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(单词翻译)

 “Did he say anything in the ambulance?” Roosevelt asks, eyeing the other

people in the waiting area. A teenager on crutches1 stares our way.
“Not much,” I say, lowering my voice. “He told the medics he was coming
out of that dump bar on Third Street when some Hispanic kid with big ears
pulled a gun and asked for his wallet. When he refused, the kid took the
wallet, pulled the trigger, shoved him into a red Jeep Cherokee, and dumped
him in the park where we found him.”
“Okay, so that’s a story. He’s not homeless. He just got robbed.”
I shake my head, still staring at the shirt’s snazzy black label. “People with
three-hundred-dollar shirts and four-hundred-dollar shoes don’t go into lowlife
bars on Third.”
“What’re you talking about? This is Florida. We got stupid rich people
everywhere. Besides, even if he’s out of place, doesn’t mean he’s out to—”
Roosevelt cuts himself off, watching me carefully. “Oh, you think this is like
Miss Deirdre, don’t you? No, no, boy. This is not Miss Deirdre.”
I’ve known Roosevelt for nearly six years. I first met him back when I was an
ICE agent (which is just the cooler-sounding acronym2 for the U.S.
government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I guarded the ports,
stopped terrorist and drug shipments from coming in, and, at least during my
first two years, confiscated3 shipments of fake Sony TVs and counterfeit4 Levi’s
jeans. Until I opened myself up, helped someone I shouldn’t have, and in one
horrible moment got fired from my job and plummeted5 through the second
trapdoor in my life.
“Cal, what happened with Miss Deirdre—”
“Can we please go back to my father’s shoes?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. I know you, Cal. And I know it’s easier to
drive around with a van full of strangers where there’s no risk of any
emotional investment, but just because you got burned once by letting your
guard down doesn’t mean it’ll be the same here. Not everyone you care about
will eventually screw you.”
Back during my leap from grace, every newspaper reporter, community
leader, and government colleague took me out of their Rolodex. Roosevelt,
when he heard the story, invited me in. For that alone, I love him like a
brother. And while he knows what it’s like to be excommunicated from your
kingdom, unlike Roosevelt, I’m no longer waiting for someone to bring me
back inside.
Within a minute, I’ve combed through my dad’s shirt and pants pockets. All it
gives me is some spare change and a few tabs of nicotine6 gum. No secrets.
Nothing revealing. That is, until I toss the shirt and pants into the plastic
chair on my left and get my first good look inside his other shoe. I notice a
tiny yellow triangle peeking7 out from inside. It’s no bigger than the corner of
a stamp, but the way it’s tucked in there catches my eye, as if it’s hidden
under the leather.
I yank the insole. It comes right out, revealing what’s tucked underneath—
“What? Is it bad?” Roosevelt asks as I pull out a folded-up yellow sheet of
paper. As I go to unfold it, a small laminated card drops and clicks against the
floor. He hid this here instead of in his missing wallet. It’s got a photo of my
dad on it. A commercial driver’s license8.
“Says here he’s a truck driver — double and triple trailers, plus hazardous9
materials,” I say, reading from the back of the license.
Clumsily, rushing, I unfold the yellow sheet. At first, it looks like an invoice10,
but when I spot the familiar letterhead up top — Aw, crap.
He’s lucky they took away my gun.
7
“I don’t get it. He’s bringing in a shipment?”
“Not just a shipment. A four-ton metal container — y’know, like those ones
you see on the backs of trucks.”
“And that’s bad because . . . ?”
“Have you read this?” I say to Roosevelt, waving the yellow sheet of paper
that—
Roosevelt grabs my wrist and shoots me a look, which is when I notice that
half the emergency waiting room is staring our way. A cop in the corner, the
teenager on crutches . . . and a creepy older man with a moon chin, who’s
holding his arm like it’s broken but showing no signs of pain.
Roosevelt quickly stands up, and I follow him outside, under the overhang of
the emergency room’s main entrance. The sky’s still black, and the December
wind whips under the overhang, sending the yellow sheet fluttering back and
forth11 in my hand like a dragonfly’s wings.
“We call them hold notices,” I explain, reading from the first paragraph. “
‘. . . wish to inform you that your shipment may experience a short delay.
This doesn’t indicate there are any problems with your shipment . . .’ ”
“Doesn’t sound so bad — they’re just saying it’s delayed.”
“That’s only because if they say the word hold, all the drug dealers12 will run
away. That’s also why they say there are no problems.”
“But there are problems?”
“Look at the letterhead on top — U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
“That’s where you used to work, right?”
“Roosevelt, I’m trying hard to not be paranoid. I really am. But now my
long-lost father just happens to be bleeding in the one park that just happens
to be on the homeless route of his long abandoned son, who just happens
to’ve worked at the one place that just happens to be holding on to the one
package that he just happens to be trying to pick up? Forget the designer
shoes — that’s a helluva lotta happenstance, with an extra-large order of
coincidence.”
“I don’t know. Separated all those years, then bringing you together —
sometimes the clichés get it right: The Lord works in mysterious ways.”
“Not for me. And not with my—”
“Cal?” a deep voice calls out behind me as the emergency room’s glass doors
slide open.
I turn around just as Dr. Paulo Pollack joins us outside. Like most doctors,
he’s got the God swagger. I just happen to know this one, which made it
easier to call him from the ambulance.
“How’s he doing, Paulo?” I ask.
“He’s fine. Luckily, the bullet didn’t hit anything organwise. Looks like it went
in on an angle and got trapped under the skin, right above his liver. In this
case, it’s good he had a little bit of chub on him.”
“But you got the bullet out?”
Two years ago, Roosevelt and I picked up a homeless girl who had done so
much cocaine13, the cartilage between her nostrils14 deteriorated15, and the bridge
of her nose collapsed16. The girl was Dr. Paulo Pollack’s seventeen-year-old
niece. From then on, he’s waited to return the favor.
“One cleaned-off slug at your service,” Paulo says, handing me a small
plastic bag with an old copper-jacketed bullet. “You know the rules, Cal — it’s
your dad’s property, but if the cops come asking . . .”
“Send ’em my way,” I say, squinting17 hard at the contents of the bag. The
single bullet is squatty, with shallow grooves18 that twist left along the bottom
half. I don’t recognize the make and model, but it’s definitely got a unique
shape. Won’t be hard to find out.
“When he came in, I could touch his stomach and feel the bullet right under
his skin,” Paulo points out. “But when I made the incision19 — and this is with
no pain medication, just some anesthetic20 by the wound — but even as I
tweezed it out, your dad grunted21 once, but never cried in pain.”
“All those years in prison. He’s lived through worse,” I say.
Roosevelt stares me down. So does the doctor. It’s so damn easy to judge.
But as Paulo knows from his niece, no matter how much you want someone
back in your life, sometimes it’s the letting-them-back-in part that hurts the
most.
“So how long you keeping him for?” I ask.
“Keeping him?” Paulo asks. “You watch too many cop shows. I sliced it out,
gave him his grand total of five stitches, and let him borrow some hospital
scrubs so he wouldn’t have to wear his own blood home. You should be
careful, though — he’s overweight, high blood pressure, and although he
won’t admit to any chest pains, he’s got the beginnings of myocardial
ischemia. Wherever he’s going next, he needs to watch his heart. Otherwise,
he’s yours.”
Just behind the doctor’s shoulder, there’s a hushed electric whoosh22. But it’s
not until he steps aside that I spot the tall man with the grassy23 green eyes
and the twisted Irish nose. Dressed in a fresh pair of blue hospital scrubs, my
father climbs out of his required wheelchair ride. And shuffles24 directly toward
us.
8
Roosevelt cuts in front of me and motions back to the yellow sheet in my
hand. I stuff it back in my dad’s shoe and cover it up with his bloody25 silk shirt
and pants.
Like kids watching fireworks, Roosevelt and I crane our necks up. My dad’s six
foot two. In all the carrying and rushing from the ambulance, this is the first
moment he looks it. He’s got a face that reminds me of an egg, made wider
at the bottom by his gray-speckled beard, which is trimmed and neat. For a
second, it looks like the pain in his side is too much. But when he sees us
watching, he takes a deep breath, brushes his fine gray hair from his
forehead, and squares his shoulders into a near perfect stance. No question,
appearances still matter.
“Cal, I’m inside if you need anything,” Paulo says, and quickly excuses
himself.
Roosevelt stays right where he is. By my side.
My father clears his throat, taking a long look at Roo-sevelt, but Roosevelt
doesn’t take the hint. I expect my dad to get annoyed . . . maybe even lose
his temper the way he used to. But all he does is glance back toward the
emergency room and scratch his knuckles26 against his beard. By his side, his
left hand is clenched27 in a tight fist. Whatever he’s holding in, he’s fighting
hard with it.
“I’ll be fine,” I whisper to Roosevelt, motioning him inside. There’s no
mentoring28 with this one.
“I . . . uh . . . I’ll be inside pretending to get coffee,” Roosevelt announces as
he heads back through the sliding doors.
We stand silently outside the emergency room entrance. On both sides of the
overhang, the rain continues its prickly tap dance. My father lowers himself
onto a metal bench and looks my way. I’ve practiced this moment for years.
How, depending on the mood I was in, I’d tell him off, or ask him questions,
or even embrace him in the inevitable29 swell30 of tears and regret that would
follow my ruthless verbal assault. But as I sit down next to him, the only
thing I notice is the gold U.S. Navy military ring on his right hand. As far as I
know, he was never in the military. And as much as I try to make eye contact,
he won’t stop staring at the pile of designer clothes and shoes I’m still
holding.
“Calvin—”
“Cal,” I correct him. “I go by Cal now.”
“Yeah . . . no . . . I . . . Here’s the thing, Cal—” He cuts himself off. “I’m glad
you’re the one who found me.”
It’s a perfect line, delivered with as much polish and determination as my own
preplanned speech. The only problem is, it doesn’t answer the only question
that matters.
“Where the hell have you been?” I blurt31.
“Y’mean with the park? I told you: I was at the bar, then got jumped . . .” He
studies me, reading my anger all too well. “Ah. You mean for the past few
years.”
“Yes, Lloyd. For the past nineteen years. You left me, remember? And when
you went to prison—” My voice cracks, and I curse myself for the weakness.
But I’ve earned this answer. “Why didn’t you come back for me?”
Staring over my shoulder, my dad anxiously studies both ends of the Ushaped
driveway, then scans the empty sidewalk that runs in front of the
hospital. Like he’s worried someone’s watching. “Calvin, is there anything I
can possibly say to satisfy that question?”
“That’s not the point. Y-You missed everything in my—” I shake my head.
“You missed Aunt Rosey’s funeral.”
I wait for his excuse. He’s too smart to make one. He knows there’s no
changing the past. And the way he keeps checking the area, he’s far more
worried about the future.
“The doctor told me you drive around and pick up homeless people,” he
offers, eyeing the parking garage on our right. “Good for you.”

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 crutches crutches     
n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑
参考例句:
  • After the accident I spent six months on crutches . 事故后我用了六个月的腋杖。
  • When he broke his leg he had to walk on crutches. 他腿摔断了以后,不得不靠拐杖走路。
2 acronym Ny8zN     
n.首字母简略词,简称
参考例句:
  • That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说,这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
  • TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理,储存和处置设施的一个缩写。
3 confiscated b8af45cb6ba964fa52504a6126c35855     
没收,充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
  • The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。
4 counterfeit 1oEz8     
vt.伪造,仿造;adj.伪造的,假冒的
参考例句:
  • It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
  • The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远,实际是最近的一幅赝品。
5 plummeted 404bf193ceb01b9d9a620431e6efc540     
v.垂直落下,骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
  • A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 nicotine QGoxJ     
n.(化)尼古丁,烟碱
参考例句:
  • Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
  • Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
7 peeking 055254fc0b0cbadaccd5778d3ae12b50     
v.很快地看( peek的现在分词 );偷看;窥视;微露出
参考例句:
  • I couldn't resist peeking in the drawer. 我不由得偷看了一下抽屉里面。
  • They caught him peeking in through the keyhole. 他们发现他从钥匙孔里向里窥视。 来自辞典例句
8 license B9TzU     
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
参考例句:
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
9 hazardous Iddxz     
adj.(有)危险的,冒险的;碰运气的
参考例句:
  • These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
  • Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。
10 invoice m4exB     
vt.开发票;n.发票,装货清单
参考例句:
  • The seller has to issue a tax invoice.销售者必须开具税务发票。
  • We will then send you an invoice for the total course fees.然后我们会把全部课程费用的发票寄给你。
11 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
12 dealers 95e592fc0f5dffc9b9616efd02201373     
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者
参考例句:
  • There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
  • The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败,与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。
13 cocaine VbYy4     
n.可卡因,古柯碱(用作局部麻醉剂)
参考例句:
  • That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
  • Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。
14 nostrils 23a65b62ec4d8a35d85125cdb1b4410e     
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
  • The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。
15 deteriorated a4fe98b02a18d2ca4fe500863af93815     
恶化,变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化,不久便去世了。
  • His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化,日甚一日。
16 collapsed cwWzSG     
adj.倒塌的
参考例句:
  • Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
  • The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。
17 squinting e26a97f9ad01e6beee241ce6dd6633a2     
斜视( squint的现在分词 ); 眯着眼睛; 瞟; 从小孔或缝隙里看
参考例句:
  • "More company," he said, squinting in the sun. "那边来人了,"他在阳光中眨巴着眼睛说。
  • Squinting against the morning sun, Faulcon examined the boy carefully. 对着早晨的太阳斜起眼睛,富尔康仔细地打量着那个年轻人。
18 grooves e2ee808c594bc87414652e71d74585a3     
n.沟( groove的名词复数 );槽;老一套;(某种)音乐节奏v.沟( groove的第三人称单数 );槽;老一套;(某种)音乐节奏
参考例句:
  • Wheels leave grooves in a dirt road. 车轮在泥路上留下了凹痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Sliding doors move in grooves. 滑动门在槽沟中移动。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
19 incision w4Dy7     
n.切口,切开
参考例句:
  • The surgeon made a small incision in the patient's cornea.外科医生在病人的眼角膜上切开一个小口。
  • The technique involves making a tiny incision in the skin.这项技术需要在皮肤上切一个小口。
20 anesthetic 8wHz9     
n.麻醉剂,麻药;adj.麻醉的,失去知觉的
参考例句:
  • He was given a general anesthetic.他被全身麻醉。
  • He was still under the influence of the anesthetic.他仍处在麻醉状态。
21 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
22 whoosh go7yy     
v.飞快地移动,呼
参考例句:
  • It goes whoosh up and whoosh down.它呼一下上来了,呼一下又下去了。
  • Whoosh!The straw house falls down.呼!稻草房子倒了。
23 grassy DfBxH     
adj.盖满草的;长满草的
参考例句:
  • They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
  • Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。
24 shuffles 63b497e2c78dc39f3169dd22143bf2ba     
n.洗(纸牌)( shuffle的名词复数 );拖着脚步走;粗心地做;摆脱尘世的烦恼v.洗(纸牌)( shuffle的第三人称单数 );拖着脚步走;粗心地做;摆脱尘世的烦恼
参考例句:
  • She shuffles cards expertly, all the guys stare in amazement. 她熟练地洗着牌,爷们都看呆了。 来自互联网
  • Fortune shuffles cards, but we discard them. 命运负责洗牌,而出牌的是我们自己。 来自互联网
25 bloody kWHza     
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染
参考例句:
  • He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
  • He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。
26 knuckles c726698620762d88f738be4a294fae79     
n.(指人)指关节( knuckle的名词复数 );(指动物)膝关节,踝v.(指人)指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 );(指动物)膝关节,踝
参考例句:
  • He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘,握得指关节都变白了。
  • Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》
27 clenched clenched     
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
  • She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上,以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 mentoring 927b67a2488cee0c1ff61a0b43695f30     
n.mentoring是一种工作关系。mentor通常是处在比mentee更高工作职位上的有影响力的人。他/她有比‘mentee’更丰富的工作经验和知识,并用心支持mentee的职业(发展)。v.(无经验之人的)有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • One of the most effective instruments for coaching and mentoring is the "role rehearsal" . 辅导和教学的最有效的手段之一是“角色排练。” 来自辞典例句
  • Bell Canada called their mentoring system a buddy-buddy system. 加拿大贝尔公司称他们的训导系统是伙伴—伙伴系统。 来自互联网
29 inevitable 5xcyq     
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的
参考例句:
  • Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
  • The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。
30 swell IHnzB     
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强
参考例句:
  • The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
  • His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。
31 blurt 8tczD     
vt.突然说出,脱口说出
参考例句:
  • If you can blurt out 300 sentences,you can make a living in America.如果你能脱口而出300句英语,你可以在美国工作。
  • I will blurt out one passage every week.我每星期要脱口而出一篇短文!

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