Would you kill a man? Don't say no. Think about it for a while.
I bet you'd kill a man if he was out to get you. If it was your life or his, you'd kill him. Sure, I'd bet you'd try.
I didn't think that I was a killer. I didn't think I had it in me1. That's a joke. You see, I am a killer. I've killed 50 people, more or less. I can't tell you the exact number. I lost track2 after nine or ten.
No one made me do it and I'm not crazy. I'm just as sane3 as you. Why did I do it then? I'll tell you. I knew I could get away with it. No one could pin the killing on me4. I could get away with it every time.
It was all so easy. There was nothing to stop me. Nothing to hold me back. I was free to kill. A new way of life was open to me and I took it. How could I turn it down5?
I bet you'd do the same. Yes you would. Don't kid yourself. We're all killers. That's what I think. We're all made that way.
I'll tell you what happened to me. I might as well6 put it down on paper. If I don't do it now, I never will. My luck has run out. There's only one thing left for me to kill, and that's time. In the end, you'll see what I mean.
2． An Eye for Money
Two years ago my life was dull. I was just like most people. I had a wife. I had a house. I had a car. My car was old, my house was small, and I didn't get along with my wife. You can see why my life was dull.
Every day I worked from 9:00 in the morning to 6:00 at night. When I got home, I sat and looked at TV. That was my life. I had nothing to look forward to, nothing to plan for. I lived from day to day.
Most people live like that. They get up, they work, and they sleep. That's life. That's what it's all about.
I was better off7 than most people—I owned a store. Just a small store, but it was mine. I was my own boss. There was no one to push me around8. No one at all.
When I bought the store, I had big plans. I wanted to take over9 the store next door and expand10, but nothing came of it. The old guy next door wouldn't sell. So that was that. I had to do the best I could with what I had.
There I was, a store owner, trying to make ends meet11. Fed up with12 life. Fed up with myself. I wanted to have some fun in life. Have a good time. Live high. You know what I mean.
Yes, I could just see myself sitting in a new car with a nice-looking woman beside me. I knew what I wanted, but I couldn't do much about it. You need money for that kind of thing.
No one in my family had much money. The only one with any cash at all was my Uncle Fred. That didn't do me any good. Uncle Fred wouldn't give a penny away.
He was a mean old devil, but I always tried to keep on the good side of him13. I had my eye on his money. After all, he had to die some day. You know what they say, “You can't take it with you.” I hoped Uncle Fred knew that.
Uncle Fred just loved to play chess. I didn't like it so much myself, but I played him a game every Monday night just to keep him happy. Just to keep on the good side of him.
I played so many chess games that I got pretty good at it. I was better than Uncle Fred. A lot better. I could beat him any time. Now and then I let him win. Well, I had to keep him happy.
3． A New Kind of Game
One Monday I was driving along a back alley14. it was dinner time, and I had an hour to spare. At the end of the alley I saw a thrift store15, so I stopped the car and got out. I was always looking in thrift stores. It was kind of a hobby.
Most of the stuff16 in thrift stores is trash17, but now and then you find something you can buy for small change and sell for a few dollars.
I went into the store and started to look around. There was dust on everything, but that didn't bother me. Most thrift stores are pretty much like that.
I didn't find much this time. Just a lot of garbage. Old cups and plates, most of them chipped18. Nothing for me.
It was time to get going. I had work to do. I was just about to go out to my car when I saw something. A little box near the door. I hadn't seen it before. It was under a chair, almost hidden. I had to go back and take a look.
I went over to the box and picked it up. There was dust all over it. I raised the lid and looked inside. It was a chess set19, an old chess set.
Maybe it was no good. Maybe some of the men20 were missing. I took it out of the box to look. It was OK. It was all there.
One by one I held up the little chessmen21. I didn't know what they were made of. Some sort of stone. Still, they were all OK. Not one of them was chipped.
It was a funny-looking chess set. I'd never seen one like it. I could tell that it was very old. Old but well made. It was a good set.
I made up my mind to buy it. I could use a chess set. I didn't have one of my own. This would make Uncle Fred take notice. It was better than his set.
I put the chessmen back in the box and shut it. The box was dusty, but I could see something on the lid. I rubbed22 my hand over it. Now I could see it better.
There was a message on the lid. It was still almost covered by dust, but I could just make it out23. It said: THIS IS A GAME OF LIFE OR DEATH. A funny sort of message. Some kind of joke maybe.
I didn't have time to think about it. I had to get going. I paid for the chess set and ran out to my car.
4． Too Bad About
Uncle Fred
I was a little late getting home from work. Uncle Fred would soon be there to play chess.
I yelled to my wife, “Where's dinner? I'm in a hurry!” She came running in with a plate of food. I looked at it—pork and beans. It was cold.
“What's this?” I said. “I can't eat this mess24.”
My wife looked as if she were going to cry. “I can't help it,” she said. “You were late. The food got cold.”
I felt like knocking the plate out of her hands, but I just said, “Take it away. Go make me some coffee—hurry up. Uncle Fred'll be here soon. You'll have to fix your hair25. You look a mess26.”
She went out of the room. I got a piece of cloth and started to polish27 my chess set. It was still a little dusty. I wanted it to look good when Uncle Fred came.
I polished the little chessmen and put them out on the table. They looked fine. They were all set for the game. I was looking forward to it.
The empty box was on my lap28. I shut it and started to polish it. The lid was made of metal. As I rubbed it with the rag29, it started to shine. The message on the lid was bright and clear: THIS IS A GAME OF LIFE OR DEATH.
Just then the door bell rang, and I let Uncle Fred in. He saw the chess set and rubbed his hands. “That's a nice chess set,” he said. “Very nice. I wouldn't mind winning on that chess board30. Not at all.”
He sat down at the table. “Come on, my boy,” he said. “Let's begin. Let's see if your chess set will bring me luck.”
We started the game. Uncle Fred did his best, but he didn't have a hope of winning. Not unless I gave the game away, but I wasn't going to do that. Not this time.
We didn't talk. We just kept playing. The hands on the clock went around. One by one I took Uncle Fred's chessmen. He couldn't stop me. He didn't have the skill.
I moved my queen forward. Uncle Fred had to get his king out of the way. There wasn't much he could do. I had the game in the bag31. It was almost over.
Just then, Uncle Fred sat back in his chair. His face was white. He looked sick. Very sick. “What's the matter?” I asked.
“I've got a pain, my boy,” he said. “Here in my chest. It's a sharp pain. Right here. I hope it isn't my heart.”
I told him that he should go and lie down32, but the old fool said, “No. Don't worry about me, my boy. Let's finish the game.” Well, it was up to him. I couldn't make him lie down.
I took my queen and moved it next to his king. That was it. The game was over. I had won.
Uncle Fred looked very strange. He didn't get up. His eyes were fixed on the chess set. The king was still in his hand. It was as if he couldn't let go of it. I had to take it away from him.
He was just sitting there with his eyes wide open. He looked sick, I could see that. My best bet was to get him home. I didn't want to look after him—it wasn't my job.
I dragged him out to the car. It wasn't very far to his house. I was there in no time. Aunt Mary put him to bed and called a doctor. I didn't stay long. I hate being around sick people. I was glad to leave.
5． My Share of the Take33
The next day Aunt Mary came into my store. She was dressed in black. I could see she'd been crying. Her eyes were red. “He's dead,” she said. “Your poor Uncle Fred. He was in pain all night. He died this morning.”
I had to stop myself from grinning34. He was dead. The old fool was dead at last. I wanted to know about his will35, but I couldn't ask Aunt Mary. Not yet.
She started crying. “I can't stay,” she said. “I just came in to tell you the news. You were always good to your Uncle Fred. He was fond of you. He used to look forward to his game of chess with you.”
A few days later I was told that Uncle Fred had left me $3,000. I was a little upset. Well, $3,000 isn't much, is it? Not nearly enough to live the kind of life that's right for me.
I'd played chess with Uncle Fred for years. Every Monday night I'd put up with36 it. All I got out of it was $3,000.
My brother got $3,000 as well. That made me mad. My brother lives miles away. He never went to see Uncle Fred. He never saw him, but he got just as much money as I did. It really made me sick.
When my brother got the news about Uncle Fred, he came to see me. I had to let him stay the night. I wasn't very happy about it, but I couldn't say no.
I hadn't seen my brother for years. I can tell you it was a real surprise. He drove up to the door in a brand new BMW37. It was his car. Lucky guy, he had done all right for himself.
We had dinner, and then we sat and watched TV. I was glad when it was time to go to bed. I didn't get along with my brother. He wasn't like me. He wasn't cool. I was glad I didn't have to put up with him very often.
My wife made a bed for him on the sofa. He said it was fine, but I'll bet he didn't like it. Well, that was tough. He had to put up with it, or else. It was just for one night.
6． My Brother＇s Luck Runs Out
The next day my brother said he would have to leave early. “I've got a long way to go,” he said. “I'll have some breakfast, then I'd better go.” As my wife started to cook breakfast, my brother sat at the kitchen table and read the paper.
As he looked at it, he kept smiling. I'll bet he was thinking about me. About my run-down38 house. My old car. Yes, he could smile. He was used to better things.
He finished the paper and went into the living room. He saw my chess set. “Do you play chess?” he asked.
I said, “Now and then. I used to play with Uncle Fred.” My brother put the chess set on the kitchen table. “Let's have a game,” he said.
I wasn't sold on the idea39, but it would help pass the time. “OK,” I said. I took the chessmen out of the box and set them on the table. Then we started.
I could soon see that I was going to win. My brother wasn't any good at all. He was just a beginner. He kept saying, “What'll I do now?”
The game was almost over when my wife served the breakfast. I pushed the chess set out of the way so that she could put my plate down in front of me.
But my brother didn't make a move. He just sat there looking at the chess set. “Come on,” I said. “Let's go. Your eggs will get cold.”
“I don't want to eat,” he said. “I'm not hungry at all.”
I wasn't going to beg him to eat, so I said, “Well, I'll eat your eggs, then.”
I finished my food and was going to put the chess set away. I didn't want to go on with the game. It's not much fun playing a game of chess with a beginner.
Suddenly my brother said, “Wait. Don't put it away40. Let's finish the game.”
“Do you really want to?” I asked.
He didn't look like he could. “Yes,” he said. “Yes. We have to finish—we just have to.”
What did he mean? Why did he want to go on so much? I couldn't figure it out. “It's only a game,” I said.
He looked at me with big empty41 eyes. “We just have to finish,” he said. “We can't stop.”
What was the matter with him? His face was as white as snow. It gave me the creeps42. “OK,” I said. “Let's go on. It's my move.”
It didn't take me long to win. I got my queen in line with his king, and the game was over.
My brother didn't say a thing. He got up from the table and went to the door. He was like a man walking in his sleep. His eyes were wide open, but he didn't seem to see me. He got into his BMW and drove away—for good43.
The next day I got a phone call saying that he was dead. He died in his car. It was very strange. He just dropped dead as he was driving along. No one could understand it. He was only 34, and he'd always been in good shape.
My brother hadn't left a will, and it turned out that he had quite a bit of money in the bank. I tried to get my hands on it, but in the end it all went to his wife.
Still, I wasn't too upset. I got his BMW. That's better than a kick in the pants44, isn't it?
7． The Power Game
My life was getting better all the time. I had $3,000 in the bank and the kind of car I'd always wanted. Yes, things were looking up45.
The funny thing is, I didn't ask myself how it happened. Two people dropped dead, but I didn't try to figure out46 what killed them. It didn't cross my mind.
It was pretty slow thinking on my part. It was weeks before I put two and two together. Then one day I started to think about it. Uncle Fred was in good health until he played with my chess set. So was my brother.
They both got sick but they wouldn't stop the game. It was as if they couldn't stop. As if something was making them finish. Some power. It seemed to grip them and make them helpless.
Suddenly it all made sense47. It came to me in a flash. The message on the lid of the box! It wasn't a joke! No, it wasn't a joke. That chess set had the power to kill. It wasn't just a game. There was death inside that little box.
The next day I kept looking at the chess set. Was I right about it? Did it have the power to kill, or was I fooling myself? I picked it up and ran my hand over the message on the lid.
Just then my wife came in. She had a cup of coffee for me. “Put it on the table,” I said. She made her way across the room, spilling the coffee as she went.
“Don't you even know how to carry a cup?” I yelled. I was thinking, “What a fool she is.Why in God's name did I ever marry her? There are hundreds of pretty women around. Why did I pick her? Must I put up with her for the rest of my life?”
I looked at the chess set. I looked at my wife. Maybe there was a way out. Maybe—maybe. I had to try it and see.
“Come and sit down, dear,” I said. “I want you to play me a game of chess.”
She stood there looking helpless. “I can't play chess,” she said.
I tapped my hand up and down on the table. I had to stay cool. It was no good getting angry. “That's all right, dear,” I said. “I'll tell you what to do.”
She sat down beside me, and I got the chessmen ready. I didn't waste any time. “Let's start,” I said. She did what I told her. Poor little fool. It was easy. So easy.
I saw her face go white. I saw that empty look come into her eyes. Big blue eyes. They were wide open like the eyes of a doll. I had been waiting for this moment, but it gave me the creeps just the same.
When I moved my queen, I had won. My wife didn't say anything. Maybe she didn't even see that the game was over. I felt almost sorry for her. Maybe if she was better looking...
I stood up, but she didn't move. She just sat there as if she was made of stone. Her eyes were fixed on the chess set. Time went by, and still she didn't move.
Was she dying, or was she all right? I was tired of waiting. Maybe nothing would happen. Suddenly she bent over. She seemed to be in pain. Her face took on an ugly grin. So ugly that I had to look away.
It didn't last long. She fell to the floor, and when I went to look, she was dead. Her eyes were wide open, but she was dead.
When I saw her lying there, I must admit I was a little upset. Then I saw the funny side of it. She loved me, and I killed her. That's very funny when you think about it.
Besides, no one would know I did it. The chess set was my secret. What a secret! I could kill any time and get away with48 it.
With that chess set, I could start a new life. I could get rid of anyone who stood in my way.
8． Death Buys a Store
For a day or two I was a little jumpy49. Maybe someone else would put two and two together. My uncle, my brother, and my wife were dead. That's the kind of thing that makes people wonder. And people talk.
But no one seemed to think it was strange. In fact, everyone felt sorry for me. “Poor guy,” they kept saying, “What bad luck!”
My friend dropped by and asked if he could do anything to help me. I told him to dig up some weeds in my garden. He worked like a slave, and I sat inside with my feet up. I'm no fool.
I started making plans. There were so many things I wanted to do I didn't know where to begin. I had my chess set, but it wouldn't do me any good if I didn't use it.
I made up my mind to start with my store. I'd always wanted to expand and take over the store next door. But two things stopped me. One was a lack of50 money. The other was that the old man next door wouldn't sell.
Now it'd be easy. I had the money, and I had my chess set. His store would soon be mine. Nothing could stop me now.
I didn't waste any time. When I went to work the next day, I took my chess set. At lunch I dropped in to see the old guy.
He was at the back of his shop just starting to eat his lunch. I made it look as if I'd come in to talk to him. Then I took the chessmen out of the box and put them on the board for a game. The old guy didn't know how to play, but that didn't matter at all.
I kept talking to the old man, and every now and then I asked him to move one of the chessmen. Poor old fool. He didn't even know what he was doing. I didn't tell him. It was better that way.
When the game was over, I left him sitting at the back of the shop. I didn't wait to see him die. There was no need to bother. On my way out, I had a quick look around. The shop was a mess. Still, it didn't matter. I could soon clean it up and get it in good shape.
A few days later, the old man's store was up for sale51. It had all turned out the way I planned.
9． A Dumb52 Mistake
By the end of the year, I was somebody at last. I owned six stores and had a lot of money in the bank. I had moved into a bigger house as well53.
I was pretty well known in town. As I drove around in my BMW, people stopped to stare.
My chess set was always with me. I never left my house without it. If I left it behind, someone might break in and steal it. Anyway, I could never tell when I would need it.
If anyone got in my way or gave me a bad time, I didn't complain. I just played them a little game of chess. That soon settled thing. I got rid of a lot of people that way.
I want you to know that I didn't enjoy killing people. I didn't do it for fun—it often upset me quite a bit. I was very sad when I killed Sally. She was a woman I'd been dating.
She was a pretty little thing—big blue eyes and long blond hair. But she'd been seeing other guys, so I had to kill her. I couldn't put up with that. Still, it bothered me to see her die.
I made one or two dumb mistakes. One day I was going up to Portland by train. I was hungry, but I couldn't get a seat in the diner. They were all saved.
The man sitting next to me had a seat in the diner saved for him. I talked to him for a little while and then got him to play chess with me. Soon he wasn't fit to eat anything, so I got his seat just as I planned.
The only problem was that he died very quickly. Everybody was upset, and the train was held up54 at the next stop. We all had to get off. By the time I got to Portland, I was two hours late. Yes, I made a stupid mistake that time.
10． Big Money, Big Risks
In the summer I moved into a new house again. This time I bought a really big house with a swimming pool. When I say it was big, I'm not joking. It had ten bedrooms. I wish my brother could have seen it.
It cost me a bundle55, but that didn't bother me. I was rich now and getting richer every day. I had to spend my money on something.
I still had the six stores I owned, but they didn't matter any more. They were just a sideline56. By this time I was making really big money. I was selling guns, shipping them out by the hundreds to anyone who could pay for them.
It was an easy way to get rich, but I had to be careful. You can end up in jail for gun-running. It's against the law.
That didn't bother me much. I had a lot of people working for me. I did the planning, and they took the risks. There was no need for me to stick my neck out57.
If the law did get wind of58 what I was doing, I still had a way out. I could use my chess set. With my chess set, it was easy for me to shut people up. I did it all the time. Killing was a way of life to me.
Sometimes I tried to figure out how the chess set killed people. What did it do to them? Where did its power come from? I thought about it for hours on end59, but I couldn't make any sense out of it60. The chess set kept it secret.
Still I didn't care. It was mine, and I knew how to use it. I didn't need to know how it worked. That's what I said to myself. So after a while I stopped even thinking about it.
The message on the lid of the box was bright and clear, but I didn't try to figure out what it was all about. I was a fool. I just forgot about it. That was my big mistake. I sat at my desk making plans for a vacation in Italy. I could afford it. I was doing well for myself. Every now and then, I looked out the window. The trees were turning yellow, and there was a nip in the air62. Summer was almost over.
I was looking forward to this vacation. For one thing, I needed a rest, but that wasn't all. I was mixed up in a big deal. A very big deal.
If it went well, I stood to make63 $30,000. But if there was a slip-up64, I'd need to get away fast. In Italy I could have a good time and wait for things for cool down.
As I sat there at my desk, I felt chilly65. The window was open. I didn't want to get a cold, so I went over and shut it. I stopped as I looked out the window. Someone was running across the garden at full speed.
It was Max, a guy I had working for me. He was a fool, but he at least did as he was told. Max didn't run unless he had to. Something must have gone wrong.
I went out to meet him. He raced up the front steps. “What happened?” I asked.
He was so out of breath I couldn't understand what he was saying. I hit him across the face. That calmed him down.
“The deal is off,” he said. “We had to get rid of the guns. They were on the ship all set to go, but then we had to dump them. The fuzz66 were going to pick us up as soon as we got out to sea.”
I grabbed him by his jacket. “Where are the guns now?” I asked.
The fool smiled at me as if he thought he'd done a good job. “At the bottom of the sea,” he said. “No one will find them.” I pushed him away and went inside.
What was I going to do now? The guns were gone. Just like that. Money just dumped in the sea. When the contact67 came to pay me, I'd have to tell him the sad news. The deal was off, and I wouldn't get a nickel68. What a mess.
I made myself a stiff drink69 and sat down to think it over. Maybe there was a way out, after all. Yes.
Maybe a little con70 job was in order71. Yes, I could still get my hands on some of that money.
I'd let the contact think that everything was OK. He didn't know that the guns had gone, and I wouldn't tell him.
It would be easy to take the money and get rid of the contact with a little game of chess. I'd be found out sooner or later, but that didn't matter. By then I'd be in Italy with the money. Not a bad plan.
12． You Lose, You Die
The next day I kept looking at the clock. I was waiting for the contact to show up. I hate waiting. Time seems to go so slowly.
Everything was ready. The chess set was on my desk. A little ray of sunshine fell on the box and made the lid shine. The message seemed to stand out72 clearly: THIS IS A GAME OF LIFE OR DEATH.
I had never met the contact. I didn't know him at all, but even so, I felt sort of sorry for him. His life was almost over. The chess set would see to that73. When the door bell rang, I jumped up. He was here at last.
The contact was a tall, thin man. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. He didn't take them off. That upset me a little—I like to see a man's eyes.
I gave him a drink and told him that everything was going well. He didn't say much, just nodded every now and then. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he seemed to be looking at my chess set.
Suddenly he said, “I see you play chess. Would you like to play a game now?” Well, I had to smile. He wanted to play! I had set the trap74, and he couldn't wait to fall into it. It was all so easy.
I made the first move and sat back. It would all be over soon.
11． Dumping61 the Guns
The contact played slowly. He didn't rush. He stopped to think about every move. I was getting fed up. The game would go on forever at this rate.
I tried to speed him up. “Come on,” I said. “It's only a game.”
He turned his face toward me. His eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses. It was like looking at a wall. “I never hurry,” he said. “I play to win. Always.”
I made my next move and looked over how things stood. Yes, he was a very good chess player. He wasn't like most of the people I played with. Most of them couldn't play at all.
A game with this guy would be fun if I had time to enjoy it. But I didn't have time. I just wanted my chess set to do its job and get rid of this man. I planned to set off for Italy as soon as he was dead.
It was then that I started to feel chilly. I looked up at the window. Maybe I'd left it open. No, it was shut. Then why was I feeling so cold?
I didn't have time to worry about it. I had to make my next move. The game wasn't going very well. I wasn't playing as well as I should. Still, what difference did it make? I just wanted to get it over with.
I moved my queen. As soon as I'd done it, I saw that it was a bad move. It left me wide open75. A dumb mistake.
An odd feeling started to creep over76 me. What was it? My body was going cold. My feet. My legs. My hands. They were as cold as ice. What was happening to me? I was sick.
The room seemed to be getting dark. Something was happening to my eyes. Everything was dim77, but I could still see the chess set. Just the chess set. It was bright and clear. It was shining. Filling the room. Filling my eyes.
The little chessmen were looking at me. Yes, they were. Their eyes were fixed on mine. Looking. They were doing something to me. I could feel it. They were sucking the life out of me78.
No! It was my chess set. It belonged to me! Why was it turning its power on me? There must be some mistake. It couldn't kill me. It could kill other people, but not me.
There was no mistake about it. I was dying, and I knew it. I could feel the life running out of me like water from a tap79. And suddenly I knew why. The game was over, and I had lost. This time I had lost.
I'd never thought about winning or losing. It didn't cross my mind. The chess set was mine, so I thought its power was mine as well.
What a fool I'd been! The message was there on the box. It was a game of life or death—life for the winner, death for the loser. Now that it made sense to me, it was too late. Now it was my turn to die.
How much time did I have left? A day? An hour? Not long. Just a little bit of my life left. What could I do with it?
Slowly I looked around the room. My eyes were dim, but I could see that I was alone. The contact had gone. I must have looked sick, but he didn't try to help me. He didn't make a move.
I tried to stand up, but I couldn't. My legs were like stone. I had to stay there at the desk. Cold and sick. Waiting for death.
I had to pass the time. I couldn't just sit there. I was a killer, and now I had to kill time. That's what people say, don't they? It was a joke, but I couldn't laugh this time. What could I do?
There was some paper on my desk. Lots of it. I had a pen in my shirt pocket. I could tell the story of my life. The story of a killer.
How could I start? What could I say first? The blank paper was waiting to be filled. I took the pen and started. A DEADLY GAME.
1． “我认为我并非天性嗜杀。”
have sth． in sb． ＝by nature
2． lose track (of sth．) 失去线索；没再记录
3． sane [sein] adj． 心智健全的，神志正常的
4． pin sth． on sb． 将某事物附加在某人身上
5． turn sb． ／sth． down． 拒绝
6． might as well 不妨
7． better off 经济状况好的，富裕的
8． push sb． around 指使某人做某事，摆布某人
9． take over 接手
10． expand v． 扩大 but nothing came of it 但毫无结果／进展。
11． make ends meet 使收支相抵
live high 过着奢侈的生活
12． be fed up with 饱受，厌烦
13． mean adj． 吝啬的，自私的；“他是个吝啬的老家伙，但我总是尽量让他高兴。”
14． alley n． 胡同，小巷
15． thrift store 旧货店
16． stuff n． 东西
17． trash n． 垃圾
18． chipped adj． 有裂纹（缝）的
19． chess set 一副棋具
20． man n． 棋子
21． chessman n． 棋子
22． rub v． 擦，磨
23． make out 辨认
24． mess [mes] n． （给猪狗等吃的）杂食
25． fix one＇s hair 梳理头发
26． 此句意为：你的头发看上去乱糟糟的。
27． polish v． 磨亮，磨光
28． on one＇s lap [l?覸p] 在腿上
29． rag [r?覸g] n． 抹布
30． chess board 棋盘
31． have sth． in the bag 占了上风
32． lie down 躺下（休息）
33． 我从中得到的好处。take n． 得，取，拿
34． grin [grin] v． 露齿而笑
35． will [wil] n． 遗嘱
36． put up with 忍受／容忍
37． BMW 德国宝马汽车
38． run－down 破旧的
39． be sold on sth． 喜欢某事
40． put away 收好；放好
41． empty adj． 空洞的
42． give sb． the creeps 令人毛骨悚然
43． for good 永远
44． a kick in the pants 重大挫折，此处意指“什么都没得到”。
45． look up 好转
46． figure out 断定，领会
47． make sense 讲得通；有道理
48． get away with 侥幸成功；逃脱处罚
49． jumpy adj． 紧张的，焦虑的
50． lack of 缺少，没有
51． be up for sale 公开出售
52． dumb adj． 愚蠢的
53． as well 同样
54． hold up 停顿，延搁
55． bundle n． （俚）（数目可观的）一笔款项
56． sideline n． 副业
57． stick one＇s neck out 冒险（做某事）
58． get wind of 得到风声
59． on end 连续不断 （与复数名词搭配）
60． make any sense out of it 弄明白
61． dump [d?蘧mp] v． 倾倒，抛弃
62． a nip in the air 一股寒气
63． stand to make ＄ 30, 000 一定能赚个30, 000美元
64． slip－up n． 失误，疏忽
65． chilly adj． 寒冷的
66． fuzz n． 警察
67 contact n． 联系人
68． nickel n． 5分镍币
69． stiff [stif] drink 烈性酒
70． con n． 欺骗，骗局
71． in order 适宜， 妥当
72． stand out 醒目
73． see to that 确保，保证
74． set the trap 设下圈套
75． 此句意为：这步棋让我双目圆睁。
76． creep over 偷偷逼近
77． dim [dim] adj． 暗淡的；模糊的
78． 此句意为：这双眼睛将我置于死地。
79． tap n． 水龙头