"L' altra vedete ch'ha fatto alla guancia Della sua palma, sospirando, letto." --Purgatorio, vii.

When George the Fourth was still reigning¹ over the privacies of Windsor, when the Duke of Wellington was Prime Minister, and Mr. Vincy was mayor of the old corporation in Middlemarch, Mrs. Casaubon, born Dorothea Brooke, had taken her wedding journey to Rome. In those days the world in general was more ignorant of good and evil by forty years than it is at present. Travellers did not often carry full information on Christian² art either in their heads or their pockets; and even the most brilliant English critic of the day mistook the flower-flushed tomb of the ascended³ Virgin⁴ for an ornamental⁵ vase due to the painter's fancy. Romanticism, which has helped to fill some dull blanks with love and knowledge, had not yet penetrated⁶ the times with its leaven⁷ and entered into everybody's food; it was fermenting⁸ still as a distinguishable vigorous enthusiasm in certain long-haired German artists at Rome, and the youth of other nations who worked or idled near them were sometimes caught in the spreading movement.

One fine morning a young man whose hair was not immoderately long, but abundant and curly, and who was otherwise English in his equipment, had just turned his back on the Belvedere Torso in the Vatican and was looking out on the magnificent view of the mountains from the adjoining round vestibule. He was sufficiently⁹ absorbed not to notice the approach of a dark-eyed, animated¹⁰ German who came up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, said with a strong accent, "Come here, quick! else she will have changed her pose."

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1 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。

2 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。

3 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》

4 virgin
n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的
参考例句：
Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？ There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

5 ornamental
adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物
参考例句：
The stream was dammed up to form ornamental lakes.溪流用水坝拦挡起来,形成了装饰性的湖泊。 The ornamental ironwork lends a touch of elegance to the house.铁艺饰件为房子略添雅致。

6 penetrated
adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。 They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。

7 leaven
v.使发酵；n.酵母；影响
参考例句：
These men have been the leaven in the lump of the race.如果说这个种族是块面团，这些人便是发酵剂。 The leaven of reform was working.改革的影响力在起作用。

8 fermenting
v.（使）发酵( ferment的现在分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰
参考例句：
The fermenting wine has bubbled up and over the top. 发酵的葡萄酒已经冒泡，溢了出来。 来自辞典例句 It must be processed through methods like boiling, grinding or fermenting. 它必须通过煮沸、研磨、或者发酵等方法加工。 来自互联网

9 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。

10 animated
adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的
参考例句：
His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。 We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

11 voluptuousness
n.风骚，体态丰满
参考例句：
It is a magnificent wine with a soft voluptuousness more reminiscent of old-fashioned burgundy. 这是一种很棒的葡萄酒，温和醇厚，更像传统的勃艮第葡萄酒。 来自柯林斯例句

12 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。

13 beaver
n.海狸，河狸
参考例句：
The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。 A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。

14 bonnet
n.无边女帽；童帽
参考例句：
The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光，使之不刺眼。 She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽，帽上缀着褪了色的假花。

15 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。

16 streak
n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动
参考例句：
The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。 Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

17 contemplate
vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视
参考例句：
The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。 The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

18 antithesis
n.对立；相对
参考例句：
The style of his speech was in complete antithesis to mine.他和我的讲话方式完全相反。 His creation was an antithesis to academic dogmatism of the time.他的创作与当时学院派的教条相对立。

19 admiration
n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕
参考例句：
He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。 We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

20 sensuous
adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的
参考例句：
Don't get the idea that value of music is commensurate with its sensuous appeal.不要以为音乐的价值与其美的感染力相等。 The flowers that wreathed his parlor stifled him with their sensuous perfume.包围著客厅的花以其刺激人的香味使他窒息。

21 bosom
n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的
参考例句：
She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。 A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

22 nun
n.修女，尼姑
参考例句：
I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。 She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

23 preoccupied
adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)
参考例句：
He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。 The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 irritation
n.激怒，恼怒，生气
参考例句：
He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。 Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。

25 brazen
adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的
参考例句：
The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。 Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

26 dilettantish
adj.半吊子的；半瓶醋似的；一知半解的；业余爱好的
参考例句：

27 amateurish
n.业余爱好的，不熟练的
参考例句：
The concert was rather an amateurish affair.这场音乐会颇有些外行客串的味道。 The paintings looked amateurish.这些画作看起来只具备业余水准。

28 exhausted
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。

29 forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。 He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

30 thwart
v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)
参考例句：
We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。 I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

31 imperturbable
adj.镇静的
参考例句：
Thomas,of course,was cool and aloof and imperturbable.当然，托马斯沉着、冷漠，不易激动。 Edward was a model of good temper and his equanimity imperturbable.爱德华是个典型的好性子，他总是沉着镇定。

32 perturb
v.使不安，烦扰，扰乱，使紊乱
参考例句：
Stellar passings can perturb the orbits of comets.行星的运行会使彗星的轨道发生扰动。 They perturb good social order with their lie and propaganda.他们以谎言和宣传扰乱良好的社会秩序。

33 connoisseur
n.鉴赏家，行家，内行
参考例句：
Only the real connoisseur could tell the difference between these two wines.只有真正的内行才能指出这两种酒的区别。 We are looking for a connoisseur of French champagne.我们想找一位法国香槟酒品酒专家。

34 amiable
adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的
参考例句：
She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。 We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。

35 insistent
adj.迫切的，坚持的
参考例句：
There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。 He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

36 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。

37 tragic
adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的
参考例句：
The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。 Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。