Expressions
1, It only took a few minutes or a few days before I was all over him: kissing him, cuddling him, baby talking to him.
cuddle: (v./n.) hug
Dawn and her boyfriend were cuddling on the sofa.
Come over here and let me give you a cuddle.
cuddle up: to lie or sit very close to sb or sth
The children cuddled up to each other for warmth.
2. When his mouth went straight, he was being mischievous.
mischievous: 1. 淘气的；恶作剧的
Gabby looked at him with a mischievous grin.
2. 故意捣乱的 causing trouble or quarrels deliberately
a mischievous remark.
mischief: (n.) bad behavior, especially by children, that causes trouble or damage, but not serious harm
If you can't see Nick, you can be sure he's up to some mischief.
make mischief: informal, to deliberately cause quarrels or unfriendly feelings between people
I didn't want to make mischief between them.
3. August was something of a fixture at PS 22.
fixture: 房屋的固定装置
be a (permanent) fixture: to be always present and not likely to move or go away
Gerrard soon became a permanent fixture in Liverpool team.
4. And I knew those kinds of conversations probably happened all the time out of earshot.
earshot: 听力所及的范围
within earshot, (OPP) out of earshot
Everyone within earshot soon knew her opinion of Reggie.
I waited for her to get out of earshot before laughing.
5. They would blast it on the iPod and sing the song out loud.
blast/ blast out: (v.) to produce a lot of loud noise, especially music
Dance music blasted from the stereo.
He was woken by the radio alarm clock blasting out rock music.
blast: (n.) a sudden very loud noise, especially one made by a whistle or horn
The station gave a blast on his whistle and we were off.
a long trumpet blast
6. Miranda had always been a little flaky, so I figured that's all it was.
flaky: [ˈfleɪki] 1. 薄的；易剥落的 eg. flaky skin
2. informal, a flaky person is slightly strange or often forgets things
Carrie's pretty flaky, but she's fun to be with.
flakiness: (n.)
7. She looked drained.
drain: (v.) to make sb tired
Working with children all day really drains you.
补充一个意思： to use too much of sth, especially money, so that there is not enough left
Huge imports were draining the country's currency reserves.
(n.) The war was an enormous drain on the country's resources.
down the drain: if time, effort, or money goes down the drain, it is wasted or produces no results
Well that's it. 18 months' work down the drain.
drained : (a.) tired
8. I smeared some cream cheese on my bagel.
smear: [smɪə(r)] (v.) 涂抹；抹黑；(n.) 污迹
Elaine smeared suntan lotion (防晒霜) on her shoulders.
an attempt to smear the party leadership.
It left a black smear on his arm.
bagel: (n.) 硬面包圈 vs. 甜甜圈 doughnut
9. "You would know if you had come back to check on me," I said spitefully, "like you said you would."
spiteful: SYN vicious, deliberating nasty to sb in order to hurt or upset him
a spiteful remark
She was spiteful and unkind.
spite: (n.) a feeling of wanting to hurt or upset people, because you are jealous or think you have been unfairly treated
She broke it just out of spite.
10. She's reading War and Peace, for crying our loud.
Hw was shrieking at the top of his lungs.
cry out/ cry: to shout or say sth loudly
"Goodbye then!" he cried to her.
I could hear voices crying for help.
shriek: [ʃri:k] scream
"I'll kill you!" Anne shrieked at him.
11. I won't mention the fact that Mom has never made any of my costumes, because it really has no bearing on anything at all.
have a/ some/ no bearing on sth: (not) have an effort or influence on sth
Exercise has a direct bearing on how healthy you are.
lose your bearings: 1. be confused about where you are
I completely lost my bearings in the dark.
2. to become confused about what you should do next
young men who have lost their bearings in a changing society
(OPP) get/ find your bearings
An introduction session helps new students get their bearings.
12. I usually threw on some mask or other to accompany him up and down the blocks, watching him knocking on people's doors, giddy with excitement.
giddy: [ˈgɪdi] 1. dizzy
Greg stared down from the seventh floor and began to feel giddy.
2. happy, excited
Sheila felt giddy with excitement.
Sentences
1. August is the Sun. Me and Mon and Dad are planets orbiting the Sun. The rest of our family and friends are asteroids and comes floating around the planets orbiting the Sun.
My worst day, worst fall, worst headache, worst bruise, worst cramp, worst mean thing anyone could say has always been nothing compared to what August has gone through. This isn't me being noble, by the way: it's just the way I know it is.
And this is the way it's always been for me, for the little universe of us. But this year there seems to be a shift in the cosmos. The galaxy is changing. Planets are falling out of alignment.
2. 几分之几的概率， a XX-in XX chance
If I have children, there's a one-in-two chance that I will pass on the defective gene to them.
