08年8.8第79期托福英语学习：托福词汇79

Lesson 79 A Strange Piece of Wood 一根奇怪的木头

　　Words:

　　dreary adj. 沉闷的

　　drench v. 使湿透

　　drift vi. 漂流，漂泊

　　driftwood n. 浮水

　　drill vt. 钻孔，打眼 n./vi. 训练，操练；反复练习；n. 钻头，钻机

　　drizzle v. 下毛毛雨n. 细雨

　　drought n. 干旱

　　drowsy adj. 昏昏欲睡的

　　drudgery n. 苦工，苦差事

　　dual adj. 二重的，两层的

　　ductile adj. 易延展的；柔软的

　　due adj. 预定的，到期的

　　dull adj. 钝的；感觉或理解迟钝的

　　dumb adj. 哑的

　　dumbbell-like adj. 哑铃形状的

　　dump vt. 倾泻，倾倒

　　dungeon n. 地牢

　　duplicate vt. 复写，复制; adj. 完全相同的，复制的

　　duplicity n. 欺骗，口是心非

　　durable adj. 持久的，耐用的

　　It was a warm and dreary afternoon at the beach. The only exciting occurrence was the unexpected drizzle. It had drenched

my clothes. Since we were experiencing a drought on the island, the rain was a welcome relief.

　　I had just eaten my lunch. I was feeling somewhat drowsy. Suddenly, something in the distance caught my attention. I had spotted a strange piece of driftwood. It was drifting in and out of the waves about fifty meters offshore. I immediately put on my durable swim fins and dived into the ocean. Upon reaching it, I noticed something else unusual. The shape of the wood was dumbbell-like and it had s message written on it. My curiosity caused me to drag it to the shore for further examination.

　　“I’m confined in a dungeon,” the message said. “I suffer through drudgery every day. I’m forced to pound and shape ductile metals into armor. I cannot speak because I have been dumb since birth. My drill is a bit dull, but it can still be used to write messages. I hope this piece of wood will be dumped into the ocean so that someone will find it. If you find it, please help me. I am due to be executed by the end of the year. I have not been able to duplicate this message, so you are my only hope.”

　　I thought for a moment. This must be a trick. How can a prisoner have a dual purpose drill in his possession? What a strange case of duplicity