SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2013
EVENING
I can hear something, a hissing¹ sound. There’s aflash of light and I realize it’s the rain, pouring down.
It’s dark outside, there’s a storm. Lightning. I don’tremember when it got dark. The pain in my headbrings me back to myself, my heart crawls into mythroat. I’m on the floor. In the kitchen. With difficulty,I manage to lift my head and raise myself onto oneelbow. He’s sitting at the kitchen table, looking out atthe storm, a beer bottle between his hands.
“What am I going to do, Rach?” he asks when hesees me raise my head. “I’ve been sitting here for?.?.?.
almost half an hour now, just asking myself thatquestion. What am I supposed to do with you? Whatchoice are you giving me?” He takes a long draughtof beer and regards me thoughtfully. I pull myself upto a sitting position, my back to the kitchencupboards. My head swims, my mouth floods withsaliva. I feel as though I’m going to throw up. I bitemy lip and dig my fingernails into my palms. I needto bring myself out of this stupor², I can’t afford tobe weak. I can’t rely on anyone else. I know that.
Anna isn’t going to call the police. She isn’t going torisk her daughter’s safety for me.
“You have to admit it,” Tom is saying. “You’vebrought this upon yourself. Think about it: if you’djust left us alone, you’d never be in this situation. Iwouldn’t be in this situation. None of us would. Ifyou hadn’t been there that night, if Anna hadn’tcome running back here after she saw you at thestation, then I’d probably have just been able to sortthings out with Megan. I wouldn’t have been so?.?.?.
riled up. I wouldn’t have lost my temper. I wouldn’thave hurt her. None of this would have happened.”
I can feel a sob³ building in the back of my throat,but I swallow it down. This is what he does—this iswhat he always does. He’s a master at it, making mefeel as though everything is my fault, making me feelworthless.
He finishes his beer and rolls the empty bottleacross the table. With a sad shake of his head, hegets to his feet, comes over to me and holds out hishands. “Come on,” he says. “Grab hold. Come on,Rach, up you come.”
I let him pull me to my feet. My back is to thekitchen counter, he is standing

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1 hissing
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式
参考例句：
The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。 His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

2 stupor
v.昏迷；不省人事
参考例句：
As the whisky took effect, he gradually fell into a drunken stupor.随着威士忌酒力发作，他逐渐醉得不省人事。 The noise of someone banging at the door roused her from her stupor.梆梆的敲门声把她从昏迷中唤醒了。

3 sob
n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣
参考例句：
The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。 The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

4 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。

5 hips
abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的
参考例句：
She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。 They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 sneer
v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语
参考例句：
He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。 You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

7 cringing
adj.谄媚，奉承
参考例句：
He had a cringing manner but a very harsh voice.他有卑屈谄媚的神情，但是声音却十分粗沙。 She stepped towards him with a movement that was horribly cringing.她冲他走了一步，做出一个低三下四，令人作呕的动作。

8 tilt
v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜
参考例句：
She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。 The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

9 skull
n.头骨；颅骨
参考例句：
The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。 He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

10 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。

11 vibrations
n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动
参考例句：
We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。 I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

13 drenched
adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）
参考例句：
We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。 The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 literally
adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实
参考例句：
He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。 Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

15 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。

16 defensive
adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的
参考例句：
Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。 The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

17 savings
n.存款，储蓄
参考例句：
I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。 By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

18 controversy
n.争论，辩论，争吵
参考例句：
That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。 We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

19 graveyard
n.坟场
参考例句：
All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。 Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

20 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。

21 chapel
n.小教堂，殡仪馆
参考例句：
The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。 She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

22 cosy
adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的
参考例句：
We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。 It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。

23 bloody
adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染
参考例句：
He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。 He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

24 jack
n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克
参考例句：
I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。 He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

25 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。

26 jaw
n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训
参考例句：
He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。 A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

27 chattering
n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句：
The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。 I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

28 shingle
n.木瓦板；小招牌(尤指医生或律师挂的营业招牌)；v.用木瓦板盖（屋顶）；把（女子头发）剪短
参考例句：
He scraped away the dirt,and exposed a pine shingle.他刨去泥土，下面露出一块松木瓦块。 He hung out his grandfather's shingle.他挂出了祖父的行医招牌。

29 sinister
adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的
参考例句：
There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。 Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。