a strained silence

■Her education hovered somewhere between the fourth and fifth-grade levels.

造句：In the early days, few people had access to education. Her father's education hovered somewhere between the fifth and sixth-grade levels.

Things didn't go the  way I planned.

I feel a relentless desire to ask people to verify whether they were seeing what I was seeing.

her eyes glossy, her lips pursed

prod me for a response

groping for the words he needed to hear.

I heard myself say no

gaped at me in disbelief

her eyes shone with excitement

laugh out loud

testify to sb. that

withdraw from my friends/ into myself.

That's uncalled for.那是没必要的。

paralyzed with indecision

in pursuit of losing myself in swarms of travellers, allowing myself to be wiped clean of all personality and character

■brace

brace myself for a wave of humiliation

brace myself for her rage

造句：Embarking on the  new area, I have braced myself for unforeseen obstacles.

invade my thoughts

snap photos/pictures

fix their hair

halt their own conversations

felt alienated from myself

with Dad's voice still ringing in

my ears.

造句: When I am in turbulent waters, I don't follow their advice, leading to unfavorable results, with their voices ringing in my ears.

dodge, parry

this new wound festered

■ be wedged between my parents.

drive a wedge between sb to make the relationship between two people or groups worse造成〔两个人或团体〕之间的不和:

•Their divorce has driven a wedge between the two families

drove a wedge between Bree and her friends...

this drives a wedge between the European Union and U.K.

另外，这些事件使欧盟和英国之间出现了裂痕。

让Bree和朋友之间产生了隔阂

on edge

■come to terms with their own ignorance and partiality

■reconcile myself with the fact that…

I couldn't reconcile his world with  mine.

■My mind was consumed with a

wrenching need to get out of that

room.

eg: When the blow was delivered , my mind

obsess over the beauty of them

long for the isolation of my room

I felt the old instinct at work in me.

how grating to my ears

A grating sound is harsh and unpleasant. 刺耳的

■the primary breadwinner

be incensed

drop in unanounced

reminiscent

reminisce about

drift in and out of consciousness

it dwarfed +n使相形见绌

be dwarfed by，pale

what was at stake

had torn me from  one world.

■

forced myself to befriend other students, clumsily introducing myself again and again until I had a small circle of friends.

obliterate barriers

If something obliterates an object or place, it destroys it completely. 摧毁

■My life had diverged from my sister's, and it felt as though there was no common ground between us.(＃变化#关系)

造句：As the time went by, the relationship drifted.

My life had diverged from hers, and it felt as though there was no common ground between us.

make a fleeting effort

■enlist the help of

■She felt distant from me.

She refused to meet my gaze.

have no frame of reference for my life.

My mother was overwhelmed with holiday orders.

Navigate the turbulent waters between his normal wife and his abnormal parents.

You sometimes use waters to refer to a situation which is very complex or difficult. [adj N]

the man brought in to guide him through troubled waters...

被请来帮助他渡过难关的人

The British Government may be in stormy economic waters.

英国政府可能陷入了动荡的经济困境中

陷于困境;遇到麻烦；If you are in hot water, you are in trouble

If you are in deep water, you are in a difficult or awkward situation.

You certainly seem to be in deep water...

你看起来无疑是陷入了困境

If an argument or theory does not hold water, it does not seem to be reasonable or be in accordance with the facts. [V inflects]

This argument simply cannot hold water in Europe.

这个论点在欧洲根本就站不住脚。

■be (all) water under the bridge informalused to say that what happened in the past should be forgotten是过去的事了，已成往事

■oblivious to the expectation that… renounce doctors

The business was a roaring success.

■eat into the profits of…

incongruous

cajole, coax

exchange his future for mine

emancipate oneself from…

be liberated from irrational fears and beliefs.

from addictions, superstitions, and all other forms of self-coercion.

external obstacles or constraints

feign indifference

The world had turned upside down.

eyes wide, mind buzzing

lecture on/in sth.讲授…

lecture sb.训诫

My fears came out with it.

I wished he would bring it up but he didn't.

we haunted public parks

My memories of the university  faded quickly.

seemed like a dream, something I'd conjured.

■For years he'd lived in my mind as a last resort, a lever I could pull when my back was up against the wall.困境

造句：For years she'd lived in my mind as a last resort, a lever I could pull when my father backed me into the corner.

had been my lifeline

■That failure sat  uneasily in my mind.

造句：Recently, most of them have done a remarkable job, but it seemed that my goal has failed to materialize.That failure sat uneasily in my mind.

My loyalty to my father had increased in proportion to  the miles between us.

Dad's determination was etched into his face.

be on the verge of confessing the whole thing.

My ears , accustomed to the silence of the peak, felt battered by them.

defend oneself from the strange noise that constantly invaded.

Give me a high five for that.

It was the price I had to pay to earn one's support.

■Suspended between fear of the past and  fear of the future, I recorded the dream in my journal.

in the absence of skill or knowledge

make a vague effort

see his face alight in crimson.

struggle in English.

… business dwindles

His grief was etched into every line of his face...

他一脸悲伤。

xxx was starved for sleep

Every line etched on her face told a story of personal anguish.

她脸上的每条皱纹都讲述了一次痛苦的经历。

sob hysterically

heavy tears rolled down her cheeks.

despair seized her

Her pain now was tinged with resentment.

give a cry of despair

gave her an inquiring glance

gave… a searching look