✸✸STEP from thefrayinglobby into the tiled interior of Akebono-Yu, Tokyo’s oldestsento, or public bath-house, and there is an almost churchlike silence, interrupted only by thetinkleof spring water and the odd groan of pleasure from one of the elderly customerssinking intoits tubs. Amural depicts the iconic, snow-capped Mount Fuji, 100km and a world away from the grime and din of the city outside.
1) fraying 英 [freɪŋ] 美 [freɪŋ] v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的现在分词 )
There are signs that the alliance is now fraying at the edges
有迹象表明该联盟现正分崩离析。
2) tinkle 英 [ˈtɪŋkl] 美 [ˈtɪŋkəl] vt.& vi.（使）发出丁当声，（使）发铃铃声 vt.叮当响着发出，铃铃响着报出 n.丁当声，铃铃声;<英><口>一次电话
A fresh cascade of splintered glass tinkled to the floor
大量刚裂开的玻璃碎片叮叮当当地落到地板上。
3) sink into 英 [siŋk ˈɪntuː] 美 [sɪŋk ˈɪntu] 陷入; 沉入;渗入;把…投入…
I was about to sink into the quicksand of sin
我就要陷入罪孽的深渊了。
✸✸Onceattached toBuddhist shrines,sentosstill havea whiff ofthe spiritual. For centuries they were places where neighbours—men and women—stripped and bathed together. The custom was intensely practical. Until thefreneticmodernization in the run-up to the Olympics in 1964, 40% of homes in Tokyo lacked baths, so millions of peopledepended onsentosfor their nightly soak.
1) attached to 英 [əˈtætʃt tu:] 美 [əˈtætʃt tu] 附属于，隶属于
It is very distressing to see your baby attached to tubes and monitors
看见自己宝宝身上连着各种管子和监视器，心里会非常痛苦。
2) a whiff of 一点点，一阵……的气味
Traditionally cut blue jeans carryawhiffofthe laborer about them, so denim onaleader suggestsawillingness to roll up the sleeves and dig in.
传统剪裁的蓝色牛仔裤带有一种劳动者的气息，因此领导者穿着仔裤可以表达一种愿意卷起袖子大干一场的意思。
3) frenetic 英 [frəˈnetɪk] 美 [frəˈnɛtɪk] adj.狂热的;狂乱的;发狂的;非常激动的 n.疯子;狂人
This frenetic activity is the sign of a worried man.
这种发了疯似的行为活动是一个人极度焦虑的表现。
4) depend on 英 [diˈpend ɔn] 美 [dɪˈpɛnd ɑn] 依赖;相信;信赖;随…而定
'You can depend on me,' Cross assured him.
“你可以信赖我，”克罗斯向他保证。
✸✸Those days are long gone. Across the city’s skyline, the bath-houses’ distinctive chimney stacks are disappearing. From a peak of perhaps 2,700sentos, fewer than 600 remain,according tothe National Sento Association. Most are run by elderly couples. Luring customers is a struggle. Many have posted signs in English explaining bathing etiquette to the growing number of foreign tourists (eg, shower before you get in the tub). Plush new spas have opened, with beauty salons and massage parlours. A few have become more inventive,laying onconcerts and performances. One even offers naked classes in comedy and Go, a Japanese board game, in the hope of luring younger customers.
1) according to 英 [əˈkɔ:dɪŋ tə] 美 [əˈkɔ:rdɪŋ tə] na.根据，按照;据…所说;如;比照
Philip stayed at the hotel, according to Mr Hemming
据亨明先生所说，菲利普住在旅馆里。
2) lay on 英 [lei ɔn] 美 [le ɑn] 征收;安装（水、电、煤气等）;组织;涂上（油漆等）
A bra and a pair of briefs lay on the floor.
地板上有一个胸罩和一条短内裤
✸✸Teruo Shimada, the owner of Akebono-Yu, says customers will no longer come just to get clean: “You have to give them something extra.” His premises have become something of a social club for pensioners. Some sip beer and sake in the restaurant while watching sumo on a large screen television. Among the 12 baths inside are a jacuzzi and one that delivers a mild electric shock, said to stimulate sagging muscles and (say men) libido.
✸✸Mr Shimada’s ancestors started the business in 1773. A volcanic stream over 1,000m underground, discovered while digging a well, feeds the baths. They have survived fires, war and disaster, including the earthquake that levelled much of the city in 1923, and the fire bombing of Tokyo by American planes in 1945. They seemed to have survived theadventof domestic baths, but changing social attitudes are a graver threat. His daughter wants nothing to do with the trade, with its long hours and uncertain rewards, laments Mr Shimada. Once, he could have arranged her marriage andnudgedhis son-in-law intotaking over, but that’s all in the past. After 19 generations in the family, he fears that Akebono-Yu may die with him.
1) advent 英 [ˈædvent] 美 [ˈædˌvɛnt] n.出现;到来;基督降临节（圣诞节前的四个星期）
The advent of war led to a greater austerity.
战争的到来使形势更为严峻。
2) nudged v.（朝某方向）轻推( nudge的过去式和过去分词 );（使）达到;（暗指与性有关的事）搂搂抱抱
I nudged Stan and pointed again
我轻轻推了推斯坦，又指了一下。
3) take over 英 [teik ˈəuvə] 美 [tek ˈovɚ] 接管;带;帮…学习;在…上花费
A British newspaper says British Airways plan to take over Trans World Airways.
一家英国报纸称，英国航空公司计划接管环球航空公司。
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