Eight
In addition to its number, 20, Wilbraham Crescent had a name. It was called Diana
Lodge1. Thegates had obstacles against intruders by being heavily wired on the inside. Rather melancholyspeckled
laurels2, imperfectly trimmed, also
interfered4 with the efforts of anyone to enter throughthe gate.
“If ever a house could have been called The Laurels, this one could,” remarked Colin Lamb.
“Why call it Diana Lodge, I wonder?”
He looked round him
appraisingly5. Diana Lodge did not run to neatness or to flower beds.
Tangled6 and overgrown shrubbery was its most salient point together with a strong catty smell ofammonia. The house seemed in a rather tumbledown condition with
gutters7 that could do withrepairing. The only sign of any recent kind of attention being paid to it was a freshly painted frontdoor whose colour of bright
azure8 blue made the general unkempt appearance of the rest of thehouse and garden even more noticeable. There was no electric bell but a kind of handle that wasclearly meant to be pulled. The
inspector9 pulled it and a faint sound of remote jangling was heardinside.
“It sounds,” said Colin, “like the Moated Grange.”
They waited for a moment or two, then sounds were heard from inside. Rather curious sounds.
A kind of high crooning, half singing, half speaking.
“What the devil—” began Hardcastle.
The singer or crooner appeared to be approaching the front door and words began to bediscernible.
“No, sweet-sweetie. In there, my love. Mindems tailems Shah-Shah-Mimi. Cleo—Cleopatra.
Ah de doodlums. Ah lou-lou.”
Doors were heard to shut. Finally the front door opened. Facing them was a lady in a pale moss-green, rather rubbed,
点击
收听单词发音
1
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。
|
2
laurels
|
|
n.桂冠,荣誉 |
参考例句: |
- The path was lined with laurels.小路两旁都种有月桂树。
- He reaped the laurels in the finals.他在决赛中荣膺冠军。
|
3
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。
|
4
interfered
|
|
v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 );调停;妨碍;干涉 |
参考例句: |
- Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
5
appraisingly
|
|
adv.以品评或评价的眼光 |
参考例句: |
- He looked about him appraisingly. 他以品评的目光环视四周。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- She sat opposite him on the bench and studied him-wryly, appraisingly, curiously. 她坐在他对面的凳子上,仔细打量着他--带着嘲笑、揣摩和好奇的神情。 来自辞典例句
|
6
tangled
|
|
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的
动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 |
参考例句: |
- Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了,我梳不动。
- A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。
|
7
gutters
|
|
(路边)排水沟( gutter的名词复数 ); 阴沟; (屋顶的)天沟; 贫贱的境地 |
参考例句: |
- Gutters lead the water into the ditch. 排水沟把水排到这条水沟里。
- They were born, they grew up in the gutters. 他们生了下来,以后就在街头长大。
|
8
azure
|
|
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 |
参考例句: |
- His eyes are azure.他的眼睛是天蓝色的。
- The sun shone out of a clear azure sky.清朗蔚蓝的天空中阳光明媚。
|
9
inspector
|
|
n.检查员,监察员,视察员 |
参考例句: |
- The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
- The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
|
10
velvet
|
|
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 |
参考例句: |
- This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
- The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。
|
11
dubiously
|
|
adv.可疑地,怀疑地 |
参考例句: |
- "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)
- He walked out fast, leaving the head waiter staring dubiously at the flimsy blue paper. 他很快地走出去,撇下侍者头儿半信半疑地瞪着这张薄薄的蓝纸。 来自辞典例句
|
12
hemming
|
|
卷边 |
参考例句: |
- "Now stop hemming and hawing, and tell me about it, Edward. "别再这个那个的啦,跟我说说吧,爱德华。 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡
- All ideas of stopping holes and hemming in the German intruders are vicious. 一切想要堵塞缺口和围困德国侵略军的办法都是错误的。
|
13
afflicted
|
|
使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
- A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。
|
14
nostrils
|
|
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
- The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。
|
15
pungent
|
|
adj.(气味、味道)刺激性的,辛辣的;尖锐的 |
参考例句: |
- The article is written in a pungent style.文章写得泼辣。
- Its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts.它的刺激性气味会令恐怖分子窒息,迫使他们从藏身地点逃脱出来。
|
16
fully
|
|
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 |
参考例句: |
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
|
17
allergy
|
|
n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症 |
参考例句: |
- He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
- The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。
|
18
groom
|
|
vt.给(马、狗等)梳毛,照料,使...整洁 |
参考例句: |
- His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
- George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作,乔治已在接受专门的培训。
|
19
tempt
|
|
vt.引诱,勾引,吸引,引起…的兴趣 |
参考例句: |
- Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
- The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了,可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。
|
20
illustrates
|
|
给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明 |
参考例句: |
- This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
- Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生,他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分
|
21
congregating
|
|
(使)集合,聚集( congregate的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- The spatial distribution patterns of larvae and pupae are congregating distribution. 幼虫和蛹的空间分布均为聚集分布。
- He says victims of violence are congregating there because they feel safer. 他说暴力的受害者聚集在这里因为他们觉得更安全。
|
22
frankly
|
|
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说 |
参考例句: |
- To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
- Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
|
23
sergeant
|
|
n.警官,中士 |
参考例句: |
- His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
- How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹?
|
24
vaguely
|
|
adv.含糊地,暖昧地 |
参考例句: |
- He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
- He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面,对一切都视而不见。
|
25
goaded
|
|
v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 );激励;(用尖棒)驱赶;驱使(或怂恿、刺激)某人 |
参考例句: |
- Goaded beyond endurance, she turned on him and hit out. 她被气得忍无可忍,于是转身向他猛击。
- The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
26
tickled
|
|
(使)发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)愉快,逗乐 |
参考例句: |
- We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友,我们高兴极了。
- I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚,使她发笑。
|
27
condescended
|
|
屈尊,俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 ); 故意表示和蔼可亲 |
参考例句: |
- We had to wait almost an hour before he condescended to see us. 我们等了几乎一小时他才屈尊大驾来见我们。
- The king condescended to take advice from his servants. 国王屈驾向仆人征求意见。
|
28
confiscated
|
|
没收,充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
- The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。
|
29
shrubs
|
|
灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
- These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。
|
30
barrage
|
|
n.火力网,弹幕 |
参考例句: |
- The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
- The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。
|
31
irresolutely
|
|
adv.优柔寡断地 |
参考例句: |
- He followed irresolutely for a little distance, half a pace behind her. 他犹豫地跟了短短的一段距离,落在她身后半步路。 来自英汉文学
- She arose and stood irresolutely at the foot of the stairs. 她起身来到楼梯脚下,犹豫不定地站在那里。 来自飘(部分)
|