The old man longed for children. But he and his young wife had none, so he invited his nephew to live with them. This infuriated his wife, who had a vile1 temper. When her husband welcomed the young man with great affection, she turned pale with jealousy2. Her eyes narrowed and her head flattened3. And when she licked her lips, her nephew saw that her tongue was forked. From that day on, the young man spent as much time as possible with his uncle and tried to avoid his aunt. But she seemed to enjoy startling him, suddenly appearing when he least expected her.
One evening, the nephew returned to the house quite late. He lit a candle and started up the stairs. Halfway4 up, he tripped on what seemed to be a coiled rope. Imagine his horror when that rope uncoiled and slithered up the steps in front of him! Then he saw it glide5 across the hall and under the door of his uncle's bedroom.
"Wake up! Wake up" the young man shouted, and he knocked on the door until his knuckles6 hurt. But when his sleepy uncle finally let him in the bedroom, there was no snake in sight. 易優(yōu)作文批改系統(tǒng)，易優(yōu)作文批改、易優(yōu)作文點評 <a href=http://www.zequeka.cn/jiaoshoulanmu/>易優(yōu)作文批改</A>
His aunt seemed to be sleeping, so the young man whispered in his uncle's ear. "I saw a snake." But his uncle was too groggy7 to respond, and he slid back under the covers. The young man searched the room quietly, looking into drawers and cupboards and corners. He peered under the bed and behind chairs. He was beginning to think he was going mad when suddenly his aunt sat up in bed, narrowed her eyes, and gave him an evil look that made his flesh creep.
"I'm sorry to bother you," he cried, racing8 to his bedroom and firmly shutting the door.
When he awoke the next morning, he noticed that the bottom of his bedroom door was arched up in the center, leaving just enough space for a snake to slither through. He bolted out of bed trembling. When he went downstairs, he was shocked to see that every door in the house had a snake-sized arch beneath it.
His aunt was sitting at the table, eating. "Your uncle left for the day," she said, licking her lips with her forked tongue. The young man was too terrified to speak, but his silence only made matters worse.
在線作文批改系統(tǒng)，<a href=http://www.zequeka.cn/jiaoshoulanmu/>易優(yōu)名師作文批改</A>
"I don't like the way you treat me," she said and grabbed his arm. Then she pressed her fingernails so deeply into his skin that he felt as if he were being bitten. He rushed outdoors and saw his arm was swelling9. His hand and fingers were beginning to throb10.
He knew he must seek help, so he ran into the forest to find the wise old hermit11 who lived there. The old man examined him carefully and handed him some leaves. "These are best for snakebite," he said "Bind12 them around your arm and keep them wet."
"But I wasn't bitten by a snake," said the young man. "Those marks were made by my aunt's fingernails."
The old hermit shook his head in despair. "The touch of a snake-woman is even worse," he said, "but try these leaves. They should help"
The young man was appalled13. "Is my aunt really a snake- woman?" he asked.
"If you want to find out," the hermit replied, "stay awake tonight, and if a snake enters you room, cut off the tip of its tail."
作文培訓(xùn)網(wǎng)站推薦，<a http://www.zequeka.cn>易優(yōu)作文網(wǎng)</a> 。
The young man wasn't sure how this would help, but he thanked the hermit for his advice and returned to his uncle's house. By afternoon, he was happy to see that the wet leaves had reduced the swelling.
He watched his aunt closely that evening, but he didn't notice anything strange until she tasted her soup. She said it needed more "ssssseasoning" and lingered on the "s" as if she were hissing14. Her nephew felt gooseflesh rise from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. He excused himself from the table and went up to his bedroom, but not to sleep.
He planned to watch for the snake all night long.
There was just enough moonlight for him to see the bottom of his door, so he blew out his candle and unsheathed his sword. Then he stood waiting.
He watched for hours wondering what the snake might do. What if it slithered through the window instead, crept up behind him, and struck him with its venomous fangs15? What if it slithered to the top of the wardrobe and dropped down from above? He was thinking of fleeing for his life, when he finally saw the snake glide under the door-first its head, then its body, then its tail. 作文培訓(xùn)，就來蘇州易優(yōu)作文 http://www.zequeka.cn/miniForm.html
Slash16! He swung the sword so quickly that the snake had no warning. And the tip of its tail began writhing17, all by itself, there on the floor. The snake raised its head as if to strike, but then it hissed18 viciously and slithered out of the room. And when he looked down the hall, he saw it disappear under his uncle's door.
共3頁: 上一頁123下一頁
1 vile
adj.卑鄙的，可恥的，邪惡的；壞透的
參考例句：
Who could have carried out such a vile attack?會是誰發(fā)起這么卑鄙的攻擊呢？ Her talk was full of vile curses.她的話里充滿著惡毒的咒罵。
2 jealousy
n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌
中小學(xué)生作文投稿，中小學(xué)生作文點評與打分系統(tǒng)，<a href=http://www.zequeka.cn/jiaOshoulanmu/>易優(yōu)作文批改</A>
參考例句：
Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性愛妒忌。 I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也無法忍受你的嫉妒了。
3 flattened
[醫(yī)]（水）平扁的，弄平的
參考例句：
She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇緊貼著窗戶。 I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身體緊靠著墻讓他們通過。
4 halfway
adj.中途的，不徹底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途
參考例句：
We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。 In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在學(xué)習(xí)上，最忌諱的是有始無終。
5 glide
n./v.溜，滑行；(時間)消逝
參考例句：
We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我們噤若寒蟬地站著，眼看那條蛇逍遙自在地游來游去。 So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演員翩躚起舞，宛如滑翔。
6 knuckles
n.（指人）指關(guān)節(jié)( knuckle的名詞復(fù)數(shù) )；（指動物 ）膝關(guān)節(jié)，踝v.（指人）指關(guān)節(jié)( knuckle的第三人稱單數(shù) )；（指動物 ）膝關(guān)節(jié)，踝
參考例句：
He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他緊緊握住方向盤，握得指關(guān)節(jié)都變白了。 Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那雙纖手因腫大的指關(guān)節(jié)而變了形。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
7 groggy
adj.體弱的；不穩(wěn)的
參考例句：
The attack of flu left her feeling very groggy.她患流感后非常虛弱。 She was groggy from surgery.她手術(shù)后的的情況依然很不穩(wěn)定。
8 racing
n.競賽，賽馬；adj.競賽用的，賽馬用的
參考例句：
I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在電視上看賽馬。 The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.兩個賽車手伺機(jī)競相領(lǐng)先。
9 swelling
n.腫脹
參考例句：
Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消腫。 There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴結(jié)處有明顯的腫塊。
10 throb
v.震顫，顫動；(急速強烈地)跳動，搏動
參考例句：
She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。 The drums seemed to throb in his ears.陣陣鼓聲彷佛在他耳邊震響。
11 hermit
n.隱士，修道者；隱居
參考例句：
He became a hermit after he was dismissed from office.他被解職后成了隱士。 Chinese ancient landscape poetry was in natural connections with hermit culture.中國古代山水詩與隱士文化有著天然聯(lián)系。
12 bind
vt.捆，包扎；裝訂；約束；使凝固；vi.變硬
參考例句：
I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我讓服務(wù)生幫你把包裹包起來。 He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他覺得過緊的襯衫。
13 appalled
v.使驚駭，使充滿恐懼( appall的過去式和過去分詞)adj.驚駭?shù)?；喪膽?
參考例句：
The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之殘暴使公眾大為震驚。 They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他們被核戰(zhàn)爭的報道嚇壞了。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
14 hissing
n. 發(fā)嘶嘶聲, 蔑視動詞hiss的現(xiàn)在分詞形式
參考例句：
The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大聲地嘶嘶冒了出來。 His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里還聽得薩薩薩的聲音和屑索屑索的怪聲。 來自漢英文學(xué) - 春蠶
15 fangs
n.（尤指狗和狼的）長而尖的牙( fang的名詞復(fù)數(shù) )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座
參考例句：
The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 來自《現(xiàn)代英漢綜合大詞典》 Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗齜牙咧嘴地?fù)溥^來。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
16 slash
vi.大幅度削減；vt.猛砍，尖銳抨擊，大幅減少；n.猛砍，斜線，長切口，衣衩
參考例句：
The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.該店計劃在春節(jié)之后把皮貨降價。 Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那樣殘忍地鞭打你的馬。
17 writhing
（因極度痛苦而）扭動或翻滾( writhe的現(xiàn)在分詞 )
參考例句：
She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滾。 He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滾。
18 hissed
發(fā)嘶嘶聲( hiss的過去式和過去分詞 )； 發(fā)噓聲表示反對
參考例句：
Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演講 中有沒有被噓過？ The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗壓在濕布上時發(fā)出了嘶嘶聲。
19 scooped
v.搶先報道( scoop的過去式和過去分詞 )；（敏捷地）抱起；搶先獲得；用鏟[勺]等挖（洞等）
參考例句：
They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他們搶先報道了這件事。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》 The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 車輪攪起的石塊，在車身下發(fā)出不吉祥的錘擊聲。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
20 decided
adj.決定了的，堅決的；明顯的，明確的
參考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.這使他們比對手具有明顯的優(yōu)勢。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英國人和中國人打招呼的方式有很明顯的區(qū)別。
21 gasping
adj. 氣喘的, 痙攣的動詞gasp的現(xiàn)在分詞
參考例句：
He was gasping for breath. 他在喘氣。 "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝點什么嗎？”“我巴不得能喝點！”
