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Chapter 1
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 In the happy days when we were young, no description conveyed to us so complete an idea of mysterious reality as that of an Oriental city.  We knew it was actually there, but had such vague notions of its ways and looks!  Let any one remember his early impressions as to Bagdad or Grand Cairo, and then say if this was not so.  It was probably taken from the “Arabian Nights,” and the picture produced was one of strange, fantastic, luxurious1 houses; of women who were either very young and very beautiful, or else very old and very cunning; but in either state exercising much more influence in life than women in the East do now; of good-natured, capricious, though sometimes tyrannical monarchs2; and of life full of quaint3 mysteries, quite unintelligible4 in every phasis, and on that account the more picturesque6.
 
And perhaps Grand Cairo has thus filled us with more wonder even than Bagdad.  We have been in a certain manner at home at Bagdad, but have only visited Grand Cairo occasionally.  I know no place which was to me, in early years, so delightfully7 mysterious as Grand Cairo.
 
But the route to India and Australia has changed all this.  Men from all countries going to the East, now pass through Cairo, and its streets and costumes are no longer strange to us.  It has become also a resort for invalids9, or rather for those who fear that they may become invalids if they remain in a cold climate during the winter months.  And thus at Cairo there is always to be found a considerable population of French, Americans, and of English.  Oriental life is brought home to us, dreadfully diluted10 by western customs, and the delights of the “Arabian Nights” are shorn of half their value.  When we have seen a thing it is never so magnificent to us as when it was half unknown.
 
It is not much that we deign11 to learn from these Orientals,—we who glory in our civilisation12.  We do not copy their silence or their abstemiousness13, nor that invariable mindfulness of his own personal dignity which always adheres to a Turk or to an Arab.  We chatter14 as much at Cairo as elsewhere, and eat as much and drink as much, and dress ourselves generally in the same old ugly costume.  But we do usually take upon ourselves to wear red caps, and we do ride on donkeys.
 
Nor are the visitors from the West to Cairo by any means confined to the male sex.  Ladies are to be seen in the streets quite regardless of the Mahommedan custom which presumes a veil to be necessary for an appearance in public; and, to tell the truth, the Mahommedans in general do not appear to be much shocked by their effrontery15.
 
A quarter of the town has in this way become inhabited by men wearing coats and waistcoats, and by women who are without veils; but the English tongue in Egypt finds its centre at Shepheard’s Hotel.  It is here that people congregate16 who are looking out for parties to visit with them the Upper Nile, and who are generally all smiles and courtesy; and here also are to be found they who have just returned from this journey, and who are often in a frame of mind towards their companions that is much less amiable17.  From hence, during the winter, a cortége proceeds almost daily to the pyramids, or to Memphis, or to the petrified18 forest, or to the City of the Sun.  And then, again, four or five times a month the house is filled with young aspirants19 going out to India, male and female, full of valour and bloom; or with others coming home, no longer young, no longer aspiring20, but laden21 with children and grievances22.
 
The party with whom we are at present concerned is not about to proceed further than the Pyramids, and we shall be able to go with them and return in one and the same day.
 
It consisted chiefly of an English family, Mr. and Mrs. Damer, their daughter, and two young sons;—of these chiefly, because they were the nucleus23 to which the others had attached themselves as adherents24; they had originated the journey, and in the whole management of it Mr. Damer regarded himself as the master.
 
The adherents were, firstly, M. Delabordeau, a Frenchman, now resident in Cairo, who had given out that he was in some way concerned in the canal about to be made between the Mediterranean25 and the Red Sea.  In discussion on this subject he had become acquainted with Mr. Damer; and although the latter gentleman, true to English interests, perpetually declared that the canal would never be made, and thus irritated M. Delabordeau not a little—nevertheless, some measure of friendship had grown up between them.
 
There was also an American gentleman, Mr. Jefferson Ingram, who was comprising all countries and all nations in one grand tour, as American gentlemen so often do.  He was young and good-looking, and had made himself especially agreeable to Mr. Damer, who had declared, more than once, that Mr. Ingram was by far the most rational American he had ever met.  Mr. Ingram would listen to Mr. Damer by the half-hour as to the virtue26 of the British Constitution, and had even sat by almost with patience when Mr. Damer had expressed a doubt as to the good working of the United States’ scheme of policy,—which, in an American, was most wonderful.  But some of the sojourners at Shepheard’s had observed that Mr. Ingram was in the habit of talking with Miss Damer almost as much as with her father, and argued from that, that fond as the young man was of politics, he did sometimes turn his mind to other things also.
 
And then there was Miss Dawkins.  Now Miss Dawkins was an important person, both as to herself and as to her line of life, and she must be described.  She was, in the first place, an unprotected female of about thirty years of age.  As this is becoming an established profession, setting itself up as it were in opposition27 to the old world idea that women, like green peas, cannot come to perfection without supporting-sticks, it will be understood at once what were Miss Dawkins’s sentiments.  She considered—or at any rate so expressed herself—that peas could grow very well without sticks, and could not only grow thus unsupported, but could also make their way about the world without any incumbrance of sticks whatsoever28.  She did not intend, she said, to rival Ida Pfeiffer, seeing that she was attached in a moderate way to bed and board, and was attached to society in a manner almost more than moderate; but she had no idea of being prevented from seeing anything she wished to see because she had neither father, nor husband, nor brother available for the purpose of escort.  She was a human creature, with arms and legs, she said; and she intended to use them.  And this was all very well; but nevertheless she had a strong inclination29 to use the arms and legs of other people when she could make them serviceable.
 
In person Miss Dawkins was not without attraction.  I should exaggerate if I were to say that she was beautiful and elegant; but she was good looking, and not usually ill mannered.  She was tall, and gifted with features rather sharp and with eyes very bright.  Her hair was of the darkest shade of brown, and was always worn in bandeaux, very neatly31.  She appeared generally in black, though other circumstances did not lead one to suppose that she was in mourning; and then, no other travelling costume is so convenient!  She always wore a dark broad-brimmed straw hat, as to the ribbons on which she was rather particular.  She was very neat about her gloves and boots; and though it cannot be said that her dress was got up without reference to expense, there can be no doubt that it was not effected without considerable outlay,—and more considerable thought.
 
Miss Dawkins—Sabrina Dawkins was her name, but she seldom had friends about her intimate enough to use the word Sabrina—was certainly a clever young woman.  She could talk on most subjects, if not well, at least well enough to amuse.  If she had not read much, she never showed any lamentable32 deficiency; she was good-humoured, as a rule, and could on occasions be very soft and winning.  People who had known her long would sometimes say that she was selfish; but with new acquaintance she was forbearing and self-denying.
 
With what income Miss Dawkins was blessed no one seemed to know.  She lived like a gentlewoman, as far as outward appearance went, and never seemed to be in want; but some people would say that she knew very well how many sides there were to a shilling, and some enemy had once declared that she was an “old soldier.”  Such was Miss Dawkins.
 
She also, as well as Mr. Ingram and M. Delabordeau, had laid herself out to find the weak side of Mr. Damer.  Mr. Damer, with all his family, was going up the Nile, and it was known that he had room for two in his boat over and above his own family.  Miss Dawkins had told him that she had not quite made up her mind to undergo so great a fatigue33, but that, nevertheless, she had a longing34 of the soul to see something of Nubia.  To this Mr. Damer had answered nothing but “Oh!” which Miss Dawkins had not found to be encouraging.
 
But she had not on that account despaired.  To a married man there are always two sides, and in this instance there was Mrs. Damer as well as Mr. Damer.  When Mr. Damer said “Oh!” Miss Dawkins sighed, and said, “Yes, indeed!” then smiled, and betook herself to Mrs. Damer.
 
Now Mrs. Damer was soft-hearted, and also somewhat old-fashioned.  She did not conceive any violent affection for Miss Dawkins, but she told her daughter that “the single lady by herself was a very nice young woman, and that it was a thousand pities she should have to go about so much alone like.”
 
Miss Damer had turned up her pretty nose, thinking, perhaps, how small was the chance that it ever should be her own lot to be an unprotected female.  But Miss Dawkins carried her point at any rate as regarded the expedition to the Pyramids.
 
Miss Damer, I have said, had a pretty nose.  I may also say that she had pretty eyes, mouth, and chin, with other necessary appendages35, all pretty.  As to the two Master Damers, who were respectively of the ages of fifteen and sixteen, it may be sufficient to say that they were conspicuous36 for red caps and for the constancy with which they raced their donkeys.
 
And now the donkeys, and the donkey boys, and the dragomans were all standing37 at the steps of Shepheard’s Hotel.  To each donkey there was a donkey-boy, and to each gentleman there was a dragoman, so that a goodly cortége was assembled, and a goodly noise was made.  It may here be remarked, perhaps with some little pride, that not half the noise is given in Egypt to persons speaking any other language that is bestowed38 on those whose vocabulary is English.
 
This lasted for half an hour.  Had the party been French the donkeys would have arrived only fifteen minutes before the appointed time.  And then out came Damer père and Damer mère, Damer fille, and Damer fils.  Damer mère was leaning on her husband, as was her wont39.  She was not an unprotected female, and had no desire to make any attempts in that line.  Damer fille was attended sedulously40 by Mr. Ingram, for whose demolishment, however, Mr. Damer still brought up, in a loud voice, the fag ends of certain political arguments which he would fain have poured direct into the ears of his opponent, had not his wife been so persistent41 in claiming her privileges.  M. Delabordeau should have followed with Miss Dawkins, but his French politeness, or else his fear of the unprotected female, taught him to walk on the other side of the mistress of the party.
 
Miss Dawkins left the house with an eager young Damer yelling on each side of her; but nevertheless, though thus neglected by the gentlemen of the party, she was all smiles and prettiness, and looked so sweetly on Mr. Ingram when that gentleman stayed a moment to help her on to her donkey, that his heart almost misgave42 him for leaving her as soon as she was in her seat.
 
And then they were off.  In going from the hotel to the Pyramids our party had not to pass through any of the queer old narrow streets of the true Cairo—Cairo the Oriental.  They all lay behind them as they went down by the back of the hotel, by the barracks of the Pasha and the College of the Dervishes, to the village of old Cairo and the banks of the Nile.
 
Here they were kept half an hour while their dragomans made a bargain with the ferryman, a stately reis, or captain of a boat, who declared with much dignity that he could not carry them over for a sum less than six times the amount to which he was justly entitled; while the dragomans, with great energy on behalf of their masters, offered him only five times that sum.
 
As far as the reis was concerned, the contest might soon have been at an end, for the man was not without a conscience; and would have been content with five times and a half; but then the three dragomans quarrelled among themselves as to which should have the paying of the money, and the affair became very tedious.
 
“What horrid43, odious44 men!” said Miss Dawkins, appealing to Mr. Damer.  “Do you think they will let us go over at all?”
 
“Well, I suppose they will; people do get over generally, I believe.  Abdallah!  Abdallah! why don’t you pay the man?  That fellow is always striving to save half a piastre for me.”
 
“I wish he wasn’t quite so particular,” said Mrs. Damer, who was already becoming rather tired; “but I’m sure he’s a very honest man in trying to protect us from being robbed.”
 
“That he is,” said Miss Dawkins.  “What a delightful8 trait of national character it is to see these men so faithful to their employers.”  And then at last they got over the ferry, Mr. Ingram having descended45 among the combatants, and settled the matter in dispute by threats and shouts, and an uplifted stick.
 
They crossed the broad Nile exactly at the spot where the nilometer, or river guage, measures from day to day, and from year to year, the increasing or decreasing treasures of the stream, and landed at a village where thousands of eggs are made into chickens by the process of artificial incubation.
 
Mrs. Damer thought that it was very hard upon the maternal46 hens—the hens which should have been maternal—that they should be thus robbed of the delights of motherhood.
 
“So unnatural47, you know,” said Miss Dawkins; “so opposed to the fostering principles of creation.  Don’t you think so, Mr. Ingram?”
 
Mr. Ingram said he didn’t know.  He was again seating Miss Damer on her donkey, and it must be presumed that he performed this feat30 clumsily; for Fanny Damer could jump on and off the animal with hardly a finger to help her, when her brother or her father was her escort; but now, under the hands of Mr. Ingram, this work of mounting was one which required considerable time and care.  All which Miss Dawkins observed with precision.
 
“It’s all very well talking,” said Mr. Damer, bringing up his donkey nearly alongside that of Mr. Ingram, and ignoring his daughter’s presence, just as he would have done that of his dog; “but you must admit that political power is more equally distributed in England than it is in America.”
 
“Perhaps it is,” said Mr. Ingram; “equally distributed among, we will say, three dozen families,” and he made a feint as though to hold in his impetuous donkey, using the spur, however, at the same time on the side that was unseen by Mr. Damer.  As he did so, Fanny’s donkey became equally impetuous, and the two cantered on in advance of the whole party.  It was quite in vain that Mr. Damer, at the top of his voice, shouted out something about “three dozen corruptible48 demagogues.”  Mr. Ingram found it quite impossible to restrain his donkey so as to listen to the sarcasm49.
 
“I do believe papa would talk politics,” said Fanny, “if he were at the top of Mont Blanc, or under the Falls of Niagara.  I do hate politics, Mr. Ingram.”
 
“I am sorry for that, very,” said Mr. Ingram, almost sadly.
 
“Sorry, why?  You don’t want me to talk politics, do you?”
 
“In America we are all politicians, more or less; and, therefore, I suppose you will hate us all.”
 
“Well, I rather think I should,” said Fanny; “you would be such bores.”  But there was something in her eye, as she spoke50, which atoned51 for the harshness of her words.
 
“A very nice young man is Mr. Ingram; don’t you think so?” said Miss Dawkins to Mrs. Damer.  Mrs. Damer was going along upon her donkey, not altogether comfortably.  She much wished to have her lord and legitimate52 protector by her side, but he had left her to the care of a dragoman whose English was not intelligible5 to her, and she was rather cross.
 
“Indeed, Miss Dawkins, I don’t know who are nice and who are not.  This nasty donkey stumbles at ever step.  There!  I know I shall be down directly.”
 
“You need not be at all afraid of that; they are perfectly53 safe, I believe, always,” said Miss Dawkins, rising in her stirrup, and handling her reins54 quite triumphantly55.  “A very little practice will make you quite at home.”
 
“I don’t know what you mean by a very little practice.  I have been here six weeks.  Why did you put me on such a bad donkey as this?” and she turned to Abdallah, the dragoman.
 
“Him berry good donkey, my lady; berry good,—best of all.  Call him Jack56 in Cairo.  Him go to Pyramid and back, and mind noting.”
 
“What does he say, Miss Dawkins?”
 
“He says that that donkey is one called Jack.  If so I’ve had him myself many times, and Jack is a very good donkey.”
 
“I wish you had him now with all my heart,” said Mrs. Damer.  Upon which Miss Dawkins offered to change; but those perils57 of mounting and dismounting were to Mrs. Damer a great deal too severe to admit of this.
 
“Seven miles of canal to be carried out into the sea, at a minimum depth of twenty-three feet, and the stone to be fetched from Heaven knows where!  All the money in France wouldn’t do it.”  This was addressed by Mr. Damer to M. Delabordeau, whom he had caught after the abrupt58 flight of Mr. Ingram.
 
“Den we will borrow a leetle from England,” said M. Delabordeau.
 
“Precious little, I can tell you.  Such stock would not hold its price in our markets for twenty-four hours.  If it were made, the freights would be too heavy to allow of merchandise passing through.  The heavy goods would all go round; and as for passengers and mails, you don’t expect to get them, I suppose, while there is a railroad ready made to their hand?”
 
“Ye vill carry all your ships through vidout any transportation.  Think of that, my friend.”
 
“Pshaw!  You are worse than Ingram.  Of all the plans I ever heard of it is the most monstrous59, the most impracticable, the most—”  But here he was interrupted by the entreaties60 of his wife, who had, in absolute deed and fact, slipped from her donkey, and was now calling lustily for her husband’s aid.  Whereupon Miss Dawkins allied61 herself to the Frenchman, and listened with an air of strong conviction to those arguments which were so weak in the ears of Mr. Damer.  M. Delabordeau was about to ride across the Great Desert to Jerusalem, and it might perhaps be quite as well to do that with him, as to go up the Nile as far as the second cataract62 with the Damers.
 
“And so, M. Delabordeau, you intend really to start for Mount Sinai?”
 
“Yes, mees; ve intend to make one start on Monday week.”
 
“And so on to Jerusalem.  You are quite right.  It would be a thousand pities to be in these countries, and to return without going over such ground as that.  I shall certainly go to Jerusalem myself by that route.”
 
“Vot, mees! you?  Would you not find it too much fatigante?”
 
“I care nothing for fatigue, if I like the party I am with,—nothing at all, literally63.  You will hardly understand me, perhaps, M. Delabordeau; but I do not see any reason why I, as a young woman, should not make any journey that is practicable for a young man.”
 
“Ah! dat is great resolution for you, mees.”
 
“I mean as far as fatigue is concerned.  You are a Frenchman, and belong to the nation that is at the head of all human civilisation—”
 
M. Delabordeau took off his hat and bowed low, to the peak of his donkey saddle.  He dearly loved to hear his country praised, as Miss Dawkins was aware.
 
“And I am sure you must agree with me,” continued Miss Dawkins, “that the time is gone by for women to consider themselves helpless animals, or to be so considered by others.”
 
“Mees Dawkins vould never be considered, not in any times at all, to be one helpless animal,” said M. Delabordeau civilly.
 
“I do not, at any rate, intend to be so regarded,” said she.  “It suits me to travel alone; not that I am averse64 to society; quite the contrary; if I meet pleasant people I am always ready to join them.  But it suits me to travel without any permanent party, and I do not see why false shame should prevent my seeing the world as thoroughly65 as though I belonged to the other sex.  Why should it, M. Delabordeau?”
 
M. Delabordeau declared that he did not see any reason why it should.
 
“I am passionately66 anxious to stand upon Mount Sinai,” continued Miss Dawkins; “to press with my feet the earliest spot in sacred history, of the identity of which we are certain; to feel within me the awe67-inspiring thrill of that thrice sacred hour!”
 
The Frenchman looked as though he did not quite understand her, but he said that it would be magnifique.
 
“You have already made up your party I suppose, M. Delabordeau?”
 
M. Delabordeau gave the names of two Frenchmen and one Englishman who were going with him.
 
“Upon my word it is a great temptation to join you,” said Miss Dawkins, “only for that horrid Englishman.”
 
“Vat, Mr. Stanley?”
 
“Oh, I don’t mean any disrespect to Mr. Stanley.  The horridness68 I speak of does not attach to him personally, but to his stiff, respectable, ungainly, well-behaved, irrational69, and uncivilised country.  You see I am not very patriotic70.”
 
“Not quite so much as my friend, Mr. Damer.”
 
“Ha! ha! ha! an excellent creature, isn’t he?  And so they all are, dear creatures.  But then they are so backward.  They are most anxious that I should join them up the Nile, but—,” and then Miss Dawkins shrugged71 her shoulders gracefully72, and, as she flattered herself, like a Frenchwoman.  After that they rode on in silence for a few moments.
 
“Yes, I must see Mount Sinai,” said Miss Dawkins, and then sighed deeply.  M. Delabordeau, notwithstanding that his country does stand at the head of all human civilisation, was not courteous73 enough to declare that if Miss Dawkins would join his party across the desert, nothing would be wanting to make his beatitude in this world perfect.
 
Their road from the village of the chicken-hatching ovens lay up along the left bank of the Nile, through an immense grove74 of lofty palm-trees, looking out from among which our visitors could ever and anon see the heads of the two great Pyramids;—that is, such of them could see it as felt any solicitude75 in the matter.
 
It is astonishing how such things lose their great charm as men find themselves in their close neighbourhood.  To one living in New York or London, how ecstatic is the interest inspired by these huge structures.  One feels that no price would be too high to pay for seeing them as long as time and distance, and the world’s inexorable task-work, forbid such a visit.  How intense would be the delight of climbing over the wondrous76 handiwork of those wondrous architects so long since dead; how thrilling the awe with which one would penetrate77 down into their interior caves—those caves in which lay buried the bones of ancient kings, whose very names seem to have come to us almost from another world!
 
But all these feelings become strangely dim, their acute edges wonderfully worn, as the subjects which inspired them are brought near to us.  “Ah! so those are the Pyramids, are they?” says the traveller, when the first glimpse of them is shown to him from the window of a railway carriage.  “Dear me; they don’t look so very high, do they?  For Heaven’s sake put the blind down, or we shall be destroyed by the dust.”  And then the ecstasy78 and keen delight of the Pyramids has vanished for ever.
 
Our friends, therefore, who for weeks past had seen from a distance, though they had not yet visited them, did not seem to have any strong feeling on the subject as they trotted79 through the grove of palm-trees.  Mr. Damer had not yet escaped from his wife, who was still fretful from the result of her little accident.
 
“It was all the chattering80 of that Miss Dawkins,” said Mrs. Damer.  “She would not let me attend to what I was doing.”
 
“Miss Dawkins is an ass,” said her husband.
 
“It is a pity she has no one to look after her,” said Mrs. Damer.  M. Delabordeau was still listening to Miss Dawkins’s raptures81 about Mount Sinai.  “I wonder whether she has got any money,” said M. Delabordeau to himself.  “It can’t be much,” he went on thinking, “or she would not be left in this way by herself.”  And the result of his thoughts was that Miss Dawkins, if undertaken, might probably become more plague than profit.  As to Miss Dawkins herself, though she was ecstatic about Mount Sinai—which was not present—she seemed to have forgotten the poor Pyramids, which were then before her nose.
 
The two lads were riding races along the dusty path, much to the disgust of their donkey-boys.  Their time for enjoyment82 was to come.  There were hampers83 to be opened; and then the absolute climbing of the Pyramids would actually be a delight to them.
 
As for Miss Damer and Mr. Ingram, it was clear that they had forgotten palm-trees, Pyramids, the Nile, and all Egypt.  They had escaped to a much fairer paradise.
 
“Could I bear to live among Republicans?” said Fanny, repeating the last words of her American lover, and looking down from her donkey to the ground as she did so.  “I hardly know what Republicans are, Mr. Ingram.”
 
“Let me teach you,” said he.
 
“You do talk such nonsense.  I declare there is that Miss Dawkins looking at us as though she had twenty eyes.  Could you not teach her, Mr. Ingram?”
 
And so they emerged from the palm-tree grove, through a village crowded with dirty, straggling Arab children, on to the cultivated plain, beyond which the Pyramids stood, now full before them; the two large Pyramids, a smaller one, and the huge sphynx’s head all in a group together.
 
“Fanny,” said Bob Damer, riding up to her, “mamma wants you; so toddle84 back.”
 
“Mamma wants me!  What can she want me for now?” said Fanny, with a look of anything but filial duty in her face.
 
“To protect her from Miss Dawkins, I think.  She wants you to ride at her side, so that Dawkins mayn’t get at her.  Now, Mr. Ingram, I’ll bet you half-a-crown I’m at the top of the big Pyramid before you.”
 

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 luxurious S2pyv     
adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的
参考例句:
  • This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
  • The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。
2 monarchs aa0c84cc147684fb2cc83dc453b67686     
君主,帝王( monarch的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
  • Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务,也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分
3 quaint 7tqy2     
adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的
参考例句:
  • There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里,有很多小巷。
  • They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。
4 unintelligible sfuz2V     
adj.无法了解的,难解的,莫明其妙的
参考例句:
  • If a computer is given unintelligible data, it returns unintelligible results.如果计算机得到的是难以理解的数据,它给出的也将是难以理解的结果。
  • The terms were unintelligible to ordinary folk.这些术语一般人是不懂的。
5 intelligible rbBzT     
adj.可理解的,明白易懂的,清楚的
参考例句:
  • This report would be intelligible only to an expert in computing.只有计算机运算专家才能看懂这份报告。
  • His argument was barely intelligible.他的论点不易理解。
6 picturesque qlSzeJ     
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的
参考例句:
  • You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
  • That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。
7 delightfully f0fe7d605b75a4c00aae2f25714e3131     
大喜,欣然
参考例句:
  • The room is delightfully appointed. 这房子的设备令人舒适愉快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The evening is delightfully cool. 晚间凉爽宜人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
8 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
9 invalids 9666855fd5f6325a21809edf4ef7233e     
病人,残疾者( invalid的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The invention will confer a benefit on all invalids. 这项发明将有助于所有的残疾人。
  • H?tel National Des Invalids is a majestic building with a golden hemispherical housetop. 荣军院是有着半球形镀金屋顶的宏伟建筑。
10 diluted 016e8d268a5a89762de116a404413fef     
无力的,冲淡的
参考例句:
  • The paint can be diluted with water to make a lighter shade. 这颜料可用水稀释以使色度淡一些。
  • This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields. 这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。
11 deign 6mLzp     
v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事)
参考例句:
  • He doesn't deign to talk to unimportant people like me. 他不肯屈尊和像我这样不重要的人说话。
  • I would not deign to comment on such behaviour. 这种行为不屑我置评。
12 civilisation civilisation     
n.文明,文化,开化,教化
参考例句:
  • Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
  • This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。
13 abstemiousness a6a4bf21ec57d454bf322fcaefbc74f7     
n.适中,有节制
参考例句:
  • Moorel's habitual gravity, as well as his abstemiousness has so far recommended him to Mrs. Yorke. 穆尔素来行事稳重而且饮食有度,这一向得到约克夫人的称许。 来自辞典例句
  • This abstemiousness has served it well as the commodity cycle has turned. 这些节余在商品周期由盛转衰的时候大派用场。 来自互联网
14 chatter BUfyN     
vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战
参考例句:
  • Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
  • I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。
15 effrontery F8xyC     
n.厚颜无耻
参考例句:
  • This is a despicable fraud . Just imagine that he has the effrontery to say it.这是一个可耻的骗局. 他竟然有脸说这样的话。
  • One could only gasp at the sheer effrontery of the man.那人十足的厚颜无耻让人们吃惊得无话可说。
16 congregate jpEz5     
v.(使)集合,聚集
参考例句:
  • Now they can offer a digital place for their readers to congregate and talk.现在他们可以为读者提供一个数字化空间,让读者可以聚集和交谈。
  • This is a place where swans congregate.这是个天鹅聚集地。
17 amiable hxAzZ     
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的
参考例句:
  • She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
  • We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。
18 petrified 2e51222789ae4ecee6134eb89ed9998d     
adj.惊呆的;目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆,使惊呆;变僵硬;使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
  • The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 aspirants 472ecd97a62cf78b8eabaacabb2d8767     
n.有志向或渴望获得…的人( aspirant的名词复数 )v.渴望的,有抱负的,追求名誉或地位的( aspirant的第三人称单数 );有志向或渴望获得…的人
参考例句:
  • aspirants to the title of world champion 有志夺取世界冠军的人
  • The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out. 考试很严,几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
20 aspiring 3y2zps     
adj.有志气的;有抱负的;高耸的v.渴望;追求
参考例句:
  • Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
  • He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句
21 laden P2gx5     
adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的
参考例句:
  • He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
  • Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。
22 grievances 3c61e53d74bee3976a6674a59acef792     
n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 );苦衷;不满;牢骚
参考例句:
  • The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 nucleus avSyg     
n.核,核心,原子核
参考例句:
  • These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
  • These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。
24 adherents a7d1f4a0ad662df68ab1a5f1828bd8d9     
n.支持者,拥护者( adherent的名词复数 );党羽;徒子徒孙
参考例句:
  • He is a leader with many adherents. 他是个有众多追随者的领袖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The proposal is gaining more and more adherents. 该建议得到越来越多的支持者。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 Mediterranean ezuzT     
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的
参考例句:
  • The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
  • Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。
26 virtue BpqyH     
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力
参考例句:
  • He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
  • You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。
27 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对,敌对
参考例句:
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
28 whatsoever Beqz8i     
adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么
参考例句:
  • There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
  • All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样,你就怎样对人。
29 inclination Gkwyj     
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好
参考例句:
  • She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
  • I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。
30 feat 5kzxp     
n.功绩;武艺,技艺;adj.灵巧的,漂亮的,合适的
参考例句:
  • Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
  • He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。
31 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
32 lamentable A9yzi     
adj.令人惋惜的,悔恨的
参考例句:
  • This lamentable state of affairs lasted until 1947.这一令人遗憾的事态一直持续至1947年。
  • His practice of inebriation was lamentable.他的酗酒常闹得别人束手无策。
33 fatigue PhVzV     
n.疲劳,劳累
参考例句:
  • The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
  • I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。
34 longing 98bzd     
n.(for)渴望
参考例句:
  • Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
  • His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。
35 appendages 5ed0041aa3aab8c9e76c5d0b7c40fbe4     
n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 );依附的人;附属器官;附属肢体(如臂、腿、尾等)
参考例句:
  • The 11th segment carries a pair of segmented appendages, the cerci. 第十一节有一对分节的附肢,即尾须。 来自辞典例句
  • Paired appendages, with one on each side of the body, are common in many animals. 很多动物身上有成对的附肢,一侧一个,这是很普遍的现象。 来自辞典例句
36 conspicuous spszE     
adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的
参考例句:
  • It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显,抽烟对健康有害。
  • Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。
37 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
38 bestowed 12e1d67c73811aa19bdfe3ae4a8c2c28     
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
  • He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。
39 wont peXzFP     
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯
参考例句:
  • He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
  • It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。
40 sedulously c8c26b43645f472a76c56ac7fe5a2cd8     
ad.孜孜不倦地
参考例句:
  • In this view they were sedulously abetted by their mother, aunts and other elderly female relatives. 在这方面,他们得到了他们的母亲,婶婶以及其它年长的女亲戚们孜孜不倦的怂恿。
  • The clerk laid the two sheets of paper alongside and sedulously compared their contents. 那职员把两张纸并排放在前面,仔细比较。
41 persistent BSUzg     
adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的
参考例句:
  • Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
  • She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤,使她很难为情。
42 misgave 0483645f5fa7ca7262b31fba8a62f215     
v.使(某人的情绪、精神等)疑虑,担忧,害怕( misgive的过去式 )
参考例句:
  • Her mind misgave her about her friend. 她对她的朋友心存疑虑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The air was pitilessly raw and already my heart misgave me. 寒气透骨地阴冷,我心里一阵阵忐忑不安。 来自辞典例句
43 horrid arozZj     
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的
参考例句:
  • I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
  • The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃,她咽不下去。
44 odious l0zy2     
adj.可憎的,讨厌的
参考例句:
  • The judge described the crime as odious.法官称这一罪行令人发指。
  • His character could best be described as odious.他的人格用可憎来形容最贴切。
45 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
46 maternal 57Azi     
adj.母亲的,母亲般的,母系的,母方的
参考例句:
  • He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
  • The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。
47 unnatural 5f2zAc     
adj.不自然的;反常的
参考例句:
  • Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗?
  • She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。
48 corruptible ed9c0a622b435f8a50b1269ee71af1cb     
易腐败的,可以贿赂的
参考例句:
  • Things there were corruptible and subject to change and decay. 那儿的东西容易腐烂、变质。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
  • The body is corruptible but the spirit is incorruptible. 肉体会腐败,但精神不腐朽。
49 sarcasm 1CLzI     
n.讥讽,讽刺,嘲弄,反话 (adj.sarcastic)
参考例句:
  • His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
  • She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。
50 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
51 atoned 25563c9b777431278872a64e99ce1e52     
v.补偿,赎(罪)( atone的过去式和过去分词 );补偿,弥补,赎回
参考例句:
  • He atoned for his sin with life. 他以生命赎罪。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • She had atoned for everything by the sacrifice she had made of her life. 她用牺牲生命来抵偿了一切。 来自辞典例句
52 legitimate L9ZzJ     
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法
参考例句:
  • Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
  • That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。
53 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
54 reins 370afc7786679703b82ccfca58610c98     
感情,激情; 缰( rein的名词复数 ); 控制手段; 掌管; (成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的)保护带
参考例句:
  • She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
  • The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。
55 triumphantly 9fhzuv     
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地
参考例句:
  • The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
  • Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。
56 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
57 perils 3c233786f6fe7aad593bf1198cc33cbe     
极大危险( peril的名词复数 ); 危险的事(或环境)
参考例句:
  • The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
  • With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难?
58 abrupt 2fdyh     
adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的
参考例句:
  • The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
  • His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。
59 monstrous vwFyM     
adj.巨大的;恐怖的;可耻的,丢脸的
参考例句:
  • The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升,形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
  • Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人!
60 entreaties d56c170cf2a22c1ecef1ae585b702562     
n.恳求,乞求( entreaty的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • He began with entreaties and ended with a threat. 他先是恳求,最后是威胁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves. 暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
61 allied iLtys     
adj.协约国的;同盟国的
参考例句:
  • Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
  • Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。
62 cataract hcgyI     
n.大瀑布,奔流,洪水,白内障
参考例句:
  • He is an elderly gentleman who had had a cataract operation.他是一位曾经动过白内障手术的老人。
  • The way is blocked by the tall cataract.高悬的大瀑布挡住了去路。
63 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
64 averse 6u0zk     
adj.厌恶的;反对的,不乐意的
参考例句:
  • I don't smoke cigarettes,but I'm not averse to the occasional cigar.我不吸烟,但我不反对偶尔抽一支雪茄。
  • We are averse to such noisy surroundings.我们不喜欢这么吵闹的环境。
65 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
66 passionately YmDzQ4     
ad.热烈地,激烈地
参考例句:
  • She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿,也能爱得一往情深。
  • He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。
67 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧
参考例句:
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
68 horridness 8e867ab34f067a045e2f807b84e20676     
参考例句:
69 irrational UaDzl     
adj.无理性的,失去理性的
参考例句:
  • After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
  • There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。
70 patriotic T3Izu     
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的
参考例句:
  • His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
  • The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。
71 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
72 gracefully KfYxd     
ad.大大方方地;优美地
参考例句:
  • She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
  • The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
73 courteous tooz2     
adj.彬彬有礼的,客气的
参考例句:
  • Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一,但她总是很谦恭有礼。
  • He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善,而且彬彬有礼。
74 grove v5wyy     
n.林子,小树林,园林
参考例句:
  • On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
  • The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。
75 solicitude mFEza     
n.焦虑
参考例句:
  • Your solicitude was a great consolation to me.你对我的关怀给了我莫大的安慰。
  • He is full of tender solicitude towards my sister.他对我妹妹满心牵挂。
76 wondrous pfIyt     
adj.令人惊奇的,奇妙的;adv.惊人地;异乎寻常地;令人惊叹地
参考例句:
  • The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
  • We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。
77 penetrate juSyv     
v.透(渗)入;刺入,刺穿;洞察,了解
参考例句:
  • Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
  • The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。
78 ecstasy 9kJzY     
n.狂喜,心醉神怡,入迷
参考例句:
  • He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
  • Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具,高兴得说不出话来。
79 trotted 6df8e0ef20c10ef975433b4a0456e6e1     
小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句:
  • She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
  • Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。
80 chattering chattering     
n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
  • I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。
81 raptures 9c456fd812d0e9fdc436e568ad8e29c6     
极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Her heart melted away in secret raptures. 她暗自高兴得心花怒放。
  • The mere thought of his bride moves Pinkerton to raptures. 一想起新娘,平克顿不禁心花怒放。
82 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
83 hampers aedee0b9211933f51c82c37a6b8cd413     
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Prejudice sometimes hampers a person from doing the right thing. 有时候,偏见会妨碍人正确行事。
  • This behavior is the opposite of modeless feedback, and it hampers flow. 这个行为有悖于非模态的反馈,它阻碍了流。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
84 toddle BJczq     
v.(如小孩)蹒跚学步
参考例句:
  • The baby has just learned to toddle.小孩子刚会走道儿。
  • We watched the little boy toddle up purposefully to the refrigerator.我们看著那小男孩特意晃到冰箱前。


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