MR SNIGGS, the Junior Dean, and Mr Postlethwaite, the Domestic Bursar, sat alone in Mr Sniggs' room overlooking the garden quad¹ at Scone² College. From the rooms of Sir Alastair Digby Vane Trumpington, two staircases away, came a confused roaring and breaking of glass. They alone of the senior members of Scone were at home that evening, for it was the night of the annual dinner of the Bollinger Club. The others were all scattered⁴ over Boar's Hill and North Oxford⁵ at gay, contentious⁶ little parties, or at other senior common rooms, or at the meetings of learned societies, for the annual Bollinger dinner is a difficult time for those in authority.

It is not accurate to call this an annual event, because quite often the Club is suspended for some years after each meeting. There is tradition behind the Bollinger; it numbers reigning⁷ kings among its past members. At the last dinner, three years ago, a fox had been brought in in a cage and stoned to death with champagne⁸ bottles. What an evening that had been! This was the first meeting since then, and from all over Europe old members had rallied for the occasion. For two days they had been pouring into Oxford: epileptic royalty⁹ from their villas¹⁰ of exile; uncouth¹¹ peers from crumbling¹² country seats; smooth young men of uncertain tastes from embassies and legations; illiterate

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1 quad
n.四方院；四胞胎之一；v.在…填补空铅
参考例句：
His rooms were on the left-hand side of the quad.他的房间位于四方院的左侧。 She is a 34-year-old mother of quads.她是个生了四胞胎的34岁的母亲。

2 scone
n.圆饼，甜饼，司康饼
参考例句：
She eats scone every morning.她每天早上都吃甜饼。 Scone is said to be origined from Scotland.司康饼据说来源于苏格兰。

3 alas
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句：
Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！ Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

4 scattered
adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的
参考例句：
Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

5 Oxford
n.牛津（英国城市）
参考例句：
At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。 This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

6 contentious
adj.好辩的，善争吵的
参考例句：
She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。 Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

7 reigning
adj.统治的，起支配作用的
参考例句：
The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。 Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

8 champagne
n.香槟酒；微黄色
参考例句：
There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。 They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

9 royalty
n.皇家，皇族
参考例句：
She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。 I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

10 villas
别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅
参考例句：
Magnificent villas are found throughout Italy. 在意大利到处可看到豪华的别墅。 Rich men came down from wealthy Rome to build sea-side villas. 有钱人从富有的罗马来到这儿建造海滨别墅。

11 uncouth
adj.无教养的，粗鲁的
参考例句：
She may embarrass you with her uncouth behavior.她的粗野行为可能会让你尴尬。 His nephew is an uncouth young man.他的侄子是一个粗野的年轻人。

12 crumbling
adj.摇摇欲坠的
参考例句：
an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子 The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

13 illiterate
adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲
参考例句：
There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。 I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

14 granite
adj.花岗岩，花岗石
参考例句：
They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。 The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

15 debutantes
n.初进社交界的上流社会年轻女子( debutante的名词复数 )
参考例句：
For it was as the curtain raiser for society debutantes that Almack's was famous. 集中营之所以著名，因为对初次社交来说它就像是的一个开场戏。 来自互联网

16 sonorous
adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇
参考例句：
The sonorous voice of the speaker echoed round the room.那位演讲人洪亮的声音在室内回荡。 He has a deep sonorous voice.他的声音深沉而洪亮。

17 crimson
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色
参考例句：
She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。 Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

18 romp
n.欢闹；v.嬉闹玩笑
参考例句：
The child went for a romp in the forest.那个孩子去森林快活一把。 Dogs and little children romped happily in the garden.狗和小孩子们在花园里嬉戏。

19 chapel
n.小教堂，殡仪馆
参考例句：
The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。 She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

20 rending
v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破
参考例句：
The cries of those imprisoned in the fallen buildings were heart-rending. 被困于倒塌大楼里的人们的哭喊声令人心碎。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 She was rending her hair out in anger. 她气愤得直扯自己的头发。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 wholesome
adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的
参考例句：
In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。 It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

22 guardian
n.监护人；守卫者，保护者
参考例句：
The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。 The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

23 solicitor
n.初级律师，事务律师
参考例句：
The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。 The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

24 abysmally
adv.极糟地；可怕地；完全地；极端地
参考例句：
But the two-and-a-half-year-olds, much to my and their parents' surprise, failed abysmally. 但是两岁半的孩子根本不会找，我们与孩子的父母都很意外。 来自互联网 Research and development spending by existing firms is abysmally low. 该数据能衡量新增的商业业务量和对创业的态度。 来自互联网

25 pint
n.品脱
参考例句：
I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。 In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

26 luncheon
n.午宴，午餐，便宴
参考例句：
We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。 I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

27 saga
n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇
参考例句：
The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。 The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

28 Christian
adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒
参考例句：
They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。 His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

29 apprehensively
adv.担心地
参考例句：
He glanced a trifle apprehensively towards the crowded ballroom. 他敏捷地朝挤满了人的舞厅瞟了一眼。 来自辞典例句 Then it passed, leaving everything in a state of suspense, even the willow branches waiting apprehensively. 一阵这样的风过去，一切都不知怎好似的，连柳树都惊疑不定的等着点什么。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

30 amenable
adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的
参考例句：
His scientific discoveries are amenable to the laws of physics.他在科学上的发现经得起物理定律的检验。 He is amenable to counsel.他这人听劝。

31 outrage
n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒
参考例句：
When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。 We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

32 reprehensible
adj.该受责备的
参考例句：
Lying is not seen as being morally reprehensible in any strong way.人们并不把撒谎当作一件应该大加谴责的事儿。 It was reprehensible of him to be so disloyal.他如此不忠，应受谴责。

33 fortitude
n.坚忍不拔；刚毅
参考例句：
His dauntless fortitude makes him absolutely fearless.他不屈不挠的坚韧让他绝无恐惧。 He bore the pain with great fortitude.他以极大的毅力忍受了痛苦。

34 meekly
adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地
参考例句：
He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》 He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》