Player Piano
Outside,the sad tune played on.
"It's coming from there,"said Annie.
She crept toward a building that had a sign with the word HOTEL on it.Jack limped after her.
Annie slowly pushed open a swinging door.They peeked inside.
The fading daylight lit a piano in the corner of the room.The keys were moving up and down.But no one was there!
1. “piano”（读音为[piˈænəʊ]）
- 释义：n. 钢琴；adj. 轻柔的；弱的（音乐术语）
- 例句：
- She plays the piano beautifully.（她钢琴弹得很美。）
- The piano music filled the concert hall.（钢琴曲回荡在音乐厅里。）
- In this part of the song, you should play piano.（在这首歌的这部分，你应该用弱音演奏。）
2. “tune”（读音为[tjuːn]）
- 释义：n. 曲调；曲子；和谐；v. 调音；调整；使和谐
- 例句：
- He was humming a familiar tune.（他哼着一首熟悉的曲子。）
- The mechanic tuned the engine to make it run more smoothly.（机械师调整了发动机使它运转得更平稳。）
3. “crept”（读音为[krept]）
- 释义：v. creep的过去式和过去分词，爬行；蹑手蹑脚地走；不知不觉地到来
- 例句：
- The cat crept silently towards the mouse.（猫悄悄地向老鼠爬去。）
- Old age crept up on him.（他不知不觉地变老了。）
4. “sign”（读音为[saɪn]）
- 释义：n. 迹象；符号；手势；指示牌；v. 签署；签名；打手势；做标记
- 例句：
- There are signs of spring everywhere.（到处都有春天的迹象。）
- Please sign your name on the contract.（请在合同上签你的名字。）
- The policeman signaled us to stop.（警察示意我们停车。）
5. “hotel”（读音为[həʊˈtel]）
- 释义：n. 旅馆；酒店
- 例句：
- We stayed at a five - star hotel during our vacation.（我们度假时住在一家五星级酒店。）
6. “limped”（读音为[lɪmpt]）
- 释义：v. limp的过去式和过去分词，跛行；一瘸一拐地走；缓慢费力地前进
- 例句：
- The injured player limped off the field.（受伤的运动员一瘸一拐地走出场地。）
7. “swinging”（读音为[ˈswɪŋɪŋ]）
- 释义：adj. 活跃的；多姿多彩的；v. swing的现在分词，摇摆；旋转；（使）突然转向
- 例句：
- They had a swinging party last night.（他们昨晚举办了一个热闹的派对。）
- The children were swinging on the swings in the park.（孩子们在公园的秋千上荡秋千。）
8. “peeked”（读音为[piːkt]）
- 释义：v. peek的过去式和过去分词，窥视；偷看；微露出
- 例句：
- She peeked through the keyhole to see who was outside.（她透过钥匙孔偷看谁在外面。）
9. “fading”（读音为[ˈfeɪdɪŋ]）
- 释义：v. fade的现在分词，褪色；凋谢；逐渐消失；（声音等）变微弱
- 例句：
- The colors of the old photograph are fading.（这张旧照片的颜色正在褪色。）
- Her memory of that event is slowly fading.（她对那件事的记忆正在慢慢消失。）
10. “daylight”（读音为[ˈdeɪlaɪt]）
- 释义：n. 日光；白昼；黎明
- 例句：
- We'll set off at daylight tomorrow.（我们明天天亮就出发。）
11. “lit”（读音为[lɪt]）
- 释义：v. light的过去式和过去分词，点燃；照亮；使容光焕发；adj. 照亮的；点着的
- 例句：
- He lit a candle in the dark room.（他在黑暗的房间里点燃了一支蜡烛。）
- Her face was lit up with a big smile.（她满面笑容。）
12. “corner”（读音为[ˈkɔːnə(r)]）
- 释义：n. 角落；拐角；困境；v. 使走投无路；将…逼入困境；转弯
- 例句：
- There is a book on the corner of the table.（桌子的角落有一本书。）
- The car cornered too fast and almost hit the lamppost.（汽车转弯太快，差点撞到路灯柱。）
"Yikes,"whispered Annie."A ghost playing the piano!"
Suddenly the keys were still.The air got very cold.
"No.No way,"said Jack."There's no such thing as a ghost."
"We saw one in ancient Egypt,"whispered Annie."Yeah,but that was ancient Egypt,"said Jack.Even so,his heart raced.
ghost
- 释义：n. 鬼魂；幽灵；灵魂；幻影；极少量；v. 替人代笔；像鬼魂般无声无息地移动。
- 例句：The old house is said to be haunted by ghosts.（据说那座老房子闹鬼。）；He ghosted out of the room without anyone noticing.（他悄无声息地走出房间，没人注意到。）
piano
- 释义：n. 钢琴。
- 例句：She plays the piano every day.（她每天都弹钢琴。）
keys
- 释义：n. （钢琴等的）键；钥匙；关键帧；密钥（key的复数）；v. 键入；调整…的调子（key的三单形式）。
- 例句：He was thumping the keys of the piano.（他用力敲击钢琴的键。）；I can't find my keys.（我找不到我的钥匙了。）
Egypt
- 释义：n. 埃及。
- 例句：The pyramids of Egypt are very famous.（埃及的金字塔非常有名。）
raced
- 释义：v. race的过去式和过去分词，快速行驶；参加比赛；（使）快速移动；与……竞赛。
- 例句：He raced his car down the street.（他开着车在街上疾驰。）；The two horses raced neck and neck.（两匹马并驾齐驱地赛跑。）
"I'll look it up."Jack pulled out the Wild West book.He found a picture of a piano.He read aloud:
Player pianos were popular in the Old West.The piano played automatically when someone pumped its floor pedals.Later,with the help of electricity,the piano played all by itself.
1. pulled out
- 释义：原形为pull out，常见含义有“拔出；抽出；（车辆等）驶出；（使）摆脱困境；撤离”等，pulled out为其过去式和过去分词形式。
- 例句：The dentist pulled out the decayed tooth.（牙医拔出了那颗蛀牙。）；The train pulled out of the station right on time.（火车准时驶出了车站。）
2. popular
- 释义：形容词，意为“流行的；受欢迎的；大众的；通俗的”。
- 例句：This kind of music is very popular among young people.（这种音乐在年轻人中很受欢迎。）；He wrote a book on popular science.（他写了一本关于科普的书。）
3. automatically
- 释义：副词，意为“自动地；无意识地；机械地”。
- 例句：The door opens automatically when someone approaches.（有人靠近时，门会自动打开。）；He answered the question automatically without thinking.（他不假思索地机械性回答了这个问题。）
4. pumped
- 释义：原形为pump，作动词时常见意思有“用泵输送；打气；涌出；灌输”等，pumped为其过去式和过去分词形式。作形容词时，意为“兴奋的；激动的”。
- 例句：They pumped water out of the flooded basement.（他们用泵把地下室的水抽了出来。）；I'm really pumped for the concert tonight.（我对今晚的音乐会兴奋极了。）
5. pedals
- 释义：n. pedal的复数形式，意为“踏板；脚蹬子”；v. pedal的第三人称单数形式，意为“踩踏板；骑自行车”。
- 例句：The pedals of the bicycle are broken.（自行车的踏板坏了。）；He pedals his bike to work every day.（他每天骑自行车上班。）
6. electricity
- 释义：名词，意为“电；电流；电学；强烈的感情”。
- 例句：We use electricity to light our houses.（我们用电来照亮房屋。）；There was a spark of electricity between them when they first met.（他们初次见面时，两人之间擦出了爱的火花。）
"Whew."Jack closed the book."I knew there was an answer,"he said."It must be electric,and some how it came on."
"I didn't know they had electricity in the Wild West,"said Annie.
"They didn't,"said Jack.
He looked at Annie."Oh,man,let's get out of here!"he said.
Jack and Annie backed out of the hotel.
When they got outside,they heard another sound:horse hooves thumping against the hard ground.
1. whew
- 释义：感叹词，用于表示惊讶、宽慰、疲惫等情绪 。
- 例句：Whew! That was a close call. I almost missed the bus.（唷！好险啊。我差点错过公交车。）
2. electric
- 释义：形容词，意为“电的；电动的；带电的；令人激动的” 。
- 例句：This is an electric car, which is more environmentally friendly than gasoline - powered ones.（这是一辆电动汽车，比汽油动力汽车更环保。）；The atmosphere at the concert was electric.（音乐会上的气氛激动人心。）
3. electricity
- 释义：名词，指“电；电流；电学” 。
- 例句：The storm caused a power outage, and we had no electricity for hours.（暴风雨导致停电，我们好几个小时都没有电。）
4. backed out
- 释义：原形为back out，常见意思为“退出；收回（诺言等）；（使）倒车” ，backed out是其过去式和过去分词形式。
- 例句：He backed out of the deal at the last minute.（他在最后一刻退出了这笔交易。）；She carefully backed out of the driveway.（她小心翼翼地把车倒出车道。）
5. horse
- 释义：名词，“马” ；也可作动词，意为“为……备马；使骑马；捉弄” 。
- 例句：He rides a horse very well.（他骑马骑得很好。）；They horsed around in the yard and got all dirty.（他们在院子里胡闹，弄得浑身脏兮兮的。）
6. hooves
- 释义：名词，hoof的复数形式，意为“蹄；蹄子” 。
- 例句：The horses' hooves clopped on the cobblestone street.（马蹄在鹅卵石街道上发出哒哒声。）
7. thumping
- 释义：形容词，意为“巨大的；重击的；节奏强烈的” ；也可作名词，意为“重击声” ；还可作动词thump（重击；狠打；怦怦直跳）的现在分词形式。
- 例句：He gave the door a thumping kick.（他狠狠地踢了门一脚。）；The thumping of the drums could be heard from afar.（从远处就能听到鼓声。）；My heart was thumping with excitement.（我兴奋得心跳怦怦直跳。）
8. ground
- 释义：作名词时，常见意思为“地面；土地；场地；理由” ；作动词时，是grind（磨碎；碾碎；使锋利；摩擦）的过去式和过去分词形式，意为“使接触地面；使搁浅；把……基于” 。
- 例句：The book fell to the ground.（书掉到了地上。）；The ship was grounded on a reef.（船在礁石上搁浅了。）；His argument is well - grounded in facts.（他的论点有充分的事实依据。）
A cloud of dust seemed to be moving toward the town.As it got closer,Jack saw three riders.They were herding a small band of horses.
"Hide!"Jack said."Where?"said Annie.
Jack looked around wildly.He saw two barrels outside the hotel.
"There!"he said.
1. cloud
- 释义：作名词时，常见意思为“云；云朵；一团（烟、尘土等）；阴影”；作动词时，意为“使难以理解；使模糊不清；布满云；使阴沉”。
- 例句：
- 名词：There were white clouds in the blue sky.（蓝天上飘着白云。） A cloud of dust rose as the car drove by.（汽车驶过时扬起一片尘土。）
- 动词：The steam has clouded the mirror.（水汽使镜子变得模糊不清。） Her eyes clouded with tears.（她泪眼模糊。）
2. riders
- 释义：“rider”的复数形式，“rider”意思是“骑手；骑马（或自行车、摩托车）的人；（文件的）附加条款” 。
- 例句：The riders galloped across the field.（骑手们策马疾驰穿过田野。） The contract had some riders attached to it.（这份合同附加了一些条款。）
3. herding
- 释义：“herd”的现在分词形式，“herd”作动词时，意为“使集中在一起；放牧；驱赶”；作名词时，意为“兽群；牧群；人群”。
- 例句：
- 动词：The shepherd was herding his sheep into the pen.（牧羊人正把他的羊群赶进羊圈。） The police tried to herd the protesters into one area.（警察试图把抗议者集中到一个区域。）
- 名词：A herd of cows was grazing in the field.（一群奶牛在田野里吃草。）
4. band
- 释义：作名词时，常见意思为“乐队；一伙；带；条纹；波段”；作动词时，意为“用带绑扎；给……镶边；联合，结合”。
- 例句：
- 名词：I love the music of this band.（我喜欢这个乐队的音乐。） A band of robbers attacked the village.（一伙强盗袭击了这个村庄。） She wore a red band in her hair.（她头上扎着一根红色发带。）
- 动词：Band the box with a rope.（用绳子把盒子捆起来。） They banded together to fight against the common enemy.（他们联合起来对抗共同的敌人。）
5. wildly
- 释义：副词，意为“疯狂地；失控地；极其；非常”。
- 例句：The crowd cheered wildly when the singer appeared.（歌手出现时，人群疯狂欢呼。） The situation is changing wildly.（形势正急剧变化。） It's wildly expensive.（这贵得离谱。）
6. barrels
- 释义：“barrel”的复数形式，“barrel”作名词时，意为“桶；一桶（的量）；枪管；炮管”；作动词时，意为“把……装入桶内；高速行驶”。
- 例句：
- 名词：The workers carried several barrels of oil.（工人们搬运了几桶油。） The gun's barrel was shiny.（枪管闪闪发亮。）
- 动词：They barreled the wine for storage.（他们把酒装入桶中储存。） The car was barreling down the road.（汽车在路上疾驰。）
Jack and Annie hurried to the empty barrels.Jack climbed inside one and tried to scrunch down.His hat wouldn't fit!He jumped out of the barrel and threw his hat into the hotel.
"Mine,too!"said Annie.
Jack grabbed hers and threw it.Then he scrambled back into the barrel.Just in time.
1. empty
- 释义：作形容词时，意为“空的；无人居住的；无意义的；空洞的”；作动词时，表示“倒空；清空；使……成为空的”。
- 例句：
- 形容词：The bottle is empty. There is no water in it.（瓶子是空的，里面没有水。）He gave an empty promise.（他许下了空洞的承诺。）
- 动词：Empty the box and put the books in it.（把箱子倒空，然后把书放进去。）
2. barrels
- 释义：barrel的复数形式，barrel作名词时，常见意思为“桶；一桶（的量）；枪管；炮管”；作动词时，有“把……装入桶内；高速行驶”之意。
- 例句：
- 名词：The factory stores chemicals in large barrels.（工厂用大桶储存化学品。）The hunter examined the barrel of his gun.（猎人检查了他的枪管。）
- 动词：They barreled the apples to keep them fresh.（他们把苹果装进桶里保鲜。）The car was barreling along the highway.（汽车在高速公路上飞驰。）
3. scrunch
- 释义：作动词时，意为“蜷缩；揉皱；嘎吱嘎吱地压碎（或踩踏）”；作名词时，表示“嘎吱声；揉皱；蜷缩”。
- 例句：
- 动词：She scrunched herself into a corner of the sofa.（她蜷缩在沙发的一角。）He scrunched the paper into a ball.（他把纸揉成一团。）The snow scrunched under our feet.（雪在我们脚下嘎吱作响。）
- 名词：I heard a scrunch as I stepped on the fallen leaves.（我踩到落叶时听到了嘎吱声。）
4. fit
- 释义：作动词时，常见意思有“（使）适合；合身；安装；可容纳；适应”；作形容词时，意为“健康的；合适的；恰当的”；作名词时，可表示“合身；突发；一阵”。
- 例句：
- 动词：This dress fits her perfectly.（这条连衣裙她穿非常合身。）He is trying to fit the key into the lock.（他正试着把钥匙插进锁里。）The room can fit ten people.（这个房间能容纳十个人。）You should fit yourself to the new environment.（你应该使自己适应新环境。）
- 形容词：Regular exercise makes him fit.（经常锻炼使他身体健康。）He is the fit person for the job.（他是这份工作的合适人选。）
- 名词：The shirt is a good fit.（这件衬衫很合身。）He had a fit of coughing.（他突然一阵咳嗽。）
5. scrambled
- 释义：scramble的过去式和过去分词形式。作动词时，scramble常见意思为“攀爬；争抢；匆忙行动；炒（蛋）；扰乱（信号等）”。
- 例句：
- They scrambled up the hill.（他们爬上了小山。）People scrambled for the free samples.（人们争抢免费样品。）She scrambled to get to work on time.（她匆忙赶去按时上班。）I like scrambled eggs for breakfast.（我早餐喜欢吃炒蛋。）The signal was scrambled so we couldn't watch the program clearly.（信号被干扰了，所以我们看不清这个节目。）
Jack heard the horses thunder into town.He peeked through a crack in the barrel and saw a blur of cowboys and horses go by
"Whoa!""Whoa!"“Whoa!"men shouted.
Jack heard the horses come to a halt.They stamped and snorted.All he could see were shadows through the crack.
1. thunder
- 释义：
- 名词：雷；雷声；雷鸣般的响声，轰隆声。
- 动词：打雷；发出雷鸣般的响声；轰隆隆地快速移动。
- 例句：
- 名词：The thunder was so loud that it woke me up.（雷声太大，把我吵醒了。）
- 动词：It started to thunder and rain heavily.（开始打雷，雨下得很大。）The train thundered through the tunnel.（火车轰隆隆地穿过隧道。）
2. crack
- 释义：
- 名词：裂缝；裂纹；爆裂声；重击。
- 动词：使破裂；裂开；发出爆裂声；破解；打击。
- 例句：
- 名词：There is a crack in the vase.（花瓶上有一条裂缝。）I heard a crack of thunder.（我听到一声雷鸣。）
- 动词：Be careful not to crack the plate.（小心别把盘子弄裂了。）The whip cracked loudly.（鞭子啪地一声响。）He tried to crack the code.（他试图破解密码。）
3. blur
- 释义：
- 名词：模糊不清的事物；模糊的记忆。
- 动词：（使）变得模糊不清；使难以区分。
- 例句：
- 名词：The writing on the paper was just a blur.（纸上的字模糊不清。）My memories of that day are a blur.（我对那天的记忆很模糊。）
- 动词：Tears blurred her eyes.（泪水模糊了她的双眼。）The boundaries between the two concepts blur.（这两个概念之间的界限变得模糊了。）
4. cowboys
- 释义：cowboy的复数形式，意为“牛仔；牧童；莽撞的人”。通常指美国西部骑马放牧牛群的人。
- 例句：Cowboys in the old West used to ride horses and herd cattle.（旧时西部的牛仔常常骑马放牧牛群。）
5. whoa
- 释义：感叹词，用于叫马等动物停下，或表示惊讶、震惊等。
- 例句：Whoa! Slow down, the road is slippery.（哇！慢点，路很滑。）Whoa, look at that huge building!（哇，看那座巨大的建筑！）
6. halt
- 释义：
- 名词：停止；暂停；小站。
- 动词：（使）停止；（使）暂停；阻止。
- 例句：
- 名词：The car came to a sudden halt.（汽车突然停下。）
- 动词：The soldiers halted at the commander's order.（士兵们按指挥官的命令停下。）The new policy was designed to halt the spread of the disease.（新政策旨在阻止疾病的传播。）
7. stamped
- 释义：stamp的过去式和过去分词形式。作动词时，常见意思为“跺脚；踩踏；盖章；贴邮票”。
- 例句：
- He stamped his feet to keep warm.（他跺脚取暖。）The protesters stamped on the posters.（抗议者踩踏海报。）The letter needs to be stamped.（这封信需要贴邮票。）The document was stamped with the official seal.（文件盖上了公章。）
8. snorted
- 释义：snort的过去式和过去分词形式。作动词时，意为“（动物）喷鼻息；（人）哼着鼻子（表示轻蔑、愤怒等）；喷出；吸食（毒品）”。
- 例句：
- The horse snorted and tossed its head.（马喷着鼻息，甩了甩头。）He snorted in disbelief when I told him the news.（我告诉他这个消息时，他哼了一声表示不相信。）
9. crack
- 同第二个“crack”，重复出现是为了强调其在不同语境下的用法。再次强调其丰富含义，如名词“裂缝”“爆裂声”，动词“破裂”“发出爆裂声”等。 例如：The ice on the lake began to crack.（湖面上的冰开始裂开。）There was a loud crack as the branch broke.（树枝折断时发出一声巨响。）
Dust covered Jack.He had to sneeze.He pinched his nose.
"The creek bed must have dried up!"a cowboy yelled."This town's a ghost!"
"Yup,it gives me the shivers,"said another."Let's camp over the rise."
1. sneeze
- 释义：v. 打喷嚏；n. 喷嚏；喷嚏声
- 例句：
- 动词：I can't stop sneezing. Maybe I have a cold.（我不停地打喷嚏，也许我感冒了。）
- 名词：He let out a loud sneeze.（他打了一个很响的喷嚏。）
2. pinched
- 释义：v. pinch的过去式和过去分词，意为捏；掐；夹痛；偷窃；使（经济）拮据；adj. 捏紧的；苦恼的
- 例句：
- 动词：She pinched her finger in the door.（她的手指被门夹了。）He pinched a candy from the store when he was a kid.（他小时候从商店偷了一块糖。）The high prices really pinched our family budget.（高昂的物价使我们的家庭预算很紧张。）
- 形容词：He had a pinched expression on his face.（他脸上露出苦恼的神情。）
3. creek
- 释义：n. 小溪；小河；小湾；小港
- 例句：We used to swim in the creek when we were children.（我们小时候常在那条小溪里游泳。）
4. dried up
- 释义：dry up的过去式和过去分词形式，常见意思为（使）干涸；（使）枯竭；（使）干透；住口（尤指突然停止说话）
- 例句：
- The long drought dried up the river.（长时间的干旱使这条河干涸了。）His sources of income dried up.（他的收入来源枯竭了。）Let the dishes dry up.（让盘子晾干。）Suddenly, he dried up and said no more.（突然，他住口不再说了。）
5. yelled
- 释义：v. yell的过去式和过去分词，意为叫喊；大声说；叫嚷
- 例句：He yelled at his brother for taking his toy.（他因为弟弟拿了他的玩具而对弟弟大喊大叫。）She yelled that she was coming.（她大声说她来了。）
6. ghost
- 释义：n. 鬼；幽灵；鬼魂；（尤指可怕事物的）记忆；一丝；一点；v. 为人代笔；代人写作；悄悄地行进
- 例句：
- 名词：Some people believe that ghosts exist.（有些人相信鬼魂存在。）There was a ghost of a smile on her face.（她脸上露出一丝微笑。）
- 动词：He ghosted the memoirs of a famous politician.（他为一位著名政治家代笔写回忆录。）The thief ghosted out of the room.（小偷悄悄地溜出了房间。）
7. shivers
- 释义：n. 颤抖；寒颤；（因恐惧或兴奋引起的）颤栗（shiver的复数）；v. 颤抖；哆嗦；（使）颤抖；打碎（shiver的第三人称单数）
- 例句：
- 名词：The sight of the snake gave me the shivers.（看到那条蛇，我浑身直打寒颤。）
- 动词：She shivers in the cold wind.（她在寒风中颤抖。）The explosion shivers the glass.（爆炸震碎了玻璃。）
8. camp over
- 释义：在这里“camp”是“扎营；露营”的意思，“camp over...”表示“在……之上/那边扎营” ，强调在某个地点范围之外或上方搭建营地。
- 例句：We decided to camp over the hill where it was more sheltered.（我们决定在山那边扎营，那里更隐蔽。）
9. rise
- 释义：n. 上升；升起；（数量、水平等的）增加；加薪；小山；斜坡；v. 上升；升起；起立；起床；（数量、水平等）增加；提高；站起来反抗
- 例句：
- 名词：There has been a rise in the number of tourists.（游客数量有所增加。）We climbed the gentle rise.（我们爬上了那个缓坡。）
- 动词：The sun rises in the east.（太阳从东方升起。）She rose from her seat to greet him.（她从座位上站起来迎接他。）Prices are rising steadily.（物价在稳步上涨。）The people rose against the cruel king.（人民起来反抗残暴的国王。）
Jack really had to sneeze now.He pinched his nose tighter.But he couldn't stop the sneeze.He let out a choked "Ah-choo!"
"What was that?"someone said.
Just then a loud whinny split the air.Jack saw a beautiful horse rear up.
She had no rider or saddle,just a rope around her neck.She was as red as the sunset.She had a wild black mane and a white star above her eyes.
1. sneeze
- 释义：
- 动词：打喷嚏。通常是因为鼻腔受到刺激而不由自主地从鼻子快速喷出空气发出声音。
- 名词：喷嚏；喷嚏声。
- 例句：
- 动词：The pepper made me sneeze.（胡椒粉让我打喷嚏。）
- 名词：His sneeze startled everyone in the room.（他打的喷嚏吓了屋里所有人一跳。）
2. pinched
- 释义：
- 动词：pinch的过去式和过去分词形式。有“捏；掐；夹痛；偷窃；使经济拮据”等意思。
- 形容词：表示“捏紧的；显得苦恼的”。
- 例句：
- 动词：She pinched her arm to see if she was dreaming.（她掐了一下自己的胳膊，看看是不是在做梦。）The tight shoes pinched his toes.（那双紧鞋夹痛了他的脚趾。）He was pinched for stealing a loaf of bread.（他因偷了一条面包而被抓。）High inflation pinched the family's finances.（高通货膨胀使这个家庭经济拮据。）
- 形容词：With a pinched face, he told us about his troubles.（他一脸苦恼地跟我们讲他的麻烦事。）
3. tighter
- 释义：tight的比较级，作形容词时表示“更紧的；更牢固的；更严格的；（时间、空间等）更紧凑的”；作副词时表示“更紧紧地；更牢固地”。
- 例句：
- 形容词：You need to make the knot tighter.（你得把结打得更紧些。）The new regulations are getting tighter.（新规定越来越严格了。）We have a tighter schedule today.（我们今天的日程安排更紧凑。）
- 副词：Hold the rope tighter.（把绳子抓得更紧些。）
4. choked
- 这个词为choke的过去式和过去分词。
- 释义：“choke”作动词，意为“（使）窒息；呛；阻塞；抑制（感情）” 。
- 例句：He choked on a fish bone.（他被一根鱼刺卡住了。）The roads were choked with traffic.（道路被交通堵塞了。）She choked back her tears.（她忍住了眼泪。）
5. ah - choo
- 释义：拟声词，模拟打喷嚏的声音。
- 例句：Ah - choo! I think I'm catching a cold.（阿嚏！我想我感冒了。）
6. whinny
- 释义：
- 动词：（马）嘶鸣，发出轻微的嘶叫声。
- 名词：马的嘶鸣声。
- 例句：
- 动词：The horse whinnied when it saw its owner.（马看到主人时嘶鸣起来。）
- 名词：We heard the whinny of the horses in the stable.（我们听到马厩里马的嘶鸣声。）
7. split
- 释义：
- 动词：（使）裂开；分开；分裂；分担；劈开；断绝（关系）等。
- 名词：裂口；裂缝；分裂；分歧；份额。
- 例句：
- 动词：He split the wood with an axe.（他用斧头劈开木头。）The party split into two groups.（这个党派分裂成了两个团体。）Let's split the bill.（我们分摊账单吧。）She split with her boyfriend last week.（她上周和男朋友分手了。）
- 名词：There is a split in the seam of my shirt.（我衬衫的缝线上有个裂口。）The split between the two friends was hard to heal.（这两个朋友之间的分歧很难弥合。）
8. rear up
- 释义：（马等动物）用后腿直立起来；（事物）突然出现并引起注意；（情绪等）爆发。
- 例句：The frightened horse reared up, throwing its rider.（受惊的马后腿直立起来，把骑手甩了下去。）A huge wave reared up in the distance.（远处突然涌起一个巨浪。）Anger reared up inside him when he heard the news.（听到这个消息，他心中怒火中烧。）
9. rider
- 释义：名词，指“骑手；骑马（或自行车、摩托车等）的人；（文件等的）附加条款”。
- 例句：The rider skillfully guided the horse through the obstacle course.（骑手熟练地驾驭马匹通过障碍赛道。）The contract had a rider attached to it.（这份合同附加了一个条款。）
10. saddle
- 释义：
- 名词：马鞍；（自行车或摩托车的）车座；（动物的）脊肉。
- 动词：给（马）装鞍；使承担（责任、任务等）。
- 例句：
- 名词：The saddle on this horse is very comfortable.（这匹马的马鞍很舒服。）I need to adjust the saddle of my bike.（我得调一下我自行车的车座。）
- 动词：He saddled the horse and rode away.（他给马装上鞍子，然后骑马走了。）Don't saddle me with this difficult task.（别把这个艰巨的任务推给我。）
11. rope
- 释义：
- 名词：绳索；一串；绞索（the rope可指绞刑）。
- 动词：用绳索捆（或绑、系）；套捕；拉（选票）。
- 例句：
- 名词：We tied the boat to the dock with a rope.（我们用绳子把船系在码头上。）He bought a rope of onions.（他买了一串洋葱。）He was sentenced to the rope.（他被判处绞刑。）
- 动词：Rope the cow before it runs away.（在那头母牛跑掉之前用绳子套住它。）They tried to rope in more voters.（他们试图拉拢更多选民。）
12. neck
- 释义：
- 名词：脖子；衣领；（物体的）颈部；狭长地带。
- 动词：搂着脖子亲吻；相拥互吻。
- 例句：
- 名词：She wore a beautiful necklace around her neck.（她脖子上戴着一条漂亮的项链。）The neck of the bottle is too narrow.（瓶颈太窄了。）The land is connected by a narrow neck.（这片土地由一条狭窄的地带连接着。）
- 动词：The young couple were necking in the park.（那对年轻情侣在公园里相拥亲吻。）
13. sunset
- 释义：名词，意为“日落；傍晚；晚霞”。
- 例句：We watched the beautiful sunset by the sea.（我们在海边观看了美丽的日落。）The sky was painted with colors of sunset.（天空被晚霞染得五彩斑斓。）
14. mane
- 释义：名词，指“（马、狮子等的）鬃毛；（人的）长而浓密的头发”。
- 例句：The horse's mane flowed in the wind.（马的鬃毛在风中飘动。）She has a beautiful mane of hair.（她有一头浓密漂亮的长发。）
15. star
- 释义：
- 名词：恒星；星状物；明星；主角。
- 动词：使主演；担任主角；用星号标记。
- 例句：
- 名词：There are countless stars in the sky.（天空中有无数颗星星。）The hotel has a five - star rating.（这家酒店是五星级的。）She is a famous movie star.（她是一位著名的电影明星。）He played the star in the play.（他在剧中扮演主角。）
- 动词：The film stars a well - known actor.（这部电影由一位知名演员主演。）She starred in many successful films.（她主演了许多成功的电影。）Please star the important points.（请用星号标记重要的要点。）
"We can't keep fighting this one,boss!"a cowboy yelled.
"Yup.She wants her colt,"another said."We shouldn't have left him behind."
"He was too slow,"a growly voice said."We'll sell her when we cross the border."
That's terrible!thought Jack.He knew Annie must be upset,too.He just hoped that she wouldn't jump out of her barrel.
But the cowboys pulled the red horse away.The ground rang from the pounding of hooves as they galloped
off.
1. growly
- 释义：形容词，意为“（声音）粗哑的；咆哮的；似咆哮声的”，常用来形容发出低沉、粗糙且带有威胁感声音的人或动物。
- 例句：The growly dog barked at the stranger.（那只发出低沉吼声的狗朝着陌生人吠叫。） His growly voice made him sound angry.（他那粗哑的声音让他听起来很生气。）
2. sell
- 释义：动词，常见意思为“卖；出售；推销；出让”，表示通过收取金钱等方式将物品或服务的所有权转移给他人。
- 例句：She sells flowers at the market.（她在市场上卖花。） They decided to sell their old house.（他们决定卖掉他们的旧房子。） The company is trying to sell its new product.（这家公司正努力推销其新产品。）
3. border
- 释义：
- 名词：边界；边境；国界；边缘；饰边。指划分不同区域的界限，尤指国家之间的分界线，也可指物体的边缘部分。
- 动词：与……接壤；在……上加边；近似。
- 例句：
- 名词：The two countries have a long border.（这两个国家有很长的边界线。） She sewed a lace border on the dress.（她在裙子上缝了一圈蕾丝边。）
- 动词：Canada borders the United States.（加拿大与美国接壤。） She bordered the handkerchief with a beautiful pattern.（她在手帕边缘绣上了漂亮的图案。） His remarks bordered on rudeness.（他的话近乎粗鲁。）
4. terrible
- 释义：形容词，意思是“糟糕的；可怕的；极度的；骇人的”，用于描述令人不快、恐惧或程度严重的事物。
- 例句：We had a terrible time in the rain.（我们在雨中度过了一段糟糕的时光。） The earthquake caused terrible damage.（地震造成了可怕的破坏。） I have a terrible headache.（我头疼得厉害。）
5. upset
- 释义：
- 动词：使心烦意乱；使苦恼；打乱（计划等）；打翻；弄翻。
- 形容词：心烦的；苦恼的；肠胃不适的。
- 名词：混乱；困扰；（意外的）失败。
- 例句：
- 动词：The bad news upset her.（这个坏消息让她心烦意乱。） The heavy rain upset our picnic plan.（大雨打乱了我们的野餐计划。） He accidentally upset the glass of water.（他不小心打翻了那杯水。）
- 形容词：She looks upset. What happened?（她看起来很苦恼。发生什么事了？） I have an upset stomach.（我肠胃不舒服。）
- 名词：The sudden change caused a lot of upset.（突然的变化引起了很多混乱。） The underdog team caused an upset by winning the game.（不被看好的球队爆冷赢得了比赛。）
6. rang
- 释义：ring的过去式，作动词时常见意思为“（使）发出钟声或铃声；打电话；环绕；包围” 。在文中 “The ground rang from the pounding of hooves” 中，rang表示“回响”，描述声音在地面上回荡。
- 例句：The church bells rang to celebrate the wedding.（教堂的钟声敲响以庆祝婚礼。） I rang her but she didn't answer.（我给她打电话，但她没接。） The trees rang the pond.（树木环绕着池塘。） The sound of the explosion rang in his ears.（爆炸声在他耳边回响。）
7. pounding
- 释义：
- 名词：连续的重击声；（心脏）剧烈跳动；重重的敲击。
- 动词：pound的现在分词形式，pound意为“连续重击；猛击；（心脏）狂跳；捣碎”。
- 例句：
- 名词：I could hear the pounding of the drums from a distance.（我能听到远处传来的阵阵鼓声。） The pounding of his heart made him feel nervous.（他的心脏剧烈跳动，让他感到紧张。）
- 动词：He was pounding the nails into the wall.（他正把钉子钉进墙里。） His heart was pounding with excitement.（他兴奋得心脏狂跳。） She pounded the garlic into a paste.（她把大蒜捣成了泥。）
8. hooves
- 释义：hoof的复数形式，名词，意为“蹄；蹄子”，指马、牛、羊等动物的脚。
- 例句：The horses' hooves left marks in the mud.（马蹄在泥地里留下了印记。） The cow's hooves were trimmed regularly.（奶牛的蹄子定期修剪。）
9. galloped
- 释义：gallop的过去式和过去分词，作动词时意为“（马等四足动物）飞奔；疾驰；使（马）飞奔；快速做（或说）” 。
- 例句：The horse galloped across the field.（马在田野上飞奔。） He galloped through his work so he could go home early.（他匆匆赶完工作，以便能早点回家。）
10. barrel
- 释义：
- 名词：桶；一桶（的量）；枪管；炮管。
- 动词：把……装入桶内；高速行驶。
- 例句：
- 名词：The workers carried several barrels of oil.（工人们搬运了几桶油。） The hunter examined the barrel of his gun.（猎人检查了他的枪管。）
- 动词：They barreled the wine for storage.（他们把酒装入桶中储存。） The car was barreling down the road.（汽车在路上疾驰。）
Jack and Annie stood up.They watched the riders disappear into the dust.
The pounding faded away.All was quiet again,except for the lazy buzzing of flies.
"They were mean to that horse,"Annie said in a low,angry voice.
"I know.But there was nothing we could do,"said Jack.His boots were killing him.He climbed out of his barrel.
"Man,I have to get these off,"he said.
1. pounding
- 释义：名词，意为“连续重击声；（心脏等的）剧烈跳动”；动词“pound”的现在分词形式，“pound”意思是“连续重击；（心脏）狂跳；捣碎” 。
- 例句：
- 名词：The pounding of the waves against the shore was loud.（海浪拍击海岸的声音很大。） She could feel the pounding of her heart in her chest.（她能感觉到自己的心脏在胸口剧烈跳动。）
- 动词：He was pounding the dough to make it softer.（他在捶打面团，使其更柔软。） His heart was pounding with fear.（他害怕得心脏狂跳。）
2. faded
- 释义：动词fade的过去式和过去分词，常见意思为“逐渐消失；褪色；（使）变淡；（身体）变得虚弱” 。
- 例句：The sound of the music faded away in the distance.（音乐声在远处渐渐消失。） The color of the curtains has faded after years of sunlight.（经过多年日晒，窗帘的颜色已经褪色了。） His memory of that event is fading.（他对那件事的记忆正在逐渐模糊。） As he grew older, his strength faded.（随着年龄增长，他的体力逐渐衰弱。）
3. except
- 释义：
- 介词：除……之外（不包括）。
- 连词：除了；只是；要不是。
- 动词：把……除外；不计。
- 例句：
- 介词：Everyone went to the party except Tom.（除了汤姆，每个人都去参加派对了。）
- 连词：I would go for a walk except it's raining.（要不是在下雨，我就去散步了。） He is a good student except that he is a little careless.（他是个好学生，只是有点粗心。）
- 动词：You can't except this item from the list.（你不能把这个项目从清单中排除。）
4. lazy
- 释义：形容词，意为“懒惰的；懒洋洋的；慢吞吞的；无精打采的” 。
- 例句：He is too lazy to clean his room.（他太懒了，不愿意打扫自己的房间。） The lazy cat lay in the sun all day.（那只懒洋洋的猫整天躺在阳光下。） She gave a lazy wave.（她懒洋洋地挥了挥手。）
5. buzzing
- 释义：名词，意为“嗡嗡声；嘈杂声”；动词“buzz”的现在分词形式，“buzz”意思是“发出嗡嗡声；（蜜蜂等）嗡嗡叫；忙碌；充满嘈杂声” 。
- 例句：
- 名词：The buzzing of the bees filled the air.（空气中充满了蜜蜂的嗡嗡声。） The constant buzzing of the city traffic was annoying.（城市交通持续的嘈杂声很烦人。）
- 动词：Bees were buzzing around the flowers.（蜜蜂在花丛中嗡嗡飞舞。） The office was buzzing with activity.（办公室里一片忙碌景象。）
6. flies
- 释义：名词fly的复数形式，意为“苍蝇”；也可作动词fly的第三人称单数形式，意思是“飞；飞行；驾驶（飞机）；飘扬” 。
- 例句：
- 名词：There are many flies in the kitchen.（厨房里有很多苍蝇。）
- 动词：A bird flies in the sky.（一只鸟在天空中飞翔。） He flies a plane for a living.（他以开飞机为生。） The flag flies in the wind.（旗帜在风中飘扬。）
7. angry
- 释义：形容词，意为“生气的；愤怒的；狂风暴雨的；（伤口）发炎的” 。
- 例句：He was angry with his brother for breaking his toy.（他因为弟弟弄坏了他的玩具而生弟弟的气。） The angry sea was pounding the shore.（波涛汹涌的大海拍打着海岸。） His cut finger became angry.（他割破的手指发炎了。）
8. boots
- 释义：名词，boot的复数形式，意为“靴子；（汽车后部的）行李箱（英式英语）” 。
- 例句：He put on his boots and went out.（他穿上靴子出去了。） She put her luggage in the boot of the car.（她把行李放在汽车后备箱里。）
9. killing
- 释义：名词，意为“谋杀；杀戮；猎获物”；形容词，意为“使人筋疲力尽的；极其有趣的”；动词“kill”的现在分词形式，“kill”意思是“杀死；弄死；使终止；使痛苦” 。
- 例句：
- 名词：The police are investigating the killing.（警方正在调查这起谋杀案。） The hunters showed off their killing.（猎人们炫耀他们的猎物。）
- 形容词：It's been a killing day at work.（今天工作累死人了。） That comedy show was really killing.（那场喜剧表演太有趣了。）
- 动词：The cold weather killed the flowers.（寒冷的天气冻死了这些花。） His words killed her hope.（他的话使她的希望破灭了。）
10. climbed
- 释义：动词climb的过去式和过去分词，意为“攀登；爬；（植物）攀爬；上升；费力地向某处爬去” 。
- 例句：They climbed the mountain last weekend.（他们上周末去爬山了。） The cat climbed up the tree.（猫爬上了树。） Ivy climbed the walls of the old building.（常春藤爬满了那座老建筑的墙壁。） The temperature is climbing.（温度在上升。） He climbed out of the window.（他从窗户爬了出去。）
11. barrel
- 释义：
- 名词：桶；一桶（的量）；枪管；炮管。
- 动词：把……装入桶内；高速行驶。
- 例句：
- 名词：The workers carried several barrels of oil.（工人们搬运了几桶油。） The hunter examined the barrel of his gun.（猎人检查了他的枪管。）
- 动词：They barreled the wine for storage.（他们把酒装入桶中储存。） The car was barreling down the road.（汽车在路上疾驰。）
Jack sat down on the porch of the hotel.He grabbed the foot of one boot and pulled.
"Jack,"said Annie,"I think there is something we can do."
"What?"Jack looked up.
A small horse was running down the road.He was as red as the wild mother horse.He had the same black mane and white star above his eyes.
A rope was around his neck.He looked very lost.
1. porch
- 释义：名词，指“门廊；走廊”，通常是建筑物入口处有顶的、延伸出的部分。
- 例句：We sat on the porch enjoying the cool evening breeze.（我们坐在门廊上享受着夜晚凉爽的微风。）
2. pulled
- 释义：动词pull的过去式和过去分词，常见意思有“拉；拽；拖；扯；拔出；抽出”等。
- 例句：He pulled the door open.（他拉开了门。）She pulled a book from the shelf.（她从书架上抽出一本书。）
3. looked up
- 释义：动词短语look up的过去式，常见意思为“抬头看；查阅（资料等）；好转”。在文中是“抬头看”的意思。
- 例句：She looked up and saw a beautiful bird in the tree.（她抬头看，看到树上有一只漂亮的鸟。）I need to look up this word in the dictionary.（我需要在字典里查这个单词。）His business is looking up these days.（他的生意最近有起色。）
4. mane
- 释义：名词，意为“（马、狮子等的）鬃毛；（人的）浓密长发”。
- 例句：The lion's mane made it look very majestic.（狮子的鬃毛使它看起来十分威严。）She has a long and thick mane of hair.（她有一头又长又浓密的头发。）
5. rope
- 释义：
- 名词：绳索；一串；绞索（the rope可指绞刑）。
- 动词：用绳索捆（或绑、系）；套捕；拉（选票）。
- 例句：
- 名词：Tie the package with a rope.（用绳子把包裹捆起来。）He was sentenced to the rope.（他被判处绞刑。）
- 动词：They roped the thief before he could escape.（他们在小偷逃跑前用绳子把他捆住了。）The cowboy roped a calf.（牛仔用绳索套住了一头小牛。）
6. lost
- 释义：
- 形容词：迷路的；迷失的；丢失的；不知所措的；输掉的。
- 动词lose的过去式和过去分词，意为“失去；丢失；迷失；输掉（比赛等）”。
- 例句：
- 形容词：The lost child was crying on the street.（那个迷路的孩子在街上哭泣。）I can't find my keys. I think they're lost.（我找不到我的钥匙了，我想它们丢了。）He felt lost after his father passed away.（父亲去世后，他感到不知所措。）Our team is in a lost position.（我们队处于输势。）
- 动词：I lost my wallet on the way to school.（我在上学的路上丢了钱包。）He lost his way in the forest.（他在森林里迷路了。）We lost the game last night.（我们昨晚输掉了比赛。）
