Of all the males in our company's dormitory, I felt the most affection for Tom. He was a genius, I thought, but the other guys took him for a nut. He came from far away, and at first had a strong Spanish accent. Now, after a year with the company, he spoke English very well. But his English accent had an exaggerated precision that the other guys didn't like. In the crude environment of the dormitory, Tom's accent seemed artificial. But he was a big man, a giant, and strong as an ox, and the others feared him and left him alone. I on the other hand had a weak constitution. I couldn't digest any real food and lived on little more than coffee. My arms and legs were as thin as stems. And what work did I do there, you may well ask. I was chief garbage man for the dormitory. Our company had a big project to build a reinforced concrete reservoir out in a suburb surrounded by hills. At night a portion of the project was closed to us by means of a big square gate made of brass. One cold evening I was depositing the garbage from supper behind our dormitory when I saw a torch and the shape of a man passing through the grass gate. I walked over. "I knew it was you," I said to Tom. "It's open," he said. "Shall we go in?" "Don't you know we shouldn't?" I said. "You still haven't adjusted to the company." "Adjust?" he said. "I'd rather quit. Come. What are you afraid of? Don't you want to investigate this portion?" He knew I did. Already it seemed inevitable that I would to with him. I only feared that the torch would be noticeable on the TV monitor of the chief watchman. "Turn off the torch," I said, and we walked through the brass square gate. Tom and I penetrated all the way to the crane, and no watchman had yet pursued us. This giant crane was used for moving and placing the reinforced concrete blocks. In the dark we recognized it by its shape-an immense pillar of zigzag rods. At the top of it, we knew, at the peak, would be the flag. And far over our heads, up in the dark sky, would be the crane's giant arm. On the arm was the banner that we saw everyday, with the letters ABC, the initial letters of our company's name. We had ABC written on our shirts, too, and on the chairs and beds with which our dormitory was furnished. "Let's go up!" said Tom. I laughed-but Tome had spoken in earnest. Strong as he was, he really had no concept of authority. "Tom, you are a nut!" I said, wanting to show him that I was reluctant. But in the end he convinced me, and we mounted the ladder to the lift. There were two buttons, a red one and a green one. I pressed the latter, just to see if the lift might be operational. It was. I pressed the red button and stopped it. Tome got in. I pressed the green one again and we rose and rose and finally reached the top. We were at the peak of the pillar, just underneath the flag. Even in the dark we were close enough to see it. Before us the crane's giant arm led of like a road into the night. Its rods and all zigzag, made me feel that over there would be, I saw, a square gate, some garbage and a dormitory. But no. Off the end of that zigzag road really would be nothing but dark night. The geometry of the crane scared me. "Let's walk out to the banner!" To the banner? Oh, no. This was too much. "I want to see the ABC!" said Tome. "Come on!" why was his voice so urgent? What did the want that ABC banner for? "Tom, you are too bold," I said. "You really have no concept….." But he had set off. I was very scared, but somehow rose to the challenge and went with him. It became a contest: who would be the firs
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t one to touch the long banner? I was halfway along the arm when I heard the water of the reservoir, far underneath us. It was then that I remembered that the chief crane operator, before stopping his work for the day, would always swing the giant arm so that it projected out over the water. Now I was really scared. I held on to a rod. I could feel the coffee I had drunk could and undigested inside me. I did not have Tom's ox-like constitution.
"Tom!" I said. I did not possess hi boldness, and not his urgency.
"You can't quit now!" Said Tom. But I could not move. I was trapped.
Tom had reached the banner. He was a dark shape, loosening the knots that held the banner to the rods.
"I possess the ABC!" he said, in that precise English of his. The dark shape on the arm put a thumb up to show me that he had got what he wanted. He put his other hand on what he thought was a rod, but it was the wire that would shock him.
They said later that the nuts on the box that surrounded the wire were loose and had come unscrewed(螺丝钉旋松的). The box had fallen away, and the wire was exposed.
Tome never paniced. He looked at me as if I were far away. But his legs would not hold him up. Wrapped in the banner, he fell, like a baby bird from a nest. It was I who panicked, when I heard him hit and vanish underneath the water of the reservoir. Maybe his fall had not been fatal, but would my beloved Tom now drown? It was possible.
I began to cal for help.
We spent an anxious fortnight in the dormitory. While the others would talk about his vitality(生命力), I stared at jeans and socks of the vanishing nut. The dorm was a different place without his precise English. An X-ray scan had revealed that he would need an operation. And of course the big ox had to recover from the exposure to the cold water. There was a mention in the media of Tom's shock and fall, and the TV guys were going to come and see what we were doing at the reservoir project, until their investigation was canceled. But the authorities did investigate our company. Their investigation revealed that the square gate had been left open, and the box surrounding the wire had come off.
The company reinforced the square gate with more brass, and put a new box back onto the arm, screwing its nuts tightly. They tightened up the knots of the new banner, and even put anew banner all down the crane's pillar, this latter one having not only the initials ABC but all the letters of the name of the suburb. And they put a bigger flag on the crane.
The company enhanced the authority of the chief watchman. Now we had to sign in when were came back to the dormitory, and sign out. Even when I took out the garbage in the evening, I had to sign in and out! Besides, they furnish their chief garbage man with a torch in case I should see any shapes of people.
adj. 西班牙的, 西班牙人的, 西班牙语的 n. 西班牙人, 西班牙语 n. 重音, 口音, 重音符 adj. 夸大的, 言过其实的, 夸张的 n. 精确, 精密度, 精度 adj. 天然的, 未加工的, 粗糙的, 拙劣的, 粗鲁的 n. 天然的物质 n. 环境, 外界 adj. 人造的, 假的, 非原产地的 n. 巨人, 大力士, 巨大的动物或植物, 伟人, 天才 adj. 庞大的, 巨大的 fear n. 恐怖, 害怕, 担心, 敬畏 v. 害怕, 畏惧, 为...担心, 敬畏(神等) n. 宪法, 构造, 体质, 体格, 国体, 章程, 惯例 n. 分类, 摘要 vi. 消化 vt. 消化, 融会贯通 st
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em n. 茎, 干, 词干, 茎干 v. 滋生, 阻止 n. 垃圾, 废物 n. 计划, 方案, 事业, 企业, 工程 v. 设计, 计划, 投射, 放映, 射出, 发射(导弹等), 凸出 reinforce vt. 加强, 增援, 补充, 增加...的数量, 修补, 加固 vi. 求援, 得到增援 n. 加固物 混凝土 n. 水库, 蓄水池 n. 市郊, 郊区 adj. （后面与by, with连用）被…环绕着的 n. 一部分, 一分 n. 手段, 方法 v. 意味, 想要 n. 黄铜, 黄铜制品, 厚脸皮 deposit n. 堆积物, 沉淀物, 存款, 押金, 保证金, 存放物 vt. 存放, 堆积 vi. 沉淀 n. 火把, 启发之物 vi. 像火炬一样燃烧 vt. 用火炬点燃 adjust vt. 调整, 调节, 校准, 使适合 v. 调查, 研究 adj. 不可避免的, 必然的 adj. 显而易见的, 值得注意的 n. 起重机 pursue vt. 追赶, 追踪, 追击, 继续, 从事 use vt. 使用, 利用, 耗费 n. 使用, 利用, 用途, 效用, 使用价值 recognize vt. 认可, 承认, 公认, 赏识, 认识; 认出; 辨认 vi. 具结 adj. 极广大的, 无边的, <口>非常好的 n. [建] 柱子, 栋梁, 重要的支持者 n. Z字形, 锯齿形, 蜿蜒曲折 adj. 曲折的, 锯齿形的, Z字形的 adv. 作Z字形地, 弯弯曲曲地 v. 成Z字形, 作Z字形行进, 曲折前进 n. 杆, 棒 n. 山顶, 顶点, 帽舌, (记录的)最高峰 adj. 最高的 vi. 到达最高点, 消瘦, 缩小 vt. 使竖起, 使达到最高点 n. 旗帜, 横幅, 标语 adj. 最初的, 词首的, 初始的 n. 词首大写字母 furnish vt. 供应, 提供, 装备, 布置 v. 供给 adj. 认真的, 热心的, 重要的n.真挚, 定金, 认真, 热心 n. 观念, 概念 n. 权威, 威信, 权威人士, 权力, 职权, 典据, 著作权威
adj. 不顾的, 勉强的, 难得到的, 难处理的 convince vt. 使确信, 使信服 mount n. 乘用马, 衬纸, 山, 装配 vi. 乘马, 爬上, 增长 vt. 爬上, 使上马, 装上, 设置, 安放, 制作...的标本, 上演 adj. 后面的, (两者中)后者的, 较后的, 近来的 v. (past tense, past participle of may see may) n. 力量, 威力, 权力, 能, 可能 aux. 可以 [在陈述句中为 may 的过去式, 表示一般的可能性]可以, 或许; 可能... adj. 操作的, 运作的 adv. 在下面 prep. 在...的下面 n. 几何学 adj. 急迫的, 紧急的 adj. 大胆的 n. 粗体 adv. 不知何故 n. 挑战 vt. 向...挑战 n. 论争, 竞赛 v. ,争论, 争辩, 竞赛, 争夺 操作员 vt. 占有, 拥有, 持有, 摆布, 支配 trap n. 圈套, 陷阱, 诡计, 活板门, 存水弯, 汽水闸, (双轮)轻便马车 vi. 设圈套, 设陷阱 vt. 诱捕, 诱骗, 计捉, 设陷, 坑害, 使受限制 loosen v. 解开, 放松, 松开 knot n. (绳等的)结, (树的)节, 节(船速,＝哩／小时) v. 打结 adj. 精确的, 准确的 n. 精确 n. 金属丝, 电线, 电报, 电信, 铁丝网 vt. 用金属丝卷起, 拍电报 vi. 打电报 adj. 金属丝制的 n. 解放, 放任, 放纵 adj. 宽松的, 不精确的, 不牢固的, 散漫的, 自由的 vt. 释放, 放枪, 开船 vi. 变松, 开火 adv. 松散地 adj. 暴露的, 暴露于风雨中的, 无掩蔽的 expose vt. 使暴露, 受到, 使曝光 v. 揭露 panic n. 惊慌, 恐慌, 没有理由的 n. 巢, 窝, 休息所, 隐匿处, 舒适的地方, (可以一个套一个的)一套器具 vi. 筑巢, 找鸟巢 vt. 造巢, 使套入 adj. 致命的, 重大的, 命运注定的, 不幸的, 致命的, 毁灭性的 adj. 心爱的 n. 所爱的人, 爱人 adj. 观念的, 担忧的, 渴望的, 盼望的 n. 两星期 X-rays X光，X射线 v. 细看,审视,浏览,扫描 n. 扫描 reveal vt. 展现, 显示, 揭示, 暴露 vt. 重新获得, 恢复, 使改过 vi. 痊愈, 复原, 胜诉 n. DOS命令：从含有损坏磁盘扇区的磁盘上恢复文件 n. 暴露, 揭露, 暴光, 揭发, 揭露, 位向, 方向, 陈列 n. 媒体 cancel vt. 取消, 删去 screw n. 螺丝钉, 螺旋, 螺
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杆, 螺孔, 螺旋桨, 吝啬鬼 vt. 调节, 旋, 加强, 压榨, 强迫, 鼓舞 vi. 转动, 旋, 拧 enhance vt.提高, 增强v.提高 adv. 此外 prep. 除...之外
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