TIME went on in Coketown like its own machinery¹: so much material wrought² up, so much fuel consumed, so many powers worn out, so much money made. But, less inexorable than iron, steal, and brass³, it brought its varying seasons even into that wilderness⁴ of smoke and brick, and made the only stand that ever was made in the place against its direful uniformity.

'Louisa is becoming,' said Mr. Gradgrind, 'almost a young woman.'

Time, with his innumerable horse-power, worked away, not minding what anybody said, and presently turned out young Thomas a foot taller than when his father had last taken particular notice of him.

'Thomas is becoming,' said Mr. Gradgrind, 'almost a young man.'

Time passed Thomas on in the mill, while his father was thinking about it, and there he stood in a long-tailed coat and a stiff shirt-collar.

'Really,' said Mr. Gradgrind, 'the period has arrived when Thomas ought to go to Bounderby.'

Time, sticking to him, passed him on into Bounderby's Bank, made him an inmate⁵ of Bounderby's house, necessitated⁶ the purchase of his first razor, and exercised him diligently⁷ in his calculations relative to number one.

The same great manufacturer, always with an immense variety of work on hand, in every stage of development, passed Sissy onward⁸ in his mill, and worked her up into a very pretty article indeed.

'I fear, Jupe,' said Mr. Gradgrind, 'that your continuance at the school any longer would be useless.'

'I am afraid it would, sir,' Sissy answered with a curtsey.

'I cannot disguise from you, Jupe,' said Mr. Gradgrind, knitting his brow, 'that the result of your probation⁹ there has disappointed me; has greatly disappointed me. You have not acquired, under Mr. and Mrs. M'Choakumchild, anything like that amount of exact knowledge which I looked for. You are extremely

点击收听单词发音  

1 machinery
n.(总称)机械，机器；机构
参考例句：
Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？ Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

2 wrought
v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的
参考例句：
Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。 It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

3 brass
n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器
参考例句：
Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。 Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

4 wilderness
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠
参考例句：
She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。 Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

5 inmate
n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人
参考例句：
I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。 The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

6 necessitated
使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Recent financial scandals have necessitated changes in parliamentary procedures. 最近的金融丑闻使得议会程序必须改革。 No man is necessitated to do wrong. 没有人是被迫去作错事的。

7 diligently
ad.industriously;carefully
参考例句：
He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。 He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

8 onward
adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先
参考例句：
The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。 He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

9 probation
n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)
参考例句：
The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。 His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

10 deficient
adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的
参考例句：
The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。 I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

11 eminently
adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地
参考例句：
She seems eminently suitable for the job. 她看来非常适合这个工作。 It was an eminently respectable boarding school. 这是所非常好的寄宿学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 pervading
v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 )
参考例句：
an all-pervading sense of gloom 无处不在的沮丧感 a pervading mood of fear 普遍的恐惧情绪

13 possessed
adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的
参考例句：
He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。 He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

14 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。

15 fabric
n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织
参考例句：
The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。 I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

16 stationary
adj.固定的，静止不动的
参考例句：
A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。 Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

17 alteration
n.变更，改变；蚀变
参考例句：
The shirt needs alteration.这件衬衣需要改一改。 He easily perceived there was an alteration in my countenance.他立刻看出我的脸色和往常有些不同。

18 hustled
催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。 The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。

19 multiplication
n.增加，增多，倍增；增殖，繁殖；乘法
参考例句：
Our teacher used to drum our multiplication tables into us.我们老师过去老是让我们反覆背诵乘法表。 The multiplication of numbers has made our club building too small.会员的增加使得我们的俱乐部拥挤不堪。

20 honourable
adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的
参考例句：
I don't think I am worthy of such an honourable title.这样的光荣称号，我可担当不起。 I hope to find an honourable way of settling difficulties.我希望设法找到一个体面的办法以摆脱困境。

21 lame
adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的
参考例句：
The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。 I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

22 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。

23 twilight
n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期
参考例句：
Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。 Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

24 musing
n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式
参考例句：
"At Tellson's banking-house at nine," he said, with a musing face. “九点在台尔森银行大厦见面，”他想道。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记 She put the jacket away, and stood by musing a minute. 她把那件上衣放到一边，站着沉思了一会儿。

25 engrossed
adj.全神贯注的
参考例句：
The student is engrossed in his book.这名学生正在专心致志地看书。 No one had ever been quite so engrossed in an evening paper.没人会对一份晚报如此全神贯注。

26 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。

27 serene
adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的
参考例句：
He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。 He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

28 subsided
v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上
参考例句：
After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后，部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚， 暴风雨已经过去，四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

29 coaxingly
adv. 以巧言诱哄，以甘言哄骗
参考例句：

30 intervals
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。

31 uncommonly
adv. 稀罕(极，非常)
参考例句：
an uncommonly gifted child 一个天赋异禀的儿童 My little Mary was feeling uncommonly empty. 我肚子当时正饿得厉害。

32 scrutiny
n.详细检查，仔细观察
参考例句：
His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。 Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

33 lurid
adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的
参考例句：
The paper gave all the lurid details of the murder.这份报纸对这起凶杀案耸人听闻的细节描写得淋漓尽致。 The lurid sunset puts a red light on their faces.血红一般的夕阳映红了他们的脸。

34 steadfastly
adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝
参考例句：
So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着，停止了工作，直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记 Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

35 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。

36 fiery
adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的
参考例句：
She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。 His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

37 haze
n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊
参考例句：
I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。 He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

38 spun
v.纺，杜撰，急转身
参考例句：
His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。 Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。