AFTER A FEW HOURS the road began to be rough, and the walking grew so difficult that the Scarecrow often stumbled¹ over the yellow bricks, which were here very uneven². Sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether, leaving holes that Toto jumped across and Dorothy walked around. As for the Scarecrow, having no brains, he walked straight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the hard bricks. It never hurt him, however, and Dorothy would pick him up and set him upon his feet again, while he joined her in laughing merrily at his own mishap³.

　The farms were not nearly so well cared for here as they were farther back. There were fewer houses and fewer fruit trees, and the farther they went the more dismal⁴ and lonesome the country became.

　At noon they sat down by the roadside, near a little brook⁵, and Dorothy opened her basket and got out sooffered a piece to the Scarecrow, but he refused.

　"I am never hungry," he said, "and it is a lucky thing I am not, for my mouth is only painted, and if I should cut a hole in it so I could eat, the straw I am stuffed with would come out, and that would spoil the shape of my head."

　Dorothy saw at once that this was true, so she only nodded and went on eating her bread.

　"Tell me something about yourself and the country you came from," said the Scarecrow, when she had finished her dinner. So she told him all about Kansas, and how gray everything was there, and how the cyclone⁶ had carried her to this queer⁷ Land of Oz.

　The Scarecrow listened carefully, and said, "I cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray place you call Kansas."

　"That is because you have no brains" answered the girl.

　"No matter how dreary⁸ and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than inme bread. She offered a piece to the Scarecrow, but he refused.

点击收听单词发音  

1 stumbled
v.（不顺畅地）说( stumble的过去式和过去分词 )；跌跌撞撞地走；绊脚；（说话、演奏等）出错
参考例句：
I stumbled and sprained my ankle. 我摔了一跤，把脚脖子扭了。 The child stumbled and fell. 孩子绊了一下，摔倒了。

2 uneven
adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的
参考例句：
The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。 The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

3 mishap
n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸
参考例句：
I'm afraid your son had a slight mishap in the playground.不好了，你儿子在操场上出了点小意外。 We reached home without mishap.我们平安地回到了家。

4 dismal
adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的
参考例句：
That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。 My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

5 brook
n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让
参考例句：
In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。 The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

6 cyclone
n.旋风，龙卷风
参考例句：
An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。 The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

7 queer
adj.奇怪的，异常的，不舒服的，眩晕的
参考例句：
I heard some queer footsteps.我听到某种可疑的脚步声。 She has been queer lately.她最近身体不舒服。

8 dreary
adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的
参考例句：
They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。 She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

9 deserted
adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的
参考例句：
The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。 The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

10 hopped
跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花
参考例句：
He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。 He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

11 flock
n.羊群，一群，大量；vi.群集，聚集，成群
参考例句：
A flock of customers were waiting for the store to open.一群顾客在等候着商店开门。 A few sheep have been lost from the flock.羊群里少了几只羊。

12 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。

13 stumbling
adj.摇摇晃晃或跌跌撞撞的v.（不顺畅地）说( stumble的现在分词 )；跌跌撞撞地走；绊脚；（说话、演奏等）出错
参考例句：
The question of disarmament proved a major stumbling block to agreement. 结果证明裁军问题是达成协议的主要障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》 His stumbling attempts at colloquial Russian amused her. 他结结巴巴地学说俄语，把她逗乐了。 来自辞典例句