The room which Clyde secured this same day with the aid of Mrs. Braley, was in Thorpe Street, a thoroughfareenormously removed in quality if not in distance from that in which his uncle resided. Indeed the difference wassufficient to decidedly qualify his mounting notions of himself as one who, after all, was connected with him.

　　The commonplace brown or gray or tan colored houses, rather smoked or decayed, which fronted it--the leaflessand winter harried² trees which in spite of smoke and dust seemed to give promise of the newer life so near athand--the leaves and flowers of May. Yet as he walked into it with Mrs. Braley, many drab and commonplacefigures of men and girls, and elderly spinsters resembling Mrs. Braley in kind, were making their way home fromthe several factories beyond the river. And at the door Mrs. Braley and himself were received by a none-toopolishedwoman in a clean gingham apron³ over a dark brown dress, who led the way to a second floor room, nottoo small or uncomfortably furnished--which she assured him he could have for four dollars without board orseven and one-half dollars with--a proposition which, seeing that he was advised by Mrs. Braley that this wassomewhat better than he would get in most places for the same amount, he decided¹ to take. And here, afterthanking Mrs. Braley, he decided to remain--later sitting down to dinner with a small group of mill-town storeand factory employees, such as partially⁴ he had been accustomed to in Paulina Street in Chicago, before movingto the better atmosphere of the union League. And after dinner he made his way out into the principalthoroughfares of Lycurgus, only to observe such a crowd of nondescript mill-workers as, judging these streets byday, he would not have fancied swarmed⁵ here by night--girls and boys, men and women of various nationalities,and types--Americans, Poles, Hungarians, French, English--and for the most part--if not entirely⁶ touched with apeculiar something--ignorance or thickness of mind or body, or with a certain lack of taste and alertness ordaring, which seemed to mark them one and all as of the basement world which he had seen only this afternoon.

点击收听单词发音  

1 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。

2 harried
v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰
参考例句：
She has been harried by the press all week. 整个星期她都受到新闻界的不断烦扰。 The soldiers harried the enemy out of the country. 士兵们不断作骚扰性的攻击直至把敌人赶出国境为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 partially
adv.部分地，从某些方面讲
参考例句：
The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。 The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

5 swarmed
密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去
参考例句：
When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。 When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

6 entirely
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。 His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 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。

8 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。

9 spired
v.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：

10 graveyard
n.坟场
参考例句：
All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。 Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

11 automobile
n.汽车，机动车
参考例句：
He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。 The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

12 flirting
v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Don't take her too seriously; she's only flirting with you. 别把她太当真，她只不过是在和你调情罢了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 'she's always flirting with that new fellow Tseng!" “她还同新来厂里那个姓曾的吊膀子！ 来自子夜部分

13 hovering
鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫
参考例句：
The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。 I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

14 zest
n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣
参考例句：
He dived into his new job with great zest.他充满热情地投入了新的工作。 He wrote his novel about his trip to Asia with zest.他兴趣浓厚的写了一本关于他亚洲之行的小说。

15 constructive
adj.建设的，建设性的
参考例句：
We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。 He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

16 circumspect
adj.慎重的，谨慎的
参考例句：
She is very circumspect when dealing with strangers.她与陌生人打交道时十分谨慎。 He was very circumspect in his financial affairs.他对于自己的财务十分细心。

17 judgment
n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见
参考例句：
The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。 He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

18 peculiarities
n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪
参考例句：
the cultural peculiarities of the English 英国人的文化特点 He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another. 他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

19 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。

20 queried
v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问
参考例句：
She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》 \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

21 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。

22 pointed
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。 She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

23 stodgy
adj.易饱的；笨重的；滞涩的；古板的
参考例句：
It wasn't easy to lose puppy fat when Mum fed her on stodgy home cooking.母亲给她吃易饱的家常菜，她想减掉婴儿肥可是很难。 The gateman was a stodgy fellow of 60.看门人是个六十岁的矮胖子。

24 stuffy
adj.不透气的，闷热的
参考例句：
It's really hot and stuffy in here.这里实在太热太闷了。 It was so stuffy in the tent that we could sense the air was heavy with moisture.帐篷里很闷热，我们感到空气都是潮的。

25 reclaimed
adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救
参考例句：
Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》 They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

26 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。

27 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

28 presage
n.预感，不祥感；v.预示
参考例句：
The change could presage serious problems.这变化可能预示着有严重问题将要发生。 The lowering clouds presage a storm.暗云低沉是暴风雨的前兆。

29 condescension
n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人)
参考例句：
His politeness smacks of condescension. 他的客气带有屈尊俯就的意味。 Despite its condescension toward the Bennet family, the letter begins to allay Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy. 尽管这封信对班纳特家的态度很高傲，但它开始消除伊丽莎白对达西的偏见。

30 crate
vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱
参考例句：
We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。 The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。

31 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。

32 laborers
n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工
参考例句：
Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

33 dubious
adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的
参考例句：
What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。 He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

34 subserviency
n.有用，裨益
参考例句：

35 humdrum
adj.单调的，乏味的
参考例句：
Their lives consist of the humdrum activities of everyday existence.他们的生活由日常生存的平凡活动所构成。 The accountant said it was the most humdrum day that she had ever passed.会计师说这是她所度过的最无聊的一天。

36 squires
n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The family history was typical of the Catholic squires of England. 这个家族的历史，在英格兰信天主教的乡绅中是很典型的。 来自辞典例句 By 1696, with Tory squires and Amsterdam burghers complaining about excessive taxes. 到1696年，托利党的乡绅们和阿姆斯特丹的市民都对苛捐杂税怨声载道。 来自辞典例句

37 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！