0aa08b5c91758a166d13e7cd3f455951     
n.咯咯的笑( giggle的名词复数 );傻笑;玩笑;the giggles 止不住的格格笑v.咯咯地笑( giggle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Her nervous giggles annoyed me. 她神经质的傻笑把我惹火了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I had to rush to the loo to avoid an attack of hysterical giggles. 我不得不冲向卫生间,以免遭到别人的疯狂嘲笑。 来自辞典例句
14 encyclopedia ZpgxD     
n.百科全书
参考例句:
  • The encyclopedia fell to the floor with a thud.那本百科全书砰的一声掉到地上。
  • Geoff is a walking encyclopedia.He knows about everything.杰夫是个活百科全书,他什么都懂。
15 ward LhbwY     
n.守卫,监护,病房,行政区,由监护人或法院保护的人(尤指儿童);vt.守护,躲开
参考例句:
  • The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
  • During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时,我要点根火把,抵挡蚊虫。
16 cane RsNzT     
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的
参考例句:
  • This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
  • English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。
17 raven jAUz8     
n.渡鸟,乌鸦;adj.乌亮的
参考例句:
  • We know the raven will never leave the man's room.我们知道了乌鸦再也不会离开那个男人的房间。
  • Her charming face was framed with raven hair.她迷人的脸上垂落着乌亮的黑发。
18 deterioration yvvxj     
n.退化;恶化;变坏
参考例句:
  • Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长,心智和体力自然衰退。
  • The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。
19 detour blSzz     
n.绕行的路,迂回路;v.迂回,绕道
参考例句:
  • We made a detour to avoid the heavy traffic.我们绕道走,避开繁忙的交通。
  • He did not take the direct route to his home,but made a detour around the outskirts of the city.他没有直接回家,而是绕到市郊兜了个圈子。
20 imbroglio faaxm     
n.纷乱,纠葛,纷扰,一团糟
参考例句:
  • The imbroglio led to the resignation of several managers.这场纠纷导致了多名经理辞职。
  • I had seen something of this imbroglio at first hand.我曾经亲眼看到过这种乱七八糟的东西。
21 wrested 687939d2c0d23b901d6d3b68cda5319a     
(用力)拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 ); 费力取得; (从…)攫取; ( 从… ) 强行取去…
参考例句:
  • The usurper wrested the power from the king. 篡位者从国王手里夺取了权力。
  • But now it was all wrested from him. 可是现在,他却被剥夺了这一切。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
22 utterly ZfpzM1     
adv.完全地,绝对地
参考例句:
  • Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
  • I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
23 stentorian 1uCwA     
adj.大声的,响亮的
参考例句:
  • Now all joined in solemn stentorian accord.现在,在这庄严的响彻云霄的和声中大家都联合在一起了。
  • The stentorian tones of auctioneer,calling out to clear,now announced that the sale to commence.拍卖人用洪亮的声音招呼大家闪开一点,然后宣布拍卖即将开始。
24 withdrawn eeczDJ     
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出
参考例句:
  • Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
  • All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。
25 gasp UfxzL     
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。
26 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
27 standing 2hCzgo     
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。
28 abdomen MfXym     
n.腹,下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)
参考例句:
  • How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫?
  • He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。
29 eyelids 86ece0ca18a95664f58bda5de252f4e7     
n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 );眼睛也不眨一下;不露声色;面不改色
参考例句:
  • She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了,眼睑开始往下垂。
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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