胡敏读故事记单词 令人沮丧的门厅中
grave-gym A groan or a moan
是呻吟还是呜咽？
Only the husband understood the gravity of the situation.
只有丈夫懂得情况的严重性。
Years ago,
几年前，
when he,the groom had kissed his bride at the end of their wedding ceremony,
他作为新郎在婚礼结束的时候吻了他的新娘--
a supposedly groundbreaking moment in their relationship, she had groaned.
这大概是两人关系开天辟地的时刻她却在这个时候呻吟了一下。
Everyone thought it was a moan.But he had held a grudge ever since.
新郎却从此怀恨在心。
Now they had been married for two years
如今他们已经结婚两年了，
and he knew that her three hours each night at the gym
他知道她每晚在健身房待三个小时
was not just for exercising.
不只是为了锻炼。
That was a gross lie
锻炼是十足的谎言，
and he couldn't believe that she didn't know
他不相信她不清楚
that he knew that she was seeing someone else.
他已经知道她在和别人约会。
The next night
第二天晚上，
when he gullibly assented to her "going out to exercise",
他轻易上当地同意她"外出锻炼"，
he followed and took pictures of her in the grip of another man.
然后跟踪她，拍下了她被另一个男人拥抱的照片。
He grumbled all the way home that this was enough grievance for a divorce.
回家时他一路上都在发牢骚，说这种冤情足以让人离婚。
When she returned home that night
那天晚上她回到家时，
he had a grave expression on his face.
他脸上表情沉重。
"I have an ax to grind with you." He said.
"我要跟你算算账。"说着
He threw the photos on the table.
他把拍的照片扔在桌上，
But she was on her guard and didn't look guilty at all.
但她很警惕，脸上毫无内疚之色。
"That's my gym coach!" She said.
"他是我的健身教练!"她回答道，
"There was a large gust of wind and he was just helping me not fall.
"当时刮起一阵狂风，他不过是在扶我，怕我摔倒而已。
I can guarantee that it was totally innocent.
我可以保证这件事完全是清白的。
Oh,and see the paper in his hand with my exercise grid for the week?
噢，瞧见他手上拿的纸了吗?
Those have all the guidelines for my routine.
那是我一周锻炼计划的坐标方格。日常锻炼的标准都在上面。
He was just there to give them to me!"
他去那儿正是为了给我那些东西!"
Even after the plate that her husband then threw grazed her on her head,
即使在她丈夫扔出去的盘子擦伤了她的头部之后，
the wife did not change her story.
她也没有改变她的说法。
But he changed his and decided that he had been too hard on her.
但是他改变了他的说法，认为是他对她一直太不好了。
Maybe that groan had been a moan after all?
也许婚礼上她的呻吟真的是一声呜咽?
habitat-haul Harvest time
收割季节
Harvest time was the best time of the year.
收割季节是一年中的最好时间。
That was when each family would haul in the produce of their hard work
这时候，各家各户都将往家里运送他们辛勤劳动的果实，
and fill their habitations with food and celebration.
他们的住处不仅装满了食物，而且装满了欢乐。
The harsh winter was long forgotten
严酷的寒冬早已被抛诸脑后，
and the hardy folk of the countryside had reason to celebrate.
吃苦耐劳的乡下人有理由庆祝一番。
The nearby town always took part in the celebrations of harmony as well.
附近的城镇也总是加入到和谐的庆祝活动中来。
Farmer's wives came in to buy new hairdressing,
农妇们来这里购买新的美发剂，
local boys ceased to harass the country boys
当地男孩也不再骚扰乡下男孩，
and the pretty girls no longer harbored disdain for a young man in blue jeans.
而漂亮的女孩对穿蓝色牛仔裤的小伙子也不再心怀蔑视。
Many plans for secret meetings in the woods were hatched.
许多人都在筹划着在林中幽会。
In other parts of town local police were able to handle brawls,
在镇上的其他地方，地方警察能够应付打架这种事
-relieved for a season of just dealing with simple fights over nothing at all.
这段时间只需处理一些无事生非的一般性打架争吵警察因此也可以松口气。
The summer dance was always the hallmark of the season.
夏季舞会总是收割季节的标志性节目。
Every person for miles left their habitat
人们会赶几英里的路从家乡来到这里，
for a spin on the floor to some good country music.
随着某种美妙的乡村音乐在地上翩翩起舞。
Every man grabbed his sweetheart and renewed his vows of love.
每个男人都抓着自己的心上人重申着爱的誓言。
Even the handicapped were not hampered from a roll on the dance floor.
即使是残疾人也不碍事，他们也可以在舞场上转动。
This was also always the time when the mayor would hail the unity of the county
镇长也总在这个时候热情赞扬本县的团结一心，
and pass handouts to those who were still needy.
向那些仍然贫困的人发放一些免费物品。
It was as if every good emotion was harnessed during harvest season
在收割季节似乎所有美好情感都得以利用，
and no one wanted to halt the entertainment.
没有人想停止娱乐。
It always ended, however,
但是天下没有不散的筵席，
and men who had drunk just a little too much
那些喝多了的男人
inevitably began the haphazard journey home
必然会随心所欲地找条路就要回家，
leaning on the arms of their faithful wives.
这时忠实的妻子们就成了他们的拐杖。
But everyone knew that there would be another harvest time next year.
不过大家都知道明年还会有收获季节，
And that was something worth waiting for.
这正是值得大家期待的事情。
haunt-herbivorous A haven of hedonists
享乐主义者的庇护所
Living in East Haven during Halloween was hazardous to one's health.
诸圣日前夕住在东庇护所对一个人的健康是有害的。
Headlines heralded the coming of Halloween weeks in advance
报刊上的头版新闻提前几周就预承了诸圣日前夕的来临，
and police headquarters issued warnings on how to keep safe.
而警察总部则发布了如何保障安全的警告。
Everyone heeded these warnings
人人都注意到了这些警告，
because EastHaven was the haven of the largest
group of witchesin the western hemisphere.
因为东庇护所是西半球最大的女巫团体的庇护所。
It was hoped that only herbivores would go missing.
人们希望失踪的只是一些食草动物。
Every heir to any family name was kept inside on that day.
每位家族继承人在这一天都闭门不出。
Most left town
大多数人都离开了城里，
because the scene of hedonism that would happen scared them behind locked doors.
因为即使闭门在家，即将出现的享乐主义场面也会使他们胆战心惊
One year the havoc had led to a fire that destroyed a whole block of homes
有一年，混乱导致了火灾，烧毁了一个街区所有的房屋，
Heaps of trash would always be found in the street the next day
第二天街上经常见到成堆的垃圾，
and houses would have to be repainted to cover the helix signs painted on them.
人们得给房子重新刷一遍漆，以覆盖涂在上面的螺旋形符号。
Every hectare would be affected.
每一公顷地方都会受到影响。
When the degree of hazard had grown too much,
当危害程度变得无法忍受时，
the good people of the town had tried to outlaw the group.
城里有点儿良知的人就试图取缔这一团体，
But the haven claimed religious freedom and won.
但庇护所要求享有宗教自由并且取得了胜利。
Those families that had opposed the haven were haunted for years.
那些反对过庇护所的家庭多年来常受骚扰
It was as if the legal victory had only heightened the power of the witches
法律上的胜利似乎加强了女巫们的力量。好在人们一般不会失踪，
Thank God that people didn't usually go missing.
真是谢天谢地!
But townsfolk suspectedthat missing persons'
reports from nearby towns were related to this.
但附近城镇老有人失踪，他们怀疑这与庇护所有关。
It was the most hectic time of the year
诸圣日前夕是一年中最忙乱的时候
and there was no possibility of healing.
要想在这个时候康复是没有可能的。
The only good news was a new trend among witches to heal the sick.
惟一的好消息是女巫们有一种新的趋势，她们开始治愈患。
The sacrifice of herbivorous animals was supposed to be part of their ritual
用食草动物献祭据说是她们巫术的一部分，
Every home therefore put harmless animals on their doorstep
因此各家都把不伤人的动物置于门阶上，
hoping that their home would be spared from the chaos.
希望自家不会发生混乱。
But most just prayed that Halloween would be over as quickly as possible.
不过大多数人倒是祈祷诸圣日前夕会尽快过去。
herculean-holistic A circus hijacking
马戏团劫机
Circuses in the hinterland were hilarious.
内地的马戏团非常热闹。
Due to some hereditary miracle in the people who joined the circus,
由于有些加入马戏团的人身怀祖传绝技，
hitherto never-attempted feats of daring were always being performed.
所以他们经常表演一些迄今无人尝试过的节目。
High-flying stuntswere popular.
高空飞行特技表演非常受欢迎，
Herculean physical feats were the standard.
艰难的人体表演只是普通节目，
But it was the high tech plan to hijack a real plane
而劫持一架从马戏团上空飞过的真飞机却是一个高科技计划，
as it flew over the circus that really hinted at something more than heterodox.
只有它才真正暗示出某种极其异端的做法。
It was no hit-and-miss plan.
这可不是一个随意想出的计划
This hijacking was going to be done by locals hired by the circus announcer
这次劫机行动将由马戏团报幕员雇用的当地人完成
and remembered as part of his heritage.
并作为他的遗产的一部分被人铭记。
The hierarchical order of each member of the team
劫机小组的各位成员按等级排序
was the highlight of the event.
是整个事件中最有趣的部分，
That was because the announcer's son,only 17 years old,
因为马戏团报幕员的儿子只有17岁，
was directing men ten to twenty years older than himself.
却在指挥比自己大10到20岁的人。
In hindsight,all agreed that this was the obvious reason for the hiccup.
事后想来，大家一致认为这显然是使劫机暂时中断的原因。
The holistic plan was executed brilliantly.
整个劫机计划执行得极为出色。
When the plane was hijacked it flew over the circus and did two aerial loops
飞机被劫持时，它正在马戏团上空飞行，还在空中盘旋了两圈。
The passengers had a scare when that happened.
意外发生时乘客们吓了一跳。
When one of the hired men broke out of the hierarchy
但是，当一位受雇者打破等级制度，
and told the pilot to do it again,however,
让飞行员再转圈时，
no one tried to hinder him but the announcer's son.
除了报幕员的儿子之外，没人想阻止他，
The man yelled out his name and told him to leave him alone.
于是那人大声喊着报幕员儿子的名字，让他别管他。
When the hijacking was complete and the whole team escaped successfully
劫机完成了，整个小组都成功地逃离了，
everyone thought it was a heritage to be proud of.
大家都认为这件事值得自豪。
Unfortunately the police had heard the name of the announcer's son.
不幸的是，警察听到了报幕员儿子的名字，
They attacked the circus like a hive of bees and arrested all involved.
于是一窝蜂似地突袭了马戏团，逮捕了所有涉案人员。
A hijacking wasn't so hilarious to them!
对他们来说劫机可没那么好玩!
hollow-hostile A hostile homestay
家庭居住时遭遇敌意
Dave had only wanted a place to do a homestay and earn his degree
戴夫只想找个地方过一段家庭居住的生活以获得
in desert horticulture.
沙漠园艺学学位。
He hadn't wanted to go to a hostel or rent his own apartment.
他不想去校外的学生宿舍，也不想租自己的公寓，
He had just wanted to get to know the hospitality of the locals.
他只想了解当地人的好客程度。
He had no idea that members of the family
he was staying with were victims of the holocaust.
他不知道自己去住的那个家庭是第二次世界大战时纳粹大屠杀的受害者。
When they found out that Dave was German
如果他们发现戴夫是德国人，
he was sure they would commit homicide.
他敢肯定他们会杀了他。
Now the situation was hopeless.
现在的情况是毫无希望。
When he had said that there had been good Germans too,
他说德国人中也有好人，
they only locked him hostage in his room.
他们竟把他作为人质锁在他的屋里。
Hordes of hostile neighbors were gathering outside his window.
成群不友善的邻居聚集在他的窗外。
One woman with hair on her face
一位脸上长毛的妇女
yelled that the Nazis had experimented on her hormones.
大叫，说纳粹分子拿她的荷尔蒙做过实验。
Another man with a hollow face
另一位脸部凹陷的男人说
said that Dave's parents had killed his children.
戴夫的父母杀了他的孩子。
This was ridiculous!
真是荒唐透顶!
"They were not homogenous!"
我父母和纳粹分子不是同类!
My father lost a leg running from the Nazis himself!He was an honourable man!"
我父亲自己从纳粹分子那里逃跑时还丢了一条腿呢!他可是个好人!
"That was when thehonking began
就在这时，有人开始鸣喇叭，
and a man with a metal bar ran towards the house,
一个男人手拿一根金属棒跑向关戴夫的屋子，
swung it and broke his window!
他挥棒打碎了他的窗户!
Dave jumped up,
戴夫跳了起来，
grabbed a large hook from the wall and prepared to defend himself.
从墙上抓起一个大钩子准备自卫。
At least he would die with honour defending his parents!
至少他可以为捍卫父母的名誉而光荣地死去!
He hopped out the window to face the crowd.
他跳到窗外，面对众人。
Sirens in the distance caused them all to stop.
远处的警笛声把他们都镇住了。
Dave looked hopefully at the police cars as they drove up over the horizon.
戴夫满怀希望地看着警车从地平线那边开过来的
When the Police Chief walked up, he rolled up his sleeve
然而，当警长走过来、卷起袖子、
and held it horizontal to the ground in front of Dave's face,however,
在戴夫面前把手伸得和地面平行时，
he knew it was over;his arm was stampedwith a number.
戴夫知道自己完了--警长的手臂上印有一个数字。
house-idiom Homecoming
回家
"What's all the hubbub?"
"吵什么?"
Mr.Williams yelled over the howling of his identical twins
威廉姆斯大声嚷道跟他长得一模一样的双胞胎正在嚎叫，
as he hurdled over a fallen toy while coming in the front door.
从前门进屋，跨过掉在地上的一件玩具，
"There's a strange man in the house and we don't know his identity!"
屋里有个陌生人，我们不知道他的身份!
I think he's mom's o1d boyfriend.She gave him a big hug!" Huffed his son, Dan.
我觉得他是妈妈过去的男朋友。她使劲地拥抱了他!"儿子丹怒道。
"Mommy's got a boyfriend."
妈咪有个男朋友。
"Dana,his sister began to sing.
妹妹达娜开始唱道。
"That's not my hypothesis !He had bad giene."
这可不是我的假设!他不讲卫生。
I bet he's a bad guy that Dad will identify from a wanted poster
"我肯定他是个坏家伙，爸爸从通缉布告可以认出他!"
Dan yelled back.
丹大叫着回答。
"For the love of humanity,behave yourselves!"
出于对人类的爱，请你们规矩点儿!
It would be ideal if you would both stop being so hysterical
如果你俩不这么歇斯底里，
and not humiliate us in front of company.Okay?" Mr.Williams said.
不在客人面前羞辱我们，就什么都好了。行吗?"威廉姆斯先生说。
Dana walked away still humming the little rhyme.
达娜走了，嘴里仍然哼着刚才的小调。
Mr.Williams wiped the sweat from his forehead and cursed the humidity.
威廉姆斯先生擦去前额的汗水，诅咒潮湿的天气。
"And someone turn on the air conditioner! Then he walked back to the kitchen."
把空调打开吧!"然后他回到了厨房。
"But my ideology hasn't changed a bit!"
"但是我的思想一点儿 都没变!"
A man with long hair and a beard was saying to his wife.
一个满头长发留着胡子的男人对威廉姆斯的妻子说。
"It's just that the president is really a humble man!And I like him."
"只是校长真是个谦虚的人!我喜欢他。"
What they were talking about Mr.Williams couldn't guess
威廉姆斯先生猜不出他们谈论的内容，
but the man stood up suddenly as he walked in.
可是当他走进去的时候，那人突然站了起来。
"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"
"你是谁?你在我家干什么?"
He said as politely as he could.
威廉姆斯尽可能有礼貌地问。
"Honey,look at his identification card.It's Davey,your brother."
亲爱的，看看他的身份证。他是你兄弟戴维。
He's come home from the war!"
他从战场上回来了!"
Mr.Williams caught his breath
威廉姆斯屏住呼吸，
and then walked over and hugged his long-lost brother with a huge laugh.
然后走过去，大笑着拥抱他失散已久的兄弟。
"Oh, it's good to have you home Dave."
"噢，戴夫，你回来真是太好了。"
"And it's good to be here."
回家真好，
I know it's an old idiom, but home is truly where the heart is."
我知道这个成语有点儿老土，但家确实是心之所在。"
idiosyncratic-impair The illustrator
插图画家
The illustrator ignored the ignorance of his idiosyncratic boss
插图画家没有理睬癖好古怪的老板的无知，
and continued to work on his illustration.
继续画他的插图。
It would be the piece that would immortalize his name forever,
这幅插图会使他名垂千古，
perhaps more so because of the immor image he was drawing
也许正是因为他画的是不道德的形象,他会更加声名远扬。
And he knew he would start a new movement in the art world.
他知道他将在艺术界发起一场新的运动。
Immersing himself in his work,
插图画家沉浸在工作之中，
the illustrator became immune to distraction
他不受外界的干扰，
and worked for another twelve hours straight.
又连续工作了12小时。
His illusions of grandeur came crashing down
插图画家美好的幻想破灭了
when the obviously artistically illiterate public
公众显然不懂艺术，
missed the impact of what he had done.
他们看不出他的作品会有什么影响，
Some couldn't understand the content,
有些人不能理解他画的内容，
saying that this type of drawing should be illegal.
说这种画法是非法的。
Others sensed that there was something immense
其他人感觉到他的画有点儿绝妙，
but they couldn't put words to what they sensed.
但无法用语言表达他们的感觉。
And yet others just thought it was immature,
还有一些人干脆认为他的绘画不成熟，
the work of an artist obviously impaired by any good judgment.
任何好评对他的作品显然都是一种损害。
But,over time,his work had another kind of impact.
可是过了一段时间，他的作品产生了另外一种影响。
Imitators began to sprout up all over the country,
模仿者开始在全国迅速出现，
giving shows of works that were obviously influenced by the illustrator.
他们展示的作品明显受到这位插图画家的影响。
When the illustrator saw this
看到这种情况，
he thought that the public recognition of his work was imminent.
插图画家认为公众即将认可他的作品，
But he had forgotten about their short attention span.
但是他忘了公众的注意力很容易时过境迁。
When years had passed and still no one knew his name,
许多年过去了，仍然无人知道插图画家的名字，
the illustrator even began to think
他甚至开始认为
that the illiteracy rate among critics must have been growing.
评论家中的文盲率一定在上升。
How could they not know
他们怎么能不知道
that he was the one that had turned the ignition
他就是使眼下燃烧着的
of the current craze for immoral illustrations?
时尚转向不道德插图的那个人呢?
They never knew,at least not until after the illustrator had died
他们从来都不知道，至少直到插图画家死的那一天都不知道。
Then some art student examined his work
后来某个搞艺术的学生研究了他的作品，
and gave him the credit he had always longed for.
给予了他一直渴望获得的称赞。
That's just the way the art world is: hip,
艺术界的事情就是这样：很时髦，
but always recognized a generation later.
但总要到一代人之后才能得到承认。
