The cab I had was a real old one that smelled like someone'd just tossed his cookies in it. I always get those vomity kind of cabs if I go anywhere late at night. What made it worse, it was so quiet and lonesome out, even though it was Saturday night. I didn't see hardly anybody on the street. Now and then you just saw a man and a girl crossing a street, with their arms around each other's waists and all, or a bunch of hoodlumy-looking guys and their dates, all of them laughing like hyenas¹ at something you could bet wasn't funny. New York's terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed². I kept wishing I could go home and shoot the bull for a while with old Phoebe. But finally, after I was riding a while, the cab driver and I sort of struck up a conversation. His name was Horwitz. He was a much better guy than the other driver I'd had. Anyway, I thought maybe he might know about the ducks.

"Hey, Horwitz," I said. "You ever pass by the lagoon⁴ in Central Park? Down by Central Park South?"

"The what?"

"The lagoon. That little lake, like, there. Where the ducks are. You know."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, you know the ducks that swim around in it? In the springtime and all? Do you happen to know where they go in the wintertime, by any chance?"

"Where who goes?"

"The ducks. Do you know, by any chance? I mean does somebody come around in a truck or something and take them away, or do they fly away by themselves--go south or something?"

Old Horwitz turned all the way around and looked at me. He was a very impatient-type guy. He wasn't a bad guy, though. "How the hell should I know?" he said. "How the hell should I know a stupid thing like that?"

"Well, don't get sore about it," I said. He was sore about it or something.

"Who's sore? Nobody's sore."

I stopped having a conversation with him, if he was going to get so damn touchy⁵ about it. But he started it up again himself. He turned all the way around again, and said, "The fish don't go no place. They stay right where they are, the fish. Right in the goddam lake."

"The fish--that's different. The fish is different. I'm talking about the ducks," I said.

点击收听单词发音  

1 hyenas
n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 )
参考例句：
These animals were the prey of hyenas. 这些动物是鬣狗的猎物。 来自辞典例句 We detest with horror the duplicity and villainy of the murderous hyenas of Bukharinite wreckers. 我们非常憎恨布哈林那帮两面三刀、杀人破坏，干尽坏事的豺狼。 来自辞典例句

2 depressed
adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的
参考例句：
When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。 His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

3 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。

4 lagoon
n.泻湖，咸水湖
参考例句：
The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。 This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

5 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。

6 touchiest
adj.易动气的( touchy的最高级 )；小心眼的；需要小心对待的；棘手的
参考例句：
This is one of the touchiest subjects. 这是最敏感的话题之一。 来自互联网 Weight This is one of the touchiest subjects. 体重这是最敏感的话题之一。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 spotlight
n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目
参考例句：
This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。 The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

9 stinking
adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透
参考例句：
I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room. 我被推进一间又脏又臭的屋子里。 Those lousy, stinking ships. It was them that destroyed us. 是的！就是那些该死的蠢猪似的臭飞船！是它们毁了我们。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻

10 ripples
逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。 The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

11 tricky
adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的
参考例句：
I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？ He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

12 morons
傻子( moron的名词复数 )； 痴愚者（指心理年龄在8至12岁的成年人）
参考例句：
They're a bunch of morons. 他们是一群蠢货。 They're a load of morons. 他们是一群笨蛋。

13 humble
adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低
参考例句：
In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。 Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

14 snob
n.势利小人，自以为高雅、有学问的人
参考例句：
Going to a private school had made her a snob.上私立学校后，她变得很势利。 If you think that way, you are a snob already.如果你那样想的话，你已经是势利小人了。

15 foul
adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规
参考例句：
Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。 What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

16 bastards
私生子( bastard的名词复数 )； 坏蛋； 讨厌的事物； 麻烦事 （认为别人走运或不幸时说）家伙
参考例句：
Those bastards don't care a damn about the welfare of the factory! 这批狗养的，不顾大局！ 来自子夜部分 Let the first bastards to find out be the goddam Germans. 就让那些混账的德国佬去做最先发现的倒霉鬼吧。 来自演讲部分

17 scotch
n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的
参考例句：
Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。 Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

18 soda
n.苏打水；汽水
参考例句：
She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。 I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

19 pro
n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者
参考例句：
The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。 Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

20 flannel
n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服
参考例句：
She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。 She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子，看上去楚楚动人。

21 ivy
n.常青藤，常春藤
参考例句：
Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。 The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

22 aspirin
n.阿司匹林
参考例句：
The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。 She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

23 poker
n.扑克；vt.烙制
参考例句：
He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。 I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

24 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。

25 aisle
n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道
参考例句：
The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。 The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

26 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。