I do not exactly remember at what period I started my museum which absorbed so much of my time. Just above my Aunt Bertha's room there was a tiny garret-chamber that I had taken possession of; the chief charm of the place was the window that opened to the west, and commanded a view of the ramparts and its old trees. The reddish spots in the distance, that broke the uniform green of the meadows, were
herds1 of wandering oxen and cows. I had persuaded my mother to paper this
attic2 room, and she had covered its walls with a pinkish chamois paper which is still there; she also put a what-not and some glass cases there. In these latter I placed my butterflies which I looked upon as rare
specimens3; I also arranged therein the birds'-nests that I had found in the woods of Limoise; the shells I had gathered upon the shores of the Island, and those others (brought from the colonies at an early time by unknown ancestors) that I had found in the garret at the bottom of old chests where they had lain for years and years, given over to dust and darkness.
I spent many
tranquil4 hours in this retreat
contemplating5 the tropical mother-of-pearl shells, and trying to image to myself the strange coasts from which they had come.
A good old great uncle of mine, who was very fond of me, encouraged me in these diversions. He was a physician, and in his youth he had lived for a long time upon the coast of Africa; he had a collection of natural history specimens almost as valuable and
varied6 as any found in a city museum. His wonderful things captivated me: the rare and
exquisite7 shells,
amulets8 and wooden weapons that still retained their exotic odor, with which I became so
surfeited9 later, and indescribably beautiful butterflies under glass
enchanted10 me.
He lived in our neighborhood and I visited him often. To get to his cabinets, it was necessary to go through his garden where thorn-apples and
cacti11 grew abundantly, and where they kept a gray parrot, brought from Gaboon, whose vocabulary consisted of words learnt from the negroes.
And when my old uncle
spoke12 of Senegal, of Goree, and of Guinea, the music of these names
intoxicated13 me, and conveyed to me
vaguely14 something of the sad
languor15 of the dark continent. My uncle predicted that I would become a great naturalist,—but he was as mistaken as were all those others who
foretold16 my future; indeed he struck farther from the centre than any one else; he did not understand that my
liking17 for natural history was no more than a temporary and
erratic18 excursion of my unformed mind; he could not know that the cold glass and the formal,
rigid19 arrangements of dead science had not power to hold me for long.
点击
收听单词发音
1
herds
|
|
兽群( herd的名词复数 ); 牧群; 人群; 群众 |
参考例句: |
- Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
- There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。
|
2
attic
|
|
n.顶楼,屋顶室 |
参考例句: |
- Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
- What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理?
|
3
specimens
|
|
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 );范例;(化验的)抽样;某种类型的人 |
参考例句: |
- Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
- The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
4
tranquil
|
|
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 |
参考例句: |
- The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
- The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。
|
5
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。
|
6
varied
|
|
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。
|
7
exquisite
|
|
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 |
参考例句: |
- I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
- I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。
|
8
amulets
|
|
n.护身符( amulet的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- Amulets,\"guards,\" as they are popularly called, intended to ward off evil spirits. 护身符――或者象他们普遍的叫法:“警卫”用来抵御妖魔鬼怪。 来自辞典例句
- However, all oval amulets in a single game are the same. 当然,所有的魔法用品也有类似的情形。 来自互联网
|
9
surfeited
|
|
v.吃得过多( surfeit的过去式和过去分词 );由于过量而厌腻 |
参考例句: |
- They were surfeited with entertainment. 他们对玩乐生厌了;他们玩腻了。 来自辞典例句
- They had cloyed him with obedience, and surfeited him with sweet respect and submission. 她们在他面前百依百顺,甜言蜜语,卑躬屈膝。 来自辞典例句
|
10
enchanted
|
|
adj. 被施魔法的,陶醉的,入迷的
动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 |
参考例句: |
- She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
- He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。
|
11
cacti
|
|
n.(复)仙人掌 |
参考例句: |
- There we could see nothing but cacti.那里除了仙人掌我们什么也看不到。
- Cacti can survive the lack of rainfall in the desert.仙人掌在降水稀少的沙漠中也能生存下去。
|
12
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。
|
13
intoxicated
|
|
喝醉的,极其兴奋的 |
参考例句: |
- She was intoxicated with success. 她为成功所陶醉。
- They became deeply intoxicated and totally disoriented. 他们酩酊大醉,东南西北全然不辨。
|
14
vaguely
|
|
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。
|
15
languor
|
|
n.无精力,倦怠 |
参考例句: |
- It was hot,yet with a sweet languor about it.天气是炎热的,然而却有一种惬意的懒洋洋的感觉。
- She,in her languor,had not troubled to eat much.她懒懒的,没吃多少东西。
|
16
foretold
|
|
v.预言,预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- She foretold that the man would die soon. 她预言那人快要死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Must lose one joy, by his life's star foretold. 这样注定:他,为了信守一个盟誓/就非得拿牺牲一个喜悦作代价。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
|
17
liking
|
|
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢 |
参考例句: |
- The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
- I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
|
18
erratic
|
|
adj.古怪的,反复无常的,不稳定的 |
参考例句: |
- The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
- The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。
|
19
rigid
|
|
adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的 |
参考例句: |
- She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
- The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严,几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。
|