《怦然心动》｜单词注释｜Chapter 7
Get a Grip, Man
1
It didn't take long for me to realize that I'd traded in my old problems with Juli Baker for a whole new set of problems with Juli Baker.
2
I could feel her anger a mile away.
3
It was actually worse having her mad at me than having her
harass
me.
harass /həˈræs/ vt. 使烦恼
4
Why? Because I'd
screwed up
, that's why.
screw up 搞砸了
5
I had egg all over my face, and
blaming
it on her yard had done nothing to
wash it off
.
blame /bleɪm/ vt. 归咎于
wash off 洗刷掉
6
The way she ignored me, or so obviously avoided me, was a screaming loud reminder to me that I'd been a
jerk
.
jerk /dʒɜːrk/ [美，非正式] 坏蛋
7
A
royal
cluck-faced jerk.
royal /ˈrɔɪəl/ adj. （用于强调某人或某物极度糟糕）极其的
8
Then one day I'm coming home from hanging out with Garrett after school, and there's Juli in her front yard,
hacking
at a
shrub
.
hack /hæk/ vt. & vi. 劈, 砍
shrub /ʃrʌb/ n. 灌木
9
She is
thrashing
on the thing.
thrash /θræʃ/ vi. 殴打
10
Branches are flying over her shoulder, and clear across the street I can hear her
grunting
and
growling
and saying stuff like,
grunt /ɡrʌnt/ vt. 咕哝着说
growl /ɡraʊl/ vt. 低声咆哮着说
11
“No…you… don't! You are coming… off… whether you like it or …not!”
12
Did I feel good about this? No, my friend, I did not.
13
Yeah, their yard was a mess, and it was
about time
someone did something about it, but c'mon — where's the dad? What about Matt and Mike? Why Juli?
about time 该......的时候了
14
Because I'd embarrassed her into it, that's why.
15
I felt worse than ever.
16
So I snuck inside and tried to ignore the fact that here's my desk and here's my window, and right across the street from me is Juli, beating up a bush.
17
Not
conducive
to concentration.
conducive /kənˈduːsɪv/ adj. 有助于…的
18
No
siree
, Bob.
siree /səˈri/ n. 先生
19
I got all of zero homework done.
20
The next day at school I was trying to get up the nerve to say something to her, but I never even got the chance.
21
She wouldn't let me get anywhere near her.
22
Then on the ride home I had this thought.
23
It kind of
freaked
me out at first, but the more I played with it, the more I figured that, yeah, helping her with the yard would
make up
for my having been such a jerk.
freak /frik/ v. [非正式]（使）不安
make up v. 弥补
24
Assuming
she didn't
boss
me too much, and assuming she didn't decide to get all
gooey-eyed
or something stupid like that.
assume /əˈsuːm/ v. 装出
boss /bɔːs/ v. 对…指手画脚
goo eyes 含情脉脉地注视
25
No, I'd go up and just tell her that I felt bad for being a jerk and I wanted to make it up to her by helping her cut back some bushes.
26
Period
. End of story.
period /'pɪrɪəd/ adv. [美] 到此为止
27
And if she still wanted to be mad at me after that, then fine.
28
That was her problem.
29
My problem was, I never got the chance.
30
I came
trekking
down from the bus stop to find my grandfather doing my
good deed
.
trek /trek/ vi. 艰苦跋涉
good deed 好事
31
Now, jump back.
32
This was not something I could immediately absorb.
33
My grandfather did not do yard work.
34
At least, he'd never offered to help me out.
35
My grandfather lived in house slippers — where'd he get those work boots? And those jeans and that flannel shirt — what was up with those?
36
I crouched behind a neighbor's hedge and watched them for ten or fifteen minutes, and man, the longer I watched, the
madder
I got.
mad /mæd/ adj. 恼火的
37
My grandfather had already said more to her in this little slice of time than he'd said to me the whole year and a half he'd been living with us.
38
What was his deal with Juli Baker?
39
I took
the back way
home, which
involved
climbing two fences and kicking off the neighbor's stupid little
terrier
, but it was worth it, considering I avoided the garden party across the street.
the back way 后门
involve /ɪnˈvɑːlv/ vt. 包含
terrier /'tɛrɪɚ/ n. 一种活泼的小狗
40
Again I got no homework done.
41
The more I watched them, the madder I got.
42
I was still a cluck-faced jerk, while Juli was laughing it up with my grandfather.
43
Had I ever seen him smile? Really smile? I don't think so!
44
But now he was
knee-high
in
nettles
, laughing.
knee-high /ˈniˈhaɪ/ adj. 高到膝的
nettle /ˈnetl/ n. 荨麻
45
At dinner that night he'd showered and changed back into his regular clothes and house slippers, but he didn't look the same.
46
It was like someone had plugged him in and turned on the light.
47
“Good evening,” he said as he sat down with the rest of us. “Oh, Patsy, that looks delicious!”
48
“Well, Dad,” my mom said with a laugh, “your
excursion
across the street seems to have done you a world of good.”
excursion /ɪkˈskɜːrʒn/ n. 短途旅行
49
“Yeah,” my father said.
50
“Patsy tells me you've been over there all afternoon. If you were
in the mood
for home improvement projects, why didn't you just say so?”
in the mood 兴致勃勃
51
My father was just joking around, but I don't think my grandfather took it that way.
52
He helped himself to a
cheese-stuffed
potato and said, “Pass the salt, won't you, Bryce?”
cheese-stuffed 奶酪馅的
53
So there was this
definite
tension
between my father and my grandfather, but I think if Dad had dropped the subject right then, the
vibe
would've vanished.
definite /ˈdefɪnət/ adj. 一定的
tension /ˈtenʃn/ n. 紧张局势；紧张关系
vibe /vaɪb/ Ⅰn. (一地的)气氛
54
Dad didn't drop it, though.
55
Instead, he said, “So why's the girl the one who's finally doing something about their place?”
56
My grandfather salted his potato very carefully, then looked across the table at me.
57
Ah-oh, I thought. Ah-oh.
58
In a flash I knew those stupid eggs were not
behind
me.
behind /bɪ'haɪnd/ prep. 成为(某人的)过去
59
Two years of
sneaking
them in the trash, two years of avoiding discussion of Juli and her eggs and her chickens and her early-morning visits, and for what?
sneak /sniːk/ v. 私运
60
Granddad knew, I could see it in his eyes.
61
In a matter of seconds he'd crack open the truth, and I'd be as good as fried.
62
Enter a miracle.
63
My grandfather
petrified
me for a minute with his eyes but then turned to my father and said, “She wants to, is all.”
petrify /ˈpetrɪfaɪ/ vi. 使麻木
64
A raging river of sweat ran down my
temples
, and as my father said, “Well, it's about time someone did,”
temple /ˈtempl/ n. 太阳穴
65
my grandfather looked back at me and I knew—he was not going to let me forget this.
66
We'd just had another conversation, only this time I was definitely not dismissed.
67
After the dishes were cleared, I retreated to my room, but my grandfather came right in, closed the door behind him, and then sat on my bed.
68
He did this all without making a sound.
69
No squeaking, no
clanking
, no
scraping
, no breathing …I swear, the guy moved through my room like a ghost.
clanking /'klæŋkiŋ/ n. 发出丁当声
scraping /ˈskrepɪŋ/ n. 刮擦声
70
And of course I'm
banging
my knee and dropping my pencil and
deteriorating
into a
pathetic
pool
of
Jell-O
.
bang /bæŋ/ v. (意外地)撞击
deteriorate /dɪˈtɪriəreɪt/ vi. 恶化
pathetic /pəˈθetɪk/ adj. 可怜的
pool /puːl/ n. (液体等的)一滩，一片
jell-o /ˈdʒɛlo/ n. 〈美〉吉露果子冻
71
But I tried my best to sound cool as I said, “Hello, Granddad. Come to check out the
digs
?”
72
He
pinched
his lips
together
and looked at nothing but me.
pinch /pɪntʃ/ v. 抿(嘴唇)
together /tə'ɡɛðɚ/ adv. 紧挨地
73
I
cracked
.
crack /kræk/ v. 崩溃
74
“Look, Granddad, I know I
messed up
. I should've just told her, but I couldn't.
mess up 搞砸了
75
And I kept thinking they'd stop. I mean, how long can a chicken lay eggs? Those things hatched in the fifth grade! That was like, three years ago! Don't they eventually run out?
76
And what was I supposed to do? Tell her Mom was afraid of salmonella poisoning? And Dad wanted me to tell her we were allergic—c'mon, who's going to buy that?
77
So I just kept, you know, throwing them out. I didn't know she could've sold them. I thought they were just extras.”
78
He was nodding, but very slowly.
79
I sighed and said, “Thank you for not saying anything about it at dinner. I owe you.”
80
He pulled my curtain
aside
and looked across the street.
aside /əˈsaɪd/ adv. 到(或向)一边
81
“One's character is set at an early age, son. The choices you make now will affect you for the rest of your life.”
82
He was quiet for a minute, then dropped the curtain and said, “I
hate
to see you swim out so far you can't swim back.”
hate /heɪt/ v. 不愿
83
“Yes, sir.”
84
He frowned and said, “Don't yes-sir me, Bryce.”
85
Then he stood and added, “Just think about what I've said, and the next time you're faced with a choice, do the right thing. It hurts everyone less
in the long run
.”
in the long run 从长远来看
86
With that,
poof
, he was gone.
poof /pʊf/ n. 吹熄蜡烛的声音
87
The next day I went to
shoot some hoops
at Garrett's after school, and when his mom
dropped me off
later that afternoon, my granddad didn't even notice.
shoot hoops 打篮球
drop off 让......下车
88
He was too busy being Joe
Carpenter
in Juli's front yard.
carpenter /ˈkɑːrpəntər/ n. 木匠
89
I tried to do my homework at the breakfast bar, but my mom came home from work and started being all
chatty
,
chatty /ˈtʃæti/ adj. 爱闲聊的
90
and then Lynetta appeared and the two of them started fighting about whether Lynetta's
makeup
made her look like a
wounded
raccoon
.
makeup /ˈmekʌp/ n. 化妆品
wounded /ˈwundɪd/ adj. 受伤的
raccoon /ræ'kun/ n.[动]浣熊
91
Lynetta. I swear she'll never learn.
92
I packed up my stuff and escaped to my room, which, of course, was a total waste.
93
They've got a
saw
revving
and
wailing
across the street, and in between cuts I can hear the
whack
, whack, whack! whack, whack, whack! of a hammer.
saw /sɔː/ n. 锯
rev /rɛv/ vi. 加快转速
wail /wel/ n. 呼啸
whack /wæk/ n. 重击声
94
I look out the window and there's Juli,
spitting
out
nails
and slamming them in place.
spit /spɪt/ vt. & vi. 吐出
nail /neɪl/ n. 钉子
95
No kidding.
96
She's got nails lined up between her lips like
steel
cigarettes, and she's swinging that hammer full-arc, way above her head, driving nails into
pickets
like they're going into butter.
steel /stiːl/ n. 钢
picket /'pikit/ n. [建]尖木桩
97
For a split second there, I saw my head as the
recipient
of her hammer, cracking open like
Humpty Dumpty
.
recipient /rɪˈsɪpiənt/ n. 接受者
Humpty Dumpty n. 一旦损坏就无法修复的东西
98
I shuddered and dropped the curtain,
ditched
the homework, and headed for the TV.
ditch /dɪtʃ/ vt.[俚]丢弃
99
They
handymanned
all week.
handyman /ˈhændimæn/ n. 杂务工
100
And every night Granddad would come in with
rosy
cheeks and a huge
appetite
and
compliment
my mom on what a great cook she was.
rosy /ˈroʊzi/ adj. 肤色红润的
appetite /ˈæpɪtaɪt/ n. 食欲
compliment /ˈkɑːmplɪmənt/ vt. 赞美
101
Then Saturday happened.
102
And the last thing I wanted was to spend the day at home while my grandfather
churned
up dirt and helped plant Juli's yard.
churn /tʃɝn/ v. 打破(地的)表面
103
Mom tried to get me to do our own yard, but I would have felt
ridiculous
micromowing
our grass with Granddad and Juli making real changes right across the street.
ridiculous /rɪˈdɪkjələs/ adj. 荒谬的
micromowing 微割草
104
So I locked myself in my room and called Garrett.
105
He wasn't home, and everybody else I called had stuff they had to do.
106
And
hitting up
Mom or Dad for a ride to the movies or the
mall
was
hopeless
.
hit up 请求
mall /mɔːl/ n. 商场
hopeless /ˈhoʊpləs/ adj. 无望的
107
They'd tell me I was supposed to be doing the yard.
108
What I was, was stuck.
109
And what I wound up doing was looking out the stupid window at Juli and my grandfather.
110
It was a totally
lame
thing to do, but that's what I did.
lame /leɪm/ adj. 差劲的
111
I got
nailed
doing it, too. By my grandfather.
nail /neɪl/ n. 揭露
112
And he, of course, had to point me out to Juli, which made me feel another two inches shorter.
113
I dropped the curtain and
blasted
out the back door and over the fence.
blast /blæst/ vi. 猛攻
114
I had to get out of there.
115
I swear I walked ten miles that day.
116
And I don't know who I was madder at — my grandfather, Juli, or me.
117
What was wrong with me?
118
If I wanted to
make it up to
Juli, why didn't I just go over there and help?
make it up to 和某人和好
119
What was stopping me?
120
I wound up at Garrett's house, and man, I'd never been so glad to see anyone in my life.
121
Leave it to Garrett to get your mind off anything important.
122
That dude's the
master
.
master /ˈmæstər/ n. 大师
123
We went out back and shot hoops, watched the tube, and talked about hitting the water slides this summer.
124
And when I got home, there was Juli,
sprinkling
the yard.
sprinkle /ˈsprɪŋkl/ vi. 喷洒
125
She saw me, all right, but she didn't wave or smile or anything.
126
She just
looked away
.
look away 移开视线
127
Normally what I'd do in that situation is maybe pretend like I hadn't seen her, or give a quick wave and charge inside.
128
But she'd been mad at me for what seemed like
ages
.
age /edʒ/ n. [非正式] 很长时间
129
She hadn't said word one to me since the morning of the eggs.
130
She'd completely
dissed
me in math a
couple
days before when I'd smiled at her, trying to tell her I was sorry.
dis /dɪs/ vt. 表示对某人的轻视、不敬、小看
couple /ˈkʌpl/ n. 一些, 几个
131
She didn't smile back or nod or anything.
132
She just turned away and never looked back.
133
I even waited for her outside the classroom to say something, anything, about her fixing up the yard and how bad I felt, but she ditched me out the other door,
ditch /dɪtʃ/ v. [非正式] 摆脱
134
and after that anytime I got anywhere near her, she'd find some way to
skate
around me.
skate /sket/ v. 回避（skate over/round）
135
So there she was, watering the yard, making me feel like a jerk, and I'd had enough of it.
136
I went up to her and said, “It's looking real good, Juli. Nice job.”
137
“Thanks,” she said without smiling. “Chet did most of it.”
138
Chet? I thought. Chet?
139
What was she doing, calling my grandfather by his first name?
140
“Look, Juli,” I said, trying to
get on with
why I was there.
get on with 继续干
141
“I'm sorry for what I did.”
142
She looked at me for a second, then went back to watching the water spray across the dirt.
143
Finally she said, “I still don't get it, Bryce. Why didn't you just tell me?”
144
“I…I don't know. It was
dumb
. I should have. And I shouldn't have said anything about the yard, either. It was, you know,
out of line
.”
dumb /dʌm/ adj. 愚蠢的
out of line 错误得越出常规
145
I was already feeling better. A lot better.
146
Then Juli says, “Well, maybe it's all for the better,” and starts bouncing up and down on the
balls of her feet
, acting more like her old self.
ball of foot 前脚掌
147
“Doesn't it look great? I learned so much from Chet it's amazing. You are so lucky. I don't even have grandparents anymore.”
148
“Oh,” I said, not knowing what to say.
149
“I do feel sorry for him, though. He sure misses your grandmother.” Then she laughs and shakes her head, saying, “Can you believe it? He says I remind him of her.”
150
“What?”
151
“Yeah,” she laughs again. “That's what I said. But he meant it in a nice way.”
152
I looked at Juli and tried to picture my grandmother as an eighth grader.
153
It was hopeless.
154
I mean, Juli's got long,
fluffy
brown hair and a nose full of
freckles
, where my grandmother had always been some variety of blond.
fluffy /ˈflʌfi/ adj. 蓬松的
freckle /'frɛkl/ n. 雀斑
155
And my grandmother had used
powder
.
Puffy
white powder.
powder /ˈpaʊdər/ n. 美容粉
puffy /'pʌfi/ adj. 松软洁白的
156
She'd put it on her face and in her hair, in her slippers and on her chest…. That woman powdered everything.
157
I could not see Juli
coated
in powder.
coat /kot/ vt. 为某物涂抹
158
Okay, maybe
gun powder
, but the white
perfumy
stuff? Forget it.
gun powder 火药
perfumy 香味
159
I guess I was staring, because Juli says, “Look, I didn't say it, he did. I just thought it was nice, that's all.”
160
“Yeah, whatever. Well, good luck with the grass. I'm sure it'll come up great.” Then I totally surprised myself by saying, “Knowing you, you'll get 'em all to hatch.”
161
I didn't say it mean or anything, I really meant it.
162
I laughed, and then she laughed, and that's how I left her—sprinkling her soon-to-be
sod
, smiling.
sod /sɑd/ n. 草皮
163
I hadn't been in such a good mood in weeks.
164
The eggs were finally behind me.
165
I was
absolved
.
Relieved
. Happy. It took me a few minutes at the dinner table to realize that I was the only one who was.
absolve /əbˈzɑːlv/ vt. 宣告…无罪
relieve /rɪˈliːv/ v. 解救
166
Lynetta had on her usual
pout
, so that wasn't it.
pout /paʊt/ n. 闷闷不乐
167
But my father's idea of saying hello was to
lay into
me about the lawn.
lay into 痛斥
168
“
No sweat
,” I told him. “I'll do it tomorrow.”
no sweat 不用担心
169
All that got me was a
scowl
.
scowl /skaʊl/ n. 愁容
170
Then Mom says to my granddad, “You tired tonight, Dad?”
171
I hadn't even noticed him sitting there like a stone.
172
“Yeah,” my father
tosses down
the table at him. “That girl working you too hard?”
toss down 一饮而尽
173
My grandfather
straightens
his fork on his
napkin
and says, “‘That girl’ is named Juli, and no, she isn't ‘working me too hard,’ as you so
callously
put it.”
straight /stret/ adv. 直接地
napkin /ˈnæpkɪn/ n. 餐巾纸
callous /ˈkæləs/ adj. 无情的
174
“Callous? Me?” My dad laughs and says, “Developed quite
a soft spot
for that girl, haven't you?”
a soft spot 情有独钟
175
Even Lynetta let her
pout
go for a minute.
pout /paʊt/ n. 撅嘴
176
These were
fighting words
and everyone knew it.
fighting words 挑起争端的言词
177
Mom
nudged
Dad with her foot, but that only made things worse.
nudge /nʌdʒ/ vt. 用肘轻推
178
“No, Patsy! I want to know why your father has the energy and
inclination
to befriend a complete stranger when he's never done so much as toss a baseball around with his own grandson!”
inclination /'ɪnklə'neʃən/ n. 爱好
179
Well, yeah! I thought.
180
But then I remembered — I owed my grandfather. Owed him big-time.
181
Without thinking, I said, “Take it easy, Dad. Juli just reminds him of Grandma.”
182
Everyone
clammed up
and stared at me.
clam up v. 保持沉默
183
So I looked at my grandfather and said, “Uh … isn't that right, Granddad?”
184
He nodded and
rearranged
his fork some more.
rearrange /ˌriə'rendʒ/ vt. 重新布置
185
“Of Renée?” My father looked at my mother and then at Granddad. “She can't possibly!”
186
My granddad closed his eyes and said, “It's her spirit that reminds me of Renée.”
187
“Her spirit,” my father says. Like he's talking to a
lying
kindergartner
.
lying /'laɪɪŋ/ adj. 说谎的
kindergartner 幼儿园里的小孩
188
“Yes, her spirit.” My grandfather's quiet for a minute, then asks, “Do you know why the Bakers haven't fixed up the yard until now?”
189
“Why? Sure. They're trash, that's why. They've got a
beat-up
house, two beat-up cars, and a beat-up yard.”
beat-up /ˈbitˈʌp/ adj. 破旧的
190
“They are not trash, Rick. They are good, honest, hardworking people — ”
191
“Who have absolutely no pride in how they
present
themselves to the rest of the world.
present /ˈpreznt/ vt. 展现
192
We've lived across the street from those people for over six years, and there is no
excuse
for the state they're in.”
excuse /ɪkˈskjuz/ n. 理由
193
“No?” My grandfather takes a deep breath and seems to
weigh
things in his mind for a few seconds.
weigh /weɪ/ vt. 权衡
194
Then he says, “Tell me this, Rick. If you had a brother or sister or child who had a
severe
mental or physical
handicap
, what would you do?”
severe /sɪˈvɪr/ adj. 严重的
handicap /ˈhændikæp/ n. (生理或智力上的)缺陷
195
It was like my granddad had
passed gas
in church.
pass gas 放屁
196
My father's face pinched, his head shook, and finally he said, “Chet, what does that have to do with anything?”
197
My grandfather looks at him for a minute, then quietly says, “Juli's father has a
retarded
brother, and—”
retarded /rɪˈtɑːrdɪd/ adj. 弱智的
198
My father interrupts him with a laugh. “Well, that explains a lot, doesn't it!”
199
“Explains…a lot?” my grandfather asks. Quietly. Calmly.
200
“Sure! It explains why those people are the way they are … !”
201
He grins around the table at us. “Must
run in the family
.”
run in the family 世代相传
202
Everyone looks at him.
203
Lynetta's
jaw
drops, and for once she's
speechless
.
jaw /dʒɔː/ n. 下巴
speechless /'spitʃləs/ adj. (由于强烈的感情)说不出话的
204
My mother says, “Rick!”
205
but all my father can do is laugh a nervous kind of laugh and say,
206
“It was just a joke! I mean, obviously something's wrong with those people. Oh, excuse me, Chet. I forgot. The girl reminds you of Renée.”
207
“Rick!” my mother says again, only this time she's mad.
208
“Oh, Patsy, please. Your father's being
overly
dramatic
, trying to make me feel bad for criticizing our neighbors because there's a retarded
relative
someplace.
overly /'ovɚli/ adv. 过度地
dramatic /drəˈmætɪk/ adj. 激动人心的
relative /ˈrelətɪv/ n. 亲戚
209
Other people have family troubles and still manage to mow their lawn. They should have a little pride in ownership,
for cryin' out loud
!”
for cryin' out loud 真是岂有此理
210
My grandfather's cheeks are seriously
flushed
, but his voice is rock-steady as he says,
flushed /fl ʌʃt/ adj. 激动的
211
“They don't own that house, Rick. The
landlord
is supposed to
maintain
the
premises
, but he doesn't.
landlord /ˈlændlɔːrd/ n. 房东
maintain /meɪnˈteɪn/ v. 保养
premise /ˈpremɪs/ n. 房屋建筑及附属场地
212
And since Juli's father is responsible for his brother, all their
reserves
go to his
care
, and obviously it doesn't come cheap.”
reserve /rɪˈzɜːrv/ n. 储备
care /kɛr/ n. 照料
213
Very quietly my mom asks, “Don't they have government
facilities
for that kind of thing?”
facility /fəˈsɪləti/ n. 设施
214
“I don't know the details, Patsy. Maybe there are no government facilities
nearby
. Maybe they thought a
private
facility was a better place for him to be.”
nearby /ˌnɪrˈbaɪ/ adv. 在附近
private /ˈpraɪvət/ adj. 私人的
215
“Still,” my dad says,
216
“there are government facilities
available
, and if they don't want to go that
route
, that's their choice.
available /əˈveɪləbl/ adj. 可用的
route /ruːt/ n. 途径
217
It's not our fault their family had some sort of
chromosomal
abnormality
, and I refuse to feel
guilty
for
wanting
— ”
chromosomal /'krəuməsəuməl/ adj. 染色体的
abnormality /ˌæbnɔr'mæləti/ n. 异常
guilty /ˈɡɪlti/ adj. 内疚的
wanting /'wɔntɪŋ/ adj. (非正式)弱智的
218
My grandfather slams his hand on the table and half-stands as he says, “It had nothing to do with chromosomes, Rick! It was caused by a
lack
of
oxygen
at birth.”
lack /læk/ n. 缺乏
oxygen /ˈɑːksɪdʒən/ n. 氧气
219
He brings his voice down, but it makes his words seem even more forceful.
220
“Juli's uncle had the
umbilical cord
wrapped around his neck. Twice. One minute he was a perfect little baby, just like your son, Bryce, and the next he was
irreversibly
damaged.”
umbilical cord n. 脐带
irreversibly adv. 不可逆地
221
My mother was suddenly
hysterical
.
hysterical /hɪˈsterɪkl/ adj. 歇斯底里般的
222
In seconds she was
bawling
her eyes out, wailing, and my father was all over her, trying to calm her down.
bawl /bɔːl/ vi. 放声痛哭
223
It was no use.
224
She basically dissolved right there
on the spot
.
on the spot 当场
225
Lynetta threw her napkin down and muttered, “This family is a joke,” and took off.
226
Then my mother
bolted
out of the room, sobbing into her hands, and my father raced after her, throwing my grandfather the
wickedest
look I'd ever seen.
bolt /boʊlt/ vi. 冲出
wicked /ˈwɪkɪd/ adj. 恶劣的
227
That left Granddad and me and a table full of cold food.
228
“Wow,” I finally said. “I had no idea.”
229
“You still don't,” he told me.
230
“What do you mean?”
231
He sat there like
granite
for a minute, then leaned across the table toward me and said, “Why do you suppose that upset your mother so much?”
granite /'grænɪt/ n. 花岗岩
232
“I…I don't know.” I gave a
halfhearted
grin and said, “Because she's female?”
halfhearted /ˈhæfˈhɑrtɪd/ adj. 心不在焉的
233
He smiled, but just barely. “No. She's upset because she knows that she could very well be standing
in Mr. Baker's shoes
right now.”
in one's shoes 处于某人的位置
234
I thought about it a minute and finally asked, “Did her brother have the cord around his neck when he was born?”
235
He shook his head.
236
“Well, then …”
237
He leaned forward even farther and whispered, “You did.”
238
“I did?”
239
He nodded. “Twice.”
240
“But …”
241
“The doctor who delivered you
was on the ball
, plus apparently there was some
slack
in the cord, so he was able to
loop
it off as you came out.
be on the ball 精明能干的
slack /slæk/ adj. 松(弛)的
loop /luːp/ v. 使绕成圈
242
You didn't
hang yourself
coming into the world, but it could very easily have gone the other way.”
hang oneself 自杀
243
If I'd been told years or even weeks ago that I'd come down the
chute
noosed
and ready to
hang
,
chute /ʃut/ n. （人或物可顺势滑下的）斜槽
noose /nuːs/ vt. 用套索捉
hang /hæŋ/ v. (被)绞死
244
I'd have made some kind of joke about it, or more likely I'd have said, Yeah, that's nice; now can you
spare
me the discussion?
spare /spɛr/ vt. 免去
245
But after everything that had happened, I was really
freaking out
, and I couldn't escape the questions tidal-waving my brain.
freak out 崩溃
246
Where would I be if things had been different?
247
What would they have done with me?
248
From the way my dad was talking, he wouldn't have had much use for me, that's for sure.
249
He'd have
stuck
me in a
nuthouse
somewhere, any where, and forgotten about me.
stuck /stʌk/ v. 把......放(某处)
nuthouse /'nʌthaʊs/ n. 精神病院
250
But then I thought, No! I'm his kid. He wouldn't do that … would he?
251
I looked around at everything we had — the big house, the white
carpet
, the
antiques
and
artwork
and stuff that was everywhere.
carpet /ˈkɑːrpɪt/ n. 地毯
antique /ænˈtiːk/ n. 古董
artwork /'ɑrt'wɝk/ n. 艺术品
252
Would they have given up all the stuff to make my life more pleasant?
253
I doubted it, and man, I doubted it big-time.
254
I'd have been an embarrassment. Something to try to forget about.
255
How things looked had always been a
biggie
to my parents.
biggie /'bɪɡi/ n. 重要的事情
256
Especially to my dad.
257
Very quietly my granddad said, “You can't
dwell
on what might have been, Bryce.”
dwell /dwel/ v. 老是想着
258
Then, like he could read my mind, he added, “And it's not fair to
condemn
him for something he hasn't done.”
condemn /kənˈdem/ vt. 谴责
259
I nodded and tried
to get a grip
, but I wasn't doing a very good job of it.
get a grip 控制
260
Then he said, “
By the way
, I appreciated your
comment
before.”
by the way 顺便说一下
comment /ˈkɑːment/ n. 说明
261
“What?” I asked, but my throat was feeling all
pinched
and
swollen
.
swollen /'swolən/ adj. 肿胀的
pinched /pɪntʃt/ adj. 收缩的
262
“About your grandmother. How did you know that?”
263
I shook my head and said, “Juli told me.”
264
“Oh? You spoke with her, then?”
265
“Yeah. Actually, I apologized to her.”
266
“Well…!”
267
“And I was feeling a lot better about everything, but now … God, I feel like such a jerk again.”
268
“Don't. You apologized, and that's what matters.”
269
He stood up and said, “Say, I'm
in the mood for
a walk. Want to join me?”
in the mood for 对某事有心情
270
Go for a walk? What I wanted to do was go to my room, lock the door, and be left alone.
271
“I find it really helps to clear the mind,” he said, and that's when I realized that this wasn't just a walk — this was an invitation to do something together.
272
I stood up and said, “Yeah. Let's get out of here.”
273
For a guy who'd only basically ever said Pass the salt to me, my granddad turned out to be a real
talker
.
talker /ˈtɔkɚ/ n. 健谈者
274
We walked our neighborhood and the next neighborhood and the next neighborhood, and
not only
did I find out that my granddad knows a lot of stuff, I found out that the guy is funny.
not only 不仅
275
In a
subtle
kind of
dry
way.
subtle /ˈsʌtl/ adj. 微妙的
dry /draɪ/ adj. 冷面幽默的
276
It's the stuff he says, plus the
way
he says it.
way /we/ n. 方式
277
It's really, I don't know, cool.
278
As we were
winding
back into our own
territory
, we passed by the house that's going up where the sycamore tree used to be.
wind /wɪnd/ v. 蜿蜒而行
territory /ˈterətɔːri/ n. 领土
279
My granddad stopped, looked up into the night, and said, “It must've been a
spectacular
view.”
spectacular /spekˈtækjələr/ adj. 引人入胜的
280
I looked up, too, and noticed for the first time that night that you could see the stars.
281
“Did you ever see her up there?” I asked him.
282
“Your mother pointed her out to me one time as we drove by. It scared me to see her up so high, but after I read the article I understood why she did it.”
283
He shook his head. “The tree's gone, but she's still got the
spark
it gave her. Know what I mean?”
spark /spɑːrk/ n. 活力
284
Luckily I didn't have to answer.
285
He just grinned and said,
286
“Some of us get
dipped
in flat, some in
satin
, some in
gloss
….” He turned to me. “But every once in a while you find someone who's
iridescent
, and when you do, nothing will ever
compare
.”
dip /dɪp/ vt. 浸
satin /'sætn/ n. 缎子
gloss /ɡlɔs/ n. 光泽
iridescent /ˌɪrɪˈdesnt/ adj. 彩虹色的
compare /kəmˈper/ vi. 相比
287
As we walked up to our front porch, my grandfather put his arm around my shoulder and said, “It was nice walking with you, Bryce. I enjoyed myself very much.”
288
“Me too,” I told him, and we went inside.
289
Right away we knew we'd stepped into a
war zone
.
war zone 战区
290
And even though no one was yelling or crying, from the look on my parents' faces I could tell there'd been a major
meltdown
while my granddad and I were out.
meltdown /'mɛltdaʊn/ n. 崩溃
291
Granddad whispered to me, “I've got another fence to
mend
, I'm afraid,” and headed into the dining room to talk to my parents.
mend /mend/ vt. 修理
292
I wanted
nothing to do with
that vibe.
nothing to do with 与......无关
293
I went straight to my room, closed the door, and flopped through the darkness onto my bed.
294
I lay there
awhile
and let the dinner
disaster
play
through my mind.
awhile /ə'waɪl/ adv. 片刻
disaster /dɪˈzæstər/ n. 灾难
play /ple/ vi. 上演
295
And when I'd totally burned a
fuse
thinking about it, I sat up and looked out the window.
fuse /fjuːz/ n. 导火线
296
There was a light on somewhere inside the Bakers' house and the streetlights were glowing, but the night still seemed really
dense
.
dense /dens/ adj. 浓厚的
297
Like it was darker than usual and, I don't know, heavy.
298
I leaned closer to the window and looked up into the sky, but I couldn't see the stars anymore.
299
I wondered if Juli had ever been in the sycamore at night. Among the stars.
300
I shook my head. Flat,
glossy
, iridescent. What was up with that?
glossy /ˈɡlɑːsi/ adj. 虚有其表的
301
Juli Baker had always seemed just
plain
dusty
to me.
plain /pleɪn/ adj. 朴素的
dusty /'dʌsti/ adj. 枯燥无味的
302
I
snapped on
my desk lamp and
dug
the newspaper with the article about Juli out of the drawer where I'd tossed it.
snap on 啪地打开灯
dig /dɪɡ/ v. 搜寻
303
Just like I thought — they made it sound like Juli was trying to save
Mount Rushmore
or something.
Mount Rushmore n. 拉什莫尔山（美国总统纪念公园）
304
They called her a “strong voice in an urban
wilderness
”
wilderness /ˈwɪldərnəs/ n. 荒野
305
and “a
radiant
beacon
,
shedding
light on the need to
curtail
continued overdevelopment of our once
quaint
and
tranquil
community.”
radiant /ˈreɪdiənt/ adj. 光芒四射的
beacon /ˈbiːkən/ n. 灯塔
shed /ʃed/ v. 发出(光)
curtail /kɜːrˈteɪl/ vt. 限制
quaint /kweɪnt/ adj. 古色古香的
tranquil /ˈtræŋkwɪl/ adj. 安静的
306
Spare
me.
spare /spɛr/ vt. 饶恕
307
I mean, what's wrong with letting a guy cut down a tree on his own property so he can build a house?
308
His lot, his tree, his decision.
End of story
.
end of story (非正式)就是这个样子
309
The piece in the paper was
gag
-me
gush
.
gag /gæg/ vi. 作呕
gush /ɡʌʃ/ n. 喷出
310
Except. Except for the places where they
quoted
Juli.
quote /kwoʊt/ vi. 引证
311
Maybe it was just in
contrast
to the reporter's
slant
or something, but Juli's parts didn't
come off
oh-
woe
-is-me like I was expecting.
contrast /ˈkɑːntræst/ n. 对比
slant /slænt/ n. (有倾向性的)观点
come off 成为
woe /woʊ/ n. 悲哀
312
They were, I don't know, deep.
313
Sitting in that tree was seriously philosophical to her.
314
And the odd thing is, it all made sense to me.
315
She talked about what it felt like to be up in that tree, and how it, like,
transcended
dimensional
space.
transcend /trænˈsend/ vt. 超越
dimensional /dɪ'mɛnʃənl/ adj. 纬度的
316
“To be held above the earth and
brushed
by the wind,” she said, “it's like your heart has been kissed by beauty.”
brush /brʌʃ/ v. 拂去
317
Who in junior high do you know that would put together a sentence like that? None of my friends, that's for sure.
318
There was other stuff, too, like how something can be so much more than the parts it took to make it,
319
and why people need things around them that lift them above their lives and make them feel the miracle of living.
320
I wound up reading and re-reading her parts, wondering when in the world she started thinking like that.
321
I mean, no kidding, Juli Baker's smart, but this was something way beyond
straight
A's.
straight /stret/ adj. 成绩全优的
322
A month ago if I'd read this article, I would have chucked it in the trash as complete garbage, but for some reason it made
sense
to me now.
sense /sɛns/ n. 意义
323
A lot of sense.
324
A month ago I also wouldn't have paid any attention to the picture of Juli, but now I found myself staring at it.
325
Not the one of the whole scene — that was more
emergency
rescue
equipment
than Juli. The other one, on the bottom half of the page.
emergency /iˈmɜːrdʒənsi/ n. 紧急情况
equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ n. 装备
326
Someone must've used a
killer
telephoto
lens, because you can tell that she's in the tree, but it's
mostly
from the shoulders up.
killer /ˈkɪlər/ n. 杀手锏
telephoto lens n. 长焦镜头
mostly /ˈmoʊstli/ adv. 主要地
327
She's looking off into the distance and the wind is blowing her hair back like she's at the
helm
of a ship or something, sailing into the sun.
helm /hɛlm/ n. 舵
328
I'd spent so many years avoiding Juli Baker that I'd never really looked at her, and now
all of a sudden
I couldn't stop.
all of a sudden 出乎意料地
329
This weird feeling started
taking over
the
pit
of my stomach, and I didn't like it. Not one bit.
taking over 占领
pit /pɪt/ n. 深坑
330
To tell you the truth,
it scared the Sheetrock out of me
.
scare the shit out of sb 吓死某人一跳
331
I buried the paper under my pillow and tried to remind myself of what a
pain
Juli Baker was.
pain /peɪn/ n. [非正式] 讨厌地人(或事)
332
But my mind started to wander again, and pretty soon I had that stupid paper out from under my pillow.
333
This was
insane
! What was I doing?
insane /ɪnˈseɪn/ adj. 精神病的
334
I made myself shut out the light and go to bed.
335
I was
slipping
, man, and it was definitely time to
get a grip
.
slipping /'slipiŋ/ adj. 〈美俚〉渐渐松驰的
get a grip (使自己)镇静下来
336
I was
slipping
, man, and it was definitely time to
get a grip
.
337
