JACK¹ comes back from the telephone a shocking color. "Janice Angstrom has accidentally drowned their baby."

Lucy asks, "How could she?"

"I don't know. I'm afraid she was drunk. She's unconscious now."

"Where was he?"

"Nobody knows. I'm supposed to find out. That was Mrs. Springer. "

He sits down in the great walnut²?armed chair that had been his father's and Lucy realizes with resentment³ that her husband is middle?aged⁴. His hair is thinning, his skin is dry, he looks ex-hausted. She cries, "Why must you spend your life chasing after that worthless heel?"

"He's not worthless. I love him."

"You love him. That's sickening. Oh I think that's sickening, Jack. Why don't you try loving me, or your children?"

"I do."

"You don't, Jack. Let's face it, you don't. You couldn't bear to love anybody who might return it. You're afraid of that, aren't you? Aren't you afraid?"

They had been drinking tea in the library when the phone rang and he picks his empty cup off the floor between his feet and looks into the center. "Don't be clever, Lucy," he says. "I feel too sick."

"You feel sick, yes, and I feel sick. I've felt sick ever since you got involved with that animal. He's not even in your church."

"Any Christian⁵ is in my church."

"Christian! If he's a Christian thank God I'm not one. Christian. Kills his baby and that's what you call him."

"He didn't kill the baby. He wasn't there, it was an accident."

"Well he as good as did. Runs off and sends his idiot wife on a bender. You never should have brought them back together. The woman had adjusted and something like this never would have happened."

Eccles blinks; shock has put a great analytic

点击收听单词发音  

1 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。

2 walnut
n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色
参考例句：
Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。 The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸，材质分胡桃木和红木两种。

3 resentment
n.怨愤，忿恨
参考例句：
All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。 She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

4 aged
adj.年老的，陈年的
参考例句：
He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。 He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 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。

6 analytic
adj.分析的，用分析方法的
参考例句：
The boy has an analytic mind. 这男孩有分析的头脑。 Latin is a synthetic language,while English is analytic.拉丁文是一种综合性语言，而英语是一种分析性语言。

7 gnaws
咬( gnaw的第三人称单数 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物
参考例句：
Time, whose tooth gnaws away everything else, is powerless against truth. 时间，它的利齿可咬碎万物，但对真理却无能为力。 The water gnaws at the shoreline. 海水侵蚀海岸线。

8 membrane
n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸
参考例句：
A vibrating membrane in the ear helps to convey sounds to the brain.耳膜的振动帮助声音传送到大脑。 A plastic membrane serves as selective diffusion barrier.一层塑料薄膜起着选择性渗透屏障的作用。

9 martyr
n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲
参考例句：
The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。 The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

10 squint
v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的
参考例句：
A squint can sometimes be corrected by an eyepatch. 斜视有时候可以通过戴眼罩来纠正。 The sun was shinning straight in her eyes which made her squint. 太阳直射着她的眼睛,使她眯起了眼睛。

11 neurotic
adj.神经病的，神经过敏的；n.神经过敏者，神经病患者
参考例句：
Nothing is more distracting than a neurotic boss. 没有什么比神经过敏的老板更恼人的了。 There are also unpleasant brain effects such as anxiety and neurotic behaviour.也会对大脑产生不良影响，如焦虑和神经质的行为。

12 predecessor
n.前辈，前任
参考例句：
It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。 The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

13 numbly
adv.失去知觉，麻木
参考例句：
Back at the rickshaw yard, he slept numbly for two days. 回到车厂，他懊睡了两天。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子 He heard it numbly, a little amazed at his audacity. 他自己也听得一呆，对自己的莽撞劲儿有点吃惊。 来自辞典例句

14 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。

15 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。

16 tragic
adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的
参考例句：
The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。 Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

17 braces
n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来
参考例句：
The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。 You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。