选择字号:【大】【中】【小】 | 关灯
护眼
|
CHAPTER 24—The Better Part
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
As I watch, year after year, the flowers of our aristocratic hothouses blooming behind the glass partitions of their conservatories2, tended always by the same gardeners, admired by the same amateurs, and then, for the most part, withering3 unplucked on their virgin4 stems, I wonder if the wild flowers appreciate the good luck that allows them to taste the storm and the sunshine untrammelled and disperse5 perfume according to their own sweet will.
To drop a cumbersome6 metaphor7, there is not the shadow of a doubt that the tamest and most monotonous8 lives in this country are those led by the women in our “exclusive” sets, for the good reason that they are surrounded by all the trammels of European society without enjoying any of its benefits, and live in an atmosphere that takes the taste out of existence too soon.
Girls abroad are kept away from the “world” because their social life only commences after marriage. In America, on the contrary, a woman is laid more or less on the shelf the day she becomes a wife, so that if she has not made hay while her maiden9 sunshine lasted, the chances are she will have but meagrely furnished lofts10; and how, I ask, is a girl to harvest always in the same field?
When in this country, a properly brought up young aristocrat1 is presented by her mamma to an admiring circle of friends, she is quite a blasée person. The dancing classes she has attended for a couple of years before her début (that she might know the right set of youths and
点击
收听单词发音

1
aristocrat
![]() |
|
n.贵族,有贵族气派的人,上层人物 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2
conservatories
![]() |
|
n.(培植植物的)温室,暖房( conservatory的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3
withering
![]() |
|
使人畏缩的,使人害羞的,使人难堪的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4
virgin
![]() |
|
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5
disperse
![]() |
|
vi.使分散;使消失;vt.分散;驱散 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6
cumbersome
![]() |
|
adj.笨重的,不便携带的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7
metaphor
![]() |
|
n.隐喻,暗喻 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8
monotonous
![]() |
|
adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9
maiden
![]() |
|
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10
lofts
![]() |
|
阁楼( loft的名词复数 ); (由工厂等改建的)套房; 上层楼面; 房间的越层 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11
maidens
![]() |
|
处女( maiden的名词复数 ); 少女; 未婚女子; (板球运动)未得分的一轮投球 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12
decided
![]() |
|
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13
juvenile
![]() |
|
n.青少年,少年读物;adj.青少年的,幼稚的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14
deploring
![]() |
|
v.悲叹,痛惜,强烈反对( deplore的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15
migrations
![]() |
|
n.迁移,移居( migration的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16
shuffle
![]() |
|
n.拖著脚走,洗纸牌;v.拖曳,慢吞吞地走 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17
salons
![]() |
|
n.(营业性质的)店( salon的名词复数 );厅;沙龙(旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所);(大宅中的)客厅 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18
exalted
![]() |
|
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19
pique
![]() |
|
v.伤害…的自尊心,使生气 n.不满,生气 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20
miller
![]() |
|
n.磨坊主 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21
bevies
![]() |
|
n.(尤指少女或妇女的)一群( bevy的名词复数 );(鸟类的)一群 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22
perfectly
![]() |
|
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23
sufficiently
![]() |
|
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24
eligible
![]() |
|
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25
consigned
![]() |
|
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的过去式和过去分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26
jaded
![]() |
|
adj.精疲力竭的;厌倦的;(因过饱或过多而)腻烦的;迟钝的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27
tempts
![]() |
|
v.引诱或怂恿(某人)干不正当的事( tempt的第三人称单数 );使想要 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28
revolving
![]() |
|
adj.旋转的,轮转式的;循环的v.(使)旋转( revolve的现在分词 );细想 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29
stationary
![]() |
|
adj.固定的,静止不动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30
varied
![]() |
|
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31
entirely
![]() |
|
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32
delightful
![]() |
|
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33
bent
![]() |
|
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34
etiquette
![]() |
|
n.礼仪,礼节;规矩 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35
piazza
![]() |
|
n.广场;走廊 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36
standing
![]() |
|
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37
flirt
![]() |
|
v.调情,挑逗,调戏;n.调情者,卖俏者 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38
awe
![]() |
|
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39
functionary
![]() |
|
n.官员;公职人员 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40
bliss
![]() |
|
n.狂喜,福佑,天赐的福 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41
boredom
![]() |
|
n.厌烦,厌倦,乏味,无聊 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42
agonized
![]() |
|
v.使(极度)痛苦,折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 );苦斗;苦苦思索;感到极度痛苦 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43
anticipation
![]() |
|
n.预期,预料,期望 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44
tranquil
![]() |
|
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45
mutual
![]() |
|
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46
penetrated
![]() |
|
adj. 击穿的,鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47
supreme
![]() |
|
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48
awaken
![]() |
|
vi.醒,觉醒;vt.唤醒,使觉醒,唤起,激起 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49
prematurely
![]() |
|
adv.过早地,贸然地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
©英文小说网 2005-2010