Mim phones. He takes a moment to recognize her voice, it is so dry and twangy, so whisky?and?cigarette?cracked. "What are they doing to you now?" she asks. She has always taken the attitude that he is a lamb among wolves in Diamond County and he should have gotten out like she did.

"They've got me in the hospital," he tells her. He could almost cry, like a boy. "They stuck a balloon up through my leg into my heart and pumped it full of saltwater to open up an artery¹ that was plugged up with old grease I've been eating. Then afterwards they put a sandbag on the incision² down at my thigh³ and told me not to move my leg for six hours or I'd bleed to death. That's how hospitals are; they tell you what they're going to do is about as simple as having a haircut and then midway through they tell you you might bleed to death. And then this morning the doctor comes around and tells me it was a Mickey Mouse operation and hardly worth bothering with. He wants me to go for broke and have a multiple bypass. Mim, they split you right open like a coconut⁴ and rip veins⁵ out of your legs."

"Yeah, I know," she says. "You gonna do it?"

Rabbit says, "I suppose they'll talk me into it eventually. I mean, they've got you by the balls. You're scared, and what else is there?"

"Guys I know out here have had open?heart and swear by it. I can't see it made that much difference, they still spend all day sitting on their fat asses⁶ getting manicures and talking on the phone, but then they weren't such dynamite⁷ before either. When you get to our age, Harry⁸, it's work to stay alive."

"Come on, Mim. You're only fifty."

"For a woman out here, that's ancient. That's cow pasture. That's hang?it?up time, if you're a woman. You don't get the stares any more, it's like you've gone invisible."

点击收听单词发音  

1 artery
n.干线，要道；动脉
参考例句：
We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。 The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

2 incision
n．切口，切开
参考例句：
The surgeon made a small incision in the patient's cornea.外科医生在病人的眼角膜上切开一个小口。 The technique involves making a tiny incision in the skin.这项技术需要在皮肤上切一个小口。

3 thigh
n.大腿；股骨
参考例句：
He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。 The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。

4 coconut
n.椰子
参考例句：
The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。 The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

5 veins
n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理
参考例句：
The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 asses
n. 驴，愚蠢的人，臀部 adv. (常用作后置)用于贬损或骂人
参考例句：
Sometimes I got to kick asses to make this place run right. 有时我为了把这个地方搞得像个样子，也不得不踢踢别人的屁股。 来自教父部分 Those were wild asses maybe, or zebras flying around in herds. 那些也许是野驴或斑马在成群地奔跑。

7 dynamite
n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破)
参考例句：
The workmen detonated the dynamite.工人们把炸药引爆了。 The philosopher was still political dynamite.那位哲学家仍旧是政治上的爆炸性人物。

8 harry
vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼
参考例句：
Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。 Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

9 streak
n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动
参考例句：
The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。 Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

10 bracelets
n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》 On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 buck
n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃
参考例句：
The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。 The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

12 smeared
弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上
参考例句：
The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。 A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。

13 lipstick
n.口红，唇膏
参考例句：
Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。 Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

14 brewer
n. 啤酒制造者
参考例句：
Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。 I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

15 aggravate
vt.加重(剧)，使恶化；激怒，使恼火
参考例句：
Threats will only aggravate her.恐吓只能激怒她。 He would only aggravate the injury by rubbing it.他揉擦伤口只会使伤势加重。

16 aggravated
使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火
参考例句：
If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。 Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

17 den
n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室
参考例句：
There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。 The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

18 pollen
n.[植]花粉
参考例句：
Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。 He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

19 pointed
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。 She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

20 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。

21 tattoo
n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于
参考例句：
I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。 He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

22 pricked
刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛
参考例句：
The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。 He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

23 inhaled
v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. 她合上双眼，深深吸了一口气。 Janet inhaled sharply when she saw him. 珍妮特看到他时猛地吸了口气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 sneak
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行
参考例句：
He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。 I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

25 itched
v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Seeing the children playing ping-pong, he itched to have a go. 他看到孩子们打乒乓，不觉技痒。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 He could hardly sIt'still and itched to have a go. 他再也坐不住了，心里跃跃欲试。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

26 dowdy
adj.不整洁的；过旧的
参考例句：
She was in a dowdy blue frock.她穿了件不大洁净的蓝上衣。 She looked very plain and dowdy.她长得非常普通，衣也过时。

27 chatter
vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战
参考例句：
Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。 I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

28 dryer
n.干衣机，干燥剂
参考例句：
He bought a dryer yesterday.他昨天买了一台干燥机。 There is a washer and a dryer in the basement.地下室里有洗衣机和烘干机。

29 dodge
v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计
参考例句：
A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。 The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

30 crook
v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处)
参考例句：
He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子，他要我向他认错。 She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。

31 arteries
n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道
参考例句：
Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》 This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 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。

33 joints
接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）
参考例句：
Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。 Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

34 purely
adv.纯粹地，完全地
参考例句：
I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。 This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

35 ginger
n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气
参考例句：
There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。 Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。