基础段-猴爪（原著版第18集）

一，原文文章：

He sat until he was chilled with the cold, glancing occasionally at the figure of the old woman peering through the window. The candle end, which had burnt below the rim of the china candlestick, was throwing pulsating shadows on the ceiling and walls, until, with a flicker larger than the rest, it expired. The old man, with an unspeakable sense of relief at the failure of the talisman, crept back to his bed, and a minute or two afterward the old woman came silently and apathetically beside him.

Neither spoke, but both lay silently listening to the ticking of the clock. A stair creaked, and a squeaky mouse scurried noisily through the wall. The darkness was oppressive, and after lying for sometime screwing up his courage, the husband took the box of matches, and striking one, went downstairs fora candle. 

二，词汇知识：

1. chill：冻着

2. occasionally：偶尔地

3. figure：样子

4. rim：边缘

5. china：瓷器

6. candlestick：烛台

7. pulsating：跳动

8. ceiling：天花板

9. flicker：闪烁

10. expire：消亡

11. unspeakable：无法形容的

12. relief：解脱

13. failure：失败

14. creep：爬（文中过去式crept）

15. apathetically：冷漠地

16. neither：都不

17. ticking：（钟表的）滴答声

18. creak：咯吱作响

19. squeaky：吱吱响的

20. oppressive：压抑的

21. screw up：鼓舞

22. strike：敲打（文中引申为划火柴的划）