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CHAPTER XIV
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 Which is serious: as becomes a parting chapter—The German from the Anglo-Saxon’s point of view—Providence1 in buttons and a helmet—Paradise of the helpless idiot—German conscience: its aggressiveness—How they hang in Germany, very possibly—What happens to good Germans when they die?—The military instinct: is it all-sufficient?—The German as a shopkeeper—How he supports life—The New Woman, here as everywhere—What can be said against the Germans, as a people—The Bummel is over and done.
 
“Anybody could rule this country,” said George; “I could rule it.”
 
We were seated in the garden of the Kaiser Hof at Bonn, looking down upon the Rhine.  It was the last evening of our Bummel; the early morning train would be the beginning of the end.
 
“I should write down all I wanted the people to do on a piece of paper,” continued George; “get a good firm to print off so many copies, have them posted about the towns and villages; and the thing would be done.”
 
In the placid3, docile4 German of to-day, whose only ambition appears to be to pay his taxes, and do what he is told to do by those whom it has pleased Providence to place in authority over him, it is difficult, one must confess, to detect any trace of his wild ancestor, to whom individual liberty was as the breath of his nostrils5; who appointed his magistrates6 to advise, but retained the right of execution for the tribe; who followed his chief, but would have scorned to obey him.  In Germany to-day one hears a good deal concerning Socialism, but it is a Socialism that would only be despotism under another name.  Individualism makes no appeal to the German voter.  He is willing, nay7, anxious, to be controlled and regulated in all things.  He disputes, not government, but the form of it.  The policeman is to him a religion, and, one feels, will always remain so.  In England we regard our man in blue as a harmless necessity.  By the average citizen he is employed chiefly as a signpost, though in busy quarters of the town he is considered useful for taking old ladies across the road.  Beyond feeling thankful to him for these services, I doubt if we take much thought of him.  In Germany, on the other hand, he is worshipped as a little god and loved as a guardian8 angel.  To the German child he is a combination of Santa Claus and the Bogie Man.  All good things come from him: Spielplätze to play in, furnished with swings and giant-strides, sand heaps to fight around, swimming baths, and fairs.  All misbehaviour is punished by him.  It is the hope of every well-meaning German boy and girl to please the police.  To be smiled at by a policeman makes it conceited9.  A German child that has been patted on the head by a policeman is not fit to live with; its self-importance is unbearable10.
 
The German citizen is a soldier, and the policeman is his officer.  The policeman directs him where in the street to walk, and how fast to walk.  At the end of each bridge stands a policeman to tell the German how to cross it.  Were there no policeman there, he would probably sit down and wait till the river had passed by.  At the railway station the policeman locks him up in the waiting-room, where he can do no harm to himself.  When the proper time arrives, he fetches him out and hands him over to the guard of the train, who is only a policeman in another uniform.  The guard tells him where to sit in the train, and when to get out, and sees that he does get out.  In Germany you take no responsibility upon yourself whatever.  Everything is done for you, and done well.  You are not supposed to look after yourself; you are not blamed for being incapable11 of looking after yourself; it is the duty of the German policeman to look after you.  That you may be a helpless idiot does not excuse him should anything happen to you.  Wherever you are and whatever you are doing you are in his charge, and he takes care of you—good care of you; there is no denying this.
 
If you lose yourself, he finds you; and if you lose anything belonging to you, he recovers it for you.  If you don’t know what you want, he tells you.  If you want anything that is good for you to have, he gets it for you.  Private lawyers are not needed in Germany.  If you want to buy or sell a house or field, the State makes out the conveyance12.  If you have been swindled, the State takes up the case for you.  The State marries you, insures you, will even gamble with you for a trifle.
 
“You get yourself born,” says the German Government to the German citizen, “we do the rest.  Indoors and out of doors, in sickness and in health, in pleasure and in work, we will tell you what to do, and we will see to it that you do it.  Don’t you worry yourself about anything.”
 
And the German doesn’t.  Where there is no policeman to be found, he wanders about till he comes to a police notice posted on a wall.  This he reads; then he goes and does what it says.
 
I remember in one German town—I forget which; it is immaterial; the incident could have happened in any—noticing an open gate leading to a garden in which a concert was being given.  There was nothing to prevent anyone who chose from walking through that gate, and thus gaining admittance to the concert without paying.  In fact, of the two gates quarter of a mile apart it was the more convenient.  Yet of the crowds that passed, not one attempted to enter by that gate.  They plodded13 steadily14 on under a blazing sun to the other gate, at which a man stood to collect the entrance money.  I have seen German youngsters stand longingly15 by the margin16 of a lonely sheet of ice.  They could have skated on that ice for hours, and nobody have been the wiser.  The crowd and the police were at the other end, more than half a mile away, and round the corner.  Nothing stopped their going on but the knowledge that they ought not.  Things such as these make one pause to seriously wonder whether the Teuton be a member of the sinful human family or not.  Is it not possible that these placid, gentle folk may in reality be angels, come down to earth for the sake of a glass of beer, which, as they must know, can only in Germany be obtained worth the drinking?
 
In Germany the country roads are lined with fruit trees.  There is no voice to stay man or boy from picking and eating the fruit, except conscience.  In England such a state of things would cause public indignation.  Children would die of cholera17 by the hundred.  The medical profession would be worked off its legs trying to cope with the natural results of over-indulgence in sour apples and unripe18 walnuts19.  Public opinion would demand that these fruit trees should be fenced about, and thus rendered harmless.  Fruit growers, to save themselves the expense of walls and palings, would not be allowed in this manner to spread sickness and death throughout the community.
 
But in Germany a boy will walk for miles down a lonely road, hedged with fruit trees, to buy a pennyworth of pears in the village at the other end.  To pass these unprotected fruit trees, drooping20 under their burden of ripe fruit, strikes the Anglo-Saxon mind as a wicked waste of opportunity, a flouting21 of the blessed gifts of Providence.
 
I do not know if it be so, but from what I have observed of the German character I should not be surprised to hear that when a man in Germany is condemned22 to death he is given a piece of rope, and told to go and hang himself.  It would save the State much trouble and expense, and I can see that German criminal taking that piece of rope home with him, reading up carefully the police instructions, and proceeding23 to carry them out in his own back kitchen.
 
The Germans are a good people.  On the whole, the best people perhaps in the world; an amiable24, unselfish, kindly25 people.  I am positive that the vast majority of them go to Heaven.  Indeed, comparing them with the other Christian26 nations of the earth, one is forced to the conclusion that Heaven will be chiefly of German manufacture.  But I cannot understand how they get there.  That the soul of any single individual German has sufficient initiative to fly up by itself and knock at St. Peter’s door, I cannot believe.  My own opinion is that they are taken there in small companies, and passed in under the charge of a dead policeman.
 
Carlyle said of the Prussians, and it is true of the whole German nation, that one of their chief virtues27 was their power of being drilled.  Of the Germans you might say they are a people who will go anywhere, and do anything, they are told.  Drill him for the work and send him out to Africa or Asia under charge of somebody in uniform, and he is bound to make an excellent colonist28, facing difficulties as he would face the devil himself, if ordered.  But it is not easy to conceive of him as a pioneer.  Left to run himself, one feels he would soon fade away and die, not from any lack of intelligence, but from sheer want of presumption29.
 
The German has so long been the soldier of Europe, that the military instinct has entered into his blood.  The military virtues he possesses in abundance; but he also suffers from the drawbacks of the military training.  It was told me of a German servant, lately released from the barracks, that he was instructed by his master to deliver a letter to a certain house, and to wait there for the answer.  The hours passed by, and the man did not return.  His master, anxious and surprised, followed.  He found the man where he had been sent, the answer in his hand.  He was waiting for further orders.  The story sounds exaggerated, but personally I can credit it.
 
The curious thing is that the same man, who as an individual is as helpless as a child, becomes, the moment he puts on the uniform, an intelligent being, capable of responsibility and initiative.  The German can rule others, and be ruled by others, but he cannot rule himself.  The cure would appear to be to train every German for an officer, and then put him under himself.  It is certain he would order himself about with discretion30 and judgment31, and see to it that he himself obeyed himself with smartness and precision.
 
For the direction of German character into these channels, the schools, of course, are chiefly responsible.  Their everlasting32 teaching is duty.  It is a fine ideal for any people; but before buckling34 to it, one would wish to have a clear understanding as to what this “duty” is.  The German idea of it would appear to be: “blind obedience36 to everything in buttons.”  It is the antithesis37 of the Anglo-Saxon scheme; but as both the Anglo-Saxon and the Teuton are prospering38, there must be good in both methods.  Hitherto, the German has had the blessed fortune to be exceptionally well governed; if this continue, it will go well with him.  When his troubles will begin will be when by any chance something goes wrong with the governing machine.  But maybe his method has the advantage of producing a continuous supply of good governors; it would certainly seem so.
 
As a trader, I am inclined to think the German will, unless his temperament39 considerably40 change, remain always a long way behind his Anglo-Saxon competitor; and this by reason of his virtues.  To him life is something more important than a mere41 race for wealth.  A country that closes its banks and post-offices for two hours in the middle of the day, while it goes home and enjoys a comfortable meal in the bosom42 of its family, with, perhaps, forty winks43 by way of dessert, cannot hope, and possibly has no wish, to compete with a people that takes its meals standing35, and sleeps with a telephone over its bed.  In Germany there is not, at all events as yet, sufficient distinction between the classes to make the struggle for position the life and death affair it is in England.  Beyond the landed aristocracy, whose boundaries are impregnable, grade hardly counts.  Frau Professor and Frau Candlestickmaker meet at the Weekly Kaffee-Klatsch and exchange scandal on terms of mutual44 equality.  The livery-stable keeper and the doctor hobnob together at their favourite beer hall.  The wealthy master builder, when he prepares his roomy waggon45 for an excursion into the country, invites his foreman and his tailor to join him with their families.  Each brings his share of drink and provisions, and returning home they sing in chorus the same songs.  So long as this state of things endures, a man is not induced to sacrifice the best years of his life to win a fortune for his dotage46.  His tastes, and, more to the point still, his wife’s, remain inexpensive.  He likes to see his flat or villa2 furnished with much red plush upholstery and a profusion47 of gilt48 and lacquer.  But that is his idea; and maybe it is in no worse taste than is a mixture of bastard49 Elizabethan with imitation Louis XV, the whole lit by electric light, and smothered50 with photographs.  Possibly, he will have his outer walls painted by the local artist: a sanguinary battle, a good deal interfered51 with by the front door, taking place below, while Bismarck, as an angel, flutters vaguely52 about the bedroom windows.  But for his Old Masters he is quite content to go to the public galleries; and “the Celebrity53 at Home” not having as yet taken its place amongst the institutions of the Fatherland, he is not impelled54 to waste his, money turning his house into an old curiosity shop.
 
The German is a gourmand55.  There are still English farmers who, while telling you that farming spells starvation, enjoy their seven solid meals a day.  Once a year there comes a week’s feast throughout Russia, during which many deaths occur from the over-eating of pancakes; but this is a religious festival, and an exception.  Taking him all round, the German as a trencherman stands pre-eminent among the nations of the earth.  He rises early, and while dressing56 tosses off a few cups of coffee, together with half a dozen hot buttered rolls.  But it is not until ten o’clock that he sits down to anything that can properly be called a meal.  At one or half-past takes place his chief dinner.  Of this he makes a business, sitting at it for a couple of hours.  At four o’clock he goes to the café, and eats cakes and drinks chocolate.  The evening he devotes to eating generally—not a set meal, or rarely, but a series of snacks,—a bottle of beer and a Belegete-semmel or two at seven, say; another bottle of beer and an Aufschnitt at the theatre between the acts; a small bottle of white wine and a Spiegeleier before going home; then a piece of cheese or sausage, washed down by more beer, previous to turning in for the night.
 
But he is no gourmet57.  French cooks and French prices are not the rule at his restaurant.  His beer or his inexpensive native white wine he prefers to the most costly58 clarets or champagnes.  And, indeed, it is well for him he does; for one is inclined to think that every time a French grower sells a bottle of wine to a German hotel- or shop-keeper, Sedan is rankling59 in his mind.  It is a foolish revenge, seeing that it is not the German who as a rule drinks it; the punishment falls upon some innocent travelling Englishman.  Maybe, however, the French dealer60 remembers also Waterloo, and feels that in any event he scores.
 
In Germany expensive entertainments are neither offered nor expected.  Everything throughout the Fatherland is homely61 and friendly.  The German has no costly sports to pay for, no showy establishment to maintain, no purse-proud circle to dress for.  His chief pleasure, a seat at the opera or concert, can be had for a few marks; and his wife and daughters walk there in home-made dresses, with shawls over their heads.  Indeed, throughout the country the absence of all ostentation62 is to English eyes quite refreshing63.  Private carriages are few and far between, and even the droschke is made use of only when the quicker and cleaner electric car is not available.
 
By such means the German retains his independence.  The shopkeeper in Germany does not fawn64 upon his customers.  I accompanied an English lady once on a shopping excursion in Munich.  She had been accustomed to shopping in London and New York, and she grumbled65 at everything the man showed her.  It was not that she was really dissatisfied; this was her method.  She explained that she could get most things cheaper and better elsewhere; not that she really thought she could, merely she held it good for the shopkeeper to say this.  She told him that his stock lacked taste—she did not mean to be offensive; as I have explained, it was her method;—that there was no variety about it; that it was not up to date; that it was commonplace; that it looked as if it would not wear.  He did not argue with her; he did not contradict her.  He put the things back into their respective boxes, replaced the boxes on their respective shelves, walked into the little parlour behind the shop, and closed the door.
 
“Isn’t he ever coming back?” asked the lady, after a couple of minutes had elapsed.
 
Her tone did not imply a question, so much as an exclamation66 of mere impatience67.
 
“I doubt it,” I replied.
 
“Why not?” she asked, much astonished.
 
“I expect,” I answered, “you have bored him.  In all probability he is at this moment behind that door smoking a pipe and reading the paper.”
 
“What an extraordinary shopkeeper!” said my friend, as she gathered her parcels together and indignantly walked out.
 
“It is their way,” I explained.  “There are the goods; if you want them, you can have them.  If you do not want them, they would almost rather that you did not come and talk about them.”
 
On another occasion I listened in the smoke-room of a German hotel to a small Englishman telling a tale which, had I been in his place, I should have kept to myself.
 
“It doesn’t do,” said the little Englishman, “to try and beat a German down.  They don’t seem to understand it.  I saw a first edition of The Robbers in a shop in the Georg Platz.  I went in and asked the price.  It was a rum old chap behind the counter.  He said: ‘Twenty-five marks,’ and went on reading.  I told him I had seen a better copy only a few days before for twenty—one talks like that when one is bargaining; it is understood.  He asked me ‘Where?’  I told him in a shop at Leipsig.  He suggested my returning there and getting it; he did not seem to care whether I bought the book or whether I didn’t.  I said:
 
“‘What’s the least you will take for it?’
 
“‘I have told you once,’ he answered; ‘twenty-five marks.’  He was an irritable68 old chap.
 
“I said: ‘It’s not worth it.’
 
“‘I never said it was, did I?’ he snapped.
 
“I said: ‘I’ll give you ten marks for it.’  I thought, maybe, he would end by taking twenty.
 
“He rose.  I took it he was coming round the counter to get the book out.  Instead, he came straight up to me.  He was a biggish sort of man.  He took me by the two shoulders, walked me out into the street, and closed the door behind me with a bang.  I was never more surprised in all my life.
 
“Maybe the book was worth twenty-five marks,” I suggested.
 
“Of course it was,” he replied; “well worth it.  But what a notion of business!”
 
If anything change the German character, it will be the German woman.  She herself is changing rapidly—advancing, as we call it.  Ten years ago no German woman caring for her reputation, hoping for a husband, would have dared to ride a bicycle: to-day they spin about the country in their thousands.  The old folks shake their heads at them; but the young men, I notice, overtake them and ride beside them.  Not long ago it was considered unwomanly in Germany for a lady to be able to do the outside edge.  Her proper skating attitude was thought to be that of clinging limpness to some male relative.  Now she practises eights in a corner by herself, until some young man comes along to help her.  She plays tennis, and, from a point of safety, I have even noticed her driving a dog-cart.
 
Brilliantly educated she always has been.  At eighteen she speaks two or three languages, and has forgotten more than the average Englishwoman has ever read.  Hitherto, this education has been utterly69 useless to her.  On marriage she has retired70 into the kitchen, and made haste to clear her brain of everything else, in order to leave room for bad cooking.  But suppose it begins to dawn upon her that a woman need not sacrifice her whole existence to household drudgery71 any more than a man need make himself nothing else than a business machine.  Suppose she develop an ambition to take part in the social and national life.  Then the influence of such a partner, healthy in body and therefore vigorous in mind, is bound to be both lasting33 and far-reaching.
 
For it must be borne in mind that the German man is exceptionally sentimental72, and most easily influenced by his women folk.  It is said of him, he is the best of lovers, the worst of husbands.  This has been the woman’s fault.  Once married, the German woman has done more than put romance behind her; she has taken a carpet-beater and driven it out of the house.  As a girl, she never understood dressing; as a wife, she takes off such clothes even as she had, and proceeds to wrap herself up in any odd articles she may happen to find about the house; at all events, this is the impression she produces.  The figure that might often be that of a Juno, the complexion73 that would sometimes do credit to a healthy angel, she proceeds of malice74 and intent to spoil.  She sells her birth-right of admiration75 and devotion for a mess of sweets.  Every afternoon you may see her at the café, loading herself with rich cream-covered cakes, washed down by copious76 draughts77 of chocolate.  In a short time she becomes fat, pasty, placid, and utterly uninteresting.
 
When the German woman gives up her afternoon coffee and her evening beer, takes sufficient exercise to retain her shape, and continues to read after marriage something else than the cookery-book, the German Government will find it has a new and unknown force to deal with.  And everywhere throughout Germany one is confronted by unmistakable signs that the old German Frauen are giving place to the newer Damen.
 
Concerning what will then happen one feels curious.  For the German nation is still young, and its maturity78 is of importance to the world.  They are a good people, a lovable people, who should help much to make the world better.
 
The worst that can be said against them is that they have their failings.  They themselves do not know this; they consider themselves perfect, which is foolish of them.  They even go so far as to think themselves superior to the Anglo-Saxon: this is incomprehensible.  One feels they must be pretending.
 
“They have their points,” said George; “but their tobacco is a national sin.  I’m going to bed.”
 
We rose, and leaning over the low stone parapet, watched the dancing lights upon the soft, dark river.
 
“It has been a pleasant Bummel, on the whole,” said Harris; “I shall be glad to get back, and yet I am sorry it is over, if you understand me.”
 
“What is a ‘Bummel’?” said George.  “How would you translate it?”
 
“A ‘Bummel’,” I explained, “I should describe as a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point from which one started.  Sometimes it is through busy streets, and sometimes through the fields and lanes; sometimes we can be spared for a few hours, and sometimes for a few days.  But long or short, but here or there, our thoughts are ever on the running of the sand.  We nod and smile to many as we pass; with some we stop and talk awhile; and with a few we walk a little way.  We have been much interested, and often a little tired.  But on the whole we have had a pleasant time, and are sorry when ’tis over.”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 providence 8tdyh     
n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝
参考例句:
  • It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
  • To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事,是违背上帝的意志的。
2 villa xHayI     
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。
3 placid 7A1yV     
adj.安静的,平和的
参考例句:
  • He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
  • You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。
4 docile s8lyp     
adj.驯服的,易控制的,容易教的
参考例句:
  • Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。
  • He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。
5 nostrils 23a65b62ec4d8a35d85125cdb1b4410e     
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
  • The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。
6 magistrates bbe4eeb7cda0f8fbf52949bebe84eb3e     
地方法官,治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
  • He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。
7 nay unjzAQ     
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者
参考例句:
  • He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的,不,应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
  • Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章,不,应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。
8 guardian 8ekxv     
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者
参考例句:
  • The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
  • The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。
9 conceited Cv0zxi     
adj.自负的,骄傲自满的
参考例句:
  • He could not bear that they should be so conceited.他们这样自高自大他受不了。
  • I'm not as conceited as so many people seem to think.我不像很多人认为的那么自负。
10 unbearable alCwB     
adj.不能容忍的;忍受不住的
参考例句:
  • It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
  • The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。
11 incapable w9ZxK     
adj.无能力的,不能做某事的
参考例句:
  • He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
  • Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。
12 conveyance OoDzv     
n.(不动产等的)转让,让与;转让证书;传送;运送;表达;(正)运输工具
参考例句:
  • Bicycles have become the most popular conveyance for Chinese people.自行车已成为中国人最流行的代步工具。
  • Its another,older,usage is a synonym for conveyance.它的另一个更古老的习惯用法是作为财产转让的同义词使用。
13 plodded 9d4d6494cb299ac2ca6271f6a856a23b     
v.沉重缓慢地走(路)( plod的过去式和过去分词 );努力从事;沉闷地苦干;缓慢进行(尤指艰难枯燥的工作)
参考例句:
  • Our horses plodded down the muddy track. 我们的马沿着泥泞小路蹒跚而行。
  • He plodded away all night at his project to get it finished. 他通宵埋头苦干以便做完专题研究。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 steadily Qukw6     
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
参考例句:
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
15 longingly 2015a05d76baba3c9d884d5f144fac69     
adv. 渴望地 热望地
参考例句:
  • He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
  • Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情,一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。
16 margin 67Mzp     
n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘
参考例句:
  • We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
  • The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
17 cholera rbXyf     
n.霍乱
参考例句:
  • The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
  • Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。
18 unripe cfvzDf     
adj.未成熟的;n.未成熟
参考例句:
  • I was only ill once and that came of eating an unripe pear.我唯一一次生病是因为吃了未熟的梨。
  • Half of the apples are unripe.一半的苹果不熟。
19 walnuts 465c6356861ea8aca24192b9eacd42e8     
胡桃(树)( walnut的名词复数 ); 胡桃木
参考例句:
  • Are there walnuts in this sauce? 这沙司里面有核桃吗?
  • We ate eggs and bacon, pickled walnuts and cheese. 我们吃鸡蛋,火腿,腌胡桃仁和干酪。
20 drooping 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。
21 flouting 160a1967e58071c98055dc8b0d2193ca     
v.藐视,轻视( flout的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • By selling alcohol to minors,the shop is deliberately flouting the law. 向未成年人出售烈性酒,是商店故意犯罪法。 来自口语例句
  • By selling alcohol to minor, the shop is deliberately flouting the law. 向未成年人出售烈性酒,是商店故意犯法。 来自互联网
22 condemned condemned     
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
  • The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。
23 proceeding Vktzvu     
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报
参考例句:
  • This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
  • The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。
24 amiable hxAzZ     
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的
参考例句:
  • She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
  • We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。
25 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
参考例句:
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
26 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
27 virtues cd5228c842b227ac02d36dd986c5cd53     
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处
参考例句:
  • Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
  • She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。
28 colonist TqQzK     
n.殖民者,移民
参考例句:
  • The indians often attacked the settlements of the colonist.印地安人经常袭击殖民者的定居点。
  • In the seventeenth century, the colonist here thatched their roofs with reeds and straw,just as they did in england.在17世纪,殖民者在这里用茅草盖屋,就像他们在英国做的一样。
29 presumption XQcxl     
n.推测,可能性,冒昧,放肆,[法律]推定
参考例句:
  • Please pardon my presumption in writing to you.请原谅我很冒昧地写信给你。
  • I don't think that's a false presumption.我认为那并不是错误的推测。
30 discretion FZQzm     
n.谨慎;随意处理
参考例句:
  • You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
  • Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。
31 judgment e3xxC     
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。
32 everlasting Insx7     
adj.永恒的,持久的,无止境的
参考例句:
  • These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
  • He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。
33 lasting IpCz02     
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。
34 buckling 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。
35 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
36 obedience 8vryb     
n.服从,顺从
参考例句:
  • Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
  • Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。
37 antithesis dw6zT     
n.对立;相对
参考例句:
  • The style of his speech was in complete antithesis to mine.他和我的讲话方式完全相反。
  • His creation was an antithesis to academic dogmatism of the time.他的创作与当时学院派的教条相对立。
38 prospering b1bc062044f12a5281fbe25a1132df04     
成功,兴旺( prosper的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Our country is thriving and prospering day by day. 祖国日益繁荣昌盛。
  • His business is prospering. 他生意兴隆。
39 temperament 7INzf     
n.气质,性格,性情
参考例句:
  • The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
  • Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。
40 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。
41 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
42 bosom Lt9zW     
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的
参考例句:
  • She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
  • A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。
43 winks 1dd82fc4464d9ba6c78757a872e12679     
v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
参考例句:
  • I'll feel much better when I've had forty winks. 我打个盹就会感到好得多。
  • The planes were little silver winks way out to the west. 飞机在西边老远的地方,看上去只是些很小的银色光点。 来自辞典例句
44 mutual eFOxC     
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的
参考例句:
  • We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
  • Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。
45 waggon waggon     
n.运货马车,运货车;敞篷车箱
参考例句:
  • The enemy attacked our waggon train.敌人袭击了我们的运货马车队。
  • Someone jumped out from the foremost waggon and cried aloud.有人从最前面的一辆大车里跳下来,大声叫嚷。
46 dotage NsqxN     
n.年老体衰;年老昏聩
参考例句:
  • Even in his dotage,the Professor still sits on the committee.即便上了年纪,教授仍然是委员会的一员。
  • Sarah moved back in with her father so that she could look after him in his dotage.萨拉搬回来与父亲同住,好在他年老时照顾他。
47 profusion e1JzW     
n.挥霍;丰富
参考例句:
  • He is liberal to profusion.他挥霍无度。
  • The leaves are falling in profusion.落叶纷纷。
48 gilt p6UyB     
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。
49 bastard MuSzK     
n.坏蛋,混蛋;私生子
参考例句:
  • He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
  • There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。
50 smothered b9bebf478c8f7045d977e80734a8ed1d     
(使)窒息, (使)透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 ); 覆盖; 忍住; 抑制
参考例句:
  • He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
  • The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。
51 interfered 71b7e795becf1adbddfab2cd6c5f0cff     
v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 );调停;妨碍;干涉
参考例句:
  • Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》
52 vaguely BfuzOy     
adv.含糊地,暖昧地
参考例句:
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面,对一切都视而不见。
53 celebrity xcRyQ     
n.名人,名流;著名,名声,名望
参考例句:
  • Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
  • He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。
54 impelled 8b9a928e37b947d87712c1a46c607ee7     
v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He felt impelled to investigate further. 他觉得有必要作进一步调查。
  • I feel impelled to express grave doubts about the project. 我觉得不得不对这项计划深表怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
55 gourmand Vezzc     
n.嗜食者
参考例句:
  • He was long famed as a gourmand and heavy smoker and drinker.长期以来,他一直以嗜好美食和烟酒闻名。
  • The food here satisfies gourmands rather than gourmets.这里的食物可以管饱却不讲究品质。
56 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
57 gourmet 8eqzb     
n.食物品尝家;adj.出于美食家之手的
参考例句:
  • What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么?
  • A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。
58 costly 7zXxh     
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。
59 rankling 8cbfa8b9f5516c093f42c116712f049b     
v.(使)痛苦不已,(使)怨恨不已( rankle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Yet the knowledge imparted to him by the chambermaid was rankling in his mind. 可是女仆告诉他的消息刺痛着他的心。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
60 dealer GyNxT     
n.商人,贩子
参考例句:
  • The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
  • The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。
61 homely Ecdxo     
adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的
参考例句:
  • We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
  • Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭,好吗?
62 ostentation M4Uzi     
n.夸耀,卖弄
参考例句:
  • Choose a life of action,not one of ostentation.要选择行动的一生,而不是炫耀的一生。
  • I don't like the ostentation of their expensive life - style.他们生活奢侈,爱摆阔,我不敢恭维。
63 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。
64 fawn NhpzW     
n.未满周岁的小鹿;v.巴结,奉承
参考例句:
  • A fawn behind the tree looked at us curiously.树后面一只小鹿好奇地看着我们。
  • He said you fawn on the manager in order to get a promotion.他说你为了获得提拔,拍经理的马屁。
65 grumbled ed735a7f7af37489d7db1a9ef3b64f91     
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声
参考例句:
  • He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
  • The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
66 exclamation onBxZ     
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
参考例句:
  • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
  • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
67 impatience OaOxC     
n.不耐烦,急躁
参考例句:
  • He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢,他显得不耐烦。
  • He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。
68 irritable LRuzn     
adj.急躁的;过敏的;易怒的
参考例句:
  • He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
  • Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。
69 utterly ZfpzM1     
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。
70 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
71 drudgery CkUz2     
n.苦工,重活,单调乏味的工作
参考例句:
  • People want to get away from the drudgery of their everyday lives.人们想摆脱日常生活中单调乏味的工作。
  • He spent his life in pointlessly tiresome drudgery.他的一生都在做毫无意义的烦人的苦差事。
72 sentimental dDuzS     
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的
参考例句:
  • She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人,她相信姻缘命中注定。
  • We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。
73 complexion IOsz4     
n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格
参考例句:
  • Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
  • Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。
74 malice P8LzW     
n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋
参考例句:
  • I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
  • There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。
75 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕
参考例句:
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
76 copious koizs     
adj.丰富的,大量的
参考例句:
  • She supports her theory with copious evidences.她以大量的例证来充实自己的理论。
  • Every star is a copious source of neutrinos.每颗恒星都是丰富的中微子源。
77 draughts 154c3dda2291d52a1622995b252b5ac8     
n. <英>国际跳棋
参考例句:
  • Seal (up) the window to prevent draughts. 把窗户封起来以防风。
  • I will play at draughts with him. 我跟他下一盘棋吧!
78 maturity 47nzh     
n.成熟;完成;(支票、债券等)到期
参考例句:
  • These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
  • This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。


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