Part 9 Chapter 2"Why do they make things so complicated?" he asked the Englishman one night. The boy had noticed that the Englishman was irritable, and missed his books."So that those who have the responsibility for understanding can understand," he
Read more…manifestation noun/ˌmæn.ɪ.fesˈteɪ.ʃən/ n formal•[C] a sign of something existing or happeningShe claimed that the rise in unemployment was just a further manifestation of the government's incompetence.•[U] appearanceUnlike acid rain or deforestation,
Read more…Then one day the boy returned the books to the Englishman. "Did you learn anything?" the Englishman asked, eager to hear what it might be. He needed someone to talk to so as to avoid thinking about the possibility of war."I learned that the world has
Read more…persistent adjective/pəˈsɪs.tənt/ /pɚ-/ adj•lasting for a long time or difficult to get rid ofa persistent smell/skin rashSymptoms of the illness include a high temperature and a persistent dry cough.There have been persistent rumours that the managi
Read more…wound up adjectiveadjvery worried, nervous or angryShe gets quite wound up before a match.contemplate verb/ˈkɒn.təm.pleɪt/ /ˈkɑːn.t ̬əm-/ v [I or T]to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long tim
Read more…They were strange books. They spoke about mercury, salt, dragons, and kings, and he didn't understand any of it. But there was one idea that seemed to repeat itself throughout all the books: all things are the manifestation of one thing only.In one o
Read more…capricious adjective/kəˈprɪʃ.əs/ adj literarychanging mood or behaviour suddenly and unexpectedlya capricious childHe was a cruel and capricious tyrant.capriciously adverb/kəˈprɪʃ.ə.sli/ advcapriciousness noun/kəˈprɪʃ.ə.snəs/ n [U]mule noun ( ANIMAL
Read more…dismount verb/dɪˈsmaʊnt/ v [I]to get off a horse, bicycle or motorcycletreacherous adjective ( DANGEROUS )/ˈtretʃ.ər.əs/ /-ɚ-/ adjIf the ground or sea is treacherous, it is extremely dangerous, especially because of bad weather conditionsSnow and ice
Read more…recurring adjective/rɪˈkɜː.rɪŋ/ /-ˈkɝː.ɪŋ/ adj (also recurrent)happening many times, or happening againThe father-daughter relationship is a recurring theme in her novels.For much of his life he suffered from recurring bouts of depression.LeFanu suff
Read more…I'm the leader of the caravan," said a dark-eyed, bearded man. "I hold the power of life and death for every person I take with me. The desert is a capricious lady, and sometimes she drives men crazy."There were almost two hundred people gathered the
Read more…Part 6 Chapter 2"That's strange," said the boy, as he tried once again to read the burial scene that began the book. "I've been trying for two years to read this book, and I never get past these first few pages." Even without a king to provide an int
Read more…Part 5 Chapter 2The Englishman was sitting on a bench in a structure that smelled of animals, sweat, and dust; it was part warehouse, part corral. I never thought I'd end up in a place like this, he thought, as he leafed through the pages of a chemic
Read more…corral noun/kəˈrɑːl/ /-ˈræl/ n [C]an area surrounded by a fence for keeping horses or cattle in, especially in North Americacorral verb/kəˈrɑːl/ /-ˈræl/ v [T] (-ll-)•to guide horses or cattle into a corral•to bring a group of people together and keep
Read more…divination noun/ˌdɪv.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ n [U]the skill or act of saying or discovering what will happen in the future
Read more…bunch (sth) up phrasal verbphrasal verb [M]If material bunches up, or if someone bunches it up, it moves into tight foldsYour shirt's all bunched up at the back.Incessant adjective/ɪnˈses.ənt/ adjnever stopping, especially in an annoying or unpleasan
Read more…The boy went to his room and packed his belongings. They filled three sacks. As he was leaving, he saw, in the corner of the room, his old shepherd's pouch. It was bunched up, and he had hardly thought of it for a long time. As he took his jacket out
Read more…Part 3 Chapter 2The men climbed the hill, and they were tired when they reached the top. But there they saw a crystal shop that offered refreshing mint tea. They went in to drink the tea, which was served in beautiful crystal glasses."My wife never t
Read more…aroma noun/əˈrəʊ.mə/ /-ˈroʊ-/ n [C]a strong pleasant smell, usually from food or drinkthe aroma of freshly baked breada wine with a light fruity aromaretain verb/rɪˈteɪn/ v [T]•slightly formal to keep or continue to have somethingShe has lost her bat
Read more…Part 2 Chapter 2Two more months passed, and the shelf brought many customers into the crystal shop. The boy estimated that, if he worked for six more months, he could return to Spain and buy sixty sheep, and yet another sixty. In less than a year, he
Read more…disembark verb/ˌdɪs.ɪmˈbɑːk/ /-ˈbɑːrk/ v [I] formalto leave a ship, aircraft, etc. after a journeydisembarkation noun/ˌdɪs.ɪm.bɑːˈkeɪ.ʃən/ /-bɑːr-ˈ/ n [U]decent adjective/ˈdiː.sənt/ adj•socially acceptable or goodEveryone should be entitled to a dece
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