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Chapter 56 Withered Grass
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When Caroline Spalding perceived how direct an attempt had been made by her sister to take the poetess away, in order that she might thus be left alone with Mr Glascock, her spirit revolted against the manoeuvre1, and she took herself away amidst the crowd. If Mr Glascock should wish to find her again he could do so. And there came across her mind something of a half-formed idea that, perhaps after all her friend Wallachia was right. Were this man ready to take her and she ready to be taken, would such an arrangement be a happy one for both of them? His high-born, wealthy friends might very probably despise her, and it was quite possible that she also might despise them. To be Lady Peterborough, and have the spending of a large fortune, would not suffice for her happiness. She was sure of that. It would be a leap in the dark’ and all such leaps must needs be dangerous, and therefore should be avoided. But she did like the man. Her friend was untrue to her and cruel in those allusions2 to tinkling3 cymbals4. It might be well for her to get over her liking5, and to think no more of one who was to her a foreigner and a stranger, of whose ways of living in his own home she knew so little, whose people might be antipathetic to her, enemies instead of friends, among whom her life would be one long misery6; but it was not on that ground that Miss Petrie had recommended her to start for Rome as soon as Mr Glascock had reached Florence. ‘There is no reason,’ she said to herself, ‘why I should not marry a man if I like him, even though he be a lord. And of him I should not be the least afraid. It’s the women that I fear.’ And then she called to mind all that she had ever heard of English countesses and duchesses. She thought that she knew that they were generally cold and proud, and very little given to receive outsiders graciously within their ranks. Mr Glascock had an aunt who was a Duchess, and a sister who would be a Countess. Caroline Spalding felt how her back would rise against these new relations, if it should come to pass that they should look unkindly upon her when she was taken to her own home; how she would fight with them, giving them scorn for scorn; how unutterably miserable9 she would be; how she would long to be back among her own equals, in spite even of her love for her husband. ‘How grand a thing it is,’ she said, ‘to be equal with those whom you love!’ And yet she was to some extent allured10 by the social position of the man. She could perceive that he had a charm of manner which her countrymen lacked. He had read, perhaps, less than her uncle knew, perhaps, less than most of those men with whom she had been wont11 to associate in her own city life at home, was not braver, or more virtuous12, or more self-denying than they; but there was a softness and an ease in his manner which was palatable13 to her, and an absence of that too visible effort of the intellect which is so apt to mark and mar7 the conversation of Americans. She almost wished that she had been English, in order that the man’s home and friends might have suited her. She was thinking of all this as she stood pretending to talk to an American lady, who was very eloquent14 on the delights of Florence.

In the meantime Olivia and Mr Glascock had moved away together, and Miss Petrie was left alone. This was no injury to Miss Petrie, as her mind at once set itself to work on a sonnet15 touching16 the frivolity17 of modern social gatherings18; and when she complained afterwards to Caroline that it was the curse of their mode of life that no moment could be allowed for thought, in which she referred specially19 to a few words that Mr Gore20 had addressed to her at this moment of her meditations21, she was not wilfully22 a hypocrite. She was painfully turning her second set of rhymes, and really believed that she had been subjected to a hardship. In the meantime Olivia and Mr Glascock were discussing her at a distance.

‘You were being put through your facings, Mr Glascock,’ Olivia had said.

‘Well; yes; and your dear friend, Miss Petrie, is rather a stern examiner.’

‘She is Carry’s ally, not mine,’ said Olivia. Then she remembered that by saying this she might be doing her sister an injury. Mr Glascock might object to such a bosom23 friend for his wife. ‘That is to say, of course we are all intimate with her? but just at this moment Carry is most in favour.’

‘She is very clever, I am quite sure,’ said he.

‘Oh yes she’s a genius. You must not doubt that on the peril24 of making every American in Italy your enemy.’

‘She is a poet is she not?’

‘Mr Glascock!’

‘Have I said anything wrong?’ he asked.

‘Do you mean to look me in the face and tell me that you are not acquainted with her works, that you don’t know pages of them by heart, that you don’t sleep with them under your pillow, don’t travel about with them in your dressing-bag? I’m afraid we have mistaken you, Mr Glascock.’

‘Is it so great a sin?’

‘If you’ll own up honestly, I’ll tell you something in a whisper. You have not read a word of her poems?’

‘Not a word.’

‘Neither have I. Isn’t it horrible? But, perhaps, if I heard Tennyson talking every day, I shouldn’t read Tennyson. Familiarity does breed contempt, doesn’t it? And then poor dear Wallachia is such a bore. I sometimes wonder, when English people are listening to her, whether they think that American girls generally talk like that.’

‘Not all, perhaps, with that perfected eloquence25.’

‘I dare say you do,’ continued Olivia, craftily26. ‘That is just the way in which people form their opinions about foreigners. Some specially self-asserting American speaks his mind louder than other people, and then you say that all Americans are self-asserting.’

‘But you are a little that way given, Miss Spalding.’

‘Because we are always called upon to answer accusations27 against us, expressed or unexpressed. We don’t think ourselves a bit better than you; or, if the truth were known, half as good. We are always struggling to be as polished and easy as the French, or as sensible and dignified28 as the English; but when our defects are thrown in our teeth —’

‘Who throws them in your teeth, Miss Spalding?’

‘You look it, all of you, if you do not speak it out. You do assume a superiority, Mr Glascock; and that we cannot endure.’

‘I do not feel that I assume anything,’ said Mr Glascock, meekly29.

‘If three gentlemen be together, an Englishman, a Frenchman, and an American, is not the American obliged to be on his mettle30 to prove that he is somebody among the three? I admit that he is always claiming to be the first; but he does so only that he may not be too evidently the last. If you knew us, Mr Glascock, you would find us to be very mild, and humble31, and nice, and good, and clever, and kind, and charitable, and beautiful — in short, the finest people that have as yet been created on the broad face of God’s smiling earth.’ These last words she pronounced with a nasal twang, and in a tone of voice which almost seemed to him to be a direct mimicry32 of the American Minister. The upshot of the conversation, however, was that the disgust against Americans which, to a certain degree, had been excited in Mr Glascock’s mind by the united efforts of Mr Spalding and the poetess, had been almost entirely33 dispelled34. From all of which the reader ought to understand that Miss Olivia Spalding was a very clever young woman.

But nevertheless Mr Glascock had not quite made up his mind to ask the elder sister to be his wife. He was one of those men to whom love-making does not come very easy, although he was never so much at his ease as when he was in company with ladies. He was sorely in want of a wife, but he was aware that at different periods during the last fifteen years he had been angled for as a fish. Mothers in England had tried to catch him, and of such mothers he had come to have the strongest possible detestation. He had seen the hooks or perhaps had fancied that he saw them when they were not there. Lady Janes and Lady Sarahs had been hard upon him, till he learned to buckle35 himself into triple armour36 when he went amongst them, and yet he wanted a wife; no man more sorely wanted one. The reader will perhaps remember how he went down to Nuncombe Putney in quest of a wife, but all in vain. The lady in that case had been so explicit37 with him that he could not hope for a more favourable38 answer; and, indeed, he would not have cared to marry a girl who had told him that she preferred another man to himself, even if it had been possible for him to do so. Now he had met a lady very different from those with whom he had hitherto associated but not the less manifestly a lady. Caroline Spalding was bright, pleasant, attractive, very easy to talk to, and yet quite able to hold her own. But the American Minister was a bore; and Miss Petrie was unbearable39. He had often told himself that in this matter of marrying a wife he would please himself altogether, that he would allow himself to be tied down by no consideration of family pride, that he would consult nothing but his own heart and feelings.

As for rank, he could give that to his wife. As for money, he had plenty of that also. He wanted a woman that was not blasee with the world, that was not a fool, and who would respect him. The more he thought of it, the more sure he was that he had seen none who pleased him so well as Caroline Spalding; and yet he was a little afraid of taking a step that would be irrevocable. Perhaps the American Minister might express a wish to end his days at Monkhams, and might think it desirable to have Miss Petrie always with him as a private secretary in poetry!

‘Between you and us, Mr Glascock, the spark of sympathy does not pass with a strong flash,’ said a voice in his ear. As he turned round rapidly to face his foe40, he was quite sure, for the moment, that under no possible circumstances would he ever take an American woman to his bosom as his wife.

‘No,’ said he; ‘no, no. I rather think that I agree with you.’

‘The antipathy41 is one,’ continued Miss Petrie, ‘which has been common on the face of the earth since the clown first trod upon the courtier’s heels. It is the instinct of fallen man to hate equality, to desire ascendancy42, to crush, to oppress, to tyrannise, to enslave. Then, when the slave is at last free, and in his freedom demands equality, man is not great enough to take his enfranchised43 brother to his bosom.’

‘You mean negroes,’ said Mr Glascock, looking round and planning for himself a mode of escape.

‘Not negroes only, not the enslaved blacks, who are now enslaved no more, but the rising nations of white men wherever they are to be seen. You English have no sympathy with a people who claim to be at least your equals. The clown has trod upon the courtier’s heels till the clown is clown no longer, and the courtier has hardly a court in which he may dangle44 his sword-knot.’

‘If so the clown might as well spare the courtier,’ not meaning the rebuke45 which his words implied.

‘Ah h but the clown will not spare the courtier, Mr Glascock. I understand the gibe46, and I tell you that the courtier shall be spared no longer because he is useless. He shall be cut down together with the withered47 grasses and thrown into the oven, and there shall be an end of him.’ Then she turned round to appeal to an American gentleman who had joined them, and Mr Glascock made his escape. ‘I hold it to be the holiest duty which I owe to my country never to spare one of them when I meet him.’

‘They are all very well in their way,’ said the American gentleman.

‘Down with them, down with them!’ exclaimed the poetess, with a beautiful enthusiasm. In the meantime Mr Glascock had made up his mind that he could not dare to ask Caroline Spalding to be his wife. There were certain forms of the American female so dreadful that no wise man would wilfully come in contact with them. Miss Petrie’s ferocity was distressing48 to him, but her eloquence and enthusiasm were worse even than her ferocity. The personal incivility of which she had been guilty in calling him a withered grass was distasteful to him, as being opposed to his ideas of the customs of society; but what would be his fate if his wife’s chosen friend should be for ever dinning49 her denunciation of withered grasses into his ear?

He was still thinking of all this when he was accosted50 by Mrs Spalding. ‘Are you going to dear Lady Banbury’s tomorrow?’ she asked. Lady Banbury was the wife of the English Minister.

‘I suppose I shall be there in the course of the evening.’

‘How very nice she is; is she not? I do like Lady Banbury — so soft, and gentle, and kind.’

‘One of the pleasantest old ladies I know,’ said Mr Glascock.

‘It does not strike you so much as it does me,’ said Mrs Spalding, with one of her sweetest smiles. ‘The truth is, we all value what we have not got. There are no Lady Banburys in our country, and therefore we think the more of them when we meet them here. She is talking of going to Rome for the Carnival51, and has asked Caroline to go with her. I am so pleased to find that my dear girl is such a favourite.’

Mr Glascock immediately told himself that he saw the hook. If he were to be fished for by this American aunt as he had been fished for by English mothers, all his pleasure in the society of Caroline Spalding would be at once over. It would be too much, indeed, if in this American household he were to find the old vices52 of an aristocracy superadded to young republican sins! Nevertheless Lady Banbury was, as he knew well, a person whose opinion about young people was supposed to be very good. She noticed those only who were worthy53 of notice; and to have been taken by the hand by Lady Banbury was acknowledged to be a passport into good society. If Caroline Spalding was in truth going to Rome with Lady Banbury, that fact was in itself a great confirmation54 of Mr Glascock’s good opinion of her. Mrs Spalding had perhaps understood this; but had not understood that having just hinted that it was so, she should have abstained56 from saying a word more about her dear girl. Clever and well-practised must, indeed, be the hand of the fisherwoman in matrimonial waters who is able to throw her fly without showing any glimpse of the hook to the fish for whom she angles. Poor Mrs Spalding, though with kindly8 instincts towards her niece she did on this occasion make some slight attempt at angling, was innocent of any concerted plan. It seemed to her to be so natural to say a good word in praise of her niece to the man whom she believed to be in love with her niece.

Caroline and Mr Glascock did not meet each other again till late in the evening, and just as he was about to take his leave. As they came together each of them involuntarily looked round to see whether Miss Petrie was near. Had she been there nothing would have been said beyond the shortest farewell greeting. But Miss Petrie was afar off, electrifying57 some Italian by the vehemence58 of her sentiments, and the audacious volubility of a language in which all arbitrary restrictions59 were ignored. ‘Are you going?’ she asked.

‘Well I believe I am. Since I saw you last I’ve encountered Miss Petrie again, and I’m rather depressed60.’

‘Ah you don’t know her. If you did you wouldn’t laugh at her.’

‘Laugh at her! Indeed I do not do that; but when I’m told that I’m to be thrown into the oven and burned because I’m such a worn-out old institution —’

‘You don’t mean to say that you mind that!’

‘Not much, when it comes up in the ordinary course of conversation; but it palls61 upon one when it is asserted for the fourth or fifth time in an evening.’

Alas62, alas!’ exclaimed Miss. Spalding, with mock energy.

‘And why, alas?’

‘Because it is so impossible to make the oil and vinegar of the old world and of the new mix together and suit each other.’

‘You think it is impossible, Miss Spalding?’

‘I fear so. We are so terribly tender, and you are always pinching us on our most tender spot. And we never meet you without treading on your gouty toes.’

‘I don’t think my toes are gouty,’ said he.

‘I apologise to your own, individually, Mr Glascock; but I must assert that nationally you are subject to the gout.’

‘That is, when I’m told over and over again that I’m to be cut down and thrown into the oven —’

‘Never mind the oven now, Mr Glascock. If my friend has been over-zealous I will beg pardon for her. But it does seem to me, indeed it does, with all the reverence63 and partiality I have for everything European,’ the word European was an offence to him, and he shewed that it was so by his countenance64 ‘that the idiosyncrasies of you and of us are so radically65 different, that we cannot be made to amalgamate66 and sympathise with each other thoroughly67.’

He paused for some seconds before he answered her, but it was so evident by his manner that he was going to speak, that she could neither leave him nor interrupt him. ‘I had thought that it might have been otherwise,’ he said at last, and the tone of his voice was so changed as to make her know that he was in earnest.

But she did not change her voice by a single note. ‘I’m afraid it cannot be so,’ she said, speaking after her old fashion half in earnest, half in banter68. ‘We may make up our minds to be very civil to each other when we meet. The threats of the oven may no doubt be dropped on our side, and you may abstain55 from expressing in words your sense of our inferiority.’

‘I never expressed anything of the kind,’ he said, quite in anger.

‘I am taking you simply as the sample Englishman, not as Mr Glascock, who helped me and my sister over the mountains. Such of us as have to meet in society may agree to be very courteous69; but courtesy and cordiality are not only not the same, but they are incompatible70.’

‘Why so?’

‘Courtesy is an effort, and cordiality is free. I must be allowed to contradict the friend that I love; but I assent71 too often falsely to what is said to me by a passing acquaintance. In spite of what the Scripture72 says, I think it is one of the greatest privileges of a brother that he may call his brother a fool.’

‘Shall you desire to call your husband a fool?’

‘My husband!’

‘He will, I suppose, be at least as dear to you as a brother?’

‘I never had a brother.’

‘Your sister, then! It is the same, I suppose?’

‘If I were to have a husband, I hope he would be the dearest to me of all. Unless he were so, he certainly would not be my husband. But between a man and his wife there does not spring up that playful, violent intimacy73 admitting of all liberties, which comes from early nursery associations; and, then, there is the difference of sex.’

‘I should not like my wife to call me a fool,’ he said.

‘I hope she may never have occasion to do so, Mr Glascock. Marry an English wife in your own class as, of course, you will and then you will be safe.’

‘But I have set my heart fast on marrying an American wife,’ he said.

‘Then I can’t tell what may befall you. It’s like enough, if you do that, that you may be called by some name you will think hard to bear. But you’ll think better of it. Like should pair with like, Mr Glascock. If you were to marry one of our young women, you would lose in dignity as much as she would lose in comfort.’ Then they parted, and she went off to say farewell to other guests. The manner in which she had answered what he had said to her had certainly been of a nature to stop any further speech of the same kind. Had she been gentle with him, then he would certainly have told her that she was the American woman whom he desired to take with him to his home in England.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 manoeuvre 4o4zbM     
n.策略,调动;v.用策略,调动
参考例句:
  • Her withdrawal from the contest was a tactical manoeuvre.她退出比赛是一个战术策略。
  • The clutter of ships had little room to manoeuvre.船只橫七竖八地挤在一起,几乎没有多少移动的空间。
2 allusions c86da6c28e67372f86a9828c085dd3ad     
暗指,间接提到( allusion的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • We should not use proverbs and allusions indiscriminately. 不要滥用成语典故。
  • The background lent itself to allusions to European scenes. 眼前的情景容易使人联想到欧洲风光。
3 tinkling Rg3zG6     
n.丁当作响声
参考例句:
  • I could hear bells tinkling in the distance. 我能听到远处叮当铃响。
  • To talk to him was like listening to the tinkling of a worn-out musical-box. 跟他说话,犹如听一架老掉牙的八音盒子丁冬响。 来自英汉文学
4 cymbals uvwzND     
pl.铙钹
参考例句:
  • People shouted, while the drums and .cymbals crashed incessantly. 人声嘈杂,锣鼓不停地大响特响。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • The dragon dance troupe, beating drums and cymbals, entered the outer compound. 龙灯随着锣鼓声进来,停在二门外的大天井里。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
5 liking mpXzQ5     
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。
6 misery G10yi     
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦
参考例句:
  • Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
  • He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。
7 mar f7Kzq     
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟
参考例句:
  • It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
  • Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。
8 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。
9 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
10 allured 20660ad1de0bc3cf3f242f7df8641b3e     
诱引,吸引( allure的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • They allured her into a snare. 他们诱她落入圈套。
  • Many settlers were allured by promises of easy wealth. 很多安家落户的人都是受了诱惑,以为转眼就能发财而来的。
11 wont peXzFP     
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯
参考例句:
  • He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
  • It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。
12 virtuous upCyI     
adj.有品德的,善良的,贞洁的,有效力的
参考例句:
  • She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性,人人都尊敬她。
  • My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。
13 palatable 7KNx1     
adj.可口的,美味的;惬意的
参考例句:
  • The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
  • This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错,价钱也不算贵。
14 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。
15 sonnet Lw9wD     
n.十四行诗
参考例句:
  • The composer set a sonnet to music.作曲家为一首十四行诗谱了曲。
  • He wrote a sonnet to his beloved.他写了一首十四行诗,献给他心爱的人。
16 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
17 frivolity 7fNzi     
n.轻松的乐事,兴高采烈;轻浮的举止
参考例句:
  • It was just a piece of harmless frivolity. 这仅是无恶意的愚蠢行为。
  • Hedonism and frivolity will diffuse hell tnrough all our days. 享乐主义和轻薄浮佻会将地狱扩展到我们的整个日子之中。 来自辞典例句
18 gatherings 400b026348cc2270e0046708acff2352     
聚集( gathering的名词复数 ); 收集; 采集; 搜集
参考例句:
  • His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
  • During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次,其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。
19 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
20 gore gevzd     
n.凝血,血污;v.(动物)用角撞伤,用牙刺破;缝以补裆;顶
参考例句:
  • The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
  • Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。
21 meditations f4b300324e129a004479aa8f4c41e44a     
默想( meditation的名词复数 ); 默念; 沉思; 冥想
参考例句:
  • Each sentence seems a quarry of rich meditations. 每一句话似乎都给人以许多冥思默想。
  • I'm sorry to interrupt your meditations. 我很抱歉,打断你思考问题了。
22 wilfully dc475b177a1ec0b8bb110b1cc04cad7f     
adv.任性固执地;蓄意地
参考例句:
  • Don't wilfully cling to your reckless course. 不要一意孤行。 来自辞典例句
  • These missionaries even wilfully extended the extraterritoriality to Chinese converts and interfered in Chinese judicial authority. 这些传教士还肆意将"治外法权"延伸至中国信徒,干涉司法。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
23 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。
24 peril l3Dz6     
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物
参考例句:
  • The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
  • The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。
25 eloquence 6mVyM     
n.雄辩;口才,修辞
参考例句:
  • I am afraid my eloquence did not avail against the facts.恐怕我的雄辩也无补于事实了。
  • The people were charmed by his eloquence.人们被他的口才迷住了。
26 craftily d64e795384853d0165c9ff452a9d786b     
狡猾地,狡诈地
参考例句:
  • He craftily arranged to be there when the decision was announced. 在决议宣布之时,他狡猾地赶到了那里。
  • Strengthen basic training of calculation, get the kids to grasp the radical calculating ability craftily. 加强计算基本训练,通过分、小、百互化口算的练习,使学生熟练地掌握基本的计算技能。
27 accusations 3e7158a2ffc2cb3d02e77822c38c959b     
n.指责( accusation的名词复数 );指控;控告;(被告发、控告的)罪名
参考例句:
  • There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
  • He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。
28 dignified NuZzfb     
a.可敬的,高贵的
参考例句:
  • Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中,他始终沉默以保持尊严。
  • He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。
29 meekly meekly     
adv.温顺地,逆来顺受地
参考例句:
  • He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时,他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 mettle F1Jyv     
n.勇气,精神
参考例句:
  • When the seas are in turmoil,heroes are on their mettle.沧海横流,方显出英雄本色。
  • Each and every one of these soldiers has proved his mettle.这些战士个个都是好样的。
31 humble ddjzU     
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低
参考例句:
  • In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见,他将在选举中获胜。
  • Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。
32 mimicry oD0xb     
n.(生物)拟态,模仿
参考例句:
  • One of his few strengths was his skill at mimicry.他为数不多的强项之一就是善于模仿。
  • Language learning usually necessitates conscious mimicry.一般地说,学习语言就要进行有意识的摹仿。
33 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
34 dispelled 7e96c70e1d822dbda8e7a89ae71a8e9a     
v.驱散,赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • His speech dispelled any fears about his health. 他的发言消除了人们对他身体健康的担心。
  • The sun soon dispelled the thick fog. 太阳很快驱散了浓雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
35 buckle zsRzg     
n.扣子,带扣;v.把...扣住,由于压力而弯曲
参考例句:
  • The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。
  • She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。
36 armour gySzuh     
(=armor)n.盔甲;装甲部队
参考例句:
  • His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
  • Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。
37 explicit IhFzc     
adj.详述的,明确的;坦率的;显然的
参考例句:
  • She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
  • He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。
38 favourable favourable     
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的
参考例句:
  • The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
  • We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。
39 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。
40 foe ygczK     
n.敌人,仇敌
参考例句:
  • He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
  • A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌,友是友,必须分清界限。
41 antipathy vM6yb     
n.憎恶;反感,引起反感的人或事物
参考例句:
  • I feel an antipathy against their behaviour.我对他们的行为很反感。
  • Some people have an antipathy to cats.有的人讨厌猫。
42 ascendancy 3NgyL     
n.统治权,支配力量
参考例句:
  • We have had ascendancy over the enemy in the battle.在战斗中我们已占有优势。
  • The extremists are gaining ascendancy.极端分子正逐渐占据上风。
43 enfranchised 74b74ea0ab1ca31ad2a4af4c03795bde     
v.给予选举权( enfranchise的过去式和过去分词 );(从奴隶制中)解放
参考例句:
  • The slaves were enfranchised. 奴隶们被释放了。 来自互联网
  • In Britain women were enfranchised in 1918. 1918年英国妇女获得议会选举权。 来自互联网
44 dangle YaoyV     
v.(使)悬荡,(使)悬垂
参考例句:
  • At Christmas,we dangle colored lights around the room.圣诞节时,我们在房间里挂上彩灯。
  • He sits on the edge of the table and dangles his legs.他坐在桌子边上,摆动著双腿。
45 rebuke 5Akz0     
v.指责,非难,斥责 [反]praise
参考例句:
  • He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
  • Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。
46 gibe 8fOzZ     
n.讥笑;嘲弄
参考例句:
  • I felt sure he was seeking for some gibe. 我敢说他正在寻找一句什么挖苦话。
  • It's impolite to gibe at a foreign student's English. 嘲笑外国学生的英语是不礼貌的。
47 withered 342a99154d999c47f1fc69d900097df9     
adj. 枯萎的,干瘪的,(人身体的部分器官)因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
  • The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。
48 distressing cuTz30     
a.使人痛苦的
参考例句:
  • All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
  • It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。
49 dinning a447670d57bab426d50cd980de7afa72     
vt.喧闹(din的现在分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The cries of his tormentors were still dinning in his ears. 使他痛苦的人们的叫嚣仍然在他的耳际震响。 来自辞典例句
  • The meals in the artistic little dinning-room were pleasant. 在雅致的小餐厅里吃饭是一种享受。 来自辞典例句
50 accosted 4ebfcbae6e0701af7bf7522dbf7f39bb     
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 );跟…搭讪;(乞丐等)上前向…乞讨;(妓女等)勾搭
参考例句:
  • She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上,一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
  • 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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
51 carnival 4rezq     
n.嘉年华会,狂欢,狂欢节,巡回表演
参考例句:
  • I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
  • Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。
52 vices 01aad211a45c120dcd263c6f3d60ce79     
缺陷( vice的名词复数 ); 恶习; 不道德行为; 台钳
参考例句:
  • In spite of his vices, he was loved by all. 尽管他有缺点,还是受到大家的爱戴。
  • He vituperated from the pulpit the vices of the court. 他在教堂的讲坛上责骂宫廷的罪恶。
53 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
54 confirmation ZYMya     
n.证实,确认,批准
参考例句:
  • We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
  • We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前,我们需要书面确认。
55 abstain SVUzq     
v.自制,戒绝,弃权,避免
参考例句:
  • His doctor ordered him to abstain from beer and wine.他的医生嘱咐他戒酒。
  • Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote.三位保守党下院议员投了弃权票。
56 abstained d7e1885f31dd3d021db4219aad4071f1     
v.戒(尤指酒),戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 );弃权(不投票)
参考例句:
  • Ten people voted in favour, five against and two abstained. 十人投票赞成,五人反对,两人弃权。
  • They collectively abstained (from voting) in the elections for local councilors. 他们在地方议会议员选举中集体弃权。 来自《简明英汉词典》
57 electrifying f2081dbc620a5b326b713cef8349d30e     
v.使电气化( electrify的现在分词 );使兴奋
参考例句:
  • The dancers gave an electrifying performance. 舞蹈演员们的表演激动人心。
  • The national orchestra gave an electrifying performance of classic music. 国家交响乐团举行了一次古典音乐的震撼性演出。 来自辞典例句
58 vehemence 2ihw1     
n.热切;激烈;愤怒
参考例句:
  • The attack increased in vehemence.进攻越来越猛烈。
  • She was astonished at his vehemence.她对他的激昂感到惊讶。
59 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
60 depressed xu8zp9     
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的
参考例句:
  • When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
  • His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
61 palls b9fadb5ea91976d0e8c69546808b14c2     
n.柩衣( pall的名词复数 );墓衣;棺罩;深色或厚重的覆盖物v.(因过多或过久而)生厌,感到乏味,厌烦( pall的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • My stomach palls with it. 这东西我吃腻了。 来自辞典例句
  • Dense palls of smoke hung over the site. 浓密的烟幕罩着这个地方。 来自互联网
62 alas Rx8z1     
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句:
  • Alas!The window is broken!哎呀!窗子破了!
  • Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
63 reverence BByzT     
n.敬畏,尊敬,尊严;Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称;v.尊敬,敬畏,崇敬
参考例句:
  • He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
  • We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统,但不被传统所束缚。
64 countenance iztxc     
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。
65 radically ITQxu     
ad.根本地,本质地
参考例句:
  • I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
  • The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。
66 amalgamate XxwzQ     
v.(指业务等)合并,混合
参考例句:
  • Their company is planning to amalgamate with ours.他们公司正计划同我们公司合并。
  • The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.工会将试图合并其群体纳入一个国家机构。
67 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
68 banter muwzE     
n.嘲弄,戏谑;v.取笑,逗弄,开玩笑
参考例句:
  • The actress exchanged banter with reporters.女演员与记者相互开玩笑。
  • She engages in friendly banter with her customers.她常和顾客逗乐。
69 courteous tooz2     
adj.彬彬有礼的,客气的
参考例句:
  • Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一,但她总是很谦恭有礼。
  • He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善,而且彬彬有礼。
70 incompatible y8oxu     
adj.不相容的,不协调的,不相配的
参考例句:
  • His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
  • Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。
71 assent Hv6zL     
v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可
参考例句:
  • I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
  • The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。
72 scripture WZUx4     
n.经文,圣书,手稿;Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》,《圣经》中的一段
参考例句:
  • The scripture states that God did not want us to be alone.圣经指出上帝并不是想让我们独身一人生活。
  • They invoked Hindu scripture to justify their position.他们援引印度教的经文为他们的立场辩护。
73 intimacy z4Vxx     
n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行
参考例句:
  • His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切,这有点言过其实。
  • I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。


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