The plot

Question 1

it sill “bore” the distinct tang of a science building with its windowed lobby nobody ever sat in. (4)

Answer 1

帶有

Question 2

in this strange corner of northern Vermont, close enough to the “fabled” Northeast Kingdom to bear some trace of its distinct oddness.(4)

Answer 2

傳說的

Question 3

Of course creative writing had been taught at the college since the 1950s, but never in any serious, “let alone” enterprising way. (4)

Answer 3

更不用說

Question 4

Writing, according to Ripley’s own glossy “prospectus” and highly enticing website, (5)

Answer 4

簡介

Question 5

so much more “accommodating” for students who couldn’t drop everything for a two-year MFA course. (5)

Answer 5

樂於助人的;包容

Question 6

and it occurred to him that he had brought “progressively” less with him each time he’d made the trip north to Ripley.

Answer 6

逐漸地

= gradually

Question 7

He was “utterly” unfamiliar with any of the sample pages in those annoyingly thick folders.

Answer 7

= extremely 完全

Question 8

When he’d begun at Ripley he’d persuaded himself that ‘great teacher’ was a laudable addition to ‘great writer’.

Q : Can you understand both “laudable” plus “addition to” meaning in this sentence? (by addition to, I know I know the meaning of itself but I just kinda want to ensure that I know its correct usage)

Answer 8

值得讚揚的

Question 9

who were even now “converging” on northern Vermont , and the “sterile” conference rooms of Richard Peng Hall,

Answer 9

“converging”
→ 會合，聚集，集中

"sterile"
→ （生物）不育的；（土地）貧瘠的，不長作物的
→ 缺乏想像力的；了無新意的；無生氣的
a sterile argument
毫無新意的論點
→completely clean and free from dirt and bacteria
消過毒的，無菌的
The operation must be carried out under sterile conditions.
手術必須在無菌條件下進行。

Question 10

these “ardent apprentices”, would be utterly “indistinguishable from” their earlier Ripley “counterparts”: mid-career professionals convinced they could churn out Clive Cussler adventures, or moms who blogged about their kids and didn’t see why that shouldn’t entitle them to a regular gig on Good Morning America,

Answer 10

these “ardent apprentices”, would be utterly “indistinguishable from” their earlier Ripley “counterparts”: mid-career professionals convinced they could churn out Clive Cussler adventures, or moms who blogged about their kids and didn’t see why that shouldn’t entitle them to a regular gig on Good Morning America,