It was explained to his firm that Mr. Fisk would be in Jackson for the entire day, something to do with personal business. In other words, don't ask. As a partner he had earned the right to come and go as he pleased, though Fisk was so disciplined and organized that anyone in the firm could usually find him within five minutes.

         He left Doreen on the front steps at dawn. She was invited to make the trip, but with a job and three kids it simply wasn't possible, not with such short notice.

         Ron left the house without breakfast, not that time was a factor. Tony Zachary had said, "We'll eat on the plane," and this was enough to entice¹ Ron to skip his bran flakes².

         The Brookhaven airstrip was too small for the jet, so Ron happily agreed to rush off to the airport in Jackson. He had never been within a hundred yards of a private jet, and had never given much thought to flying on one. Tony Zachary was waiting at the general aviation terminal with a hearty³ handshake and a vigorous "Good morning, Your Honor." They walked purposefully across the tarmac, past a few old turboprops and pistons-smaller, inferior vessels⁴. Waiting in the distance was a magnificent carrier, as sleek⁵ and exotic as a spaceship. Its navigation lights were flickering⁶. Its handsome stairway was extended down, a splendid invitation to its special passengers. Ron followed Tony up the steps to the landing, where a pretty flight attendant in a short skirt welcomed them aboard, took their jackets, and showed them their selection of seats.

         "Ever been on a Gulfstream before?" Tony asked as they settled in. One of the pilots said hello as he pushed a button to retract⁹ the stairway.

         "No," Ron said, gawking at the polished mahogany and soft leather and gold trimmings.

点击收听单词发音  

1 entice
v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿
参考例句：
Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。 I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

2 flakes
小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人
参考例句：
It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。 It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

3 hearty
adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的
参考例句：
After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。 We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

4 vessels
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人
参考例句：
The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》 All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 sleek
adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢
参考例句：
Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。 The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

6 flickering
adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的
参考例句：
The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。 The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。

7 ass
n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人
参考例句：
He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。 An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

8 gulf
n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂
参考例句：
The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。 There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 retract
vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消
参考例句：
The criminals should stop on the precipice, retract from the wrong path and not go any further.犯罪分子应当迷途知返，悬崖勒马，不要在错误的道路上继续走下去。 I don't want to speak rashly now and later have to retract my statements.我不想现在说些轻率的话，然后又要收回自己说过的话。

10 aisle
n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道
参考例句：
The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。 The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

11 pampered
adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The lazy scum deserve worse. What if they ain't fed up and pampered? 他们吃不饱，他们的要求满足不了，这又有什么关系？ 来自飘（部分） She petted and pampered him and would let no one discipline him but she, herself. 她爱他，娇养他，而且除了她自己以外，她不允许任何人管教他。 来自辞典例句

12 scrambled
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞
参考例句：
Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 entities
实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。 The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

14 aroma
n.香气，芬芳，芳香
参考例句：
The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。 The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

15 luxurious
adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的
参考例句：
This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。 The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

16 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。

17 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。

18 clout
n.用手猛击；权力，影响力
参考例句：
The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。 He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

19 Congressman
n.（美）国会议员
参考例句：
He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。 The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

20 partnership
n.合作关系，伙伴关系
参考例句：
The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。 Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

21 deposition
n.免职，罢官；作证；沉淀；沉淀物
参考例句：
It was this issue which led to the deposition of the king.正是这件事导致了国王被废黜。 This leads to calcium deposition in the blood-vessels.这导致钙在血管中沉积。

22 supreme
adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的
参考例句：
It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。 He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

23 sip
v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量
参考例句：
She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。 Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

24 rumor
n.谣言，谣传，传说
参考例句：
The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。 The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

25 rumored
adj.传说的，谣传的v.传闻( rumor的过去式和过去分词 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷
参考例句：
It is rumored that he cheats on his wife. 据传他对他老婆不忠。 来自《简明英汉词典》 It was rumored that the white officer had been a Swede. 传说那个白人军官是个瑞典人。 来自辞典例句

26 devout
adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)
参考例句：
His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。 The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

27 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。

28 unlimited
adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的
参考例句：
They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。 There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

29 shrugged
vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。 She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 pastor
n.牧师，牧人
参考例句：
He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。 We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

31 prank
n.开玩笑，恶作剧；v.装饰；打扮；炫耀自己
参考例句：
It was thought that the fire alarm had been set off as a prank.人们认为火警报警器响是个恶作剧。 The dean was ranking the boys for pulling the prank.系主任正在惩罚那些恶作剧的男学生。

32 ethics
n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准
参考例句：
The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。 Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

33 harassment
n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱
参考例句：
She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。 The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

34 whatsoever
adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么
参考例句：
There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。 All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

35 killer
n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者
参考例句：
Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。 The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

36 abortion
n.流产，堕胎
参考例句：
She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。 A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

37 abortions
n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育
参考例句：
The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网 Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

38 amendment
n.改正，修正，改善，修正案
参考例句：
The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。 The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

39 mightily
ad.强烈地；非常地
参考例句：
He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet. 他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。 This seemed mightily to relieve him. 干完这件事后，他似乎轻松了许多。

40 dealing
n.经商方法，待人态度
参考例句：
This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。 His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

41 choir
n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱
参考例句：
The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。 The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

42 intrigued
adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！ He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

43 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

44 violation
n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯
参考例句：
He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。 He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

45 savvy
v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的
参考例句：
She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。 Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

46 endorse
vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意
参考例句：
No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。 I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

47 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。

48 opposition
n.反对，敌对
参考例句：
The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。 The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

49 helping
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的
参考例句：
The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。 By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

50 inveterate
adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的
参考例句：
Hitler was not only an avid reader but also an inveterate underliner.希特勒不仅酷爱读书，还有写写划划的习惯。 It is hard for an inveterate smoker to give up tobacco.要一位有多年烟瘾的烟民戒烟是困难的。

51 meddler
n.爱管闲事的人，干涉者
参考例句：
"I know you, you scoundrel! I have heard of you before. You are Holmes, the meddler." “我知道你，这个恶棍。我以前听过你。你是福尔摩斯，爱管闲事的人。” 来自互联网

52 slaughtered
v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

53 funnel
n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集
参考例句：
He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。 I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

54 hoards
n.（钱财、食物或其他珍贵物品的）储藏，积存( hoard的名词复数 )v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
She hoards her money - she never spends it. 她积蓄钱，但从来不花钱。 来自辞典例句 A squirrel hoards nuts for the winter. 松鼠为过冬贮藏坚果。 来自辞典例句

55 wary
adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的
参考例句：
He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。 Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

56 naive
adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的
参考例句：
It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。 Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

57 abruptly
adv.突然地，出其不意地
参考例句：
He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。 I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

58 lessened
减少的，减弱的
参考例句：
Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。 The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

59 elegance
n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙
参考例句：
The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。 John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

60 hovering
鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫
参考例句：
The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。 I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

61 grunted
（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说
参考例句：
She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。 She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

62 minions
n.奴颜婢膝的仆从( minion的名词复数 )；走狗；宠儿；受人崇拜者
参考例句：
She delegated the job to one of her minions. 她把这份工作委派给她的一个手下。 来自辞典例句 I have been a slave to the vicious-those whom I served were his minions. 我当过那帮坏人的奴隶，我伺候的都是他的爪牙。 来自辞典例句

63 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。

64 determined
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。 He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

65 tuxedo
n.礼服，无尾礼服
参考例句：
Well,you have your own tuxedo.噢，你有自己的燕尾服。 Have I told you how amazing you look in this tuxedo?我告诉过你穿这件燕尾服看起来很棒吗？

66 grilled
adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。 He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

67 viable
adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的
参考例句：
The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。 The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

68 defense
n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩
参考例句：
The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。 The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

69 corporate
adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的
参考例句：
This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。 His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

70 tentacles
n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛
参考例句：
Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。 Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》

71 trenches
深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕
参考例句：
life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活 The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

72 supervisor
n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师
参考例句：
Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。 He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

73 bucks
n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃
参考例句：
They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。 They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

74 behold
v.看，注视，看到
参考例句：
The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。 The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

75 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。

76 guffaw
n.哄笑；突然的大笑
参考例句：
All the boys burst out into a guffaw at the joke.听到这个笑话，男孩子们发出一阵哄笑。 As they guffawed loudly,the ticket collector arrived.他们正哈哈大笑的时候，检票员到了。

77 contemplating
深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想
参考例句：
You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。 She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

78 gal
n.姑娘，少女
参考例句：
We decided to go with the gal from Merrill.我们决定和那个从梅里尔来的女孩合作。 What's the name of the gal? 这个妞叫什么？

79 slurps
n.啧啧吃的声音( slurp的名词复数 )v.啜食( slurp的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：

80 indictment
n.起诉；诉状
参考例句：
He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。 They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

81 scoffed
嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He scoffed at our amateurish attempts. 他对我们不在行的尝试嗤之以鼻。 A hundred years ago people scoffed at the idea. 一百年前人们曾嘲笑过这种想法。

82 landslide
n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利
参考例句：
Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。 An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

83 contractors
n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )
参考例句：
We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

84 naval
adj.海军的，军舰的，船的
参考例句：
He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。 The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

85 joint
adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合
参考例句：
I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。 We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

86 horrified
a.(表现出)恐惧的
参考例句：
The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。 We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

87 eavesdrop
v.偷听，倾听
参考例句：
He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里，以便偷听。 It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。

88 mumbled
含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。 George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

89 averting
防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移
参考例句：
The margin of time for averting crisis was melting away. 可以用来消弥这一危机的些许时光正在逝去。 These results underscore the value of rescue medications in averting psychotic relapse. 这些结果显示了救护性治疗对避免精神病复发的价值。

90 beets
甜菜( beet的名词复数 )； 甜菜根； （因愤怒、难堪或觉得热而）脸红
参考例句：
Beets are Hank's favorite vegetable. 甜菜根是汉克最爱吃的蔬菜。 In this enlargement, barley, alfalfa, and sugar beets can be differentiated. 在这张放大的照片上，大麦，苜蓿和甜菜都能被区分开。

91 benign
adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的
参考例句：
The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。 Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

92 lighter
n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级
参考例句：
The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。 The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

93 evaluation
n.估价，评价；赋值
参考例句：
I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。 The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

94 reassuring
a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的
参考例句：
He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。 With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

95 strings
n.弦
参考例句：
He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。 She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

96 sips
n.小口喝，一小口的量( sip的名词复数 )v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
You must administer them slowly, allowing the child to swallow between sips. 你应慢慢给药，使小儿在吸吮之间有充分的时间吞咽。 来自辞典例句 Emission standards applicable to preexisting stationary sources appear in state implementation plans (SIPs). 在《州实施计划》中出现了固定污染的排放标准。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

97 cocktail
n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物
参考例句：
We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。 At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

98 middle-aged
adj.中年的
参考例句：
I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。 The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

99 slung
抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往
参考例句：
He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。 He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

100 thoroughly
adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地
参考例句：
The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。 The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

101 plunge
v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲
参考例句：
Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。 That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。