The Road to Tender Hearts - Chapter 3
1. 导读
在五月一个看似平常的早晨，梅克林一家人的生活悄然发生巨变。当家庭成员各怀心事，一系列意想不到的事件接踵而至，将这个表面平静的家庭卷入谎言与悲剧的旋涡。
2. 生词列表
| No. | Word | PoS | Pronunciation | 中文含义 | 文中例句 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | tattletale | n. | /ˈtætəlˌteɪl/ | 告密者，爱打小报告的人 | He would be the tattletale. |
| 2 | possessed | adj. | /pəˈzɛst/ | 着魔的，被附体的 | her mother had thought maybe she was possessed |
| 3 | pediatrician | n. | /ˌpiːdiəˈtrɪʃən/ | 儿科医生 | but the pediatrician said it was simply because Luna was jealous of Ollie |
| 4 | thumb drive | n. | /ˈθʌm ˌdraɪv/ | 优盘，闪存盘 | It was on a thumb drive. |
| 5 | chalk | v. | /tʃɔːk/ | （动词，通常后接up to）归因于，把……归咎于 | but he chalked it up to nerves. |
| 6 | curb | n. | /kɜːrb/ | （人行道边缘的）路缘，道牙 | He went outside and sat on the curb next to his cruiser. |
| 7 | blacktop | n. | /ˈblæktɒp/ | 沥青路面 | Officer Frank lay on the blacktop, curled up. |
| 8 | ob-gyn | n. | /ˌoʊbiːdʒiːˈwaɪn/ | 妇产科医生 | Gail was trying to find the number for an ob-gyn |
| 9 | morgue | n. | /mɔːrɡ/ | 太平间，停尸房 | She could meet them at the morgue to identify the body |
| 10 | cringe | n. | /krɪndʒ/ | 畏缩，难为情 | Principal McGuffries said with a cringe |
| 11 | reprimand | v. | /ˈrɛprɪˌmænd/ | 训斥，谴责 | “Luna!” Ms. Delaney reprimanded. |
| 12 | clammy | adj. | /ˈklæmi/ | 湿冷的，湿黏的 | “Clammy,” the nurse said. |
| 13 | hallucinating | v. (present participle) | /həˈluːsɪˌneɪtɪŋ/ | 产生幻觉 | He might be hallucinating. |
| 14 | writhing | v. (present participle) | /ˈraɪðɪŋ/ | 扭动，翻滚 | who was lying on the plastic couch next to her, writhing. |
| 15 | reservoir | n. | /ˈrɛzərˌvwɑːr/ | 水库，蓄水池 | The deer in the woods by the reservoir raised their heads. |
| 16 | duffel | n. | /ˈdʌfəl/ | （通常指旅行用的）粗呢袋，圆筒形帆布包 | She grabbed a duffel bag. |
| 17 | rigor mortis | n. | /ˌrɪɡər ˈmɔːrtɪs/ | 尸僵 | rigor mortis under the white sheet. |
| 18 | alligator | n. | /ˈælɪˌɡeɪtər/ | 短吻鳄 | holding his stuffed alligator. |
| 19 | clergy | n. | /ˈklɜːrdʒi/ | 神职人员，牧师 | Elaine didn’t know any clergy members |
| 20 | moping | v. (present participle) | /ˈmoʊpɪŋ/ | 闷闷不乐，无精打采 | started moping around for no reason. |
| 21 | riled | v. (past participle) | /raɪld/ | 被惹怒的，被激怒的 | There was no point in getting Frank riled up about something that had already happened. |
| 22 | remorse | n. | /rɪˈmɔːrs/ | 懊悔，悔恨 | or expressed any remorse for anything else he’d done. |
| 23 | screed | n. | /skriːd/ | 长篇大论，冗长乏味的演说或文章 | He’d only left a long rambling screed about his brother. |
| 24 | ballpoint | n. | /ˈbɔːlˌpɔɪnt/ | 圆珠笔（通常指笔尖部分，常作ballpoint pen） | with a black ballpoint pen. |
| 25 | whacks | n. | /wæks/ | 猛击，重击（复数形式） | with forty whacks. |
| 26 | pediatric | adj. | /ˌpiːdiˈætrɪk/ | 儿科的 | she was at the pediatric ER. |
3. 生词精解
tattletale /ˈtætəlˌteɪl/
n. 告密者，爱打小报告的人。这个词通常指小孩，通过告发别人的错误或秘密来获得关注或避免惩罚。有时也带有贬义，指那些喜欢揭发他人隐私的人.
文中例句: He would be the tattletale.
补充例句: The teacher told the students not to be a tattletale just for minor issues.
快速记忆法: tattle (说闲话) + tale (故事) → 喜欢说闲话讲故事的人 → 告密者.
possessed /pəˈzɛst/
adj. 着魔的，被附体的。常用来形容某人行为异常，好像被某种超自然力量控制.
文中例句: her mother had thought maybe she was possessed.
补充例句: He acted like a possessed man, muttering to himself.
快速记忆法: possess (拥有，控制) + -ed (过去分词作形容词) → 被（某种力量）控制住的 → 着魔的.
pediatrician /ˌpiːdiəˈtrɪʃən/
n. 儿科医生。专门从事儿童医疗保健的医生.
文中例句: but the pediatrician said it was simply because Luna was jealous of Ollie.
补充例句: You should take your baby to see a pediatrician for that rash.
快速记忆法: pedi- (儿童前缀) + -atrician (医生后缀) → 治疗儿童的医生 → 儿科医生.
thumb drive /ˈθʌm ˌdraɪv/
n. 优盘，闪存盘。一种小巧便携的外部存储设备，通过USB接口连接.
文中例句: It was on a thumb drive.
补充例句: Don't forget to save your work on a thumb drive before you leave.
快速记忆法: 形似大拇指 (thumb) 的驱动器 (drive) → 优盘.
chalk /tʃɔːk/
v. （通常后接up to）归因于，把……归咎于。意为将某个结果或情况归因于某个原因.
文中例句: but he chalked it up to nerves.
补充例句: She chalked her success up to hard work and a bit of luck.
快速记忆法: 用粉笔 (chalk) 在黑板上写下原因和结果，将结果归结 (chalk up) 到原因上.
curb /kɜːrb/
n. （人行道边缘的）路缘，道牙。指的是路面边缘高出路面的部分.
文中例句: He went outside and sat on the curb next to his cruiser.
补充例句: The car scraped against the curb when it parked.
快速记忆法: c+urban (城市) 的变体 → 城市道路边缘的石头 → 路缘.
blacktop /ˈblæktɒp/
n. 沥青路面。指用沥青混凝土铺设的路面，通常是黑色的.
文中例句: Officer Frank lay on the blacktop, curled up.
补充例句: The kids played basketball on the freshly paved blacktop.
快速记忆法: black (黑色的) + top (表面) → 黑色的路面 → 沥青路面.
ob-gyn /ˌoʊbiːdʒiːˈwaɪn/
n. 妇产科医生。是obstetrician-gynecologist的缩写，指同时精通产科（妊娠和分娩）和妇科（女性生殖系统健康）的医生.
文中例句: Gail was trying to find the number for an ob-gyn.
补充例句: She had her annual check-up with her ob-gyn.
快速记忆法: O.B. (产科) + GYN (妇科) 的首字母缩写.
morgue /mɔːrɡ/
n. 太平间，停尸房。医院或法医机构中用于暂时存放尸体的房间.
文中例句: She could meet them at the morgue to identify the body.
补充例句: The detective went to the morgue to examine the victim's body.
快速记忆法: 音似 "mourn" (哀悼) + "go" (去) → 哀悼者去的地方 → 太平间.
cringe /krɪndʒ/
n. 畏缩，难为情。指因感到羞耻、尴尬或恐惧而产生的身体上的退缩或表情上的不适.
文中例句: Principal McGuffries said with a cringe.
补充例句: His terrible jokes made everyone in the room cringe.
快速记忆法: 发音与“krr-inj”相似，想象一个因为尴尬而发出这种声音并畏缩的动作.
reprimand /ˈrɛprɪˌmænd/
v. 训斥，谴责。指正式或严厉地批评某人，通常是因为他们做了错事.
文中例句: “Luna!” Ms. Delaney reprimanded.
补充例句: The manager had to reprimand the employee for being late consistently.
快速记忆法: re- (再次) + prim (第一) + mand (命令) → 再次强调首要命令 → 训斥.
clammy /ˈklæmi/
adj. 湿冷的，湿黏的。常用来形容皮肤，感觉潮湿而凉，通常是出汗或恐惧的表现.
文中例句: “Clammy,” the nurse said.
补充例句: After running a fever, his skin felt cold and clammy.
快速记忆法: 想象“clam”（蛤蜊）是湿湿黏黏的 → 湿黏的.
hallucinating /həˈluːsɪˌneɪtɪŋ/
v. (present participle) 产生幻觉。指在没有外部刺激的情况下，体验到视觉、听觉、嗅觉等感知，通常是由于疾病、药物或精神状态引起的.
文中例句: He might be hallucinating.
补充例句: The patient was hallucinating after taking the strong medication.
快速记忆法: hallu- (联想“allusion”暗示，幻觉) + -cinate (联想“see”看) → 看到幻象 → 产生幻觉.
writhing /ˈraɪðɪŋ/
v. (present participle) 扭动，翻滚。指因剧痛、极度不适或强烈感情而使身体扭曲或翻滚.
文中例句: who was lying on the plastic couch next to her, writhing.
补充例句: The injured animal was writhing in pain on the ground.
快速记忆法: 读音像“rye-thing”，想象一个东西像“绳索”一样在“缠绕”扭动.
reservoir /ˈrɛzərˌvwɑːr/
n. 水库，蓄水池。一个用于储存大量水的天然或人工湖泊.
文中例句: The deer in the woods by the reservoir raised their heads.
补充例句: The city's water supply comes from a large reservoir in the mountains.
快速记忆法: re- (再次) + serve (服务，供应) + -voir (来自法语，看) → 再次供应水源的地方 → 水库.
duffel /ˈdʌfəl/
n. （通常指旅行用的）粗呢袋，圆筒形帆布包。一种圆筒状的，通常由厚帆布或其他结实材料制成的包.
文中例句: She grabbed a duffel bag.
补充例句: He packed his clothes into a large duffel bag for the weekend trip.
快速记忆法: 联想“大风包”（duffel bag），形容风很大的帆布包，暗示其结实耐用.
rigor mortis /ˌrɪɡər ˈmɔːrtɪs/
n. 尸僵。指人或动物死后，肌肉逐渐变得僵硬的现象.
文中例句: rigor mortis under the white sheet.
补充例句: The doctor confirmed the time of death by checking for rigor mortis.
快速记忆法: rigor (严格，僵硬) + mortis (拉丁语，死亡) → 死亡后的僵硬 → 尸僵.
alligator /ˈælɪˌɡeɪtər/
n. 短吻鳄。一种大型两栖爬行动物，与鳄鱼相似，但口鼻部较短宽.
文中例句: holding his stuffed alligator.
补充例句: We saw an alligator basking in the sun near the swamp.
快速记忆法: all (所有) + gator (鳄鱼的俗称) → 所有的鳄鱼都长得像它 → 短吻鳄.
clergy /ˈklɜːrdʒi/
n. 神职人员，牧师。指所有在宗教机构中担任神职的人员，如牧师、神父、拉比等.
文中例句: Elaine didn’t know any clergy members.
补充例句: The clergy offered comfort and guidance to the grieving family.
快速记忆法: clerg- (联想“clear”，清晰) + -y → 清楚教义的人 → 神职人员.
moping /ˈmoʊpɪŋ/
v. (present participle) 闷闷不乐，无精打采。指以一种消沉、不高兴的方式行动，通常表现为情绪低落、缺乏活力.
文中例句: started moping around for no reason.
补充例句: He's been moping ever since he broke up with his girlfriend.
快速记忆法: 读音像“mope”，想象一个人无聊地“磨”蹭着 → 闷闷不乐.
riled /raɪld/
v. (past participle) 被惹怒的，被激怒的。通常指某人被激怒或烦扰，使之感到不快或生气.
文中例句: There was no point in getting Frank riled up about something that had already happened.
补充例句: Don't get riled up over such a small misunderstanding.
快速记忆法: rile (与“royal”读音相近) → 惹怒了“国王” → 被惹怒的.
remorse /rɪˈmɔːrs/
n. 懊悔，悔恨。指对过去所做错事的深切遗憾和痛苦.
文中例句: or expressed any remorse for anything else he’d done.
补充例句: He felt deep remorse for having hurt her feelings.
快速记忆法: re- (再次) + morse (咬) → 心被咬噬 → 悔恨.
screed /skriːd/
n. 长篇大论，冗长乏味的演说或文章。通常指一段很长、内容枯燥且批评意味浓厚的文字或讲话.
文中例句: He’d only left a long rambling screed about his brother.
补充例句: The politician delivered a lengthy screed against his opponents.
快速记忆法: “scree” (碎石) + “d” → 像碎石一样堆积起来的冗长文字 → 长篇大论.
ballpoint /ˈbɔːlˌpɔɪnt/
n. 圆珠笔（通常指笔尖部分，常作ballpoint pen）。特指使用圆珠笔尖的笔.
文中例句: with a black ballpoint pen.
补充例句: Please sign the form using a ballpoint pen.
快速记忆法: ball (圆球) + point (尖) → 圆球形的笔尖 → 圆珠笔.
whacks /wæks/
n. 猛击，重击（复数形式）。指用力快速地击打.
文中例句: with forty whacks.
补充例句: He gave the rusty pipe a few whacks to loosen it.
快速记忆法: 拟声词，模拟击打的声音“whack”.
pediatric /ˌpiːdiˈætrɪk/
adj. 儿科的。指与儿童疾病及其治疗相关的.
文中例句: she was at the pediatric ER.
补充例句: The hospital has a special pediatric ward for children.
快速记忆法: pedi- (儿童前缀) + -atric (医疗相关后缀) → 治疗儿童的 → 儿科的.
4. 语法精解
文中原句1: “The story that Ivy would cut out of both newspapers had happened two days earlier, on the first day of May, three streets over from where PJ lived in his house full of junk, in a small white house on Deerfield Lane.”
- 结构分析： 这是一个包含主句、定语从句和多个地点、时间状语的复杂句。
- 主句核心: “The story … had happened …”（这个故事……发生了……）
- 定语从句: “that Ivy would cut out of both newspapers” 修饰主语 “story”，说明是“艾维会从报纸上剪下来的那个故事”。
- 时间状语: “two days earlier” 和 “on the first day of May” 明确了故事发生的时间。
- 地点状语: “three streets over from where PJ lived in his house full of junk, in a small white house on Deerfield Lane” 是一个层层递进的地点描述。
- “three streets over from…”（离……三条街外）是主要地点修饰语。
- “where PJ lived in his house full of junk” 是一个引导地点状语从句，补充说明“PJ住在他那堆满垃圾的房子里”的位置。
- “in a small white house on Deerfield Lane” 进一步具体化了地点，指明是“在鹿野巷的一栋小白屋里”。
- 讲解: 理解这个长句的关键在于找到其主干（故事发生了），然后逐步解析附加的信息（什么样的故事，什么时候，在哪里）。“that”引导的定语从句帮助我们明确故事的性质。而地点状语部分通过“from where”引导的从句，将抽象的“三条街外”具体化到了一个特定的房子，展现了详细的地理信息。
- 结构分析： 这是一个包含主句、定语从句和多个地点、时间状语的复杂句。
文中原句2: “If only Ollie had been the one born with the brains, their dad often said.”
- 结构分析： 这是一个倒装句，通常用于表达假设和感叹。
- 主句核心: “their dad often said”（他们爸爸经常说）
- 从句: “If only Ollie had been the one born with the brains” 是一个表示虚拟语气和遗憾的感叹句，通常放在句首，但这里为了强调“爸爸说的内容”而放在了句中。
- “If only…” 表示“要是……就好了”，表达强烈愿望或遗憾。
- “had been” 使用了过去完成时，表示对过去事实的虚拟（奥利弗并非生来聪明）。
- “the one born with the brains” 是一个省略了关系代词（who was）的过去分词短语作定语，修饰 “one”，意为“天生聪明的人”。
- 讲解: 这个句子虽然看起来不长，但其“If only…”的虚拟语气结构和倒装是重点。它表达了父亲对儿子（奥利弗）的期望与对女儿（露娜）的偏见。通过“had been”，读者可以理解这是一种与过去事实相反的假设，即父亲希望儿子而非女儿拥有高智商，这揭示了父亲的性别歧视和家庭价值观。
- 结构分析： 这是一个倒装句，通常用于表达假设和感叹。
5. 读后感
This chapter immediately draws the reader into the seemingly mundane morning of the Meeklin family, only to swiftly unravel a tapestry of hidden tensions and disturbing secrets. What begins with Ollie and Luna preparing for school quickly escalates into a series of shocking revelations that redefine their family dynamics. The author expertly interweaves individual perspectives, revealing the characters’ inner turmoil and their often-questionable motivations.
The narrative deftly explores themes of family dysfunction, the burden of unaddressed trauma, and the extreme lengths to which individuals might go when grappling with their realities. From Ollie’s youthful bravery to Elaine’s calculated desperation and Frank’s selfish pursuits, each character’s hidden life contributes to a building sense of unease. The stark contrast between the domestic routines and the dark undercurrents creates a compelling and suspenseful atmosphere. This chapter serves as a potent reminder of how deeply concealed truths can shatter the illusion of normalcy, leaving readers with a profound sense of intrigue and a keen desire to explore the unfolding consequences.