Prison time is slow time, sometimes you'd swear it's stop-time, but it passes. It passes. George Dunahy departed the scene in a welter of newspaper headlines shouting SCANDAL and NEST-FEATHERING. Stammas succeeded him, and for the next six years Shawshank was a kind of living hell. During the reign¹ of Greg Stammas, the beds in the infirmary and the cells in the solitary² wing were always full.
One day in 1958 I looked at myself in a small shaving mirror I kept in my cell and saw a forty-year-old man looking back at me. A kid had come in back in 1938, a kid with a big mop of carrotty red hair, half-crazy with rem orse, thinking about suicide. That kid was gone. The red hair was half grey and starting to recede³. There were crow's tracks around the eyes. On that day I could see an old man inside, waiting his time to come out. It scared me. Nobody wants to grow old in stir.
Stammas went early in 1959. There had been several investigative reporters sniffing⁴ around, and one of them even did four months under an assumed name, for a crime made up out of whole cloth. They were getting ready to drag out SCANDAL and NESTFEATHERING again, but before they could bring the hammer down on him, Stammas ran. I can understand that; boy, can I ever. If he had been tried and convicted, he could have ended up right in here. If so, he might have lasted all of five hours. Byron Hadley had gone two years earlier. The sucker had a heart attack and took an early retirement⁶.
Andy never got touched by the Stammas affair. In early 1959 a new warden⁷ was appointed, and a new assistant warden, and a new chief of guards. For the next eight months or so, Andy was just another con⁵ again. It was during that period that Normaden, the big half-breed Passamaquoddy, shared Andy's cell with him. Then everything just started up again. Normaden was moved out, and Andy was living in solitary splendour again. The names at the top change, but the rackets never do.
I talked to Normaden once about Andy. 'Nice fella,' Normaden said. It was hard to make out anything he said because he had a harelip and a

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1 reign
n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势
参考例句：
The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。 The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

2 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。

3 recede
vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进
参考例句：
The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。 He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。

4 sniffing
n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；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：
We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。 They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 con
n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的
参考例句：
We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。 The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

6 retirement
n.退休，退职
参考例句：
She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。 I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

7 warden
n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人
参考例句：
He is the warden of an old people's home.他是一家养老院的管理员。 The warden of the prison signed the release.监狱长签发释放令。

8 cleft
n.裂缝；adj.裂开的
参考例句：
I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。 He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

9 shrug
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句：
With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。 I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。

10 draught
n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计
参考例句：
He emptied his glass at one draught.他将杯中物一饮而尽。 It's a pity the room has no north window and you don't get a draught.可惜这房间没北窗，没有过堂风。

11 itch
n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望
参考例句：
Shylock has an itch for money.夏洛克渴望发财。 He had an itch on his back.他背部发痒。

12 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 flipping
讨厌之极的
参考例句：
I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆！ Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。

14 cons
n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 considerably
adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上
参考例句：
The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。 The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

16 tattered
adj.破旧的，衣衫破的
参考例句：
Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。 Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

17 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。

18 peculiar
adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的
参考例句：
He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。 He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

19 equanimity
n.沉着，镇定
参考例句：
She went again,and in so doing temporarily recovered her equanimity.她又去看了戏，而且这样一来又暂时恢复了她的平静。 The defeat was taken with equanimity by the leadership.领导层坦然地接受了失败。

20 sullen
adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的
参考例句：
He looked up at the sullen sky.他抬头看了一眼阴沉的天空。 Susan was sullen in the morning because she hadn't slept well.苏珊今天早上郁闷不乐，因为昨晚没睡好。

21 afflict
vt.使身体或精神受痛苦，折磨
参考例句：
I wish you wouldn't afflict me with your constant complains.我希望你不要总是抱怨而使我苦恼。 There are many illnesses,which afflict old people.有许多疾病困扰着老年人。

22 advent
n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临
参考例句：
Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。 The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

23 testament
n.遗嘱；证明
参考例句：
This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。 It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

24 plaque
n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板
参考例句：
There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。 Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

25 saviour
n.拯救者，救星
参考例句：
I saw myself as the saviour of my country.我幻想自己为国家的救星。 The people clearly saw her as their saviour.人们显然把她看成了救星。

26 judgment
n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见
参考例句：
The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。 He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

27 foulest
adj.恶劣的( foul的最高级 )；邪恶的；难闻的；下流的
参考例句：
Most of the foremen abused the workmen in the foulest languages. 大多数的工头用极其污秽的语言辱骂工人。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Of all men the drunkard is the foulest. 男人中最讨人厌的是酒鬼。 来自辞典例句

28 bug
n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器
参考例句：
There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。 The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。