The home of Samuel Griffiths in Lycurgus, New York, a city of some twenty-five thousand inhabitants midwaybetween Utica and Albany. Near the dinner hour and by degrees the family assembling for its customary meal.

　　On this occasion the preparations were of a more elaborate nature than usual, owing to the fact that for the pastfour days Mr. Samuel Griffiths, the husband and father, had been absent attending a conference of shirt andcollar manufacturers in Chicago, price-cutting by upstart rivals in the west having necessitated¹ compromise andadjustment by those who manufactured in the east. He was but now returned and had telephoned earlier in theafternoon that he had arrived, and was going to his office in the factory where he would remain until dinner time.

　　Being long accustomed to the ways of a practical and convinced man who believed in himself and considered hisjudgment and his decision sound--almost final--for the most part, anyhow, Mrs. Griffiths thought nothing of this.

　　He would appear and greet her in due order.

　　Knowing that he preferred leg of lamb above many other things, after due word with Mrs. Truesdale, her homelybut useful housekeeper², she ordered lamb. And the appropriate vegetables and dessert having been decided³ upon,she gave herself over to thoughts of her eldest⁴ daughter Myra, who, having graduated from Smith Collegeseveral years before, was still unmarried. And the reason for this, as Mrs. Griffiths well understood, though shewas never quite willing to admit it openly, was that Myra was not very good looking. Her nose was too long, hereyes too close-set, her chin not sufficiently⁵ rounded to give her a girlish and pleasing appearance. For the mostpart she seemed too thoughtful and studious--as a rule not interested in the ordinary social life of that city.

　　Neither did she possess that savoir faire, let alone that peculiar⁶ appeal for men, that characterized some girls evenwhen they were not pretty. As her mother saw it, she was really too critical and too intellectual, having a mindthat was rather above the world in which she found herself.

点击收听单词发音  

1 necessitated
使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Recent financial scandals have necessitated changes in parliamentary procedures. 最近的金融丑闻使得议会程序必须改革。 No man is necessitated to do wrong. 没有人是被迫去作错事的。

2 housekeeper
n.管理家务的主妇，女管家
参考例句：
A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。 She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

3 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。

4 eldest
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。

5 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。

6 peculiar
adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的
参考例句：
He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。 He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

7 attaining
（通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）
参考例句：
Jim is halfway to attaining his pilot's licence. 吉姆就快要拿到飞行员执照了。 By that time she was attaining to fifty. 那时她已快到五十岁了。

8 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：
stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事 Transplantation is not always successful in the matter of flowers or maidens. 花儿移栽往往并不成功，少女们换了环境也是如此。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 neatly
adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地
参考例句：
Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。 The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

10 graceful
adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的
参考例句：
His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了! The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

11 complexion
n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格
参考例句：
Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。 Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

12 genial
adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的
参考例句：
Orlando is a genial man.奥兰多是一位和蔼可亲的人。 He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host.他是个热心的朋友，也是友善待客的主人。

13 possessed
adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的
参考例句：
He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。 He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

14 vitality
n.活力，生命力，效力
参考例句：
He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。 He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

15 animation
n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作
参考例句：
They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。 The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

16 liking
n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢
参考例句：
The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。 I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

17 scions
n.接穗，幼枝( scion的名词复数 )；（尤指富家）子孙
参考例句：
Eldritch giants are powerful scions of arcane lore. 邪术巨人是神秘奥术知识的强大传承者。 来自互联网 Grafting can join scions with desirable qualities to root stock that is strong and resistsand insects. 嫁接能够将理想质量的接穗嫁接到强有力抗病虫害的砧木上。 来自互联网

18 ware
n.(常用复数)商品，货物
参考例句：
The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。 Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。

19 supervision
n.监督，管理
参考例句：
The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。 The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

20 irrelevantly
adv.不恰当地，不合适地；不相关地
参考例句：
To-morrow!\" Then she added irrelevantly: \"You ought to see the baby.\" 明天，”随即她又毫不相干地说：“你应当看看宝宝。” 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比 Suddenly and irrelevantly, she asked him for money. 她突然很不得体地向他要钱。 来自互联网

21 bungalow
n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房
参考例句：
A bungalow does not have an upstairs.平房没有上层。 The old couple sold that large house and moved into a small bungalow.老两口卖掉了那幢大房子，搬进了小平房。

22 lodge
v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆
参考例句：
Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？ I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

23 grandiose
adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的
参考例句：
His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。 As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

24 fixed
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？ Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

25 elite
n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的
参考例句：
The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。 We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

26 affluent
adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的
参考例句：
He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。 His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

27 abashed
adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed. 他怪罪的一瞥，朱丽叶自然显得很窘。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The girl was abashed by the laughter of her classmates. 那小姑娘因同学的哄笑而局促不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 intrigued
adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！ He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

29 censured
v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的过去式 )
参考例句：
They were censured as traitors. 他们被指责为叛徒。 来自辞典例句 The judge censured the driver but didn't fine him. 法官责备了司机但没罚他款。 来自辞典例句

30 ascend
vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上
参考例句：
We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。 We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

31 ascended
v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

33 utterly
adv.完全地，绝对地
参考例句：
Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。 I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

34 arrogant
adj.傲慢的，自大的
参考例句：
You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。 People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

35 cynical
adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的
参考例句：
The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。 He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

36 eligible
adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
参考例句：
He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。 Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

37 cosmos
n.宇宙；秩序，和谐
参考例句：
Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。 Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

38 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。

39 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》

40 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！

41 enviously
adv.满怀嫉妒地
参考例句：
Yet again, they were looking for their way home blindly, enviously. 然而，它们又一次盲目地、忌妒地寻找着归途。 来自辞典例句 Tanya thought enviously, he must go a long way south. 坦妮亚歆羡不置，心里在想，他准是去那遥远的南方的。 来自辞典例句

42 grimaced
v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He grimaced at the bitter taste. 他一尝那苦味，做了个怪相。 She grimaced at the sight of all the work. 她一看到这么多的工作就皱起了眉头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

43 prospect
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。 The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

44 physically
adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律
参考例句：
He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。 Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

45 avid
adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的
参考例句：
He is rich,but he is still avid of more money.他很富有,但他还想贪图更多的钱。 She was avid for praise from her coach.那女孩渴望得到教练的称赞。

46 sarcastically
adv.挖苦地，讽刺地
参考例句：
'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。 Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她，讽刺地鞠了一躬。