But to Byron Hadley the glass was always half-empty. He spent most of the morning bitching to Mert about the bite that the goddam government was going to take out of  his windfall. "They'll leave me about enough to buy a new car with,' he allowed, 'and then what happens? You have to pay the damn taxes on the car, and the repairs and maintenance, you get your goddam kids pestering² you to take 'em for a ride with the top down -'
'And to drive it, if they're old enough,' Mert said. Old Mert Entwhistle knew which side his bread was buttered on, and he didn't say what must have been as obvious to him as to the rest of us: If that money's worrying you so bad, Byron old kid old sock, I'll just take it off your hands. After all, what are friends for?
'That's right, wanting to drive it, wanting to learn to drive on it, for Chrissake,' Byron said with a shudder⁴. 'Then what happens at the end of the year? If you figured the tax wrong and you don't have enough left over to pay the overdraft⁵, you got to pay out of your own pocket, or maybe even borrow it from one of those kikey loan agencies. And they audit⁶ you anyway, you know. It don't matter. And when the government audits⁷ you, they always take more. Who can fight Uncle Sam? He puts his hand inside your shirt and squeezes your tit until it's purple, and you end up getting the short end. Christ.'
He lapsed⁸ into a morose⁹ silence, thinking of what terrible bad luck he'd had to inherit that $35,000. Andy Dufresne had been spreading tar¹⁰ with a big Padd brush less than fifteen feet away and now he tossed it into his pail and walked over to where Mert and Hadley were sitting.
We all tightened¹¹ up, and I saw one of the other screws, Tim Youngblood, drag his hand down to where his pistol was

点击收听单词发音  

1 ass
n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人
参考例句：
He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。 An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

2 pestering
使烦恼，纠缠( pester的现在分词 )
参考例句：
He's always pestering me to help him with his homework. 他总是泡蘑菇要我帮他做作业。 I'm telling you once and for all, if you don't stop pestering me you'll be sorry. 我这是最后一次警告你。如果你不停止纠缠我，你将来会后悔的。

3 butt
n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶
参考例句：
The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。 He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

4 shudder
v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动
参考例句：
The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。 We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

5 overdraft
n.透支，透支额
参考例句：
Her bank warned that unless she repaid the overdraft she could face legal action.银行警告她如果不偿还透支钱款，她将面临诉讼。 An overdraft results when a note discounted at a bank is not met when due.银行贴现的支票到期而未能支付就成为透支。

6 audit
v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听
参考例句：
Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。 As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

7 audits
n.审计，查账( audit的名词复数 )v.审计，查账( audit的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Requires that use of all bond funds is subject to independent audits. 需要使用的所有债券基金是受独立审计。 来自互联网 Support the locations during customer-visits, audits and quality-improvement programs. 支持客户参观，稽核和提高品质等项目。 来自互联网

8 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》

9 morose
adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的
参考例句：
He was silent and morose.他沉默寡言、郁郁寡欢。 The publicity didn't make him morose or unhappy?公开以后，没有让他郁闷或者不开心吗？

10 tar
n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于
参考例句：
The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。 We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

11 tightened
收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧
参考例句：
The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。 His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

12 bolstered
v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助
参考例句：
He bolstered his plea with new evidence. 他举出新的证据来支持他的抗辩。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 The data must be bolstered by inferences and indirect estimates of varying degrees of reliability. 这些资料必须借助于推理及可靠程度不同的间接估计。 来自辞典例句

13 sentry
n.哨兵，警卫
参考例句：
They often stood sentry on snowy nights.他们常常在雪夜放哨。 The sentry challenged anyone approaching the tent.哨兵查问任一接近帐篷的人。

14 woe
n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌
参考例句：
Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。 A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸，自认福是福。

15 lug
n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动
参考例句：
Nobody wants to lug around huge suitcases full of clothes.谁都不想拖着个装满衣服的大箱子到处走。 Do I have to lug those suitcases all the way to the station?难道非要我把那些手提箱一直拉到车站去吗？

16 writhing
（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )
参考例句：
She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。 He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。

17 wiling
v.引诱( wile的现在分词 )；诱惑；消遣；消磨
参考例句：

18 trout
n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属)
参考例句：
Thousands of young salmon and trout have been killed by the pollution.成千上万的鲑鱼和鳟鱼的鱼苗因污染而死亡。 We hooked a trout and had it for breakfast.我们钓了一条鳟鱼，早饭时吃了。