长难句释义

1. The package was lying by the front door — a cube-shaped carton sealed with tape. (Para. 1)

2. I’ll get it… (para. 5)

I’ll go and see who the visitor is…

*It is a commonly used expression in daily life. “Get” here means “take” or “deal with”.

I’ll get it. (=I’ll answer the phone.)

3. Norma repressed a smile. (para. 10)

She wanted to smile but didn’t, because it would not be polite. She thought the visitor was a salesman who had left the package by her door. She believed he was there to persuade her to buy the package.

4. She was sure now that it was a sales pitch. (para. 10)

a sales pitch: salesmen’s way of

persuading people to buy the

goods they are trying to sell

5. Is this a practical joke? (para. 32)

a practical joke: a trick played on somebody in order to make them appear ridiculous or to amuse others

6. You aren’t making sense. (para. 34)

It’s hard to understand what you are talking about. / You are talking nonsense.

7. … picked up the subject... (para. 42)

… started talking about the push-button unit again…

8. … it’s a sick one. (para. 43)

a sick joke: one in bad taste about a serious or important or highly valued thing and therefore extremely unpleasant and makes you feel upset (令人恶心的玩笑)

9. Impulsively, she dropped them into her purse. (para. 53)

She suddenly picked up the torn card and dropped them into her purse without giving too much thought to it.

*impulsively: acting on impulse

10. Not that I believe a word of what you told us. (para. 61)

I am curious about the unit, but it does not mean that I believe what you told me.

11. Well, of all the nerve, she thought. (para. 70)

She is angry that Mr. Steward assumed that she would want the package.

Here “nerve” means impudence. “Of all the nerve” is an elliptical sentence. The words left out are: “This is the limit / worst kind (of all impudence I’ve ever seen)”.

12. Maybe some eccentric millionaire is playing games with people, … (para. 72)

●some eccentric millionaire: any strange-acting millionaire; a millionaire who behaves in peculiar ways

●Notice the use of “some” with singular nouns, which indicates that the person, place, etc. is unknown or not specific, e.g.

●I’ve read the story before in some book.

●Some man is outside asking to see you.

13. Are you saying what I think you are (saying)? (para. 79)

Q: What is omitted in the sentence? Why do you think Arthur said this? Is it because he didn’t hear Norma clearly?

Arthur was so shocked when he heard what Norma said that he simply could not believe it.

14. What’s the occasion? (para. 92)

Q: Why did Arthur ask?

Because his wife got up earlier than usual and cooked a big breakfast. He wondered whether it was for a special occasion.

15. His voice was guarded. (para. 98)

He answered her cautiously.

16. … to get so worked up over nothing. (para. 115)

to become so upset for no reason.

This may refer to her argument with her husband, her own conflict over whether to push the button or not, or simply to the “chill of terror” which swept over her just after she pushed the button.

17. … life-insurance policy for $25,000 with double indemnity for… (para. 121)

double indemnity: Under the terms of the life insurance, the insurance company pays twice as much the sum insured when the policy holder dies accidentally.

indemnity: payment for loss of goods, money, life, etc.

18. “No!” She struggled to her feet. (para. 122)

“No!” She rose to her feet with a great effort.

*No!: used for expressing great surprise, doubt or disbelief

19. Something cold pressed at her skull as she removed the button unit from the wastebasket. (para. 123)

She was so stunned that she could feel no pain or anything as she removed the button unit from the wastebasket.

20. It wasn’t her voice shrieking so; it couldn’t be. (para. 128)

She screamed to Mr. Steward over the phone in such a way that even she herself couldn’t recognize her voice. She had never screamed at people like that before.