NOTWITHSTANDING Mr. Craig’s prophecy, the dark-blue cloud dispersed¹ itself without having produced the threatened consequences. “The weather”— as he observed the next morning — “the weather, you see, ’s a ticklish² thing, an’ a fool ’ull hit on’t sometimes when a wise man misses; that’s why the almanecks get so much credit. It’s one o’ them chancy things as fools thrive on.”

This unreasonable³ behaviour of the weather, however, could displease⁴ no one else in Hayslope besides Mr. Craig. All hands were to be out in the meadows this morning as soon as the dew had risen; the wives and daughters did double work in every farmhouse⁵, that the maids might give their help in tossing the hay; and when Adam was marching along the lanes, with his basket of tools over his shoulder, he caught the sound of jocose⁶ talk and ringing laughter from behind the hedges. The jocose talk of hay-makers is best at a distance; like those clumsy bells round the cows’ necks, it has rather a coarse sound when it comes close, and may even grate on your ears painfully; but heard from far off, it mingles⁷ very prettily⁸ with the other joyous⁹ sounds of nature. Men’s muscles move better when their souls are making merry music, though their merriment is of a poor blundering sort, not at all like the merriment of birds.

And perhaps there is no time in a summer’s day more cheering than when the warmth of the sun is just beginning to triumph over the freshness of the morning — when there is just a lingering hint of early coolness to keep off languor

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1 dispersed
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的
参考例句：
The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。 After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

2 ticklish
adj.怕痒的；问题棘手的；adv.怕痒地；n.怕痒，小心处理
参考例句：
This massage method is not recommended for anyone who is very ticklish.这种按摩法不推荐给怕痒的人使用。 The news is quite ticklish to the ear,这消息听起来使人觉得有些难办。

3 unreasonable
adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的
参考例句：
I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。 They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

4 displease
vt.使不高兴，惹怒；n.不悦，不满，生气
参考例句：
Not wishing to displease her,he avoided answering the question.为了不惹她生气，他对这个问题避而不答。 She couldn't afford to displease her boss.她得罪不起她的上司。

5 farmhouse
n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）
参考例句：
We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。 We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

6 jocose
adj.开玩笑的，滑稽的
参考例句：
Dr. Daniel was a gleg man of a jocose nature.丹尼尔大夫是一位天生诙谐而反应机敏的人。 His comic dialogues are jocose and jocular,thought-provoking.他的小品诙谐，逗乐，发人深省。

7 mingles
混合，混入( mingle的第三人称单数 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]
参考例句：
He rarely mingles with persons of his own rank in society. 他几乎不与和他身份相同的人交往。 The distant rumbling of the guns mingles with our marching song. 枪的深邃长声与我们行进歌混合。

8 prettily
adv.优美地；可爱地
参考例句：
It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back.此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 She pouted prettily at him.她冲他撅着嘴，样子很可爱。

9 joyous
adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的
参考例句：
The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。 They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

10 languor
n.无精力，倦怠
参考例句：
It was hot,yet with a sweet languor about it.天气是炎热的，然而却有一种惬意的懒洋洋的感觉。 She,in her languor,had not troubled to eat much.她懒懒的，没吃多少东西。

11 squire
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅
参考例句：
I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。 The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

12 waggon
n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱
参考例句：
The enemy attacked our waggon train.敌人袭击了我们的运货马车队。 Someone jumped out from the foremost waggon and cried aloud.有人从最前面的一辆大车里跳下来，大声叫嚷。

13 slanting
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。

14 melancholy
n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的
参考例句：
All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。 He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

15 prospect
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。 The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

16 orchard
n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场
参考例句：
My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。 Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

17 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。

18 persevered
v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She persevered with her violin lessons. 她孜孜不倦地学习小提琴。 Hard as the conditions were, he persevered in his studies. 虽然条件艰苦，但他仍坚持学习。 来自辞典例句

19 rust
n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退
参考例句：
She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。 The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

20 errs
犯错误，做错事( err的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Man errs so long as he strives. 人只要奋斗就会犯错误。 来自每日一句 He that talks much errs much. [谚]言多必有失。

21 determined
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。 He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

22 erring
做错事的，错误的
参考例句：
Instead of bludgeoning our erring comrades, we should help them with criticism. 对犯错误的同志， 要批评帮助，不能一棍子打死。 She had too little faith in mankind not to know that they were erring. 她对男人们没有信心，知道他们总要犯错误的。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

23 annihilating
v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的现在分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃
参考例句：
There are lots of ways of annihilating the planet. 毁灭地球有很多方法。 来自辞典例句 We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句

24 stimulated
a.刺激的
参考例句：
The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。 The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

25 meditations
默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想
参考例句：
Each sentence seems a quarry of rich meditations. 每一句话似乎都给人以许多冥思默想。 I'm sorry to interrupt your meditations. 我很抱歉，打断你思考问题了。

26 savings
n.存款，储蓄
参考例句：
I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。 By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

27 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。

28 partnership
n.合作关系，伙伴关系
参考例句：
The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。 Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

29 implicitly
adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地
参考例句：
Many verbs and many words of other kinds are implicitly causal. 许多动词和许多其他类词都蕴涵着因果关系。 I can trust Mr. Somerville implicitly, I suppose? 我想，我可以毫无保留地信任萨莫维尔先生吧？

30 tacked
用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝
参考例句：
He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。 The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。

31 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。

32 provender
n.刍草；秣料
参考例句：
It is a proud horse that will bear his own provender.再高傲的马也得自己驮草料。 The ambrosial and essential part of the fruit is lost with the bloom which is rubbed off in the market cart,and they become mere provender.水果的美味和它那本质的部分，在装上了车子运往市场去的时候，跟它的鲜一起给磨损了，它变成了仅仅是食品。

33 raptures
极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Her heart melted away in secret raptures. 她暗自高兴得心花怒放。 The mere thought of his bride moves Pinkerton to raptures. 一想起新娘，平克顿不禁心花怒放。

34 longing
n.（for）渴望
参考例句：
Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。 His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

35 beguiled
v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等）
参考例句：
She beguiled them into believing her version of events. 她哄骗他们相信了她叙述的事情。 He beguiled me into signing this contract. 他诱骗我签订了这项合同。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

36 overture
n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉
参考例句：
The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。 His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

37 outlet
n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄
参考例句：
The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。 Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

38 superfluous
adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的
参考例句：
She fined away superfluous matter in the design. 她删去了这图案中多余的东西。 That request seemed superfluous when I wrote it.我这样写的时候觉得这个请求似乎是多此一举。

39 apparently
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。 He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

40 athletic
adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的
参考例句：
This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。 He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

41 lyrics
n.歌词
参考例句：
music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲 The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

42 hymn
n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌
参考例句：
They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。 The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

43 profane
adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污
参考例句：
He doesn't dare to profane the name of God.他不敢亵渎上帝之名。 His profane language annoyed us.他亵渎的言语激怒了我们。

44 inborn
adj.天生的，生来的，先天的
参考例句：
He is a man with an inborn love of joke.他是一个生来就喜欢开玩笑的人。 He had an inborn talent for languages.他有语言天分。

45 faculty
n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员
参考例句：
He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。 He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

46 orthography
n.拼字法，拼字式
参考例句：
In dictionaries,words are listed according to their orthography.在词典中，词是按照字母拼写顺序排列的。 American and English orthography are very much alike.美语与英语的拼字方法非常相像。

47 apocryphal
adj.假冒的，虚假的
参考例句：
Most of the story about his private life was probably apocryphal.有关他私生活的事可能大部分都是虚构的。 This may well be an apocryphal story.这很可能是个杜撰的故事。

48 nurtured
养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长
参考例句：
She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。 Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

49 faculties
n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院
参考例句：
Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。 All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

50 skilful
(=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的
参考例句：
The more you practise,the more skilful you'll become.练习的次数越多，熟练的程度越高。 He's not very skilful with his chopsticks.他用筷子不大熟练。

51 courageous
adj.勇敢的，有胆量的
参考例句：
We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。 He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

52 upwards
adv.向上，在更高处...以上
参考例句：
The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。 The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

53 painstaking
adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的
参考例句：
She is not very clever but she is painstaking.她并不很聪明，但肯下苦功夫。 Through years of our painstaking efforts,we have at last achieved what we have today.大家经过多少年的努力，才取得今天的成绩。

54 flannel
n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服
参考例句：
She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。 She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子，看上去楚楚动人。

55 streaked
adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹
参考例句：
The children streaked off as fast as they could. 孩子们拔脚飞跑 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 His face was pale and streaked with dirt. 他脸色苍白，脸上有一道道的污痕。 来自辞典例句

56 hearth
n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面
参考例句：
She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。 She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。