The Plain Man and His Wife平凡人和他的妻子
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第二小节

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 Nearly twenty years later—that is to say, not long since—I had a glimpse of Mr. Alpha at a Saturday lunch. Do not imagine that Mr. Alpha’s Saturday lunch took place in a miserable1 garret, amid every circumstance of failure and shame. Success in life has very little to do with prudence2. It has a great deal to do with courage, initiative, and individual force, and also it is not unconnected with sheer luck.
 
Mr. Alpha had succeeded in life, and the lunch at which I assisted took place in a remarkably4 spacious5 and comfortable house surrounded by gardens, greenhouses, garages, stables, and all the minions6 necessary to the upkeep thereof. Mr. Alpha was a jolly, a kind-hearted, an immensely clever, and a prolific7 man. I call him prolific because he had five children. There he was, with his wife and the five children; and they were all enjoying the lunch and themselves to an extraordinary degree. It was a delight to be with them.
 
It is necessarily a delight to be with people who are intelligent, sympathetic and lively, and who have ample money to satisfy their desires. Somehow you can hear the gold chinking, and the sound is good to the human ear. Even the youngest girl had money in her nice new purse, to do with it as she liked. For Mr. Alpha never stinted8. He was generous by instinct, and he wanted everybody to be happy. In fact, he had turned out quite an unusual father. At the same time he fell short of being an absolute angel of acquiescence9 and compliance10. For instance, his youngest child, a girl, broached

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1 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。
2 prudence 9isyI     
n.谨慎，精明，节俭
参考例句：
  • A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
  • The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。
3 con WXpyR     
n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的
参考例句：
  • We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
  • The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。
4 remarkably EkPzTW     
ad.不同寻常地，相当地
参考例句：
  • I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
  • He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
5 spacious YwQwW     
adj.广阔的，宽敞的
参考例句：
  • Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
  • The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。
6 minions eec5b06ed436ddefdb4c3a59c5ea0468     
n.奴颜婢膝的仆从( minion的名词复数 )；走狗；宠儿；受人崇拜者
参考例句：
  • She delegated the job to one of her minions. 她把这份工作委派给她的一个手下。 来自辞典例句
  • I have been a slave to the vicious-those whom I served were his minions. 我当过那帮坏人的奴隶，我伺候的都是他的爪牙。 来自辞典例句
7 prolific fiUyF     
adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的
参考例句：
  • She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
  • The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。
8 stinted 3194dab02629af8c171df281829fe4cb     
v.限制，节省（stint的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
  • Penny-pinching landlords stinted their tenants on heat and hot water. 小气的房东在房客的取暖和热水供应上进行克扣。 来自互联网
  • She stinted herself of food in order to let the children have enough. 她自己省着吃，好让孩子们吃饱。 来自互联网
9 acquiescence PJFy5     
n.默许；顺从
参考例句：
  • The chief inclined his head in sign of acquiescence.首领点点头表示允许。
  • This is due to his acquiescence.这是因为他的默许。
10 compliance ZXyzX     
n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从
参考例句：
  • I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
  • She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。
11 broached 6e5998583239ddcf6fbeee2824e41081     
v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体
参考例句：
  • She broached the subject of a picnic to her mother. 她向母亲提起野餐的问题。 来自辞典例句
  • He broached the subject to the stranger. 他对陌生人提起那话题。 来自辞典例句
12 confidential MOKzA     
adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的
参考例句：
  • He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
  • We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。
13 dealers 95e592fc0f5dffc9b9616efd02201373     
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者
参考例句：
  • There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
  • The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。
14 bide VWTzo     
v.忍耐；等候；住
参考例句：
  • We'll have to bide our time until the rain stops.我们必须等到雨停。
  • Bide here for a while. 请在这儿等一会儿。
15 precocious QBay6     
adj.早熟的；较早显出的
参考例句：
  • They become precocious experts in tragedy.他们成了一批思想早熟、善写悲剧的能手。
  • Margaret was always a precocious child.玛格丽特一直是个早熟的孩子。
16 extravagant M7zya     
adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的
参考例句：
  • They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
  • He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。
17 sketch UEyyG     
n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述
参考例句：
  • My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
  • I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。
18 eldest bqkx6     
adj.最年长的，最年老的
参考例句：
  • The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
19 descend descend     
vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降
参考例句：
  • I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
  • We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
20 efficiently ZuTzXQ     
adv.高效率地，有能力地
参考例句：
  • The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
  • Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。
21 luncheon V8az4     
n.午宴，午餐，便宴
参考例句：
  • We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
  • I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。
22 meditative Djpyr     
adj.沉思的，冥想的
参考例句：
  • A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌，智者思虑。
  • Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。
23 enchanted 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。

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