Chapter 13

"That's one difference between leasing and buying. You just walk away. You don't bother your head about what happens to the place. I must say they urged me to lease. I should have listened to them. But the purchase rice was so cheap!" p Byron said, "Well, sir, if you think there's any danger, your skin comes first." "I have no such fears. Neither have they. For them it's a matter of business. We'll have our coffee in the lemon house." With a peevish¹ toss of his head, he lapsed² into silence. The lemon house, a long glassed-in structure with a dirt floor, full of small potted citrus trees, looked out on a grand panorama³ of the town and the rounded brown hills. Sheltered here from cold winds that swept up the ravine, the trees throve in the pouring sunlight, and all winter long blossomed and bore fruit. Jastrow believed, contrary to every medical opinion, that the sweet heavy scent⁴ of the orange and lemon blooms was good for the asthma⁵ that hit him when he was nervous or angry. Possibly because he believed this, it tended to work. His wheezing⁶ stopped while they drank their coffee. The warm sun cheered him up. He said, "I predict they'll sneak⁷ back in short order with their tails between their legs, and three vans of furniture toiling⁸ up the hill. They remind me of the people who used to go fleeing off Martha's Vineyard at the first news of a hurricane. I sat through four hurricanes and thoroughly⁹ enjoyed the spectacle." Natalie said after he left, "He's badly shaken." "I hope he gets shaken loose from here." "Dear, this house will go to rack and ruin if A.J. leaves it." "So what?" "You've never owned anything, have you, Briny¹⁰? Or saved any money. Once you have, you may understand." "Look, Natalie, A.J. had a windfall late in life and got carried away and bought himself a big Italian villa¹¹ for a song, in a lonesome mountain town. All right. Suppose he walks away now? If he offers it for sale he'll get something for it. Otherwise he can return after the war and put it back in shape. Or he can just forget it, and Ict it fall down. Easy come, easy go." "You see things so simply, she said. They were sitting side by side on a white wicker couch. He started to put his arm around her. "Stop that," she said, catching¹² her breath and L deflecting¹³ his arm. "That's too simple, too. Listen carefully, Byron. FloN, old are you? Are you twenty-five yet? I'm twenty-seven." "I'm old enough for you, Natalie." "Old enough for what? To sleep with me? Don't talk rubbish. The question is, what are you doing with yourself? I can teach at a university anytime. I've got my M.A. thesis almost finished. What have you got? A smile that drives me mad and a handsome head of hair.
You ) re brave, you're gentle, but you just drifted here. You only stayed because of me. You're killing¹⁴ time and you're trained for nothing." "Natalie, how would you like to be married to a banker?" "A what? A ha?" He told her about his relatives and their bank in Washington. Hands folded in her lap, she beamed at him, her face aglow¹⁵ in the sunshine. "How does that sound?" he said. "Oh, fine," she said. "You're really facing up to life at last. A stern, serious business, isn't it? Tell me one thing." "What?" "Tell me when you decided¹⁶ you liked me. "Don't you want to discuss this bank idea?" 'Of course, dear. All in good time. When was it?" "All right, I'll tell You. When you took off your sunglasses. "My sunglasses? When was that?" "Why, that first day, when we came into the villa with Slote. Don't You remember You had big ? these dark glasses on in the car, but then you took them off, and I could see your eyes." "So?" u "But it's so absurd. Like everything else you say and do. What did "You asked me when I fell in love with you. I'm telling you. YOu know about me? Anyhow, my eyes must have been totally bloodshot. I'd been up four, having till one hellish row with Leslie. You struck me as nothing at all, dear, so i didn't give a damn. Now look, you don't really 'want to be a banker, do you?" He said with an abashed¹⁷ grin, "Well, I did think of one other thing. But don't laugh at me." "I won't." "I thought of the Foreign Service. it's interesting and it's serving the country." "You and Leslie in the same service," she said. "That would be a ho, one." She took his hand in a maternal¹⁸ way that depressed¹⁹ Byron.
"This isn't much fun for you, Briny dear, all this serious talk." "That's okay," Byron said. "Let's go right on with it." For a moment she sat pondering, holding his hand in her lap, as she had in the Swedish ambassador's limousine²⁰. "I'd better tell you what I really think. The trouble is you are trained for something. You're a naval²¹ officer." "That's the one thing I'm not, and that I've made a career of not being." "You already have a commission." "I'm just a lowly reserve. That's nothing." "If the war goes on, you'll be called up. You'll stay in for years. That's what you'll probably be in the end, from sheer inertia²², and family custom, and the passing of time." "I can resign my reserve commission tomorrow. Shall I?" 'But suppose we get in the war? What then? Wouldn't you fight?" "There's nothing else to do then." She put her hand in his hair, and yanked it. "Yes, that's how your mind works. Well, I love you for that and for other things, but Byron, I'm not going to be the wife of a naval officer. I can't think of a more ridiculous and awful existence for me. I wouldn't marry a test pilot either, or an actor, don't you understand?" "It's no issue, I tell you, I'll never be a naval officer-what the devil? Now what? Why are you crying?" She dashed the sudden tears from her face with the back of her hand, smiling. "Oh, shut up. This is an insane conversation. The more I try to make sense, the wilder it all gets. All I know is that I'm crazy about you. If it's a dead end, who cares? I obviously thrive on dead ends. No, not now, love, really, no-" She gasped²³ the last words as he firmly took her in his arms. There was nobody in sight. Beyond the glass there was only the panorama of hills and town, and inside the lemon house silence and the heavy sweet scent of the blossoms. They kissed and kissed, touching²⁴ and holding and gripping each other. Soon Natalie happened to glance up and there stood the gardener Giuseppe outside the glass, leaning on a wheelbarrow full of cuttings, watching. With a squinting²⁵ inebriated²⁶ leer, he wiped a sleeve of his sweater across his knobbed nose, and obscenely winked²⁷. "Oh, Jesus Christ," she said, yanking angrily at her skirt. The gardener showed sparse²⁸ foul²⁹ teeth in a grin and trundled the wheelbarrow away. Byron sat flushed, dazed, and dishevelled, looking after him. "Well, there goes our little secret, sweetheart. Kissing and smooching under gsl What's happened to me? This whole thing is a plain brute³⁰ attraction between two people isolated³¹ together too long."She leaped to her feet and pulled at his hand. "But I love you. I can't help it. I don't want to help it. Oh, that son of a bitch Giuseppe! Come, let's get back to the rock pile. We must." Jastrow called from his study as they came into the house, "Natalie, where is your letter? May I read it?" "What letter, A.J.? I didn't get any mail." "Are you sure? I have one from your mother. She says she's written you another and much longer one. Come read this. It's important." He waved a flimsy airmail sheet as Byron went upstairs. There were only half a dozen lines in her mother's neat featureless writing, a Manhattan public school script: Dear Aaron: We would both appreciate it if you would urge Natalie to come home. Louis took that story of her trip to Poland very hard. The doctor even thinks that it may have been the cause of this attack. I've written Natalie all about it. You MaY as well read that letter, there's no sense in my repeating the whole terrible story. In ret"spect, we were very lucky. Louis seems in no immediate³² danger, but that's all the doctor will tell us. We're all wondering how long you yourself intend to stay on in Italy. Don't you feel it's dangerous? I know that you and Louis have been out of touch all these years, but still he does worry about you. You're his one brother. Love, Sophie and Louis Natalie checked the mail piled on her desk in the library, but there was only one letter for her, from Slote. Looking up from his work, Byron saw her somber³³ expression. ('What is it, Natalie?" "It's my father. I may have to leave." The letter from her two rnve later. Meantime Natalie resumed a certain aloofness³⁴ toward Byron, though she still wore the brooch, and looked at him with changed eyes. She took the long and somewhat frantic³⁵ account of her father's heart attack to Jastrow, who having his tea by the fire in the study, wrapped in a shawl. He shook his head sym(was) pathetically over it and handed it back to her. Gazing at the fire and sipping³⁶ tea, he said, 'You had better go." "Oh, I think so. I'm practically packed." "What was Louis's trouble last time? Was it this bad?"The brothers were deeply estranged-Natalie did not know exactly why-and this breaking of their long tacit silence about her father gave her ai awkward, unpleasant sensation. I was in love "No, not really. The trouble was my announcement that with e. Papa got awfully³⁷ weak and had breathing difficulty and a blackout episode. But he wasn't hospitalized that time." Jastrow pensively³⁸ fingered his beard. 'He's only sixty-one. You know, it gets to be suspenseful³⁹, Natalie, this question of whose heredity you've got. Our mother's family mostly popped off in their fifties. But Father's two brothers both made it past ninety and he reached eighty-eight. My teeth are like my father's. I have excellent teeth. Louis always had a lot of trouble with his teeth, the way Mama did." Jastrow became aware of the girl's dark watchful⁴⁰ regard. He made a little apologetic gesture with both hands. "You're thinking what a self-centered old horror A.J. is." "But I wasn't thinking that at all." Jastrow put on cotton gloves to poke⁴¹ at the fire and throw on a fresh log. He was vain about his small finely shaped hands. "You won't come back. I know that. Life will get difficult here. Possibly I could go to New Mexico or Arizona. But they're such dull, arid⁴², zero-culture places! The thought of trying to write there!" He gave a deep sigh, almost a groan⁴³. "No doubt my books aren't that important. Still, the work is what keeps me going." 'Your books are important, A.J." "Are they? Why?" Natalie sat leaning her chin on a fist, groping for an honest and precise answer. She said after a pause, "Of course they're extremely readable, and often brilliant, but that's not their distinction. Their originality⁴⁴ lies in the spirit. The books are very Jewish. In a creditable, unsentimental way, in substance and in attitude. They've made me, at least, rehlize how very much Christendom owes this bizarre little folk we belong to. It's surprising how much of that you've gotten even into the Constantine book." Her words had a remarkable⁴⁵ effect on Aaron Jastrow. He smiled tremulously, his eyes misted, and he all at once did look strikingly Jewish -the mouth, the nose, the expression, the soft white hand at his beard, were all features of a badess little rabbi. He spoke⁴⁶ in a soft shaky voice. "Of course you know exactly what to say to please me." "That's what I think, Aaron." "Well, bless you. I've evolved into a pagan, a materialist⁴⁷, and a hedonist-and I fell in love with the grandeur⁴⁸ of Christianity and of Jesus long long ago-but none of that has made me less Jewish. Nobody else in the family will accept that, your father least of all. I'm so grateful that you can. I truly think that the books on Constantine and Luther will round out the picture. I want to get them done. In my way I'm bearing witness, as my rabbinic forebears did in theirs. Though no doubt they'd be horrified⁴⁹ by me." He studied her face. He smiled, and his eyes began to twinkle.
"How long after you left would Byron remain? He gives me such a secure feeling, just by being here." "Give him a raise in salary. That'll convince him more than anything. He's never earned a penny before." Jastrow pursed his lips, rounded his eyes, and tilted⁵⁰ his head. Many years of living in Italy showed in the mannerism⁵¹. "I have to watch my money now. We'll see. My strong impression is, actually, that you'll marry Leslie once you get back there, and-oh, stop blushing and looking so coy. Have I hit it?" "Never mind, A.J." "I'm sure if Byron were aware of that, he'd be more likely to stay on." Jastrow stroked his beard, smiling at her. -Good COd⁵², Aaron! Do you expect me to tell Byron Henry I'm going to marry Slote, just to make him stay with you?" "Why, my dear, whoever suggested such a thing? Wait-my point is-" Jastrow stretched out a hand and looked after her, utterly⁵³ astonished at her abrupt⁵⁴ walkout. Holy cow!" Byron exclaimed. 'There's my father, or his double." "Where?" said Natalie. Her flight was delayed, and they were drinking coffee in the Rome airport at a table outside a little cafe; the same cafe where they had lunched before setting off for Warsaw. "Inside that ring of carabinieri over there." He pointed⁵⁵ to a group of men leaving the terminal, escorted by six deferential⁵⁶ police officers. Some of the party wore the green uniform of the foreign ministry⁵⁷; the rest were in civilian⁵⁸ clothes. The military bearing of a short broad-shouldered man, in a pepper-and-salt suit and soft hat, had caught Byron's eye. He stood, saying, "Can it be him? But why the devil didn't he write or wire me that he was coming to Italy? I'll take a look." "Briny!" He was starting to lope away; he stopped short. "Yes?" "If it is your father-I'm so tacky and sooty from that horrible train ride, and he's obviously busy." Natalie, usually so self-assured, suddenly looked confused and nervous, in an appealing, pathetic way. "I wasn't expecting this. I'd rather meet him another time." "Well, let's see if it's him." Victor Henry heard the voice behind him just as the party reached the exit doors. 'Dad! Dad! Wait up!" Recognizing the voice, Pug turned, waved, and asked his escort from the ministry to wait for him. 'D'accordo." The Italian smiled and bowed, eyeing sharply the young man who was hurrying up. "I wig⁵⁹ see to your luggage, Commander, and meet you outside. There is plenty of time." The father and son clasped hands. "Well, how about this?" Victor Henry said, looking up at Byron's face, with affection he usually concealed⁶⁰ when lesssurprised. "What's up, Dad? Couldn't you let me know you were coming?" 'It happened sudden-like. I intended to ring you tonight. What are you doing down here in Rome?" "Natalie's going home. Her father's sick." 'Oh? Has she left already?" "No. That's her, sitting over there." "That's the famous Natalie Jastrow? The one in gray?" "No, further over, in black. With the big hat." Victor Henry caught a new proprietary⁶¹ note in his son's voice. The listless, hangdog air of his Berlin days had given way to a confident glance and a straighter back. "You're looking mighty⁶² bright-eyed and bushytailed," Pug said. "I feel Marvelous." "I'd like to meet that girl." The father suddenly strode toward her, so fast that Byron had to take a running step or two to catch up. There was no stopping him. They came and faced Natalie, who remained seated, hands clasped in her lap. 'Natalie, this is Dad." With such a flat introduction these two people, the opposed poles in Byron's life, all at once confronted each other. Natalie offered her hand to Byron's father, looked him in the eye, and waited for him to speak. At first sight, Victor Henry was taken by this weary-looking travel-stained girl with the dark eyes and gaunt face. She was not the legendary⁶³ adventurous⁶⁴ Jewess he had built up in his imagination; she had an everyday American look; but withal there was a certain exotic aura, and a strong calm feminine presence. She must be feeling highly self-conscious, he thought, but there was no sign of it. In her slight smile as he took her hand, there was even a trace of reflected affection for Byron. He said, "I'm sorry to hear about your father." She nodded her thanks. "I don't know how bad it is. But they want me at home, and so I'm going." Her low voice was sweet, yet as firm as her look. "Are you coming back?" "I'm not sure. Dr. Jastrow may be returning to the States too, you see." "He'd be well advised to do that, fairly fast."Pug was looking keenly at her, and she was meeting his glance. When neither found more to say for the moment, it became a sort of staring contest. Soon Natalie smiled a broad, wry⁶⁵, puckish smile, as though to say-"All right, you're his father and I don't blame you for trying to see 'what's there. How do you like it?" This disconcerted Victor Henry. He seldom lost such eye-to-eye confrontations⁶⁶, but this time he shifted his glance to Byron, who was watching with lively interest, struck by Natalie's swift recovery of her poise⁶⁷. "Well, Briny," he almost growled⁶⁸, "I ought to mosey along, and not keep that foreign ministry type waiting." "Right, Dad." Natalie said, 'Byron told me that you became friendly with the Tudsburys in Berlin, Commander. I know Pamela." "You do?" Pug managed a smile. She was actually trying to put him at his ease with small talk, and he liked that. "Yes, in Paris she and I used to date two fellows who shared the same Hat. She's lovely." 'I agree, and very devoted⁶⁹ to her father. Maniacal⁷⁰ driver, though." 'Oh, did you find that out? I once drove with her from Paris to Chartres, and almost walked back. She scared me senseless." 'I'd guess it would take more than that to scare you." Pug held out his hand. "I'm glad I met you, even in this accidental way, Natalie." Awkwardly, in almost a mumble⁷¹, he added, "It explains a lot. Happy landings. Flying all the way?" 'I've got a seat on the Thursday Clipper out of Lisbon. I hope I don't get bumped." "You shouldn't. Things are quiet now. But you're well out of this continent. Good-bye." 'Good-bye, Commander Henry." Victor Henry abruptly⁷² walked off, with Byron hurrying at his elbow. "Briny, what about you, now? You're staying on in Siena?" "For the time being." "Do you know that Warren's engaged?" "Oh,it's definite now?" "Yes. They've set a date for May twentieth, after he finishes his carrier training. I hope you'll count on getting back by then. You won't see any more brothers' weddings. I'm working on a leave for myself.""I'll certainly try. How's Mom?" "Off her feed. Berlin's getting her down." 'I thought she liked it." "It's becoming less likable." They stopped at the terminal's glass doors. "How long will you be in Rome?" "If I can see you, Dad, I'll just stay on till you're free." "Well, fine. Check in at the embassy with Captain Kirkwood. He's the naval attache. Could be we'll dine together tonight." "Great." "That's some girl." Byron smiled uncertainly. "Could you really tell anything?" What you never said is that she's so pretty." "What? I honestly don't think she is. Not pretty, exactly. I'm nuts about her, as you well know, but-" "She's got eyes you could drown in. She's stunning⁷³. However, what I wrote you about her long ago still goes. Even more so, now that I've seen her. She's a grown-up woman.") He put his hand for a moment on Byron's shoulder. "No offense⁷⁴." "I love her." "Well, we won't settle that question here and now. Go back to her, she's sitting there all alone. And call Kirkwood about tonight." "I Will." Natalie's face was tense and inquiring when Byron came back. He fell into the chair beside her. "Gad⁷⁵, that was a shock. I still can't quite believe it. It all went so fast. He looks tired." "Do you know why he's here?" Byron shook his head slowly. She said, 'I didn't picture him that way. He doesn't look severe; on the contrary, almost genial⁷⁶. But then when he talks he's scary." "He fell for you." "Byron, don't talk rot. Look at me. A soot-covered slattern." 'He said something sappy about your eyes." "I don't believe it. What did he say?" "I won't tell you. It's embarrassing- I never heard him say anything like it before. Wh I at uck!
He likes you. Say, my brother's getting married." "Oh? When?" "In May. She's the daughter of a congressman⁷⁷. She doesn't seem all that concerned about marrying a naval officer! Let's make it a double wedding." 'Why not? You'll be manager of a bank by then, no doubt." They were both smiling, but the unsettled questions between them put an edge in their tones. It was a relief when the droning loudspeaker announced her flight. Byron carried her hand luggage and some fragile gifts for her family into the mill of jabbering⁷⁸, weeping passengers and relatives at the gate. Natalie was clutching her ticket, and trying to understand the shouts of the uniformed attendants. He attempted to kiss her, but it wasn't much of a kiss. "I love you, Natalie," he said. She embraced him with one arm arrdd the jostling passengers, and spoke over the tumult⁷⁹. "It's as well that I'm going home just now, I think. Meantime I met your father! That was something. He did like me? Really?" "You bowled him over, I tell you. And why not? The crowd was starting to push through the gate. 'How will I ever carry all this stuff? Load me up, sweetheart." 'Promise me you'll cable if you decide not to come back," Byron said, poking⁸⁰ bundles into her arms and under them. "Because I'll take the next plane home." "Yes, I'll cable." "And promise that you'll make no other decisions, do nothing drastic, before you see me again." "Oh, Byron, how young you are. All these damned words. Don't you know how I love you?" 'Promise!' Her dark eyes wet and huge, her hands and arms piled, the green and yellow ticket sticking out of her fingers, she shrugged⁸¹, laughed, and said, "Oh, hell. it's a promise, but you know what Lenin said. Promises like piecrusts are made to be broken. Good-bye, my darling, my sweet. Good-bye, Byron." Her voice rose as the press of passengers dragged her away. After a couple of hours of troubled sleep at the hotel, Commander Henry put on a freshly pressed uniform, with shoes gleaming like black mirrors, and walked to the embassy. Under a low gray sky, in the rows of tables and chairs along the Via Veneto, only a few people were braving the December chill. The gasoline shortage had almost emptied the broad boulevard of traffic. Like Berlin, this capital city exuded⁸³ penury⁸⁴ and gloom.
Captain Kirkwood had left for the day. His yeoman handed Pug a long lumpy envelope. Two small objects clattered⁸⁵ to the desk when he ripped it open: silver eagles on pins, the collar insignia of a captain. Captain William Kirkwood presents his compliments to Captain Victor Henry, and trusts he is free to dine at nine, at the Osteria dell' Orso. P.S. You're out of uniform. Four stripes, please. Clipped to the note was a strip of gold braid, and the Alnav letter Esting newly selected captains, on which Victor (none) Henry was ringed in heavy red lines. The yeoman's refreshing⁸⁶, freckled⁸⁷ American face wore a wide grin. "Congratulations, Capon." "Thank you. Did my son call?" , suh. He's coming to dinner. That's all arranged. Ah've got fresh coffee going, suh, if you'd like a cup in the cap'n's office." "That'll be fine." Sitting in the attache's swivel chair, Pug drank one cup after another of the rich Navy brew⁸⁸, delightful⁸⁹ after months of the German ersatz stuff. He ranged on the desk before him the eagles, the Alnav, the strip of gold braid. His seamed pale face looked calm, almost bored, as he swung the chair idly, contemplating⁹⁰ the tokens of his new rank; but he was stirred, exalted⁹¹, and above all relieved. He had long been dreading⁹² that the selection board, on this first round, might him over. E Pass xecs of battleships and cruisers, squadron commanders of submarines and destroyers, insiders in BuShips and BuOrd, could well crowd out an attache. The big hurdle⁹³ of the race for flag rank was early promotion⁹⁴ to captain. The few officers who became admirals had to make captain on the wing. This early promotion, this small dry irrevocable statistic⁹⁵ in the record, was his guerdon for a quarter of a century of getting things done. It was his first promotion in ten years, and it was the crucial one. He wished he could share this cheering news at once with his restless wife. Perhaps when he got back to Berlin they could throw a wingding, he thought, for embassy people, correspondents, and friendly foreign attaches, and lighten the gloom lying heavy in the jemes mansion⁹⁶ in Grunewald. Natalie Jastrow popped back into his mind, displacing even the promotion. Since the chance encounter, he kept thinking of her. In those few minutes he had sensed the powerful, perhaps unbreakable, bond between his son and the girl. Yet how could that be? Young women like Natalie Jastrow, if they went outside their natural age bracket, tended to marry a man almost his own age rather than to reach down and cradlesnatch a stripling like Byron. Natalie was more mature and accomplished⁹⁷ than Janice, who was marrying Byron's older brother. It was mismatch enough for these reasons, and made him wonder about her sense and stability, butthe Jewish problem loomed⁹⁸ above all. Victor Henry was no bigot, in his own best judgment⁹⁹. His narrowly bounded little had brought him into very little contact with Jews. He was an and realist and the whole thing spelled trouble. If he were to have halfJewish grandchildren, well, with such a mother they would probably be handsome and bright. But he thought his son was not man enough to handle the complications and might never be. The coolness and courage he had displayed in Warsaw were fine traits for an athletic¹⁰⁰ or military career, but in daily life they meant little, compared to ambition, industry, and common sense. "Mr. Gianelli is here, sir." The yeoman's voice spoke through the squawk box. "Very well." Victor Henry swept up the tokens and put them in a trouser pocket, not nearly as happy as he had once thought promotion to captain would make him. The San Francisco banker had changed to an elegant doublebreasted gray suit with bold chalk stripes and outsize British lapels. The interior of his green Rolls Royce smelled of a strong cologne. "I trust you enjoyed your nap as much as I did mine," he said, lighting¹⁰¹ a very long cigar. All his gestures had the repose¹⁰², and all the details of his personmanicure, rings, shirt, tie-the sleekness¹⁰³, of secure wealth. Withal, he appeared stimulated¹⁰⁴ and slightly nervous. "Now I've already spoken to the foreign minister. You've met Count Ciano?" Pug shook his head. "I've known him well for many years. He's definitely coming to the reception, and from there will take me to the Palazzo Venezia. Now, what about you? What are your instructions?" 'To consider myself your aide as long as you're in Italy and Germany, sir, and to make myself useful in any way you desire." 'Do you understand Italian?" 'Poorly, to say the least. I can grope through a newspaper if I have to. "That's a pity." The banker smoked his cigar with calm relish¹⁰⁵, his drooping¹⁰⁶ eyes sizing up Victor Henry. 'Still, the President said there might be value in having you along at both interviews, if these heads of state will stand for it. just another pair of eyes and ears. At Karinhall, of course, I can ask that you interpret for me. My German's a bit weak. I think we have to feel our way as we go. This whole errand is unusual and there's no protocol¹⁰⁷ for it. Ordinarily I'd be accompanied by our ambassador." "Suppose I just come along, then, as though it's the natural thing, unless they stop me?" The banker's eyes closed for several seconds, then he nodded and opened them. "Ah, here's the Forum¹⁰⁸. You've been in Rome before? We're passing the Arch of Constantine. A lot of old history here! I suppose envoys¹⁰⁹ came to Rome in those days on errands just as strange."Pug said, "This reception now, is it at your apartment?" "Oh no, I keep just a very small flat off the Via Veneto. My uncle and two cousins are bankers here. It is at their town house, and the reception is for me. Let us just see how this goes. If, when we're with Ciano, I touch my lapel so, you'll excuse yourself. Otherwise come along, in the way you suggest." These arrangements proved needless because Mussolini himself dropped in on the party. About half an hour after the arrival of the Americans, a commotion¹¹⁰ started up at the doorway¹¹¹ of the enormous marblecolumned room, and Il Duce came walking bouncily in. He was not expected, judging by the excitement and confusion among the guests. Even Ciano, resplendent in green, white, and gold uniform, seemed taken aback. Mussolini was a surprisingly small man, shorter than Pug, dressed in a wrinkled tweed jacket, dark trousers, a sweater, and brown-and white saddle shoes. It struck Pug at once that with this casual apparel Mussolini was underlining-perhaps for its eventual¹¹² effect on the Germans-his contempt for Roosevelt's informal messenger. Mussolini went to the buffet¹¹³ table, ate fruit, drank tea, and chatted jauntily¹¹⁴ with guests who crowded around. He moved through the room with a teacup, talking to one person and another. He glanced once at Luigi Gianelli as he passed Close by, but otherwise be ignored the two Americans. In this setting Mussolini hardly resembled the chin-jutting imperial bully¹¹⁵ with the demonic glare, His prominent eyes had an Italian softness, his t-.mile was wide, ironical¹¹⁶, very worldly, and it seemed to Victor Henry that here was a smart little fellow who had gotten himself into the saddle and loved it, but whose bellicosity¹¹⁷ was a comedy. There was no comparing him with the ferocious¹¹⁸ Hitler. Mussolini left the while pug clumsily making talk with the banker's aunt, bejewelled,paintedcrone(room) withahaughtym(was) anner, a peppermint¹¹⁹ breath and almost no hearing.(a) Seeing the banker beckon¹²⁰ to him and walk off after IDano, Pug excused himself and followed. The three men went through tall carved wooden doors into a princely high-ceilinged library, lined with volumes bound in gold-stamped brown, scarlet¹²¹, or blue leather. Tall windows looked out over the city, which appeared so different from blacked-out Berlin, with electric lights twinklin and blazing in long crisscrossing lines and scattered¹²² clusters. Mussolini with a regal gesture invited them to sit. The banker came to the sofa beside bin4 while Ciano and Victor Henry faced them in armchairs. Mussolini coldly stared at Henry and turned the stare to Gianelli. The look at once changed Pug's impression of the Italian leader, and gave him a forcible sense that he was out of his depth and under suspicion. He felt junior and shaky, an ensign who had blundered into flag country. Ciano had given him no such feeling, and still didn't, sitting there gorgeous and wary¹²³, the son-in-law waiting for the powerful old man to talk.
At this close range Pug could see how white Mussolini's fringe of hair was, how deep the creases¹²⁴ of decision were folded in his face, how vivid were the large eyes, which now had an opaque¹²⁵ glitter. This man could readily order a hundred murders, Pug decided, if he had to. He was an Italian ruler. Pug could half follow the banker's clear, measured Italian as he rapidly explained that Franklin Roosevelt, his treasured friend, had appointed the Berlin naval attache as an aide for his few days in Europe; also that Henry would be acting¹²⁶ as interpreter with Hitler. He said Henry could now remain or withdraw at Il Duce's pleasure. Mussolini gave the attache another glance, this time obviously weighing him as a Roosevelt appointee. His expression warmed. 'Do you speak Italian?" he said in good English, catching Henry unawares almost as though a statue had broken into speech. "Excellency, I can follow it in a fashion. I can't speak it. But then, I have nothing to say." Mussolini smiled, as Pug had seen him smile at people in the other room. "If we come to naval matters maybe we will talk English." He looked expectantly at the banker. i(, Luigi?), The banker talked for about a quarter of an hour. Since Pug already knew the substance, the banker did not altogether lose him. After some compliments, Gianelli said he was no diplomat¹²⁷ and had neither the credentials¹²⁸ nor the skill to discuss matters of state. He had come to put one question informally to Il Duce, on behalf of the President. Mr. Roosevelt had sent a private citizen who knew 11 Duce, so that a negative reply would not affect formal relations between the United States and Italy. The President was alarmed by the drift toward catastrophe¹²⁹ in Europe. If fall-scale war broke out in the spring, horrors that nobody could foresee might engulf¹³⁰ the whole world. Was it possible to do something, even at this late hour? Mr. Roosevelt had in mind a formal, urgent mission by a high United States diplomat, somebody on the order of Sumner Wefles (Ciano, drumming the tips of his fingers together, looked up at the mention of the name), to visit all the chiefs of the warring states, perhaps late in January, to explore the possible terms of a general European settlement. E Duce himself had made a last-minute call for a similar exploration on August 31, in vain. But if he would join the President now in bringing about such a settlement, he would hold a place in history as a savior of mankind. Mussolini deliberated for a minute or so, his face heavy, his shoulders bowed, his look withdrawn¹³³, one hand fiddling¹³⁴ with his tweed lapels. Then he said-as nearly as Pug could follow him-that the foreign policy of Italy rested on the Pact¹³⁵ of Steel, the unshakable tie with Germany. Any attempt, any maneuver¹³⁶, any trick designed to split off Italy from this alliancewould fail. A settlement in Europe was always possible. No one would welcome it more than he. As Mr. Roosevelt acknowledged, he himself had tried to the last to preserve the peace. But Hitler had offered a very reasonable settlement in October, and the Allies had spurned¹³⁷ it. The American government in recent years had been openly hostile to Germany and Italy. Italy too had serious demands that had to be part of any settlement. These were not matters in Luigi ) s province, Mussolini said, but he was stating them to clarify his very pessimistic feeling about a mission by Sumner Welles. "You have put a question to me," he concluded. "Now, Luigi, I will put a question to you." "Yes, Duce." "Does this initiative come from President Roosevelt, or is he acting at the request of the Allies?" "Duce, the President has told me this is his own initiative." Ciano cleared his throat, leaned forward with his hands clasped, and said, "Do the British and French know and approve of this visit you are making?" "No, Excellency. The President said that he would be making informal inquiries¹³⁸ of the same nature, at this same time, in London and Paris." Mussolini said, "The newspapers have no information on any of this, is that correct "What I have told you, Duce, is known outside this room only to the President and his Secretary of State. My trip is a matter of private business, of no interest to the press, and so it will remain forever." 'I have stated my deep reservations," said Mussolini, speaking slowly, in an extremely formal tone. "I have very little hope that such a mission would be to any useful purpose, in view of the maniacal hosdhty of the British and French ruling circles to the resurgent German nation and its great Fuhrer. But I share Mr. Roosevelt's sentiment about leaving no stone unturned." He took a long portentous¹³⁹ pause, then spoke with a decisive nod. "If the President sends Sumner Welles on such a mission, I will receive him." Gianelli's fixed¹⁴⁰ snile gave way to a real one of delight and pride. He gushed¹⁴¹ over Mussolini's wise and great decision, and his joy at the prospect¹⁴² of Italy and the United States, his two mother countries, joining to rescue the world from tragedy. Mussolini nodded tolerantly, seeming to enjoy the flood of flattery, though be waved a deprecating hand to calm down the banker. Victor Henry seized the first pause in the banker's speech to put in, "Duce, may I ask whether Signor Gianelli is permitted to tell the Fuhrer this? That you have consented to receive a formal mission by Sumner Welles?" Mussolini's eyes sparked, as sometimes an admiral's did when Victor Henry said somethingsharp. He looked to Ciano. The foreign minister said condescendingly in his perfect English, "The Fuhrer will know long before you have a chance to tell him." "Okay," said Henry. Mussolini rose, took Gianelli's elbow, and led him out through french doors to the balcony, letting a gust¹³² of cold air into the room. Ciano smoothed his thick black hair with both white hands. "Well, Commander, what do you think of the great German naval victory in the south Atlantic?" 'I hadn't heard of one." 'Really? It will be on Rome radio at seven o'clock. The battleship Graf Spee has caught a group of British cruisers and destroyers off Montevideo. The British have lost four or five ships and all the rest have been damaged. it's a British disaster that changes the whole balance of force in the Atlantic." Victor Henry was shocked, but skeptical¹⁴³. "What happened to Graf Spee?" 'Nfinor hits that will be repaired overnight. Graf Spee was much heavier than anything it faced." "The British have acknowledged this?" Count Ciano smiled. He was a good-looking young man, and obviously knew it; just a little too fat and proud, Pug thought, from living high on the hog¹⁴⁴. 'No, but the British took a little while to acknowledge the sinking of the Royal Oak." The dinner celebrating Victor Henries promotion began in gloom, because of the Graf Spee news. The two attaches sat talking over highballs, waiting for Byron to show up. Captain Kirkwood asserted that he believed the story; that in the twenty years since the last war, a deep rot had eaten out the heart of England. Kirkwood looked like an Englishman himself-long-jawed, ruddy, and big-toothed-but he had little use for Great Britain. The British politicians had stalled and cringed in the face of Hitler's rise, he declared, because they sensed their people no longer had a will to fight. The Limey navy was a shell. England and France were going to crumple¹⁴⁵ under Hitler's onslaught in the spring. 'It's too bad, I suppose," Kirkwood said. "One's sentiments are with the Allies, naturally. But the world moves on. After all, Hitler halted Communism in its tracks. And don't worry, once he takes the fight out of the Allies, he'll settle Stalin's hash. The Russians are putting on one stumblebum performance in Finland, aren't they? They'll be a walkover for the Wehrmacht. In the end we'll have to make a deal with Hitler, that's becoming obvious. He holds all the cards on this side of the water." "Hi, Dad." Byron's sports jacket and slacks were decidedly out of place in this old luxurious¹⁴⁶ restaurant, where half the people wore evening dress. Henry introduced him to the attache. "Where have you been? You're late." "I saw a movie, and then went to the Y.M.C.A to flake¹⁴⁷ out for a little while." "Is that all you could find to do in Rome? See a movie? I Wish I had a few free hours in thiscity." "Well, see, I was tired." Byron appeared much more his old slack self. The waiter now brought champagne¹⁴⁸ and Yirkwood proposed a toast to Captain Victor Henry. "Hey, Dad! Four stripes! Really?" Byron sprang to life, radiating surprised joy. He clasped his father's hand and lifted a brimming glass. "Well! I'm sure glad I came to Rome, just for this. Say, I know one doesn't mention such things, but the hell with it, doesn't this put you way out front, Dad?" Captain Kirkwood said, "He's been out front all along. That's what this means." "All it takes now is one false move," said Pug dryly, shaking his head, "one piece of bad luck, one mislaid dispatch, one helmsman doping off on the midwatch. You're never out front till you retire." 'What's your situation, by the way, Byron?" Kirkwood said. The young man hesitated. "He's ROTC," Pug quickly said. "He's got a yen¹⁴⁹ for submarines. By the way, Briny, the New London sub school is doubling the enrollment¹⁵⁰ in May and accepting any reserves that can pass the physical" Iirkwood smiled, examining Byron with a shade of curiosity. "Now's the time to get in on the ground floor, Byron. How)re your eyes? Got twenty-twenty vision?"I "My eyes are okay, but I have this job to do here." "What sort of job?" "Historical research," Kirkwood's face wrinkled. Pug said, "He's working for a famous author, Uron Jastrow. You know, the one who wrote A Jew's Jesus.)) "Oh, Jastrow, yes. That fellow up in Siena. I had lunch with him at the embassy once. Brilliant fellow. Having some trouble getting back home, isn't he?" Byron said, "He isn't having trouble, sir, he just doesn't want to leave." Kirkwood rubbed his chin. 'Are you sure? Seems to me that's why he was in Rome. There's a foul-up in his papers. He was born in Russia or Lithuania or somewhere, and-whatever it is, I guess something,can be worked out. Taught at Yale, didn't he?" "Yes, sir. "Well, he ought to make tracks while he can. Those Germans are just over the Alps. Not to mention old Benito's anti-Jew laws."Victor Henry was returning to Berlin that night by train, accompanying the banker. He said nothing about his mission in Rome to Kirkwood or his son, and they did not ask. After dinner Byron rode to the railroad station in the with him, in a prolonged silence. Natalie Jastrow was a heavy invisible presence in the cab, and neither one would start the topic. Pug said as they drove into the brilliantly lit empty square before the terminal, "Briny, if the British really took that shellacking off Montevideo, we won't stay out much longer. We can't let the Germans close the Atlantic. That's 1917 again. Why don't you put in for sub school? It won't start till May. By then Jastro'll be back in the States, if he isn't simpleminded." May's a long way off." "Well, I'm not going to argue." Pug got out of the cab. "Write to your mother a little more often. She's not happy." "Okay, Dad." "Don't miss Warren's wedding." "I'll try not to. Gosh, won't that be something, if this family finally gets together again?" "That's why I want you there. It'll be the last time in God knows how many years. Good-bye." "Good-bye. Listen, I'm real proud you made captain, Dad." Pug Henry gave his son a gloomy half-smile through the cab window and walked off to the train. And still not a word more had passed between them about the Jewish girl. So irascibly did Rhoda Henry greet her husband on his return that he began to think something might be wrong with her. the fall weather in Berlin stank¹⁵¹, life stank, she was bored, German efficiency was a fiction, nobody understood how to do anything right, and there was no Service and no honesty an ore. She had "her pain," Yin an untreatable affliction that during previous Slumps¹⁵² had showed up in an arm and in her back, and now was behind an ear. She feared cancer, but it didn't really matter because everything good was all finished anyway. Rhoda had always come out of these sags¹⁵³ before, and then could be contritely¹⁵⁴ sweet. Pug had hoped when he suddenly left Berlin for Rome that he would find her better when he got back. She was worse. She wanted to go with him to Karinhall. In his absence an invitation engraved¹⁵⁵ in gold on creamy thick stationery¹⁵⁶, addressed to Commander Victor Henry, had been delivered by a Luftwaffe staff officer. Pug hadn't been home ten minutes when she brought it out wanting to know why she hadn't been invited too. If he went to the Goerings' party at Karinhall and left her behind, she said, she could never face anybody in Berlin again.
Pug could not disclose that he was going along for secret state purposes, as a flunkey to an international financier. He couldn't take her into the snow-covered garden to soothe¹⁵⁷ her with hints of this; it was almost midnight, and she was wearing a cloudy blue negligee, in which, indeed, she looked very pretty. "Listen, Rhoda, take my word for it that there are security reasons for all this. "Ha. Security reasons. That old chestnut¹⁵⁸, whenever you want to do anything your way." "I'd rather have you along. You know that" "Prove it. Call the Protocol officer at the air ministry tomorrow. Or if You're too bashful, I will." Pug was conducting this conversation in the library, while glancing down the letter through piled-up mail. He put staring at his wife, he said, "Are you well?" "I'm bored to death, otherwise I'm fine, why?" "Have you been taking the iron pills?" "Yes, but I don't need pills. What I need is a little fun. Maybe I should go on a bender." "You're not calling the air ministry! I hope that's understood." Rhoda made a mutinous¹⁵⁹ noise, and sat pouting¹⁶⁰. 'Hullo. Here's a letter from that Kirby fellow. What's he got to say for himself?" "Read it. it's as dun as he is. All about how glad he is to be home, and how good the skiing is around Denver, and how much he enjoyed our hospitality. Three pages of nothing." Pug tossed the letter unread on the routine pile. 'Honestly, you're a riot, you're so predictable, Pug. For twenty-five years whenever you've come home you've gone straight for the mail. What are you expecting, a letter from a lost love?" He laughed, and shoved the letters aside. "Right you are. Let's have a drink. Let's have a couple of drinks. You look wonderful." 'I do not. That goddamned hairdresser baked my hair into shredded¹⁶¹ wheat again. I'm tired. I've been waiting up to talk to you. You were two hours late." 'There was trouble at the passport office." "I know. Well, I'm going to bed. Nothing to talk about, since Karinhall is out. I even bought a sensational¹⁶² dress. I was going to show it to you, but to hell with it. I'll send it back." 'Keep it. You might just find a use for it pretty soon." "Oh? Expect to be invited to the Goerings' again?" She went out without staying for an answer. Pug prepared a couple of highballs to toast the news of his promotion.
When he got upstairs, her light was out-an old unpleasant marital¹⁶³ signal. He wanted very much to spend the night with his wife. Moreover, he had been saving the story of his encounter with Natalie Jastrow for their bedroom talk. He drank both highballs himself, and slept on the sofa in the library. The next day was brightened for him by the German announcement that the Graf Spee had heroically scuttled¹⁶⁴ itself after its historic victory, and that its commanding officer had then nobly shot himself in a hotel room. He heard over the BBC that three much lighter¹⁶⁵ British vessels¹⁶⁶ had in fact beaten the German warship¹⁶⁷ in a running sea fight and sent it limping into port before the scuttling¹⁶⁸. The German people didn't hear a word rs. After a minute of cold of this, and they were baffled by the revelation that the victorious¹⁶⁹ pocket battleship had elected to blow itself up. The Nazi¹⁷⁰ propagandists did not bother to explain, smothering¹⁷¹ the story instead with a whooping¹⁷² account of a vast fictitious¹⁷³ air victory: twenty-five British bombers¹⁷⁴ shot down over Heligoland. Pug knew that the chances of his ever meeting Count Ciano again were remote, but he would have given much to chat with him again about the Graf Spee. , when Rhoda learned of Pug's promotion she came out of her blues¹⁷⁵ as though by shock. Not another peep did she utter about Karinhall. She proceeded to give well the honeymoon¹⁷⁶ treatment, and they had a happy week or so. His account of Natalie Jastrow fascinated and appalled¹⁷⁷ her. "Sounds to me as though our only hope is that she'll come to her senses and drop Briny," she said. Karinhall looked like a federal penitentiary¹⁷⁸ built in the style of a hunting lodge¹⁷⁹. It sat in a game preserve about two hours' drive from Berlin, a wilderness¹⁸⁰ of small bare trees and green firs mantled¹⁸¹ in snow. Off the autobahn, the approach ran through heavy gates electrically controlled, steel and concrete fences jagged with icicles, and a gauntlet of machinegun-bearing Luftwaffe sentinels whose breaths smoked as they shouted challenges. just as the car turned a corner and they caught a glimpse of the grandiose¹⁸² timber and stone building, a deer with big frightened eyes bounded across the road. The San Francisco banker no longer wore his automatic smile. His mouth was tightly pursed, and the soft brown Italian eyes were open wide and darting¹⁸³ here and there, rather like the deer's. In the vaulted¹⁸⁴ banquet room, amid a dazzling crush of uniformed Nazis¹⁸⁵ and their white-shouldered women-some lovely, some grossly fat, all briuiandy gowned and heavily gemmed-Adolf Hitler was playing with the little Goering girl. A string orchestra lost in a corner of the marble-paved expanse was murmurin Mozart. Great logs flamed in a fireplace with a triangular¹⁸⁶ stone pediment soaring to the ceiling, and on a carved heavy table stretching the entire length of the room an untouched banquet lay piled. Rich smells hung in the air: wood smoke, cigar smoke, roast meat, French perfume. The happy, excited crowd of eminent¹⁸⁷ Germans were laughing, cooing, clapping hands, their eyes shining at their Leader in his Plain field-gray coat and black trousers as he held the beautiful whiteclad child in his arms, talking to her, teasing her with a cake. Goering and his statuesque wife, both ablaze¹⁸⁸ in operatic fineryand jewelry¹⁸⁹, the man more showy than the woman, stood near, beaming with soft affectionate Pride. Suddenly the little girl kissed the Fuhrer on his big pale nose, and he laughed and gave her the cake. A cheer went up, everybody applauded, and women wiped their eyes. "The Fuhrer is so wonderful," said the Luftwaffe officer accompanying the two Americans, a small dark aviator¹⁹⁰ wearing the diamond-studded cross of the Condor¹⁹¹ Legion. "Ach, if he could only marry! He loves children." And to Pug Henry, also, there was something appealing about Hitler: his shy smile acknowledging the applause, the jocular reluctance¹⁹² with which he handed the girl to her ecstatic mother, his wistful shrug⁸² as he slapped Goering's back, like any bachelor congratulating a luckier man. At this moment Hitler had a naive¹⁹³, almost mushy charm. The Goerings escorted Hitler to the table, and this signalled a general swarming¹⁹⁴ toward the buffet. A troop of lackeys¹⁹⁶ in blue and gold livery marched in, setting up gilt¹⁹⁷ tables and chairs, helping¹⁹⁸ the guests to food, pouring the wine, bowing and bowing. Guided by the Luftwaffe officer, he and Gianelb landed at a table with a banker named Wolf Stblier, who hailed the American financier as an old acquaintance: a slight Teuton in his fifties, with sandy hair plastered close to his head. The wife, an ashenhaired beauty, had eyes that glittered clear blue like the large diamonds on her neck, her arms, her fingers, and her ears. By chance, Victor Henry had just written a short report on Steller and knew a lot about him. Steller's bank was the chief conduit by which Goering was amassing¹⁹⁹ his riches. Steller's specialty²⁰⁰ was acquiring Obiekte, the term in German business jargon²⁰¹ for Jewish-owned companies forced to the wall. In the queer Germany of 1939, which Victor Henry was just beginning to understand, there was much stress on legality in looting the Jews. Outright²⁰² confiscation²⁰³ or violence were rare. New codes of law dating from 1936 simply made it hard for them to do business; and month by month rulings came out making it ever harder. Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses²⁰⁴ or raw materials. Their use of railroads and shipping²⁰⁵ was restricted. Conditions kept tightening²⁰⁶ until they had no course but to sell out. A market flourished in such Obiekte, with many alert upperclass Germans bidding eagerly against each other. Wolf Steller's technique was to find and unite all the buyers interested in an Obiekt, and to make a single very low offer. The owners had the choice of taking it or going bankrupt. Steller's group then divided up the firm in shares. Tlrough Goering, Steller had access to the Gestapo's records, and was usually first on the scent of a major Jewish firm buckling²⁰⁷ to its knees. The big prizes Goering bought up himself-metal, banking²⁰⁸, textiles-or took a large participation²⁰⁹. Steller's bank got its broker's fees and also its own participations in the Obiekte. All this Pug had learned from the American radio commentator²¹⁰ in Berlin, Fred Fearing, who had been at some pains to dig it up. Fearing recounted it to him with deep anger, the more soas he couldn't broadcast the story. The Germans claimed that any report of unfair treatment of the Jews was paid Allied²¹¹ propaganda. The Jewish laws aimed simply at restricting this minority, they said, to its due share in Germany's economy. Pug had more or less shut his mind to the Jewish problem, so as to focus on the military judgments²¹² which were his job. Jews had become all but invisible in Berlin, except in their special shopping hours, when, pamd and harried²¹³, they briefly²¹⁴ filled the stores and then again faded from sight. The oppression was not a highly visible affair; Pug had never seen even the outside of a concentration camp. He had observed the signs on benches and restaurants, the white-faced worried wretches²¹⁵ pulled off trains and airplanes, an occasional broken window or old charred²¹⁶ synagogue, and once a bad business of a man beaten bloody²¹⁷ in the zoo by three boys in Hitler Youth uniforms, while the man's wife wept and screamed and two policemen stood by laughing. But Fearing's account was his first technical insight into German anti-Semitism. At bottom its purpose, in Fearing's view, was just robbery, which was disgusting but at least rational. Pug felt a qualm when Wolf Steller with a cultured bow offered his hand, but of course he took it; and soon there they sat eating together and toasting each oerin Moselle, Riesling, and champagne. Steller was a cordial, clever German, in every way indistinguishable from the hundreds that Victor Henry had met in the military and industrial worlds and at social gatherings²¹⁸. He spoke a fine English. His countenance²¹⁹ was open and hearty²²⁰. He made bright jokes, including bold pleasantries about Goering's corpulence and theatrical²²¹ uniforms. He expressed deep regard for the United States (he especially loved San Francisco) and melancholy²²² regret that its relations with Germany were not better. In fact, could he not do something to improve them, he said, by inviting²²³ Gianelli and the Henrys for a weekend at his estate? It was no Karinhall, but he could promise them good company. Captain Henry might have the luck to shoot a deer. Game was outside the meat ration¹³¹, and some venison might be very welcome to Mrs. Henry! The banker's wife, touching Pug's hand with her cool jewelled white fingers, crinkled her blue eyes at him in invitation. She had heard that Mrs. Henry was the most elegant and attractive wife in the American diplomatic mission, and she longed to meet her. Cianelli declined; he had to start his return journey in the morning. Officially there was every reason for Victor Henry to accept. Part of his job was to penetrate²²⁴ influential²²⁵ levels of Germans. He had no stomach for Steller, but it occurred to him that here was a chance to give Rhoda the kind of fun she complained of missing. There was no telling good Germans from bad Germans. Steller conceivably might be working for Goering under duress²²⁶, though his wife in consequence dripped diamonds. Pug said he would come. The look the Stbllers exchanged convinced him that none of this was casual. They were cultivating him.
Steller took the two Americans on a tour of Karinhall. Again Pug had the feeling that Nazi grandeur usually woke in him: the Hollywood impression, the sense of ephemeral, flamboyant²²⁷ make-believe, which persisted no matter how vast and solid the structures, how high the ceilings, how elaborate the decorations, how costly²²⁸ the art. The corridors and rooms of Karinhall seemed to go on for miles. Glass cases by the dozens displayed solid gold objects crusted with gems²²⁹-vases, crosses, maces, swords, busts²³⁰, batons²³¹, medals, books, globes-tributes to the field marshal from steel corporations, cities, and foreign governments on his birthday, his wedding, the birth of a child, the return of the Condor Legion from Spain. Italian and Dutch old masters crowded the walls, interspersed²³² with the vapid²³³ calendar nudes²³⁴ of living Nazi-approved painters. Other reception rooms with nobody in them, almost as vast and ornate as the banquet hall, were hung with tapestries²³⁵ and flags, walled in wood, filled with statuary and jewelled suits of armor. Yet it all might almost have been papier-machae and canvas. Even the food on the banquet table had looked like a Cecil B. deMille feast, and the pink meat inside the roast pig might instead have been wax or plaster. But Victor Henry well knew that he was looking at an immense treasure, mostly booty collected through Dr. Steller. Moral considerations aside, the vulgar edifice²³⁶ disappointed Pug because Goering was supposed to stem from an aristocratic family. Even the admiring comments of Luigi Gianelli had a strong tinge²³⁸ of irony²³⁹. The Luftwaffe officer wearing the diamond cross caught up with them and whispered to Steller. P) 'Ah, what a pity, now you must go , said the German banker. "And you haven't begun to see the wonders of Karinhall. Captain Henry, my office will make all the arrangements to bring you and your dear wife on Friday to Abendruh, though I fear it will look rather pitiful after this. We will telephone you tomorrow. and Steller accompanied the two Americans through more rooms and corridors, stopped at double doors of dark wood heavily carved with hunting scenes, and opened them on a timbered room with log-and-plaster walls, hung with antlers, stuffed heads, and animal hides. The dusty smell of the dead creatures was strong in the air. On either side of a roaring fire sat Ribbentrop and Goering. Hitler was not in the room. A long, crudely made wooden table and two low benches took up most of the floor space. Pug thought at once that this must be the main room of the old hunting lodge, around which the field marshal had constructed the banal²⁴⁰ palace. Here was the heart of Karinhall-E-,ept for the glow from the fire, the room was dank, dark, and cold. Goering lolled on a settee with one thick white leather-booted leg off the floor, sipping coffee from a gold demitasse-part of a gold service on a low inlaid marble table. He nodded and smiled familiarly at Cianelli. Diamond rings bulged²⁴¹ on three of the five fingers that held the cup. Ribbentrop stared at theceiling, hands interlaced across his stomach. The German banker introduced Victor Henry, backed out of the room, and closed the door. "You will have exactly seven Minutes of the Fijhre?s time to state your business," said Ribbentrop in German. Gianelli stammered²⁴², "Excellency, permit me to reply in English. I am here in a private capacity, and I regard that much time as an extraordinary courtesy to my country and my President." Ribbentrop sat with a blank face, looking at the ceiling, so Victor Henry ventured to translate. The foreign minister cut him off with a snapped sentence in perfect Oxford²⁴³ accents, "I understand English." Goering said to Gianelli, "You are welcome to Karinhall, Luigi. I have tried to invite you more than once. But this time you have come a long way for a short interview." "May I say, Field Marshal," the banker answered in broken German, that I have seen millions of money made and lost in a conference lasting²⁴⁴ a few minutes, and that world peace is worth any effort, however unpromising." "I am in complete agreement with that." Goering motioned them to chairs placed near him. Ribbentrop, seizing the arms of his chair and closing his eyes, burst out in high rapid tones, in German, "This peculiar²⁴⁵ visitation is another studied insult by your President to the German head of state. Whoever heard of sending a private citizen as an emissary in such matters? Between civilized²⁴⁶ countries the diplomatic structure is used. Germany did not withdraw its ambassador in Washington by choice. The United States first made the hostile gesture. The United States has allowed within its borders a boycott²⁴⁷ of German products and a campaign of hate propaganda against the German people. The United States has revised its so-called 'eutrality Act in blatant²⁴⁸ favor of the aggressors in this conflict. Germany did not declare war on England and France. They declared war on Germany." The foreign minister stopped talking and sat with his eyes closed, the long-jawed haggard face immobile, some strands²⁴⁹ of the graying blond hair falling over his face. The California banker looked first at Goering, then at Victor Henry, clearly shaken. Goering poured himself more coffee. Concentrating with all his might, Victor Henry translated the foreign minister's tirade²⁵⁰. Ribbentrop did not correct or interrupt him. Gianelli started to talk, but Ribbentrop burst out again: "What purpose can be served by this maladroit²⁵¹ approach, other than a further deliberate provocation²⁵², one more expression of yourPresident's highly dangerous contempt for the leader of a powerful nation of eighty million people?, With a trembling wave of his hand at Henry to indicate that he understood, Gianelli said, "May I respectfully reply that-" The bright blue eyes of Ribbentrop opened, closed again, and he said in still louder tones, 'The willingness of the Fuhrer to give you a beaning in these circumstances is a testimony²⁵³ to his desire for peace that history will so me day record. This is the sole value this peculiar interview possesses." Goering said to the banker in a milder, but no more friendly tone "What is your purpose here, Luigi?" "Field Marshal, I am an informal messenger of my President to your Fuhrer, and I have a single question to put to him, by my President's instructions. To ask it, and to answer it, should take very little time. But by God's grace it can lead to lasting historical results." Victor Henry put this into German. 'What is the question?" Goering said. The banker's face was going yellow. "Field Marshal, by my President's order, the question is for the Fuhrer," he said hoarsely²⁵⁴ in German. "It is for the Fuhrer to answer," Goering said, "but obviously we are going to hear it anyway. What is the question?" He raised his voice, ri)ting his gaze on the banker. Gianelli turned away from Grins eyes, which were lazily hard, licked his lips, and said to Henry, "Captain, I beg you to confirm my instructions to the great field marshal." Victor Henry was rapidly calculating the situation, including the trace of physical danger which had shadowed his mind since passing through the outer fences of Karinhall. Goering, for all his gross jolly facade²⁵⁵, was a tough and ugly brute. If this monstrously²⁵⁶ fat German, with the rouge-red face, thin scarlet lips, and small jewelled hands, wanted to harm them, diplomatic immunity²⁵⁷ was a frail²⁵⁸ shield here. But Pug judged that his talk was cat-and-mouse fooling to kill time. He translated the banker's answer under the straight stare of Goering, and added, 'I confirm that the instructions are to put the question directly to the Fuhrer, as Herr Gianelli already has done to his good friend Il Duce in Italy, where in my presence 11 Duce gave him a favorable response." 'We know all that," Ribbentrop said. 'We know the question, too." Goering blinked at Henry and the tension broke. The banker brushed his fingers across his brow. The silence lasted for perhaps a minute. Adolf Hitler, pushing a lock of hair across his forehead, came into the room through a side door hung with a tiger skin. As quickly as the Americans, Goering and Ribbentrop rose, assuming very much the lackey¹⁹⁵ look. Goering moved away from the comfortable settee to a chair, and Hitler took his place, gesturing to the others to sit. He did not shake hands. Seen at this close range the Fuhrer looked healthy and calm, thoughtoo fat and puffy-eyed. His dark hair was clipped to the bone at the sides like a common soldier's. Except for the famed mustache he had an ordinary face, the face of any small man of fifty or so wamng by on a German city street. Compared to this man of the people, the other two Nazis seemed bedizened grotesques²⁵⁹. His gray coat with the single Iron Cross over his left breast contrasted remarkably²⁶⁰ with Ribbentrop's gold-braided dark blue uniform and the air marshal's extravaganza of colors, gems, and medals. Folding one hand over the other in his lap, he took in the Americans with a grave glance. "Luigi Gianelli, American banker. Captain Victor Henry, United States naval attache in Berlin," said Ribbentrop, in a sarcastic²⁶¹ tone emphasizing the unimportance of the visitors. "Extraordinary informality emissaries, Mei F hr r, from the President of the United States. The banker cleared his throat, attempted an expression of gratitude²⁶² for the interview in German, made a flustered²⁶³ apology, and shifted to English. The Fuhrer, his gaze steady on the banker while Henry translated, kept shifting in his chair and crossing and uncrossing his ankles. With the same prologue²⁶⁴ on world peace that he had addressed to Mussolini, Gianelli put to the Fuhrer the question about Sumner Welles. As it came out in English, a contemptuous smile appeared on Ribbentrop's face. Upon Henry's translation Hitler and Goering looked at each other, the Fuhrer impassive, Goering hoisting²⁶⁵ his shoulders, waving his thick-gemmed hands, and shaking his head, as though to say, "That's really it. Unbelievable!" Hitler meditated²⁶⁶. The glance of his sunken, pallid²⁶⁷ blue eyes was straight ahead and far away. A bitter little smile moved his mustache and his mouth. He began to speak in quiet, very clear, Bavarianaccented German, 'Your esteemed²⁶⁸ President, Herr GianeEi, seems to feel a remarkable sense of responsibility for the whole present course of world history. It is all the more remarkable in that only the United States, among the great powers, failed to join the League of Nations, and in that your Congress and your people have repeatecey indicated that they want no foreign entanglements²⁶⁹. "In my speech of April twenty-ninth, mainly addressed to your President, I acknowledged that your country has more than twice the population of our little land, more than fifteen times the living space, and infinitely²⁷⁰ more mineral resources. Perhaps therefore your President feels that he must approach me from time to time with stern fatherly admonitions. But of course I am giving my life for the renascence of my people, and I cannot help seeing everything from that limited point of view." Victor Henry did his best to translate, his heart pounding, his mouth dry. Hitler now began reminiscing garrulously²⁷¹ about the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. He spoke at length and seemed to be enjoying himself, slowly waving his hands and using relaxed tones. The justifications²⁷² were familiar stuff. He grew briefly loud and acid only over the Britishguarantee to Poland, which, he said, had encouraged a cruel reactionary²⁷³ regime to engage in atrocious measures against its German minority, in the illusion that it had become safe to do so. That was how the war had started. Since then England and France had over and over spurned his offers of a peace settlement and disarmament. What more could he do, as a responsible head of state, than arm his country to defend itself against these two great military empires, who between them controlled three-fifths of the habitable surface of the earth and almost half its population? German political aims were simple, open, moderate, and unchanging, he went on. Five centuries before Columbus discovered America, there had been a German empire at the heart of Europe, its boundaries roughly fixed by geography and the reproductive vigor²⁷⁴ of the people. War had come over and over to this European heartland through the attempts of many powers to fragment the German folk. These attempts had often had temporary success. But the German nation, with its strong instinct for survival and growth, had time and again rallied and thrown off foreign encirclements and yokes²⁷⁵. In this part of his talk Hitler made references to Bismarck, Napoleon, Frederick the Great, the War of the Spanish Succession, and the Thirty Years' War, which were beyond Victor Henry. He translated them word for word as best he could. The Versailles Treaty, said the Fuhrer, had simply been the latest of these foreign efforts to mutilate the German heartland. Because it had been historically unsound and unjust it was now dead. The Rhineland was German. So was Austria. So was the Sudeteniand. So were Danzig and the Corridor. The manufactured monstrosity of Czechoslovakia, thrust like a spear into Germany's vitals, had now become once again the traditional Bohemian protectorate of the Reich. This restoration of normal Germany was now complete. He had done it almost without bloodshed. But for the absurd British guarantee, it would have all been finished in peace; the question of Danzig and the Corridor had been practically settled in July. Even now nothing substantial stood in the way of lasting peace. The other side simply had to recognize this restored normality in central Europe, and return to Germany her colonial territories. For the Reich, like other great modern states, had a natural right to the raw materials of the underdeveloped continents. Victor Henry was deeply struck by Hitler's steady manner, by his apparent moral conviction, by his identification of himself with the German nation-'. and so I restored the Rhineland to the-e Reich and so I brought back Austria to its historical origins... and so I normalized the Bohemian plateau..."-and by his broad visions of history. The ranting²⁷⁶ demagogue of the Party rallies was obviously nothing but a public image, such as the Germans, in Hitler's estimate, wanted. He radiated the personal force that Captain Henry had seen in only two or three admirals.
As for the journalistic picture-the carpet-chewing hysterical²⁷⁷ Charlie Chaplin politician-Pug now felt that it was a distortion of small things which had led the world into disaster. 'I share the President's desire for peace ' Hitler was saying. He was starting to gesture now as in his speeches, lough less broadly. His eyes had brightened astonishingly; Henry thought it must be an illusion, but they seemed eerily²⁷⁸ to glow. 'I hunger and yearn²⁷⁹ for peace. I was a simple soldier in the front lines for four years, while he, as a rich and wellborn man, had the privilege of serving as an Assistant Secretary of the Navy in a Washington office. I know war. I was born to create, not to destroy, and who can say how many years of life are left to me to fulfill²⁸⁰ my tasks of construction? But the British and French leaders call for the destruction of 'Hitm"-he brought out the foreign tenn with contemptfilled sarcasm-'as their price for peace. I can almost understand their hatred²⁸¹ for me. I have made Germany strong again, and that did not suit them. But this hate, if persisted in, will doom²⁸² Europe, because I and the German people cannot be separated. We are one. This is a simple truth, though I fear the English will need a test of fire to prove it. I believe Germany has the strength to emerge victorious. If not, we will all go down together, and historical Europe as we know it will cease to exist." He paused, his face tightened²⁸³ and changed, and the pitch of his voice all at once began to rise. 'How can they be so blind to realities? I achieved air parity²⁸⁴ in 1937 Since then I have never stopped building planes, planes, planes, U-boats, U-boats, U-boats!' He was screaming now, clenching²⁸⁵ his fists and waving his stiff outstretched arms. "I have piled bombs, bombs, bombs, tanks, tanks, tanks, to the sky! It has been a wasteful²⁸⁶, staggering burden on my people, but what other language have great states ever understood? It is out of a sense of strength that I have offered peace. I have been rejected and scorned, and as the price of peace they have asked for my head. The German people only laugh at such pathetic nonsense!' On the shouted litany of "planes... bombs... U-boats' he swept both fists down again and again to strike the floor, bending far over so that the famous black lock of hair tumbled in his face, giving him his more usual newsreel look of the street agitator²⁸⁷; and the red face and screeching²⁸⁸ tones had indeed something of the carpet chewer, after all. Suddenly, dramatically, as at a podium, he dropped into qtdet controlled tones. "Let the test of fire come. I have done my utmost, and my conscience is clear before the bar of history." Hitler fell silent, then stood with an air of dismissal, his eyes burning and distance his mouth a down-curved line. "Mein Fuhrer," Goering said, lumbering²⁸⁹ to his feet, his boots creaking, after this wonderfully clear presentation of the realities you offer no objection to this visit of Herr Sumner Welles, I take it, if the President persists." Hitler hesitated, appeared perplexed²⁹⁰, and gave an impatient shrug. "I have no wish to return discourtesy for discourtesy, and petty treatment for petty treatment. Iwould do anything for peace. But until the British will to destroy me is itself destroyed, the only road to peace is through German victory. Anything else is irrelevant²⁹¹. I will continue to hope with all my heart for a last-minute signal of sanity²⁹² from the other side, before the holocaust²⁹³ explodes." In a worked-up manner, with no gesture of farewell, he strode out through the carved double door. Victor Henry glanced at his wristwatch. The Fuhrer had spent an hour and ten minutes with them, and so far as Henry knew, President Roosevelt's question remained unanswered. He could see on Gianelli's pale, baffled face the same impression. Goering and Ribbentrop looked at each other. The fat man said, "President Roosevelt has his reply. The Fuhrer sees no hope in the Welles mission, but in his unending quest for a just peace he will not reject it." "That was not my understanding," said Ribbentrop in a quick, strained voice. "He called the mission irrelevant. "If you want to press the Fuhrer for clarification," Goering said satirically to him, gesturing at the double doors, 'go ahead. I understood him very well, and I think I know him." He turned again to the banker, and his voice moderated. 'In informing your President of this meeting, tell him that I said the Fuhrer will not refuse to receive Welles, but he sees no hope in it-and neither do I-unless the British and the French drop their war aim of removing the Fuhrer. That is no more possible than it is to move Mont Blanc. If they persist in it, the result will be a frightful²⁹⁴ hattie in the West, ending in a total German victory after the death of millions." "That will be the result in any case," said Ribbentrop, "and the die will be cast before Mr. Sumner Welles can arrange his papers and pack his belongings²⁹⁵." miring²³⁷ took each of the two Americans by an elbow and said with a total change to geniality²⁹⁶ that brought to Victor Henry's mind the waiter at Wannsee, "Well, I hope you are not leaving so soon? We will have dancing a little later, and a bite of supper, and then some fine entertainers from Prague, artistic²⁹⁷ dancers." He mlled his eyes in jocose²⁹⁸ suggestiveness. "Your Excellency is Marvelously hospitable," Gianelli replied. "But a plane is waiting in Berlin to take me to Lisbon and connect with the Clipper." "Then I must let you go, but only if you promise to come to Karinhall again. I will walk out with you." Ribbentrop stood with his back to them, looking at the fire. When the banker besitandy spoke a word of farewell, he grunted²⁹⁹ and hitched³⁰⁰ a shoulder. Arm in arm with Goering, the Americans walked down the corridors of Karinhall. The air minister smelled of some strong bath oil. His hand lightly tapped Victor Henry's forearm. "Well, Captain Henry, you have been to Swinemonde and seen our U-boat setup. What is your opinion of our U-boat program?""Your industrial standards are as high as any in the world, Your Excellency-And with officers like Grohke and Prien you're in good shape. The U-boats are already making quite a record in the Atlantic." "It's only the beginning," Goering said. 'll-boats are coming off the ways now like sausages. I doubt that all of them will yen see action. The air will decide this war fast. I hope your attach for air, Colonel Powell, has been reporting the Luftwaffe's strength accurately³⁰¹ to your president. We have been very open with Powell, on my orders." "Indeed he has made reports. He's very impressed." Goering looked pleased. "We have learned a lot from America. Curtis in particular has brilliant designers. Your Navy's dive-bombing was carefully studied by us and the Stuka was the result." He turned to the banker and speaking in slow, simple German, asked him questions about South American mining companies. They walking through an empty ballroom³⁰² with huge crystal-and-gilt chandeliers,andtheirclic(were) king steps on the parquet³⁰³ floor echoed hollowly. The banker replied in easy German, which he had not displayed under pressure, and they talked finance all the way to the front doors. Guests walking in the halls stared at the sight of Goering between the two Americans. The banker's man-of-the-world smile reappeared and color returned to his face. It was snowing outside, and Goering stopped in the doorway to shake hands. Gianelli had so far recovered that he came out with something Victor Henry considered absolutely vital. Henry was trying to think of a way to hint it to him, when the banker said, shaking hands with the air minister in a slight whirl of snow, 'Excellency, I will have to tell the President that your foreign minister does not welcome the Welles mission and has stated the Fuhrer does not." Goering's face toughened. 'If Welles comes, the Fuhrer will see him. That is official." Goering glanced up at the sky and walked through the snow with the two Americans to their car, as a Luftwaffe officer drove it up to the entrance. "Remember this. Germany is like all countries. Not everybody here wants peace. But I do." Victor Henry sat up most of the night writing his report, so it could go back to the President in the banker's hands. It was a longhand account, poured out pell-mell. After a tale of the facts up to Goering's last words in the snow, Victor Henry wrote: The key question is, of course, whether or not a peace mission by Sumner Welles is now expected in the Third Reich. It seems inconceivable that in an interview with Hitler, Goering, and Ribbentrop, your emissary got no clear-cut answer. I believe that Sumner Welles will be received by Hitler. But I don't think the mission wig achieve anything, unless the Allies want to change their minds and accept some version of the "outstretched hand' formula. None of the three men seemed to take the interview very seriously.

1 peevish   

adj.易怒的，坏脾气的

参考例句：

• A peevish child is unhappy and makes others unhappy.一个脾气暴躁的孩子自己不高兴也使别人不高兴。
• She glared down at me with a peevish expression on her face.她低头瞪着我，一脸怒气。

2 lapsed   

adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。
• He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 panorama   

n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置]

参考例句：

• A vast panorama of the valley lay before us.山谷的广阔全景展现在我们面前。
• A flourishing and prosperous panorama spread out before our eyes.一派欣欣向荣的景象展现在我们的眼前。

4 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

5 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

6 wheezing   

v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 )；哮鸣

参考例句：

• He was coughing and wheezing all night. 他整夜又咳嗽又喘。
• A barrel-organ was wheezing out an old tune. 一架手摇风琴正在呼哧呼哧地奏着一首古老的曲子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

8 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

9 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

10 briny   

adj.盐水的；很咸的；n.海洋

参考例句：

• The briny water is not good for the growth of the trees.海水不利于这种树木的生长。
• The briny air gave a foretaste of the nearby sea.咸空气是快近海的前兆。

11 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

12 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

13 deflecting   

（使）偏斜， （使）偏离， （使）转向( deflect的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A variety of mechanical surfaces have been employed for deflecting the exhaust jets of solid-propellant rockets. 人们已经用过各种类型的机械控制面来偏转固体推进剂火箭的排气流。
• If she made a leading statement, he was expert deflecting her into more impersonal channels. 只要她一开口，他就会巧妙地把她的话题转到与个人无关的问题上去。

14 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

15 aglow   

adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地

参考例句：

• The garden is aglow with many flowers.园中百花盛开。
• The sky was aglow with the setting sun.天空因夕阳映照而发红光。

16 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

17 abashed   

adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed. 他怪罪的一瞥，朱丽叶自然显得很窘。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The girl was abashed by the laughter of her classmates. 那小姑娘因同学的哄笑而局促不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

19 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

20 limousine   

n.豪华轿车

参考例句：

• A chauffeur opened the door of the limousine for the grand lady.司机为这个高贵的女士打开了豪华轿车的车门。
• We arrived in fine style in a hired limousine.我们很气派地乘坐出租的豪华汽车到达那里。

21 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

22 inertia   

adj.惰性，惯性，懒惰，迟钝

参考例句：

• We had a feeling of inertia in the afternoon.下午我们感觉很懒。
• Inertia carried the plane onto the ground.飞机靠惯性着陆。

23 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：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

25 squinting   

斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• "More company," he said, squinting in the sun. "那边来人了，"他在阳光中眨巴着眼睛说。
• Squinting against the morning sun, Faulcon examined the boy carefully. 对着早晨的太阳斜起眼睛，富尔康仔细地打量着那个年轻人。

26 inebriated   

adj.酒醉的

参考例句：

• He was inebriated by his phenomenal success. 他陶醉于他显赫的成功。 来自互联网
• Drunken driver(a driver who is inebriated). 喝醉了的司机（醉酒的司机） 来自互联网

27 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

28 sparse   

adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的

参考例句：

• The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
• The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。

29 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

30 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

31 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

32 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

33 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

34 aloofness   

超然态度

参考例句：

• Why should I have treated him with such sharp aloofness? 但我为什么要给人一些严厉，一些端庄呢？ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
• He had an air of haughty aloofness. 他有一种高傲的神情。 来自辞典例句

35 frantic   

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。

36 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

37 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

38 pensively   

adv.沉思地，焦虑地

参考例句：

• Garton pensively stirred the hotchpotch of his hair. 加顿沉思着搅动自己的乱发。 来自辞典例句
• "Oh, me,'said Carrie, pensively. "I wish I could live in such a place." “唉，真的，"嘉莉幽幽地说，"我真想住在那种房子里。” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

39 suspenseful   

adj.悬疑的，令人紧张的

参考例句：

• If his experiences then had been carefully recorded, it would undoubtedly have made a suspenseful and moving book. 若是把他所经历的事实记录下来，那就是一部充满着大智大勇，惊心动魄的小说。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Lily is an atmospheric and suspenseful tale of love, loss and obsession. 这是一个关于爱情、失落与迷恋的故事，充满情调与悬疑色彩。 来自互联网

40 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

41 poke   

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。

42 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

43 groan   

vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音

参考例句：

• The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
• The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

44 originality   

n.创造力，独创性；新颖

参考例句：

• The name of the game in pop music is originality.流行音乐的本质是独创性。
• He displayed an originality amounting almost to genius.他显示出近乎天才的创造性。

45 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

46 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。

47 materialist   

n. 唯物主义者

参考例句：

• Promote materialist dialectics and oppose metaphysics and scholasticism. 要提倡唯物辩证法，反对形而上学和烦琐哲学。
• Whoever denies this is not a materialist. 谁要是否定这一点，就不是一个唯物主义者。

48 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

49 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

50 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

51 mannerism   

n.特殊习惯，怪癖

参考例句：

• He has this irritating mannerism of constantly scratching his nose.他老是挠鼻子，这个习惯真让人不舒服。
• Her British accent is just a mannerism picked up on her visit to London.她的英国口音是她访问伦敦学会的。

52 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

53 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

54 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

55 pointed   

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。

56 deferential   

adj. 敬意的，恭敬的

参考例句：

• They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.他们喜欢五星级的宾馆和毕恭毕敬的接待。
• I am deferential and respectful in the presence of artists.我一向恭敬、尊重艺术家。

57 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

58 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

59 wig   

n.假发

参考例句：

• The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
• He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。

60 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

61 proprietary   

n.所有权，所有的；独占的；业主

参考例句：

• We had to take action to protect the proprietary technology.我们必须采取措施保护专利技术。
• Proprietary right is the foundation of jus rerem.所有权是物权法之根基。

62 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

63 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

64 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。

65 wry   

adj.讽刺的；扭曲的

参考例句：

• He made a wry face and attempted to wash the taste away with coffee.他做了个鬼脸，打算用咖啡把那怪味地冲下去。
• Bethune released Tung's horse and made a wry mouth.白求恩放开了董的马，噘了噘嘴。

66 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

67 poise   

vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信

参考例句：

• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise.她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。
• Ballet classes are important for poise and grace.芭蕾课对培养优雅的姿仪非常重要。

68 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

69 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

70 maniacal   

adj.发疯的

参考例句：

• He was almost maniacal in his pursuit of sporting records.他近乎发疯般地追求着打破体育纪录。
• She is hunched forward over the wheel with a maniacal expression.她弓身伏在方向盘前，表情像疯了一样。

71 mumble   

n./v.喃喃而语，咕哝

参考例句：

• Her grandmother mumbled in her sleep.她祖母含混不清地说着梦话。
• He could hear the low mumble of Navarro's voice.他能听到纳瓦罗在小声咕哝。

72 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

73 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

74 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

75 gad   

n.闲逛；v.闲逛

参考例句：

• He is always on the gad.他老是闲荡作乐。
• Let it go back into the gloaming and gad with a lot of longing.就让它回到暮色中，满怀憧憬地游荡吧。

76 genial   

adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的

参考例句：

• Orlando is a genial man.奥兰多是一位和蔼可亲的人。
• He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host.他是个热心的朋友，也是友善待客的主人。

77 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

78 jabbering   

v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴

参考例句：

• What is he jabbering about now? 他在叽里咕噜地说什么呢？
• He was jabbering away in Russian. 他叽里咕噜地说着俄语。 来自《简明英汉词典》

79 tumult   

n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹

参考例句：

• The tumult in the streets awakened everyone in the house.街上的喧哗吵醒了屋子里的每一个人。
• His voice disappeared under growing tumult.他的声音消失在越来越响的喧哗声中。

80 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

81 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

82 shrug   

v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)

参考例句：

• With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。
• I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。

83 exuded   

v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的过去式和过去分词 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情

参考例句：

• Nearby was a factory which exuded a pungent smell. 旁边是一家散发出刺鼻气味的工厂。 来自辞典例句
• The old drawer exuded a smell of camphor. 陈年抽屉放出樟脑气味。 来自辞典例句

84 penury   

n.贫穷，拮据

参考例句：

• Hardship and penury wore him out before his time.受穷受苦使他未老先衰。
• A succession of bad harvest had reduced the small farmer to penury.连续歉收使得这个小农场主陷入了贫困境地。

85 clattered   

发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He dropped the knife and it clattered on the stone floor. 他一失手，刀子当啷一声掉到石头地面上。
• His hand went limp and the knife clattered to the ground. 他的手一软，刀子当啷一声掉到地上。

86 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

87 freckled   

adj.雀斑；斑点；晒斑；（使）生雀斑v.雀斑，斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her face was freckled all over. 她的脸长满雀斑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Her freckled skin glowed with health again. 她长有雀斑的皮肤又泛出了健康的红光。 来自辞典例句

88 brew   

v.酿造，调制

参考例句：

• Let's brew up some more tea.咱们沏些茶吧。
• The policeman dispelled the crowd lest they should brew trouble.警察驱散人群，因恐他们酿祸。

89 delightful   

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。

90 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

91 exalted   

adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的

参考例句：

• Their loveliness and holiness in accordance with their exalted station.他们的美丽和圣洁也与他们的崇高地位相称。
• He received respect because he was a person of exalted rank.他因为是个地位崇高的人而受到尊敬。

92 dreading   

v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father. 她正在为不得不向父亲提出钱的事犯愁。
• This was the moment he had been dreading. 这是他一直最担心的时刻。

93 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

94 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

95 statistic   

n.统计量；adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• Official statistics show real wages declining by 24%.官方统计数字表明实际工资下降了24%。
• There are no reliable statistics for the number of deaths in the battle.关于阵亡人数没有可靠的统计数字。

96 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

97 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

98 loomed   

v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
• The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

99 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

100 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

101 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

102 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

103 sleekness   

油滑； 油光发亮； 时髦阔气； 线条明快

参考例句：

• The sleekness of his appearance reminded me of his financial successes. 他着装的光鲜告诉我他财大气粗。
• Urban sleekness and traditional quaintness highlight the contrasts of Hong Kong. 城市的优美造型和传统的古雅情趣突出了香港的种种反差。

104 stimulated   

a.刺激的

参考例句：

• The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
• The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

105 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

106 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。

107 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

108 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

109 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

110 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

111 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

112 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

113 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

114 jauntily   

adv.心满意足地；洋洋得意地；高兴地；活泼地

参考例句：

• His straw hat stuck jauntily on the side of his head. 他那顶草帽时髦地斜扣在头上。 来自辞典例句
• He returned frowning, his face obstinate but whistling jauntily. 他回来时皱眉蹙额，板着脸，嘴上却快活地吹着口哨。 来自辞典例句

115 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

116 ironical   

adj.讽刺的，冷嘲的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironical end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• From his general demeanour I didn't get the impression that he was being ironical.从他整体的行为来看，我不觉得他是在讲反话。

117 bellicosity   

n.好战，好打架

参考例句：

• We had gone from good humor to bellicosity back to joviality in five hours. 在五个小时中，双方一会儿从谈笑风生变成剑拔弩张，一会儿又恢复谈笑风生。 来自辞典例句
• Wakefulness, watchfulness, and bellicosity make a good hunter. 不眠、保持警觉和好斗可以造就一个好猎手。 来自互联网

118 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

119 peppermint   

n.薄荷，薄荷油，薄荷糖

参考例句：

• Peppermint oil is very good for regulating digestive disorders.薄荷油能很有效地调节消化系统失调。
• He sat down,popped in a peppermint and promptly choked to death.他坐下来，突然往嘴里放了一颗薄荷糖，当即被噎死。

120 beckon   

v.(以点头或打手势)向...示意，召唤

参考例句：

• She crooked her finger to beckon him.她勾勾手指向他示意。
• The wave for Hawaii beckon surfers from all around the world.夏威夷的海浪吸引着世界各地的冲浪者前来。

121 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

122 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

123 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

124 creases   

（使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的第三人称单数 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹

参考例句：

• She smoothed the creases out of her skirt. 她把裙子上的皱褶弄平。
• She ironed out all the creases in the shirt. 她熨平了衬衣上的所有皱褶。

125 opaque   

adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的

参考例句：

• The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
• Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。

126 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

127 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

128 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

129 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

130 engulf   

vt.吞没，吞食

参考例句：

• Floodwaters engulf a housing project in the Bajo Yuna community in central Dominican Republic.洪水吞没了多米尼加中部巴杰优那社区的一处在建的住房工程项目。
• If we are not strong enough to cover all the minds up,then they will engulf us,and we are in danger.如果我们不够坚强来抵挡大众的意念，就会有被他们吞没的危险。

131 ration   

n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应

参考例句：

• The country cut the bread ration last year.那个国家去年削减面包配给量。
• We have to ration the water.我们必须限量用水。

132 gust   

n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发

参考例句：

• A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来，把前门关上了。
• A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。

133 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

134 fiddling   

微小的

参考例句：

• He was fiddling with his keys while he talked to me. 和我谈话时他不停地摆弄钥匙。
• All you're going to see is a lot of fiddling around. 你今天要看到的只是大量的胡摆乱弄。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦

135 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

136 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

137 spurned   

v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Eve spurned Mark's invitation. 伊夫一口回绝了马克的邀请。
• With Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. 对里德太太呢，我记得我的最大努力总是遭到唾弃。 来自辞典例句

138 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

139 portentous   

adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的

参考例句：

• The present aspect of society is portentous of great change.现在的社会预示着重大变革的发生。
• There was nothing portentous or solemn about him.He was bubbling with humour.他一点也不装腔作势或故作严肃，浑身散发着幽默。

140 fixed   

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。

141 gushed   

v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• Oil gushed from the well. 石油从井口喷了出来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Clear water gushed into the irrigational channel. 清澈的水涌进了灌溉渠道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

142 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

143 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

144 hog   

n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占

参考例句：

• He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
• Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。

145 crumple   

v.把...弄皱，满是皱痕，压碎，崩溃

参考例句：

• Take care not to crumple your dress by packing it carelessly.当心不要因收放粗心压纵你的衣服。
• The wall was likely to crumple up at any time.墙随时可能坍掉。

146 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

147 flake   

v.使成薄片；雪片般落下；n.薄片

参考例句：

• Drain the salmon,discard the skin,crush the bones and flake the salmon with a fork.将鲑鱼沥干，去表皮，粉碎鱼骨并用餐叉子将鱼肉切成小薄片状。
• The paint's beginning to flake.油漆开始剥落了。

148 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

149 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

150 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

151 stank   

n. (英)坝，堰，池塘 动词stink的过去式

参考例句：

• Her breath stank of garlic. 她嘴里有股大蒜味。
• The place stank of decayed fish. 那地方有烂鱼的臭味。

152 slumps   

萧条期( slump的名词复数 )； （个人、球队等的）低潮状态； （销售量、价格、价值等的）骤降； 猛跌

参考例句：

• Deflation could emerge from simultaneous slumps in the world's three major economies. 如果世界经济三大主体同时衰退，通货紧缩就会出现。
• This is the cycle of economic booms and slumps. 这是经济繁荣和经济萧条的周期变化。

153 sags   

向下凹或中间下陷( sag的第三人称单数 )； 松弛或不整齐地悬着

参考例句：

• The bed sags in the middle, and is uncomfortable. 床的中间往下塌，很不舒服。
• He sags his pants; doo rags and a stockin cap. 他穿着松弛的裤子。抹布一样的帽子。

154 contritely   

参考例句：

155 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

156 stationery   

n.文具；(配套的)信笺信封

参考例句：

• She works in the stationery department of a big store.她在一家大商店的文具部工作。
• There was something very comfortable in having plenty of stationery.文具一多，心里自会觉得踏实。

157 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

158 chestnut   

n.栗树，栗子

参考例句：

• We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
• In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。

159 mutinous   

adj.叛变的，反抗的；adv.反抗地，叛变地；n.反抗，叛变

参考例句：

• The mutinous sailors took control of the ship.反叛的水手们接管了那艘船。
• His own army,stung by defeats,is mutinous.经历失败的痛楚后，他所率军队出现反叛情绪。

160 pouting   

v.撅（嘴）( pout的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The child sat there pouting. 那孩子坐在那儿，一副不高兴的样子。 来自辞典例句
• She was almost pouting at his hesitation. 她几乎要为他这种犹犹豫豫的态度不高兴了。 来自辞典例句

161 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

162 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

163 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

164 scuttled   

v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走

参考例句：

• She scuttled off when she heard the sound of his voice. 听到他的说话声，她赶紧跑开了。
• The thief scuttled off when he saw the policeman. 小偷看见警察来了便急忙跑掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

165 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

166 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

167 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

168 scuttling   

n.船底穿孔，打开通海阀（沉船用）v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 )；快跑，急走

参考例句：

• I could hear an animal scuttling about in the undergrowth. 我可以听到一只动物在矮树丛中跑来跑去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• First of all, scuttling Yu Lung (this yuncheng Hejin) , flood discharge. 大禹首先凿开龙门（今运城河津市），分洪下泄。 来自互联网

169 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

170 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

171 smothering   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的现在分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He laughed triumphantly, and silenced her by manly smothering. 他胜利地微笑着，以男人咄咄逼人的气势使她哑口无言。
• He wrapped the coat around her head, smothering the flames. 他用上衣包住她的头，熄灭了火。

172 whooping   

发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的

参考例句：

• Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
• Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？

173 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

174 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

175 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

176 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

177 appalled   

v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

178 penitentiary   

n.感化院；监狱

参考例句：

• He worked as a warden at the state penitentiary.他在这所州监狱任看守长。
• While he was in the penitentiary her father died and the family broke up.他坐牢的时候，她的父亲死了，家庭就拆散了。

179 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

180 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

181 mantled   

披着斗篷的，覆盖着的

参考例句：

• Clouds mantled the moon. 云把月亮遮住。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The champagne mantled in the glass. 玻璃杯里的香槟酒面上泛起一层泡沫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

182 grandiose   

adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的

参考例句：

• His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。
• As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

183 darting   

v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• Swallows were darting through the clouds. 燕子穿云急飞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Swallows were darting through the air. 燕子在空中掠过。 来自辞典例句

184 vaulted   

adj.拱状的

参考例句：

• She vaulted over the gate and ran up the path. 她用手一撑跃过栅栏门沿着小路跑去。
• The formal living room has a fireplace and vaulted ceilings. 正式的客厅有一个壁炉和拱形天花板。

185 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

186 triangular   

adj.三角（形）的，三者间的

参考例句：

• It's more or less triangular plot of land.这块地略成三角形。
• One particular triangular relationship became the model of Simone's first novel.一段特殊的三角关系成了西蒙娜第一本小说的原型。

187 eminent   

adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的

参考例句：

• We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
• He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。

188 ablaze   

adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的

参考例句：

• The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
• Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。

189 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

190 aviator   

n.飞行家，飞行员

参考例句：

• The young aviator bragged of his exploits in the sky.那名年轻的飞行员吹嘘他在空中飞行的英勇事迹。
• Hundreds of admirers besieged the famous aviator.数百名爱慕者围困那个著名飞行员。

191 condor   

n.秃鹰；秃鹰金币

参考例句：

• The condor soars above the mountain heights.禿鹰翱翔于高山之上。
• A condor prepares to fly in Colombia.一只兀鹰在哥伦比亚准备振翅高飞。

192 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

193 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

194 swarming   

密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。
• The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海水浴的人。

195 lackey   

n.侍从；跟班

参考例句：

• I'm not staying as a paid lackey to act as your yes-man.我不要再做拿钱任你使唤的应声虫。
• Who would have thought that Fredo would become a lackey of women?谁能料到弗烈特竟堕落成女人脚下的哈叭狗？

196 lackeys   

n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人

参考例句：

• When the boss falls from power, his lackeys disperse. 树倒猢狲散。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The singer was surrounded by the usual crowd of lackeys and hangers on. 那个歌手让那帮总是溜须拍马、前呼後拥的人给围住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

197 gilt   

adj.镀金的；n.金边证券

参考例句：

• The plates have a gilt edge.这些盘子的边是镀金的。
• The rest of the money is invested in gilt.其余的钱投资于金边证券。

198 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

199 amassing   

v.积累，积聚( amass的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of taxonomy must necessarily involve the amassing of an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants. 分类学研究一定要积累广博的植物知识。 来自辞典例句
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网

200 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

201 jargon   

n.术语，行话

参考例句：

• They will not hear critics with their horrible jargon.他们不愿意听到评论家们那些可怕的行话。
• It is important not to be overawed by the mathematical jargon.要紧的是不要被数学的术语所吓倒.

202 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

203 confiscation   

n. 没收, 充公, 征收

参考例句：

• Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 没收一切流亡分子和叛乱分子的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
• Confiscation of smuggled property is part of the penalty for certain offences. 没收走私财产是对某些犯罪予以惩罚的一部分。

204 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

205 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

206 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

207 buckling   

扣住

参考例句：

• A door slammed in the house and a man came out buckling his belt. 房子里的一扇门砰地关上，一个男子边扣腰带边走了出来。
• The periodic buckling leaves the fibre in a waved conformation. 周期性的弯折在纤维中造成波形构成。

208 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

209 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

210 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

211 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

212 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

213 harried   

v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰

参考例句：

• She has been harried by the press all week. 整个星期她都受到新闻界的不断烦扰。
• The soldiers harried the enemy out of the country. 士兵们不断作骚扰性的攻击直至把敌人赶出国境为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》

214 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

215 wretches   

n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋

参考例句：

• The little wretches were all bedraggledfrom some roguery. 小淘气们由于恶作剧而弄得脏乎乎的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The best courage for us poor wretches is to fly from danger. 对我们这些可怜虫说来，最好的出路还是躲避危险。 来自辞典例句

216 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

217 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

218 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

219 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

220 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

221 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

222 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

223 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

224 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

225 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

226 duress   

n.胁迫

参考例句：

• He claimed that he signed the confession under duress.他说他是被迫在认罪书上签字的。
• These unequal treaties were made under duress.这些不平等条约是在强迫下签订的。

227 flamboyant   

adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
• The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。

228 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

229 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

230 busts   

半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕

参考例句：

• Dey bags swells up and busts. 那奶袋快胀破了。
• Marble busts all looked like a cemetery. 大理石的半身象，简直就象是坟山。

231 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

232 interspersed   

adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The grass was interspersed with beds of flowers. 草地上点缀着许多花坛。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

233 vapid   

adj.无味的；无生气的

参考例句：

• She made a vapid comment about the weather.她对天气作了一番平淡无奇的评论。
• He did the same thing year by year and found life vapid.他每年做着同样的事，觉得生活索然无味。

234 nudes   

（绘画、照片或雕塑）裸体( nude的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He also drew Chinese opera figures, nudes and still lives. 他还画戏曲人物画、裸女、瓶花静物等。

235 tapestries   

n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The wall of the banqueting hall were hung with tapestries. 宴会厅的墙上挂有壁毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rooms were hung with tapestries. 房间里都装饰着挂毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

236 edifice   

n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室)

参考例句：

• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
• There is a huge Victorian edifice in the area.该地区有一幢维多利亚式的庞大建筑物。

237 miring   

v.深陷( mire的现在分词 )

参考例句：

238 tinge   

vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息

参考例句：

• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。
• There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.她声音中流露出一丝忧伤。

239 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

240 banal   

adj.陈腐的，平庸的

参考例句：

• Making banal remarks was one of his bad habits.他的坏习惯之一就是喜欢说些陈词滥调。
• The allegations ranged from the banal to the bizarre.从平淡无奇到离奇百怪的各种说法都有。

241 bulged   

凸出( bulge的过去式和过去分词 )； 充满； 塞满（某物）

参考例句：

• His pockets bulged with apples and candy. 他的口袋鼓鼓地装满了苹果和糖。
• The oranges bulged his pocket. 桔子使得他的衣袋胀得鼓鼓的。

242 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

243 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

244 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

245 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

246 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

247 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

248 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。

249 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

250 tirade   

n.冗长的攻击性演说

参考例句：

• Her tirade provoked a counterblast from her husband.她的长篇大论激起了她丈夫的强烈反对。
• He delivered a long tirade against the government.他发表了反政府的长篇演说。

251 maladroit   

adj.笨拙的

参考例句：

• A maladroit movement of his hand caused the car to swerve.他的手笨拙的移动使得车突然转向。
• The chairman was criticized for his maladroit handing of the press conference.主席由于处理记者招待会的拙劣而被批评。

252 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

253 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

254 hoarsely   

adv.嘶哑地

参考例句：

• "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
• Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

255 facade   

n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表

参考例句：

• The entrance facade consists of a large full height glass door.入口正面有一大型全高度玻璃门。
• If you look carefully,you can see through Bob's facade.如果你仔细观察，你就能看穿鲍勃的外表。

256 monstrously   

参考例句：

• There is a class of men in Bristol monstrously prejudiced against Blandly. 布里斯托尔有那么一帮人为此恨透了布兰德利。
• You are monstrously audacious, how dare you misappropriate public funds? 你真是狗胆包天，公家的钱也敢挪用？

257 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

258 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

259 grotesques   

n.衣着、打扮、五官等古怪，不协调的样子( grotesque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Grass's novels are peopled with outlandish characters: grotesques, clowns, scarecrows, dwarfs. 格拉斯的小说里充斥着稀奇古怪的人物：丑陋的怪人、小丑、稻草人和侏儒。 来自柯林斯例句

260 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

261 sarcastic   

adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的

参考例句：

• I squashed him with a sarcastic remark.我说了一句讽刺的话把他给镇住了。
• She poked fun at people's shortcomings with sarcastic remarks.她冷嘲热讽地拿别人的缺点开玩笑。

262 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

263 flustered   

adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了，都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句

264 prologue   

n.开场白，序言；开端，序幕

参考例句：

• A poor wedding is a prologue to misery.不幸的婚姻是痛苦的开始。
• The prologue to the novel is written in the form of a newspaper account.这本小说的序言是以报纸报道的形式写的。

265 hoisting   

起重，提升

参考例句：

• The hoisting capacity of that gin pole (girder pole, guy derrick) is sixty tons. 那个起重抱杆（格状抱杆、转盘抱杆）的起重能力为60吨。 来自口语例句
• We must use mechanical hoisting to load the goods. 我们必须用起重机来装载货物。

266 meditated   

深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑

参考例句：

• He meditated for two days before giving his answer. 他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。
• She meditated for 2 days before giving her answer. 她考虑了两天才答复。

267 pallid   

adj.苍白的，呆板的

参考例句：

• The moon drifted from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face.月亮从云朵后面钻出来，照着尸体那张苍白的脸。
• His dry pallid face often looked gaunt.他那张干瘪苍白的脸常常显得憔悴。

268 esteemed   

adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为

参考例句：

• The art of conversation is highly esteemed in France. 在法国十分尊重谈话技巧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He esteemed that he understood what I had said. 他认为已经听懂我说的意思了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

269 entanglements   

n.瓜葛( entanglement的名词复数 )；牵连；纠缠；缠住

参考例句：

• Mr. White threaded his way through the legal entanglements. 怀特先生成功地解决了这些法律纠纷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At dawn we broke through the barbed wire entanglements under the city wall. 拂晓我们突破了城墙的铁丝网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

270 infinitely   

adv.无限地，无穷地

参考例句：

• There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
• The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

271 garrulously   

参考例句：

272 justifications   

正当的理由，辩解的理由( justification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If he a vulgar person, she does not have justifications for him. 如果他是个低级趣味的人，她早就不会理他了。
• It depends on their effect on competition and possible justifications. 这则取决于它们对于竞争的影响和可能存在的正当抗辩理由。

273 reactionary   

n.反动者，反动主义者；adj.反动的，反动主义的，反对改革的

参考例句：

• They forced thousands of peasants into their reactionary armies.他们迫使成千上万的农民参加他们的反动军队。
• The reactionary ruling clique was torn by internal strife.反动统治集团内部勾心斗角，四分五裂。

274 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

275 yokes   

轭( yoke的名词复数 )； 奴役； 轭形扁担； 上衣抵肩

参考例句：

• The rhombic drive mechanism has two "yokes". 菱形驱动机构有两个“轭”。
• Contact pressure increase by 1.5 –5 with same stems and yokes. 即使采用相同的阀杆和轭架，接触压力也能够增加1.5至5倍。

276 ranting   

v.夸夸其谈( rant的现在分词 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨

参考例句：

• Mrs. Sakagawa stopped her ranting. 坂川太太戛然中断悲声。 来自辞典例句
• He was ranting about the murder of his dad. 他大叫她就是杀死他父亲的凶手。 来自电影对白

277 hysterical   

adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的

参考例句：

• He is hysterical at the sight of the photo.他一看到那张照片就异常激动。
• His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned.他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。

278 eerily   

adv.引起神秘感或害怕地

参考例句：

• It was nearly mid-night and eerily dark all around her. 夜深了，到处是一片黑黝黝的怪影。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The vast volcanic slope was eerily reminiscent of a lunar landscape. 开阔的火山坡让人心生怪异地联想起月球的地貌。 来自辞典例句

279 yearn   

v.想念；怀念；渴望

参考例句：

• We yearn to surrender our entire being.我们渴望着放纵我们整个的生命。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

280 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

281 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

282 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

283 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

284 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

285 clenching   

v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I'll never get used to them, she thought, clenching her fists. 我永远也看不惯这些家伙，她握紧双拳，心里想。 来自飘（部分）
• Clenching her lips, she nodded. 她紧闭着嘴唇，点点头。 来自辞典例句

286 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

287 agitator   

n.鼓动者；搅拌器

参考例句：

• Hitler's just a self-educated street agitator.希特勒无非是个自学出身的街头煽动家罢了。
• Mona had watched him grow into an arrogant political agitator.莫娜瞧着他成长为一个高傲的政治鼓动家。

288 screeching   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
• the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景

289 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

290 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

291 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

292 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

293 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

294 frightful   

adj.可怕的；讨厌的

参考例句：

• How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊！
• We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。

295 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

296 geniality   

n.和蔼，诚恳；愉快

参考例句：

• They said he is a pitiless,cold-blooded fellow,with no geniality in him.他们说他是个毫无怜悯心、一点也不和蔼的冷血动物。
• Not a shade was there of anything save geniality and kindness.他的眼神里只显出愉快与和气，看不出一丝邪意。

297 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

298 jocose   

adj.开玩笑的，滑稽的

参考例句：

• Dr. Daniel was a gleg man of a jocose nature.丹尼尔大夫是一位天生诙谐而反应机敏的人。
• His comic dialogues are jocose and jocular,thought-provoking.他的小品诙谐，逗乐，发人深省。

299 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

300 hitched   

（免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上

参考例句：

• They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。
• We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。

301 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

302 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

303 parquet   

n.镶木地板

参考例句：

• The parquet floors shone like mirrors.镶木地板亮得象镜子。
• The snail left a trail of slime along the parquet floor.蜗牛在镶木地板上留下一道黏液。