If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, an what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They're quite touchy¹ about anything like that, especially my father. They're nice and all--I'm not saying that--but they're also touchy as hell. Besides, I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography² or anything. I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy. I mean that's all I told D.B. about, and he's my brother and all. He's in Hollywood. That isn't too far from this crumby place, and he comes over and visits me practically every week end. He's going to drive me home when I go home next month maybe. He just got a Jaguar³. One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles an hour. It cost him damn⁴ near four thousand bucks⁵. He's got a lot of dough⁶, now. He didn't use to. He used to be just a regular writer, when he was home. He wrote this terrific⁷ book of short stories, The Secret Goldfish, in case you never heard of him. The best one in it was "The Secret Goldfish." It was about this little kid that wouldn't let anybody look at his goldfish because he'd bought it with his own money. It killed me. Now he's out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute. If there's one thing I hate, it's the movies. Don't even mention them to me.

Where I want to start telling is the day I left Pencey Prep. Pencey Prep is this school that's in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. You probably heard of it. You've probably seen the ads, anyway. They advertise in about a thousand magazines, always showing some hotshot guy on a horse jumping over a fence. Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was play polo all the time. I never even once saw a horse anywhere near the place. And

点击收听单词发音  

1 touchy
adj.易怒的；棘手的
参考例句：
Be careful what you say because he's touchy.你说话小心，因为他容易生气。 He's a little touchy about his weight.他对自己的体重感到有点儿苦恼。

2 autobiography
n.自传
参考例句：
He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。 His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

3 jaguar
n.美洲虎
参考例句：
He was green with envy when he saw my new Jaguar car.看见我那辆美洲虎牌新车，他非常妒忌。 Should you meet a jaguar in the jungle,just turn slowly,walk away.But slowly,never look back.你在丛林中若碰上美洲虎，就慢慢转身走开，可一定要慢，切莫回头看。

4 damn
int.该死，他妈的；vt.指责，贬斥，诅咒
参考例句：
Damn this useless typewriter!这台破打字机真该死！ I knew damn well what he was going to say.我非常清楚他要说什么。

5 bucks
n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃
参考例句：
They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。 They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 dough
n.生面团；钱，现款
参考例句：
She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。 The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

7 terrific
adj.可怕的，极好的，非常的
参考例句：
The game was terrific.那场比赛棒极了。 Darren drove at a terrific speed.达伦以惊人的速度驾车。

8 underneath
adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面
参考例句：
Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。 She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

9 strictly
adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地
参考例句：
His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。 The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

10 suicide
n.自杀，自毁，自杀性行为
参考例句：
The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。 The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。

11 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。

12 cannon
n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮
参考例句：
The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。 The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

13 yelling
v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The coach stood on the sidelines yelling instructions to the players. 教练站在场外，大声指挥运动员。 He let off steam by yelling at a clerk. 他对一个职员大喊大叫，借以发泄怒气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 giggling
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 )
参考例句：
We just sat there giggling like naughty schoolchildren. 我们只是坐在那儿像调皮的小学生一样的咯咯地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I can't stand her giggling, she's so silly. 她吃吃地笑，叫我真受不了，那样子傻透了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 manure
n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥
参考例句：
The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。 The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

16 foils
n.箔( foil的名词复数 )；陪衬；（击剑运动用的）花剑；（船）翼v.挫败，使受挫折( foil的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Another solution is to have adjustable foils. 另一种办法是装上可调水翼。 来自辞典例句 The absorption of many molecular layers could be reestablished by rinsing the foils with tap water. 多分子层的吸附作用可用自来水淋洗金属箔而重新实现。 来自辞典例句

17 ostracized
v.放逐( ostracize的过去式和过去分词 )；流放；摈弃；排斥
参考例句：
He was ostracized by his colleagues for refusing to support the strike. 他因拒绝支持罢工而受到同事的排斥。 The family were ostracized by the neighborhood. 邻居们都不理睬那一家人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

18 flunking
v.( flunk的现在分词 )；（使）（考试、某学科的成绩等）不及格；评定（某人）不及格；（因不及格而） 退学
参考例句：
Is there some school of the ear I'm flunking out off right now? 我是不是被什么听力学校淘汰了？ 来自电影对白 Twelve freshman footballers were flunking classes and had to leave. 当时有12名高中一年级的美式足球（即橄榄球）队员没有通过考试而不得不离开。 来自互联网

19 rating
n.级别，等级，额定值，责骂，收视率
参考例句：
It is a ship with a rating of 500,000 tons.这是一艘五十万吨级的船。 The opinion polls gave the president a high rating.民意测验显示人民对总统的支持率很高。

20 crooks
n.骗子( crook的名词复数 )；罪犯；弯曲部分；（牧羊人或主教用的）弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
The police are getting after the crooks in the city. 警察在城里追捕小偷。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The cops got the crooks. 警察捉到了那些罪犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 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。

22 smoker
n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室
参考例句：
His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。 He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。

23 terrifically
adv. 非常地，极端地，可怕地
参考例句：
She found the idea terrifically exciting. 她觉得这个想法十分让人振奋。 This football match is terrifically exciting. 这场足球赛真带劲。

24 frozen
adj.冻结的，冰冻的
参考例句：
He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。 The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。