世界，我们的世界，一百多年来一直濒临死亡。过去一百多年来还没有一个人发狂发到在世界的屁眼里放颗炸弹把它炸掉的地步，这世界在腐烂，在逐渐死去。不过它还需要”决定性的一击”，需要被炸成碎片。我们没有一个人不受其影响，然而所有的大陆、大陆间的海洋和空中的小鸟都藏在我们心中，我们要在书中记下这个世界的演变，它已经死了，但仍未被埋葬。

For a hundred years or more the world, our world, has been dying. And not one man, in these last hundred years or so, has been crazy enough to put a bomb up the asshole of creation and set it off. The world is rotting away, dying piecemeal¹. But it needs the coup² de grace, it needs to be blown to smithereens. Not one of us is intact, and yet we have in us all the continents and the seas between the continents and the birds of the air. We are going to put it down – the evolution of this world which has died but which has not been buried.

　　我们是在时间的表面游泳，其他所有的人都淹死了、快淹死了、终究要被淹死。这本书将是部巨著，将会出现大洋似的广阔地域供人来往、漫游、唱歌、跳舞、攀登、洗澡、翻跟斗、发牢骚、强奸、杀人。这是一座大教堂，一座真正的大教堂，在建造它的过程中每一个失去自己身分的人都可以出力，将要为死者作弥撒、祷告、忏悔、唱赞美诗、抱怨一会儿、闲扯一会儿—以一种要人命的漫不经心的态度。还要建圆花窗、滴水嘴，要雇用沙弥和抬棺材的。你可以把马牵进来在教堂走廊上狂奔，你可以把脑袋往墙上撞—它不会倒塌，你可以任意造一种语言去祈祷，也可以在教堂外蜷起身子睡觉。这座教堂至少能支撑一千年，而且不会有复制品，因为建造者和建造方法都已死掉了。我们要印制明信片、组织旅游，我们要在它周围修筑一座城，建立一个自由公社。我们不需要天才—天才都死了，我们需要强壮的劳力，需要乐意放弃灵魂、生长出肉体的精灵……

We are swimming on the face of time and all else has drowned, is drowning, or will drown. It will be enormous, the Book. There will be oceans of space in which to move about, to perambulate, to sing, to dance, to climb, to bathe, to leap somersaults, to whine³, to rape

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1 piecemeal
adj.零碎的；n.片，块；adv.逐渐地；v.弄成碎块
参考例句：
A lack of narrative drive leaves the reader with piecemeal vignettes.叙述缺乏吸引力，读者读到的只是一些支离破碎的片段。 Let's settle the matter at one stroke,not piecemeal.把这事一气儿解决了吧，别零敲碎打了。

2 coup
n.政变；突然而成功的行动
参考例句：
The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。 That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

3 whine
v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣
参考例句：
You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。 The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

4 rape
n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸
参考例句：
The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。 He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

5 confessions
n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔
参考例句：
It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 hymns
n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 )
参考例句：
At first, they played the hymns and marches familiar to them. 起初他们只吹奏自己熟悉的赞美诗和进行曲。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821 I like singing hymns. 我喜欢唱圣歌。 来自辞典例句

7 chattering
n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句：
The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。 I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

8 insouciance
n.漠不关心
参考例句：
He replied with characteristic insouciance:"So what?"他以一贯的漫不经心回答道：“那又怎样？” What explains this apparent insouciance?用什么能够解释这种视而不见呢？

9 gargoyles
n.怪兽状滴水嘴( gargoyle的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Week of Gargoyle: Double growth for Gargoyle and O idia Gargoyles. 石像鬼周：石像鬼产量加倍。 来自互联网 Fixed a problem that caused Gargoyles to become stuck in Stone Form. 修正了石像鬼在石像形态卡住的问题。 来自互联网

10 acolytes
n.助手( acolyte的名词复数 )；随从；新手；（天主教）侍祭
参考例句：
To his acolytes, he is known simply as 'the Boss'. 他被手下人简称为“老板”。 来自辞典例句 Many of the acolytes have been in hiding amongst the populace. 许多寺僧都隐藏在平民当中。 来自互联网

11 gallop
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展
参考例句：
They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。 The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

12 aisles
n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊
参考例句：
Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。 They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

13 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。

14 replica
n.复制品
参考例句：
The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。 The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。

15 tempo
n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度
参考例句：
The boss is unsatisfied with the tardy tempo.老板不满于这种缓慢的进度。 They waltz to the tempo of the music.他们跟着音乐的节奏跳华尔兹舞。

16 scabrous
adj.有疤的，粗糙的
参考例句：
Her face buried itself in his scabrous shirt.她把脸埋在他那粗糙的衬衣里。 Her scabrous novels shocked the public.她的小说淫秽不堪，公众十分震惊。

17 estrangement
n.疏远，失和，不和
参考例句：
a period of estrangement from his wife 他与妻子分居期间 The quarrel led to a complete estrangement between her and her family. 这一争吵使她同家人完全疏远了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 cockroaches
n.蟑螂( cockroach的名词复数 )
参考例句：
At night, the cockroaches filled the house with their rustlings. 夜里，屋里尽是蟑螂窸窸瑟瑟的声音。 来自辞典例句 It loves cockroaches, and can keep a house clear of these hated insects. 它们好食蟑螂，可以使住宅免除这些讨厌昆虫的骚扰。 来自百科语句

19 chasm
n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突
参考例句：
There's a chasm between rich and poor in that society.那社会中存在着贫富差距。 A huge chasm gaped before them.他们面前有个巨大的裂痕。

20 caliber
n.能力；水准
参考例句：
They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。 We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

21 fertilize
v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃
参考例句：
Fertilizer is a substance put on land to fertilize it.肥料是施在地里使之肥沃的物质。 Reading will fertilize his vocabulary.阅读会丰富他的词汇。

22 germinating
n.& adj.发芽（的）v.（使）发芽( germinate的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Glyoxysomes are particularly well known in germinating fatly seeds. 人们已经知道，萌发的含油种子中有乙醛酸循环体。 来自辞典例句 Modern, industrial society, slowly germinating in the shadow of medievalism, burst the bonds of feudalism. 现代工业社会缓慢地在中世纪精神的阴影下孕育成长着，终于挣脱了封建制度的枷锁。 来自辞典例句

23 inflame
v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎
参考例句：
Our lack of response seemed to inflame the colonel.由于我们没有反应,好象惹恼了那个上校。 Chemical agents manufactured by our immune system inflame our cells and tissues,causing our nose to run and our throat to swell.我们的免疫系统产生的化学物质导致我们的细胞和组织发炎，导致我们流鼻水和我们的喉咙膨胀。

24 ego
n.自我，自己，自尊
参考例句：
He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。 She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

25 gathering
n.集会，聚会，聚集
参考例句：
He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。 He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

26 tinkle
vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声
参考例句：
The wine glass dropped to the floor with a tinkle.酒杯丁零一声掉在地上。 Give me a tinkle and let me know what time the show starts.给我打个电话，告诉我演出什么时候开始。

27 bumpers
（汽车上的）保险杠，缓冲器( bumper的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Our bumpers just grazed (ie touched each other) as we passed. 我们错车时保险互相蹭了一下。 Car stickers can be attached to the bumpers or windows. 汽车贴纸可以贴在防撞杆上或车窗上。

28 ordained
v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定
参考例句：
He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

29 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。

30 misery
n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦
参考例句：
Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。 He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

31 revolving
adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想
参考例句：
The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。 The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

32 initiates
v.开始( initiate的第三人称单数 )；传授；发起；接纳新成员
参考例句：
The booklet initiates us into the problems of living abroad. 这本小册子使我们对国外的生活情况有了初步了解。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Everybody initiates and receives messages in some form or other. 每个人都以各种不同的方式发出并接收信息。 来自辞典例句

33 embryo
n.胚胎，萌芽的事物
参考例句：
They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。 The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

34 apotheosis
n.神圣之理想；美化；颂扬
参考例句：
The legend of king arthur represent the apotheosis of chivalry.亚瑟王的传说代表骑士精神的顶峰。 The Oriental in Bangkok is the apotheosis of the grand hotel.曼谷的东方饭店是豪华饭店的典范。

35 symbolic
adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的
参考例句：
It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。 The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

36 manifesto
n.宣言，声明
参考例句：
I was involved in the preparation of Labour's manifesto.我参与了工党宣言的起草工作。 His manifesto promised measures to protect them.他在宣言里保证要为他们采取保护措施。

37 conjugal
adj.婚姻的，婚姻性的
参考例句：
Conjugal visits are banned,so marriages break down.配偶访问是禁止的，罪犯的婚姻也因此破裂。 Conjugal fate is something delicate.缘分，其实是一种微妙的东西。

38 farce
n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹
参考例句：
They played a shameful role in this farce.他们在这场闹剧中扮演了可耻的角色。 The audience roared at the farce.闹剧使观众哄堂大笑。

39 trotting
小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。 Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳，小马开始慢跑起来。

40 subside
vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降
参考例句：
The emotional reaction which results from a serious accident takes time to subside.严重事故所引起的情绪化的反应需要时间来平息。 The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon.围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。

41 ideology
n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识
参考例句：
The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。 The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

42 bloody
adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染
参考例句：
He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。 He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

43 imperative
n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的
参考例句：
He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。 The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

44 plumber
n.(装修水管的)管子工
参考例句：
Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？ The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

45 equilibrium
n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静
参考例句：
Change in the world around us disturbs our inner equilibrium.我们周围世界的变化扰乱了我们内心的平静。 This is best expressed in the form of an equilibrium constant.这最好用平衡常数的形式来表示。

46 oysters
牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )
参考例句：
We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。 She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

47 clams
n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
The restaurant's specialities are fried clams. 这个餐厅的特色菜是炸蚌。 来自《简明英汉词典》 We dug clams in the flats et low tide. 退潮时我们在浅滩挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句