Kemp read a strange missive, written in pencil on a greasy¹ sheet of paper.

"You have been amazingly energetic and clever," this letter ran, "though what you stand to gain by it I cannot imagine. You are against me. For a whole day you have chased me; you have tried to rob me of a night's rest. But I have had food in spite of you, I have slept in spite of you, and the game is only beginning. The game is only beginning. There is nothing for it, but to start the Terror. This announces the first day of the Terror. Port Burdock is no longer under the Queen, tell your Colonel of Police, and the rest of them; it is under me--the Terror! This is day one of year one of the new epoch²--the Epoch of the Invisible Man. I am Invisible Man the First. To begin with the rule will be easy. The first day there will be one execution for the sake of example--a man named Kemp. Death starts for him to-day. He may lock himself away, hide himself away, get guards about him, put on armour³ if he likes--Death, the unseen Death, is coming. Let him take precautions; it will impress my people. Death starts from the pillar box by midday. The letter will fall in as the postman comes along, then off! The game begins. Death starts. Help him not, my people, lest Death fall upon you also. To-day Kemp is to die."

Kemp read this letter twice, "It's no hoax," he said. "That's his voice! And he means it."

He turned the folded sheet over and saw on the addressed side of it the postmark Hintondean, and the prosaic⁴ detail "2d. to pay."

He got up slowly, leaving his lunch unfinished--the letter had come by the one o'clock post--and went into his study. He rang for his housekeeper⁵, and told her to go round the house at once, examine all the fastenings of the windows, and close all the shutters⁶. He closed the shutters of his study himself. From a locked drawer in his bedroom he took a little revolver, examined it carefully, and put it into the pocket of his lounge jacket. He wrote a number of brief notes, one to Colonel Adye, gave them to his servant to take, with

点击收听单词发音  

1 greasy
adj. 多脂的，油脂的
参考例句：
He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。 You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

2 epoch
n.(新)时代；历元
参考例句：
The epoch of revolution creates great figures.革命时代造就伟大的人物。 We're at the end of the historical epoch,and at the dawn of another.我们正处在一个历史时代的末期，另一个历史时代的开端。

3 armour
（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队
参考例句：
His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。 Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。

4 prosaic
adj.单调的，无趣的
参考例句：
The truth is more prosaic.真相更加乏味。 It was a prosaic description of the scene.这是对场景没有想象力的一个描述。

5 housekeeper
n.管理家务的主妇，女管家
参考例句：
A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。 She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

6 shutters
百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门
参考例句：
The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。 The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

7 explicit
adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的
参考例句：
She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。 He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

8 meditative
adj.沉思的，冥想的
参考例句：
A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌，智者思虑。 Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。

9 vengeance
n.报复，报仇，复仇
参考例句：
He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。 For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

10 resounding
adj. 响亮的
参考例句：
The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。 He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

11 doorway
n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径
参考例句：
They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。 Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

12 contemplating
深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想
参考例句：
You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。 She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

13 wreckage
n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏
参考例句：
They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。 New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

14 collapsed
adj.倒塌的
参考例句：
Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。 The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

15 lapse
n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效
参考例句：
The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。 I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

16 whack
v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份
参考例句：
After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。 He gave me a whack on the back to wake me up.他为把我弄醒，在我背上猛拍一下。

17 perplexed
adj.不知所措的
参考例句：
The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。 The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

18 momentary
adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的
参考例句：
We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。 I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

19 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。

20 staples
n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句 I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

21 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。

22 tightened
收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧
参考例句：
The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。 His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

23 hoarsely
adv.嘶哑地
参考例句：
"Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。 Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

24 sprawling
adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）
参考例句：
He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。 a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

25 wrested
（用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去…
参考例句：
The usurper wrested the power from the king. 篡位者从国王手里夺取了权力。 But now it was all wrested from him. 可是现在，他却被剥夺了这一切。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

26 sullenly
不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地
参考例句：
'so what?" Tom said sullenly. “那又怎么样呢？”汤姆绷着脸说。 Emptiness after the paper, I sIt'sullenly in front of the stove. 报看完，想不出能找点什么事做，只好一人坐在火炉旁生气。

27 crouching
v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 )
参考例句：
a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影 A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

28 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。

29 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。

30 puff
n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气
参考例句：
He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。 They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

31 writhed
（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He writhed at the memory, revolted with himself for that temporary weakness. 他一想起来就痛悔不已，只恨自己当一时糊涂。 The insect, writhed, and lay prostrate again. 昆虫折腾了几下，重又直挺挺地倒了下去。

32 villas
别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅
参考例句：
Magnificent villas are found throughout Italy. 在意大利到处可看到豪华的别墅。 Rich men came down from wealthy Rome to build sea-side villas. 有钱人从富有的罗马来到这儿建造海滨别墅。

33 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

34 apparently
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。 He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

35 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。

36 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。

37 antagonist
n.敌人，对抗者，对手
参考例句：
His antagonist in the debate was quicker than he.在辩论中他的对手比他反应快。 The thing is to know the nature of your antagonist.要紧的是要了解你的对手的特性。

38 resounded
v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音
参考例句：
Laughter resounded through the house. 笑声在屋里回荡。 The echo resounded back to us. 回声传回到我们的耳中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 axe
n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减
参考例句：
Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。 The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

40 descending
n. 下行 adj. 下降的
参考例句：
The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。 The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

41 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？

42 dodged
v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避
参考例句：
He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时，他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

43 shuddered
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动
参考例句：
He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

44 wasp
n.黄蜂，蚂蜂
参考例句：
A wasp stung me on the arm.黄蜂蜇了我的手臂。 Through the glass we can see the wasp.透过玻璃我们可以看到黄蜂。

45 rattling
adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词
参考例句：
This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。 At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

46 receded
v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题
参考例句：
The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。 The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

47 crumpled
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。 She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

48 exclamation
n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词
参考例句：
He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。 The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

49 vacancy
n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺
参考例句：
Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。 The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

50 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。

51 terse
adj.(说话，文笔)精炼的，简明的
参考例句：
Her reply about the matter was terse.她对此事的答复简明扼要。 The president issued a terse statement denying the charges.总统发表了一份简短的声明，否认那些指控。