So tell me,” Miles said to Sarah as they left Sarah’s building later that night, “what do you miss most about the big city?”

“Galleries, the museums, concerts. Restaurants that are open past nine o’clock.”

Miles laughed. “But what do you miss the most?”

Sarah looped her arm through his. “I miss the bistros. You know—little cafés where I could sit and sip¹ my tea while I read the Sunday paper. It was enjoyable to be able to do that in the middle of downtown. It was like a little oasis² somehow, because everyone who passed you on the street always looked like they were rushing somewhere.”

They walked in silence for a few moments.

“You know, you can do that here, too,” Miles finally offered.

“Really?”

“Sure. There’s a place like that right over there on Broad Street.”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“Well, it’s not exactly a bistro.”

“What is it, then?”

He shrugged³. “It’s a gas station, but it’s got a nice bench out front, and I’m sure if you brought in your own teabag, they’d be able to scrounge up a cup of hot water for you.”

She giggled⁴. “Sounds enticing⁵.”

As they crossed the street, they fell in behind a group of people who were obviously part of the festivities. Dressed in period clothing, they looked as if they’d just stepped out of the eighteenth century—thick, heavy skirts on the women, black pants and high boots for the men, high collars, wide-brimmed hats.  At the corner they broke into two separate groups, heading in opposite directions. Miles and Sarah followed the smaller group.  “You’ve always lived here, right?” Sarah asked.

“Except for the years I went to college.”

“Didn’t you ever want to move away? To experience something new?”

“Like bistros?”

She nudged him playfully with her elbow. “No, not just that. Cities have a vibrancy

点击收听单词发音  

1 sip
v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量
参考例句：
She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。 Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

2 oasis
n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方
参考例句：
They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。 The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

3 shrugged
vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。 She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 giggled
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。 The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 enticing
adj.迷人的；诱人的
参考例句：
The offer was too enticing to refuse. 这提议太有诱惑力，使人难以拒绝。 Her neck was short but rounded and her arms plump and enticing. 她的脖子短，但浑圆可爱；两臂丰腴，也很动人。

6 rim
n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界
参考例句：
The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。 She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

7 vibrancy
n.活跃；震动
参考例句：
I like the vibrancy of her character.我喜欢她的活泼性格。 Tom felt himself being drawn towards her vibrant personality. 汤姆感觉自己被她充满朝气的个性所吸引。

8 seethe
vi.拥挤，云集；发怒，激动，骚动
参考例句：
Many Indians continue to seethe and some are calling for military action against their riotous neighbour.很多印度人都处于热血沸腾的状态，很多都呼吁针对印度这个恶邻采取军事行动。 She seethed with indignation.她由于愤怒而不能平静。

9 perceptive
adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的
参考例句：
This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。 He is very perceptive and nothing can be hidden from him.他耳聪目明，什么事都很难瞒住他。

10 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》

11 crested
adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点
参考例句：
a great crested grebe 凤头䴙䴘 The stately mansion crested the hill. 庄严的大厦位于山顶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 desperately
adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地
参考例句：
He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。 He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

13 conjure
v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法
参考例句：
I conjure you not to betray me.我恳求你不要背弃我。 I can't simply conjure up the money out of thin air.我是不能像变魔术似的把钱变来。

14 carnival
n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演
参考例句：
I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。 Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

15 shrieks
n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
shrieks of fiendish laughter 恶魔般的尖笑声 For years, from newspapers, broadcasts, the stages and at meetings, we had heard nothing but grandiloquent rhetoric delivered with shouts and shrieks that deafened the ears. 多少年来， 报纸上， 广播里， 舞台上， 会场上的声嘶力竭，装腔做态的高调搞得我们震耳欲聋。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 thumps
n.猪肺病；砰的重击声( thump的名词复数 )v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Normally the heart movements can be felt as distinct systolic and diastolic thumps. 正常时，能够感觉到心脏的运动是性质截然不同的收缩和舒张的撞击。 来自辞典例句 These thumps are replaced by thrills when valvular insufficiencies or stenoses or congenital defects are present. 这些撞击在瓣膜闭锁不全或狭窄，或者有先天性缺损时被震颤所代替。 来自辞典例句

17 cape
n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风
参考例句：
I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。 She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

18 yelped
v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He yelped in pain when the horse stepped on his foot. 马踩了他的脚痛得他喊叫起来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 A hound yelped briefly as a whip cracked. 鞭子一响，猎狗发出一阵嗥叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 instinctively
adv.本能地
参考例句：
As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 dispersed
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的
参考例句：
The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。 After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

21 savoring
v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的现在分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝
参考例句：
Cooking was fine but it was the savoring that he enjoyed most. 烹饪当然很好，但他最享受的是闻到的各种味道。 来自互联网 She sat there for a moment, savoring the smell of the food. 她在那儿坐了一会儿，品尝这些食物的香味。 来自互联网

22 owl
n.猫头鹰，枭
参考例句：
Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。 I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

23 wagon
n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车
参考例句：
We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。 The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

24 pointed
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。 She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

25 devoid
adj.全无的，缺乏的
参考例句：
He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。 The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

26 lining
n.衬里，衬料
参考例句：
The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。 Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

27 eerie
adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的
参考例句：
It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。 I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

28 frail
adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的
参考例句：
Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。 She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

29 brittle
adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的
参考例句：
The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.池塘覆盖了一层易碎的冰。 She gave a brittle laugh.她冷淡地笑了笑。

30 translucent
adj.半透明的；透明的
参考例句：
The building is roofed entirely with translucent corrugated plastic.这座建筑完全用半透明瓦楞塑料封顶。 A small difference between them will render the composite translucent.微小的差别,也会使复合材料变成半透明。

31 flickering
adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的
参考例句：
The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。 The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。

32 glaze
v.因疲倦、疲劳等指眼睛变得呆滞，毫无表情
参考例句：
Brush the glaze over the top and sides of the hot cake.在热蛋糕的顶上和周围刷上一层蛋浆。 Tang three-color glaze horses are famous for their perfect design and realism.唐三彩上釉马以其造型精美和形态生动而著名。

33 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。

34 squinted
斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看
参考例句：
Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。 I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

35 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。

36 peek
vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥
参考例句：
Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。 Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛，别偷看。

37 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。

38 binding
有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的
参考例句：
The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。 Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

39 watchful
adj.注意的，警惕的
参考例句：
The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。 It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

40 sneak
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行
参考例句：
He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。 I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

41 ominous
adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的
参考例句：
Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。 There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

42 tightening
上紧，固定，紧密
参考例句：
Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。 It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

43 rumors
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷
参考例句：
Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

44 contrived
adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的
参考例句：
There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。 The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

45 lighting
n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光
参考例句：
The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。 The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

46 longing
n.（for）渴望
参考例句：
Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。 His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

47 smuggled
水货
参考例句：
The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

48 odds
n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别
参考例句：
The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。 Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

49 enraged
使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤
参考例句：
I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。 The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

50 defiantly
adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地
参考例句：
Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

51 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。

52 courteous
adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的
参考例句：
Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。 He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

53 mischief
n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹
参考例句：
Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。 He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

54 descended
a.为...后裔的，出身于...的
参考例句：
A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。 The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

55 gravel
n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石
参考例句：
We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。 More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

56 gliding
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的
参考例句：
Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。 The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

57 moths
n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

58 tinfoil
n.锡纸，锡箔
参考例句：
You can wrap it up in tinfoil.你可以用锡箔纸裹住它。 Drop by rounded tablespoon onto tinfoil.Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.用大餐勺把刚刚搅拌好的糊糊盛到锡纸上，烘烤9至11分钟，直到变成金黄色。

59 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。

60 makeup
n.组织；性格；化装品
参考例句：
Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。 Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

61 swirled
v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。 The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

62 ascend
vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上
参考例句：
We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。 We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

63 clench
vt.捏紧（拳头等），咬紧（牙齿等），紧紧握住
参考例句：
I clenched the arms of my chair.我死死抓住椅子扶手。 Slowly,he released his breath through clenched teeth.他从紧咬的牙缝间慢慢地舒了口气。

64 siblings
n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )
参考例句：
A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

65 ironic
adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的
参考例句：
That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。 People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

66 exhaled
v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气
参考例句：
He sat back and exhaled deeply. 他仰坐着深深地呼气。 He stamped his feet and exhaled a long, white breath. 跺了跺脚，他吐了口长气，很长很白。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

67 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。

68 cocktail
n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物
参考例句：
We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。 At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

69 counselor
n.顾问，法律顾问
参考例句：
The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。 Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

70 rhythmically
adv.有节奏地
参考例句：
A pigeon strutted along the roof, cooing rhythmically. 一只鸽子沿着屋顶大摇大摆地走，有节奏地咕咕叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Exposures of rhythmically banded protore are common in the workings. 在工作面中常见有韵律条带“原矿石”。 来自辞典例句

71 tingling
v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 )
参考例句：
My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

72 intoxicating
a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的
参考例句：
Power can be intoxicating. 权力能让人得意忘形。 On summer evenings the flowers gave forth an almost intoxicating scent. 夏日的傍晚，鲜花散发出醉人的芳香。

73 retrieved
v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）
参考例句：
Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句

74 ravenous
adj.极饿的，贪婪的
参考例句：
The ravenous children ate everything on the table.饿极了的孩子把桌上所有东西吃掉了。 Most infants have a ravenous appetite.大多数婴儿胃口极好。

75 overcast
adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天
参考例句：
The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。 The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。