Buddy, Beware!

1

Seventh grade brought changes, all right, but the biggest one didn't happen at school — it happened at home.

2

Granddad Duncan came to live with us.

3

At first it was kind of?

weird

?because none of us really knew him. Except for Mom, of course.

weird /w?rd/ adj.?奇怪的

4

And even though she's spent the past year and a half trying to convince us he's a great guy, from what I can tell, the thing he likes to do best is stare out the front-room window.

5

There's not much to see out there except the Bakers' front yard, but you can find him there day or night, sitting in the big?

easy chair

?they moved in with him, staring out the window.

easy chair n.?安樂椅

6

Okay, so he also reads Tom Clancy novels and the newspapers and does?

crossword puzzles

?and?

tracks

?his?

stocks

, but those things are all?

distractions

.

crossword puzzle?縱橫字謎游戲

track /tr?k/ vt.?追蹤

stock /stɑ?k/ n.?股票

distraction /d??str?k?n/ n.?消遣

7

Given no one to?

justify

?it to, the man would stare out the window until he fell asleep.

justify v.?對......作出解釋

8

Not that

?there's anything wrong with that. It just seems so … boring.

not that?并不是說

9

Mom says he stares like that because he misses Grandma, but that's not something Granddad had ever discussed with me.

10

As a matter of fact, he never discussed much of anything with me until a few months ago when he read about Juli in the newspaper.

11

Now, Juli Baker did not wind up on the front page of the Mayfield Times for being an eighth-grade Einstein, like you might suspect.

12

No, my friend, she got front-page?

coverage

?because she refused to climb out of a?

sycamore

?tree.

coverage /?k?v?r?d?/ n.?新聞報道

sycamore /'s?k?m?r/ n.?西克莫無花果樹

13

Not that I could tell a sycamore from a?

maple

?or a?

birch

?

for that matter

, but Juli, of course, knew what kind of tree it was and passed that knowledge along to every creature?

in her wake

.

maple /?me?pl/ n.?楓樹

birch /b?t?/ n.?樺樹

for that matter?就此而言

in wake?在...身后

14

So this tree, this sycamore tree, was up the hill on a?

vacant lot

?on Collier Street, and it was?

massive

. Massive and ugly.

vacant lot n.?空地

massive /?m?s?v/ adj.?巨大的

15

It was twisted and?

gnarled

?and?

bent

, and I kept expecting the thing to blow over in the wind.

gnarled /nɑrld/ adj. (樹、樹干、樹枝)多瘤的

bent /b?nt/ adj.?彎的

16

One day last year I'd finally had enough of her?

yakking

?about that stupid tree.

yak /j?k/ v.?連篇廢話

17

I came right out and told her that it was not a?

magnificent

?sycamore, it was, in reality, the ugliest tree known to man.

magnificent /m?ɡ?n?f?snt/ adj.?壯麗的

18

And you know what she said? She said I was?

visually challenged

. Visually challenged!

visually challenged?視力障礙

19

This from the girl who lives in a house that's the?

scourge

?of the neighborhood.

scourge /sk??rd?/ n.?災禍

20

They've got?

bushes

?growing over windows,?

weeds

?

sticking out

?all over the place, and a?

barnyard

's worth of animals?

running wild

.

bush /b??/ n.?灌木(叢)

weed /wi?d/ n.?雜草

stick out?突出

barnyard /'bɑrnjɑrd/ n.?谷倉前的空場地

run wild?失去控制

21

I'm talking dogs, cats, chickens, even snakes.

22

I swear to God, her brothers have a?

boa constrictor

?in their room.

boa constrictor n.?蟒蛇

23

They dragged me in there when I was about ten and made me watch it eat a rat.

24

A live, beady-eyed rat.

25

They held that?

rodent

?up by its tail and?

gulp

, the boa swallowed it whole.

rodent /'rodnt/ n. [動]嚙齒目動物

gulp /ɡ?lp/ vt.?吞咽

26

That snake gave me?

nightmares

?for a month.

nightmare /?na?tmer/ n.?噩夢

27

Anyway, normally I wouldn't care about someone's yard, but the Bakers'?

mess

?

bugged

?my dad?

big-time

, and he?

channeled

?his?

frustration

?into our yard.

mess /mes/ n.?雜亂

bug /b?ɡ/ vt.?使......厭煩

big-time /?b?ɡ?ta?m/ adv.?極大地

channel /?t??nl/ v.?把......用于

frustration /fr??stre??n/ n.?懊惱

28

He said it was our neighborly duty to show them what a yard's supposed to look like.

29

So while Mike and Matt are busy?

plumping up

?their boa, I'm having to?

mow

?and?

edge

?our yard, then?

sweep

?the walkways and?

gutter

, which is going a little?

overboard

, if you ask me.

plump up v.?使膨脹

mow /mo?/ vt.?割草

edge /ed?/ v.?修剪(草地邊緣)

sweep /swi?p/ vi.?打掃

gutter /?ɡ?t?r/ n.?排水溝

overboard /'ov?b?rd/ adv.?全身心投入

30

And you'd think Juli's dad — who's a big, strong,?

bricklaying

?

dude

?— would?

fix the place up

, but no.

bricklaying /'br?k,le??/ n.?砌磚

dude /dud/ n. [美，非正式]家伙

fix up?修理

31

According to my mom, he spends all his free time painting.

32

His?

landscapes

?don't seem like anything special to me, but judging by his price tags, he thinks quite a lot of them.

landscape /?l?ndske?p/ n.?風景畫

33

We see them every year at the Mayfield County Fair, and my parents always say the same thing:?

34

“The world would have more beauty in it if he'd fix up the yard instead.”

35

Mom and Juli's mom do talk some.

36

I think my mom feels sorry for Mrs. Baker — she says she married a dreamer, and because of that, one of the two of them will always be unhappy.

37

Whatever. Maybe Juli's?

aesthetic

?

sensibilities

?have been?

permanently

?

screwed up

?by her father and none of this is her fault,

aesthetic /es?θet?k/ adj.?美學的

sensibility /?s?ns?'b?l?ti/ n. (尤指文藝方面的)感受能力

permanently /?p?..m?n?ntl?/ adv.?永久地

screw up?搞砸了

38

but Juli has always thought that that sycamore tree was God's gift to our little corner of the universe.

39

Back in the third and fourth grades she used to?

clown around

?with her brothers in the branches or peel big?

chunks

?of?

bark

?off so they could slide down the?

crook

?in its?

trunk

.

clown around?胡鬧

chunk /t???k/ n.?大塊

bark /bɑ?rk/ n.?樹皮

crook /kr?k/ n.?彎曲處

trunk /tr??k/ n.?樹干

40

It seemed like they were playing in it whenever my mom took us somewhere in the car.

41

Juli'd be swinging from the branches, ready to fall and break every bone in her body, while we were waiting at the?

stoplight

, and my mom would shake her head and say,

stoplight /'stɑp,la?t/ n.?紅綠燈

42

“Don't you ever climb that tree like that, do you hear me, Bryce? I never want to see you doing that! You either, Lynetta. That is much too dangerous.”

43

My sister would?

roll her eyes

?and say, “As if,” while I'd?

slump

?beneath the window and pray for the light to change before Juli?

squealed

?my name for the world to hear.

roll her eyes?翻白眼

slump /sl?mp/ v.?重重地坐下

squeal /skwil/ vt.?長聲尖叫

44

I did try to climb it once in the fifth grade.

45

It was the day after Juli had rescued my kite from its?

mutant

?toy-eating?

foliage

.

mutant /'mjut?nt/ n. [生]?突變體

foliage /?fo?li?d?/ n.?植物

46

She climbed miles up to get my kite, and when she came down, she was actually very cool about it.

47

She didn't hold my kite?

hostage

?and stick her lips out like I was afraid she might.

hostage /?hɑ?st?d?/ n.?人質

48

She just handed it over and then backed away. I was relieved, but I also felt like a?

weenie

.

weenie /?wini/ n.?窩囊廢

49

When I'd seen where my kite was trapped, I was sure it was a?

goner

. Not Juli.?

goner /'ɡ?n?/ n.?無法挽救的人

50

She scrambled up and got it down?

in no time

.

in no time?立即

51

Man, it was embarrassing.

52

So I made a?

mental

?picture of how high she'd climbed, and the next day I?

set off

?to?

outdo

?her by at least two branches.

mental /?mentl/ adj.?頭腦的

set off vt.?動身

outdo /?a?t'du/ vt.?超過

53

I made it past the crook, up a few?

limbs

, and then — just to see how I was doing — I looked down.

limb /l?m/ n.?枝干

54

Mis-take! It felt like I was on top of the?

Empire State Building

?without a?

bungee

.

bungee /'b?nd?i:/ n.?高空彈跳繩索

Empire State Building?帝國大廈(位于美國紐約州)

55

I tried looking up to where my kite had been, but it was hopeless.

56

I was?

indeed

?a tree-climbing weenie.

indeed /?n?di?d/ adv.?真正地

57

Then junior high started and my dream of a Juli-

free

?existence?

shattered

.

free /fri?/ adj.?擺脫...的

shatter /???t?r/ vi.?粉碎

58

I had to take the bus, and you-know-who did, too.

59

There were about eight kids altogether at our bus stop, which created a?

buffer

?zone, but it was no comfort zone.

buffer /?b?f?r/ n.?起緩沖作用的人(或物)

60

Juli always tried to stand beside me, or talk to me, or in some other way?

mortify

?me.

mortify /?m??rt?fa?/ vt.?使受辱

61

And then she started climbing.

62

The girl is in the seventh grade, and she's climbing a tree — way,?

way up

?in a tree.

way up adv.?遠遠在上

63

And why does she do it? So she can yell down at us that the bus is five! four! three blocks away!

64

Blow-by-blow

?

traffic

?watch from a tree - what every kid in junior high feels like hearing first thing in the morning.

blow-by-blow /?bloba??blo/ adj.?逐一記錄的

traffic /'tr?f?k/ n.?交通

65

She tried to get me to come up there with her, too.?

66

“Bryce, come on! You won't believe the colors! It's absolutely magnificent! Bryce, you've got to come up here!”

67

Yeah, I could just hear it: “Bryce and Juli sitting in a tree…”

68

Was I ever going to leave the second grade behind?

69

One morning I was?

specifically

?not looking up when?

out of nowhere

?she swings down from a branch and practically knocks me over.

specifically /sp??s?f?kli/ adv.?特意地

out of nowhere?莫名其妙地出現(xiàn)

70

Heart a-ttack!

heart attack?心臟病發(fā)作

71

I dropped my backpack and?

wrenched

?my neck, and that did it.

wrench /rent?/ vt. (猛力地)扭

72

I refused to wait under that tree with that?

maniac

?monkey?

on the loose

?

anymore

.

maniac /'men??k/ adj.?癲狂的

on the loose?逍遙法外

anymore /??ni?m?r/ adv.?再也不

73

I started leaving the house at the very last minute.

74

I made up my own waiting spot, and when I'd see the bus?

pull up

, I'd?

truck

?up the hill and get on board.

pull up?停下來

truck /tr?k/ v.?輕松前進

75

No Juli, no problem.

76

And that, my friend,?

took care

?of the rest of seventh grade and almost all of eighth, too, until one day a few months ago.

take care?堅持到底

77

That's when I heard a?

commotion

?up the hill and could see some big trucks parked up on Collier Street where the bus pulls in.

commotion /k?'mo??n/ n.?騷動

78

There were some men shouting stuff up at Juli, who was, of course, five?

stories

?up in the tree.

story /'st?ri/ n.?一種測量單位(1story?等于3.3米)

79

All the other kids started to gather under the tree, too, and I could hear them telling her she had to come down.

80

She was fine — that was obvious to anyone with a pair of ears — but I couldn't figure out what they were all arguing about.

81

I trucked up the hill, and as I got closer and saw what the men were?

holding

, I figured out in a hurry what was making Juli refuse to come out of the tree.

hold /ho?ld/ v.?握住

82

Chain saws

.

chain saw n.?鏈鋸

83

Don't?

get me wrong

?here, okay? The tree was an ugly mutant?

tangle

?of gnarly branches.

get me wrong?誤解我

tangle /?t??ɡl/ vt. & vi. (使)纏結

84

The girl arguing with those men was Juli - the world's?

peskiest

,?

bossiest

, most know-it-all female.

pesky /'p?ski/ adj. [非正]?煩人的

bossy /'b?si/ adj.?專橫的

85

But?

all of a sudden

?my stomach completely?

bailed on

?me.

all of a sudden?猛然地

bail on?放棄

86

Juli loved that tree.

87

Stupid as it was, she loved that tree, and cutting it down would be like cutting out her heart.

88

Everyone tried to talk her down. Even me.

89

But she said she wasn't coming down, not?

ever

, and then she tried to talk us up. “Bryce, please! Come up here with me. They won't cut it down if we're all up here!”

ever /'?v?/ adv.?在任何時候

90

For a second I considered it.

91

But then the bus arrived and I?

talked myself out

?of it.

talk myself out?反復地勸自己

92

It wasn't my tree, and even though she acted like it was, it wasn't Juli's, either.

93

We?

boarded

?the bus and left her behind, but school was pretty much a waste.

board /b??rd/ vt.?上(船、車或飛機)

94

I couldn't seem to stop?

thinking about

?Juli.

think about v.?認真考慮

95

Was she still up in the tree? Were they going to?

arrest

?her?

arrest /??rest/ vt.?逮捕

96

When the bus dropped us off that afternoon, Juli was gone and so was half the tree.

97

The top branches, the place my kite had been stuck, her favorite?

perch

?— they were all gone.

perch /p??rt?/ n.?棲息處

98

We watched them work for a little while, the chain saws?

gunning

?at full?

throttle

, smoking as they?

chewed

?through wood.

gun /ɡ?n/ vt. & vi.?加大油門

throttle /'θrɑtl/ n.?油門

chew /t?u?/ vt.?嚼碎

99

The tree looked?

lopsided

?and?

naked

, and after a few minutes I had to get out of there.

lopsided /?lɑ?p?sa?d?d/ adj.?向一側歪斜的

naked /?ne?k?d/ adj.?裸露的

100

It was like watching someone?

dismember

?a body, and for the first time in ages, I felt like crying.

dismember /d?s?memb?r/ vt.?肢解

101

Crying. Over a stupid tree that I hated.

102

I went home and tried to?

shake it off

, but I kept wondering,?

shake off?擺脫

103

Should I have gone up the tree with her? Would it have done any good?

104

I thought about calling Juli to tell her I was sorry they'd cut it down, but I didn't.

105

It would've been too, I don't know, weird.

106

She didn't show at the bus stop the next morning and didn't ride the bus home that afternoon, either.

107

Then that night, right before dinner, my grandfather?

summoned

?me into the front room.

summon /?s?m?n/ vt.?召集

108

He didn't call to me as I was?

walking by

?- that would have?

bordered

?on friendliness.

walk by?在......旁邊走過

border /?b??rd?r/ v.?近似

109

What he did was talk to my mother, who talked to me.

110

“I don't know what it's about, honey,” she said.?

111

“Maybe he's just ready to get to know you a little better.”

112

Great.

113

The man's had a year and a half to get?

acquainted

, and he chooses now to get to know me.

acquaint /??kwe?nt/ v.?使了解

114

But I couldn't exactly blow him off.

115

My grandfather's a big man with a?

meaty

?nose and?

greased

-back salt-and-

pepper

?hair.

meaty /?mi?ti/ adj.?肥的

grease /gri:zd/ adj.?加過潤滑脂的

pepper /?pep?r/ n.?胡椒粉

116

He lives in house?

slippers

?and a sports coat, and I've never seen a?

whisker

?on him.

slipper /?sl?p?r/ n.?拖鞋

whisker /'w?sk?/ n.?胡須

117

They grow, but he shaves them off like three times a day. It's a real?

recreational

?

activity

?for him.

recreational /?rekri?e???nl/ adj.?消遣的

activity /?k't?v?ti/ n.?行動

118

Besides his meaty nose, he's also got big meaty hands.

119

I suppose you'd notice his hands?

regardless

, but what makes you realize?

just

?how?

beefy

?they are is his wedding ring.

regardless /r??ɡɑ?rdl?s/ adv.?無論如何

just /d??st/ adv.?實在

beefy /'bifi/ adj.?健壯的

120

That thing's never going to come off, and even though my mother says that's how it should be, I think he ought to get it?

cut off

.

cut off?切斷

121

Another few?

pounds

?and that ring's going to?

amputate

?his finger.

pound /pa?nd/ n.?英鎊

amputate /'?mpjutet/ vt.?切斷

122

When I went in to see him, those big hands of his were?

woven

?together, resting on the newspaper in his lap.

woven /'wovn/ v.?編織(weave的過去分詞)

123

I said, “Granddad? You wanted to see me?”

124

“Have a seat, son.”

125

Son?

126

Half the time he didn't seem to know who I was, and now suddenly I was “son”?

127

I sat in the chair opposite him and waited.

128

“Tell me about your friend Juli Baker.”

129

“Juli? She's not exactly my friend … !”

130

“Why is that?” he asked. Calmly.?

131

Like he had?

prior

?

knowledge

.

prior /?pra??r/ adj.?事先的

knowledge /?nɑ?l?d?/ n.?了解

132

I started to justify it, then stopped myself and asked, “Why do you want to know?”

133

He opened the paper and pressed down the?

crease

, and that's when I realized that Juli Baker had made the front page of the Mayfield Times.

crease /kris/ n.?折痕

134

There was a huge picture of her in the tree, surrounded by a?

fire brigade

?and policemen, and then some smaller photos I couldn't?

make out

?very well.

fire brigade n.?消防隊

make out (勉強地)辨認

135

“Can I see that?”

136

He folded it up but didn't hand it over. “Why isn't she your friend, Bryce?”

137

“Because she's …” I shook my head and said, “You'd have to know Juli.”

138

“I'd like to.”

139

“What? Why?”

140

“Because the girl's got an?

iron

?

backbone

. Why don't you invite her over sometime?”

iron /?a??rn/ n.?鐵

backbone /'b?k'bon/ n.?脊梁

141

“An iron backbone? Granddad, you don't understand! That girl is a?

royal

?

pain

. She's a show-off, she's a know-it-all, and she is?

pushy

?

beyond belief

!”

royal /?r???l/ adj. (用于強調某人或某物極度糟糕)?極度的

pain /pe?n/ n. [非正式]?討厭的人(或事)

pushy /?p??i/ adj.?愛出風頭的

beyond belief?難以置信

142

“

Is that so

.”

Is that so?真的是這樣么？

143

“Yes! That's absolutely so! And she's been?

stalking

?me since the second grade!”

stalk /st??k/ vt.?跟蹤

144

He frowned, then looked out the window and asked, “They've lived there that long?”

145

“I think they were all born there!”

146

He frowned some more before he looked back at me and said, “A girl like that doesn't live next door to everyone, you know.”

147

“Lucky them!”

148

He?

studied

?me, long and hard.

study /'st?di/ v.?仔細看

149

I said, “What?” but he didn't flinch.

150

He just kept staring at me, and I couldn't take it — I had to look away.

take /tek/ v.?忍受

151

Keep in mind

?that this was the first real conversation I'd had with my grandfather.

keep in mind?記住

152

This was the first time he'd made the?

effort

?to talk to me about something besides passing the salt.

effort /?ef?rt/ n.?努力

153

And does he want to get to know me? No! He wants to know about Juli!

154

I couldn't just stand up and leave, even though that's what I felt like doing.

155

Somehow

?I knew if I left like that, he'd?

quit

?talking to me at all. Even about salt.

somehow /?s?mha?/ adv.?不知為什么

quit /kw?t/ vt.?停止

156

So I sat there feeling sort of?

tortured

.

tortured /'t?rt??d/ adj.?飽受煎熬的

157

Was he mad at me? How could he be mad at me? I hadn't done anything wrong!

158

When I looked up, he was sitting there?

holding out

?the newspaper to me.

hold out?伸出

159

“Read this,” he said. “Without prejudice.”

160

I took it, and when he went back to looking out the window, I knew - I'd been?

dismissed

.

dismiss /d?s?m?s/ vi.?讓......離開

161

By the time I got down to my room, I was?

mad

.

mad /m?d/ adj.?氣憤的

162

I?

slammed

?my bedroom door and?

flopped

?down on the bed, and after?

fuming

?about my?

sorry

?

excuse

?for a grandfather for a while, I shoved the newspaper in the bottom?

drawer

?of my desk.

slam /sl?m/ vt. & vi.?砰地關上(門或窗)

flop /flɑp/ v. (尤指疲勞時)猛然倒下

fume /fju?m/ v.?生氣

sorry /'s?ri/ adj.?可憐的

excuse /?k?skjuz/ n.?寬恕

drawer /dr??r/ n.?抽屜

163

Like I needed to know any more about Juli Baker.

164

At dinner my mother asked me why I was so?

sulky

, and she kept looking from me to my grandfather.

sulky /?s?lki/ adj.?生悶氣的

165

Granddad didn't seem to need any salt, which was a good thing because I might have thrown the?

shaker

?at him.

shaker /'?ek?/ n. (蓋上有孔的)作料瓶

166

My sister and dad were all?

business as usual

, though.

business as usual?一如往常

167

Lynetta ate about two?

raisins

?out of her carrot salad, then peeled the skin and meat off her chicken wing and?

nibbledgristle

?off the bone,

raisins /'reiz?n/ n.?葡萄干

nibble /?n?bl/ vt. & vi.?啃

gristle /'ɡr?sl/ n.?軟骨

168

while my father filled up?

airspace

?talking about office politics and the need for a?

shakedown

?in?

upper

?management.

airspace /'?r'spes/ n.?上空

shakedown /'?ekda?n/ n.?整頓

upper /??p?r/ adj.?上層的

169

No one was listening to him — no one ever does when he gets on one of his if-I-ran-the-

circus

?

jags

?— but for once Mom wasn't even pretending.

circus /?s??rk?s/ n.?馬戲團

jag /d??ɡ/ n.?狂歡

170

And for once she wasn't trying to convince Lynetta that dinner was delicious either.

171

She just kept eyeing me and Granddad, trying to pick up on why we were?

miffed

?at each other.

miff /m?f/ vt.?使……惱怒

172

Not that he had anything to be miffed at me about. What had I done to him, anyway? Nothing.?

Nada

. But he was, I could tell.

nada /'n?d?/ n.?沒有什么

173

And I completely avoided looking at him until about halfway through dinner, when I sneaked a peek.

174

He was studying me, all right.

175

And?

even though

?it wasn't a mean stare, or a?

hard

?stare, it was, you know,?

firm

.?

Steady

. And it?

weirded me out

.?

What was his deal

?

even though?雖然

hard /hɑ?rd/ adj.?嚴厲的

firm /f??rm/ adj.?堅定的

steady /?stedi/ adj.?沉著的

weird out?使人感到納悶

what's one’s deal?他(她)怎么回事？

176

I didn't look at him again. Or at my mother. I just went back to eating and pretended to listen to my dad.

177

And the first chance I got, I?

excused myself

?and?

holed up

?in my room.

excuse oneself?請求準予離開

hole up?躲藏

178

I was planning to call my friend Garrett like I usually do when I'm?

bent

?about something.

bent /b?nt/ adj.?下定決心的

179

I even punched in his number, but I don't know. I just?

hung up

.

hung up?掛斷

180

And later when my mom came in, I?

faked

?like I was sleeping.

fake /fe?k/ vt. & vi.?假裝

181

I haven't done that in years.

182

The whole night was weird like that.

183

I just wanted to be left alone.

184

Juli wasn't at the bus stop the next morning. Or Friday morning.

185

She was at school, but you'd never know it if you didn't actually look.

186

She didn't?

whip

?her hand through the air trying to get the teacher to?

call

?on her or?

charge

?through the halls getting to class.

whip /w?p/ v.?快速移動(某物)

call /k??l/ vi.?呼叫

charge /t?ɑ?rd?/ vt.?向...沖去

187

She didn't make?

unsolicited

?

comments

?for the teacher's?

edification

?or challenge the kids who?

took cuts

?in the milk line.

unsolicited /'?ns?'l?s?t?d/ adj.?主動提供的

comment /?kɑ?ment/ n.?評論

edification /??d?f?'ke??n/ n.?教誨

take cuts?插隊

188

She just sat. Quiet.

189

I told myself I should be glad about it - it was like she wasn't even there, and isn't that what I'd always wanted? But still, I felt bad.

190

About her tree, about how she hurried off to eat by herself in the library at lunch, about how her eyes were red around the edges.

191

I wanted to tell her, Man, I'm sorry about your sycamore tree, but the words never seemed to come out.

192

By the middle of the next week, they'd finished taking down the tree.

193

They cleared the?

lot

?and even tried to pull up the?

stump

, but that?

sucker

?would not?

budge

, so they wound up?

grinding

?it down into the dirt.

lot n.?小塊土地

stump /st?mp/ n.?樹樁

sucker /'s?k?/ n.?（從植物的根部、主莖等長出的）吸根

budge /b?d?/ vt. & vi (使)稍微移動

grind /ɡra?nd/ vi.?磨碎

194

Juli still didn't show at the bus stop, and by the end of the week I learned from Garrett that she was riding a bike.

195

He said he'd seen her on the side of the road twice that week, putting the chain back on the?

derailleur

?of a?

rusty

?old ten-speed.

derailleur /d?'relj?/ n.?裝有變速器的自行車

rusty /'r?sti/ adj.?生銹的

196

I?

figured

?she'd be back.

figure /?f?ɡj?r/ vi. [美，非正式]?估計

197

It was a long ride out to Mayfield Junior High, and?

once

?she?

got over

?the tree, she'd start riding the bus again.

once /w?ns/ conj.?一旦...就...

get over?從......中恢復過來

198

I even?

caught

?myself looking for her. Not on the lookout, just looking.

catch /k?t?/ vi.?突然發(fā)現(xiàn)

199

Then one day it rained and I thought for sure she'd be up at the bus stop, but no.

200

Garrett said he saw her trucking along on her bike in a bright yellow?

poncho

, and in math I noticed that her pants were still?

soaked

?from the knees down.

poncho /?pɑ?nt?o?/ n.?雨披

soaked /sokt/ adj. (尤指被雨)淋透的

201

When math let out, I started to chase after her to tell her that she ought to try riding the bus again, but I stopped myself in the nick of time.

202

What was I thinking? That Juli wouldn't take a little friendly concern and completely?

misinterpret

?it?

misinterpret /?m?s?n?t??rpr?t/ vt.?誤解

203

Whoa now, buddy,?

beware

!

beware /b??wer/ vi.?當心

204

Better to just leave well enough alone.

205

After all, the last thing I needed was for Juli Baker to think I missed her.

last /l?st/ adj.?最后的

206