word
gusto
strong enjoyment or energy when doing something
Johannes eats with gusto because he truly enjoys the food.
The Eyes and the Impossible
Chapter One
Understand who Johannes is, what role he has in the park, and why freedom matters to him.
Step 1
Pre-reading Warmup
先认识今天容易卡住的词和表达。先看英文解释；中文需要时再点开。
Words You May Need
word
windblown
shaped or moved by strong wind
The windblown park feels open and wild.
word
hollow
empty inside, often with a space or hole
The puppies slept in the hollow of a tree.
word
messenger
someone or something that carries a message
Johannes imagines clouds as messengers.
word
vast
very large and wide
The park feels vast to Johannes.
word
archer
a person who shoots arrows with a bow
Johannes notices the archers in their cloaks.
word
cloak
a loose outer piece of clothing like a cape
The archers wear cloaks in the park.
word
mossy
covered with soft green moss
People play music under the mossy bridge.
word
odorous
having a strong smell
A dog may notice odorous people before noticing their faces.
word
entrusted
given an important job or responsibility
Johannes has been entrusted with watching the park.
word
mistaken
wrong about something
Johannes says humans are mistaken if they think they saw him run.
word
pregnant
carrying babies before they are born
His mother came to the tree when she was pregnant.
word
whimpering
making small, weak crying sounds
The newborn puppies were oily and whimpering.
word
lair
a hidden home or resting place for an animal
Johannes calls the human home a human lair.
word
vague
not clear or not exact
He has vague recollections of another dog.
word
crucial
very important
Food was crucial in the first days of life.
word
scrounge
to search for food or things you need
Johannes still scrounges in the park.
word
unkept
not cared for or controlled by an owner
Johannes is unkept and free.
expression
fend for ourselves
to take care of yourself without help
The puppies learned to fend for themselves.
expression
kept dog
a dog cared for by humans as a pet
Johannes is not a kept dog; he is free in the park.
Expression Blocks
expression
the Eyes
a watcher who observes and reports what happens
Johannes calls himself the Eyes of the park.
expression
I have seen you
I noticed you before; you did not notice me
The repeated line makes Johannes sound watchful and confident.
expression
run like light
to run extremely fast, almost impossibly fast
He says he runs like light.
expression
human eyes are blind to me
humans cannot see him when he runs
This makes Johannes sound almost magical.
expression
pull at the earth
to describe running with huge force and speed
The image shows how powerful Johannes thinks his running is.
expression
I am not bitter
I do not feel angry or resentful about what happened
He says he is not bitter, but readers may wonder what he really feels.
expression
This is my life
this is the way I live and the life I accept
The sentence makes his free life sound final and important.
sentence templateJohannes seems ___ because he says/does ___.
Johannes seems proud because he says no one can see him running.