The First Miracle
Matilda sat down again at her desk. The Trunchbull seated herself behind the teacher's table. It
was the first time she had sat down during the lesson. Then she reached out a hand and took hold
of her water-jug¹. Still holding the jug by the handle but not lifting it yet, she said, "I have never
been able to understand why small children are so disgusting. They are the bane of my life. They
are like insects. They should be got rid of as early as possible. We get rid of flies with fly-spray
and by hanging up fly-paper. I have often thought of inventing a spray for getting rid of small
children. How splendid it would be to walk into this classroom with a gigantic spray-gun in my
hands and start pumping it. Or better still, some huge strips of sticky paper. I would hang them all
round the school and you'd all get stuck to them and that would be the end of it. Wouldn't that be a
good idea, Miss Honey?"
"If it's meant to be a joke, Headmistress, I don't think it's a very funny one," Miss Honey said from
the back of the class.
"You wouldn't, would you, Miss Honey," the Trunchbull said. "And it's not meant to be a joke.
My idea of a perfect school, Miss Honey, is one that has no children in it at all. One of these days I
shall start up a school like that. I think it will be very successful."
The woman's mad, Miss Honey was telling herself. She's round the twist. She's the one who ought
to be got rid of.
The Trunchbull now lifted the large blue porcelain² water-jug and poured some water into her
glass. And suddenly, with the water, out came the long slimy newt straight into the glass, plop!
The Trunchbull let out a yell and leapt off her chair as though a firecracker had gone off
underneath³ her. And now the children also saw the long thin slimy yellow-bellied lizard-like
creature twisting and turning in the glass, and they squirmed and jumped about as well, shouting,
"What is it? Oh, it's disgusting! It's a snake! It's a baby crocodile! It's an alligator⁴!"
"Look out, Miss Trunchbull!" cried Lavender. "I'll bet it bites!"
The Trunchbull, this mighty

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1 jug
n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂
参考例句：
He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。 She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

2 porcelain
n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的
参考例句：
These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。 The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

3 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。

4 alligator
n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)
参考例句：
She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。 Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。

5 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。

6 wriggling
v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕
参考例句：
The baby was wriggling around on my lap. 婴儿在我大腿上扭来扭去。 Something that looks like a gray snake is wriggling out. 有一种看来象是灰蛇的东西蠕动着出来了。 来自辞典例句

7 curiously
adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地
参考例句：
He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。 He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

8 hatred
n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨
参考例句：
He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。 The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

9 cockroach
n.蟑螂
参考例句：
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head off.蟑螂在头被切掉后仍能活好几个星期。 She screamed when she found a cockroach in her bed.她在床上找到一只蟑螂时大声尖叫。

10 filthy
adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的
参考例句：
The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。 You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

11 vile
adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的
参考例句：
Who could have carried out such a vile attack?会是谁发起这么卑鄙的攻击呢？ Her talk was full of vile curses.她的话里充满着恶毒的咒骂。

12 repulsive
adj.排斥的，使人反感的
参考例句：
She found the idea deeply repulsive.她发现这个想法很恶心。 The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous.核子内部的斥力是巨大的。

13 malicious
adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的
参考例句：
You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。 Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

14 brute
n.野兽，兽性
参考例句：
The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。 That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

15 delinquent
adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者
参考例句：
Most delinquent children have deprived backgrounds.多数少年犯都有未受教育的背景。 He is delinquent in paying his rent.他拖欠房租。

16 flecks
n.斑点，小点( fleck的名词复数 )；癍
参考例句：
His hair was dark, with flecks of grey. 他的黑发间有缕缕银丝。 I got a few flecks of paint on the window when I was painting the frames. 我在漆窗框时，在窗户上洒了几点油漆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 gathering
n.集会，聚会，聚集
参考例句：
He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。 He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

18 ranting
v.夸夸其谈( rant的现在分词 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨
参考例句：
Mrs. Sakagawa stopped her ranting. 坂川太太戛然中断悲声。 来自辞典例句 He was ranting about the murder of his dad. 他大叫她就是杀死他父亲的凶手。 来自电影对白

19 maniac
n.精神癫狂的人；疯子
参考例句：
Be careful!That man is driving like a maniac!注意！那个人开车像个疯子一样！ You were acting like a maniac,and you threatened her with a bomb!你像一个疯子，你用炸弹恐吓她！

20 buckle
n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲
参考例句：
The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。 She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。

21 unbearably
adv.不能忍受地，无法容忍地；慌
参考例句：
It was unbearably hot in the car. 汽车里热得难以忍受。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She found it unbearably painful to speak. 她发现开口说话痛苦得令人难以承受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 fascination
n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋
参考例句：
He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。 His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

23 riveted
铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意
参考例句：
I was absolutely riveted by her story. 我完全被她的故事吸引住了。 My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes. 我的注意力被灌木丛中的轻微晃动吸引住了。

24 peculiar
adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的
参考例句：
He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。 He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

25 brewing
n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式
参考例句：
It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。 She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

26 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。

27 tilted
v. 倾斜的
参考例句：
Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。 She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

28 backwards
adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地
参考例句：
He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。 All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

29 tinkle
vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声
参考例句：
The wine glass dropped to the floor with a tinkle.酒杯丁零一声掉在地上。 Give me a tinkle and let me know what time the show starts.给我打个电话，告诉我演出什么时候开始。

30 bosom
n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的
参考例句：
She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。 A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

31 rattled
慌乱的，恼火的
参考例句：
The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。 Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

32 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。

33 bellowed
v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫
参考例句：
They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。 He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

34 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。

35 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。

36 serenity
n.宁静，沉着，晴朗
参考例句：
Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。 She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

37 sweeping
adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的
参考例句：
The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。 Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

38 clotted
adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
scones and jam with clotted cream 夹有凝脂奶油和果酱的烤饼 Perspiration clotted his hair. 汗水使他的头发粘在一起。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

39 vouch
v.担保；断定；n.被担保者
参考例句：
They asked whether I was prepared to vouch for him.他们问我是否愿意为他作担保。 I can vouch for the fact that he is a good worker.我保证他是好员工。

40 flinching
v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的现在分词 )
参考例句：
He listened to the jeers of the crowd without flinching. 他毫不畏惧地听着群众的嘲笑。 来自辞典例句 Without flinching he dashed into the burning house to save the children. 他毫不畏缩地冲进在燃烧的房屋中去救小孩。 来自辞典例句

41 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。