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Chapter 32.
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Laila remembered a gathering1 once, years before at thehouse, on one of Mammy's good days. The women had beensitting in the garden, eating from a platter of fresh mulberriesthat Wajma had picked from the tree in her yard. The plumpmulberries had been white and pink, and some the same darkpurple as the bursts of tiny veins2 on Wajma's nose.
"You heard how his son died?" Wajma had said, energeticallyshoveling another handful of mulberries into her sunken mouth.
"He drowned, didn't he?" Nila, Giti's mother, said. "AtGhargha Lake, wasn't it?""But did you know, did you know that Rasheed…" Wajmaraised a finger, made a show of nodding and chewing andmaking them wait for her to swallow. "Did you know that heused to drinksharab back then, that he was crying drunk thatday? It's true. Crying drunk, is what I heard. And that wasmidmorning. By noon, he had passed out on a lounge chair.
You could have fired the noon cannon4 next to his ear and hewouldn't have batted an eyelash."Laila remembered how Wajma had covered her mouth,burped; how her tongue had gone exploring between her fewremaining teeth.
"You can imagine the rest. The boy went into the waterunnoticed. They spotted5 him a while later, floating facedown.
People rushed to help, half trying to wake up the boy, theother half the father. Someone bent6 over the boy, did the…themouth-to-mouth thing you're supposed to do. It was pointless.
They could all see that. The boy was gone."Laila remembered Wajma raising a finger and her voicequivering with piety7. "This is why the Holy Koran forbidssharab.
Because it always falls on the sober to pay for the sins of thedrunk. So it does."It was this story that was circling in Laila's head after shegave Rasheed the news about the baby. He had immediatelyhopped on his bicycle, ridden to a mosque8, and prayed for aboy.
That night, all during the meal, Laila watched Mariam push acube of meat around her plate. Laila was there when Rasheedsprang the news on Mariam in a high, dramatic voice-Laila hadnever before witnessed such cheerful cruelty. Mariam's lashesfluttered when she heard. A flush spread across her face. Shesat sulking, looking
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gathering
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n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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veins
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n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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hem
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n.贴边,镶边;vt.缝贴边;(in)包围,限制 | |
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cannon
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n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮 | |
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spotted
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adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 | |
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bent
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n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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piety
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n.虔诚,虔敬 | |
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mosque
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n.清真寺 | |
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desolate
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adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;v.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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crumbs
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int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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tactic
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n.战略,策略;adj.战术的,有策略的 | |
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flakes
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小薄片( flake的名词复数 ); (尤指)碎片; 雪花; 古怪的人 | |
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streaking
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n.裸奔(指在公共场所裸体飞跑)v.快速移动( streak的现在分词 );使布满条纹 | |
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soviets
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苏维埃(Soviet的复数形式) | |
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collapsed
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adj.倒塌的 | |
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longingly
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adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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riddles
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n.谜(语)( riddle的名词复数 );猜不透的难题,难解之谜 | |
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treacherous
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adj.不可靠的,有暗藏的危险的;adj.背叛的,背信弃义的 | |
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sweeping
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adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 | |
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hovering
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鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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squatting
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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。 | |
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rim
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n.(圆物的)边,轮缘;边界 | |
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wringing
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淋湿的,湿透的 | |
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shipwreck
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n.船舶失事,海难 | |
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survivor
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n.生存者,残存者,幸存者 | |
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ambled
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v.(马)缓行( amble的过去式和过去分词 );从容地走,漫步 | |
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hostility
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n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争 | |
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anonymity
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n.the condition of being anonymous | |
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aspirations
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强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音 | |
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scraps
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油渣 | |
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belly
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n.肚子,腹部;(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分,膛 | |
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distended
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v.(使)膨胀,肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tortuous
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adj.弯弯曲曲的,蜿蜒的 | |
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swelling
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n.肿胀 | |
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accusation
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n.控告,指责,谴责 | |
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swollen
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adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀 | |
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spatulas
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n.(搅拌或涂敷用的)铲,漆工抹刀( spatula的名词复数 );压舌板 | |
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brink
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n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿 | |
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clenched
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v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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aggravate
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vt.加重(剧),使恶化;激怒,使恼火 | |
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miserable
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adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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flinched
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v.(因危险和痛苦)退缩,畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hurled
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v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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intensity
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n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度 | |
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上一章:
Chapter 31.
下一章:
Chapter 33.
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