A Change of Heart_经典赏析

A Change of Heart

文章来源：未知文章作者：enread 发布时间：2014-03-25 06:20 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

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A Change of Heart

R. T. Smith

Sunday night a widow in Winslow, Arkansas

came home to find an owl's fully¹ detailed

profile printed on her patio² door as clear

as a photographic plate, and it startled her --

wings spanned wide and outsized eyes,

the feathers almost impossibly articulate.

The silhouette³（轮廓，剪影）, she said, was akin⁴ to a ghost,

though she was a disbeliever, and there

in the flickery（闪烁的） kitchen florescence, she fell.

Living solitary⁵, she lay there for a while,

dreaming the many trials of her earlier life,

including previous encounters with the floor.

Owls⁶, especially horned ones, as the ears

identified hers, may wear a protective powder

on their feathers, and since their wondrous

eyes can't see glass, they'll do this on occasion,

crash haphazard⁷, as if blind, and leave

an image so precise you expect it to scream.

It's best to string some beads⁸ or shells across

a wide window, but seldom are the birds

badly damaged. Even if stunned⁹, casualties

are rare. The woman, however, bruised¹⁰ her

hip and was laid up a spell, at first bewildered,

then coming to terms with the flight

of a predator¹¹ most likely out hunting until

that spectral¹² threshold rushed up and struck

him down. The victim, Elise Pell, presently

recovering at her sister's condo, says she's

reading about all manner of creatures who fill

the air above us, ravenous¹³ and stealthy,

rumored messengers of death. She declares

such visitations can hardly be pure chance.

In fact, this incident has made her a believer,

as the face in the glass was ominously¹⁴ familiar,

though absent from our realm some seven years,

a husband with goggle¹⁵（瞪眼的） eyes and a quick fist.

An animal, she says, is always just a beast,

but a human man can be a monster.

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收听单词发音

1 fully
adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地
参考例句：
The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。 They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 patio
n.庭院，平台
参考例句：
Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。 They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

3 silhouette
n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓
参考例句：
I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。 I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

4 akin
adj.同族的，类似的
参考例句：
She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。 Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

5 solitary
adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士
参考例句：
I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。 The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

6 owls
n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )
参考例句：
'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛 The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。来自辞典例句

7 haphazard
adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的
参考例句：
The town grew in a haphazard way.这城镇无计划地随意发展。 He regrerted his haphazard remarks.他悔不该随口说出那些评论话。

8 beads
n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链
参考例句：
a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链 Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

9 stunned
adj. 震惊的，惊讶的动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。 The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

10 bruised
[医]青肿的，瘀紫的
参考例句：
his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子 She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

11 predator
n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者
参考例句：
The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。 Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

12 spectral
adj.幽灵的，鬼魂的
参考例句：
At times he seems rather ordinary.At other times ethereal,perhaps even spectral.有时他好像很正常，有时又难以捉摸，甚至像个幽灵。 She is compelling,spectral fascinating,an unforgettably unique performer.她极具吸引力，清幽如鬼魅，令人着迷，令人难忘，是个独具特色的演员。

13 ravenous
adj.极饿的，贪婪的
参考例句：
The ravenous children ate everything on the table.饿极了的孩子把桌上所有东西吃掉了。 Most infants have a ravenous appetite.大多数婴儿胃口极好。

14 ominously
adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地
参考例句：
The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。来自《简明英汉词典》 Mammy shook her head ominously. 嬷嬷不祥地摇着头。来自飘（部分）

15 goggle
n.瞪眼，转动眼珠，护目镜；v.瞪眼看，转眼珠
参考例句：
His insincerity is revealed by the quick goggle of his eyes.他眼睛的快速转动泄露了他的不诚实。 His eyes seemed to goggle larger than usual behind the heavy lenses.在厚厚的镜片后面，眼睛瞪得比平时大得多。

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