"All that is needed to transform the scene into a giant Hallowe'en festival is to have a witch whisk by on a broomstick, or a ghost bob up from behind a tombstone," declared Mrs. Tolman. "Just think! If we had come by train we would have missed all this beauty."
"I see plainly that you do not appreciate the railroads, my dear," returned her husband mischievously7. "This is the second time to-day that you have slandered8 them. You sound like the early American traveler who asserted that it was ridiculous to build railroads which did very uncomfortably in two days what could be done delightfully9 by coach in eight or ten."
"Why, I should have thought people who had never heard of motor-cars would have welcomed the quicker transportation the railroads offered," was Mrs. Tolman's reply.
"One would have thought so," answered Mr. Tolman. "Still, when we recall how primitive10 the first railroads were, the prejudice against them is not to be wondered at."
"How did they differ from those we have now, Dad?" Doris asked.
"In almost every way," answered her father, with a smile. "You see at the time Stephenson invented his steam locomotive nothing was known of this novel method of travel. As I told you, persons were accustomed to make journeys either by coach or canal. Then the steam engine was invented and immediately the notion that this power might be applied11 to transportation took possession of the minds of people in different parts of England. As a result, first one and then another made a crude locomotive and tried it out without scruple12 on the public highway, where it not only frightened horses but terrified the passers-by. Many an amusing story is told of the adventures of these amateur locomotives. A machinist named Murdock, who was one of James Watt14's assistants, built a sort of grasshopper15 engine with very long piston16 rods and with legs at the back to help push it along; with this odd contrivance he ventured out into the road one night just at twilight17. Unfortunately, however, his restless toy started off
before he was ready to have it, and turning down an unfrequented lane encountered a timid clergyman who was taking a peaceful stroll and frightened the old gentleman almost out of his wits. The poor man had never seen a locomotive before and when the steaming object with its glowing furnace and its host of moving arms and legs came puffing18 toward him through the dusk he was overwhelmed with terror and screamed loudly for help."
A laugh arose from the listeners.
"And that is but one of the many droll19 experiences of the first locomotive makers," continued Mr. Tolman. "For example Trevithick, another pioneer in the field, also built a small steam locomotive which he took out on the road for a trial trip. It chanced that during the experimental journey he and his fireman came to a tollgate and puffing up to the keeper with the baby steam engine, they asked what the fee would be for it to pass. Now the gate keeper, like the minister, had had no acquaintance with locomotives, and on seeing the panting red object looming20 like a specter out of the darkness and hearing a man's voice intermingled with its gasps22 and snorts, he shouted with chattering23 teeth:
"There is nothing to pay, my dear Mr. Devil! Just d-r-i-v-e along as f-a-s-t—as—ever—you—can."
His hearers applauded the story.
"Who did finally invent the railroad?" inquired Doris after the merriment had subsided24.
"George Stephenson, an Englishman," replied her father. "For some time he had been experimenting with steam locomotives at the Newcastle coal mines where some agency stronger than mules25 or horses was needed to carry the products from one place to another. He had no idea of transporting people when he began to work out the suggestion. All he thought of was a coal train which would run on short lengths of track from mine to mine. But the notion assumed unexpected proportions until the Darlington road, the most ambitious of his projects, reached the astonishing distance of thirty-seven miles. When the rails for it were laid the engineer intended it should be used merely for coal transportation, as its predecessors26 had been; but some of the miners who lived along the route and were daily obliged to go back and forth27 to work begged that some sort of a conveyance28 be made that could also run along the track and enable them to ride to work instead of walking. So a little log house not unlike a log cabin, with a table in the middle and some chairs around it, was mounted on a cart that fitted the rails, and a horse was harnessed to the unique vehicle."
"And it was this log cabin on wheels that gave Stephenson his inspiration for a railroad train!" gasped29 Doris.
"Yes," nodded her father. "When the engineer saw the crude object the first question that came to him was why could not a steam locomotive propel
cars filled with people as well as cars filled with coal. Accordingly he set to work and had several coach bodies mounted on trucks, installing a lever brake at the front of each one beside the coachman's box. In front of the grotesque31 procession he placed a steam locomotive and when he had fastened the coaches together he had the first passenger train ever seen."
"It must have been a funny looking thing!" Steve exclaimed, smiling with amusement at the picture the words suggested.
"It certainly was," agreed his father. "If you really wish to know how funny, some time look up the prints of this great-great-grandfather of our present-day Pullman and you will be well repaid for your trouble; the contrast is laughable."
"But was this absurd venture a success?" queried32 Mrs. Tolman incredulously.
"Indeed it was!" returned her husband. "In fact, Stephenson, like Watt, was one of the few world benefactors33 whose gift to humanity was instantly hailed with appreciation34. The railroad was, to be sure, a wretched little affair when viewed from our modern standpoint, for there were no gates at the crossings, no signals, springless cars, and every imaginable discomfort35. Fortunately, however, our ancestors had not grown up amid the luxuries of this era, and being of rugged36 stock that was well accustomed to hardships of every variety they pronounced the invention a marvel37, which in truth it was.
"You've said it!" chuckled38 Steve in the slang of the day.
"In the meantime," went on Mr. Tolman, "conditions all over England were becoming more and more congested, and from every direction a clamor arose for a remedy. You see the invention of steam spinning machinery39 had greatly increased the output of the Manchester cotton mills until there was no such thing as getting such a vast bulk of merchandise to those who were eager to have it. Bales of goods waiting to be transported to Liverpool not only overflowed40 the warehouses41 but were even stacked in the open streets where they were at the mercy of robbers and storms. The canals had all the business they could handle, and as is always the result in such cases their owners became arrogant42 under their prosperity and raised their prices, making not the slightest attempt to help the public out of its dilemma43. Undoubtedly44 something had to be done and in desperation a committee from Parliament sent for Stephenson that they might discuss with him the feasibility of building a railroad from Manchester to Liverpool. The committee had no great faith in the enterprise. Most of its members did not believe that a railroad of any sort was practical or that it could ever attain45 speed enough to be of service. However, it was a possibility, and as they did not know which way to turn to quiet the exasperated46 populace they felt they might as well investigate this remedy. It could do no harm."
Mr. Tolman paused as he stooped to change the gear of the car.
"So Stephenson came before the board, and one question after another was hurled47 at him. When, however, he was asked, half in ridicule49, whether or not his locomotive could make thirty miles an hour and he answered in the affirmative, a shout of derision arose from the Parliament members. Nobody believed such a miracle possible. Nevertheless, in spite of their sceptical attitude, it was finally decided50 to build the Liverpool-Manchester road and about a year before its opening a date was set for a contest of locomotives to compete for the five-hundred-pound prize offered by the directors of the road."
"I suppose ever so many engines entered the lists," ventured Steve with interest.
"There were four," returned his father.
"And Stephenson drove one of them?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I hope it got the prize!" put in Doris eagerly.
Her father smiled at her earnestness.
"It did," was his reply. "Stephenson's engine was called the 'Rocket' and was a great improvement over the locomotive he had used at the mines, for this one had not only a steam blast but a multi-tubular boiler51, a tremendous advance in engine building."
"I suppose that the winner of the prize not only got the money the road offered but his engine was
the one chosen as a pattern for those to be used on the new railroad," ventured Stephen.
"Precisely52. So you see a great deal depended on the showing each locomotive made. Unluckily in the excitement a tinder box had been forgotten, and when it came time to start, the spark to light the fires had to be obtained from a reading glass borrowed from one of the spectators. This, of course, caused some delay. But once the fires were blazing and steam up, the engines puffed53 away to the delight of those looking on."
"I am glad Stephenson was the winner," put in Doris.
"Yes," agreed her father. "He had worked hard and deserved success. It would not have seemed fair for some one else to have stolen the fruit of his toil54 and brain. Yet notwithstanding this, his path to fame was not entirely55 smooth. Few persons win out without surmounting56 obstacles and Stephenson certainly had his share. Not only was he forced to fight continual opposition57, but the opening of the Manchester and Liverpool road, which one might naturally have supposed would be a day of great triumph, was, in spite of its success, attended by a series of catastrophes58. It was on September 15, 1830, that the ceremonies took place, and long before the hour set for the gaily59 decorated trains to pass the route was lined with excited spectators. The cities of Liverpool and Manchester also were thronged61 with those eager to see the engines start or reach their destination.
There were, however, mingled21 with the crowd many persons who were opposed to the new venture."
"Opposed to it?" Steve repeated with surprise.
"Yes. It seems odd, doesn't it?"
"But why didn't they want a railroad?" persisted the boy. "I thought that was the very thing they were all demanding."
"You must not forget the condition of affairs at the time," said his father. "Remember the advent13 of steam machinery had deprived many of the cotton spinners of their jobs and in consequence they felt bitterly toward all steam inventions. Then in addition there were the stagecoach62 drivers who foresaw that if the railroads supplanted63 coaches they would no longer be needed. Moreover innkeepers were afraid that a termination of stage travel would lessen64 their trade."
"Each man had his own axe65 to grind, eh?" smiled Steve.
"I'm afraid so," his father answered. "Human nature is very selfish, and then as now men who worked for the general welfare regardless of their own petty preferences were rare. To the side of the enemies of the infant invention flocked every one with a grievance66. The gentry67 argued that the installation of locomotives would frighten the game out of the country and ruin the shooting. Other opposers contended that the smoke from the engines would not only kill the birds but in time kill the patrons of the railroads as well. Still others
protested that the sparks from the funnels68 might set fire to the fields of grain or to the forests. A swarm69 of added opponents dwelt on the fact that the passengers would be made ill by the lurching of the trains; that the rapid inrush of air would prevent their breathing; and that every sort of people would be herded70 together without regard to class,—the latter a very terrible calamity71 in a land where democracy was unknown. Even such intelligent men as the poet Wordsworth and the famous writer Ruskin came out hotly against the innovation, seeing in it nothing but evil."
"Didn't the opening of the Manchester and Liverpool Railroad convince the kickers they were wrong?" asked Steve.
"Unfortunately not," was Mr. Tolman's reply. "You see several unlucky incidents marred72 the complete success of the occasion. As the trains trimmed with bunting and flowers started out the scene seemed gay enough. On one car was a band of music; on another the directors of the road; and on still another rode the Duke of Wellington, who at that time was Prime Minister of England and had come down from London with various other dignitaries to honor the enterprise. Church bells rang, cannon73 boomed, and horns and whistles raised a din30 of rejoicing. But everywhere among the throng60 moved a large group of unemployed74 laborers75 who had returned from the Napoleonic wars in a discontented frame of mind and resented the use of steam machinery. They were
on edge for trouble and if there were none they were ready to make it. So strong was the resentment76 of this element against the government that it seemed tempting77 Providence78 for the Prime Minister to venture into the manufacturing district of Manchester. At first it was decided that he would better omit the trip altogether; but on second thought it seemed wiser for him not to add fuel to the flames by disappointing the mill workers. The audience was in too ugly a mood to be angered. Therefore Wellington bravely resolved to carry out the program and ride in one of the open cars."
"I hope nothing happened to him, Dad!" gasped Doris breathlessly.
"Nothing beyond a good many minor79 insults and indignities," responded her father. "He was, however, in constant peril80, and to those who bore the responsibility of the function he was a source of unceasing anxiety. But in spite of the jeers81 of the mob, their crowding and pushing about his car, he kept a smiling face like the true gentleman he was. Some of the rougher element even went so far as to hurl48 missiles at him. You can imagine how worried his friends were for his safety and how the directors who had invited him fidgeted. And as if this worry were not enough, by and by a fine rain began to fall and those persons riding in the open coaches, as well as the decorations and the spectators, got well drenched82. Then there were delays on the turnouts while one train passed another; and as a climax83 to these discouragements, Mr.
Hickson, a member of Parliament from Liverpool, got in the path of an approaching engine, became confused and was run over; and although Stephenson himself carried him by train to Liverpool he died that evening."
"I should call the fête to introduce the steam engine into England a most disastrous84 and forlorn one," remarked Mrs. Tolman.
"Well, in reality it was not such a failure as it sounds," replied her husband, "for only those most closely connected with it sensed the misfortunes that attended it. The greater part of the people along the route were good-humored and pleased; they marveled at the trains as they passed, cheered the Duke and the authorities with him, listened with delight to the band, and made a jest of the rain. A holiday crowd, you know, is usually quite patient. Hence the delays that fretted85 the guests and the officials of the road did not annoy the multitudes so vitally."
"Poor Stephenson really got some satisfaction out of the day then," sighed Mrs. Tolman.
"Oh, yes, indeed," said her husband. "Although I fancy the death of Mr. Hickson must have overshadowed his rejoicings. Notwithstanding this, however, the railroad proved itself a practical venture, which was the main thing. Such slight obstacles as the terror of the horses and the fact that the tunnels into Liverpool were so low that the engines had to be detached and the trains hauled into the yards by mules could be remedied."
A flicker87 of humor danced in Mr. Tolman's eyes.
"And did England begin to build railroads right away?" Steve inquired.
"Yes, and not only England but France also. Frenchmen who crossed the Channel took home glowing accounts of the novel invention and immediately the French Government realized that that country must also have railroads. But just as the conservative element in England had been sceptical and blocked Stephenson's progress—or tried to—so a corresponding faction86 in France did all it could to cry down the enterprise. Even those who upheld the introduction of the roads advocated them for only short distances out of Paris; a long trunk route they labeled as an absurdity88. Iron was too expensive, they argued; furthermore the mountains of the country rendered extensive railroading impossible. France did not need railroads anyway. Nevertheless the little group of seers who favored the invention persisted and there was no stopping the march of which they were the heralds89. Railroads had come to stay and they stayed."
"It was a fortunate thing they did, wasn't it?" murmured Doris.
"A very fortunate thing," returned Mr. Tolman heartily90. "Every great invention is usually suggested by a great need and so it was with this one. By 1836 the craze for railroad building swept both hemispheres. In England the construction of lines
to most out-of-the-way and undesirable91 places were proposed, and the wildest schemes for propelling trains suggested; some visionaries even tried sails as a medium of locomotion92 instead of steam. Rich and poor rushed to invest their savings93 in railroads and alas94, in many cases the misguided enthusiasts95 lost every shilling of their money in the project. Great business firms failed, banking96 houses were ruined, and thousands of workmen were thrown out of employment. In consequence a reaction followed and it was years before wary97 investors98 could again be induced to finance a railroad. In the interim99 both engines and coaches underwent improvement, especially the third-class carriage which in the early days was nothing more than an open freight car and exposed its unhappy patrons to snow, rain, and freezing weather."
"Great Scott!" cried Steve. "I should say there was room for improvement if that was the case."
"There was indeed," echoed his father. "In fact, it was a long time before travel by train became a pleasure. Most of the engines used pitch pine or soft coal as a fuel and as there were no guards on the smokestacks to prevent it, the smoke, soot100, and cinders101 used to blow back from the funnels and shower the passengers. On the first railroad trip from New York to Albany those sitting outside the coaches were compelled to put up umbrellas to protect themselves from these annoyances102."
"Imagine it!" burst out Doris, with a rippling103 laugh.
"Nor were the umbrellas of any service for long," continued Mr. Tolman, "for the sparks soon burned their coverings until nothing but the steel ribs104 remained."
"I don't wonder the trip was not a pleasure," smiled Mrs. Tolman.
"Yet, in spite of its discomfort, it was a novelty and you must not forget that, as I said before, the public of that period was a simple and less exacting105 one than is the public of to-day. We make a frightful106 fuss if we are jolted107, chilled, crowded, delayed, or made uncomfortable; but our forefathers108 were a hale and hearty109 lot—less overworked perhaps, less nervous certainly, less indulged. They had never known anything better than cold houses, draughty and crowded stagecoaches110, and stony111 highways—plenty of obstacles, you see, and few luxuries. Therefore with naïve delight they welcomed one new invention after another, overlooking its defects and considering themselves greatly blessed to have anything as fine. Probably we, who are a thousand per cent better off than they, do more grumbling112 over the tiny flaws in the mechanism113 of our lives than they did over the mammoth114 ones."
"Oh, come, Dad!" protested Stephen. "Aren't you putting it rather strong?"
"Not a whit115 too strong, Steve," Mrs. Tolman interrupted. "I believe we are a fussy116, pampered117,
ungrateful generation. It is rather pathetic, too, to think it is we who now reap the benefits of all those perfected ideas which our ancestors enjoyed only in their most primitive beginnings. It seems hardly fair that Stephenson, for example, should never have seen a modern Pullman.
"He was spared something, wasn't he, Dad?" chuckled Steve mischievously.
But Mr. Tolman did not heed118 the remark.
"He had the vision," returned he softly, "the joy of seeing the marvel for the first time, imperfect as it was. Perhaps that was compensation enough. It is the reward of every inventor. Remember it is no mean privilege to stand upon the peak in Darien which Keats pictures."
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
bowling
|
|
| n.保龄球运动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
pageant
|
|
| n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
pumpkins
|
|
| n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
verandas
|
|
| 阳台，走廊( veranda的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
doorways
|
|
| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
mischievously
|
|
| adv.有害地；淘气地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
slandered
|
|
| 造谣中伤( slander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
delightfully
|
|
| 大喜，欣然 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
primitive
|
|
| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
applied
|
|
| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
scruple
|
|
| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
advent
|
|
| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
watt
|
|
| n.瓦，瓦特 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
grasshopper
|
|
| n.蚱蜢，蝗虫，蚂蚱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
piston
|
|
| n.活塞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
puffing
|
|
| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
droll
|
|
| adj.古怪的，好笑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
looming
|
|
| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
mingled
|
|
| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
gasps
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
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： |
|
|
|
|
24
subsided
|
|
| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
mules
|
|
| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
predecessors
|
|
| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
conveyance
|
|
| n.(不动产等的)转让，让与；转让证书；传送；运送；表达；（正）运输工具 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
din
|
|
| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
grotesque
|
|
| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
queried
|
|
| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
benefactors
|
|
| n.捐助者，施主( benefactor的名词复数 )；恩人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
appreciation
|
|
| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
discomfort
|
|
| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
rugged
|
|
| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
marvel
|
|
| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
chuckled
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
machinery
|
|
| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
overflowed
|
|
| 溢出的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
warehouses
|
|
| 仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
arrogant
|
|
| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
dilemma
|
|
| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
undoubtedly
|
|
| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
attain
|
|
| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
exasperated
|
|
| adj.恼怒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
hurl
|
|
| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
ridicule
|
|
| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
boiler
|
|
| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
precisely
|
|
| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
puffed
|
|
| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
toil
|
|
| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
surmounting
|
|
| 战胜( surmount的现在分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
opposition
|
|
| n.反对，敌对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
catastrophes
|
|
| n.灾祸( catastrophe的名词复数 )；灾难；不幸事件；困难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
gaily
|
|
| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
throng
|
|
| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
thronged
|
|
| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
stagecoach
|
|
| n.公共马车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
supplanted
|
|
| 把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
lessen
|
|
| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
axe
|
|
| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
grievance
|
|
| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
gentry
|
|
| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
funnels
|
|
| 漏斗( funnel的名词复数 )； （轮船，火车等的）烟囱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
swarm
|
|
| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
herded
|
|
| 群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
calamity
|
|
| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
marred
|
|
| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
unemployed
|
|
| adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
laborers
|
|
| 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： |
|
|
|
|
76
resentment
|
|
| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
tempting
|
|
| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
providence
|
|
| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
minor
|
|
| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
peril
|
|
| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
jeers
|
|
| n.操纵帆桁下部（使其上下的）索具；嘲讽( jeer的名词复数 )v.嘲笑( jeer的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
drenched
|
|
| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
climax
|
|
| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
disastrous
|
|
| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
fretted
|
|
| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
faction
|
|
| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
flicker
|
|
| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
absurdity
|
|
| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
heralds
|
|
| n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
heartily
|
|
| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
undesirable
|
|
| adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
locomotion
|
|
| n.运动，移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
savings
|
|
| n.存款，储蓄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
enthusiasts
|
|
| n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
banking
|
|
| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
wary
|
|
| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
investors
|
|
| n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
interim
|
|
| adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
soot
|
|
| n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
cinders
|
|
| n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
annoyances
|
|
| n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 )；烦恼；打扰；使人烦恼的事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
rippling
|
|
| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
ribs
|
|
| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
exacting
|
|
| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
frightful
|
|
| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
jolted
|
|
| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
forefathers
|
|
| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
hearty
|
|
| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
stagecoaches
|
|
| n.驿马车( stagecoach的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
111
stony
|
|
| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
grumbling
|
|
| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
mechanism
|
|
| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
mammoth
|
|
| n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
whit
|
|
| n.一点，丝毫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
fussy
|
|
| adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
pampered
|
|
| adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
heed
|
|
| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |