英文短篇故事（纽约）309 A World of Silent Humans

 　　It started in Greenwich, England. Hour by hour, it traveled west. It hit all the Americas. Then it hit Asia. Then it hit Russia, eastern Europe, and eastern Africa. In just 24 hours, nobody in the world was talking. People were still moving their mouths, hoping that sounds would come out. But no sounds came out. Not a word, not a syllable¹, not a grunt². Dogs were still barking. Cats were still meowing. And birds were still chirping³. But humans were silent. Doctors worldwide were baffled. There was no sign of disease. People's mouths and throats were normal. Doctors scratched their heads. People reluctantly adjusted. They started carrying pens and small notepads with them. They learned sign language. Nostalgically, they watched recorded movies and TV. They listened to recorded books. But there were no more live conversations. Yet there was still hope. Every day, people sent silent prayers to heaven.

1 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

2 grunt   

v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝

参考例句：

• He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
• I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽，他只哼了一声。

3 chirping   

鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The birds,chirping relentlessly,woke us up at daybreak. 破晓时鸟儿不断吱吱地叫，把我们吵醒了。
• The birds are chirping merrily. 鸟儿在欢快地鸣叫着。