Monday morning, Joe groaned¹ over the first truck load of clothes to the washer.

"I say," he began.

"Don't talk to me," Martin snarled².

"I'm sorry, Joe," he said at noon, when they knocked off for dinner.

Tears came into the other's eyes.

"That's all right, old man," he said. "We're in hell, an' we can't help ourselves. An', you know, I kind of like you a whole lot. That's what made it - hurt. I cottoned to you from the first."

Martin shook his hand.

"Let's quit," Joe suggested. "Let's chuck it, an' go hoboin'. I ain't never tried it, but it must be dead easy. An' nothin' to do. Just think of it, nothin' to do. I was sick once, typhoid, in the hospital, an' it was beautiful. I wish I'd get sick again."

The week dragged on. The hotel was full, and extra "fancy starch³" poured in upon them. They performed prodigies⁴ of valor⁵. They fought late each night under the electric lights, bolted their meals, and even got in a half hour's work before breakfast. Martin no longer took his cold baths. Every moment was drive, drive, drive, and Joe was the masterful shepherd of moments, herding⁶ them carefully, never losing one, counting them over like a miser⁷ counting gold, working on in a frenzy⁸, toil⁹-mad, a feverish¹⁰ machine, aided ably by that other machine that thought of itself as once having been one Martin Eden, a man.

But it was only at rare moments that Martin was able to think. The house of thought was closed, its windows boarded up, and he was its shadowy caretaker. He was a shadow. Joe was right. They were both shadows, and this was the unending

点击收听单词发音  

1 groaned
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦
参考例句：
He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。 The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 snarled
v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说
参考例句：
The dog snarled at us. 狗朝我们低声吼叫。 As I advanced towards the dog, It'snarled and struck at me. 我朝那条狗走去时，它狂吠着向我扑来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 starch
n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆
参考例句：
Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。 I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。

4 prodigies
n.奇才，天才（尤指神童）( prodigy的名词复数 )
参考例句：
It'seldom happened that a third party ever witnessed any of these prodigies. 这类壮举发生的时候，难得有第三者在场目睹过。 来自辞典例句 She is by no means inferior to other prodigies. 她绝不是不如其他神童。 来自互联网

5 valor
n.勇气，英勇
参考例句：
Fortitude is distinct from valor.坚韧不拔有别于勇猛。 Frequently banality is the better parts of valor.老生常谈往往比大胆打破常规更为人称道。

6 herding
中畜群
参考例句：
The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。 They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。

7 miser
n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly)
参考例句：
The miser doesn't like to part with his money.守财奴舍不得花他的钱。 The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。

8 frenzy
n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动
参考例句：
He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。 They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

9 toil
vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事
参考例句：
The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。 Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

10 feverish
adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的
参考例句：
He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。 They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

11 limbo
n.地狱的边缘；监狱
参考例句：
His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。 I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

12 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。

13 awakening
n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的
参考例句：
the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣 People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

14 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。

15 monotonous
adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的
参考例句：
She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。 His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

16 collapse
vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷
参考例句：
The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。 The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

17 kit
n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物
参考例句：
The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。 The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

18 halfway
adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途
参考例句：
We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。 In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

19 rhythmic
adj.有节奏的，有韵律的
参考例句：
Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。 Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

20 toiled
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉
参考例句：
They toiled up the hill in the blazing sun. 他们冒着炎炎烈日艰难地一步一步爬上山冈。 He toiled all day long but earned very little. 他整天劳碌但挣得很少。

21 glimmering
n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 )
参考例句：
I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. 他这么说是什么意思，我有点明白了。 来自辞典例句 Now that darkness was falling, only their silhouettes were outlined against the faintly glimmering sky. 这时节两山只剩余一抹深黑，赖天空微明为画出一个轮廓。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

22 scorch
v.烧焦，烤焦；高速疾驶；n.烧焦处，焦痕
参考例句：
I could not wash away the mark of the scorch.我洗不掉这焦痕。 This material will scorch easily if it is too near the fire.这种材料如果太靠近炉火很容易烤焦。

23 obliterating
v.除去( obliterate的现在分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭
参考例句：
Michael smoked the competition, obliterating field in most of his events. 迈克尔让比赛放光，几乎淹没了他所参加的大多数项目。 来自互联网 He heard Pam screaming.The noise became obliterating.Then solid darkness descended. 在一片混乱中，他听到了帕姆的尖叫。接下来，噪音消失了，黑暗降临了。 来自互联网

24 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

25 exertion
n.尽力，努力
参考例句：
We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。 She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡，她浑身发热。

26 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。

27 approbation
n.称赞；认可
参考例句：
He tasted the wine of audience approbation.他尝到了像酒般令人陶醉的听众赞许滋味。 The result has not met universal approbation.该结果尚未获得普遍认同。

28 scribbled
v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下
参考例句：
She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。 He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

29 oozing
v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的现在分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出
参考例句：
Blood was oozing out of the wound on his leg. 血正从他腿上的伤口渗出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The wound had not healed properly and was oozing pus. 伤口未真正痊瘉，还在流脓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 queried
v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问
参考例句：
She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》 \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

31 abruptly
adv.突然地，出其不意地
参考例句：
He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。 I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

32 bakers
n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三
参考例句：
The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 rattled
慌乱的，恼火的
参考例句：
The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。 Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

34 dice
n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险
参考例句：
They were playing dice.他们在玩掷骰子游戏。 A dice is a cube.骰子是立方体。

35 anticipation
n.预期，预料，期望
参考例句：
We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。 The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

36 herds
兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众
参考例句：
Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。 There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

37 kindly
adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地
参考例句：
Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。 A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

38 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。

39 plodded
v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作）
参考例句：
Our horses plodded down the muddy track. 我们的马沿着泥泞小路蹒跚而行。 He plodded away all night at his project to get it finished. 他通宵埋头苦干以便做完专题研究。 来自《简明英汉词典》