Tivoli was the favourite residence of the ancient Romans. The moderns give the preference to Frescati, in whose neighbourhood some of the most magnificent villas11 in Italy are situated12.
The villa1 Aldobrandini, called also Belvedere, is the most remarkable13, on account of its fine situation, extensive gardens, airy terraces, its grottos14, cascades16, and waterworks. Over a saloon, near the grand cascade15, is the following inscription17:
HIC DELPHI, HIC HELICON, HIC MIHI DELOS ERIT.
The walls are adorned19 with a representation of Apollo and the Muses20; and some of that God’s adventures are painted in Fresco21 by Domenichino, particularly the manner in which he treated Marsyas. This, in my humble22 opinion, had better been omitted; both because it is a disagreeable subject for a picture, and because it[332] does no honour to Apollo. Marsyas unquestionably was an object of contempt and ridicule23, on account of his presumption24; but the punishment said to have been inflicted25 on him exceeds all bounds, and renders the inflictor more detestable in our eyes than the insolent26 satyr himself. This story is so very much out of character, and so unlike the elegant god of poetry and music, that I am inclined to suspect it is not true. There is a report, equally incredible, which has been propagated by malicious27 people concerning his sister Diana; I do not mean her rencounter with Act?on, for the Goddess of Chastity may, without inconsistency, be supposed cruel, but it is quite impossible to reconcile her general character with the stories of her nocturnal visits to Endymion.
The villa Ludovisi is remarkable for its gardens and waterworks. The hills on which Frescati is situated, afford great abundance of water, a circumstance of[333] which the owners of those villas have profited, all of them being ornamented28 with fountains, cascades, or waterworks of some kind or other.
The villa Taverna, belonging to the Prince Borghese, is one of the finest and best furnished of any in the neighbourhood of Rome. From this you ascend29 through gardens to Monte Dracone, another palace on a more lofty situation, belonging also to that Prince, and deriving30 its name from the arms of his family. The ancient city of Tusculum is supposed to have stood on the spot, or very near it, where Frescati now is built; and at the distance of about a mile and a half, it is generally believed, was the Tusculan villa of Cicero, at a place now called Grotta Ferrata. Some Greek monks31 of the order of St. Basil, flying from the persecution32 of the Saracens in the eleventh century, were permitted to build a convent on the ruins of Cicero’s famous house. They still perform the service in the Greek language.
[334]
Whichever way you walk from Frescati, you have the most delightful33 scenes before you. I passed two very agreeable days, wandering through the gardens and from villa to villa. The pleasure of our party was not a little augmented34 by the observations of Mr. B——, a lively old gentleman from Scotland, a man of worth but no antiquarian, and indeed no admirer of any thing, ancient or modern, which has not some relation to his native country; but to ballance that indifference35, he feels the warmest regard for every thing which has. We extended our walks as far as the lake of Nemi, a bason of water lying in a very deep bottom, about four miles in circumference36, whose surrounding hills are covered with tall and shady trees. Here
Black Melancholy37 sits, and round her throws
Her gloomy presence saddens all the scene,
Shades every flower, and darkens every green.
[335]
I never saw a place more formed for contemplation and solemn ideas. In ancient times there was a temple here sacred to Diana. The lake itself was called Speculum Dian?, and Lacus Trivi?, and is the place mentioned in the seventh Book of the ?neid, where the Fury Alecto is described blowing the trumpet40 of war, at whose dreadful sound the woods and mountains shook, and mothers, trembling for their children, pressed them to their bosoms41.
Contremuit nemus, et sylv? intonuere profund?,
Audiit et trivi? longe lacus——[7]
Et trepid? matres pressere ad pectora natus.
We returned by Gensano, Marino, La Riccia, and Castel Gondolfo. All the villages and villas I have named communicate with each other by fine walks and avenues of lofty trees, whose intermingling[336] branches form a continued shade for the traveller. Castel Gondolfo is a little village near the lake Albano, on one extremity43 of which is a castle, belonging to his Holiness, from which the village takes its name; there is nothing remarkably44 fine in this villa, except its situation. Near the village of Castel Gondolfo, is the villa Barbarini, within the gardens of which are the ruins of an immense palace, built by the Emperor Domitian. There is a charming walk, about a mile in length, along the side of the lake from Castel Gondolfo to the town of Albano. The lake of Albano is an oval piece of water of about seven or eight miles circumference, whose margin45 is finely adorned with groves46 and trees of various verdure, beautifully reflected from the transparent48 bosom42 of the lake; and which, with the surrounding hills, and the Castel Gondolfo which crowns one of them, has a fine picturesque49 effect.
[337]
The grand scale on which the beauties of nature appear in Switzerland and the Alps, has been considered by some, as too vast for the pencil; but among the sweet hills and vallies of Italy, her features are brought nearer the eye, are fully47 seen and understood, and appear in all the bloom of rural loveliness. Tivoli, Albano, and Frescati, therefore, are the favourite abodes50 of the landscape-painters who travel to this country for improvement; and in the opinion of some, those delightful villages furnish studies better suited to the powers of their art, than even Switzerland itself. Nothing can surpass the admirable assemblage of hills, meadows, lakes, cascades, gardens, ruins, groves, and terraces, which charm the eye, as you wander among the shades of Frescati and Albano, which appear in new beauty as they are viewed from different points, and captivate the beholder51 with endless variety. One reflection obtrudes52 itself on the mind, and disturbs the satisfaction which such pleasing[338] scenes would otherwise produce; it arises from beholding53 the poverty of infinitely54 the greater part of the inhabitants of those villages—Not that they seem miserable55 or discontented—a few roasted chesnuts, and some bunches of grapes, which they may have for a penny, will maintain them; but the easier they are satisfied, and the less repining they are, the more earnestly do we wish that they were better provided for. Good heavens! why should so much be heaped on a few, whom profusion56 cannot satisfy; while a bare competency is withheld57 from multitudes, whom penury58 cannot render discontented?
The most commanding view is from the garden of a convent of Capucins, at no great distance from Albano. Directly before you is the lake, with the mountains and woods which surround it, and the castle of Gondolfo; on one hand is Frescati with all its villas; on the other,[339] the towns of Albano, La Riccia, and Gensano; beyond these you have an uninterrupted view of the Campagna, with St. Peter’s church and the city of Rome in the middle; the whole prospect59 being bounded by the hills of Tivoli, the Apennines, and the Mediterranean60.
While we contemplated61 all these objects with pleasure and admiration62, an English gentleman of the party said to Mr. B——, “There is not a prospect equal to this in all France or Germany, and not any superior even in England.” “That I well believe,” replied the Caledonian; “but if I had you in Scotland, I could shew you several with which this is by no means to be compared.” “Indeed! Pray in what part of Scotland are they to be seen?” “I presume you never was at the castle of Edinburgh, Sir?” “Never.” “Or at Stirling?” “Never.” “Did you ever see Loch Lomond, Sir?” “I never did.” “I suppose I need not[340] ask, whether you have ever been in Aberdeenshire, or the Highlands, or—” “I must confess once for all,” interrupted the Englishman, “that I have the misfortune never to have seen any part of Scotland.” “Then I am not surprised,” said the Scot, taking a large pinch of snuff, “that you think this the finest view you ever saw.” “I presume you think those in Scotland a great deal finer?” “A very great deal indeed, Sir; why that lake, for example, is a pretty thing enough; I dare swear, many an English nobleman would give a good deal to have such another before his house; but Loch Lomond is thirty miles in length, Sir! there are above twenty islands in it, Sir! that is a lake for you. As for their desert of a Campagna, as they call it, no man who has eyes in his head, Sir, will compare it to the fertile valley of Stirling, with the Forth63, the most beautiful river in Europe, twining through[341] it.” “Do you really in your conscience imagine,” said the Englishman, “that the Forth is a finer river than the Thames?” “The Thames!” exclaimed the North Briton, “Why, my dear Sir, the Thames at London is a mere64 gutter65, in comparison of the Firth of Forth at Edinburgh.” “I suppose then,” said the Englishman, recovering himself, “you do not approve of the view from Windsor Castle?” “I ask your pardon,” replied the other; “I approve of it very much; it is an exceeding pretty kind of a prospect; the country appears from it as agreeable to the sight as any plain flat country, crowded with trees, and intersected by enclosures, can well do; but I own I am of opinion, that mere fertile fields, woods, rivers, and meadows, can never, of themselves, perfectly66 satisfy the eye.” “You imagine, no doubt,” said the Englishman, “that a few heath-covered mountains and rocks embellish[342] a country very much?” “I am precisely67 of that opinion,” said the Scot; “and you will as soon convince me that a woman may be completely beautiful with fine eyes, good teeth, and a fair complexion68, though she should not have a nose on her face, as that a landscape, or country, can be completely beautiful without a mountain.” “Well, but here are mountains enough,” resumed the other; “look around you.” “Mountains!” cried the Caledonian, “very pretty mountains, truly! They call that Castel Gondolfo of theirs a castle too, and a palace, forsooth! but does that make it a residence fit for a Prince?” “Why, upon my word, I do not think it much amiss,” said the other; “it looks full as well as the palace of St. James’s.” “The palace of St. James’s,” exclaimed the Scot, “is a scandal to the nation; it is both a shame and a sin, that so great a monarch69 as the King of Scotland, England,[343] and Ireland, with his Royal consort70, and their large family of small children, should live in a shabby old cloister71, hardly good enough for monks. The palace of Holyrood-house, indeed, is a residence meet for a king.” “And the gardens; pray what sort of gardens have you belonging to that palace?” said the Englishman; “I have been told you do not excel in those.” “But we excel in gardeners,” replied the other, “which are as much preferable as the creator is preferable to the created.” “I am surprised, however,” rejoined the South Briton, “that, in a country like yours, where there are so many creators, so very few fruit-gardens are created.” “Why, Sir, it is not to be expected,” said Mr. B——, “that anyone country will excel in every thing. Some enjoy a climate more favourable72 for peaches, and vines, and nectarines; but, by G—, Sir, no country on earth produces better men and women than Scotland.” “I dare say none does,” replied[344] the other. “So as France excels in wines, England in wool and oxen, Arabia in horses, and other countries in other animals, you imagine Scotland excels all others in the human species.” “What I said, Sir, was, that the human species in no country excel those in Scotland; and that I assert again, and will maintain, Sir, to my last gasp73.” “I do not intend to deny it,” said the Englishman; “but you will permit me to observe, that, men being its staple74 commodity, it must be owned that Scotland carries on a brisk trade; for I know no country that has a greater exportation; you will find Scotchmen in all the countries of the world.” “So much the better for all the countries of the world,” said Mr. B——; “for every body knows that the Scotch75 cultivate and improve the arts and sciences wherever they go.” “They certainly improve their own fortunes wherever they go,” rejoined the other;—“like their gardeners, though they[345] can create little or nothing at home, they often create very good fortunes in other countries; and this is one reason of our having the pleasure of so much of their company in London.” “Whether it affords you pleasure or not, Sir, nothing can be more certain,” replied the Scot in the most serious tone, “than that you may improve very much by their company and example. But there are various reasons,” continued he, “for so many of my countrymen sojourning in London. That city is now, in some measure, the capital of Scotland as well as of England. The seat of government is there; the King of Scotland, as well as of England, resides there; the Scotch nobility and gentry76 have as good a right to be near the person of their Sovereign as the English; and you must allow, that, if some Scotchmen make fortunes in England, many of our best estates are also spent there. But you mean to say, that the Scotch,[346] in general, are poor in comparison of the English. This we do not deny, and cannot possibly forget, your countrymen refresh our memories with it so often. We allow, therefore, that you have this advantage over us;—and the Persians had the same over the Macedonians at the battle of Arbela. But, whether Scotland be poor or rich, those Scots who settle in England must carry industry, talents, or wealth with them, otherwise they will starve there as well as elsewhere; and when one country draws citizens of this description from another, I leave you to judge which has the most reason to complain. And let me tell you, Sir, upon the whole, the advantages which England derives from the union, are manifest and manifold.” “I cannot say,” replied the Englishman, “that I have thought much on this subject; but I shall be obliged to you if you will enumerate77 a few of them.” “In the first place,” resumed[347] the Scot, “Has she not greatly increased in wealth since that time?” “She has so,” replied the other, smiling, “and I never knew the real cause before.” “In the next place, Has she not acquired a million and a half of subjects, who otherwise would have been with her enemies? For this, and other reasons, they are equivalent to three millions. In the third place, Has she not acquired security? without which riches are of no value. There is no door open now, Sir, by which the French can enter into your country. They dare as soon be d—— as attempt to invade Scotland; so if you can defend your own coast, there is no fear of you; but without a perfect union with Scotland, England could not enjoy the principal benefit she derives from her insular78 situation.” “Not till Scotland should be subdued,” said the Englishman. “Subdued!” repeated the astonished Scot; “let me tell you, Sir, that is a very strange hypothesis; the fruitless[348] attempts of many centuries might have taught you that the thing is impossible; and, if you are conversant80 in history, you will find, that, after the decline of the Roman Empire, the course of conquest was from the North to the South.” “You mean,” said the South Briton, “that Scotland would have conquered England.” “Sir,” replied the other, “I think the English as brave a nation as ever existed, and therefore I will not say that the Scotch are braver; far less shall I assert, that they, consisting of only a fifth part of the numbers, could subdue79 the English; but I am sure, that rather than submit they would try; and you will admit that the trial would be no advantage to either country.” “Although I am fully convinced,” said the Englishman, “how the experiment would end, I should be sorry to see it made, particularly at this time.” “Yet, Sir,” rejoined the Scot, “there are people of your country, as I am told,[349] who, even at this time, endeavour to exasperate81 the minds of the inhabitants of one part of Great Britain against the natives of the other, and to create dissension between two countries, whose mutual82 safety depends on their good agreement; two countries whom Nature herself, by separating them from the rest of the world, and encircling them with her azure83 bond of union, seems to have intended for one.” “I do assure you, my good Sir,” said the English Gentleman, “I am not of the number of those who wish to raise such dissension. I love the Scotch; I always thought them a sensible and gallant84 people; and some of the most valued friends I have on earth, are of your country.” “You are a man of honour and discernment,” said the Caledonian, seizing him eagerly by the hand; “and I protest, without prejudice or partiality, that I never knew a man of that character who was not of your way of thinking.”
[7] The intervening words are cold, and not much connected with the fine line which concludes the quotation85.
点击收听单词发音
1 villa | |
n.别墅,城郊小屋 | |
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2 declivity | |
n.下坡,倾斜面 | |
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3 derives | |
v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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4 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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5 eldest | |
adj.最年长的,最年老的 | |
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6 cardinal | |
n.(天主教的)红衣主教;adj.首要的,基本的 | |
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7 cardinals | |
红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 ); 红衣凤头鸟(见于北美,雄鸟为鲜红色); 基数 | |
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8 simplicity | |
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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9 benevolence | |
n.慈悲,捐助 | |
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10 bounty | |
n.慷慨的赠予物,奖金;慷慨,大方;施与 | |
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11 villas | |
别墅,公馆( villa的名词复数 ); (城郊)住宅 | |
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12 situated | |
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的 | |
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13 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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14 grottos | |
n.(吸引人的)岩洞,洞穴,(人挖的)洞室( grotto的名词复数 ) | |
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15 cascade | |
n.小瀑布,喷流;层叠;vi.成瀑布落下 | |
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16 cascades | |
倾泻( cascade的名词复数 ); 小瀑布(尤指一连串瀑布中的一支); 瀑布状物; 倾泻(或涌出)的东西 | |
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17 inscription | |
n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文 | |
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18 ego | |
n.自我,自己,自尊 | |
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19 adorned | |
[计]被修饰的 | |
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20 muses | |
v.沉思,冥想( muse的第三人称单数 );沉思自语说(某事) | |
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21 fresco | |
n.壁画;vt.作壁画于 | |
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22 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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23 ridicule | |
v.讥讽,挖苦;n.嘲弄 | |
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24 presumption | |
n.推测,可能性,冒昧,放肆,[法律]推定 | |
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25 inflicted | |
把…强加给,使承受,遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26 insolent | |
adj.傲慢的,无理的 | |
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27 malicious | |
adj.有恶意的,心怀恶意的 | |
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28 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29 ascend | |
vi.渐渐上升,升高;vt.攀登,登上 | |
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30 deriving | |
v.得到( derive的现在分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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31 monks | |
n.修道士,僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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32 persecution | |
n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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33 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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34 Augmented | |
adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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35 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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36 circumference | |
n.圆周,周长,圆周线 | |
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37 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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38 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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39 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
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40 trumpet | |
n.喇叭,喇叭声;v.吹喇叭,吹嘘 | |
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41 bosoms | |
胸部( bosom的名词复数 ); 胸怀; 女衣胸部(或胸襟); 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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42 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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43 extremity | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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44 remarkably | |
ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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45 margin | |
n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘 | |
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46 groves | |
树丛,小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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47 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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48 transparent | |
adj.明显的,无疑的;透明的 | |
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49 picturesque | |
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的 | |
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50 abodes | |
住所( abode的名词复数 ); 公寓; (在某地的)暂住; 逗留 | |
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51 beholder | |
n.观看者,旁观者 | |
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52 obtrudes | |
v.强行向前,强行,强迫( obtrude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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53 beholding | |
v.看,注视( behold的现在分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
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54 infinitely | |
adv.无限地,无穷地 | |
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55 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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56 profusion | |
n.挥霍;丰富 | |
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57 withheld | |
withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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58 penury | |
n.贫穷,拮据 | |
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59 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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60 Mediterranean | |
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的 | |
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61 contemplated | |
adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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62 admiration | |
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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63 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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64 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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65 gutter | |
n.沟,街沟,水槽,檐槽,贫民窟 | |
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66 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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67 precisely | |
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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68 complexion | |
n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格 | |
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69 monarch | |
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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70 consort | |
v.相伴;结交 | |
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71 cloister | |
n.修道院;v.隐退,使与世隔绝 | |
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72 favourable | |
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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73 gasp | |
n.喘息,气喘;v.喘息;气吁吁他说 | |
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74 staple | |
n.主要产物,常用品,主要要素,原料,订书钉,钩环;adj.主要的,重要的;vt.分类 | |
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75 scotch | |
n.伤口,刻痕;苏格兰威士忌酒;v.粉碎,消灭,阻止;adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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76 gentry | |
n.绅士阶级,上层阶级 | |
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77 enumerate | |
v.列举,计算,枚举,数 | |
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78 insular | |
adj.岛屿的,心胸狭窄的 | |
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79 subdue | |
vt.制服,使顺从,征服;抑制,克制 | |
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80 conversant | |
adj.亲近的,有交情的,熟悉的 | |
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81 exasperate | |
v.激怒,使(疾病)加剧,使恶化 | |
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82 mutual | |
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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83 azure | |
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 | |
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84 gallant | |
adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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85 quotation | |
n.引文,引语,语录;报价,牌价,行情 | |
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