SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2013
MORNING
I dreamed last night that I was in the woods, walkingby myself. It was dusk, or dawn, I’m not quite sure,but there was someone else there with me. I couldn’tsee them, I just knew they were there, gaining onme. I didn’t want to be seen, I wanted to run away,but I couldn’t, my limbs¹ were too heavy, and when Itried to cry out I made no sound at all.
When I wake, white light slips through the slats onthe blind. The rain is finally gone, its work done. Theroom is warm; it smells terrible, rank and sour—I’vebarely left it since Thursday. Outside, I can hear thevacuum purr and whine². Cathy is cleaning. She’ll begoing out later; when she does I can venture out.
I’m not sure what I will do, I can’t seem to rightmyself. One more day of drinking, perhaps, and thenI’ll get myself straight tomorrow.
My phone buzzes briefly³, telling me its battery isdying. I pick it up to plug it into the charger and Inotice that I have two missed calls from last night. Idial into voice mail. I have one message.
“Rachel, hi. It’s Mum. Listen, I’m coming down toLondon tomorrow. Saturday. I’ve got a spot ofshopping to do. Could we meet up for a coffee orsomething? Darling, it’s not a good time for you tocome and stay now. There’s?.?.?. well, I’ve got a newfriend, and you know how it is in the early stages.”
She titters. “Anyway, I’m very happy to give you aloan to tide you over for a couple of weeks. We’lltalk about it tomorrow. OK, darling. Bye.”
I’m going to have to be straight with her, tell herexactly how bad things are. That is not aconversation I want to have stone-cold sober⁴. I haulmyself out of bed: I can go down to the shops nowand just have a couple of glasses before I go out.
Take the edge off. I look at my phone again, checkthe missed calls. Only one is from my mother—theother is from Scott. A message left at quarter to onein the morning. I sit there, with the phone in myhand, debating whether to call him back. Not now,too early. Perhaps later? After one glass, though, nottwo.
I plug the phone in to charge, pull the blind up andopen the window, then go to the bathroom and runa cold shower. I scrub

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1 limbs
肢( limb的名词复数 )； 大树枝； 肢体
参考例句：
For a while, she lost the use of her limbs. 好一会儿她四肢都动弹不得。 The prisoner's limbs flailed violently because of the pain. 那囚犯因为疼痛，四肢剧烈地抖动着。

2 whine
v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣
参考例句：
You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。 The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。

3 briefly
adv.简单地，简短地
参考例句：
I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。 He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 sober
adj.清醒的，沉着冷静的，稳重的，颜色暗淡的；vt.使清醒，使沉着；vi.清醒，冷静下来
参考例句：
He talked to us in a sober friendly fashion.他以冷静而又友好的方式同我们交谈。 The man was still sober when he went home.那人回到家时头脑依然清醒。

5 scrub
n.用力擦洗，矮树，渺小之物；v.用力擦洗
参考例句：
I got paint on my hands and it won't scrub off.我手上沾上了油漆，擦不掉。 The great plain was covered in scrub and small lifeless trees.浩瀚的平原覆盖着灌木和毫无生气的矮小树林。

6 blond
adj.金发的；n.白肤碧眼金发的人
参考例句：
Her long blond hair spilled down over her shoulders.她那淡黄色的长发披垂在双肩。 This blond man delivers newspaper every morning.这个白肤金发碧眼的男人每天早晨送报纸。

7 identification
n.视为同一，证明同一，确认
参考例句：
He's made a formal identification of the body.他正式确认了死者身份。 We should have identification card on the person when we go out.我们外出时应随身携带身份证。

8 terrace
n.平台，阳台，梯田；vt.使成梯田，给...建阳台
参考例句：
The dining-room opens onto a paved terrace.餐厅通往一个铺砌的露台。 She was waiting for him at the cafe terrace.她在咖啡馆露台上等他。

9 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。

10 graze
v.(牲畜)吃草；放牧；擦过(牲畜)；n.擦伤
参考例句：
There is good grassland here for your cattle and horses to graze on.这里有很好的草地供你们放牧牛马。 Nothing serious.Just a graze.没关系，就破了一点皮。

11 weird
adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的
参考例句：
From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。 His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

12 stuns
v.击晕( stun的第三人称单数 )；使大吃一惊；给（某人）以深刻印象；使深深感动
参考例句：
But sometimes, a moment stuns us as it happens. 但总有那么一个瞬间让我们惊喜。 来自互联网 Shield Stun: Stuns the top of the aggro chart, 3s stun. 盾牌昏迷：最大眩晕，3秒钟晕眩。 来自互联网

13 shrugs
n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany shrugs off this criticism. 匈牙利总理久尔恰尼对这个批评不以为然。 来自互联网 She shrugs expressively and takes a sip of her latte. 她表达地耸肩而且拿她的拿铁的啜饮。 来自互联网

14 racing
n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的
参考例句：
I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。 The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

15 scramble
v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料
参考例句：
He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。 It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

16 jolts
（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的名词复数 )
参考例句：
He found that out when he got a few terrific jolts, but he wouldn't give up. 被狠狠地撞回来几次后，他发觉了这一点，但他决不因此罢休。 Some power bars are loaded with carbohydrates or caffeine for quick jolts. 有些能量条中包含大量的碳水化合物和咖啡因，以达到快速提神的效果。

17 confusion
n.困惑，迷乱，混淆，混乱，骚乱
参考例句：
His answers to my questions have only added to my confusion.他对我的问题的回答只是使我更加困惑不解。 His unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion.他的突然来访使我们完全不知所措。

18 sockets
n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴
参考例句：
All new PCs now have USB sockets. 新的个人计算机现在都有通用串行总线插孔。 Make sure the sockets in your house are fingerproof. 确保你房中的插座是防触电的。 来自超越目标英语 第4册

19 throbbing
a. 跳动的,悸动的
参考例句：
My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动，身子在不住颤抖。 There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。