Three hours after meeting with Charlie, Miles pulled into a parking space in front of Grayton Elementary School just as classes were being dismissed. Three school buses were idling and students began drifting toward them, clustering in groups of four or six. Miles saw Jonah at the same time his son saw him. Jonah waved happily and ran toward the car; Miles knew that in a few more years, once adolescence¹ settled in, Jonah wouldn’t do that anymore. Jonah leapt into his open arms and Miles squeezed him tight, enjoying the closeness while he could.  “Hey, champ, how was school?”

Jonah pulled back. “It was fine. How’s work going?”

“It’s better now that I’m done.”

“Did you arrest anyone today?”

Miles shook his head. “Not today. Maybe tomorrow. Listen, do you want to get some ice cream after I finish up here?”

Jonah nodded enthusiastically and Miles put him down. “Fair enough. We’ll do that.” He bent² lower and met his son’s eyes. “Do you think you’ll be okay on the playground while I talk to your teacher? Or do you want to wait inside?” “I’m not a little kid anymore, Dad. Besides, Mark has to stay, too. His mom’s at the doctor’s office.”

Miles looked up and saw Jonah’s best friend waiting impatiently near a basketball hoop³. Miles tucked Jonah’s shirt back in.

“Well, you two stay together, okay? And don’t go wandering, either of you.”

“We won’t.”

“All right, then—but be careful.”

Jonah handed his father his backpack and scrambled⁴ off. Miles tossed it onto the front seat and started through the parking lot, weaving among the cars. A few kids shouted greetings, as did some mothers who drove their kids home from school. Miles stopped and visited with some of them, waiting until the commotion⁵ outside finally began to die down. Once the buses were on their way and most of the cars were gone, the teachers headed back inside. Miles took one last glance in Jonah’s direction before following them into the school.  As soon as he entered the building, he was hit with a blast of hot air. The school was nearly forty years old, and though the cooling system had been replaced more than once over the years, it wasn’t up to the task during the first few weeks of school, when summer was still bearing down hard. Miles could feel himself begin to sweat almost immediately, and he

点击收听单词发音  

1 adolescence
n.青春期，青少年
参考例句：
Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。 The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。

2 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 hoop
n.（篮球）篮圈，篮
参考例句：
The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。 The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

4 scrambled
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞
参考例句：
Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 commotion
n.骚动，动乱
参考例句：
They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。 Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

6 tugged
v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。 A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 cluttered
v.杂物，零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的过去式和过去分词 )；乱糟糟地堆满，把…弄得很乱；（以…） 塞满…
参考例句：
The room is cluttered up with all kinds of things. 零七八碎的东西放满了一屋子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 The desk is cluttered with books and papers. 桌上乱糟糟地堆满了书报。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 pricked
刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛
参考例句：
The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。 He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

10 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。

11 glamorous
adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的
参考例句：
The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。 It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

12 spoke
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

13 briefly
adv.简单地，简短地
参考例句：
I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。 He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

14 flickered
（通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。 These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。

15 inconvenient
adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的
参考例句：
You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。 Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

16 helping
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的
参考例句：
The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。 By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 intimidating
vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)
参考例句：
They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。 This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

18 shuffling
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式
参考例句：
Don't go shuffling along as if you were dead. 别像个死人似地拖着脚走。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹 Some one was shuffling by on the sidewalk. 外面的人行道上有人拖着脚走过。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

19 peeked
v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出
参考例句：
She peeked over the top of her menu. 她从菜单上往外偷看。 来自《简明英汉词典》 On two occasions she had peeked at him through a crack in the wall. 她曾两次透过墙缝窥视他。 来自辞典例句

20 slanting
倾斜的，歪斜的
参考例句：
The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。 The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。

21 trickle
vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散
参考例句：
The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。 The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

22 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

23 pimples
n.丘疹，粉刺，小脓疱( pimple的名词复数 )
参考例句：
It gave me goose pimples just to think about it. 只是想到它我就起鸡皮疙瘩。 His face has now broken out in pimples. 他脸上突然起了丘疹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 folder
n.纸夹，文件夹
参考例句：
Peter returned the plan and charts to their folder.彼得把这份计划和表格放回文件夹中。 He draws the document from its folder.他把文件从硬纸夹里抽出来。

25 aged
adj.年老的，陈年的
参考例句：
He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。 He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

26 illegibly
adv.难读地，暧昧地
参考例句：
Why? Because the project numbers are written illegibly on the folders. 为什么呢？因为项目成员把文件夹的名称写错了。 来自互联网 I do not know where family doctors acquired illegiBly perplexing handwriting. 我不知道家庭医生从哪儿学来的那种看不明白、令人迷惑的书法。 来自互联网

27 scrawled
乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
I tried to read his directions, scrawled on a piece of paper. 我尽量弄明白他草草写在一片纸上的指示。 Tom scrawled on his slate, "Please take it -- I got more." 汤姆在他的写字板上写了几个字：“请你收下吧，我多得是哩。”

28 algebra
n.代数学
参考例句：
He was not good at algebra in middle school.他中学时不擅长代数。 The boy can't figure out the algebra problems.这个男孩做不出这道代数题。

29 horrified
a.(表现出)恐惧的
参考例句：
The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。 We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

30 winked
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮
参考例句：
He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。 He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

31 flirting
v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Don't take her too seriously; she's only flirting with you. 别把她太当真，她只不过是在和你调情罢了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 'she's always flirting with that new fellow Tseng!" “她还同新来厂里那个姓曾的吊膀子！ 来自子夜部分

32 smirk
n.得意地笑；v.傻笑；假笑着说
参考例句：
He made no attempt to conceal his smirk.他毫不掩饰自鸣得意的笑容。 She had a selfsatisfied smirk on her face.她脸上带着自鸣得意的微笑。

33 eyebrows
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。 His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

34 dedicated
adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的
参考例句：
He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。 His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

35 attuned
v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 )；调音
参考例句：
She wasn't yet attuned to her baby's needs. 她还没有熟悉她宝宝的需要。 Women attuned to sensitive men found Vincent Lord attractive. 偏爱敏感男子的女人，觉得文森特·洛德具有魅力。 来自辞典例句

36 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

37 rugged
adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的
参考例句：
Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。 The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

38 musing
n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式
参考例句：
"At Tellson's banking-house at nine," he said, with a musing face. “九点在台尔森银行大厦见面，”他想道。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记 She put the jacket away, and stood by musing a minute. 她把那件上衣放到一边，站着沉思了一会儿。

39 pang
n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷
参考例句：
She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。 She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。

40 chiding
v.责骂，责备( chide的现在分词 )
参考例句：
She was chiding her son for not being more dutiful to her. 她在责骂她儿子对她不够孝尽。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She called back her scattered maidens, chiding their alarm. 她把受惊的少女们召唤回来，对她们的惊惶之状加以指责。 来自辞典例句

41 widower
n.鳏夫
参考例句：
George was a widower with six young children.乔治是个带著六个小孩子的鳏夫。 Having been a widower for many years,he finally decided to marry again.丧偶多年后，他终于决定二婚了。