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CHAPTER XI A MEETING
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 THERE comes a day in the lives of some of us when everything appears as if it were pursuing its 
 
ordinary and normal course. We get up in the morning and go through the usual routine—bath, dressing, 
 
breakfast, all the little accustomed trivialities which have happened thousands of times in our lives 
 
already, and which will doubtless happen thousands of times again. We feel gay or dull as we have felt 
 
thousands of times before, and we think, or we don’t think, of the various occupations that will go 
 
to make up our day, and we never guess that before sunset we shall have our hand on a door—a door 
 
that when opened is to lead the way into clouds of sorrow, or gild1 our life suddenly with the radiant 
 
light of joy. So silently do the fates work, so secret do they keep their intentions from us.
 
Paul got up that morning as usual at seven o’clock. He had his usual cold bath, which most people 
 
would have found uncomfortably chilly2 on a November morning, but in which Paul found merely a 
 
refreshing3 sting. He rubbed himself dry while humming an air from “The Arcadians,” and then put on 
 
his clothes. He went into his studio and found his usual breakfast of coffee and rolls ready for him. 
 
While he ate it he looked into a neat brown pocket-book to refresh his memory as to his engagements 
 
for the day.
 
A small girl was coming to sit for him at ten o’clock. Her name was Marjorie Arnold. She was 
 
possessed4 of personality and a fascinating dimple. He had caught the personality, but the dimple had 
 
hitherto eluded6 him. It was extremely fleeting7 in its appearance. He hoped to catch it and place it on 
 
canvas that morning.
 
There was only one other entry for the day—“4.15. C.C.” It meant that Christopher Charlton was 
 
coming for him that afternoon, and would take him to call on the Duchessa di Corleone, who desired to 
 
have her portrait painted.
 
He felt a certain amount of interest as to the Duchessa’s appearance, but it was only an interest he 
 
had felt dozens of times before concerning possible commissions. Christopher had said she was good-
 
looking. So were a good many people who were no use to Paul as subjects. He painted only those who 
 
interested him. From the others—and there were many—he politely evaded8 accepting commissions. He was 
 
very much an artist, was Paul. And for this reason partly his income was considerably9 below the amount 
 
his genius warranted. The other reason was that there were [Pg 106]many people who did not consider 
 
his portraits to be likenesses.
 
At ten o’clock the child appeared with the nurse, who was dismissed for a couple of hours, and armed 
 
with brushes and palette Paul set to work to catch the fleeting dimple.
 
The child—she was five years old—was in a solemn mood. Smiles, and with them the dimple, had 
 
temporarily vanished. She was a quaint10 little thing with red hair and freckles11, and a fascinating 
 
ugliness generally termed the beauté de diable.
 
Paul told her half a dozen stories, including “The Three Bears”, “The Frog Prince”, and Rudyard 
 
Kipling’s “Stute Little Fish.” But neither the squeakiness of the little bear, the faithlessness of 
 
the princess, nor the sufferings of the whale when the shipwrecked mariner12 danced hornpipes in his 
 
inside had any effect on the dimple.
 
“Suppose,” said Paul at last, “that you tell me a story.”
 
The face was even more solemn.
 
“I don’t know one.”
 
“Make up one,” suggested Paul.
 
There was the ghost of a smile, then solemnity. The flash of hope Paul had experienced died away.
 
“Onst upon a time,” she began gravely, “vere was a little dog an’ a little duck. An’ vey grewed 
 
wings, an’ vey flewed up an’ up an’ up to heaven to God.”
 
There was a pause for effect.
 
 
“What a height,” said Paul admiringly, watching her face. “What happened next?”
 
“When vey got vere,” went on the voice solemnly, “you bet vey wanted to see round. But God said, ‘
 
Not to-day, I guess I’m busy. It’s my last day up here.’ It was. ’Cos ve next day—God died. Isn’
 
t vat13 a nice story?”
 
No trace of a dimple. Paul was exasperated14.
 
“Not a bit a nice story,” he said sternly. “And God couldn’t die.”
 
She put her head on one side and looked at him.
 
“Well, not weally, of course. But ve little dog an’ ve little duck had never seen anybody die, an’ 
 
vey wanted to. So God showed them.” She was laughing at him now in childish triumph, a very imp5 of 
 
mischief15.
 
“Eureka!” cried Paul. And his brush flew to the canvas. Such are the trials and triumphs of portrait 
 
painters.
 
“Come and look at it,” said Paul after ten minutes.
 
She scrambled16 down from the chair and platform and came round. A small mocking face of pure wickedness 
 
looked at her from the canvas. Her own.
 
“Do you see it?” said Paul, pointing at it with his brush. “And but for your profane17 little story 
 
there would never have been exactly that expression on your face. We wait for our moments, we artists, 
 
and we catch them—sometimes. And now,” he continued, “you can have a stick of chocolate and brown 
 
your face up to the eyebrows18 with it. I have finished your portrait, and therefore done with you. I 
 
don’t care what happens to you now."
 
That was Paul. During the time of painting he sought for intimate knowledge of his subjects. Every 
 
tiniest characteristic, every fleeting expression, were noted19 and stored up in his memory. He could 
 
almost have told you their life history from his minute observation of faces. He knew his subjects as 
 
few of their intimate friends knew them. He guessed their hidden secrets with a power that was almost 
 
uncanny—secrets known only to their own souls—and put the secrets on his canvas. And it was for this 
 
reason that many people did not consider the portraits to be likenesses. He painted the real person, 
 
not merely the mask they wore to the world at large.
 
This fact had been particularly emphasized in his portrait of a certain statesman—one Lord St. Aubyn. 
 
The statesman has nothing to do with the rest of this story, but the incident as far as Paul is 
 
concerned is interesting.
 
St. Aubyn was a man who was much before the public, and no less than five portraits of him had been 
 
commissioned by different societies as a token of their personal gratitude20. Four of these, but for the 
 
individuality of technique, might have been replicas21 [Pg 109]one of the other, and gave instant 
 
satisfaction alike to donors22 and public.
 
They showed a man with regular features and deep-set eyes, leaning to the accepted military type, a 
 
resolute23 mouth, and a certain air of distinction and command. One felt that a sculptor24 of the 
 
“classic convention” would have expressed the type even more admirably. Reserve was there, but with 
 
no hint of mystery or evasion25; intellectuality, but little imagination.
 
The fifth portrait by Paul was, one would have said, of another man. It was a picture that seemed 
 
alive with a strange and slightly repellent magnetism26, for the eyes smiled at a stranger with a 
 
baffling mockery; they seemed to invite and yet defy his judgment—to taunt27 him with his impotence and 
 
read the soul behind them.
 
It had been received on exhibition with a storm of outspoken28 criticism; while the Benevolent30 Trustees 
 
who had commissioned it, though refraining from audible dissatisfaction, had maintained so eloquent31
 
silence at their private view, glancing at each other with liftings of eyebrows and pursing of lips, 
 
that Paul had flung round upon them and relieved their embarrassment32 by declaring the contract to be 
 
null and void. No reasons were asked for or given; the action was taken as a tacit admission of 
 
failure. Yet Paul himself had seemed not ill-satisfied, and had met the chaff33 which had [Pg 110]
 
greeted him from many of his circle with equanimity34.
 
Landor, one of the circle, whose portrait of St. Aubyn in the previous Academy had been hailed as a 
 
most masterly piece of work, had ventured a serious protest.
 
“My dear fellow,” he had said one evening, “you’re letting your imagination play tricks with you. 
 
It’s becoming an absolute disease. I made a most careful study of the man—made him give me 
 
innumerable sittings, and I pledge you my word that I put everything into the face that I could find. 
 
You had three sittings, and God only knows what you’ve put there.”
 
Paul had smoked for a few moments in silence.
 
“Perhaps you’ve hit it,” he had said. “I’ve nothing to say against your ‘Portrait of a rising 
 
Statesman.’ It’s a fine piece of work. But you know all about the Factories Sanitation35 Amendment 
 
Act, and I can read Sub-section Ten in your handling of the chin. Now I don’t read the papers, and I 
 
know nothing of the man. I tried to get at him and he shut the door in my face. Yet something came 
 
through the keyhole and the cracks by the hinges, and I have painted that. And, as you say, God only 
 
knows what I’ve put in his face; I don’t. And in spite of that—or perhaps because of it—what I’ve 
 
put there happens to be the truth.”
 
 
“But what have you done with the picture?” Landor had asked. “The Benevolent refused it, didn’t 
 
they?”
 
“Now you’re getting coarse,” had been Paul’s reply. “We agreed to differ as to its suitability.”
 
“Then where is it?”
 
“In St. Aubyn’s study, I believe,” had been the careless reply.
 
“He bought it, then?”
 
“I gave it to him.”
 
Landor had looked at Paul, and had refrained from putting further questions. There had been an 
 
expression in Paul’s face which might have made them appear an impertinence.
 
The gift of the picture had come about in rather a curious way.
 
Paul never let his sitters see unfinished work, and St. Aubyn had left town immediately after the 
 
third sitting, and had not returned till the exhibition was over. Then he had gone to Paul’s studio 
 
and had seen the picture. He had made one remark, but that was eloquent.
 
“How did you find out?” he had said.
 
Paul had looked at him, and the next moment the mask had been on again, and he had been talking 
 
business.
 
“You’ve sold this portrait, haven’t you?” he had asked.
 
“Unfortunately not,” Paul had replied. “It [Pg 112]seems to give offence to your numerous admirers.
 
 
“Then, if you will allow me, I should like to become the purchaser,” had been the reply.
 
Paul had looked at him.
 
“It’s not for sale,” he had said.
 
St. Aubyn had bowed and taken up his hat without so much as looking disappointed.
 
“But I’ll send it round to your house to-morrow,” Paul had said.
 
St. Aubyn had refused. He had talked polite platitudes36 regarding the value of the work.
 
“Now you’re talking Stock Exchange,” Paul had told him. “The latest marked quotation37 is absolutely 
 
nil38. No one will look at it. As a piece of property it is worthless. As a revelation——” he had 
 
stopped.
 
St. Aubyn had smiled. “I deal in revelations—professionally,” he said.
 
That had told Paul the secret he had already guessed.
 
“What a head-line for the evening papers,” he had said whimsically. “‘A Peer’s Secret! Threatened 
 
Exposure by Eminent39 Artist!’ But I’m not a blackmailer40, and I don’t take hush-money. The picture is 
 
yours or no one’s.”
 
They had argued a little more. At last St. Aubyn had taken it.
 
“And about the inscription41?” It had been Paul’s parting shot. “From a painter to a——?”
 
 
St. Aubyn had shaken his head.
 
“Experience is against endorsements42, however cryptic43, on secret documents,” he had said. “Sooner or 
 
later the cipher44 is sure to be read.”
 
And he had gone away, leaving Paul the sole possessor of his secret, a secret which Paul had summed up 
 
in one brief sentence addressed to a Chinese idol45 on his mantelpiece.
 
“The man, God help him, is a poet.”
 
A month later he had received a small volume of poems addressed in a hand in which he had already 
 
received three short notes agreeing to sittings. The verses—true poetry—were written under a nom de 
 
plume46. What St. Aubyn’s reason was for keeping his poetical47 talent a secret from the world Paul never 
 
knew. The volume came to him in silence from the author; he respected the silence, attempting no word 
 
of thanks. And the secret his insight had wrested48 from the man went with other secrets somewhere away 
 
in the hidden recesses49 of his mind, while his work alone absorbed him.
 
He never pursued his knowledge of men and women further. It sufficed—or seemed to suffice him—to 
 
portray50 that knowledge on canvas, and leave it for those to read who had the heart to do so. As he had 
 
passed before among men and women of varied51 nationalities, making no real friends, so he passed now 
 
among varied types, noting them, painting them, and dismissing them, still making no friend. The 
 
lonely reserve he had gained in his wanderings pursued him now. He could not throw it off. Barnabas 
 
and Dan were nearer true friendship with him than any, and more because they had silently accepted him 
 
for their friend than from any advance on his part. It seemed that he could make none. The solitude52 of 
 
the plains, the loneliness of big spaces, seemed to have claimed his spirit.
 
And so he painted portraits, from statesmen to small girls, gaining intimate knowledge of them, while 
 
no one yet had learnt to know the real Paul.
 
It was very much later in the day, long after Marjorie had departed led by an indignant nurse 
 
muttering to herself regarding the carelessness of “them artists,” for not only Marjorie’s face, 
 
but her best white dress was covered with various smears53 of brown chocolate—it was long after this 
 
that Paul looked once more at his pocket-book. He looked at it to make sure that the hour Christopher 
 
would arrive for him was four-fifteen, and not four o’clock. The former was there plainly inscribed, 
 
written by Paul with a small gold pencil.
 
There were just two entries for that day—Friday, November 27th, “M.A. 10 o’clock” and “4.15 
 
o’clock. C.C.” Little did Paul think as he looked at it that he would treasure that small page as 
 
one would treasure one’s passage to heaven.
 
Christopher arrived at the studio punctually to the second, and found Paul ready for him. The [Pg 
 
115]two turned into Oakley Street and came down towards the Embankment. It was already past sunset, 
 
and the houses and river were shrouded54 in a soft mist. They reached the house near Swan Walk and went 
 
up the steps.
 
“The Duchessa di Corleone at home?” asked Christopher of the footman who opened the door.
 
“Will you come this way, sir,” was the answer, and he led them up the wide shallow stairs. He threw 
 
open a door.
 
Paul saw a room of pale lavenders, with the chrysanthemums55 like patches of sunlight. A woman rose from 
 
a chair by the fire and came forward to greet them. The window was behind her as she came forward, and 
 
the room being in twilight56 he could not see her face distinctly, but he saw the outlines of her 
 
graceful57 figure, and caught the glint of her red-brown hair.
 
She held out her hand.
 
“It is very charming of you to come and see me, Mr. Treherne,” she said. “Pietro, the lights.”
 
Paul heard the sound of three or four tiny clickings near the door, and the room became full of a soft 
 
mellow58 light. Had the light been a trifle brighter, or her voice a shade less natural, the whole thing 
 
might have verged59 on the theatrical60. As it was, it was simply a revelation to Paul as, for the first 
 
time, he saw the Duchessa di Corleone.
 
She stood before him smiling—a smile that just lit up her eyes and trembled on her mouth. He [Pg 
 
116]saw that her skin was smooth like ivory, that her lips were crimson61 like wine beneath oiled silk, 
 
that her hair was the colour of a chestnut62 newly wrested from its sheath.
 
All this Paul saw almost without realizing it. For suddenly his heart heard a tune63—one that is played 
 
silently throughout the ages, and to most of us the hearing of the tune comes slowly and gradually, a 
 
note at a time. But to a few—as to Paul—it comes suddenly, played in full melody. He felt vaguely 
 
that he had been waiting for that tune all his life, listening for it on the plains, in the silence of 
 
the night under the stars.
 
But he merely bowed and said in the most ordinary and conventional voice in the world:
 
“It was very good of you to ask me to come and see you.”
 
For Paul did not yet know the meaning of the tune. In his lonely life he had never before even heard 
 
an imitation of it. And because the music was very strange and very beautiful he listened to it with 
 
something like awe64.
 
And then he heard Christopher’s voice.
 
“I ought to have told you, Sara, that Mr. Treherne is an artist of strange moods, and that sometimes 
 
he refuses—in the most polite and diplomatic way, of course—to accept commissions.”
 
The Duchessa looked at Paul.
 
“I don’t think Mr. Treherne will refuse to paint my portrait. At least I hope not.”
 
 
“I shall be honoured to paint it,” Paul replied.
 
The words were conventional. Since he intended to accept the commission it was very nearly the only 
 
phrase he could have used, yet there was something in his utterance65 of the words that seemed just to 
 
lift them from the commonplace. Perhaps it was the direct way in which he spoke29 them. Paul had 
 
generally a very direct manner of speech.
 
Anyhow, Sara glanced at him, and an indefinable something in his eyes caused an odd little movement in 
 
her heart. The room in which they were sitting seemed suddenly brighter, the chrysanthemums a more 
 
beautiful colour, the logs on the fire more than usually crackly and pleasant. For so it is that two 
 
people who are complete strangers to each other sometimes meet and in some subtle way, and without 
 
realizing it at the time, the whole world has altered for them. And the invisible gods laughed softly, 
 
and the grim old fates smiled, and drew two threads of their weaving, which had hitherto had nothing 
 
to do with each other, a little closer together.
 
Before Paul left the house on the Embankment it was arranged that the Duchessa should come to his 
 
studio the following morning at eleven o’clock for her first sitting.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 gild L64yA     
vt.给…镀金,把…漆成金色,使呈金色
参考例句:
  • The sun transform the gild cupola into dazzling point of light.太阳将这些镀金的圆屋顶变成了闪耀的光点。
  • With Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney primed to flower anew,Owen can gild the lily.贝巴和鲁尼如今蓄势待发,欧文也可以为曼联锦上添花。
2 chilly pOfzl     
adj.凉快的,寒冷的
参考例句:
  • I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
  • I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
3 refreshing HkozPQ     
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。
4 possessed xuyyQ     
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的
参考例句:
  • He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
  • He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
5 imp Qy3yY     
n.顽童
参考例句:
  • What a little imp you are!你这个淘气包!
  • There's a little imp always running with him.他总有一个小鬼跟着。
6 eluded 8afea5b7a29fab905a2d34ae6f94a05f     
v.(尤指机敏地)避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 );逃避;躲避;使达不到
参考例句:
  • The sly fox nimbly eluded the dogs. 那只狡猾的狐狸灵活地躲避开那群狗。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The criminal eluded the police. 那个罪犯甩掉了警察的追捕。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
7 fleeting k7zyS     
adj.短暂的,飞逝的
参考例句:
  • The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
  • Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝,于是让自已尽情地享受。
8 evaded 4b636015da21a66943b43217559e0131     
逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 ); 避开; 回避; 想不出
参考例句:
  • For two weeks they evaded the press. 他们有两周一直避而不见记者。
  • The lion evaded the hunter. 那狮子躲开了猎人。
9 considerably 0YWyQ     
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上
参考例句:
  • The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
  • The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
10 quaint 7tqy2     
adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的
参考例句:
  • There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里,有很多小巷。
  • They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。
11 freckles MsNzcN     
n.雀斑,斑点( freckle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She had a wonderful clear skin with an attractive sprinkling of freckles. 她光滑的皮肤上有几处可爱的小雀斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • When she lies in the sun, her face gets covered in freckles. 她躺在阳光下时,脸上布满了斑点。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 mariner 8Boxg     
n.水手号不载人航天探测器,海员,航海者
参考例句:
  • A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.平静的大海决不能造就熟练的水手。
  • A mariner must have his eye upon rocks and sands as well as upon the North Star.海员不仅要盯着北极星,还要注意暗礁和险滩。
13 vat sKszW     
n.(=value added tax)增值税,大桶
参考例句:
  • The office is asking for the vat papers.办事处要有关增值税的文件。
  • His father emptied sacks of stale rye bread into the vat.他父亲把一袋袋发霉的黑面包倒进大桶里。
14 exasperated ltAz6H     
adj.恼怒的
参考例句:
  • We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
  • Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。
15 mischief jDgxH     
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹
参考例句:
  • Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
  • He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。
16 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 profane l1NzQ     
adj.亵神的,亵渎的;vt.亵渎,玷污
参考例句:
  • He doesn't dare to profane the name of God.他不敢亵渎上帝之名。
  • His profane language annoyed us.他亵渎的言语激怒了我们。
18 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
19 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
20 gratitude p6wyS     
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。
21 replicas 3b4024e8d65041c460d20d6a2065f3bd     
n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句
22 donors 89b49c2bd44d6d6906d17dca7315044b     
n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 );献血者;捐血者;器官捐献者
参考例句:
  • Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去,请给我们发电子邮件。
  • About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 resolute 2sCyu     
adj.坚决的,果敢的
参考例句:
  • He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
  • The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。
24 sculptor 8Dyz4     
n.雕刻家,雕刻家
参考例句:
  • A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
  • The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。
25 evasion 9nbxb     
n.逃避,偷漏(税)
参考例句:
  • The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
  • The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。
26 magnetism zkxyW     
n.磁性,吸引力,磁学
参考例句:
  • We know about magnetism by the way magnets act.我们通过磁铁的作用知道磁性是怎么一回事。
  • His success showed his magnetism of courage and devotion.他的成功表现了他的胆量和热诚的魅力。
27 taunt nIJzj     
n.辱骂,嘲弄;v.嘲弄
参考例句:
  • He became a taunt to his neighbours.他成了邻居们嘲讽的对象。
  • Why do the other children taunt him with having red hair?为什么别的小孩子讥笑他有红头发?
28 outspoken 3mIz7v     
adj.直言无讳的,坦率的,坦白无隐的
参考例句:
  • He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
  • She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。
29 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
30 benevolent Wtfzx     
adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的
参考例句:
  • His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。
  • He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人,连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。
31 eloquent ymLyN     
adj.雄辩的,口才流利的;明白显示出的
参考例句:
  • He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩,胜过最好的演说家。
  • These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。
32 embarrassment fj9z8     
n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫
参考例句:
  • She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
  • Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。
33 chaff HUGy5     
v.取笑,嘲笑;n.谷壳
参考例句:
  • I didn't mind their chaff.我不在乎他们的玩笑。
  • Old birds are not caught with chaff.谷糠难诱老雀。
34 equanimity Z7Vyz     
n.沉着,镇定
参考例句:
  • She went again,and in so doing temporarily recovered her equanimity.她又去看了戏,而且这样一来又暂时恢复了她的平静。
  • The defeat was taken with equanimity by the leadership.领导层坦然地接受了失败。
35 sanitation GYgxE     
n.公共卫生,环境卫生,卫生设备
参考例句:
  • The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看,这个地段非常糟糕。
  • Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。
36 platitudes e249aa750ccfe02339c2233267283746     
n.平常的话,老生常谈,陈词滥调( platitude的名词复数 );滥套子
参考例句:
  • He was mouthing the usual platitudes about the need for more compassion. 他言不由衷地说了些需要更加同情之类的陈腔滥调。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He delivered a long prose full of platitudes. 他发表了一篇充满陈词滥调的文章。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
37 quotation 7S6xV     
n.引文,引语,语录;报价,牌价,行情
参考例句:
  • He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare.他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。
  • The quotation is omitted here.此处引文从略。
38 nil 7GgxO     
n.无,全无,零
参考例句:
  • My knowledge of the subject is practically nil.我在这方面的知识几乎等于零。
  • Their legal rights are virtually nil.他们实际上毫无法律权利。
39 eminent dpRxn     
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。
40 blackmailer a031d47c9f342af0f87215f069fefc4d     
敲诈者,勒索者
参考例句:
  • The blackmailer had a hold over him. 勒索他的人控制着他。
  • The blackmailer will have to be bought off,or he'll ruin your good name. 得花些钱疏通那个敲诈者,否则他会毁坏你的声誉。
41 inscription l4ZyO     
n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文
参考例句:
  • The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损,无法辨认了。
  • He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。
42 endorsements dfbd0f1b5d6e20b7cae6a4e0d7aefd50     
n.背书( endorsement的名词复数 );(驾驶执照上的)违章记录;(公开的)赞同;(通常为名人在广告中对某一产品的)宣传
参考例句:
  • He must make much money on those tennis shoe endorsements he does. 他替那些网球鞋珍重广告,就赚了不少钱。 来自互联网
  • But celebrity endorsements remain an important promotional tool for marketers. 尽管如此,邀明星助阵仍是营销人员重要的推广手段之一。 来自互联网
43 cryptic yyDxu     
adj.秘密的,神秘的,含义模糊的
参考例句:
  • She made a cryptic comment about how the film mirrored her life.她隐晦地表示说这部电影是她人生的写照。
  • The new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms.新的保险单在编写时没有隐秘条款或秘密条款。
44 cipher dVuy9     
n.零;无影响力的人;密码
参考例句:
  • All important plans were sent to the police in cipher.所有重要计划均以密码送往警方。
  • He's a mere cipher in the company.他在公司里是个无足轻重的小人物。
45 idol Z4zyo     
n.偶像,红人,宠儿
参考例句:
  • As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子,他是父母的宠儿。
  • Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。
46 plume H2SzM     
n.羽毛;v.整理羽毛,骚首弄姿,用羽毛装饰
参考例句:
  • Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
  • He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。
47 poetical 7c9cba40bd406e674afef9ffe64babcd     
adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的
参考例句:
  • This is a poetical picture of the landscape. 这是一幅富有诗意的风景画。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • John is making a periphrastic study in a worn-out poetical fashion. 约翰正在对陈腐的诗风做迂回冗长的研究。 来自辞典例句
48 wrested 687939d2c0d23b901d6d3b68cda5319a     
(用力)拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 ); 费力取得; (从…)攫取; ( 从… ) 强行取去…
参考例句:
  • The usurper wrested the power from the king. 篡位者从国王手里夺取了权力。
  • But now it was all wrested from him. 可是现在,他却被剥夺了这一切。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
49 recesses 617c7fa11fa356bfdf4893777e4e8e62     
n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 );(工作或业务活动的)中止或暂停期间;学校的课间休息;某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 );将(墙)做成凹形,在(墙)上做壁龛;休息,休会,休庭
参考例句:
  • I could see the inmost recesses. 我能看见最深处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I had continually pushed my doubts to the darker recesses of my mind. 我一直把怀疑深深地隐藏在心中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
50 portray mPLxy     
v.描写,描述;画(人物、景象等)
参考例句:
  • It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
  • Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗?
51 varied giIw9     
adj.多样的,多变化的
参考例句:
  • The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
  • The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。
52 solitude xF9yw     
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方
参考例句:
  • People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
  • They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。
53 smears ff795c29bb653b3db2c08e7c1b20f633     
污迹( smear的名词复数 ); 污斑; (显微镜的)涂片; 诽谤
参考例句:
  • His evidence was a blend of smears, half truths and downright lies. 他的证词里掺杂着诽谤、部份的事实和彻头彻尾的谎言。
  • Anything written with a soft pencil smears easily. 用软铅笔写成的东西容易污成一片。
54 shrouded 6b3958ee6e7b263c722c8b117143345f     
v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 );保密
参考例句:
  • The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
  • The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
55 chrysanthemums 1ded1ec345ac322f70619ba28233b570     
n.菊花( chrysanthemum的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The cold weather had most deleterious consequences among the chrysanthemums. 寒冷的天气对菊花产生了极有害的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The chrysanthemums are in bloom; some are red and some yellow. 菊花开了, 有红的,有黄的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
56 twilight gKizf     
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期
参考例句:
  • Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
  • Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。
57 graceful deHza     
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的
参考例句:
  • His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
  • The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
58 mellow F2iyP     
adj.柔和的;熟透的;v.变柔和;(使)成熟
参考例句:
  • These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节,苹果就熟透了。
  • The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时,色彩变得柔和了。
59 verged 6b9d65e1536c4e50b097252ecba42d91     
接近,逼近(verge的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The situation verged on disaster. 形势接近于灾难的边缘。
  • Her silly talk verged on nonsense. 她的蠢话近乎胡说八道。
60 theatrical pIRzF     
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。
61 crimson AYwzH     
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色
参考例句:
  • She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
  • Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。
62 chestnut XnJy8     
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。
63 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
64 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧
参考例句:
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
65 utterance dKczL     
n.用言语表达,话语,言语
参考例句:
  • This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter.他的讲话引起阵阵哄然大笑。
  • My voice cleaves to my throat,and sob chokes my utterance.我的噪子哽咽,泣不成声。


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