“Twenty or thirty years ago my story was in great demand. But in these days nobody seems interested—”

 

“There you go!” Hare-Lip cried hotly. “Cut out the funny stuff and talk sensible. What's interested? You talk like a baby that don't know how.”

 

“Let him alone,” Edwin urged, “or he'll get mad and won't talk at all. Skip the funny places. We'll catch on to some of what he tells us.”

 

“Let her go, Granser,” Hoo-Hoo encouraged; for the old man was already maundering about the disrespect for elders and the reversion to cruelty of all humans that fell from high culture to primitive¹ conditions.

 

The tale began.

 

“There were very many people in the world in those days. San Francisco alone held four millions—”

 

“What is millions?” Edwin interrupted.

 

Granser looked at him kindly².

 

“I know you cannot count beyond ten, so I will tell you. Hold up your two hands. On both of them you have altogether ten fingers and thumbs. Very well. I now take this grain of sand—you hold it, Hoo-Hoo.” He dropped the grain of sand into the lad's palm and went on. “Now that grain of sand stands for the ten fingers of Edwin. I add another grain. That's ten more fingers. And I add another, and another, and another, until I have added as many grains as Edwin has fingers and thumbs. That makes what I call one hundred. Remember that word—one hundred. Now I put this pebble³ in Hare-Lip's hand. It stands for ten grains of sand, or ten tens of fingers, or one hundred fingers. I put in ten pebbles⁴. They stand for a thousand fingers. I take a mussel-shell, and it stands for ten pebbles, or one hundred grains of sand, or one thousand fingers....” And so on, laboriously⁵, and with much reiteration

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1 primitive
adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物
参考例句：
It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。 His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

2 kindly
adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地
参考例句：
Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。 A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

3 pebble
n.卵石，小圆石
参考例句：
The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋，想去孵它。 The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。

4 pebbles
[复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。 Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石，以确保排水良好。

5 laboriously
adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地
参考例句：
She is tracing laboriously now. 她正在费力地写。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She is laboriously copying out an old manuscript. 她正在费劲地抄出一份旧的手稿。 来自辞典例句

6 reiteration
n. 重覆, 反覆, 重说
参考例句：
The reiteration of this figure, more than anything else, wrecked the conservative chance of coming back. 重申这数字，比其它任何事情更能打消保守党重新上台的机会。 The final statement is just a reiteration of U.S. policy on Taiwan. 艾瑞里？最后一个声明只是重复宣读美国对台政策。

7 skulls
颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜
参考例句：
One of the women's skulls found exceeds in capacity that of the average man of today. 现已发现的女性颅骨中，其中有一个的脑容量超过了今天的普通男子。 We could make a whole plain white with skulls in the moonlight! 我们便能令月光下的平原变白，遍布白色的骷髅！

8 ascending
adj.上升的，向上的
参考例句：
Now draw or trace ten dinosaurs in ascending order of size.现在按照体型由小到大的顺序画出或是临摹出10只恐龙。

9 census
n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查
参考例句：
A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。 The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

10 scarlet
n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的
参考例句：
The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。 The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

11 queried
v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问
参考例句：
She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》 \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

12 delicacy
n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴
参考例句：
We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。 He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

13 mere
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。 It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

14 narrative
n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的
参考例句：
He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。 Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

15 filthy
adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的
参考例句：
The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。 You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

16 sniffed
v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；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：
When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 sneered
讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。 It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

18 bacterium
n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌
参考例句：
The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。 A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

19 deserted
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。

20 babbling
n.胡说，婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密
参考例句：
I could hear the sound of a babbling brook. 我听得见小溪潺潺的流水声。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Infamy was babbling around her in the public market-place. 在公共市场上，她周围泛滥着对她丑行的种种议论。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

21 recollected
adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
I recollected that she had red hair. 我记得她有一头红发。 来自《简明英汉词典》 His efforts, the Duke recollected many years later, were distinctly half-hearted. 据公爵许多年之后的回忆，他当时明显只是敷衍了事。 来自辞典例句

22 expounding
论述，详细讲解( expound的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Soon Gandhi was expounding the doctrine of ahimsa (nonviolence). 不久甘地就四出阐释非暴力主义思想。 He was expounding, of course, his philosophy of leadership. 当然，他这是在阐述他的领导哲学。

23 savage
adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人
参考例句：
The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。 He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

24 wilderness
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠
参考例句：
She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。 Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

25 fleeting
adj.短暂的，飞逝的
参考例句：
The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。 Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

26 lapse
n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效
参考例句：
The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。 I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

27 lapsed
adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失
参考例句：
He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。 He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 colossal
adj.异常的，庞大的
参考例句：
There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。 Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

29 chauffeurs
n.受雇于人的汽车司机( chauffeur的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Rich car buyers in China prefer to be driven by chauffeurs. 中国富裕的汽车购买者喜欢配备私人司机。 来自互联网 Chauffeurs need to have good driving skills and know the roads well. 司机需要有好的驾驶技术并且对道路很熟悉。 来自互联网

30 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。

31 measles
n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子
参考例句：
The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。 The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

32 influenza
n.流行性感冒，流感
参考例句：
They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施 Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

33 countless
adj.无数的，多得不计其数的
参考例句：
In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。 I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

34 tuberculosis
n.结核病，肺结核
参考例句：
People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。 Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

35 serum
n.浆液，血清，乳浆
参考例句：
The serum is available to the general public.一般公众均可获得血清。 Untreated serum contains a set of 11 proteins called complement.未经处理的血清含有一组蛋白质，共11种，称为补体。

36 killing
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。 Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

37 abysmal
adj.无底的，深不可测的，极深的；糟透的，极坏的；完全的
参考例句：
The film was so abysmal that I fell asleep.电影太糟糕，看得我睡着了。 There is a historic explanation for the abysmal state of Chinese cuisine in the United States.中餐在美国的糟糕状态可以从历史上找原因。

38 countenance
n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同
参考例句：
At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。 I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

39 soothingly
adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地
参考例句：
The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘，她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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