马克·吐温(Mark Twain)
There was a brooding oppressiveness in the air that seemed to bode something. Presently there came a quivering glow that vaguely revealed the foliage for a moment and then vanished. By and by another came, a little stronger. Then another. There was a pause. Now a weird flash turned night into day and showed every little grass blade, separate and distinct. A deep peal of thunder went rolling and tumbling down the heavens and lost itself in sullen rumblings in the distance. A sweep of chilly air passed by, rustling all the leaves and snowing the flaky ashes broadcast about the fire. Another fierce glare lit up the forest and an instant crash followed. A few big raindrops fell pattering upon the leaves.
A furious blast roared through the trees, making everything sing as it went. One blinding flash after another came, and peal on peal of deafening thunder. And now a drenching rain poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in sheets along the ground. Now the battle was at its highest. Under the ceaseless conflagration of lightning that flamed in the skies, everything below stood out in clean-cut and shadowless distinctness: the bending trees, the billowy river, white with foam, the driving spray of spume flakes, the dim outlines of the high bluffs on the other side, glimpsed through the drifting cloud rack and the slanting veil of rain.Every little while some giant tree yielded the fight and fell crashing through the younger growth; and the unflagging thunderpeals came now in earsplitting explosive bursts, keen and sharp, and unspeakably appalling .
- brooding [ˈbrʊdɪŋ] a. 神秘而凶险的
- oppressiveness [əˈpresɪvnɪs] n. 压迫，烦闷
- bode [bəʊd] v. 预兆，预示
- foliage [ˈfəʊlɪɪdʒ] n. 叶子
- rumble [ˈrʌmbl] v. (雷等)隆隆响
- conflagration [ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃn] n. 大火，爆发
- unflagging [ʌnˈflæɡɪŋ] a. 持续的
- earsplitting [ˈɪəˌsplɪtɪŋ] a. 震耳欲聋的
- appalling [əˈpɔːlɪŋ] a. 令人震惊的，可怕的
空气中有一种沉重压抑的气氛，似乎在预示着什么。不一会儿，一道曲曲弯弯的像颤抖似的闪光划过，一时间把树叶模糊地显露出来，而后便消失了。不久，又一道亮光闪过，更强一些。接着又一道。停了一会儿。而后一道怪异的亮闪电划过长空，把黑夜变成了白昼，照得每一片草叶轮廓清晰。一声沉闷的炸雷，在天边隆隆作响，滚滚向前，消失在远方。一股凉爽的风吹来，吹得树叶沙沙作响，吹得片状的灰烬在火堆周围四处乱飞。又一道闪电把森林照亮，紧接着一声炸雷从天而降。几大滴雨点落下来，嗒嗒地打在树叶上。
一阵霹雳炸雷在丛林间隆隆滚过，使一切都产生回声。使人睁不开眼的闪电一个接着一个，震耳欲聋的雷声响个不停。倾盆大雨直泻而下，突起的狂风把雨水像帘布一样泼向地面。风雨交加，在天地间肆虐。闪电一个接着一个，把天空照得通亮，地面上的一切都清晰可见，轮廓分明。弯曲的树林，波浪汹涌冒着白色泡沫的河流雾气升腾，对面高耸的峭壁的模糊轮廓，在飞渡的乱云和斜射的雨帘中时隐时现。每隔一阵，就有大树受不住狂风暴雨的轮番攻击而倒下，哗啦啦倒在幼树上。随后又响起一阵阵震耳欲聋的惊雷，惊心动魄，极其恐怖。
马克·吐温（Mark Twain，本名：塞缪尔·兰格霍恩·克莱门斯，Samuel Langhorne Clemens，1835年-1910年）是19世纪美国最具影响力的作家之一，他的作品以幽默和讽刺揭示社会问题而著称。
塞缪尔·兰格霍恩·克莱门斯出生于密苏里州的弗洛伦斯，是七个孩子中的第六个。他的童年时充满了冒险和挑战，这些经历成为他后来作品的灵感来源。
他最著名的作品包括《汤姆·索亚历险记》（The Adventures of Tom Sawyer）和《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》（Adventures of Huckleberry Finn），这两部作品被认为是美国文学的经典之作。
马克·吐温的作品以生动的对话、对人性的深刻见解和对社会问题的尖锐批判著称。他的作品混合了幽默、讽刺和对人类道德和社会现象的深刻洞察，对后世文学产生了深远影响。