杜兰特--从NBA"恶棍"到硅谷科技新贵

 　　After a turbulent summer, the N.B.A.’s newest "villain¹" is finding peace and building an empire among the Bay Area’s techies.

　　在一个骚乱的夏天之后，这位NBA最新的“恶棍”正在找寻安宁并在湾区一众科技巨头中建立自己的帝国。

　　Until last summer, Kevin Durant was certainly famous, but maybe not famous enough.

　　截止去年夏天，凯文-杜兰特绝对算是很有名气，但也许名气还不够大。

　　Here was a perennial² N.B.A. All-Star and former most valuable player who had been ranked No. 4 on GQ’s list of the most stylish³ players in N.B.A. History.

　　他连续多年入选全明星，还曾赢得过MVP称号。他曾经在《GQ》杂志的NBA历史型男运动员评选中排第四。

　　He had a reported $300 million endorsement⁴ deal with Nike, and Lifetime had even made a movie about his mother, "The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story."

　　据报道，他跟耐克签下3亿美元的代言合同。Lifetime电视台甚至拍摄了一部关于他母亲的电影《真正的MVP：旺达-杜兰特》。

　　Even so, every article on Mr. Durant seemed to boil down to this: He was too nice. And super-duper-stars aren’t "nice."

　　即便如此，所有关于杜兰特先生的文章似乎总是归结为：他太善良了。但超级巨星绝不是“善茬”。

　　That narrative⁵ persisted until last June, when Mr. Durant, who had spent eight years dutifully toiling⁶ in small-market Oklahoma City for the Thunder, became one of the most heavily courted free agents in league history. The bidding war for his services was like a sports-world variation of "The Bachelor."

　　好好先生的戏码在去年7月戛然而止。那时，杜兰特先生在小市场球队俄克拉荷马城雷霆不辞劳苦地坚守8年后，成为了NBA历史上最热门的自由球员之一。为了争夺他，一时间联盟狼烟四起，堪比运动界版本的《单身汉》。

　　As Mr. Durant holed up in the Hamptons with his agent, Rich Kleiman, to field pitches, the league’s glamour⁷ teams descended⁹, dangling¹⁰ monster contracts and a chance at movie-star-scale celebrity¹¹.

　　休赛期，当杜兰特先生和他的经纪人里奇-克莱曼窝在汉普顿斯玩棒球时，联盟各路最具吸引力的球队闻风而动，向他抛出天价合同以及提供名流云集，星光熠熠的环境。

　　The Boston Celtics even brought along Tom Brady to flash a Super Bowl ring. Even so, no one ever thought he would really leave his heartland home. He was too, you know, nice.

　　波士顿凯尔特人甚至请来汤姆-布拉迪带着超级碗冠军戒指来招募他。但没人想过他真的会离开他的母队。你懂的，他太善良了。

　　But he did. Not only did he set in motion one of the great superstar divorces in league history with his old point guard, Russell Westbrook, but he joined the juggernaut Golden State Warriors¹², a longtime punching bag that had transformed into the Google of pro¹³ basketball.

　　但他选择了离开。这不仅造成了他和老搭档、控卫拉塞尔-威斯布鲁克这对超级明星组合的黯然分手——联盟历史上最轰动的巨星组合分手之一，他还加入了强大的金州勇士。曾经多年碌碌无为的勇士已经转变为职业篮球界的谷歌公司。

　　Last season, they won a record 73 regular-season games; featured Stephen Curry¹⁴, the back-to-back league M.V.P.; and beat the Thunder in the playoffs a month before.

　　上赛季，他们在连续两届MVP斯蒂芬-库里的带领下，创纪录的拿下常规赛73胜，并在一个月前的季后赛中击败雷霆。

　　At last, he was famous enough, or at least mass-market enough, to land on the cover of Rolling Stone. But the league’s equivalent of Luke Skywalker was also recast as Darth Vader, villain 1A on a team of supervillains. He may have been the most scrutinized¹⁵ athlete in America.

　　终于，他此时足够有名了，至少，他身上的巨大市场价值能够让他登上《滚石》杂志封面。但这名联盟中的卢克-天行者还被赋予了另一个角色：达斯-维达——超级恶棍球队中的恶棍之首。他也许是美国最受争议的运动员。

　　But the funny thing about being in the eye of the hurricane? It’s surprisingly calm there.

　　但你知道吗，关于飓风眼，有意思的是那里本身却出奇地风平浪静。

　　Eight months after the decision that rocked the sporting world, Mr. Durant, 28, a starter in Sunday’s N.B.A. All-Star Game, is easing into a new life as a new face of the Warriors.

　　杜兰特的决定震惊了整个体育世界。而8个月后，28岁的他正作为勇士的新招牌气定心闲地开始新生活。

　　a brash brand of disrupters armed with Google-scale ambition that has been called "tech's team." He drives a Tesla, pals¹⁶ around with the Silicon¹⁷ Valley’s A-list and is laying the foundation for a tech empire of his own.

　　他不仅在周日的全明星赛中首发登场，而且他驾驶着特斯拉，和硅谷的精英们称兄道弟，被称为‘科技球队’的勇士也如同谷歌公司一般充满野心。他正为建立属于自己的科技帝国打下坚实的基础。

　　Here is a look at Mr. Durant’s life in the Bay Area over a recent two-day stretch between big wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Thunder, as he made the rounds as arguably the hottest start-up in Silicon Valley.

　　下文将带领大家走进杜兰特先生在湾区的两天生活。这段时间，勇士前后面对骑士和雷霆，拿下两场重要胜利。作为可以说是硅谷最炙手可热的创业者，四处都留下了他潇洒的身影。

　　Although he has appeared on magazine covers for a decade, he still carries himself like a teenager. He slouched in the booth with his shoulders slumped¹⁸, face buried in his iPhone before the food arrived.

　　过去十几年他登上杂志封面已经成为家常便饭，但他仍然表现得像个普通少年。他耸着肩，慵懒地坐在卡座上，食物送来前埋头看着手机。

　　Once the conversation did start, however, Mr. Durant sounded pensive¹⁹, introspective. Unlike many M.V.P.-caliber athletes who seem to field every question seemingly looking for the quickest exit strategy, Mr. Durant paused to consider each question, and he seemed unafraid to open up, despite his natural shyness.

　　然而，一旦交谈开始，你能从他的声音中听出沉思和反省。同许多MVP级别运动员不一样，他不会为了匆匆了事来敷衍每个问题。杜兰特先生在回答每个问题前都会停顿、思考，尽管他的性格较为内向，但他似乎不惧敞开心扉。

　　"I didn’t really have friends," Mr. Durant said of his childhood in Seat Pleasant, Md., which neighbors Washington. "I was quiet. I was awkward-sized."

　　“我其实没什么朋友，”杜兰特先生说起他在华盛顿旁边马里兰州Seat Pleasant市度过的童年。“我很安静。个子也不高。”

　　Raised by a single mother in a rough neighborhood, Mr. Durant said he "didn’t look the part" of a cool kid, adding that, "It made it easy for me to not worry about the social life and just play basketball."

　　谈到从小独自抚养自己长大的母亲和艰难的成长环境，杜兰特先生说他不必从社交达人的角度来看待这些，他补充道，“这让我不必操心社交生活，专注于打篮球。

　　"That’s the gift and the curse of being an athlete that is so dedicated²¹ at an early age, you forget about real life sometimes," he said. "So I’m just in the last few years starting to feel comfortable to meet new people, going out in groups, meeting new girls, hanging out. That stuff was foreign to me until a few years back."

　　“小小年纪就成为如此专注的运动员，这既是老天赋予的礼物，同时也是诅咒，有时你会忘了你的真实生活，”他说，“我也就是在最近几年才开始习惯认识新朋友，跟大家一起出去玩，认识新妹子，逛街。这些都是这几年我才慢慢熟悉的。”

　　When an audience member asked if he planned to try acting²², like the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin or the Cavaliers’ LeBron James, Mr. Durant snorted sarcastically²³, "If anybody could do it, it’s Blake Griffin and LeBron."

　　当一名观众问道他是否会像洛杉矶快船的布雷克-格里芬或克利夫兰骑士的勒布朗-詹姆斯那样尝试表演，杜兰特先生发出戏谑的哼声，“如果有人能做到，那就是布雷克-格里芬和勒布朗。”

　　杜兰特

　　The audience erupted in laughter, since both players are considered Oscar-worthy on-court floppers. Mr. Durant, holding back a chuckle²⁴, insisted that he was talking about their impressive work in commercials and movies.

　　观众爆发了一阵笑声，因为大家都认为这两位是球场上的奥斯卡级别演技派。杜兰特先生却忍住笑，坚称自己指的是他们俩在广告和电影中的出色表演。

　　Then the talk took a more serious turn. Asked if he is plugging himself into the Bay Area tech scene, Mr. Durant responded that he is eagerly following the lead of a Warriors teammate, Andre Iguodala, who is a noted²⁵ investor²⁶ in companies like Twitter, Facebook and Tesla.

　　然后下一轮问答变得更为严肃。当被问到是否正进军湾区科技圈，杜兰特先生回应他正如饥似渴地跟随勇士队友安德烈-伊格达拉的脚步。伊格达拉是一个著名的投资人，投资的公司包括Twitter, Facebook和特斯拉。

　　Last summer, in fact, Mr. Durant and Mr. Kleiman unveiled a start-up of their own, the Durant Company, with a swelling²⁷ portfolio²⁸ of investments in tech companies like Postmates and Acorns²⁹, in addition to hotels and restaurants and film and television development.

　　实际上，去年夏天，杜兰特先生和克莱曼先生宣布成立了他们自己的公司：杜兰特公司。该公司已经如火如荼地进行了一系列的投资，包括对Postmates和Acorns等科技公司的投资，还有在酒店，餐厅，电影，电视等领域的投资。

　　They are also investing with Ronald Conway, one of Silicon Valley’s "super angel" investors³⁰ and a front-row fixture³¹ at Oracle³² Arena³³ (the Warriors’ current home in Oakland), and consulting with Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs’s widow, on his own charity foundation.

　　他们还跟硅谷的“超级天使”投资人之一罗纳德·康韦一起投资，罗纳德也是甲骨文中心球馆（勇士位于奥克兰市的现主场）的前排常客。在杜兰特自己的慈善基金会运营方面，他们还咨询了史蒂夫-乔布斯的遗孀劳伦-鲍威尔-乔布斯。

　　In a sense, Mr. Durant is not wholly unlike the legions of ambitious 20-somethings in hoodies and cool sneakers who descend⁸ on Silicon Valley to make hundreds of millions.

　　在某种意义上，杜兰特先生看起来跟硅谷那些穿着帽衫和潮鞋、准备赚取数亿美元的二十多岁青年创业大军相比，并不完全相同。

　　The only difference is, he has already made hundreds of millions.

　　唯一区别就是，他已经赚取了数亿美元。

　　"It’s beautiful to be on top of everything, see it from a different perspective," he said, "because I was at the bottom growing up."

　　“处于事物的顶端感觉很美妙，能获得一个不同的视角，”他说，“因为我是从最底层长大的。”

　　Old T-shirts may seem like an odd obsession³⁴ for a player who helped pioneer the neo-preppy nerd-chic look (bow ties, Urkel-style glasses and backpacks) that swept the league a few years ago. In 2013, he even covered All-Star weekend as a fashion correspondent for GQ.

　　作为几年前席卷联盟的校园装and时尚呆子（领结，颜色艳丽的大框眼睛和背包）风潮开创者，他这样的球员对于旧T恤的痴迷显得有些奇怪。在2013年，他作为《GQ》的时尚特派员报道了全明星周末。

　　But what’s the point of looking runway-ready in a culture where Mark Zuckerberg’s sweatshirt sets the tone? Mr. Durant feels more at home in the Silicon Valley-approved wardrobe of jeans, sneakers and hoodies.

　　但在马克-扎克伯格的运动衫定下基调的文化中，花枝招展的时尚装扮又有什么意义呢？杜兰特先生穿着硅谷范儿的牛仔裤，球鞋和帽衫感觉更自在。

　　"Fashion," he said, "is what you make of it."

　　“所谓时尚，”他说，“就是你自己创造的潮流。”

　　"When you make it to the league, especially from where I’m from, it’s like everybody made it," Mr. Durant said. "I can remember times going to a club, I had 30 people with me. I’m thinking to myself, this was never me.

　　“当你在联盟立足之后，尤其是来自我长大的地方的人，大家成名后的表现都一样，”杜兰特先生说。“我还记得以前多次去夜店，我身边围了30来号人。我心里想，我从来都不是这样的。

　　But if you’ve never had the support outwardly like that, people showing you affection in your face, love in your face, even if it’s fake, you try to grab that because it feels good for the moment.

　　但如果你从没收到过表面上这么多的欢迎支持，当大家当面为你欢呼，展示对你的热爱，即使这些都是伪装的，如果你没体验过，你本能地想去抓住这些瞬间，因为当时的感觉实在太好了。”

　　"Now, it’s us three."

　　“现在，则是我们仨。”

　　"I think that’s why a lot of athletes and entertainers work well with some of those guys, because for one, they all had humble³⁵ beginnings," Mr. Durant said. "They built something from the ground up, so they can relate to us."

　　“我认为这就是为何许多运动员和艺人同这类人合作愉快，因为其中一个原因就是，他们都有卑微的开始，”杜兰特先生说，“他们白手起家，所以他们能跟我们建立联系。

　　At this point, the N.B.A. star with a sideline in rap has become the stuff of cliché. Before there was Damian Lillard, there was Kobe Bryant. Before Mr. Bryant, there was Shaquille O’Neal.

　　目前，NBA球星兼职说唱已经成为老生常谈。前有达米安-利拉德，再前面有科比-布莱恩特。科比先生前面还有沙奎尔-奥尼尔。

　　But those guys were different. They made records. They wanted cred. Mr. Durant’s rhymes are more like an audio diary, intended only for himself and close friends. For him, music is like meditation³⁶, or sometimes, primal³⁷ scream therapy.

　　但那些家伙跟杜兰特不同。他们出唱片，他们想要赞誉。而杜兰特先生的作品更像是音乐日记，只对自己和亲密朋友开放。对于他来说，音乐如同冥思，或者有时候就是原始尖叫治疗。

　　"I’ve got so much stuff on my mind, quite honestly, it’s kind of easy for me to say it all here," Mr. Durant said, looking almost monastic with his goateed face hidden in the hood²⁰ of his sweatshirt. Music, he said, is "a release. It keeps me in the moment. It takes my mind off this crazy world."

　　“我脑子里已经装了太多东西，老实讲，在这里讲出来对我来说更容易，”杜兰特先生说道。他留着山羊胡子的脸深藏在运动衫的兜帽中，他说，“音乐是一种释放。它让我享受当下，让我的脑子远离外面那个疯狂的世界。”

　　In a few hours, he would hit the court against the Thunder and Mr. Westbrook, his former teammate. While Mr. Durant has called the supposed feud³⁸ between the two "fake drama" whipped up by the news media, there are clearly unresolved issues.

　　数小时后，他将在球场迎战雷霆和他的前队友威斯布鲁克先生。虽然杜兰特先生认为外界猜测的两人之间不和其实是新闻媒体煽动的“虚假闹剧”，但显然两人之间还有未解开的疙瘩。

　　In their first on-court meeting last November, Mr. Westbrook appeared to troll Mr. Durant by showing up for the game wearing an orange bib that read "Official Photographer." (Mr. Durant is a budding amateur photographer who shot Super Bowl 50 for The Players’ Tribune, the sports site started by Derek Jeter, and in which Mr. Durant has a stake.)

　　去年11月他们赛季第一次碰面时，威斯布鲁克先生在进入球馆时穿了一件印有“专业摄影师”字样的橙色背心，似乎是在暗讽杜兰特。（杜兰特先生是一名初露头角的业余摄影师，曾为《球星看台》在第50届超级碗担任摄影工作。该网站由纽约洋基队队长德里克·杰特创办，杜兰特先生持有股份。）

　　But at the moment, Mr. Durant would only say that latest rhymes were about "relationship things, both with male friends, females, relationships that might have been broken on both sides."

　　但此刻，杜兰特先生只会说最近的作品是“关于人与人之间的关系，包括和男性朋友之间以及女性朋友之间的关系，这些关系都可能从单方面破裂。”

　　That’s the beauty of music. Once you put it down on tape, he said, all the nagging³⁹ issues "are just out of my mind. I can move on to the next thing."

　　这就是音乐的美妙之处。一旦你把它录下来，他说，所有棘手的问题都“从我脑海中消散。我可以安心地做其他事情了。”

1 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

2 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

3 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

4 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

5 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

6 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

7 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

8 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

9 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

10 dangling   

悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
• The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。

11 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

12 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

13 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

14 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

15 scrutinized   

v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The jeweler scrutinized the diamond for flaws. 宝石商人仔细察看钻石有无瑕庇 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Together we scrutinized the twelve lemon cakes from the delicatessen shop. 我们一起把甜食店里买来的十二块柠檬蛋糕细细打量了一番。 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比

16 pals   

n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙

参考例句：

• We've been pals for years. 我们是多年的哥们儿了。
• CD 8 positive cells remarkably increased in PALS and RP(P CD8+细胞在再生脾PALS和RP内均明显增加(P 来自互联网

17 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

18 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

19 pensive   

a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的

参考例句：

• He looked suddenly sombre,pensive.他突然看起来很阴郁，一副忧虑的样子。
• He became so pensive that she didn't like to break into his thought.他陷入沉思之中,她不想打断他的思路。

20 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

21 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

22 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

23 sarcastically   

adv.挖苦地，讽刺地

参考例句：

• 'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。
• Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她，讽刺地鞠了一躬。

24 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

25 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

26 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

27 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

28 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

29 acorns   

n.橡子，栎实( acorn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Great oaks from little acorns grow. 万丈高楼平地起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Welcome to my new website!It may not look much at the moment, but great oaks from little acorns grow! 欢迎来到我的新网站。它现在可能微不足道，不过万丈高楼平地起嘛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

31 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

32 oracle   

n.神谕，神谕处，预言

参考例句：

• In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候，她祈祷神谕来指引她。
• It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most important.它是一种内生性神谕，常常能预言最重要的事情。

33 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

34 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

35 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

36 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

37 primal   

adj.原始的；最重要的

参考例句：

• Jealousy is a primal emotion.嫉妒是最原始的情感。
• Money was a primal necessity to them.对于他们，钱是主要的需要。

38 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

39 nagging   

adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
• I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》