“It was in the summer of 2013 that the Plague came. I was twenty-seven years old, and well do I remember it. Wireless³ despatches—”

 

Hare-Lip spat⁴ loudly his disgust, and Granser hastened to make amends⁵.

 

“We talked through the air in those days, thousands and thousands of miles. And the word came of a strange disease that had broken out in New York. There were seventeen millions of people living then in that noblest city of America. Nobody thought anything about the news. It was only a small thing. There had been only a few deaths. It seemed, though, that they had died very quickly, and that one of the first signs of the disease was the turning red of the face and all the body. Within twenty-four hours came the report of the first case in Chicago. And on the same day, it was made public that London, the greatest city in the world, next to Chicago, had been secretly fighting the plague for two weeks and censoring⁶ the news despatches—that is, not permitting the word to go forth⁷ to the rest of the world that London had the plague.

 

“It looked serious, but we in California, like everywhere else, were not alarmed. We were sure that the bacteriologists would find a way to overcome this new germ, just as they had overcome other germs in the past. But the trouble was the astonishing quickness with which this germ destroyed human beings, and the fact that it inevitably⁸ killed any human body it entered. No one ever recovered. There was the old Asiatic cholera

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1 knuckles
n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝
参考例句：
He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘，握得指关节都变白了。 Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 wireless
adj.无线的；n.无线电
参考例句：
There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。 Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

4 spat
n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声
参考例句：
Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。 There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

5 amends
n. 赔偿
参考例句：
He made amends for his rudeness by giving her some flowers. 他送给她一些花，为他自己的鲁莽赔罪。 This country refuses stubbornly to make amends for its past war crimes. 该国顽固地拒绝为其过去的战争罪行赔罪。

6 censoring
删剪（书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容）( censor的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Therefore, exhibitors shall not make use of these materials before censoring. 展商在审查前不可使用这些资料。 The company then said it would end self-censoring search results, putting it at odds with Beijing. 随后该公司表示，将停止自我审查搜索结果，从而与中国政府发生对抗。

7 forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。 He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

8 inevitably
adv.不可避免地；必然发生地
参考例句：
In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。 Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

9 cholera
n.霍乱
参考例句：
The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。 Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

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 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。

12 numbness
n.无感觉，麻木，惊呆
参考例句：
She was fighting off the numbness of frostbite. 她在竭力摆脱冻僵的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Sometimes they stay dead, causing' only numbness. 有时，它们没有任何反应，只会造成麻木。 来自时文部分

13 numb
adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木
参考例句：
His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。 Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

14 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：
She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。 They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 rave
vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬
参考例句：
The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。 Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。

16 numbed
v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
His mind has been numbed. 他已麻木不仁。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He was numbed with grief. 他因悲伤而昏迷了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 decomposition
n. 分解, 腐烂, 崩溃
参考例句：
It is said that the magnetite was formed by a chemical process called thermal decomposition. 据说这枚陨星是在热分解的化学过程中形成的。 The dehydration process leads to fairly extensive decomposition of the product. 脱水过程会导致产物相当程度的分解。

18 corpse
n.尸体，死尸
参考例句：
What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。 The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。

19 isolate
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。

20 isolated
adj.与世隔绝的
参考例句：
His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。 Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

21 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。

22 croaked
v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说
参考例句：
The crow croaked disaster. 乌鸦呱呱叫预报灾难。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 'she has a fine head for it," croaked Jacques Three. “她有一个漂亮的脑袋跟着去呢，”雅克三号低沉地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

23 promptly
adv.及时地，敏捷地
参考例句：
He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。 She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

24 triumphantly
ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地
参考例句：
The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。 Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

25 clogged
（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞
参考例句：
The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。 The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

26 conjecture
n./v.推测，猜测
参考例句：
She felt it no use to conjecture his motives.她觉得猜想他的动机是没有用的。 This conjecture is not supported by any real evidence.这种推测未被任何确切的证据所证实。

27 unaware
a.不知道的，未意识到的
参考例句：
They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。 I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

28 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》

29 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。

30 faculty
n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员
参考例句：
He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。 He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

31 tottered
v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠
参考例句：
The pile of books tottered then fell. 这堆书晃了几下，然后就倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The wounded soldier tottered to his feet. 伤员摇摇晃晃地站了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 steadily
adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地
参考例句：
The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。 Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

33 housekeeper
n.管理家务的主妇，女管家
参考例句：
A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。 She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

34 belongings
n.私人物品，私人财物
参考例句：
I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。 Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

35 smote
v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 )
参考例句：
Figuratively, he could not kiss the hand that smote him. 打个比方说，他是不能认敌为友。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹 \"Whom Pearl smote down and uprooted, most unmercifully.\" 珠儿会毫不留情地将这些\"儿童\"踩倒，再连根拔起。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

36 catching
adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住
参考例句：
There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。 Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

37 chaos
n.混乱，无秩序
参考例句：
After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。 The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

38 vessels
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人
参考例句：
The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》 All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

39 pillaging
v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The rebels went looting and pillaging. 叛乱者趁火打劫，掠夺财物。 Soldiers went on a rampage, pillaging stores and shooting. 士兵们横冲直撞，洗劫商店并且开枪射击。 来自辞典例句

40 warehouses
仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。 Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

41 conflagrations
n.大火（灾）( conflagration的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Friction makes sparks and sparks start great creative conflagrations. 摩擦产生星星之火，星星之火点燃伟大创意的燎原巨焰。 来自互联网

42 conflagration
n.建筑物或森林大火
参考例句：
A conflagration in 1947 reduced 90 percent of the houses to ashes.1947年的一场大火，使90%的房屋化为灰烬。 The light of that conflagration will fade away.这熊熊烈火会渐渐熄灭。

43 corpses
n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

44 astounding
adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)
参考例句：
There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。 The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

45 blotted
涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干
参考例句：
She blotted water off the table with a towel. 她用毛巾擦干桌上的水。 The blizzard blotted out the sky and the land. 暴风雪铺天盖地而来。

46 wink
n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁
参考例句：
He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。 The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间，那颗卫星就消失了。

47 foam
v./n.泡沫，起泡沫
参考例句：
The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。 The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

48 survivor
n.生存者，残存者，幸存者
参考例句：
The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。 There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

49 eldest
adj.最年长的，最年老的
参考例句：
The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。 The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

50 bespoken
v.预定( bespeak的过去分词 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求
参考例句：
We have bespoken three tickets for tomorrow. 我们已经预定了三张明天的票。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 We have bespoken two tickets for tomorrow. 我们已预订两张明天的票。 来自互联网

51 condor
n.秃鹰；秃鹰金币
参考例句：
The condor soars above the mountain heights.禿鹰翱翔于高山之上。 A condor prepares to fly in Colombia.一只兀鹰在哥伦比亚准备振翅高飞。

52 wrecked
adj.失事的，遇难的
参考例句：
the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸 the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

53 exodus
v.大批离去，成群外出
参考例句：
The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。 Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

54 insanity
n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐
参考例句：
In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。 He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

55 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

56 retired
adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的
参考例句：
The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。 Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

57 wretch
n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人
参考例句：
You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。 The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

58 ascertained
v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

59 calves
n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解
参考例句：
a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛 The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

60 thighs
n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿
参考例句：
He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》

61 slew
v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多
参考例句：
He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。 They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

62 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。

63 twilight
n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期
参考例句：
Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。 Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

64 orb
n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形
参考例句：
The blue heaven,holding its one golden orb,poured down a crystal wash of warm light.蓝蓝的天空托着金色的太阳，洒下一片水晶般明亮温暖的光辉。 It is an emanation from the distant orb of immortal light.它是从远处那个发出不灭之光的天体上放射出来的。

65 furtively
adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地
参考例句：
At this some of the others furtively exchanged significant glances. 听他这样说，有几个人心照不宣地彼此对望了一眼。 Remembering my presence, he furtively dropped it under his chair. 后来想起我在，他便偷偷地把书丢在椅子下。

66 obstinate
adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的
参考例句：
She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了，不会让任何人帮她的。 The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。

67 deliberately
adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地
参考例句：
The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。 They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

68 crumbling
adj.摇摇欲坠的
参考例句：
an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子 The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。