《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit100:想赢没门

　　Unit 100
No Way To Win
Daphne relish¹ at the news she was about to tell. "I hate telling you this," she said, "but it's better to hear it from me than from anyone else," she sipped² her wine and gazed over the crowded race-track where horses were lining³ up for the next event.
"So what's the big announcement?" asked Myra impatiently. "Come on, spit it out."
Daphne, refusing to be hurried, sipped more champagne⁴, glanced at her race-book, then stated: "Your Noel is having an affair."
"He wouldn't have the nerve," Myra laughed. "He lives on my money."
"She's a stunning⁵ redhead with a size 10 figure," continued Daphne, fixing her eyes on her plump friend's plain face. "I've seen them lunching together and driving in that sports car you gave him for his last birthday."
Myra glanced over at her husband, who was staring across at the results of the last race. His black surly hair, which always needed combing, gave a raffish⁶ look to his handsome, suntanned face, and he wore with style the Italian suits which she paid for.
Naturally, women were attracted to him but, when she settled his large gambling⁷ debts at the time of their marriage, she had made him aware of his side of bargain.
"Obviously, you don't believe me," sniffed⁸ Daphne. "He's been a bit difficult," Myra admitted. "Complaining about doing housework while my cleaning woman's on holidays. I'm certainly not doing it."
"Listen to me," her friend advised. "Put yourself out to please him for a change."
"He couldn't afford an affair," stated Myra emphatically. "I make him account for every dollar of his allowance. He's got no money."
But that was where she was wrong.
Noel stared in disbelief at the ticket in his hand. Yet again, e looked at the numbers on display. Once more, he checked them and they were the same.
He had won and it had paid well! Certainly, it was not a fortune, but it was enough to escape from Myra... and take Cheryl with him.
He folded the ticket carefully and placed it in his shirt pocket. Looking sad, he walked up to where his wife was chatting to that old bag, whom he felt sure had spotted⁹ him lunching with Cheryl. Probably, she'd told Myra something and there'd be scene at home.
"I didn't win a penny all day," he said miserably¹⁰. The women, who were winning a little, sympathized with him.
That night, Myra was unusually quite while Noel prepared dinner. As he cooked in the kitchen, he wondered where he could hide the ticket. His wife had an uncanny habit of finding things.
Perhaps he could slip out in the morning and give it to Cheryl to mind, but she'd been a little unfriendly since he'd borrowed money from her and not paid it back. All that would change when she heard his news.
Better to trust no one, he decided¹¹, touching¹² the ticket in his shirt pocket. "Im going to bed early," Myra announced shortly after dinner. "Got things to do tomorrow."
Noel bent¹³ down to kiss her cheek, then settled down to watch television. As son as she was asleep, he'd ring Cheryl and make plans. Only the Sunday to get through, e thought, then pack the minute Myra left for bridge on Monday morning. He knew where she had hidden his passport. Cheryl could wait in the car while he collected his winnings. There was no point in letting her know exactly how much it was.
It was a pity he couldn't sell the car because it was worth a lot, but it was registered in his wife's name. Mean cow, he thought angrily, but he would soon be rid of her.
When he rang Cheryl, however, there was no answer. Somehow he'd get in touch with her in the morning. He reviewed his plans yet again until, finally exhausted¹⁴ by excitement, he went to bed and slept soundly.
A bump on the bed woke Noel suddenly. Sunlight flooded the room. "Surprise! Surprise!" cried Myra, setting a try with cups and saucers on the bedside table. "The new me made morning tea for a change. Did some toast and marmalade, too."
Noel mumbled¹⁵ astonished thanks.
"I'm going to do a lot around the house," said Myra. "Might help me lose some weight."
Noel looked at her warily¹⁶. Usually, she stayed in her kimono until after breakfast, but she was dressed and her face made up.
"I'm going to up your allowance by $50," she smiled. "But why...?" he began. Then, he heard a whirring noise, which was somehow familiar. Instantly, he threw back the bedclothes and raced to the laundry. His clothes spun¹⁷ rapidly in the washing machine. Horrified¹⁸, he switched it off, pulled out his shirt and saw the tiny bits of paper.
"Did you leave something in your pocket?" asked his concerned wife, who had followed him to the laundry.
Later that morning, Noel stared desolately¹⁹ out the window. The operator had informed that Cheryl's phone was disconnected.
Upstairs in her bedroom, Myra looked at the race ticket. She'd checked the prize money in the Sunday paper and was surprised at the large amount. Then she smiled, remembering how her husband had fallen for her trick of putting the craps of paper in his pocket.
It was a nice windfall that would more than cover the increase in Noel's allowance. She decided to buy her best friend, Daphne, a bottle of her favorite red... provided she saw it somewhere on special.

1 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

2 sipped   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
• I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句

3 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

4 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

5 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

6 raffish   

adj.名誉不好的，无赖的，卑鄙的，艳俗的

参考例句：

• The theatre's raffish auditorium recalls an earlier era.剧院俗丽的观众席让人想起早先的时代。
• He was handsome in a raffish kind of way.他的帅是一种放荡不羁的帅。

7 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

8 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

10 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

13 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

14 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

15 mumbled   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
• George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

16 warily   

adv.留心地

参考例句：

• He looked warily around him,pretending to look after Carrie.他小心地看了一下四周，假装是在照顾嘉莉。
• They were heading warily to a point in the enemy line.他们正小心翼翼地向着敌人封锁线的某一处前进。

17 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

18 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

19 desolately   

荒凉地，寂寞地

参考例句：

• He knows the truth and it's killing him,'she thought desolately. 他已经明白了，并且非常难过，"思嘉凄凉地思忖着。
• At last, the night falling, they returned desolately to Hamelin. 最后，夜幕来临，他们伤心地回到了哈默林镇。