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15.Gold
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Gold
Then comes the day that Ba takes Lucy to the gold field.
It’s morning when they set out, yet they turn from the sun and slip beneath the plateau’s shadow. Lucy drags her feet in protest. It’s a school day. She shouldn’t be tramping the hills—this is where Sam belongs. But Sam took sick and it was Ma, forever counting coin, who insisted that Lucy go.
They reach the valley’s edge, where grass gives way to rock and a ridge1 rises like animal hackles: Turn back. Beware.
Ba steps over.
The plateau is bare and gray. Not even desperate miners venture out here—not even those who lost jobs in the fire and spend their days restless as starving dogs, scrounging for food, work, anything to keep busy. Yet Ba keeps his prospecting2 tools hidden in the fiddle3 case all the same.
Rock walls rise higher and higher on either side, shutting out the sun. “The river carved this path,” Ba says, a line of shadow splitting his face, and Lucy nearly laughs at the boldness of the lie.
The path deepens, widens, ascends4. At its very top Lucy sees that the plateau isn’t flat. It’s scooped5 hollow. They stand at the bottom of an empty bowl. High up, a circle of sky. Her legs tremble. Is this what they came for? This nothing rock?
Ba points to a line of green far off. It gains complexity6 as they approach. Cottonwoods, reeds, blue irises7 and white lilies. Thirsty plants, all. Yet no water in sight.
“Take a look,” Ba says, that glitter in his eyes. “This here’s the lake.”
A long time ago, Lucy girl, a river ran through this land. Started right here in what used to be a lake. If we looked up a hundred hundred hundred years ago, why, we’d see water more’n a mile deep above us, and underwater forests taller than any forest on land, and fish swimming so thick they blocked the light. This lake was the birthing place for the
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1
ridge
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n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭 | |
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2
prospecting
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n.探矿 | |
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3
fiddle
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n.小提琴;vi.拉提琴;不停拨弄,乱动 | |
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4
ascends
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v.上升,攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
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5
scooped
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v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 );(敏捷地)抱起;抢先获得;用铲[勺]等挖(洞等) | |
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6
complexity
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n.复杂(性),复杂的事物 | |
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irises
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n.虹( iris的名词复数 );虹膜;虹彩;鸢尾(花) | |
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creek
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n.小溪,小河,小湾 | |
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buffalo
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n.(北美)野牛;(亚洲)水牛 | |
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10
rustle
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v.沙沙作响;偷盗(牛、马等);n.沙沙声声 | |
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11
parched
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adj.焦干的;极渴的;v.(使)焦干 | |
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12
quenched
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解(渴)( quench的过去式和过去分词 ); 终止(某事物); (用水)扑灭(火焰等); 将(热物体)放入水中急速冷却 | |
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13
puncture
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n.刺孔,穿孔;v.刺穿,刺破 | |
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14
mound
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n.土墩,堤,小山;v.筑堤,用土堆防卫 | |
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15
rumors
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n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷 | |
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16
yearning
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a.渴望的;向往的;怀念的 | |
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pebbles
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[复数]鹅卵石; 沙砾; 卵石,小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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swirl
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v.(使)打漩,(使)涡卷;n.漩涡,螺旋形 | |
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quartz
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n.石英 | |
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sprawled
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v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词);蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着) | |
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chisel
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n.凿子;v.用凿子刻,雕,凿 | |
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flakes
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小薄片( flake的名词复数 ); (尤指)碎片; 雪花; 古怪的人 | |
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sob
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n.空间轨道的轰炸机;呜咽,哭泣 | |
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forefinger
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n.食指 | |
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fleck
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n.斑点,微粒 vt.使有斑点,使成斑驳 | |
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glimmer
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v.发出闪烁的微光;n.微光,微弱的闪光 | |
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prospector
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n.探矿者 | |
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descending
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n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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hoists
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把…吊起,升起( hoist的第三人称单数 ) | |
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blurred
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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 | |
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gaping
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adj.口的;张口的;敞口的;多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 );张开,张大 | |
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wager
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n.赌注;vt.押注,打赌 | |
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swollen
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adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀 | |
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mattress
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n.床垫,床褥 | |
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feverish
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adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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groans
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n.呻吟,叹息( groan的名词复数 );呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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flick
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n.快速的轻打,轻打声,弹开;v.轻弹,轻轻拂去,忽然摇动 | |
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clench
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vt.捏紧(拳头等),咬紧(牙齿等),紧紧握住 | |
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blusters
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n.大声的威吓( bluster的名词复数 );狂风声,巨浪声v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的第三人称单数 );咆哮;(风)呼啸;狂吹 | |
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sullen
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adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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stomps
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v.跺脚,践踏,重踏( stomp的第三人称单数 ) | |
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reeking
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v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 );散发臭气;发出难闻的气味 (of sth);明显带有(令人不快或生疑的跡象) | |
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remorse
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n.痛恨,悔恨,自责 | |
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glisten
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vi.(光洁或湿润表面等)闪闪发光,闪闪发亮 | |
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longing
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n.(for)渴望 | |
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eyelids
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n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 );眼睛也不眨一下;不露声色;面不改色 | |
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provincial
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adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
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grilled
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adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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muddles
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v.弄乱,弄糟( muddle的第三人称单数 );使糊涂;对付,混日子 | |
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wagon
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n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 | |
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enchantment
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n.迷惑,妖术,魅力 | |
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winces
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避开,畏缩( wince的名词复数 ) | |
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fiddles
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n.小提琴( fiddle的名词复数 );欺诈;(需要运用手指功夫的)细巧活动;当第二把手v.伪造( fiddle的第三人称单数 );篡改;骗取;修理或稍作改动 | |
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54
swelling
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n.肿胀 | |
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loft
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n.阁楼,顶楼 | |
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spicy
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adj.加香料的;辛辣的,有风味的 | |
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lulling
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vt.使镇静,使安静(lull的现在分词形式) | |
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14.Salt
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16.Water
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