Now trivial as this contact may seem to some, it was of the utmost significance to Clyde. Up to this time he hadnever seen a girl with so much charm who would deign¹ to look at him, or so he imagined. And now he had foundone, and she was pretty and actually interested sufficiently² to accompany him to dinner and to a show. It wastrue, perhaps, that she was a flirt³, and not really sincere with any one, and that maybe at first he could not expecther to center her attentions on him, but who knew--who could tell?

　　And true to her promise on the following Tuesday she met him at the corner of 14th Street and Wyandotte, nearthe Green-Davidson. And so excited and flattered and enraptured⁴ was he that he could scarcely arrange hisjumbled thoughts and emotions in any seemly way. But to show that he was worthy⁵ of her, he had made analmost exotic toilet--hair pomaded, a butterfly tie, new silk muffler and silk socks to emphasize his bright brownshoes, purchased especially for the occasion.

　　But once he had reencountered Hortense, whether all this was of any import to her he could not tell. For, after all,it was her own appearance, not his, that interested her. And what was more--a trick with her--she chose to keephim waiting until nearly seven o'clock, a delay which brought about in him the deepest dejection of spirit for thetime being. For supposing, after all, in the interval⁶, she had decided⁷ that she did not care for him and did not wishto see him any more. Well, then he would have to do without her, of course. But that would prove that he was notinteresting to a girl as pretty as she was, despite all the nice clothes he was now able to wear and the money hecould spend. He was determined⁸ that, girl or no girl, he would not have one who was not pretty. Ratterer andHegglund did not seem to mind whether the girl they knew was attractive or not, but with him it was a passion.

点击收听单词发音  

1 deign
v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事)
参考例句：
He doesn't deign to talk to unimportant people like me. 他不肯屈尊和像我这样不重要的人说话。 I would not deign to comment on such behaviour. 这种行为不屑我置评。

2 sufficiently
adv.足够地，充分地
参考例句：
It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。 The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

3 flirt
v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者
参考例句：
He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。 He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情，他都要抓狂了。

4 enraptured
v.使狂喜( enrapture的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He was enraptured that she had smiled at him. 她对他的微笑使他心荡神驰。 来自《简明英汉词典》 They were enraptured to meet the great singer. 他们和大名鼎鼎的歌手见面，欣喜若狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 worthy
adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的
参考例句：
I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。 There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

6 interval
n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息
参考例句：
The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。 There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

7 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 determined
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。 He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 nauseated
adj.作呕的，厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
I was nauseated by the violence in the movie. 影片中的暴力场面让我感到恶心。 But I have chewed it all well and I am not nauseated. 然而我把它全细细咀嚼后吃下去了，没有恶心作呕。 来自英汉文学 - 老人与海

10 flare
v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发
参考例句：
The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。 You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

11 thither
adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的
参考例句：
He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。 He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

12 cuffs
n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口 The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。

13 bulgy
a.膨胀的；凸出的
参考例句：
And the bone at the back of the neck is bulgy came. 而且脖子后面的骨头都凸出来了。 Lumbar shoulder dish what does the earlier note after bulgy operation have? 腰肩盘凸出手术后初期的注重事项有哪些？

14 buckle
n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲
参考例句：
The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。 She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。

15 rouged
胭脂，口红( rouge的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Tigress in a red jacket, her face powdered and rouged, followed him with her eyes. 虎妞穿着红袄，脸上抹着白粉与胭脂，眼睛溜着他。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子 She worked carefully on her penciled her eyebrows and rouged her lips. 她仔细地梳理着头发，描眉，涂口红。

16 gee
n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转
参考例句：
Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。 Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

17 grouchy
adj.好抱怨的；愠怒的
参考例句：
Grouchy people are always complaining for no reason.满腹牢骚的人总是毫无理由地抱怨。 Sometimes she is grouchy, but all in all she is an excellent teacher.有时候她的脾气很坏，但总的来说她还是一位好老师。

18 swell
vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强
参考例句：
The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。 His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

19 admiration
n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕
参考例句：
He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。 We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

20 yearning
a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的
参考例句：
a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往 He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。

21 gaucheness
参考例句：

22 bouquet
n.花束，酒香
参考例句：
This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。 Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

23 apron
n.围裙；工作裙
参考例句：
We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。 She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

24 follies
罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 )
参考例句：
He has given up youthful follies. 他不再做年轻人的荒唐事了。 The writings of Swift mocked the follies of his age. 斯威夫特的作品嘲弄了他那个时代的愚人。

25 bluffing
n. 威吓，唬人 动词bluff的现在分词形式
参考例句：
I don't think he'll shoot—I think he's just bluffing. 我认为他不会开枪—我想他不过是在吓唬人。 He says he'll win the race, but he's only bluffing. 他说他会赢得这场比赛，事实上只是在吹牛。

26 emphatic
adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的
参考例句：
Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决，不容有任何人怀疑。 He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。

27 contemplated
adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式
参考例句：
The doctor contemplated the difficult operation he had to perform. 医生仔细地考虑他所要做的棘手的手术。 The government has contemplated reforming the entire tax system. 政府打算改革整个税收体制。

28 delicacy
n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴
参考例句：
We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。 He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

29 bust
vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部
参考例句：
I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。 She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

30 eyebrows
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。 His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

31 unctuous
adj.油腔滑调的，大胆的
参考例句：
He speaks in unctuous tones.他说话油腔滑调。 He made an unctuous assurance.他做了个虚请假意的承诺。

32 clattered
发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
He dropped the knife and it clattered on the stone floor. 他一失手，刀子当啷一声掉到石头地面上。 His hand went limp and the knife clattered to the ground. 他的手一软，刀子当啷一声掉到地上。

33 apparently
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。 He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

34 remarkable
adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的
参考例句：
She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。 These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

35 filet
n.肉片；鱼片
参考例句：
They feasted us on filet mignon and strawberry shortcake.他们拿出鱼片和草莓松脆饼盛情款待我们。 You cannot make filet mignon out of chopped liver.你不能从品质差的肉制造品质高的肉。

36 cocktail
n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物
参考例句：
We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。 At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

37 veer
vt.转向，顺时针转，改变；n.转向
参考例句：
He is unlikely to veer from his boss's strongly held views.他不可能背离他老板的强硬立场。 If you fall asleep while driving,you'll probably veer off the road.假如你开车时打瞌睡，可能会驶离道路。

38 defiantly
adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地
参考例句：
Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 sensuous
adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的
参考例句：
Don't get the idea that value of music is commensurate with its sensuous appeal.不要以为音乐的价值与其美的感染力相等。 The flowers that wreathed his parlor stifled him with their sensuous perfume.包围著客厅的花以其刺激人的香味使他窒息。

40 mere
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。 It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

41 proximity
n.接近，邻近
参考例句：
Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。 Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

42 tantalizing
adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 )
参考例句：
This was my first tantalizing glimpse of the islands. 这是我第一眼看见的这些岛屿的动人美景。 来自《简明英汉词典》 We have only vague and tantalizing glimpses of his power. 我们只能隐隐约约地领略他的威力，的确有一种可望不可及的感觉。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

43 smother
vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息
参考例句：
They tried to smother the flames with a damp blanket.他们试图用一条湿毯子去灭火。 We tried to smother our laughter.我们强忍住笑。

44 defiance
n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗
参考例句：
He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。 He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

45 attentive
adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的
参考例句：
She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。 The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。