1.stipu·late v.  /ˈstɪpjuleɪt/

[ V wh-] ( formal ) to state clearly and firmly that sth must be done, or how it must be done规定；明确要求SYNspecify

[ VN]•A delivery date is stipulated in the contract.合同中规定了交货日期。

[ V that]•The job advertisement stipulates that the applicant must have three years' experience.招聘广告明确要求应聘者必须有三年工作经验。

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2.bru·tal adj.  /ˈbruːtl/

1.violent and cruel残暴的；兽性的

•a brutal attack/murder/rape/killing野蛮的攻击╱谋杀╱强 奸╱杀害

2.direct and clear about sth unpleasant; not thinking of people's feelings直截了当的；冷酷的

•With brutal honesty she told him she did not love him.她冷酷地直接告诉他，她不爱他。

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3.tatter /ˈtætə/

1.V to make or become ragged or worn to shreds 撕碎

2.Ntorn or ragged pieces, esp of material 碎片

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4.ther·mal  /ˈθɜːml/

[ only before noun]

1.( technical 术语)connected with heat热的；热量的

•thermal energy热能

2.( of clothing衣服 ) designed to keep you warm by preventing heat from escaping from the body保暖的；防寒的

•thermal underwear保暖内衣裤

3.( of streams, lakes, etc.溪水、湖泊等 ) in which the water has been naturally heated by the earth温暖的；热的

•thermal springs温泉

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5.turn·stile n.  /ˈtɜːnstaɪl/

a gate at the entrance to a public building, stadium , etc. that turns in a circle when pushed, allowing one person to go through at a time旋转栅门（常设于公共建筑、体育场等入口处）

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6.tickle  /ˈtɪkl/

1.to move your fingers on a sensitive part of sb's body in a way that makes them laugh呵痒；胳肢

[ VN]•The bigger girls used to chase me and tickle me.比我高大的女孩过去总是追赶着胳肢我。

[ V]•Stop tickling!别胳肢了！

2.to produce a slightly uncomfortable feeling in a sensitive part of the body; to have a feeling like this（使）发痒

[ VN]•His beard was tickling her cheek.他的胡须扎得她的面颊痒痒的。

[ V]•My throat tickles.我嗓子发痒。

•a tickling cough痒咳

3.to amuse and interest sb逗乐；使高兴；使感兴趣；使满足

[ VN]•to tickle sb's imagination满足某人的想象力

[ VN to inf]•I was tickled to discover that we'd both done the same thing.我高兴地发现我俩在做同样的事。

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7.patsy n.  /ˈpætsi/ ( pl.-ies)

( informal ) ( especially NAmE ) a weak person who is easily cheated or tricked, or who is forced to take the blame for sth that sb else has done wrong容易吃亏上当者；容易成为替罪羊者

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8.ex·tin·guish v.  /ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/

[ VN]1.to make a fire stop burning or a light stop shining熄灭；扑灭

SYNput out

•Firefighters tried to extinguish the flames.消防队员奋力救火。

( formal )

•All lights had been extinguished.所有灯光都熄灭了。

2.to destroy sth毁灭；消灭；使破灭

•News of the bombing extinguished all hope of peace.轰炸的消息使和平的希望全部破灭。

9.leave well enough alone 见好就收

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10.tan·gle  /ˈtæŋɡl/

1.a twisted mass of threads, hair, etc. that cannot be easily separated（线、毛发等的）缠结的一团，乱团，乱糟糟的一堆

•a tangle of branches盘绕（纠结）在一起的树枝

•Her hair was a mass of tangles.她的头发乱糟糟的。

2.a state of confusion or lack of order混乱；纷乱

•His financial affairs are in a tangle.他的财务一塌糊涂。

3.( informal ) a disagreement or fight纠纷；不和；争执；打架

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11.twirl  /twɜːl/

1.~ (sb) (around/round)to move or dance round and round; to make sb do this（使）旋转，转动

[ V]•She twirled around in front of the mirror.她对着镜子转动身子。

[ VN]•He held her hand and twirled her around.他牵着她的手，让她旋转。

2.[ VN] ~ sth (around/about)to make sth turn quickly and lightly round and round使轻快地转动；使旋转SYNspin

•He twirled his hat in his hand.他快速旋转着手里的帽子。

•She sat twirling the stem of the glass in her fingers.她坐在那里用手指捻动着高脚酒杯的柄脚。

3.[ VN] to twist or curl sth with your fingers（用手指）缠绕，盘绕，卷曲

•He kept twirling his moustache.他不停地用手指卷胡须。

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12.des·pise v.  /dɪˈspaɪz/

( not used in the progressive tenses不用于进行时)[ VN]to dislike and have no respect for sb/sth鄙视；蔑视；看不起

•She despised gossip in any form.她对任何形式的流言飞语都嗤之以鼻。

•He despised himself for being so cowardly.他为自己如此怯懦而自惭形秽。

13.Hang out

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14.crisp  /krɪsp/ ( crisp·er crisp·est)

1.( also crispy ) ( of food食物 ) pleasantly hard and dry脆的；酥脆的

•Bake until the pastry is golden and crisp.把油酥糕点烤至金黄酥脆。

2.( also crispy ) ( of fruit and vegetables水果和蔬菜 ) firm and fresh鲜脆的脆嫩的

•a crisp apple/lettuce 新鲜脆生的苹果╱生菜

3.( of paper or cloth纸张或布料 ) fresh and clean; new and slightly stiff without any folds in it洁净的；挺括的

•a crisp new $5 bill一张崭新挺括的5元钞票

•a crisp white shirt洁净挺括的白衬衫

4.( of the air or the weather空气或天气 ) pleasantly dry and cold凉爽的；清新的；干燥寒冷让人舒畅的

•a crisp winter morning冬天一个寒冷的早晨

•The air was crisp and clear and the sky was blue.空气清新，天空碧蓝。

5.( of snow, leaves, etc.雪、树叶等 ) firm or dry and making a pleasant noise when crushed（压碎时发出）脆响的

•deep, crisp snow踩上去咯吱作响的积雪

6.( of sounds, images, etc.声音、图像等 ) pleasantly clear and sharp清脆悦耳的；清晰分明的

•The recording sounds very crisp, considering its age.考虑到这录音已年代久远，听起来声音还是挺清楚的。

7.( sometimesdisapproving) ( of a person's way of speaking说话的方式 ) quick and confident in a way that suggests that the person is busy or is not being friendly简短干脆的（表明某人忙或不友好）

•Her answer was crisp, and she gave no details.她的回答简短而干脆，没有提供细节。

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15.dye  /daɪ/ ( dyes dye·ing dyed dyed)

to change the colour of sth, especially by using a special liquid or substance给…染色；染

[ VN]•to dye fabric染织物

[ VN-ADJ]•She dyed her hair blonde.她把头发染成了金黄色。

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16.ce·ment  /sɪˈment/

[ U]1.a grey powder made by burning clay and lime that sets hard when it is mixed with water. Cement is used in building to stick bricks together and to make very hard surfaces.水泥

2.the hard substance that is formed when cement becomes dry and hard（干燥后硬化的）水泥

•a floor of cement水泥地板

•a cement floor水泥地板

——see alsoconcretemortar

3.a soft substance that becomes hard when dry and is used for sticking things together or filling in holes胶合剂；胶接剂；黏固剂

•dental cement (= for filling holes in teeth) 牙黏固剂

4.( formal ) something that unites people in a common interest（共同利益联合起来的）纽带，凝聚力

•values which are the cement of society使社会具有凝聚力的价值观念

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17.sta·tion·ery n.  /ˈsteɪʃənri/

[ U]1.materials for writing and for using in an office, for example paper, pens and envelopes文具

2.special paper for writing letters on信纸；信笺

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18.so·phis·ti·cated adj.  /səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/

1.having a lot of experience of the world and knowing about fashion, culture and other things that people think are socially important见多识广的；老练的；见过世面的

•the sophisticated pleasures of city life城市生活中五花八门的享乐

•Mark is a smart and sophisticated young man.马克是一个聪明老成的年轻人。

——comparenaive

2.( of a machine, system, etc.机器、体系等 ) clever and complicated in the way that it works or is presented复杂巧妙的；先进的；精密的

•highly sophisticated computer systems十分先进的计算机系统

•Medical techniques are becoming more sophisticated all the time.医疗技术日益复杂精妙。

3.( of a person人 ) able to understand difficult or complicated ideas水平高的在行的

•a sophisticated audience有鉴赏力的观众

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19.gra·di·ent n.  /ˈɡreɪdiənt/

1.( especially in NAmE also grade ) the degree to which the ground slopes, especially on a road or railway（尤指公路或铁路的）坡度，斜率，倾斜度

•a steep gradient陡峭的坡度

•a hill with a gradient of 1 in 4 (or 25%)倾斜度为1:4（或25%）的小山

2.( technical 术语)the rate at which temperature, pressure, etc. changes, or increases and decreases, between one region and another（温度、压力等的）变化率，梯度变化曲线

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20.fu·neral n.  /ˈfjuːnərəl/

a ceremony, usually a religious one, for burying or cremating (= burning) a dead person葬礼；丧礼；出殡

•Hundreds of people attended the funeral.数百人参加了葬礼。

•a funeral procession送葬队伍

•a funeral march (= a sad piece of music suitable for funerals) 丧礼进行曲

IDIOMS 习语

1.IT'S ˈYOUR FUNERAL

( informal ) used to tell sb that they, and nobody else, will have to deal with the unpleasant results of their own actions这是你自作自受

1. He stipulated that the work must be completed by Friday. (他规定工作必须在星期五前完成。)

2. The brutal attack shocked the entire community. (残忍的袭击震惊了整个社区。)

3. She wore a dress that was in tatters. (她穿着一件破烂不堪的连衣裙。)

4. The thermal energy from the sun keeps the greenhouse warm. (来自太阳的热能使温室保持温暖。)

5. Please insert your ticket into the turnstile. (请把你的票插入旋转栅门。)

6. The baby giggled when I tickled his feet. (我挠他的脚时，这个宝宝笑个不停。)

7. He was just a patsy in the whole scheme. (在整个计划中，他只是一个替罪羊。)

8. The fire extinguisher is located on the wall. (灭火器放在墙上。)

9. Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. (有时最好别多管闲事。)

10. The wires were tangled together in a mess. (电线纠缠在一起，一团糟。)

11. She gave her hair a twirl and smiled at her reflection. (她扭动了一下头发，对着镜子微笑。)

12. I despise people who are cruel to animals. (我鄙视虐待动物的人。)

13. We used to hang out at the park after school. (放学后我们常在公园里闲逛。)

14. The chips were crisp and delicious. (薯片又脆又好吃。)

15. She used dye to change the color of her shirt. (她用染料改变了衬衫的颜色。)

16. The workers poured cement to create a new sidewalk. (工人们浇筑水泥，修建新的人行道。)

17. She bought some stationery for her new job. (她为新工作买了一些文具。)

18. She is a sophisticate who has traveled the world. (她是一个游历世界的老练之人。)

19. The road has a steep gradient. (这条路有陡峭的坡度。)

20. The funeral was a solemn occasion. (葬礼是一个庄严的场合。)

In a small town nestled amidst rugged mountains, there was a stipulated rule that every citizen had to endure a brutal winter season. The biting cold winds would tear through their clothes, leaving them in tatters. To cope with the extreme temperatures, the locals relied on thermal blankets and heaters.

Every morning, as they made their way to work, they passed through a busy turnstile at the town's entrance. Children giggled as their parents tickled them playfully, trying to distract them from the chilly weather. However, some mischievous individuals would purposely tangle their scarves and hats just for fun.

Amidst the freezing conditions, an unsuspecting villager named Thomas became the patsy in a mysterious plot. Someone had tampered with the fire extinguisher in his house, rendering it useless. In the dead of winter, it was a dangerous situation.

With a determined spirit, Thomas set off on a quest to unravel the truth behind the tangled events. He twirled through the town, questioning everyone he met. However, he soon realized that despise his efforts, many were reluctant to provide any information.

As days turned into weeks, Thomas discovered a crisp piece of paper hidden amongst his belongings. It contained a coded message instructing him to dye his clothes bright red and head to the abandoned cement factory. Armed with this newfound knowledge, he gathered a few supplies, including stationery, and set off to investigate.

Inside the dilapidated cement factory, Thomas encountered a group of sophisticates who were using the location as a secret meeting spot. They were involved in an elaborate scheme to manipulate the town's gradient of power. Shocked by their intentions, Thomas realized he had stumbled upon something far bigger than he could have imagined.

Days later, news spread throughout the town that one of the sophisticates had met an untimely demise. The entire community gathered for a solemn funeral, mourning the loss of a life and reflecting on the consequences of their actions.

In the aftermath, the townspeople became more vigilant and aware, refusing to let themselves be mere patsies in anyone's plans. They pledged to extinguish any attempts at injustice or manipulation. And as they moved forward, they did so with a newfound determination, no longer willing to let their lives be tattered by hidden agendas.

译文：在一个坐落在崎岖山脉中的小镇上，有一个规定，每个公民都必须忍受一个残酷的冬天。刺骨的寒风会撕裂他们的衣服，让他们衣衫褴褛。为了应对极端的温度，当地人依靠热毯和加热器。

每天早晨，当他们去上班的时候，都要经过镇门口一个繁忙的十字转门。孩子们咯咯地笑着，父母开玩笑地挠他们的痒痒，试图转移他们对寒冷天气的注意力。然而，一些淘气的人会故意缠上他们的围巾和帽子，只是为了好玩。

在寒冷的天气里，一个名叫托马斯的毫无戒心的村民成为了一个神秘阴谋的替罪羊。有人动了他家里的灭火器，使它失效了。在隆冬时节，这是一个危险的处境。

带着坚定的精神，托马斯开始了一项探索，以揭开错综复杂的事件背后的真相。他在镇上转来转去，问每一个他遇到的人。然而，他很快意识到，看不起他的努力，很多人都不愿意提供任何信息。

几天过去了，几周过去了，托马斯在他的物品中发现了一张崭新的纸。里面有一条密码信息，指示他把衣服染成鲜红色，然后前往废弃的水泥厂。有了这些新发现，他收集了一些用品，包括文具，开始调查。

在破败的水泥厂里，托马斯遇到了一群世故的人，他们把这里作为秘密聚会的地点。他们参与了一项精心策划的计划，以操纵该镇的权力梯度。托马斯被他们的意图震惊了，他意识到他无意中发现了比他想象的要大得多的东西。

几天后，消息传遍了整个城镇，说其中一个世故的人不幸去世了。整个社区聚集在一起举行了庄严的葬礼，悼念失去的生命，并反思他们行为的后果。

在此之后，镇上的人变得更加警惕和警觉，拒绝让自己成为任何人计划中的替罪羊。他们发誓要制止任何不公正或操纵的企图。当他们向前迈进时，他们带着一种新的决心，不再愿意让他们的生活被隐藏的议程所破坏。