Nowhere was greater excitement caused than in a small sitting-room³ in a second-class lodging-house in Dover, where two elderly ladies were sitting together, one engaged in knitting. Miss Deborah was reading aloud to Miss Betsy a newspaper lent to them by a neighbour, for the sisters did not indulge in the luxury of taking one in for themselves. Suddenly Deborah stopped short, and her mittened⁴ hands shook so violently that she almost dropped the newspaper.

“What is the matter, Deborah?” asked her sister in alarm. “You look as if you had seen a ghost!”

“Oh, it is all out—the murder is out! The wretched man has confessed that it was he who threw poor young Manly⁶ down the cliff on that terrible, terrible day!”

Betsy was usually slow and sedate⁷, but she now almost snatched the paper from Deborah’s hand, that her eyes might confirm the witness of her ears. She read the paragraph headed A Murderer’s Confession with tears running down her cheeks.

To explain the cause of such strong emotion, we must recur⁸ to what had happened more than a year before.

The reader may have inferred from silence on the subject that there had been no witnesses of Walter’s fatal fall. Such, however, had not been the case. It is true that Manly had purposely chosen for his difficult and dangerous ascent⁹ a time when Dover was attracted by the “new and astounding

首页  上一页 [1] [2]  [3]  下一页  尾页

点击收听单词发音  

1 confession
n.自白，供认，承认
参考例句：
Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。 The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

2 unprecedented
adj.无前例的，新奇的
参考例句：
The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。 A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

3 sitting-room
n.（BrE）客厅，起居室
参考例句：
The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。 Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

4 mittened
v.（使）变得潮湿，变得湿润( moisten的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He moistened his lips before he spoke. 他润了润嘴唇，接着就开始讲话。 Although I moistened it,the flap doesn't stick to the envelope. 我把信封弄湿了，可是信封口盖还是粘不上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 wretch
n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人
参考例句：
You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。 The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

6 manly
adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地
参考例句：
The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。 He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

7 sedate
adj.沉着的，镇静的，安静的
参考例句：
After the accident,the doctor gave her some pills to sedate her.事故发生后，医生让她服了些药片使她镇静下来。 We spent a sedate evening at home.我们在家里过了一个恬静的夜晚。

8 recur
vi.复发，重现，再发生
参考例句：
Economic crises recur periodically.经济危机周期性地发生。 Of course,many problems recur at various periods.当然，有许多问题会在不同的时期反复提出。

9 ascent
n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高
参考例句：
His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。 Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

10 astounding
adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)
参考例句：
There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。 The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 eke
v.勉强度日，节约使用
参考例句：
They had to eke out a livinga tiny income.他们不得不靠微薄收入勉强度日。 We must try to eke out our water supply.我们必须尽量节约用水。

12 patrimony
n.世袭财产，继承物
参考例句：
I left my parents' house,relinquished my estate and my patrimony.我离开了父母的家，放弃了我的房产和祖传财产。 His grandfather left the patrimony to him.他的祖父把祖传的财物留给了他。

13 lodgings
n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍
参考例句：
When he reached his lodgings the sun had set. 他到达公寓房间时，太阳已下山了。 I'm on the hunt for lodgings. 我正在寻找住所。

14 specimens
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人
参考例句：
Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。 The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 kindly
adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地
参考例句：
Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。 A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

16 pious
adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的
参考例句：
Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。 Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

17 oracle
n.神谕，神谕处，预言
参考例句：
In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候，她祈祷神谕来指引她。 It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most important.它是一种内生性神谕，常常能预言最重要的事情。

18 virtue
n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力
参考例句：
He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。 You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

19 parable
n.寓言，比喻
参考例句：
This is an ancient parable.这是一个古老的寓言。 The minister preached a sermon on the parable of the lost sheep.牧师讲道时用了亡羊的比喻。

20 tithe
n.十分之一税；v.课什一税，缴什一税
参考例句：
It's not Christ plus your tithe.这不是基督再加上你的什一税。 The bible tells us that the tithe is the lords.圣经说十分之一是献给主的。

21 foul
adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规
参考例句：
Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。 What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

22 regularity
n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐
参考例句：
The idea is to maintain the regularity of the heartbeat.问题就是要维持心跳的规律性。 He exercised with a regularity that amazed us.他锻炼的规律程度令我们非常惊讶。

23 attained
（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。

24 perilous
adj.危险的，冒险的
参考例句：
The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。 We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

25 feat
n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的
参考例句：
Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。 He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

26 corpse
n.尸体，死尸
参考例句：
What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。 The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。

27 distress
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。

28 gasped
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要
参考例句：
She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。 People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

29 nervously
adv.神情激动地，不安地
参考例句：
He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。 He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

30 faltered
（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃
参考例句：
He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。 "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

31 simultaneously
adv.同时发生地，同时进行地
参考例句：
The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。 The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

32 guilt
n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责
参考例句：
She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。 Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

33 shudder
v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动
参考例句：
The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。 We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

34 heeding
v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 )
参考例句：
This come of heeding people who say one thing and mean another! 有些人嘴里一回事，心里又是一回事，今天这个下场都是听信了这种人的话的结果。 来自辞典例句 Her dwarfish spouse still smoked his cigar and drank his rum without heeding her. 她那矮老公还在吸他的雪茄，喝他的蔗酒，睬也不睬她。 来自辞典例句

35 dwelling
n.住宅，住所，寓所
参考例句：
Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。 He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

36 evaded
逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出
参考例句：
For two weeks they evaded the press. 他们有两周一直避而不见记者。 The lion evaded the hunter. 那狮子躲开了猎人。

37 scripture
n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段
参考例句：
The scripture states that God did not want us to be alone.圣经指出上帝并不是想让我们独身一人生活。 They invoked Hindu scripture to justify their position.他们援引印度教的经文为他们的立场辩护。

38 frugal
adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的
参考例句：
He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人，但生活俭朴。 The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。

39 lulled
vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
They lulled her into a false sense of security. 他们哄骗她，使她产生一种虚假的安全感。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The movement of the train lulled me to sleep. 火车轻微的震动催我进入梦乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

40 pricking
刺，刺痕，刺痛感
参考例句：
She felt a pricking on her scalp. 她感到头皮上被扎了一下。 Intercostal neuralgia causes paroxysmal burning pain or pricking pain. 肋间神经痛呈阵发性的灼痛或刺痛。

41 stagecoach
n.公共马车
参考例句：
She's getting off the stagecoach.她正在下马车。 The stagecoach driver cracked the whip.驿站马车的车夫抽响了鞭子。

42 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。

43 tenor
n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意
参考例句：
The tenor of his speech was that war would come.他讲话的大意是战争将要发生。 The four parts in singing are soprano,alto,tenor and bass.唱歌的四个声部是女高音、女低音、男高音和男低音。

44 straightforward
adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的
参考例句：
A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。 I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

45 truthful
adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的
参考例句：
You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。 I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

46 severs
v.切断，断绝( sever的第三人称单数 )；断，裂
参考例句：
He shut his eyes to the severs reality. 对于这严峻的现实，他是闭着眼睛不肯看的。 来自《用法词典》 It practically severs the Mediterranean. 实际上是将地中海分开。 来自辞典例句

47 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

48 rankles
v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
The noise that trunks and ambulances made in the street rankles me every day. 每天大街上卡车和救护车的噪音令我恼怒不已。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Perhaps that is why the tardiness of my in-laws rankles me so. 大概就是因为这个缘故，每次我的亲戚迟到，总惹得我火冒三丈。 来自辞典例句

49 provocation
n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因
参考例句：
He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。 They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

50 repented
对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He repented his thoughtlessness. 他后悔自己的轻率。 Darren repented having shot the bird. 达伦后悔射杀了那只鸟。

51 redeem
v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等）
参考例句：
He had no way to redeem his furniture out of pawn.他无法赎回典当的家具。 The eyes redeem the face from ugliness.这双眼睛弥补了他其貌不扬之缺陷。

52 conscientious
adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的
参考例句：
He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。 He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

53 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》

54 reproof
n.斥责，责备
参考例句：
A smart reproof is better than smooth deceit.严厉的责难胜过温和的欺骗。 He is impatient of reproof.他不能忍受指责。

55 eminent
adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的
参考例句：
We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。 He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。

56 motives
n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )
参考例句：
to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机 His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

57 conceals
v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
He conceals his worries behind a mask of nonchalance. 他装作若无其事，借以掩饰内心的不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Drunkenness reveals what soberness conceals. 酒醉吐真言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

58 consolation
n.安慰，慰问
参考例句：
The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。 This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

59 penal
adj.刑罚的；刑法上的
参考例句：
I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。 He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。