Days, weeks, two whole months of seclusion1 in the country slipped by unnoticed, as we thought then; and yet those two months comprised feelings, emotions, and happiness, sufficient for a lifetime. Our plans for the regulation of our life in the country were not carried out at all in the way that we expected; but the reality was not inferior to our ideal. There was none of that hard work, performance of duty, self-sacrifice, and life for others, which I had pictured to myself before our marriage; there was, on the contrary, merely a selfish feeling of love for one another, a wish to be loved, a constant causeless gaiety and entire oblivion of all the world. It is true that my husband sometimes went to his study to work, or drove to town on business, or walked about attending to the management of the estate; but I saw what it cost him to tear himself away from me. He confessed later that every occupation, in my absence, seemed to him mere2 nonsense in which it was impossible to take any interest. It was just the same with me. If I read, or played the piano, or passed my time with his mother, or taught in the school, I did so only because each of these occupations was connected with him and won his approval; but whenever the thought of him was not associated with any duty, my hands fell by my sides and it seemed to me absurd to think that any thing existed apart from him. Perhaps it was a wrong and selfish feeling, but it gave me happiness and lifted me high above all the world. He alone existed on earth for me, and I considered him the best and most faultless man in the world; so that I could not live for anything else than for him, and my one object was to realize his conception of me. And in his eyes I was the first and most excellent woman in the world, the possessor of all possible virtues3; and I strove to be that woman in the opinion of the first and best of men.
He came to my room one day while I was praying. I looked round at him and went on with my prayers. Not wishing to interrupt me, he sat down at a table and opened a book. But I thought he was looking at me and looked round myself. He smiled, I laughed, and had to stop my prayers.
“Have you prayed already?” I asked.
“Yes. But you go; I’ll go away.”
“You do say your prayers, I hope?”
He made no answer and was about to leave the room when I stopped him.
“Darling, for my sake, please repeat the prayers with me!” He stood up beside me, dropped his arms awkwardly, and began, with a serious face and some
hesitation4. Occasionally he turned towards me, seeking signs of approval and aid in my face.
When he came to an end, I laughed and embraced him.
“I feel just as if I were ten! And you do it all!” he said, blushing and kissing my hands.
Our house was one of those old-fashioned country houses in which several generations have passed their lives together under one roof, respecting and loving one another. It was all redolent of good sound family traditions, which as soon as I entered it seemed to become mine too. The management of the household was carried on by Tatyana Semyonovna, my mother-inlaw, on old-fashioned lines. Of grace and beauty there was not much; but, from the servants down to the furniture and food, there was abundance of everything, and a general cleanliness, solidity, and order, which inspired respect. The drawing room furniture was arranged symmetrically; there were portraits on the walls, and the floor was covered with home-made carpets and mats. In the morning-room there was an old piano, with chiffoniers of two different patterns, sofas, and little carved tables with bronze
ornaments5. My sitting room,
specially6 arranged by Tatyana Semyonovna, contained the best furniture in the house, of many styles and periods, including an old pierglass, which I was frightened to look into at first, but came to value as an old friend. Though Tatyana Semyonovna’s voice was never heard, the whole household went like a clock. The number of servants was far too large (they all wore soft boots with no heels, because Tatyana Semyonovna had an intense dislike for stamping heels and creaking soles); but they all seemed proud of their calling, trembled before their old mistress, treated my husband and me with an affectionate air of
patronage8, and performed their duties, to all appearance, with extreme satisfaction. Every Saturday the floors were
scoured9 and the carpets beaten without fail; on the first of every month there was a religious service in the house and holy water was sprinkled; on Tatyana Semyonovna’s name day and on her son’s (and on mine too, beginning from that autumn) an entertainment was regularly provided for the whole neighborhood. and all this had gone on without a break ever since the beginning of Tatyana Semyonovna’s life.
My husband took no part in the household management, he attended only to the farm-work and the
laborers10, and gave much time to this. Even in winter he got up so early that I often woke to find him gone. He generally came back for early tea, which we drank alone together; and at that time, when the worries and vexations of the farm were over, he was almost always in that state of high spirits which we called “wild ecstasy”. I often made him tell me what he had been doing in the morning, and he gave such absurd accounts that we both laughed till we cried. Sometimes I insisted on a serious account, and he gave it, restraining a smile. I watched his eyes and moving lips and took nothing in: the sight of him and the sound of his voice was pleasure enough.
“Well, what have I been saying? repeat it,” he would sometimes say. But I could repeat nothing. It seemed so absurd that he should talk to me of any other subject than ourselves. As if it mattered in the least what went on in the world outside! It was at a much later time that I began to some extent to understand and take an interest in his occupations. Tatyana Semyonovna never appeared before dinner: she breakfasted alone and said good morning to us by deputy. In our exclusive little world of
frantic11 happiness a voice form the staid orderly region in which she dwelt was quite startling: I often lost self-control and could only laugh without speaking, when the maid stood before me with folded hands and made her formal report: “The mistress bade me inquire how you slept after your walk yesterday evening; and about her I was to report that she had pain in her side all night, and a stupid dog barked in the village and kept her awake; and also I was to ask how you liked the bread this morning, and to tell you that it was not Taras who baked today, but Nikolashka who was trying his hand for the first time; and she says his baking is not at all bad, especially the cracknesl: but the tea-rusks were over-baked.” Before dinner we saw little of each other: he wrote or went out again while I played the piano or read; but at four o’clock we all met in the drawing room before dinner. Tatyana Semyonovna sailed out of her own room, and certain poor and
pious12 maiden13 ladies, of whom there were always two or three living in the house, made their appearance also. Every day without fail my husband by old habit offered his arm to his mother, to take her in to dinner; but she insisted that I should take the other, so that every day, without fail, we stuck in the doors and got in each other’s way. She also presided at dinner, where the conversation, if rather solemn, was polite and sensible. The commonplace talk between my husband and me was a pleasant interruption to the formality of those entertainments. Sometimes there were squabbles between mother and son and they
bantered14 one another; and I especially enjoyed the scenes, because they were the best proof of the strong and tender love which united the two. after dinner Tatyana Semyonovna went to the
parlor15, where she sat in an armchair and ground her snuff or cut the leaves of new books, while we read aloud or went off to the piano in the morning room. We read much together at this time, but music was our favorite and best
enjoyment16, always
evoking17 fresh chords in our hearts and as it were revealing each afresh to the other. While I played his favorite pieces, he sat on a distant sofa where I could hardly see him. He was ashamed to betray the impression produced on him by the music; but often, when he was not expecting it, I rose from the piano, went up to him, and tried to detect on his face signs of emotion — the
unnatural18 brightness and moistness of the eyes, which he tried in vain to
conceal19. Tatyana Semyonovna, though she often wanted to take a look at us there, was also anxious to put no
constraint20 upon us. So she always passed through the room with an air of
indifference21 and a
pretence22 of being busy; but I knew that she had no real reason for going to her room and returning so soon. In the evening I poured out tea in the large drawing room, and all the household met again. This solemn ceremony of distributing cups and glasses before the solemnly shining samovar made me nervous for a long time. I felt myself still unworthy of such a distinction, too young and
frivolous23 to turn the tap of such a big samovar, to put glasses on Nikita’s salver, saying “For Peter Ivanovich”, “For Marya Minichna”, to ask “Is it sweet enough?” and to leave out limps of sugar for Nurse and other deserving persons. “Capital! capital! Just like a grown-up person!” was a frequent comment from my husband, which only increased my confusion.
After tea Tatyana Semyonovna played patience or listened to Marya Minichna telling fortunes by the cards. Then she kissed us both and signed us with the cross, and we went off to our own rooms. But we generally sat up together till midnight, and that was our best and pleasantest time. He told me stories of his past life; we made plans and sometimes even talked philosophy; but we tried always to speak low, for fear we should be heard upstairs and reported to Tatyana Semyonovna, who insisted on our going to bed early. Sometimes we grew hungry; and then we stole off to the pantry, secured a cold supper by the good offices of Nikita, and ate it in my sitting room by the light of one candle. He and I lived like strangers in that big old house, where the uncompromising spirit of the past and of Tatyana Semyonovna ruled
supreme24. Not she only, but the servants, the old ladies, the furniture, even the pictures, inspired me with respect and a little alarm, and made me feel that he and I were a little out of place in that house and must always be very careful and cautious in our doings. Thinking it over now, I see that many things — the pressure of that unvarying routine, and that crowd of idle and
inquisitive25 servants — were uncomfortable and oppressive; but at the time that very constraint made our love for one another still keener. Not I only, but he also, never
grumbled26 openly at anything; on the contrary he shut his eyes to what was amiss. Dmitriy Sidorov, one of the footmen, was a great
smoker27; and regularly every day, when we two were in the morning room after dinner, he went to my husband’s study to take tobacco from the jar; and it was a sight to see Sergey Mikhaylych creeping on tiptoe to me with a face between delight and terror, and a
wink28 and a warning
forefinger29, while he
pointed30 at Dmitriy Sidorov, who was quite unconscious of being watched. Then, when Dmitriy Sidorov had gone away without having seen us, in his joy that all had passed off successfully, he declared (as he did on every other occasion) that I was a darling, and kissed me. At times his calm
connivance32 and apparent indifference to everything annoyed me, and I took it for weakness, never noticing that I acted in the same way myself. “It’s like a child who dares not show his will,” I thought.
“My dear! my dear!” he said once when I told him that his weakness surprised me; “how can a man, as happy as I am, be dissatisfied with anything? Better to give way myself than to put compulsion on others; of that I have long been convinced. There is no condition in which one cannot be happy; but our life is such
bliss33! I simply cannot be angry; to me now nothing seems bad, but only pitiful and amusing. Above all — le mieux est l’ennemi du bien. Will you believe it, when I hear a ring at the bell, or receive a letter, or even wake up in the morning, I’m frightened. Life must go on, something may change; and nothing can be better than the present.”
I believed him but did not understand him. I was happy; but I took that as a matter of course, the invariable experience of people in our position, and believed that there was somewhere, I knew not where, a different happiness, not greater but different.
So two months went by and winter came with its cold and snow; and, in spite of his company, I began to feel lonely, that life was repeating itself, that there was nothing new either in him or in myself, and that we were merely going back to what had been before. He began to give more time to business which kept him away from me, and my old feeling returned, that there was a special department of his mind into which he was
unwilling34 to admit me. His unbroken calmness provoked me. I loved him as much as ever and was as happy as ever in his love; but my love, instead of increasing, stood still; and another new and
disquieting35 sensation began to creep into my heart. To love him was not enough for me after the happiness I had felt in falling in love. I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt in myself a superabundance of energy which found no
outlet36 in our quiet life. I had fits of depression which I was ashamed of and tried to conceal from him, and fits of excessive tenderness and high spirits which alarmed him. He realized my state of mind before I did, and proposed a visit to Petersburg; but I begged him to give this up and not to change our manner of life or spoil our happiness. Happy indeed I was; but I was
tormented37 by the thought that this happiness cost me no effort and no sacrifice, though I was even painfully conscious of my power to fact both. I loved him and saw that I was all in all to him; but I wanted everyone to see our love; I wanted to love him in spite of obstacles. My mind, and even my senses, were
fully31 occupied; but there was another feeling of youth and
craving39 for movement, which found no satisfaction in our quiet life. What made him say that, whenever I liked, we could go to town? Had he not said so I might have realized that my uncomfortable feelings were my own fault and dangerous nonsense, and that the sacrifice I desired was there before me, in the task of overcoming these feelings. I was haunted by the thought that I could escape from depression by a mere change from the country; and at the same time I felt ashamed and sorry to tear him away, out of selfish
motives40, from all he cared for. So time went on, the snow grew deeper, and there we remained together, all alone and just the same as before, while outside I knew there was noise and glitter and excitement, and hosts of people suffering or rejoicing without one thought of us and our remote existence. I suffered most from the feeling that custom was daily
petrifying41 our lives into one
fixed42 shape, that our minds were losing their freedom and becoming enslaved to the steady passionless course of time. The morning always found us cheerful; we were polite at dinner, and affectionate in the evening. “It is all right,” I thought, “to do good to others and lead upright lives, as he says; but there is time for that later; and there are other things, for which the time is now or never.” I wanted, not what I had got, but a life of struggle; I wanted feeling to be the guide of life, and not life to guide feeling. If only I could go with him to the edge of a
precipice43 and say, “One step, and I shall fall over — one movement, and I shall be lost!” then, pale with fear, he would catch me in his strong arms and hold me over the edge till my blood froze, and then carry me off whither he pleased.
This state of feeling even
affected44 my health, and I began to suffer from nerves. One morning I was worse than usual. He had come beck from the estate office out of sorts, which was a rare thing with him. I noticed it at once and asked what was the matter. He would not tell me and said it was of no importance. I found out afterwards that the police
inspector45, out of spite against my husband, was summoning our peasants, making illegal demands on them, and using threats to them. My husband could not swallow this at once; he could not feel it merely “pitiful and amusing”. He was provoked, and therefore unwilling to speak of it to me. But it seemed to me that he did not wish to speak to about it because he considered me a mere child,
incapable46 of understanding his concerns. I turned from him and said no more. I then told the servant to ask Marya Minichna, who was staying in the house, to join us at breakfast. I ate my breakfast very fast and took her to the morning room where I began to talk loudly to her about some trifle which did not interest me in he least. He walked about the room, glancing at us from time to time. This made me more and more inclined to talk and even to laugh; all that I said myself, and all that Marya Minichna said, seemed to me laughable. Without a word to me he went off to his study and shut the door behind him. When I ceased to hear him, all my high spirits vanished at once; indeed Marya Minichna was surprised and asked what was the matter. I sat down on a sofa without answering, and felt ready to cry. “What has he got on his mind?” I wondered; “some trifle which he thinks important; but, if he tried to tell it me, I should soon show him it was mere nonsense. But he must needs think that I won’t understand, must
humiliate48 me by his
majestic49 composure, and always be in the right as against me. But I too am in the right when I find things
tiresome50 and trivial,” I reflected; “and I do well to want an active life rather than to
stagnate51 in one spot and feel life flowing past me. I want to move forward, to have some new experience every day and every hour, whereas he wants to stand still and to keep me
standing47 beside him. And how easy it would be for him to gratify me! He need not take me to town; he need only be like me and not put compulsion on himself and regulate his feelings, but live simply. That is the advice he gives me, but he is not simple himself. That is what is the matter.”
I felt the tears rising and knew that I was irritated with him. My
irritation52 frightened me, and I went to his study. He was sitting at the table, writing. Hearing my step, he looked up for a moment and then went on writing; he seemed calm and unconcerned. His look
vexed53 me: instead of going up to him, I stood beside his writing table, opened a book, and began to look at it. He broke off his writing again and looked at me.
“Masha, are you out of sorts?” he asked.
I replied with a cold look, as much as to say, “You are very polite, but what is the use of asking?” He shook his head and smiled with a tender timid air; but his smile, for the first time, drew no answering smile from me.
“What happened to you today?” I asked; “why did you not tell me?”
“Nothing much — a
trifling54 nuisance,” he said. “But I might tell you now. Two of our serfs went off to the town . . .”
But I would not let him go on.
“Why would you not tell me, when I asked you at breakfast?:
“I was angry then and should have said something foolish.”
“I wished to know then.”
“Why?”
“Why do you suppose that I can never help you in anything?”
“Not help me!” he said, dropping his pen. “Why, I believe that without you I could not live. You not only help me in everything I do, but you do it yourself. You are very wide of the mark,” he said, and laughed. “My life depends on you. I am pleased with things, only because you are there, because I need you . . .”
“Yes, I know; I am a
delightful55 child who must be humored and kept quiet,” I said in a voice that astonished him, so that he looked up as if this was a new experience; “but I don’t want to be quiet and calm; that is more in your line, and too much in your line,” I added.
“Well,” he began quickly, interrupting me and evidently afraid to let me continue, “when I tell you the facts, I should like to know your opinion.”
“I don’t want to hear them now,” I answered. I did want to hear the story, but I found it so pleasant to break down his composure. “I don’t want to play at life,” I said, “but to live, as you do yourself.”
His face, which reflected every feeling so quickly and so
vividly56, now expressed pain and intense attention.
“I want to share your life, to . . .,” but I could not go on — his face showed such deep
distress57. He was silent for a moment.
“But what part of my life do you not share?” he asked; “is it because I, and not you, have to bother with the inspector and with tipsy laborers?”
“That’s not the only thing,” I said.
“For God’s sake try to understand me, my dear!” he cried. “I know that excitement is always painful; I have learnt that from the experience of life. I love you, and I can’t but wish to save you from excitement. My life consists of my love for you; so you should not make life impossible for me.”
“You are always in the right,” I said without looking at him.
“Masha, what is the matter?” he asked. “The question is not, which of us is in the right — not at all; but rather, what
grievance60 have you against me? Take time before you answer, and tell me all that is in your mind. You are dissatisfied with me: and you are, no doubt, right; but let me understand what I have done wrong.”
But how could I put my feeling into words? That he understood me at once, that I again stood before him like a child, that I could do nothing without his understanding and foreseeing it — all this only increased my
agitation61.
“I have no complaint to make of you,” I said; “I am merely bored and want not to be bored. But you say that it can’t be helped, and, as always, you are right.”
I looked at him as I
spoke62. I had gained my object: his calmness had disappeared, and I read fear and pain in his face.
“Masha,” he began in a low troubled voice, “this is no mere trifle: the happiness of our lives is at stake. Please hear me out without answering. why do you wish to
torment38 me?”
But I interrupted him.
“Oh, I know you will turn out to be right. Words are useless; of course you are right.” I spoke coldly, as if some evil spirit were speaking with my voice.
“If you only knew what you are doing!” he said, and his voice shook.
I burst out crying and felt relieved. He sat down beside me and said nothing. I felt sorry for him, ashamed of myself, and annoyed at what I had done. I avoided looking at him. I felt that any look from him at that moment must express severity or perplexity. At last I looked up and saw his eyes: they were fixed on me with a tender gentle expression that seemed to ask for pardon. I caught his hand and said,
“Forgive me! I don’t know myself what I have been saying.”
“But I do; and you spoke the truth.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“That we must go to Petersburg,” he said; “there is nothing for us to do here just now.”
“As you please,” I said.
He took me in his arms and kissed me.
“You must forgive me,” he said; “for I am to blame.”
That evening I played to him for a long time, while he walked about the room. He had a habit of muttering to himself; and when I asked him what he was muttering, he always thought for a moment and then told me exactly what it was. It was generally verse, and sometimes mere nonsense, but I could always judge of his mood by it. When I asked him now, he stood still, thought an instant, and then repeated two lines from Lermontov:
He is his madness prays for storms,
And dreams that storms will bring him peace.
“He is really more than human,” I thought; “he knows everything. How can one help loving him?”
I got up, took his arm, and began to walk up and down with him, trying to keep step.
“Well?” he asked, smiling and looking at me.
“All right,” I whispered. And then a sudden fit of merriment came over us both: our eyes laughed, we took longer and longer steps, and rose higher and higher on tiptoe.
Prancing63 in this manner, to the profound dissatisfaction of the butler and
astonishment64 of my mother-inlaw, who was playing patience in the parlor, we proceeded through the house till we reached the dining room; there we stopped, looked at one another, and burst out laughing.
A fortnight later, before Christmas, we were in Petersburg.
点击
收听单词发音
1
seclusion
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n.隐遁,隔离 |
参考例句: |
- She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.她喜欢在自己僻静的花园里晒日光浴。
- I live very much in seclusion these days.这些天我过着几乎与世隔绝的生活。
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2
mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 |
参考例句: |
- That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
- It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
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3
virtues
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美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 |
参考例句: |
- Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
- She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。
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4
hesitation
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n.犹豫,踌躇 |
参考例句: |
- After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
- There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
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5
ornaments
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n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 );点缀;装饰品;首饰v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) |
参考例句: |
- The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
- Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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6
specially
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adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地 |
参考例句: |
- They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
- The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
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7
akin
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adj.同族的,类似的 |
参考例句: |
- She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
- Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。
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8
patronage
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n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场 |
参考例句: |
- Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午,店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
- I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉,我的赞助只能到此为止。
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9
scoured
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走遍(某地)搜寻(人或物)( scour的过去式和过去分词 ); (用力)刷; 擦净; 擦亮 |
参考例句: |
- We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看,想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
- The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。
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10
laborers
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n.体力劳动者,工人( laborer的名词复数 );(熟练工人的)辅助工 |
参考例句: |
- Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
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11
frantic
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adj.狂乱的,错乱的,激昂的 |
参考例句: |
- I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
- He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。
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12
pious
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adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 |
参考例句: |
- Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
- Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。
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13
maiden
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n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 |
参考例句: |
- The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
- The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。
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14
bantered
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v.开玩笑,说笑,逗乐( banter的过去式和过去分词 );(善意地)取笑,逗弄 |
参考例句: |
- We bantered Nick on the subject of marriage. 我们就婚姻问题取笑尼克。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The rival team members bantered before the game. 双方队员在比赛前互相说笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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15
parlor
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n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅 |
参考例句: |
- She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
- Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店?
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16
enjoyment
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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。
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17
evoking
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产生,引起,唤起( evoke的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- Some occur in organisms without evoking symptoms. 一些存在于生物体中,但不发生症状。
- Nowadays, the protection of traditional knowledge is evoking heat discussion worldwide. 目前,全球都掀起了保护传统知识的热潮。
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18
unnatural
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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。
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19
conceal
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v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 |
参考例句: |
- He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
- He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
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20
constraint
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n.(on)约束,限制;限制(或约束)性的事物 |
参考例句: |
- The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
- The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。
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21
indifference
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n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 |
参考例句: |
- I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
- He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。
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22
pretence
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n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰 |
参考例句: |
- The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
- He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。
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23
frivolous
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adj.轻薄的;轻率的 |
参考例句: |
- This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
- He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。
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24
supreme
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adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 |
参考例句: |
- It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
- He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
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25
inquisitive
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adj.求知欲强的,好奇的,好寻根究底的 |
参考例句: |
- Children are usually inquisitive.小孩通常很好问。
- A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience.陈腔烂调的答案不能满足好奇的听众。
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26
grumbled
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抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声 |
参考例句: |
- He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
- The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
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27
smoker
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n.吸烟者,吸烟车厢,吸烟室 |
参考例句: |
- His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
- He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。
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28
wink
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n.眨眼,使眼色,瞬间;v.眨眼,使眼色,闪烁 |
参考例句: |
- He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
- The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间,那颗卫星就消失了。
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29
forefinger
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n.食指 |
参考例句: |
- He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger.他将叶子捏在拇指和食指之间。
- He held it between the tips of his thumb and forefinger.他用他大拇指和食指尖拿着它。
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30
pointed
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adj.尖的,直截了当的 |
参考例句: |
- He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
- She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
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31
fully
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adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 |
参考例句: |
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
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32
connivance
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n.纵容;默许 |
参考例句: |
- The criminals could not have escaped without your connivance.囚犯没有你的默契配合,是逃不掉的。
- He tried to bribe the police into connivance.他企图收买警察放他一马。
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33
bliss
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|
n.狂喜,福佑,天赐的福 |
参考例句: |
- It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
- He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴,因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。
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34
unwilling
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|
adj.不情愿的 |
参考例句: |
- The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
- His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。
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35
disquieting
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|
adj.令人不安的,令人不平静的v.使不安,使忧虑,使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- The news from the African front was disquieting in the extreme. 非洲前线的消息极其令人不安。 来自英汉文学
- That locality was always vaguely disquieting, even in the broad glare of afternoon. 那一带地方一向隐隐约约使人感到心神不安甚至在下午耀眼的阳光里也一样。 来自辞典例句
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36
outlet
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|
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄 |
参考例句: |
- The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
- Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。
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37
tormented
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|
饱受折磨的 |
参考例句: |
- The knowledge of his guilt tormented him. 知道了自己的罪责使他非常痛苦。
- He had lain awake all night, tormented by jealousy. 他彻夜未眠,深受嫉妒的折磨。
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38
torment
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n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠 |
参考例句: |
- He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
- Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。
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39
craving
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|
n.渴望,热望 |
参考例句: |
- a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
- She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐,以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。
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40
motives
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|
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
- His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。
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41
petrifying
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|
v.吓呆,使麻木( petrify的现在分词 );使吓呆,使惊呆;僵化 |
参考例句: |
- I found the climb absolutely petrifying. 我觉得这次爬山太吓人了。 来自柯林斯例句
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42
fixed
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|
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 |
参考例句: |
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
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43
precipice
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|
n.悬崖,危急的处境 |
参考例句: |
- The hut hung half over the edge of the precipice.那间小屋有一半悬在峭壁边上。
- A slight carelessness on this precipice could cost a man his life.在这悬崖上稍一疏忽就会使人丧生。
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44
affected
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|
adj.不自然的,假装的 |
参考例句: |
- She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
- His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
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45
inspector
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n.检查员,监察员,视察员 |
参考例句: |
- The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
- The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
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46
incapable
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|
adj.无能力的,不能做某事的 |
参考例句: |
- He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
- Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。
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47
standing
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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。
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48
humiliate
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v.使羞辱,使丢脸[同]disgrace |
参考例句: |
- What right had they to bully and humiliate people like this?凭什么把人欺侮到这个地步呢?
- They pay me empty compliments which only humiliate me.他们虚情假意地恭维我,这只能使我感到羞辱。
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49
majestic
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|
adj.雄伟的,壮丽的,庄严的,威严的,崇高的 |
参考例句: |
- In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
- He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。
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50
tiresome
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|
adj.令人疲劳的,令人厌倦的 |
参考例句: |
- His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
- He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜,令人生厌。
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51
stagnate
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|
v.停止 |
参考例句: |
- Where the masses are not roused,work will stagnate.哪里不发动群众,哪里的工作就死气沉沉。
- Taiwan's economy is likely to stagnate for a long time to come.台湾经济很可能会停滞很长一段时间。
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52
irritation
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|
n.激怒,恼怒,生气 |
参考例句: |
- He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
- Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说,但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。
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53
vexed
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|
adj.争论不休的;(指问题等)棘手的;争论不休的问题;烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 );使苦恼;使生气;详细讨论 |
参考例句: |
- The conference spent days discussing the vexed question of border controls. 会议花了几天的时间讨论边境关卡这个难题。
- He was vexed at his failure. 他因失败而懊恼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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54
trifling
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|
adj.微不足道的;没什么价值的 |
参考例句: |
- They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
- So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利,不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。
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55
delightful
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|
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。
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56
vividly
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|
adv.清楚地,鲜明地,生动地 |
参考例句: |
- The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
- The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。
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57
distress
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|
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 |
参考例句: |
- Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
- Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
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58
annoyance
|
|
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼 |
参考例句: |
- Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气?
- I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。
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59
penitence
|
|
n.忏悔,赎罪;悔过 |
参考例句: |
- The thief expressed penitence for all his past actions. 那盗贼对他犯过的一切罪恶表示忏悔。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Of penitence, there has been none! 可是悔过呢,还一点没有! 来自英汉文学 - 红字
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60
grievance
|
|
n.怨愤,气恼,委屈 |
参考例句: |
- He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
- He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。
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61
agitation
|
|
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 |
参考例句: |
- Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
- These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。
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62
spoke
|
|
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。
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63
prancing
|
|
v.(马)腾跃( prance的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- The lead singer was prancing around with the microphone. 首席歌手手执麦克风,神气地走来走去。
- The King lifted Gretel on to his prancing horse and they rode to his palace. 国王把格雷特尔扶上腾跃着的马,他们骑马向天宫走去。 来自辞典例句
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64
astonishment
|
|
n.惊奇,惊异 |
参考例句: |
- They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
- I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
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