This log-cabin had a
loft1, where we boys slept, and in the loft were stored in barrels the books that had now begun to
overflow2 the bookcase. I do not know why I chose the loft to renew my long-neglected friendship with them. The light could not have been good, though if I brought my books to the little gable window that overlooked the
groaning3 and whistling gristmill I could see well enough. But perhaps I liked the loft best because the books were handiest there, and because I could be alone. At any rate, it was there that I read Longfellow’s “Spanish Student,” which I found in an old paper copy of his poems in one of the barrels, and I instantly conceived for it the passion which all things Spanish inspired in me. As I read I not only renewed my acquaintance with literature, but renewed my delight in people and places where I had been happy before those heavy years in Dayton. At the same time I felt a little
jealousy4, a little
grudge5, that any one else should love them as well as I, and if the poem had not been so beautiful I should have hated the poet for
trespassing6 on my ground. But I could not hold out long against the witchery of his verse. The “Spanish Student” became one of my passions; a
minor7 passion, not a grand one, like ‘Don Quixote’ and the ‘Conquest of Granada’, but still a passion, and I should
dread8 a little to read the piece now, lest I should disturb my old ideal of its beauty. The hero’s
rogue9 servant, Chispa, seemed to me, then and long afterwards, so fine a bit of Spanish character that I chose his name for my first
pseudonym10 when I began to write for the newspapers, and signed my
legislative11 correspondence for a Cincinnati paper with it. I was in love with the heroine, the lovely dancer whose ‘cachucha’ turned my head, along with that of the
cardinal12, but whose name even I have forgotten, and I went about with the thought of her burning in my heart, as if she had been a real person.
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收听单词发音
1
loft
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n.阁楼,顶楼 |
参考例句: |
- We could see up into the loft from bottom of the stairs.我们能从楼梯脚边望到阁楼的内部。
- By converting the loft,they were able to have two extra bedrooms.把阁楼改造一下,他们就可以多出两间卧室。
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2
overflow
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v.(使)外溢,(使)溢出;溢出,流出,漫出 |
参考例句: |
- The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
- After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后,河水可能溢出岸来。
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3
groaning
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adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的
动词groan的现在分词形式 |
参考例句: |
- She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。
- The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着,无人救助。
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4
jealousy
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n.妒忌,嫉妒,猜忌 |
参考例句: |
- Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
- I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。
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5
grudge
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n.不满,怨恨,妒嫉;vt.勉强给,不情愿做 |
参考例句: |
- I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
- I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。
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6
trespassing
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[法]非法入侵 |
参考例句: |
- He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
- Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。
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7
minor
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adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修 |
参考例句: |
- The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
- I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
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8
dread
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vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 |
参考例句: |
- We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
- Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。
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9
rogue
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n.流氓;v.游手好闲 |
参考例句: |
- The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
- They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。
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10
pseudonym
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n.假名,笔名 |
参考例句: |
- Eric Blair wrote under the pseudonym of George Orwell.埃里克·布莱尔用乔治·奧威尔这个笔名写作。
- Both plays were published under the pseudonym of Philip Dayre.两个剧本都是以菲利普·戴尔的笔名出版的。
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11
legislative
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n.立法机构,立法权;adj.立法的,有立法权的 |
参考例句: |
- Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
- Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。
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12
cardinal
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n.(天主教的)红衣主教;adj.首要的,基本的 |
参考例句: |
- This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
- The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火,脸涨得通红。
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