胡敏读故事记单词托福词汇220

（单词翻译）

　　220. An unfortunate incident一次不幸的事件 threadlike-topography
Working in restaurants as a waiter can take its toll¹ on even the most tolerable person. I’m a fairly tolerant guy, but I simply can’t tolerate it when I’m thriving really well on the job, and then some party of titanic² proportions leaves a small tip. It’s not that I’m so worried about money. I’m quite thrifty³. I’m not threatened by the fear of going bankrupt or anything. It’s just that when I spend eight hours thrusting my way through the threadlike openings among the crowds at the restaurant, I feel I should be duly rewarded for my efforts, especially on a night when I am worn out from head to toe. One such night I was on the threshold of quitting. I remember it well because I had just gotten the windows of my car tinted⁵, which had cost me a lot. The tide was high on the beach that night and I wanted nothing more than to rest in the watery⁶ sand after a hard day’s work. The beach lies on a tilt⁷ and from a certain vantage point you can see a far off island on a clear night. Ah, that tilted⁸ beach was on my mind that night, but a rude customer thwarted¹⁰ my plans. The customer was a bit drunk, and kept thumping¹² one of the waitresses in her behind. I’m not a timid guy, so I spoke¹³ up. “Leave her alone.” I said. The customer and I exchanged a few words I dare not repeat here, but it led to a fight. He hit me in the face and I gave him an even-toed kick in the groin. I was bleeding a little, but nothing a few pieces of tissue couldn’t take care of. Anyway, the police were called and things were settled. But because the police questioned us for so long, I didn’t have time to go to the beach. There was a thunderstorm that night, anyway, so I guess it doesn’t matter. The next morning I took a peaceful walk in the nearby mountains, surrounded by timber and a beautiful topography. I soon felt better and went back to work that evening.
threadlike adj.线状的
threaten vt.威胁,预示…的凶兆,可能来临
threshold n.开始,开端
thrifty adj.节省的,节俭的
thrive vi.繁荣,兴旺,茁壮成长
thrust n. 推力,冲vt.插入,用力刺
thump¹¹ v.重击,砰然地响
thunderstorm n.暴风雨
thwart⁹ vt.阻挠,使…受挫
tide n.潮汐,潮流
tilt n.倾斜
tilted adj.倾斜的
timber n.木材,木料,森林
timid adj.胆怯的,羞怯的
tint⁴ vt.给…着色,染
tip n.顶,尖端,小费
tissue n.(生)组织,棉纸,薄纸
titanic adj.巨大的
toe n.趾,脚趾,足尖
toed adj.有趾的
tolerable adj.可容忍的
tolerant adj.容忍的,宽容的
tolerate vt.忍受,容许
toll n. 费,(遭受的)损失鸣v. (钟)
topography n.地形,地形学