When I arrived at Noah’s house the following morning, my eyebrows¹ rose at the sight of the nursery trucks already parked in the drive. There were three large flatbeds crowded with small trees and bushes, while another was loaded with bales of pine straw to spread atop the flower beds, around the trees, and along the fence line. A truck and trailer held various tools and equipment, and three pickups were packed with flats of low flowering plants.  In front of the trucks, workers congregated² in groups of five or six. A quick count showed that closer to forty people had come—not the thirty that Little had promised—and all were wearing jeans and baseball caps despite the heat. When I got out of the car, Little approached me with a smile.  “Good—you’re here,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “We’ve been waiting for you. We can get started, then, yes?”

Within minutes, mowers and tools were unloaded, and the air was soon filled with the sound of engines rising and falling as they crisscrossed the property. Some of the workers began to unload the plants, bushes, and trees, stacking them into wheelbarrows and rolling them to their appropriate spots.  But it was the rose garden that attracted the most attention, and I followed Little as he grabbed a set of pruning³ shears⁴ and headed that way, joining the dozen workers who were already waiting for him. Beautifying the garden struck me as the type of job where it is impossible even to know where to begin, but Little simply started pruning the first bush while describing what he was doing.  The workers clustered around him, whispering to one another in Spanish as they watched, then finally dispersed⁵ when they understood what he wanted. Hour by hour, the natural colors of the roses were artfully exposed as each bush was thinned and trimmed. Little was adamant⁷ that few blooms be lost, necessitating⁸ quite a bit of

点击收听单词发音  

1 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。

2 congregated
（使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The crowds congregated in the town square to hear the mayor speak. 人群聚集到市镇广场上来听市长讲话。 People quickly congregated round the speaker. 人们迅速围拢在演说者的周围。

3 pruning
n.修枝，剪枝，修剪v.修剪（树木等）( prune的现在分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分
参考例句：
In writing an essay one must do a lot of pruning. 写文章要下一番剪裁的工夫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 A sapling needs pruning, a child discipline. 小树要砍，小孩要管。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 shears
n.大剪刀
参考例句：
These garden shears are lightweight and easy to use.这些园丁剪刀又轻又好用。 With a few quick snips of the shears he pruned the bush.他用大剪刀几下子就把灌木给修剪好了。

5 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。

6 fully
adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地
参考例句：
The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。 They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 adamant
adj.坚硬的，固执的
参考例句：
We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。 Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

8 necessitating
使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Multiple network transmissions overlapping in the physical channel, resulting in garbled data and necessitating retransmission. 多个网络传输重迭发生在同一物理信道上，它导致数据被破坏，因而必须重传。 The health status of 435 consecutive patients with sleep disturbances necessitating polysomnography was investigated. 435个患有睡眠紊乱的病人进行多导睡眠描记法对其健康状况进行调查。

9 twine
v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕
参考例句：
He tied the parcel with twine.他用细绳捆包裹。 Their cardboard boxes were wrapped and tied neatly with waxed twine.他们的纸板盒用蜡线扎得整整齐齐。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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》

13 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。

14 mowed
v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The enemy were mowed down with machine-gun fire. 敌人被机枪的火力扫倒。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 Men mowed the wide lawns and seeded them. 人们割了大片草地的草，然后在上面播种。 来自辞典例句

15 prune
n.酶干；vt.修剪，砍掉，削减；vi.删除
参考例句：
Will you prune away the unnecessary adjectives in the passage?把这段文字中不必要的形容词删去好吗？ It is our job to prune the side branches of these trees.我们的工作就是修剪这些树的侧枝。

16 pruned
v.修剪（树木等）( prune的过去式和过去分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分
参考例句：
Next year's budget will have to be drastically pruned. 下一年度的预算将大幅度削减。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 generator
n.发电机，发生器
参考例句：
All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。 This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

18 outlets
n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店
参考例句：
The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》 They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 overalls
n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣
参考例句：
He is in overalls today.他今天穿的是工作裤。 He changed his overalls for a suit.他脱下工装裤，换上了一套西服。

20 steadily
adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地
参考例句：
The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。 Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

21 plank
n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目
参考例句：
The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。 They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

22 haphazardly
adv.偶然地，随意地，杂乱地
参考例句：
The books were placed haphazardly on the shelf. 书籍乱七八糟地堆放在书架上。 来自《简明英汉词典》 It is foolish to haphazardly adventure. 随便冒险是愚蠢的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

23 detergent
n.洗涤剂；adj.有洗净力的
参考例句：
He recommended a new detergent to me.他向我推荐一种新的洗涤剂。 This detergent can remove stubborn stains.这种去污剂能去除难洗的污渍。

24 mound
n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫
参考例句：
The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。 The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

25 scrap
n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废
参考例句：
A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。 Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

26 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。

27 glistened
v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Pearls of dew glistened on the grass. 草地上珠露晶莹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 Her eyes glistened with tears. 她的眼里闪着泪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

28 pastor
n.牧师，牧人
参考例句：
He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。 We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

29 plight
n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定
参考例句：
The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。 She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

30 exhausted
adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的
参考例句：
It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。 Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

31 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》

32 slung
抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往
参考例句：
He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。 He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

33 ragged
adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的
参考例句：
A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。 Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

34 pampering
v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的现在分词 )
参考例句：
But you need to make an appointment because these people are usually very busy pampering pets. 但是你需要先预约，因为这些人通常都在忙于照顾宠物们。 来自超越目标英语 第2册 He had been pampering, and coaxing, and indulging that individual all his life. 他一生都在姑息、迁就、纵容那家伙。 来自辞典例句

35 acting
n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的
参考例句：
Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。 During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

36 shrug
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句：
With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。 I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。

37 shuffled
v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼
参考例句：
He shuffled across the room to the window. 他拖着脚走到房间那头的窗户跟前。 Simon shuffled awkwardly towards them. 西蒙笨拙地拖着脚朝他们走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

38 promising
adj.有希望的，有前途的
参考例句：
The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。 We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

39 doting
adj.溺爱的，宠爱的
参考例句：
His doting parents bought him his first racing bike at 13.宠爱他的父母在他13岁时就给他买了第一辆竞速自行车。 The doting husband catered to his wife's every wish.这位宠爱妻子的丈夫总是高度满足太太的各项要求。

40 feigning
假装，伪装( feign的现在分词 )； 捏造（借口、理由等）
参考例句：
He survived the massacre by feigning death. 他装死才在大屠杀中死里逃生。 She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。

41 miserable
adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的
参考例句：
It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。 Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

42 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。

43 mighty
adj.强有力的；巨大的
参考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

44 sprout
n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条
参考例句：
When do deer first sprout horns?鹿在多大的时候开始长出角？ It takes about a week for the seeds to sprout.这些种子大约要一周后才会发芽。

45 plow
n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough
参考例句：
At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。 We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

46 melancholy
n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的
参考例句：
All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。 He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

47 daze
v.(使)茫然，(使)发昏
参考例句：
The blow on the head dazed him for a moment.他头上受了一击后就昏眩了片刻。 I like dazing to sit in the cafe by myself on Sunday.星期日爱独坐人少的咖啡室发呆。

48 glide
n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝
参考例句：
We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。 So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

49 hover
vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫
参考例句：
You don't hover round the table.你不要围着桌子走来走去。 A plane is hover on our house.有一架飞机在我们的房子上盘旋。

50 waddled
v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
A family of ducks waddled along the river bank. 一群鸭子沿河岸摇摇摆摆地走。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The stout old man waddled across the road. 那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

51 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。

52 afterward
adv.后来；以后
参考例句：
Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。 Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

53 dense
a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的
参考例句：
The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

54 bellied
adj.有腹的，大肚子的
参考例句：
That big-bellied fellow was very cruel and greedy. 那个大腹便便的家伙既贪婪又残恶。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 The ship's sails bellied in the wind. 船帆在风中鼓得大大的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

55 portended
v.预示( portend的过去式和过去分词 )；预兆；给…以警告；预告
参考例句：
It portended that there was one stone face too many, up at the chateau. 这说明庄园里多出了一张石雕人面。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记 She confusedly realised this reversal of her attitudes, but could not make out what it portended. 她糊里糊涂的意识到自己这种相反的态度，但是不知道它会带来什么。 来自辞典例句

56 dread
vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧
参考例句：
We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。 Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

57 dreaded
adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句：
The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。 He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

58 reassuring
a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的
参考例句：
He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。 With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

59 awesome
adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的
参考例句：
The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。 That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

60 hips
abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的
参考例句：
She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。 They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

61 parental
adj.父母的；父的；母的
参考例句：
He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。 Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

62 withhold
v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡
参考例句：
It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。 I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

63 ripple
n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进
参考例句：
The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。 The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

64 neatly
adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地
参考例句：
Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。 The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

65 propped
支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。 This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。

66 habitual
adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的
参考例句：
He is a habitual criminal.他是一个惯犯。 They are habitual visitors to our house.他们是我家的常客。

67 killing
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。 Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

68 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。

69 unleashed
v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。 The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

70 sniff
vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视
参考例句：
The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。 When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

71 gutters
（路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地
参考例句：
Gutters lead the water into the ditch. 排水沟把水排到这条水沟里。 They were born, they grew up in the gutters. 他们生了下来，以后就在街头长大。

72 exertions
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使
参考例句：
As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句 She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

73 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。

74 indigo
n.靛青，靛蓝
参考例句：
The sky was indigo blue,and a great many stars were shining.天空一片深蓝，闪烁着点点繁星。 He slipped into an indigo tank.他滑落到蓝靛桶中。

75 abruptly
adv.突然地，出其不意地
参考例句：
He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。 I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

76 stunned
adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。 The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

77 truthfulness
n. 符合实际
参考例句：
Among her many virtues are loyalty, courage, and truthfulness. 她有许多的美德，如忠诚、勇敢和诚实。 I fired a hundred questions concerning the truthfulness of his statement. 我对他发言的真实性提出一连串质问。

78 scrutiny
n.详细检查，仔细观察
参考例句：
His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。 Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

79 frankly
adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说
参考例句：
To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。 Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

80 skeptical
adj.怀疑的，多疑的
参考例句：
Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。 Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。