As we bumped over the dusty track, we swerved to avoid large boulders.

bump ^{v.碰撞(拟声词)}

• bomb ^{n.炸弹 v. 轰炸}
• balloon ^{n.气球 v.膨胀}
• I felt a little bump and I knew instantly what had happened.  ^{我感到了一下轻轻的撞击，立刻就明白发生了什么。}
• A police car bumped down the track.

track ^{n. a narrow path or road with a rough uneven surface, esp. one made by vehicles, people or animals 小道，小径}

• We set off once more, over a rough mountain track.  ^{我们又一次出发了，走在一条崎岖不平的山间小路上。}
• The path was no better than a sheep track. ^{那条小路简直就像是羊肠小道。}

The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car.

scoop ^{n. a tool with a deep bowl-shaped end which is used to dig out and move a soft or powdery substance.勺 v.(用勺子) 舀}

• a measuring scoop
• an ice-cream scoop ^名词
• a scoop of ice-cream ^量词

hammer / thunder ^名词动用

• He hammered / thundered at the door.
• She googles the answer.
• He telephoned me four times yesterday and three times the day before yesterday.
• ... a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.
• He elbowed his way through the crowd.
• I am fogged by the issue.
• The lady housed the homeless. ^{收容、收留}

We felt sure that sooner or later a stone would rip a hole in our petrol tank or damage the engine.

sooner or later ^{固定搭配“迟早、早晚、早晚有一天”}

• You should tell her, because she'll find out sooner or later.
• Sooner or later you will have to make a decision.^{你早晚得拿个主意。}
• Sooner or later she would be caught by the police.^{迟早她会被警方抓住的。}
• Sooner or later, I'm going to have to face the music.^{迟早我得自食其果。}

rip / tear a hole ^{撕开一个洞}

• The nail ripped / tore a hole in my jacket.
• He accidentally ripped a hole in his jacket while climbing the fence.^{他在爬栅栏时不小心撕破了夹克上的一个洞。}
• She tore a hole in the paper when she was removing the staple.^{她在拆除订书钉时把纸撕破了一个洞。}

Because of this, we kept looking back, wondering if we were leaving a trail of oil and petrol behind us.

leave a trail of ... behind ... ^{留下一(连)串的…在…后面}

• The bus left a trail of black smoke behind it. ^{公交车抽黑🚬}
• He left a trail of muddy footprints behind him. ^{乔治 Jumped mud puddles than went home.} 

What a relief it was when the boulders suddenly disappeared, giving way to a stretch of plain where the only obstacles were clumps of bushes.

relief ^{n.宽慰，痛苦的缓解或解脱}

• What a pity!
• What a mess!
• What a beautiful ship!
• find a temporary relief.
• permanent relief
• to my great relief ^{令我松了一口气(使我大为宽慰的是)}
• give immediate relief from pain

stretch ^{n. an area of land or water,esp. one that is long and narrow （狭长的）一片或一段地或水域}

•  a stretch of ^{一段，一(大)片}
•  It's a very dangerous stretch of road.  ^{这是一段非常危险的路（形容词通常放到量词前）}
• a stretch of plain
• a narrow stretch of water
• a beautiful stretch of field

clump ^{n. a group of trees, bushes,or other plants growing very close together 丛}

• a clump of trees / bushes / flowers / grass ^{一丛树/灌木/花/草}
•  ...a clump of trees bordering a side road. ^{…一丛长在小道边的树木。}

But there was worse to come. 

worse ^{n. [U] something worse}

• I'm afraid there is worse to come.

Just ahead of us there was a huge fissure.

fissure ^{n. long deep crack in rock or in the earth（岩石中或土地中的）深长裂缝}

• She blinked quickly, and then turned to the fissure. ^{她快速眨着眼，然后转向裂缝。}
• But the new tower was found to contain a fissure, discovered in 1939, which is very slowly spreading. ^{但在1939年钟楼就被发现存在裂缝，并以缓慢的速度蔓延开来。}

 In response to renewed pleadings, Bruce stopped.

in response to ... ^{作为对…回应、反应}

• The president stepped down in response to public pressure.
• ... move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody.

renewed ^{adj. happening again with increased interest or strength [only before noun］更强烈的...}

• The threat of renewed civil war looms ahead.^{新一轮内战的威胁在逼近。}
• He worked with renewed vigour and determination. ^{他以新的活力和决心工作着。}
• They regrouped their forces and renewed the attack. ^{他们重新聚集兵力，再次发动进攻。}

Though we all got out to examine the fissure, he remained in the car.

get out ^{使离开、泄露，走漏}

• get out of a car / taxi ^{接宾语要加介词of}

We informed him that the fissure extended for fifty yards and was two feet wide and four feet deep.

extend ^{v.（时间或空间）延伸}

• The Sahara Desert extends for miles. ^{vi.要加介词for}
• The show has been extended for another six weeks. ^被动

Bruce went into a low gear and drove at a terrifying speed, keeping the front wheels astride the crack as he followed its zigzag course.

gear ^{n.排挡，齿轮}

• automatic gear ^自动档
• manual gear ^手动档
• Helen changed gear / gears as she approached the intersection.

astride ^{prep. with one leg on each sideofsth.跨在...上}

• She sat proudly astride her new motorbike.
• The town lies astride a river.

zigzag ^{adj. a pattern that looks like a line of z's joined together}

• a zigzag path along the cliff

Before we had time to worry about what might happen, we were back on the plain again.

have time to ^{有时间做某事}

• hardly have time to breathe ^{没有喘息的时间}
• The ferry did not even have time to send out an SOS.^{这艘渡船甚至没有时间发出紧急呼救信号。}
• We don't often have time to talk. ^{我们常常没有时间谈话。}
• We barely had time to catch the train.^{我们差点没赶上火车。}

Bruce consulted the map once more and told us that the village was now only fifteen miles away.

consult ^{v.咨询，请教；商量，商讨；查询，查阅；当顾问}

• Consult your doctor about how much exercise you should get. ^{咨询你的医生你应做多少运动。}
• Consult the chart on page 44 for the correct cooking times. ^{查阅第44页的图表找正确的烹调时间。}
• I have to consult with the manager about the matter. ^{我得与经理商量一下这件事。}
• The two countries will have to consult their allies. ^{两国得同各自的盟友协商。}

Our next obstacle was a shallow pool of water about half a mile across.

a shallow pool of water ^{形容词放在量词前面}

• a nice cup of tea
• a beautiful stretch of field
• a stagnant pool of water
• For most of them, 50 pence is a small price to pay for a nice big bar of chocolate.

Bruce charged at it, but in the middle, the car came to a grinding halt.

charge at... ^朝...猛冲

• Suddenly the bear charged at us.
• He charged at me with his fists flying.

come to a stop / halt / standstill ^停了下来

• It came to a stop outside the jeweler's.
• come to an end / a close  ^{结束（come to 达到某一个状态）}
• come to a decision / conclusion / agreement ^{得到一个结论、达成协议}

grind ^{v.磨碎，碾碎}

• come to a grinding halt ^{adj.刺耳的}
• You make me grind my teeth! ^{你使我咬牙切齿！}

A yellow light on the dashboard flashed angrily and Bruce cheerfully announced that there was no oil in the engine!

flash angrily ^{发出刺眼的强光}

• Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily.

no oil in the engine ^{发动机里没有油了（指没有机油、润滑油）}

• It's not long enough so I can't see if there is any oil in the engine. ^{它不够长，所以我无法知道引擎里有没有油了。}