读书笔记之《暮光之城》
Previously: Bella离开了大城市Phoenix, 来到了名为Forks的小town.
I detested Forks.I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city."Bella," my mom said to me — the last of a thousand times — before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this." My mom looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother to fend for herself? Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still…"I want to go," I lied. I'd always been a bad liar, but I'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now. "Tell Charlie I said hi.""I will.""I'll see you soon," she insisted. "You can come home whenever you want —I'll come right back as soon as you need me."But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise."Don't worry about me," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom."She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone.
detest
To dislike intensely; abhor 憎恶 痛恨 We detest his constantly lying. (一再说谎) My mother detested my ex-husband.
blistering
adj.Intensely hot; hot enough to raise (or as if to raise) blisters 酷热的 a blistering sun. 关于Phoenix的气候,上一节中我们讲过,是“subtropical desert climate”,夏天平均 high temperatures over 100°F (38 °C),有时甚至over 120 °F (49 °C)。
vigorous
① 精力充沛的 Marked by or done with force and energy. Banking services saw vigorous development. 金融业务不断扩大。 ② 指身体的有力强壮 Strong, energetic, and active in mind or body a vigorous player 精力充沛的运动员
sprawling
① spread out irregularly,carelessly in different directions;蔓生的;不规则地伸展的 sprawling handwriting 潦草的笔迹 The sprawling city boasts lush parks, unique architecture, and excellent galleries. 这个开阔的城市以其葱翠的公园、独到的建筑和精美的画廊著称。 ② To sit or lie with the body and limbs spread out awkwardly. He was sprawling on the sofa. 要知道Phoenix可是 sixth most populous city in USA,可见在大城市长大的Bella辗转来到令她一直detest的小town,该是怎样的心境。
a thousand times 屡次,好多次 这个短语,口语中很实用了,多举几个例子念叨念叨吧! a thousand times no 绝对办不到 I’ve warned him a thousand times. 我警告过他无数次了。 Thank you a thousand times for your invitation.万分感谢您的邀请。 I have dreamed a thousand times that I could lie down on Miami beach to relax.我千百次地梦想过我能在迈阿密的海滩上放松放松。
laugh line
a wrinkle in the skin at the outer corner of your eyes (眼角的)笑纹
spasm
① A sudden burst of energy, activity, or emotion. (能量、行为、情感等的)发作, 阵发 They burst into a spasm of laughter. 他们爆发出一阵笑声。 He felt a spasm of fear. ② A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles. 痉挛, 抽搐 A lack of magnesium causes muscles to go into spasm. She could not speak; her throat was in spasm. 她喉咙抽搐着 ,说不出话来。
panic
恐慌, 惊慌, 慌乱 an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety, often affecting many people at once. 因此,panic多针对人群的恐慌,比如我们口语中很实用的: Panic buying 抢购 A stock-market panic.股市恐慌 以下名词均含“恐惧、惧怕、惊恐”之意,详细解析见沪江小D panic。 alarm,fear,fright,horror,panic,terror,dread,
erratic
likely to perform unpredictably (运动或行为)不规则的 He is a very erratic football player. 他是个技术非常不稳定的足球队员。
harebrained [/b
]hare n. 野兔 harebrained adj. foolish; 轻率的 a harebrained scheme. harehearted adj. easily frightened; 胆小的;怯懦的;易受惊的 hare看样子很不遭人待见啊,有brain被认为是没大脑,有heart又被说成是心跳过速。
由此看,Bella对自己mother的评价"erratic"和“harebrained"是不是很impressed呀! 看到后面我们就领教了…had Phil now, bills would get paid, food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, sb to call her lost. 可见,mother是一个完全不能fend for herself的人。
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