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CHAPTER 4—Machine-made Men
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 Among the commonplace white and yellow envelopes that compose the bulk of one’s correspondence, appear from time to time dainty epistles on tinted1 paper, adorned2 with crests3 or monograms4.  “Ha! ha!” I think when one of these appears, “here is something worth opening!”  For between ourselves, reader mine, old bachelors love to receive notes from women.  It’s so flattering to be remembered by the dear creatures, and recalls the time when life was beginning, and poulets in feminine writing suggested such delightful5 possibilities.
 
Only this morning an envelope of delicate Nile green caused me a distinct thrill of anticipation6.  To judge by appearances it could contain nothing less attractive than a declaration, so, tearing it hurriedly open, I read: “Messrs. Sparks & Splithers take pleasure in calling attention to their patent suspenders and newest designs in reversible paper collars!”
 
Now, if that’s not enough to put any man in a bad humor for twenty-four hours, I should like to know what is?  Moreover, I have “patents” in horror, experience having long ago revealed the fact that a patent is pretty sure to be only a new way of doing fast and cheaply something that formerly7 was accomplished8 slowly and well.
 
Few people stop to think how quickly this land of ours is degenerating9 into a paradise of the cheap and nasty, but allow themselves to be heated and cooled and whirled about the streets to the detriment10 of their nerves and digestions11, under the impression that they are enjoying the benefits of modern progress.
 
So complex has life become in these later days that the very beds we lie on and the meals we eat are controlled by patents.  Every garment and piece of furniture now pays a “royalty” to some inventor, from the hats on our heads to the carpets under foot, which latter are not only manufactured, but cleaned and shaken by machinery12, and (be it remarked en passant) lose their nap prematurely13 in the process.  To satisfy our national love of the new, an endless and nameless variety of trifles appears each season, so-called labor14 and time-saving combinations, that enjoy a brief hour of vogue15, only to make way for a newer series of inventions.
 
As long as our geniuses confined themselves to making life one long and breathless scramble16, it was bad enough, but a line should have been drawn17 where meddling18 with the sanctity of the toilet began.  This, alas19! was not done.  Nothing has remained sacred to the inventor.  In consequence, the average up-to-date American is a walking collection of Yankee notions, an ingenious illusion, made up of patents, requiring as nice adjustment to put together and undo20 as a thirteenth-century warrior21, and carrying hardly less metal about his person than a Crusader of old.
 
There are a number of haberdashery shops on Broadway that have caused me to waste many precious minutes gazing into their windows and wondering what the strange instruments of steel and elastic22 could be, that were exhibited alongside of the socks and ties.  The uses of these would, in all probability, have remained wrapped in mystery but for the experience of one fateful morning (after a night in a sleeping-car), when countless23 hidden things were made clear, as I sat, an awestruck witness to my fellow-passengers’—toilets?—No!  Getting their machinery into running order for the day, would be a more correct expression.
 
Originally, “tags” were the backbone24 of the toilet, different garments being held together by their aid.  Later, buttons and attendant button-holes were evolved, now replaced by the devices used in composing the machine-made man.  As far as I could see (I have overcome a natural delicacy25 in making my discoveries public, because it seems unfair to keep all this information to myself), nothing so archaic26 as a button-hole is employed at the present time by our patent-ridden compatriots.  The shirt, for instance, which was formerly such a simple-minded and straightforward27 garment, knowing no guile28, has become, in the hands of the inventors, a mere29 pretence30, a frail31 scaffold, on which an elaborate superstructure of shams32 is erected33.
 
The varieties of this garment that one sees in the shop windows, exposing virgin35 bosoms36 to the day, are not what they seem!  Those very bosoms are fakes, and cannot open, being instead pierced by eyelets, into which bogus studs are fixed37 by machinery.  The owner is obliged to enter into those deceptive38 garments surreptitiously from the rear, by stratagem39, as it were.  Why all this trouble, one asks, for no apparent reason, except that old-fashioned shirts opened in front, and no Yankee will wear a non-patented garment—if he can help it?
 
There was not a single accessory to the toilet in that car which behaved in a normal way.  Buttons mostly backed into place, tail-end foremost (like horses getting between shafts), where some hidden mechanism40 screwed or clinched41 them to their moorings.
 
Collars and cuffs42 (integral parts of the primitive44 garment) are now a labyrinth45, in which all but the initiated46 must lose themselves, being double-decked, detachable, reversible, and made of every known substance except linen47.  The cuff43 most in favor can be worn four different ways, and is attached to the shirt by a steel instrument three inches long, with a nipper at each end.  The amount of white visible below the coat-sleeve is regulated by another contrivance, mostly of elastic, worn further up the arm, around the biceps.  Modern collars are retained in position by a system of screws and levers.  Socks are attached no longer with the old-fashioned garter, but by aid of a little harness similar to that worn by pug-dogs.
 
One traveller, after lacing his shoes, adjusted a contrivance resembling a black beetle48 on the knot to prevent its untying49.  He also wore “hygienic suspenders,” a discovery of great importance (over three thousand patents have been taken out for this one necessity of the toilet!).  This brace50 performs several tasks at the same time, such as holding unmentionable garments in place, keeping the wearer erect34, and providing a night-key guard.  It is also said to cure liver and kidney disease by means of an arrangement of pulleys which throw the strain according to the wearer’s position—I omit the rest of its qualities!
 
The watches of my companions, I noticed with astonishment51, all wore India-rubber ruffs around their necks.  Here curiosity getting the better of discretion52, I asked what purpose that invention served.  It was graciously explained to me how such ruffs prevented theft.  They were so made that it was impossible to draw your watch out of a pocket unless you knew the trick, which struck me as a mitigated53 blessing54.  In fact, the idea kept occurring that life might become terribly uncomfortable under these complex conditions for absent-minded people.
 
Pencils, I find, are no longer put into pockets or slipped behind the ear.  Every commercial “gent” wears a patent on his chest, where his pen and pencil nestle in a coil of wire.  Eyeglasses are not allowed to dangle55 aimlessly about, as of old, but retire with a snap into an oval box, after the fashion of roller shades.  Scarf-pins have guards screwed on from behind, and undergarments—but here modesty56 stops my pen.
 
Seeing that I was interested in their make-up, several travelling agents on the train got out their boxes and showed me the latest artifices57 that could be attached to the person.  One gentleman produced a collection of rings made to go on the finger with a spring, like bracelets58, an arrangement, he explained, that was particularly convenient for people afflicted59 with enlarged joints60!
 
Another tempted61 me with what he called a “literary shirt front,”—it was in fact a paper pad, from which for cleanliness a leaf could be peeled each morning; the “wrong” side of the sheet thus removed contained a calendar, much useful information, and the chapters of a “continued” story, which ended when the “dickey” was used up.
 
A third traveller was “pushing” a collar-button that plied62 as many trades as Figaro, combining the functions of cravat63-holder, stud, and scarf-pin.  Not being successful in selling me one of these, he brought forward something ”without which,” he assured me, “no gentleman’s wardrobe was complete”!  It proved to be an insidious64 arrangement of gilt65 wire, which he adjusted on his poor, overworked collar-button, and then tied his cravat through and around it.  “No tie thus made,” he said, “would ever slip or get crooked66.”  He had been so civil that it was embarrassing not to buy something of him; I invested twenty-five cents in the cravat-holder, as it seemed the least complicated of the patents on exhibition; not, however, having graduated in a school of mechanics I have never been able to make it work.  It takes an hour to tie a cravat with its aid, and as long to get it untied67.  Most of the men in that car, I found, got around the difficulty by wearing ready-made ties which fastened behind with a clasp.
 
It has been suggested that the reason our compatriots have such a strained and anxious look is because they are all trying to remember the numbers of their streets and houses, the floor their office is on, and the combination of their safes.  I am inclined to think that the hunted look we wear comes from an awful fear of forgetting the secrets of our patents and being unable to undo ourselves in an emergency!
 
Think for a moment of the horror of coming home tired and sleepy after a convivial68 evening, and finding that some of your hidden machinery had gone wrong; that by a sudden movement you had disturbed the nice balance of some lever which in revenge refused to release its prey69!  The inventors of one well-known cuff-holder claim that it had a “bull-dog grip.”  Think of sitting dressed all night in the embrace of that mechanical canine70 until the inventor could be called in to set you free!
 
I never doubted that bravery was the leading characteristic of the American temperament71; since that glimpse into the secret composition of my compatriots, admiration72 has been vastly increased.  The foolhardy daring it must require—dressed as those men were—to go out in a thunder-storm makes one shudder73: it certainly could not be found in any other race.  The danger of cross-country hunting or bull-fighting is as nothing compared to the risk a modern American takes when he sits in a trolley-car, where the chances of his machinery forming a fatal “short circuit” must be immense.  The utter impossibility in which he finds himself of making a toilet quickly on account of so many time-saving accessories must increase his chances of getting “left” in an accident about fifty per cent.  Who but one of our people could contemplate74 with equanimity75 the thought of attempting the adjustment of such delicate and difficult combinations while a steamer was sinking and the life-boats being manned?
 
Our grandfathers contributed the wooden nutmeg to civilization, and endowed a grateful universe with other money-saving devices.  To-day the inventor takes the American baby from his cradle and does not release him even at the grave.  What a treat one of the machine-made men of to-day will be to the archeologists of the year 3000, when they chance upon a well-preserved specimen76, with all his patents thick upon I him!  With a prophetic eye one can almost see the kindly77 old gentleman of that day studying the paraphernalia78 found in the tomb and attempting to account for the different pieces.  Ink will flow and discussions rage between the camp maintaining that cuff-holders were tutelar deities79 buried with the dead by pious80 relatives and the croup asserting that the little pieces of steel were a form of pocket money in the year 1900.  Both will probably misquote Tennyson and Kipling in support of their theories.
 
The question has often been raised, What side of our nineteenth-century civilization will be most admired by future generations?  In view of the above facts there can remain little doubt that when the secrets of the paper collar and the trouser-stretcher have become lost arts, it will be those benefits that remote ages will envy us, and rare specimens81 of “ventilated shoes” and “reversible tissue-paper undergarments” will form the choicest treasures of the collector.

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1 tinted tinted     
adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • a pair of glasses with tinted lenses 一副有色镜片眼镜
  • a rose-tinted vision of the world 对世界的理想化看法
2 adorned 1e50de930eb057fcf0ac85ca485114c8     
[计]被修饰的
参考例句:
  • The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
  • And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。
3 crests 9ef5f38e01ed60489f228ef56d77c5c8     
v.到达山顶(或浪峰)( crest的第三人称单数 );到达洪峰,达到顶点
参考例句:
  • The surfers were riding in towards the beach on the crests of the waves. 冲浪者们顺着浪头冲向岸边。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The correspondent aroused, heard the crash of the toppled crests. 记者醒了,他听见了浪头倒塌下来的轰隆轰隆声。 来自辞典例句
4 monograms 49f2892fb69dd8dc266d749ee5916ba1     
n.字母组合( monogram的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The box was inlaid with gold monograms. 这箱子镶嵌着金质字母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Origami-based logos are a good choice for corporate monograms. 折纸形式对于字母组合型的企业标志是一个不错的选择。 来自互联网
5 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
6 anticipation iMTyh     
n.预期,预料,期望
参考例句:
  • We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着,期待她的到来。
  • The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安,像是感到了地震即将发生。
7 formerly ni3x9     
adv.从前,以前
参考例句:
  • We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
  • This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
8 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
9 degenerating 5f4d9bd2187d4b36bf5f605de97e15a9     
衰退,堕落,退化( degenerate的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He denied that some young people today were degenerating. 他否认现在某些青年在堕落。
  • Young people of today are not degenerating. 今天的青年并没有在变坏。
10 detriment zlHzx     
n.损害;损害物,造成损害的根源
参考例句:
  • Smoking is a detriment to one's health.吸烟危害健康。
  • His lack of education is a serious detriment to his career.他的未受教育对他的事业是一种严重的妨碍。
11 digestions 63be359f6d908db153c52262db0b9869     
n.消化能力( digestion的名词复数 );消化,领悟
参考例句:
  • We have the capabilities of preparing samples from ashing to wet digestion to microwave digestions. 我们有能力从样品制备微波灰湿地消化消化。 来自互联网
  • Conclusion a reliable method, that suggested to instead of the determination of methanol digestions. 结论:方法可靠,建议以此法代替甲醇浸出物测定。 来自互联网
12 machinery CAdxb     
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。
13 prematurely nlMzW4     
adv.过早地,贸然地
参考例句:
  • She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产,肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了,不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句
14 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
15 Vogue 6hMwC     
n.时髦,时尚;adj.流行的
参考例句:
  • Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
  • Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。
16 scramble JDwzg     
v.爬行,攀爬,杂乱蔓延,碎片,片段,废料
参考例句:
  • He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
  • It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。
17 drawn MuXzIi     
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。
18 meddling meddling     
v.干涉,干预(他人事务)( meddle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
  • They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野,因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句
19 alas Rx8z1     
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句:
  • Alas!The window is broken!哎呀!窗子破了!
  • Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
20 undo Ok5wj     
vt.解开,松开;取消,撤销
参考例句:
  • His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
  • I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。
21 warrior YgPww     
n.勇士,武士,斗士
参考例句:
  • The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
  • A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。
22 elastic Tjbzq     
n.橡皮圈,松紧带;adj.有弹性的;灵活的
参考例句:
  • Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
  • These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。
23 countless 7vqz9L     
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的
参考例句:
  • In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
  • I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。
24 backbone ty0z9B     
n.脊骨,脊柱,骨干;刚毅,骨气
参考例句:
  • The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
  • The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。
25 delicacy mxuxS     
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。
26 archaic 4Nyyd     
adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的,已不通用的
参考例句:
  • The company does some things in archaic ways,such as not using computers for bookkeeping.这个公司有些做法陈旧,如记账不使用电脑。
  • Shaanxi is one of the Chinese archaic civilized origins which has a long history.陕西省是中国古代文明发祥之一,有悠久的历史。
27 straightforward fFfyA     
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。
28 guile olNyJ     
n.诈术
参考例句:
  • He is full of guile.他非常狡诈。
  • A swindler uses guile;a robber uses force.骗子用诈术;强盗用武力。
29 mere rC1xE     
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。
30 pretence pretence     
n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰
参考例句:
  • The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
  • He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。
31 frail yz3yD     
adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的
参考例句:
  • Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了,身体虚弱,不便独居。
  • She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上,看上去特别虚弱。
32 shams 9235049b12189f7635d5f007fd4704e1     
假象( sham的名词复数 ); 假货; 虚假的行为(或感情、言语等); 假装…的人
参考例句:
  • Are those real diamonds or only shams? 那些是真钻石还是赝品?
  • Tear away their veil of shams! 撕开他们的假面具吧!
33 ERECTED ERECTED     
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立
参考例句:
  • A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
  • A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。
34 erect 4iLzm     
n./v.树立,建立,使竖立;adj.直立的,垂直的
参考例句:
  • She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头,把背挺得笔直。
  • Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。
35 virgin phPwj     
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。
36 bosoms 7e438b785810fff52fcb526f002dac21     
胸部( bosom的名词复数 ); 胸怀; 女衣胸部(或胸襟); 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形
参考例句:
  • How beautifully gold brooches glitter on the bosoms of our patriotic women! 金光闪闪的别针佩在我国爱国妇女的胸前,多美呀!
  • Let us seek out some desolate shade, and there weep our sad bosoms empty. 我们寻个僻静的地方,去痛哭一场吧。
37 fixed JsKzzj     
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。
38 deceptive CnMzO     
adj.骗人的,造成假象的,靠不住的
参考例句:
  • His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
  • The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单,其实不然。
39 stratagem ThlyQ     
n.诡计,计谋
参考例句:
  • Knit the brows and a stratagem comes to mind.眉头一皱,计上心来。
  • Trade discounts may be used as a competitive stratagem to secure customer loyalty.商业折扣可以用作维护顾客忠诚度的一种竞争策略。
40 mechanism zCWxr     
n.机械装置;机构,结构
参考例句:
  • The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
  • The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。
41 clinched 66a50317a365cdb056bd9f4f25865646     
v.(尤指两人)互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的过去式和过去分词 );解决(争端、交易),达成(协议)
参考例句:
  • The two businessmen clinched the deal quickly. 两位生意人很快达成了协议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Evidently this information clinched the matter. 显然,这一消息使问题得以最终解决。 来自辞典例句
42 cuffs 4f67c64175ca73d89c78d4bd6a85e3ed     
n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打,拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口
  • The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。
43 cuff 4YUzL     
n.袖口;手铐;护腕;vt.用手铐铐;上袖口
参考例句:
  • She hoped they wouldn't cuff her hands behind her back.她希望他们不要把她反铐起来。
  • Would you please draw together the snag in my cuff?请你把我袖口上的裂口缝上好吗?
44 primitive vSwz0     
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物
参考例句:
  • It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
  • His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。
45 labyrinth h9Fzr     
n.迷宫;难解的事物;迷路
参考例句:
  • He wandered through the labyrinth of the alleyways.他在迷宫似的小巷中闲逛。
  • The human mind is a labyrinth.人的心灵是一座迷宫。
46 initiated 9cd5622f36ab9090359c3cf3ca4ddda3     
n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始,创始,启蒙,介绍加入
参考例句:
  • He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
  • The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。
47 linen W3LyK     
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的
参考例句:
  • The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
  • Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。
48 beetle QudzV     
n.甲虫,近视眼的人
参考例句:
  • A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
  • He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。
49 untying 4f138027dbdb2087c60199a0a69c8176     
untie的现在分词
参考例句:
  • The tying of bow ties is an art; the untying is easy. 打领带是一种艺术,解领带则很容易。
  • As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 33他们解驴驹的时候,主人问他们说,解驴驹作什么?
50 brace 0WzzE     
n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备
参考例句:
  • My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
  • You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。
51 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
52 discretion FZQzm     
n.谨慎;随意处理
参考例句:
  • You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
  • Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。
53 mitigated 11f6ba011e9341e258d534efd94f05b2     
v.减轻,缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The cost of getting there is mitigated by Sydney's offer of a subsidy. 由于悉尼提供补助金,所以到那里的花费就减少了。 来自辞典例句
  • The living conditions were slightly mitigated. 居住条件稍有缓解。 来自辞典例句
54 blessing UxDztJ     
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
参考例句:
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
55 dangle YaoyV     
v.(使)悬荡,(使)悬垂
参考例句:
  • At Christmas,we dangle colored lights around the room.圣诞节时,我们在房间里挂上彩灯。
  • He sits on the edge of the table and dangles his legs.他坐在桌子边上,摆动著双腿。
56 modesty REmxo     
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素
参考例句:
  • Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
  • As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后,谦虚使人进步。
57 artifices 1d233856e176f5aace9bf428296039b9     
n.灵巧( artifice的名词复数 );诡计;巧妙办法;虚伪行为
参考例句:
  • These pure verbal artifices do not change the essence of the matter. 这些纯粹是文词上的花样,并不能改变问题的实质。 来自互联网
  • There are some tools which realise this kind of artifices. 一些工具实现了这些方法。 来自互联网
58 bracelets 58df124ddcdc646ef29c1c5054d8043d     
n.手镯,臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
59 afflicted aaf4adfe86f9ab55b4275dae2a2e305a     
使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
  • A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。
60 joints d97dcffd67eca7255ca514e4084b746e     
接头( joint的名词复数 ); 关节; 公共场所(尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所) (非正式); 一块烤肉 (英式英语)
参考例句:
  • Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
  • Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。
61 tempted b0182e969d369add1b9ce2353d3c6ad6     
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词)
参考例句:
  • I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚,但还是没开口。
  • I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
62 plied b7ead3bc998f9e23c56a4a7931daf4ab     
v.使用(工具)( ply的过去式和过去分词 );经常供应(食物、饮料);固定往来;经营生意
参考例句:
  • They plied me with questions about my visit to England. 他们不断地询问我的英国之行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They plied us with tea and cakes. 他们一个劲儿地让我们喝茶、吃糕饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
63 cravat 7zTxF     
n.领巾,领结;v.使穿有领结的服装,使结领结
参考例句:
  • You're never fully dressed without a cravat.不打领结,就不算正装。
  • Mr. Kenge adjusting his cravat,then looked at us.肯吉先生整了整领带,然后又望着我们。
64 insidious fx6yh     
adj.阴险的,隐匿的,暗中为害的,(疾病)不知不觉之间加剧
参考例句:
  • That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
  • Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。
65 gilt p6UyB     
adj.镀金的;n.金边证券
参考例句:
  • The plates have a gilt edge.这些盘子的边是镀金的。
  • The rest of the money is invested in gilt.其余的钱投资于金边证券。
66 crooked xvazAv     
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的
参考例句:
  • He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指,示意我们到他那儿去。
  • You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。
67 untied d4a1dd1a28503840144e8098dbf9e40f     
松开,解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 ); 解除,使自由; 解决
参考例句:
  • Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来,我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
  • He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。
68 convivial OYEz9     
adj.狂欢的,欢乐的
参考例句:
  • The atmosphere was quite convivial.气氛非常轻松愉快。
  • I found it odd to imagine a nation of convivial diners surrendering their birthright.我发现很难想象让这样一个喜欢热热闹闹吃饭的民族放弃他们的习惯。
69 prey g1czH     
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨
参考例句:
  • Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
  • The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
70 canine Lceyb     
adj.犬的,犬科的
参考例句:
  • The fox is a canine animal.狐狸是犬科动物。
  • Herbivorous animals have very small canine teeth,or none.食草动物的犬牙很小或者没有。
71 temperament 7INzf     
n.气质,性格,性情
参考例句:
  • The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
  • Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。
72 admiration afpyA     
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。
73 shudder JEqy8     
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。
74 contemplate PaXyl     
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。
75 equanimity Z7Vyz     
n.沉着,镇定
参考例句:
  • She went again,and in so doing temporarily recovered her equanimity.她又去看了戏,而且这样一来又暂时恢复了她的平静。
  • The defeat was taken with equanimity by the leadership.领导层坦然地接受了失败。
76 specimen Xvtwm     
n.样本,标本
参考例句:
  • You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
  • This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。
77 kindly tpUzhQ     
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。
78 paraphernalia AvqyU     
n.装备;随身用品
参考例句:
  • Can you move all your paraphernalia out of the way?你可以把所有的随身物品移开吗?
  • All my fishing paraphernalia is in the car.我的鱼具都在汽车里。
79 deities f904c4643685e6b83183b1154e6a97c2     
n.神,女神( deity的名词复数 );神祗;神灵;神明
参考例句:
  • Zeus and Aphrodite were ancient Greek deities. 宙斯和阿佛洛狄是古希腊的神。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Taoist Wang hesitated occasionally about these transactions for fearof offending the deities. 道士也有过犹豫,怕这样会得罪了神。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
80 pious KSCzd     
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。
81 specimens 91fc365099a256001af897127174fcce     
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》


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