Part 2 Chapter 2

    As an infusion¹ of fresh blood to Odo were Alfieri's meteoric² returns toTurin. Life moved languidly in the strait-laced city, even to a younggentleman a-tiptoe for adventure and framed to elicit³ it as thehazel-wand draws water. Not that vulgar distractions⁴ were lacking. Thetown, as Cantapresto had long since advised him, had its secretleniencies, its posterns opening on clandestine⁵ pleasure; but there wasthat in Odo which early turned him from such cheap counterfeits⁶ ofliving. He accepted the diversions of his age, but with a clear sense oftheir worth; and the youth who calls his pleasures by their true namehas learned the secret of resisting them.

　　Alfieri's coming set deeper springs in motion. His follies⁷ andextravagances were on a less provincial⁸ scale than those of Odo's dailyassociates. The breath of a freer life clung to him and his allusionswere so many glimpses into a larger world. His political theories werebut the enlargement of his private grievances⁹, but the mere¹⁰ play ofcriticism on accepted institutions was an exercise more novel andexhilirating than the wildest ride on one of his half-tamedthorough-breds. Still chiefly a man of pleasure, and the slave, asalways, of some rash infatuation, Alfieri was already shaking off theintellectual torpor¹¹ of his youth; and the first stirrings of hiscuriosity roused an answering passion in Odo. Their tastes were indeeddivergent, for to that external beauty which was to Odo the very bloomof life, Alfieri remained insensible; while of its imaginativecounterpart, its prolongation in the realm of thought and emotion, hehad but the most limited conception. But his love of ringing deeds wokethe chivalrous¹² strain in Odo, and his vague celebration of Liberty, thatunknown goddess to whom altars were everywhere building, chimed with theother's scorn of oppression and injustice¹³. So far, it is true, theircompanionship had been mainly one of pleasure; but the temper of bothgave their follies that provisional character which saves them fromvulgarity.

　　Odo, who had slept late on the morning after his friend's return, waswaked by the pompous¹⁴ mouthing of certain lines just then on every lip inItaly:--Meet was it that, its ancient seats forsaking,An Empire should set forth¹⁵ with dauntless sail,And braving tempests and the deep's betrayal,Break down the barriers of inviolate¹⁶ worlds--That Cortez and Pizarro should esteemThe blood of man a trivial sacrificeWhen, flinging down from their ancestral thronesIncas and Mexicans of royal line,They wrecked¹⁷ two kingdoms to refresh thy palate--They were the verses in which the abate¹⁸ Parini, in his satire¹⁹ of TheMorning, apostrophizes the cup of chocolate which the lacquey presentsto his master. Cantapresto had in fact just entered with a cup of thisbeverage, and Alfieri, who stood at his friend's bedside with unpowderedlocks and a fashionable undress of Parisian cut, snatching the tray fromthe soprano's hands presented it to Odo in an attitude of mockservility.

　　The young man sprang up laughing. It was the fashion to applaud Parini'sverse in the circles at which his satire was aimed, and none recited hismock heroics with greater zest²⁰ than the young gentlemen whose fopperieshe ridiculed²¹. Odo's toilet was indeed a rite²² almost as elaborate as thatof Parini's hero; and this accomplished²³, he was on his way to fulfil thevery duty the poet most unsparingly derides²⁴: the morning visit of thecicisbeo to his lady; but meanwhile he liked to show himself above thefollies of his class by joining in the laugh against them. When heissued from the powder-room in his gold-laced uniform, with scentedgloves and carefully-adjusted queue, he presented the image of a younggentleman so clearly equal to the most flattering emergencies thatAlfieri broke into a smile of half-ironical approval. "I see, my dearcavaliere, that it were idle to invite you to try one of the new Arabs Ihave brought with me from Spain, since it is plain other duties engageyou; but I come to lay claim to your evening."Odo hesitated. "The Queen holds a circle this evening," he said.

　　"And her lady-in-waiting is in attendance?" returned Alfieri. "And thelady-in-waiting's gentleman-in-waiting also?"Odo made an impatient movement. "What inducements do you offer?" said hecarelessly.

　　Alfieri stepped close and tapped him on the sleeve. "Meet me at teno'clock at the turn of the lane behind the Corpus Domini. Wear a cloakand a mask, and leave this gentleman at home with a flask²⁵ of Asti." Heglanced at Cantapresto.

　　Odo hesitated a moment. He knew well enough where such midnight turningsled, and across the vision evoked²⁶ by his friend's words a girl's faceflitted suddenly.

　　"Is that all?" he said with a shrug²⁷. "You find me, I fear, in no humourfor such exploits."Alfieri smiled. "And if I say that I have promised to bring you?""Promised--?""To one as chary²⁸ of exacting²⁹ such pledges as I of giving them. If I saythat you stake your life on the adventure, and that the stake is not toogreat for the reward--?"His sallow face had reddened with excitement, and Odo's foreheadreflected the flush. Was it possible--? But the thought set him tinglingwith disgust.

　　"Why, you say little," he cried lightly, "at the rate at which I valuemy life."Alfieri turned on him. "If your life is worthless; make it worthsomething!" he exclaimed. "I offer you the opportunity tonight.""What opportunity?""The sight of a face that men have laid down their lives to see."Odo laughed and buckled³⁰ on his sword. "If you answer for the risk, Iagree to take it," said he. "At ten o'clock then, behind the CorpusDomini."If the ladies whom gallant³¹ gentlemen delight to serve could guess whatsecret touchstones of worth these same gentlemen sometimes carry intothe adored presence, many a handsome head would be carried with lessassurance, and many a fond exaction³² less confidently imposed. If, forinstance, the Countess Clarice di Tournanches, whose high-coloured imagereflected itself so complacently³³ in her Venetian toilet-glass, couldhave known that the Cavaliere Odo Valsecca's devoted³⁴ glance saw herthrough the medium of a countenance³⁵ compared to which her own revealedthe most unexpected shortcomings, she might have received him with lessairy petulance³⁶ of manner. But how could so accomplished a mistress doubtthe permanence of her rule? The Countess Clarice, in singling out youngOdo Valsecca (to the despair of a score of more experienced cavaliers)had done him an honour that she could no more imagine his resigning thanan adventurer a throne to which he is unexpectedly raised. She was afinished example of the pretty woman who views the universe as plannedfor her convenience. What could go wrong in a world where noble ladieslived in palaces hung with tapestry³⁷ and damask, with powdered lacqueysto wait on them, a turbaned blackamoor to tend their parrots andmonkeys, a coronet-coach at the door to carry them to mass or theridotto, and a handsome cicisbeo to display on the promenade³⁸? Everythinghad combined to strengthen the Countess Clarice's faith in the existingorder of things. Her husband, Count Roberto di Tournanches, was one ofthe King's equerries and distinguished³⁹ for his brilliant career as anofficer of the Piedmontese army--a man marked for the highest favours ina society where military influences were paramount⁴⁰. Passing at sixteenfrom an aristocratic convent to the dreary⁴¹ magnificence of the PalazzoTournanches, Clarice had found herself a lady-in-waiting at the dullestcourt in Europe and the wife of an army officer engrossed⁴² in hisprofession, and pledged by etiquette⁴³ to the service of another lady. OdoValsecca represented her escape from this bondage--the dash of romanceand folly⁴⁴ in a life of elegant formalities; and the Countess, who wouldnot have sacrificed to him one of her rights as a court-lady or a nobildonna of the Golden Book, regarded him as the reward which Providenceaccords to a well-regulated conduct.

　　Her room, when Odo entered it on taking leave of Alfieri, was crowded,as usual at that hour, with the hangers-on of the noble lady's lever:

　　the abatino in lace ruffles⁴⁵, handing about his latest rhymed acrostic,the jeweller displaying a set of enamelled buckles⁴⁶ newly imported fromParis, and the black-breeched doctor with white bands who concoctedremedies for the Countess's vapours and megrims. These personages,grouped about the toilet-table where the Countess sat under the hands ofa Parisian hairdresser, were picturesquely⁴⁷ relieved against the stuccopanelling and narrow mirrors of the apartment, with its windows lookingon a garden set with mossy statues. To Odo, however, the scene suggestedthe most tedious part of his day's routine. The compliments to beexchanged, the silly verses to be praised, the gewgaws from Paris to beadmired, were all contrasted in his mind with the vision of that otherlife which had come to him on the hillside of the Superga. On this moodthe Countess Clarice's sarcasms⁴⁸ fell without effect. To be pouted⁴⁹ atbecause he had failed to attend the promenade of the Valentino was toOdo but a convenient pretext⁵⁰ for excusing himself from the Queen'scircle that evening. He had engaged with little ardour to join Alfieriin what he guessed to be a sufficiently⁵¹ commonplace adventure; but as helistened to the Countess's chatter⁵² about the last minuet-step, and therelative merits of sanspareil water and oil-of-lilies, of gloves fromBlois and Vendome, his impatience⁵³ hailed any alternative as a release.

　　Meanwhile, however, long hours of servitude intervened. The lady'stoilet completed, to the adjusting of the last patch, he must attend herto dinner, where, placed at her side, he was awarded the honour ofcarving the roast; must sit through two hours of biribi in company withthe abatino, the doctor, and half-a-dozen parasites⁵⁴ of the noble table;and for two hours more must ride in her gilt⁵⁵ coach up and down thepromenade of the Valentino.

　　Escaping from this ceremonial, with the consciousness that it must berepeated on the morrow, Odo was seized with that longing⁵⁶ for freedomthat makes the first street-corner an invitation to flight. How heenvied Alfieri, whose travelling-carriage stood at the beck of suchmoods! Odo's scant⁵⁷ means forbade evasion⁵⁸, even had his military dutiesnot kept him in Turin. He felt himself no more than a puppet dancing tothe tune⁵⁹ of Parini's satire, a puny⁶⁰ doll condemned⁶¹, as the strings⁶² ofcustom pulled, to feign⁶³ the gestures of immortal⁶⁴ passions.

1 infusion   

n.灌输

参考例句：

• Old families need an infusion of new blood from time to time.古老的家族需要不时地注入新鲜血液。
• Careful observation of the infusion site is necessary.必须仔细观察输液部位。

2 meteoric   

adj.流星的，转瞬即逝的，突然的

参考例句：

• In my mind,losing weight is just something meteoric.在我眼中，减肥不过是昙花一现的事情。
• His early career had been meteoric.他的早期生涯平步青云。

3 elicit   

v.引出,抽出,引起

参考例句：

• It was designed to elicit the best thinking within the government. 机构的设置是为了在政府内部集思广益。
• Don't try to elicit business secrets from me. I won't tell you anything. 你休想从我这里套问出我们的商业机密, 我什么都不会告诉你的。

4 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

6 counterfeits   

v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Objects and people looked like counterfeits of themselves. 各种人和事好象都给自己披上了伪装。 来自辞典例句
• We have seen many counterfeits, but we are born believers in great men. 我们见过许多骗子，但是我们天生信赖伟人。 来自辞典例句

7 follies   

罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He has given up youthful follies. 他不再做年轻人的荒唐事了。
• The writings of Swift mocked the follies of his age. 斯威夫特的作品嘲弄了他那个时代的愚人。

8 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

9 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 mere   

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。

11 torpor   

n.迟钝；麻木；（动物的）冬眠

参考例句：

• The sick person gradually falls into a torpor.病人逐渐变得迟钝。
• He fell into a deep torpor.他一下子进入了深度麻痹状态。

12 chivalrous   

adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的

参考例句：

• Men are so little chivalrous now.现在的男人几乎没有什么骑士风度了。
• Toward women he was nobly restrained and chivalrous.对于妇女，他表现得高尚拘谨，尊敬三分。

13 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

14 pompous   

adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities.他有点自大，自视甚高。
• He is a good man underneath his pompous appearance. 他的外表虽傲慢，其实是个好人。

15 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

16 inviolate   

adj.未亵渎的，未受侵犯的

参考例句：

• The constitution proclaims that public property shall be inviolate.宪法宣告公共财产不可侵犯。
• They considered themselves inviolate from attack.他们认为自己是不可侵犯的。

17 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

18 abate   

vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退

参考例句：

• We must abate the noise pollution in our city.我们必须消除我们城里的噪音污染。
• The doctor gave him some medicine to abate the powerful pain.医生给了他一些药，以减弱那剧烈的疼痛。

19 satire   

n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品

参考例句：

• The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
• Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。

20 zest   

n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣

参考例句：

• He dived into his new job with great zest.他充满热情地投入了新的工作。
• He wrote his novel about his trip to Asia with zest.他兴趣浓厚的写了一本关于他亚洲之行的小说。

21 ridiculed   

v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Biosphere 2 was ultimately ridiculed as a research debade, as exfravagant pseudoscience. 生物圈2号最终被讥讽为科研上的大失败，代价是昂贵的伪科学。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She ridiculed his insatiable greed. 她嘲笑他的贪得无厌。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

23 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。

24 derides   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• That newspaper columnist derides the mayor whenever he can. 那位报纸专栏作家从不放过取笑市长的机会。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Bayrou derides his rivals for proposing to spend France's problems away. Bayrou先生嘲笑他的竞争者意图将法国的问题撇开。 来自互联网

25 flask   

n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱

参考例句：

• There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。
• He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

26 evoked   

[医]诱发的

参考例句：

• The music evoked memories of her youth. 这乐曲勾起了她对青年时代的回忆。
• Her face, though sad, still evoked a feeling of serenity. 她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。

27 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。

28 chary   

adj.谨慎的，细心的

参考例句：

• She started a chary descent of the stairs.她开始小心翼翼地下楼梯。
• She is chary of strangers.她见到陌生人会害羞。

29 exacting   

adj.苛求的，要求严格的

参考例句：

• He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。
• The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移，公众的要求更趋严格。

30 buckled   

a. 有带扣的

参考例句：

• She buckled her belt. 她扣上了腰带。
• The accident buckled the wheel of my bicycle. 我自行车的轮子在事故中弄弯了。

31 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

32 exaction   

n.强求，强征；杂税

参考例句：

• The aged leader was exhausted by the exaction of a pitiless system.作为年迈的领导人，冷酷无情制度的苛求使他心力交瘁。
• The exaction was revived by Richard I.这种苛捐杂税被查理一世加以恢复。

33 complacently   

adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地

参考例句：

• He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
• "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装，"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

34 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。

35 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。

36 petulance   

n.发脾气，生气，易怒，暴躁，性急

参考例句：

• His petulance made her impatient.他的任性让她无法忍受。
• He tore up the manuscript in a fit of petulance.他一怒之下把手稿撕碎了。

37 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。

38 promenade   

n./v.散步

参考例句：

• People came out in smarter clothes to promenade along the front.人们穿上更加时髦漂亮的衣服，沿着海滨散步。
• We took a promenade along the canal after Sunday dinner.星期天晚饭后我们沿着运河散步。

39 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

40 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

41 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

42 engrossed   

adj.全神贯注的

参考例句：

• The student is engrossed in his book.这名学生正在专心致志地看书。
• No one had ever been quite so engrossed in an evening paper.没人会对一份晚报如此全神贯注。

43 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

44 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

45 ruffles   

褶裥花边( ruffle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You will need 12 yards of ribbon facing for the ruffles. 你将需要12码丝带为衣服镶边之用。
• It is impossible to live without some daily ruffles to our composure. 我们日常的平静生活免不了会遇到一些波折。

46 buckles   

搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She gazed proudly at the shiny buckles on her shoes. 她骄傲地注视着鞋上闪亮的扣环。
• When the plate becomes unstable, it buckles laterally. 当板失去稳定时，就发生横向屈曲。

47 picturesquely   

参考例句：

• In the building trade such a trader is picturesquely described as a "brass plate" merchant. 在建筑行业里，这样一个生意人可以被生动地描述为著名商人。

48 sarcasms   

n.讥讽，讽刺，挖苦( sarcasm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Bertha frowned, finding it difficult to repress the sarcasms that rose to her lips. 伯莎皱起眉头，她觉得要把溜到嘴边的挖苦话咽下去是件难事。 来自辞典例句
• But as a general rule Bertha checked the sarcasms that constantly rose to her tongue. 然而总的说来，伯莎堵住不断涌到她嘴边的冷嘲热讽。 来自辞典例句

49 pouted   

v.撅（嘴）( pout的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her lips pouted invitingly. 她挑逗地撮起双唇。
• I pouted my lips at him, hinting that he should speak first. 我向他努了努嘴，让他先说。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

50 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

51 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

52 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

53 impatience   

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。

54 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

55 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。

56 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

57 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

58 evasion   

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。

59 tune   

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。

60 puny   

adj.微不足道的，弱小的

参考例句：

• The resources at the central banks' disposal are simply too puny.中央银行掌握的资金实在太少了。
• Antonio was a puny lad,and not strong enough to work.安东尼奥是个瘦小的小家伙，身体还不壮，还不能干活。

61 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。

62 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

63 feign   

vt.假装，佯作

参考例句：

• He used to feign an excuse.他惯于伪造口实。
• She knew that her efforts to feign cheerfulness weren't convincing.她明白自己强作欢颜是瞒不了谁的。

64 immortal   

adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的

参考例句：

• The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
• The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！