Sophie's SmartCar tore through the diplomatic quarter, weaving past embassies and consulates,finally racing¹ out a side street and taking a right turn back onto the massive thoroughfare ofChamps-Elysées.

　　Langdon sat white-knuckled in the passenger seat, twisted backward, scanning behind them for anysigns of the police. He suddenly wished he had not decided² to run. You didn't, he reminded himself.

　　Sophie had made the decision for him when she threw the GPS dot out the bathroom window.

　　Now, as they sped away from the embassy, serpentining³ through sparse⁴ traffic on Champs-Elysées,Langdon felt his options deteriorating⁵. Although Sophie seemed to have lost the police, at least forthe moment, Langdon doubted their luck would hold for long.

　　Behind the wheel Sophie was fishing in her sweater pocket. She removed a small metal object andheld it out for him. "Robert, you'd better have a look at this. This is what my grandfather left mebehind Madonna of the Rocks."Feeling a shiver of anticipation⁶, Langdon took the object and examined it. It was heavy and shapedlike a cruciform. His first instinct was that he was holding a funeral pieu—a miniature version of amemorial spike⁷ designed to be stuck into the ground at a gravesite. But then he noted⁸ the shaftprotruding from the cruciform was prismatic and triangular¹⁰. The shaft⁹ was also pockmarked withhundreds of tiny hexagons that appeared to be finely tooled and scattered

点击收听单词发音  

1 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。

2 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。

3 serpentining
v.像蛇般蜷曲的，蜿蜒的( serpentine的现在分词 )
参考例句：

4 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。

5 deteriorating
恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。 I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

6 anticipation
n.预期，预料，期望
参考例句：
We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。 The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

7 spike
n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效
参考例句：
The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。 They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

8 noted
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。 Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 shaft
n.(工具的)柄，杆状物
参考例句：
He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。 This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。

10 triangular
adj.三角（形）的，三者间的
参考例句：
It's more or less triangular plot of land.这块地略成三角形。 One particular triangular relationship became the model of Simone's first novel.一段特殊的三角关系成了西蒙娜第一本小说的原型。

11 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。

12 random
adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动
参考例句：
The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。 On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

13 intersection
n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集
参考例句：
There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。 Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

14 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。

15 riveted
铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意
参考例句：
I was absolutely riveted by her story. 我完全被她的故事吸引住了。 My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes. 我的注意力被灌木丛中的轻微晃动吸引住了。

16 high-tech
adj.高科技的
参考例句：
The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。 The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

17 exuded
v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的过去式和过去分词 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情
参考例句：
Nearby was a factory which exuded a pungent smell. 旁边是一家散发出刺鼻气味的工厂。 来自辞典例句 The old drawer exuded a smell of camphor. 陈年抽屉放出樟脑气味。 来自辞典例句

18 eerie
adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的
参考例句：
It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。 I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

19 fusion
n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接
参考例句：
Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。 This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

20 brotherhood
n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊
参考例句：
They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。 They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

21 Christian
adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒
参考例句：
They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。 His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

22 Christians
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。 His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

23 configurations
n.[化学]结构( configuration的名词复数 )；构造；（计算机的）配置；构形（原子在分子中的相对空间位置）
参考例句：
Such configurations, obtained theoretically by calculation, are called models of a star. 通过理论计算得到的恒星结构称为恒星模型。 来自辞典例句 The other two configurations have overriding advantages for special applications. 其它两种接法对特殊应用具有突出的优点。 来自辞典例句

24 impractical
adj.不现实的，不实用的，不切实际的
参考例句：
He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.一到规划新项目，他就完全没有了实际操作的能力。 An entirely rigid system is impractical.一套完全死板的体制是不实际的。

25 vertical
adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置
参考例句：
The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。 Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

26 symbolically
ad.象征地，象征性地
参考例句：
By wearing the ring on the third finger of the left hand, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. 将婚戒戴在左手的第三只手指上，意味着夫妻双方象征性地宣告他们的爱情天长地久，他们定能白头偕老。 Symbolically, he coughed to clear his throat. 周经理象征地咳一声无谓的嗽，清清嗓子。

27 longingly
adv. 渴望地 热望地
参考例句：
He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。 Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情，一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。

28 jurisdiction
n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权
参考例句：
It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。 Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

29 retrieve
vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索
参考例句：
He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。 The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

30 fugitive
adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者
参考例句：
The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。 The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

31 asylum
n.避难所，庇护所，避难
参考例句：
The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。 Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

32 formulating
v.构想出( formulate的现在分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示
参考例句：
At present, the Chinese government is formulating nationwide regulations on the control of such chemicals. 目前，中国政府正在制定全国性的易制毒化学品管理条例。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书 Because of this, the U.S. has taken further steps in formulating the \"Magellan\" programme. 为此，美国又进一步制定了“麦哲伦”计划。 来自百科语句

33 rotary
adj.(运动等)旋转的；轮转的；转动的
参考例句：
The central unit is a rotary drum.核心设备是一个旋转的滚筒。 A rotary table helps to optimize the beam incidence angle.一张旋转的桌子有助于将光线影响之方式角最佳化。

34 mused
v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）
参考例句：
\"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》 \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

35 juvenile
n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的
参考例句：
For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。 Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

36 animations
n.生气( animation的名词复数 )；兴奋；动画片；（指电影、录像、电脑游戏的）动画制作
参考例句：
You'll see your team cheerleaders and mascot performing new animations as well. 你会看到啦啦队队长跟吉祥物也都会有全新的动作。 来自互联网 Ability to create simple movie and animations using graphic & multimedia software. 能够用平面和多媒体软件制作简单的电影及动画。 来自互联网

37 maneuvering
v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵
参考例句：
This Manstein did, with some brilliant maneuvering under the worse winter conditions. 曼施坦因在最恶劣的严冬条件下，出色地施展了灵活机动的战术，终于完成了任务。 来自辞典例句 In short, large goals required farsighted policies, not tactical maneuvering. 一句话，大的目标需要有高瞻远瞩的政策，玩弄策略是不行的。 来自辞典例句

38 plunged
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降
参考例句：
The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。 She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

39 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

40 curb
n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制
参考例句：
I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。 You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

41 liking
n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢
参考例句：
The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。 I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。