There were a lot of reasons why I went to Hazarajat to find Hassan in 1986. The biggest one, Allah forgive me, was that I was lonely. By then, most of my friends and relatives had either been killed or had escaped the country to Pakistan or Iran. I barely knew anyone in Kabul anymore, the city where I had lived my entire life. Everybody had fled. I would take a walk in the Karteh Parwan section--where the melon vendors¹ used to hang out in the old days, you remember that spot?--and I wouldn't recognize anyone there. No one to greet, no one to sit down with for chai, no one to share stories with, just Roussi soldiers patrolling the streets. So eventually, I stopped going out to the city. I would spend my days in your father's house, up in the study, reading your mother's old books, listening to the news, watching the communist propaganda on television. Then I would pray natnaz, cook something, eat, read some more, pray again, and go to bed. I would rise in the morning, pray, do it all over again.

And with my arthritis³, it was getting harder for me to maintain the house. My knees and back were always aching--I would get up in the morning and it would take me at least an hour to shake the stiffness from my joints⁴, especially in the wintertime. I did not want to let your father's house go to rot; we had all had many good times in that house, so many memories, Amir jan. It was not right--your father had designed that house himself; it had meant so much to him, and besides, I had promised him I would care for it when he and you left for Pakistan. Now it was just me and the house and... I did my best. I tried to water the trees every few days, cut the lawn, tend to the flowers, fix things that needed fixing, but, even then, I was not a young man anymore.

But even so, I might have been able to manage. At least for a while longer. But when news of your father's death reached me... for the first time, I felt a terrible loneliness in that house. An unbearable⁵ emptiness.

So one day, I fueled up the Buick and drove up to Hazarajat. I remembered that, after Ali dismissed himself from the house, your father told me he and Hassan had moved to a small village just outside Bamiyan. Ali had a cousin there as I recalled. I had no idea if Hassan would still be there, if anyone would even know of him or his whereabouts. After all, it had been ten years since Ali and Hassan had left your father's house. Hassan would have been a grown man in 1986, twenty-two, twenty-three years old. If he was even alive, that is--the Shorawi, may they rot in hell for what they did to our watan, killed so many of our young men. I don't have to tell you that.

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1 vendors
n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方
参考例句：
The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。 At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 prop
vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山
参考例句：
A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。 The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

3 arthritis
n.关节炎
参考例句：
Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。 He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

4 joints
接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）
参考例句：
Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。 Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

5 unbearable
adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的
参考例句：
It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。 The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

6 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。

7 scorching
adj. 灼热的
参考例句：
a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳 a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

8 spiny
adj.多刺的，刺状的；n.多刺的东西
参考例句：
This is the Asiatic ornamental shrub with spiny branches and pink blossoms.这就是亚洲的一种观赏灌木，具有多刺的枝和粉红色的花。 Stay away from a spiny cactus.远离多刺仙人掌。

9 glorified
美其名的，变荣耀的
参考例句：
The restaurant was no more than a glorified fast-food cafe. 这地方美其名曰餐馆，其实只不过是个快餐店而已。 The author glorified the life of the peasants. 那个作者赞美了农民的生活。

10 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。

11 parched
adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干
参考例句：
Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。 The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。

12 squatting
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。
参考例句：
They ended up squatting in the empty houses on Oxford Road. 他们落得在牛津路偷住空房的境地。 They've been squatting in an apartment for the past two years. 他们过去两年来一直擅自占用一套公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 dough
n.生面团；钱，现款
参考例句：
She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。 The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

14 spatula
n.抹刀
参考例句：
He scraped the mixture out of the bowl with a plastic spatula.他用塑料铲把盆里的混合料刮了出来。 She levelled the surface of the cake mixtured with a metal spatula.她用金属铲抹平了蛋糕配料。

15 sparse
adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的
参考例句：
The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。 The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。

16 strands
n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 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。

19 adobe
n.泥砖，土坯，美国Adobe公司
参考例句：
They live in an adobe house.他们住在一间土坯屋里。 Adobe bricks must drived dried completely before are used.土坯砖块使用前一定要完全干燥。

20 frayed
adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

21 mattresses
褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。 The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。

22 turnips
芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表
参考例句：
Well, I like turnips, tomatoes, eggplants, cauliflowers, onions and carrots. 噢，我喜欢大萝卜、西红柿、茄子、菜花、洋葱和胡萝卜。 来自魔法英语-口语突破（高中） This is turnip soup, made from real turnips. 这是大头菜汤，用真正的大头菜做的。

23 fixed
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？ Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

24 sobbing
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句：
I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。 Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

25 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。

26 presumptuous
adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的
参考例句：
It would be presumptuous for anybody to offer such a view.任何人提出这种观点都是太放肆了。 It was presumptuous of him to take charge.他自拿主张，太放肆了。

27 ailing
v.生病
参考例句：
They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。 She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

28 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。

29 wailing
v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱
参考例句：
A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。 The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。

30 haven
n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所
参考例句：
It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。 The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

31 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。

32 slashes
n.（用刀等）砍( slash的名词复数 )；（长而窄的）伤口；斜杠；撒尿v.挥砍( slash的第三人称单数 )；鞭打；割破；削减
参考例句：
They report substantial slashes in this year's defense outlays. 他们报道今年度国防经费的大量削减。 来自辞典例句 Inmates suffered injuries ranging from stab wounds and slashes to head trauma. 囚犯们有的被刺伤，有的被砍伤，而有的头部首创，伤势不一而足。 来自互联网

33 grotesque
adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物）
参考例句：
His face has a grotesque appearance.他的面部表情十分怪。 Her account of the incident was a grotesque distortion of the truth.她对这件事的陈述是荒诞地歪曲了事实。

34 plumes
羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物
参考例句：
The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。 The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头，那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。

35 catching
adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住
参考例句：
There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。 Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

36 rustling
n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的
参考例句：
the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声 the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声

37 temperament
n.气质，性格，性情
参考例句：
The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。 Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。

38 scraps
油渣
参考例句：
Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。 A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

39 cemetery
n.坟墓，墓地，坟场
参考例句：
He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。 His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

40 factions
组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源 rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

41 rumble
n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说
参考例句：
I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。 We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。

42 rubble
n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾
参考例句：
After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。 After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

43 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。

44 halfway
adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途
参考例句：
We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。 In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

45 illiterate
adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲
参考例句：
There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。 I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

46 riddles
n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜
参考例句：
Few riddles collected from oral tradition, however, have all six parts. 但是据收集的情况看，口头流传的谜语很少具有这完整的六部分。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗 But first, you'd better see if you can answer riddles. 但是你首先最好想想你会不会猜谜语。 来自辞典例句

47 scattered
adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的
参考例句：
Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

48 trotting
小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。 Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳，小马开始慢跑起来。

49 celebrated
adj.有名的，声誉卓著的
参考例句：
He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。 The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

50 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。