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CHAPTER 11—A Cry For Fresh Air
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“Once upon a time,” reads the familiar nursery tale, while the fairies, invited by a king and queen to the christening of their daughter, were showering good gifts on the baby princess, a disgruntled old witch, whom no one had thought of asking to the ceremony, appeared uninvited on the scene and revenged herself by decreeing that the presents of the good fairies, instead of proving beneficial, should bring only trouble and embarrassment1 to the royal infant.
A telling analogy might be drawn2 between that unhappy princess over whose fate so many youthful tears have been shed, and the condition of our invention-ridden country; for we see every day how the good gifts of those nineteenth century fairies, Science and Industry, instead of proving blessings3 to mankind, are being turned by ignorance and stupidity into veritable afflictions.
If a prophetic gentleman had told Louis Fourteenth’s shivering courtiers—whom an iron etiquette4 forced on winter mornings into the (appropriately named) Galerie des Glaces, stamping their silk-clad feet and blowing on their blue fingers, until the king should appear—that within a century and a half one simple discovery would enable all classes of people to keep their shops and dwellings5 at a summer temperature through the severest winters, the half-frozen nobles would have flouted6 the suggestion as an “iridescent dream,” a sort of too-good-to-be-true prophecy.
What was to those noblemen an unheard-of luxury has become within the last decade one of the primary necessities of our life.
The question arises now: Are we gainers by the change? Has the indiscriminate use of heat been of advantage, either mentally or physically7, to the nation?
The incubus
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1
embarrassment
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n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫 | |
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drawn
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v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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3
blessings
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n.(上帝的)祝福( blessing的名词复数 );好事;福分;因祸得福 | |
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4
etiquette
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n.礼仪,礼节;规矩 | |
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dwellings
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n.住处,处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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6
flouted
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v.藐视,轻视( flout的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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physically
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adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律 | |
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incubus
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n.负担;恶梦 | |
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gasping
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adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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exquisite
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adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
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awakening
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n.觉醒,醒悟 adj.觉醒中的;唤醒的 | |
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vitality
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n.活力,生命力,效力 | |
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enjoyment
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n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
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stewing
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炖 | |
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suburban
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adj.城郊的,在郊区的 | |
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habitually
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ad.习惯地,通常地 | |
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incapable
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adj.无能力的,不能做某事的 | |
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positively
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adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实 | |
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inspection
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n.检查,审查,检阅 | |
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tiresome
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adj.令人疲劳的,令人厌倦的 | |
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rosy
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adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的 | |
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converse
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vi.谈话,谈天,闲聊;adv.相反的,相反 | |
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radiator
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n.暖气片,散热器 | |
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spoke
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n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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perspiration
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n.汗水;出汗 | |
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farmhouse
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n.农场住宅(尤指主要住房) | |
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stationary
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adj.固定的,静止不动的 | |
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impromptu
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adj.即席的,即兴的;adv.即兴的(地),无准备的(地) | |
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usher
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n.带位员,招待员;vt.引导,护送;vi.做招待,担任引座员 | |
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chilly
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adj.凉快的,寒冷的 | |
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formerly
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adv.从前,以前 | |
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alas
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int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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refinement
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n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
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parlors
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客厅( parlor的名词复数 ); 起居室; (旅馆中的)休息室; (通常用来构成合成词)店 | |
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remains
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n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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parvenu
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n.暴发户,新贵 | |
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condemned
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adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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complacently
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adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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radically
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ad.根本地,本质地 | |
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inscription
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n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文 | |
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janitors
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n.看门人( janitor的名词复数 );看管房屋的人;锅炉工 | |
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apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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animated
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adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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malignant
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adj.恶性的,致命的;恶意的,恶毒的 | |
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joyful
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adj.欢乐的,令人欢欣的 | |
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perversity
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n.任性;刚愎自用 | |
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folly
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n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
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negligence
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n.疏忽,玩忽,粗心大意 | |
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commendable
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adj.值得称赞的 | |
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