A darkened and hushed room; the river outside the windows flowing on to the vast ocean; a figure on the bed, swathed and bandaged and bound, lying helpless on its back, with its two useless arms in splints at its sides. Only two days of usage so familiarized the little dressmaker with this scene, that it held the place occupied two days ago by the recollections of years.
He had scarcely moved since her arrival. Sometimes his eyes were open, sometimes closed. When they were open, there was no meaning in their unwinking stare at one spot straight before them, unless for a moment the brow knitted into a faint expression of anger, or surprise. Then, Mortimer Lightwood would speak to him, and on occasions he would be so far roused as to make an attempt to pronounce his friend’s name. But, in an instant consciousness was gone again, and no spirit of Eugene was in Eugene’s crushed outer form.
They provided Jenny with materials for
plying2 her work, and she had a little table placed at the foot of his bed. Sitting there, with her rich shower of hair falling over the chair-back, they hoped she might attract his notice. With the same object, she would sing, just above her breath, when he opened his eyes, or she saw his brow knit into that faint expression, so evanescent that it was like a shape made in water. But as yet he had not
heeded3. The ‘they’ here mentioned were the medical attendant; Lizzie, who was there in all her
intervals4 of rest; and Lightwood, who never left him.
The two days became three, and the three days became four. At length, quite unexpectedly, he said something in a whisper.
‘What was it, my dear Eugene?’
‘Will you, Mortimer —’
‘Will I—?
—‘Send for her?’
‘My dear fellow, she is here.’
Quite unconscious of the long blank, he supposed that they were still speaking together.
The little dressmaker stood up at the foot of the bed, humming her song, and nodded to him brightly. ‘I can’t shake hands, Jenny,’ said Eugene, with something of his old look; ‘but I am very glad to see you.’
Mortimer repeated this to her, for it could only be made out by bending over him and closely watching his attempts to say it. In a little while, he added:
‘Ask her if she has seen the children.’
Mortimer could not understand this, neither could Jenny herself, until he added:
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收听单词发音
1
recollect
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v.回忆,想起,记起,忆起,记得 |
参考例句: |
- He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。
- She could not recollect being there.她回想不起曾经到过那儿。
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2
plying
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v.使用(工具)( ply的现在分词 );经常供应(食物、饮料);固定往来;经营生意 |
参考例句: |
- All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- It was rather Mrs. Wang who led the conversation, plying Miss Liu with questions. 倒是汪太太谈锋甚健,向刘小姐问长问短。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
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3
heeded
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v.听某人的劝告,听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 );变平,使(某物)变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告,把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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4
intervals
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n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息 |
参考例句: |
- The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴,有阵雨。
- Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。
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5
smelt
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v.熔解,熔炼;n.银白鱼,胡瓜鱼 |
参考例句: |
- Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。
- Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法,他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼,而改用焦炭。
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6
slanting
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倾斜的,歪斜的 |
参考例句: |
- The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。
- The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。
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7
stimulants
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n.兴奋剂( stimulant的名词复数 );含兴奋剂的饮料;刺激物;激励物 |
参考例句: |
- Coffee and tea are mild stimulants. 咖啡和茶是轻度兴奋剂。
- At lower concentrations they may even be stimulants of cell division. 在浓度较低时,它们甚至能促进细胞分裂。 来自辞典例句
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8
harassing
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v.侵扰,骚扰( harass的现在分词 );不断攻击(敌人) |
参考例句: |
- The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近,不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句
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9
gnaws
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咬( gnaw的第三人称单数 ); (长时间) 折磨某人; (使)苦恼; (长时间)危害某事物 |
参考例句: |
- Time, whose tooth gnaws away everything else, is powerless against truth. 时间,它的利齿可咬碎万物,但对真理却无能为力。
- The water gnaws at the shoreline. 海水侵蚀海岸线。
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10
avenging
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adj.报仇的,复仇的v.为…复仇,报…之仇( avenge的现在分词 );为…报复 |
参考例句: |
- He has devoted the past five years to avenging his daughter's death. 他过去5年一心报丧女之仇。 来自辞典例句
- His disfigured face was like some avenging nemesis of gargoyle design. 他那张破了相的脸,活象面目狰狞的复仇之神。 来自辞典例句
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11
exhausted
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adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 |
参考例句: |
- It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
- Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
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12
inquiry
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n.打听,询问,调查,查问 |
参考例句: |
- Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
- The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
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13
softened
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(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰 |
参考例句: |
- His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
- The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
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14
compassion
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n.同情,怜悯 |
参考例句: |
- He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
- Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。
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15
crouching
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v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影
- A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
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16
attentive
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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。
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17
distress
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n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 |
参考例句: |
- Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
- Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
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18
attained
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(通常经过努力)实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) |
参考例句: |
- She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
- Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。
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19
sentient
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adj.有知觉的,知悉的;adv.有感觉能力地 |
参考例句: |
- The living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God's stage.生还者认识到,他们不过是上帝的舞台上有知觉的木偶而已。
- It teaches us to love all sentient beings equally.它教导我们应该平等爱护一切众生。
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20
dressing
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n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 |
参考例句: |
- Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
- The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
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21
delicacy
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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。
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22
distressful
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adj.苦难重重的,不幸的,使苦恼的 |
参考例句: |
- The whole hall is filled with joy and laughter -- there is only one who feels distressful. 满堂欢笑,一人向隅。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Under these distressful circumstances it was resolved to slow down the process of reconstruction. 在这种令人痛苦的情况下,他们决定减慢重建的进程。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
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23
incessantly
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ad.不停地 |
参考例句: |
- The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight. 机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。
- It rained incessantly for the whole two weeks. 雨不间断地下了整整两个星期。
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24
misery
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n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 |
参考例句: |
- Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
- He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。
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25
subdued
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adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的
动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 |
参考例句: |
- He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
- I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候,我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。
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26
glide
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n./v.溜,滑行;(时间)消逝 |
参考例句: |
- We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着,眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
- So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞,宛如滑翔。
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27
yearning
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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。
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28
thereby
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adv.因此,从而 |
参考例句: |
- I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市,因此对它不怎么熟悉。
- He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民,因而得到了投票权。
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29
affected
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adj.不自然的,假装的 |
参考例句: |
- She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
- His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
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30
beseech
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v.祈求,恳求 |
参考例句: |
- I beseech you to do this before it is too late.我恳求你做做这件事吧,趁现在还来得及。
- I beseech your favor.我恳求您帮忙。
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31
fixed
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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。
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32
watchful
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adj.注意的,警惕的 |
参考例句: |
- The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
- It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。
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33
vigilant
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adj.警觉的,警戒的,警惕的 |
参考例句: |
- He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
- The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。
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34
syllable
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n.音节;vt.分音节 |
参考例句: |
- You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
- The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。
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35
exultant
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adj.欢腾的,狂欢的,大喜的 |
参考例句: |
- The exultant crowds were dancing in the streets.欢欣的人群在大街上跳起了舞。
- He was exultant that she was still so much in his power.他仍然能轻而易举地摆布她,对此他欣喜若狂。
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36
bent
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n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 |
参考例句: |
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
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37
tranquilly
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adv. 宁静地 |
参考例句: |
- He took up his brush and went tranquilly to work. 他拿起刷子,一声不响地干了起来。
- The evening was closing down tranquilly. 暮色正在静悄悄地笼罩下来。
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38
assent
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v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可 |
参考例句: |
- I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
- The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。
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39
agitated
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adj.被鼓动的,不安的 |
参考例句: |
- His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
- She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
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40
entreat
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v.恳求,恳请 |
参考例句: |
- Charles Darnay felt it hopeless entreat him further,and his pride was touched besides.查尔斯-达尔内感到再恳求他已是枉然,自尊心也受到了伤害。
- I entreat you to contribute generously to the building fund.我恳求您慷慨捐助建设基金。
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41
providence
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n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝 |
参考例句: |
- It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
- To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事,是违背上帝的意志的。
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42
bower
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n.凉亭,树荫下凉快之处;闺房;v.荫蔽 |
参考例句: |
- They sat under the leafy bower at the end of the garden and watched the sun set.他们坐在花园尽头由叶子搭成的凉棚下观看落日。
- Mrs. Quilp was pining in her bower.奎尔普太太正在她的闺房里度着愁苦的岁月。
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43
heartily
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adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 |
参考例句: |
- He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿,就出去找他的马。
- The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手,热情地和我握手。
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44
lengthened
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(时间或空间)延长,伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
- He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。
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