GLORIES OF THE STORM
Nancy M. Peterson
It begins when a feeling of stillness creeps into my consciousness.2 Everything has suddenly gone quiet. Birds do not chirp. Leaves do not rustle. Incts do not sing. 3
The air that has been hot all day becomes heavy. It hangs over the trees, press the heads of the flowers to the ground, sits on my shoulders. With a vague feeling of uneasiness I move to the window. There, in the west, lies the answer - cloud has piled on cloud to form a ridge of mammoth white towers, rearing against blue sky. 4
filckrTheir piercing whiteness is of brief duration. Soon the marshmallow rims flatten to anvil tops, and the clouds reveal their darker nature. 5 They impo themlves before the late-afternoon sun, and the day darkens early. Then a gust of wind whips the dust along the road, chill warning of what is to come.approvement
In the hou a door shuts with a bang, curtains billow into the room.上海中学国际部难考吗 6 I rush to clo the windows, empty the clothesline, cure the patio furnishings. Thunder begins to grumble in the distance. 7
The first drops of rain are huge. They splat into the dust and imprint the windows with individual signatures. 8 They plink on the vent pipe and plunk on the patio roof. 9 Leaves shudder under their weight before rebounding, and the sidewalk wears a coat of shiny spots. 10
The rhythm accelerates; plink follows plunk faster and faster until the sound is a roll of drums and the individual drops become an army marching over fields and rooftops. 11 Now the first bolt of lightning stabs the earth. It is heaven's exclamation point. 12 The storm is here.
In spite of mylf, I jump at the following crack of thunder.polis 13 It rattles the windowpane and nds the dog scratching to get under the bed. The next bolt is even clor. It rais the hair on the back of my neck, and I take an involuntary step away from the window.hackett 14
The rain now becomes a torrent, flung capriciously by a rising wind. 15 Together they batter the trees and level the grass. Water streams off roofs and out of rain spouts. It pounds against the window in such a steady wash that I am sightless. There is only water. How can so much fall so fast? How could the clouds have supported this vast weight? How can the earth endure beneath it?
Pacing through the hou from window to window, I am moved to open-mouthed wonder. 16 Look how the lilac bends under the assault, how the day lilies are flattened, how the hillside steps are a new-made waterfall! Now hailstones thump upon the roof. They bounce white against the grass and splash into the puddles. I think of the vegetable garden, the fruit trees, the crops in the fields; but thankfully, the hailstones are not enough in numbers or size to do real damage. Not this time. 17
For this storm is already beginning to pass. The tension is relead from the atmosphere, the curtains of rain let in more light. The storm has spent most of its energy, and what is left will be expended on the countryside to the east.
I am drawn outside while the rain still falls. All around, there is a cool and welcome feeling. I breathe deeply and watch the sun's rays streak through breaking clouds. One ray catches the drops that form on the edge of the roof, and I am treated to a row of tiny, quivering colors - my private rainbow.
I pick my way through the wet grass, my feet sinking into the saturated soil. The creek in the gully runs bank-full of brown water, but the small lakes and puddles are already disappearing into the earth. Every leaf, brick, shingle and blade of grass is fresh-washed and shining. 18
Like the land, I am renewed, my spirit cleand. I feel an infinite peace. For a time I have forgotten the worries and irritations I was nurturing before. They have been washed away by the glories of the storm.
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
1. chirp ［ｔｐ］ n.吱喳声 v.吱喳鸣叫
竞争对手英语2. rustle ［′ｒｓｌ］ v.沙沙作响
3. ridge ［ｒｉｄ］ n.山脊，山脉 v.使成山脊，使隆起
4. mammoth ［′ｍｍ］ n.猛犸象adj.巨大的
5. rear ［ｒｉ］ v.直立
6. pierce ［ｐｉｓ］ v.刺入，刺透
7. marshmallow ［′ｍ′ｍｌｕ］ n.棉花糖
8. rim ［ｒｉｍ］ n.边缘
9. anvil ［′ｎｖｉｌ］ n.铁砧
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10. gust ［ｓｔ］ n.突如其来的一阵狂风
11. billow ［′ｂｉｌｕ］ n.巨浪, 波涛奔腾 v.使膨胀
12. clothesline ［′ｋｌｕ′ｌａｉｎ］ n.晾衣绳
13. patio ［′ｐｔｉｕ］ n.天井, 庭院
14. splat ［ｓｐｌｔ］ n.溅泼声，啪嗒声
15. imprint ［′ｉｍｐｒｉｎｔ］ n.痕迹，印象 v.盖印于
16. plink ［ｐｌｉｋ］ n.砰的声音攘臂
17. vent ［ｖｅｎｔ］ n.排气管；排水管
bypasd18. plunk ［ｐｌｋ］ n.(似物体沉重下坠时发出的)砰的一声
v.砰然落地
refreshed
19. shudder ［ｄ］ v.发抖，战栗；摆动
20. rattle ［′ｒｔｌ］ v.使发出一连串短促而尖利的声音
