现代大学英语精读第四册 2b

　　THE HITCH-hiker
It had been touch and go whether Carole Phillips would reach the London main-line station in time to catch the last train. She had worked very late last night, preparing a report on the small department she managed in the London office of a textile manufacturer; and, since she would be too late and too tired to cook when she arrived home, had gone go a small restaurant for a salad before looking for a taxi to take her to the station.
The service at the restaurant had been slow and when she left the place a slight drizzle¹ had begun to fall: enough to make taxis irritatingly scarce. Finally, though, she flagged one down and sat on the edge of her seat as it dragged through the traffic towards the station. She made the train with seconds to spare and fell against the buttoned upholstery, recovering slowly from her sprint² through the station concourse.
During the seventy-minute trip to the Home Counties town where she lived, she looked up from her book now and then to peer out of the window into the darkness. The rain had quickened. Heavy drops, blown into a spread of wet lace, hung on the glass. Beyond, she could see the black shadows of tress alongside the line stirring in the wind; and behind the trees the indistinct, sodden³ fields lit along their edges by the lights from the carriages. She reflected that even the tamest countryside can seem intimidating⁴ a night: and especially in bad weather .Out there in the blackness, predators⁵ were closing in on their prey⁶ –ruthlessly, silently. In those apparently⁷ empty fields, sudden attacks were taking place; there were tiny, unheard screams of pain; there was blood and violent death, the killer⁸ standing⁹ above its victim as the little corpse¹⁰ still quivered in its grip. This late at night, the normally tolerable trip could seem endless.
By the time she reached her destination, the weather bad become wild. The rain had thinned, but was carried almost horizontally by a harsh, cold wind that buffeted¹¹ her as she struggled along the platform. She was the only passenger to alight. Her heeltaps rang on the flagstones, seeming to sing, like asdic, as if they were finding a resonance¹² below the surface. She always felt slightly at risk when coming home on the last train-silly, of course; a hangover from childhood fears of the dark, of the bogeyman, of the imagined figure at the top of the stairs. Even so, she never felt quite safe until she had crossed the car-park and (feeling a bit foolish) locked herself into the car before starting off.
As usual, this late at night, there was no one on duty to take her ticket. A light burned dimly in one of the station rooms, but whoever was in there either hadn’t noticed that a passenger had got off the train, or didn’t care. She pushed her season-ticket back into her pocket and took out her car keys.
She had arrived at the station that morning with only a few minutes to spare: cutting things fine is a characteristic of the practiced commuter¹³. So her car had been parked among the furthest from the entrance, although now it was the only vehicle left there beneath the row of tossing yew¹⁴ trees that bordered the fence.
The car-park was no more than a large, cordoned-off area of bare earth, rutted and strewn with cinders¹⁵ for drainage-unlit and far from the sparse¹⁶ street-lamps lining¹⁷ the country road by the station approach. She crossed the sixty yards or so of rough ground at a fast pace, her coat flapping in the wind. Once she stumbled in a deep rut and almost loosed her hold on the car keys-that would had been a disaster, she thought, since it was too dark to see more than a few feet ahead. She knew exactly where the car was, though, and walked unfalteringly to it. As she put the key in the lock, she heard a quiet voice from out of the blackness directly behind her.
For a second her heart seemed to stop entirely¹⁸. Then her brain began to function, offering reassurance¹⁹: it had been a woman’s voice. Even so, she turned to face the voice’s owner with fear curdling²⁰ in her stomach; but as the person came a little closer, she relaxed. A woman stood there, dressed rather shabbily in a worn top-coat and a felt hat. Her hair was grey, she was clearly in late-middle age, and she seemed to be upset.
“Excuse me, Miss,” she repeated the words that the girl had first heard.
“What’s wrong? “ Clearly something must be wrong. Why else would this old dear be standing in a station car-park at midnight enduring a half-gale?
“Can you help me? It’s so silly. I arranged for a taxi to meet me from my train and it’s not here. I thought your might be it and that the driver would come back, but I’ve been waiting for ages. Are you going towards town?”
“Yes. I’m going into the town.” The girl began to feel distinctly sorry for the old lady. To be stuck out at the station-a four-mile bus or cab ride from the town-waiting for transport that obviously wasn’t going to come almost put her in the category of distressed²¹ gentle person. “Where do you live?”
“Well, it’s on that road-almost in the town itself. You could very nearly drop me at my door without going of your way. Would you mind?”
The girl unlocked the car and got in, then lifted the catch on the passenger-door to admit the old lady. When they were both settled, the girl leaned over and opened the glove-compartment on the passenger’s side. She kept a wooden clothes-peg²² in there: her unscientific but effective method for keeping the erratic²³ choke out long enough to get the car going. She had just retrieved²⁴ the peg, when she happened to glance down. She froze. The illumination from the glove-compartment revealed that the backs of her passenger’s hands-which were neatly²⁵ folded in her lap-were covered in a thick growth of dark hairs!
The girl’s mind screamed at her: It’s a man! Oh，my God, it’s a man! Somehow, she managed to remain outwardly calm, fiddling²⁶ with this or that control while her brain raced, desperately²⁷ trying to improvise²⁸ an escape. By some means, she had to get the person out of the car.
Without pegging²⁹ the choke back, she turned the ignition key, knowing that the car wouldn’t start. Three or four times she made a show of doing this, pretending to get more annoyed. Hoping that her voice wouldn’t quaver, she said, “Oh dear! It does this sometimes. Usually, I have to get a push.” Then she turned the key twice more, to no effect.
“Damn!” She chewed her lip as if searching for solution. “Look, it’s an awful thing to ask, but I don’t see how else we’re going to get the wretched car started. We’re on a bit of a hill here. If you could just give it a tiny push to start if off, it’ll roll down the slope and I can get the engine going. Would you?”
Somewhat to her surprise, her passenger agreed. Maybe the light in the station-impossibly far as a refuge, but close enough to make a potential attacker feel uneasy-closed and the figure went around to the back of the car. Instantly, she snapped down the inside locks, jammed the peg behind the choke-rod, started the car, roared across the car-park, along the station approach and on to the road.
After a mile or so, the mad fluttering of the girl’s heat slowed. The whole incident seemed dream-like. She could hardly believe it had really happened-though if she needed to assure herself that it had, she had the evidence of the handbag that the old lady had left on the floor of the car when she got out. In fact, it may have been the hastily. Had she perhaps just swept out of the car-park leaving behind a thoroughly³⁰ confused old lady who simply happened to have rather hairy hands? After all, some women were unlucky that way and only the young would bother to do something about the condition. More than that, the light from the glove-compartment might have made the hairiness look worse than it was. What evidence did she have? Almost none. She was aware, though, that her natural nervousness, her slight fear of the dark and the wild weather might have prompted her to act stupidly. If she had made a mistake, then she had driven off with the poor woman’s handbag. But still she remembered those very hairy hands!
By the time she reached town, she was in a terrible quandary³¹ about the whole incident. Had she just survived an encounter with a homicidal maniac³² or had her irrational³³ fear led her to act in a terribly unkind manner? Either way, she decided³⁴, her best course of action was to go to the local police station. The person she had just abandoned would need to be either rescued or investigated.
As she told her story to the sergeant³⁵ on duty, she became increasingly sure in her own mind that she had acted cruelly and stupidly. It had been an old lady; hairy hands were no sign of malice³⁶; and she had left her out there at the station with no means of getting home.
She said as much to the sergeant, who agreed that it was probably the case. “I’ll send someone out there,” he told the girl. “In the meantime, we’d better have a look in her handbag to find out who she is in case she’s left the station.”
Together, they went out to the car. The girl produced the bag-a large soft-leather affair with a swivel clasp-and handed it to the sergeant, who snapped open the clasp and held the bag open so that they could both see what it held.
The sergeant’s exclamation³⁷ was followed by a small shriek³⁸ from the girl; she staggered slightly and seemed about to faint, so that it would fit into the bag. It was the only thing in there, and the honed cutting edge shone along its beveled length in the white lamp-light.
Asdic:A(nti-)S(ubmarine)D(etection)I(nvestigation)C(ommittee)

1 drizzle   

v.下毛毛雨；n.毛毛雨，蒙蒙细雨

参考例句：

• The shower tailed off into a drizzle.阵雨越来越小，最后变成了毛毛雨。
• Yesterday the radio forecast drizzle,and today it is indeed raining.昨天预报有小雨，今天果然下起来了。

2 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

3 sodden   

adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑

参考例句：

• We stripped off our sodden clothes.我们扒下了湿透的衣服。
• The cardboard was sodden and fell apart in his hands.纸板潮得都发酥了，手一捏就碎。

4 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

5 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

8 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 corpse   

n.尸体，死尸

参考例句：

• What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
• The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。

11 buffeted   

反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去

参考例句：

• to be buffeted by the wind 被风吹得左右摇摆
• We were buffeted by the wind and the rain. 我们遭到风雨的袭击。

12 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

13 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

14 yew   

n.紫杉属树木

参考例句：

• The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.紫杉树叶会令牛中毒。
• All parts of the yew tree are poisonous,including the berries.紫杉的各个部分都有毒，包括浆果。

15 cinders   

n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道

参考例句：

• This material is variously termed ash, clinker, cinders or slag. 这种材料有不同的名称，如灰、炉渣、煤渣或矿渣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rake out the cinders before you start a new fire. 在重新点火前先把煤渣耙出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 sparse   

adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的

参考例句：

• The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
• The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。

17 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

18 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

19 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

20 curdling   

n.凝化v.（使）凝结( curdle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Curdling occurs when milk turns sour and forms solid2 chunks. 凝结时牛奶变酸并且结成2大块固体。 来自互联网
• The sluggish cream wound curdling spirals through her tea. 黏糊糊的奶油在她的红茶里弯弯曲曲地凝结成螺旋形。 来自互联网

21 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

22 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

23 erratic   

adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的

参考例句：

• The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
• The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。

24 retrieved   

v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句

25 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

26 fiddling   

微小的

参考例句：

• He was fiddling with his keys while he talked to me. 和我谈话时他不停地摆弄钥匙。
• All you're going to see is a lot of fiddling around. 你今天要看到的只是大量的胡摆乱弄。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦

27 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

28 improvise   

v.即兴创作；临时准备，临时凑成

参考例句：

• If an actor forgets his words，he has to improvise.演员要是忘记台词，那就只好即兴现编。
• As we've not got the proper materials,we'll just have to improvise.我们没有弄到合适的材料，只好临时凑合了。

29 pegging   

n.外汇钉住，固定证券价格v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的现在分词 )；使固定在某水平

参考例句：

• To write a novel,one must keep pegging away at it consistently. 要写小说，必须不断辛勤劳动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She was pegging the clothes out on the line to dry. 她正在把衣服夹在晒衣绳上晾干。 来自辞典例句

30 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

31 quandary   

n.困惑，进迟两难之境

参考例句：

• I was in a quandary about whether to go.我当时正犹豫到底去不去。
• I was put in a great quandary.我陷于进退两难的窘境。

32 maniac   

n.精神癫狂的人；疯子

参考例句：

• Be careful!That man is driving like a maniac!注意！那个人开车像个疯子一样！
• You were acting like a maniac,and you threatened her with a bomb!你像一个疯子，你用炸弹恐吓她！

33 irrational   

adj.无理性的，失去理性的

参考例句：

• After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
• There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。

34 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

35 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

36 malice   

n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋

参考例句：

• I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
• There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。

37 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

38 shriek   

v./n.尖叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
• People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧，气愤或疼痛而尖叫。