'Take it easy, sure I can. Does a bear shit in the woods?' The audience was applauding and catcalling as the bugs¹ came out of the walls to get Ray Milland, who was having a bad case of the DT's.
'How soon?'
'A week. Maybe less.'
'Okay.' But he sounded disappointed, as if he had been hoping I had one stuffed down my pants right then. 'How much?"
I quoted him the wholesale² price. I could afford to give him this one at cost; he'd been a good customer, what with his rock-hammer and his rock-blankets. Furthermore, he'd been a good boy - on more than one night when he was having his problems with Bogs³, Rooster, and the rest, I wondered how long it would be before he used the rock-hammer to crack someone's head open.
Posters are a big part of my business, just behind the booze and cigarettes, usually half a step ahead of the reefer. In the 60s the business exploded in every direction, with a lot of people wanting funky⁴ hang-ups like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, that Easy Rider poster. But mostly it's girls; one pinup queen after another.
A few days after I spoke⁵ to Ernie, a laundry driver I did business with back then, brought in better than sixty posters, most of them Rita Hayworths. You may even remember the picture; I sure do. Rita is dressed - sort of- in a bathing suit, one hand behind her head, her eyes half closed, those full, sulky red lips parted. They called it Rita Hayworth, but they might as well have called it Woman in Heat.
The prison administration knows about the black market, in case you were wondering. Sure they do. They probably know as much about my business as I do myself.
They live with it because they know that a prison is like a big pressure cooker, and there have to be vents⁶ somewhere to let off steam. They make the occasional bust⁷, and I've done time in solitary⁸ a time or three over the years, but when it's something like posters, they

点击收听单词发音  

1 bugs
adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误
参考例句：
All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 wholesale
n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售
参考例句：
The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。 Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

3 bogs
n.沼泽，泥塘( bog的名词复数 )；厕所v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的第三人称单数 )；妨碍，阻碍
参考例句：
Whenever It'shows its true nature, real life bogs to a standstill. 无论何时，只要它显示出它的本来面目，真正的生活就陷入停滞。 来自名作英译部分 At Jitra we went wading through bogs. 在日得拉我们步行着从泥水塘里穿过去。 来自辞典例句

4 funky
adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的
参考例句：
The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。 It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

5 spoke
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 vents
（气体、液体等进出的）孔、口( vent的名词复数 )； （鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的）肛门； 大衣等的)衩口； 开衩
参考例句：
He always vents his anger on the dog. 他总是拿狗出气。 The Dandelion Patch is the least developed of the four active vents. “蒲公英区”在这四个活裂口中是发育最差的一个。

7 bust
vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部
参考例句：
I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。 She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

8 solitary
adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士
参考例句：
I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。 The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

9 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。

10 inventoried
vt.编制…的目录（inventory的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
These items have not been inventoried yet. 这些物品尚未编入目录。 来自互联网 The broker inventoried the bankrupt company and offered the buyer a reasonable price. 代理人将这家破产公司的财产编录清单，向买家提出了合理的价格。 来自互联网

11 inventory
n.详细目录，存货清单
参考例句：
Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。 We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

12 bunk
n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话
参考例句：
He left his bunk and went up on deck again.他离开自己的铺位再次走到甲板上。 Most economists think his theories are sheer bunk.大多数经济学家认为他的理论纯属胡说。

13 slashes
n.（用刀等）砍( slash的名词复数 )；（长而窄的）伤口；斜杠；撒尿v.挥砍( slash的第三人称单数 )；鞭打；割破；削减
参考例句：
They report substantial slashes in this year's defense outlays. 他们报道今年度国防经费的大量削减。 来自辞典例句 Inmates suffered injuries ranging from stab wounds and slashes to head trauma. 囚犯们有的被刺伤，有的被砍伤，而有的头部首创，伤势不一而足。 来自互联网

14 hearsay
n.谣传，风闻
参考例句：
They started to piece the story together from hearsay.他们开始根据传闻把事情的经过一点点拼湊起来。 You are only supposing this on hearsay.You have no proof.你只是根据传闻想像而已，并没有证据。

15 chaff
v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳
参考例句：
I didn't mind their chaff.我不在乎他们的玩笑。 Old birds are not caught with chaff.谷糠难诱老雀。

16 rumours
n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传
参考例句：
The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。 Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。

17 quartz
n.石英
参考例句：
There is a great deal quartz in those mountains.那些山里蕴藏着大量石英。 The quartz watch keeps good time.石英表走时准。

18 flecks
n.斑点，小点( fleck的名词复数 )；癍
参考例句：
His hair was dark, with flecks of grey. 他的黑发间有缕缕银丝。 I got a few flecks of paint on the window when I was painting the frames. 我在漆窗框时，在窗户上洒了几点油漆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 awe
n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧
参考例句：
The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。 The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

20 brute
n.野兽，兽性
参考例句：
The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。 That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

21 persistence
n.坚持，持续，存留
参考例句：
The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。 He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

22 persistent
adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的
参考例句：
Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。 She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。