选择字号:【大】【中】【小】 | 关灯
护眼
|
CLOCKS
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
There are two kinds of clocks. There is the clock that is always wrong, and that knows it is wrong, and glories in it; and there is the clock that is always right—except when you rely upon it, and then it is more wrong than you would think a clock could be in a civilized1 country.
I remember a clock of this latter type, that we had in the house when I was a boy, routing us all up at three o'clock one winter's morning. We had finished breakfast at ten minutes to four, and I got to school a little after five, and sat down on the step outside and cried, because I thought the world had come to an end; everything was so death-like!
The man who can live in the same house with one of these clocks, and not endanger his chance of heaven about once a month by standing2 up and telling it what he thinks of it, is either a dangerous rival to that old established firm, Job, or else he does not know enough bad language to make it worth his while to start saying anything at all.
The great dream of its life is to lure3 you on into trying to catch a train by it. For weeks and weeks it will keep the most perfect time. If there were any difference in time between that clock and the sun, you would be convinced it was the sun, not the clock, that wanted seeing to. You feel that if that clock happened to get a quarter of a second fast, or the eighth of an instant slow, it would break its heart and die.
It is in this spirit of child-like faith in its integrity that, one morning, you gather your family around you in the passage, kiss your children, and afterward4 wipe your jammy mouth, poke5 your finger in the baby's eye, promise not to forget to order the coals, wave at last fond adieu with the umbrella, and depart for the railway-station.
I never have been quite able to decide, myself, which is the more irritating to run two miles at the top of your speed, and then to find, when you reach the station, that you are three-quarters of an hour too early; or to stroll along leisurely6 the whole way, and
点击
收听单词发音

1
civilized
![]() |
|
a.有教养的,文雅的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2
standing
![]() |
|
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3
lure
![]() |
|
n.吸引人的东西,诱惑物;vt.引诱,吸引 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4
afterward
![]() |
|
adv.后来;以后 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5
poke
![]() |
|
n.刺,戳,袋;vt.拨开,刺,戳;vi.戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6
leisurely
![]() |
|
adj.悠闲的;从容的,慢慢的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7
dawdle
![]() |
|
vi.浪费时间;闲荡 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8
intervals
![]() |
|
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9
motives
![]() |
|
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10
mere
![]() |
|
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11
acting
![]() |
|
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12
conundrum
![]() |
|
n.谜语;难题 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13
thoroughly
![]() |
|
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14
cursory
![]() |
|
adj.粗略的;草率的;匆促的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15
uncertainty
![]() |
|
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16
frolicsome
![]() |
|
adj.嬉戏的,闹着玩的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17
miserable
![]() |
|
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18
tempted
![]() |
|
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19
salvation
![]() |
|
n.(尤指基督)救世,超度,拯救,解困 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20
wares
![]() |
|
n. 货物, 商品 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21
virtues
![]() |
|
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22
vices
![]() |
|
缺陷( vice的名词复数 ); 恶习; 不道德行为; 台钳 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23
folly
![]() |
|
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24
larder
![]() |
|
n.食物贮藏室,食品橱 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25
prying
![]() |
|
adj.爱打听的v.打听,刺探(他人的私事)( pry的现在分词 );撬开 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26
baker
![]() |
|
n.面包师 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27
likeness
![]() |
|
n.相像,相似(之处) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28
spurn
![]() |
|
v.拒绝,摈弃;n.轻视的拒绝;踢开 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29
chimera
![]() |
|
n.神话怪物;梦幻 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30
gilded
![]() |
|
a.镀金的,富有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31
underneath
![]() |
|
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32
misery
![]() |
|
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33
abode
![]() |
|
n.住处,住所 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34
imposture
![]() |
|
n.冒名顶替,欺骗 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35
pretense
![]() |
|
n.矫饰,做作,借口 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36
reverence
![]() |
|
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: |
|
|
37
brazen
![]() |
|
adj.厚脸皮的,无耻的,坚硬的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38
fealty
![]() |
|
n.忠贞,忠节 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39
mighty
![]() |
|
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40
monarch
![]() |
|
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41
humbug
![]() |
|
n.花招,谎话,欺骗 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42
warriors
![]() |
|
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43
puffed
![]() |
|
adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44
reigns
![]() |
|
n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 );君主统治时期;任期;当政期 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45
brag
![]() |
|
v./n.吹牛,自夸;adj.第一流的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46
lotion
![]() |
|
n.洗剂 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47
purgatory
![]() |
|
n.炼狱;苦难;adj.净化的,清洗的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48
mountebank
![]() |
|
n.江湖郎中;骗子 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49
patriot
![]() |
|
n.爱国者,爱国主义者 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50
shrieking
![]() |
|
v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51
pandemonium
![]() |
|
n.喧嚣,大混乱 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52
charlatans
![]() |
|
n.冒充内行者,骗子( charlatan的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53
quacks
![]() |
|
abbr.quacksalvers 庸医,骗子(16世纪习惯用水银或汞治疗梅毒的人)n.江湖医生( quack的名词复数 );江湖郎中;(鸭子的)呱呱声v.(鸭子)发出嘎嘎声( quack的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54
sonorous
![]() |
|
adj.响亮的,回响的;adv.圆润低沉地;感人地;n.感人,堂皇 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55
homely
![]() |
|
adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56
applied
![]() |
|
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57
quaintest
![]() |
|
adj.古色古香的( quaint的最高级 );少见的,古怪的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
58
dealing
![]() |
|
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
59
tenants
![]() |
|
n.房客( tenant的名词复数 );佃户;占用者;占有者 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
60
fixed
![]() |
|
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
61
exhausted
![]() |
|
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
62
presentiment
![]() |
|
n.预感,预觉 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
63
doomed
![]() |
|
命定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
64
slaughter
![]() |
|
n.屠杀,屠宰;vt.屠杀,宰杀 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
65
puny
![]() |
|
adj.微不足道的,弱小的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
66
looms
![]() |
|
n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
67
awed
![]() |
|
adj.充满敬畏的,表示敬畏的v.使敬畏,使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
68
dread
![]() |
|
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
69
immortal
![]() |
|
adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
70
eternity
![]() |
|
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
上一章:
没有了
下一章:
没有了
©英文小说网 2005-2010
51La