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“你忘了我有一件值得高兴的事,”爱玛说,“一件非常值得高兴的事——是我撮合了这桩婚事。你知道,是我四年前给他们做的媒j当时好多人都说韦斯顿先生不会再结婚了,可我却帮助促成了这件好事,而且事实证明我做对了,真使我感到欣慰极了。”
奈特利先生朝她摇摇头。伍德豪斯先生亲切地说道:“哦!亲爱的,我希望你不要去做媒,不要去预言什么事,因为你说的话总是很灵验。请你不要再给人做媒了。”
“我答应不给我自己做媒,爸爸,不过我还非得给别人做媒不可。这真是其乐无穷啊!你瞧这次我干得多漂亮!谁都说韦斯顿先生决不会再结婚了。哦,决不会!韦斯顿先生丧妻这么多年,仿佛一个人过得十分舒服,不是去城里做买卖,就是在这里应酬朋友,到哪儿都受人欢迎,总是那么开心。他要是喜欢热闹,一年到头也不会一个人度过一个夜晚。哦,决不会!韦斯顿先生肯定不会再结婚了。有人甚至说,他妻子临终时,他曾保证决不续娶;还有人说,他儿子和内兄不让他再婚。五花八门的胡言乱语说得一本正经,可我一句也不信。大约四年前的一天,我和泰勒小姐在布罗德韦巷遇见了他,当时正好下起了毛毛雨,他显得十分殷勤,连忙跑到法默·米切尔家,为我们借了两把伞,于是我就打定了主意。从那时候起,我就开始筹划这件好事。亲爱的爸爸,既然我在这件事上取得了这样的成功,你总不会以为我要洗手不干了吧。”
“我不明白你说的‘成功’是什么意思,”奈特利先生说。“成功是要经过努力的。如果过去四年中你一直在努力促成这桩婚事,那你的工夫花得值得,没有白费。这是一位年轻小姐做的一件大好事!可是,依我看来,如果你所谓的促成了这桩婚事,只是指你生出了这个念头,某一天闲着没事儿,便对自己说:‘如果韦斯顿先生肯娶泰勒小姐,我看这对泰勒小姐是件美事。’后来又不时地这么自言自语。如果真是这样,你怎么能谈得上成功呢?你的功劳在哪儿?你有什么值得骄傲的?你是侥幸猜中了,充其量只能这么说罢了。”
“你从未尝过侥幸猜中的甜头和喜悦吧?你让我感到可怜。我原以为你比较聪明——请听着,侥幸猜中决不仅仅靠侥幸,总还需要几分天资。至于你跟我争执的‘成功’二字,我看我也并非一点功劳也没有。你概括了两种情况——可我认为还有第三种情况——介于全然无功和一手包办之间。如果不是我鼓动韦斯顿先生常来这里,不是我给了他那么多细微的鼓励,解决了那么多细微的问题,这件事压根儿就成不了。我想你很了解哈特菲尔德,定能知道这里的奥妙。”
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收听单词发音
1
disposition
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n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 |
参考例句: |
- He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
- He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。
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2
blessings
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n.(上帝的)祝福( blessing的名词复数 );好事;福分;因祸得福 |
参考例句: |
- Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马,焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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3
distress
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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。
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4
vex
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vt.使烦恼,使苦恼 |
参考例句: |
- Everything about her vexed him.有关她的一切都令他困惑。
- It vexed me to think of others gossiping behind my back.一想到别人在背后说我闲话,我就很恼火。
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5
caresses
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爱抚,抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- A breeze caresses the cheeks. 微风拂面。
- Hetty was not sufficiently familiar with caresses or outward demonstrations of fondness. 海蒂不习惯于拥抱之类过于外露地表现自己的感情。
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6
intimacy
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n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行 |
参考例句: |
- His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切,这有点言过其实。
- I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。
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7
nominal
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adj.名义上的;(金额、租金)微不足道的 |
参考例句: |
- The king was only the nominal head of the state. 国王只是这个国家名义上的元首。
- The charge of the box lunch was nominal.午餐盒饭收费很少。
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8
mutual
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adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 |
参考例句: |
- We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
- Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。
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9
esteeming
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v.尊敬( esteem的现在分词 );敬重;认为;以为 |
参考例句: |
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10
judgment
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n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 |
参考例句: |
- The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
- He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
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11
alloy
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n.合金,(金属的)成色 |
参考例句: |
- The company produces titanium alloy.该公司生产钛合金。
- Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.青铜是铜和锡的合金。
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12
enjoyments
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愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 ); 令人愉快的事物; 享有; 享受 |
参考例句: |
- He is fond of worldly enjoyments. 他喜爱世俗的享乐。
- The humanities and amenities of life had no attraction for him--its peaceful enjoyments no charm. 对他来说,生活中的人情和乐趣并没有吸引力——生活中的恬静的享受也没有魅力。
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13
prospect
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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。
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14
devoted
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adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 |
参考例句: |
- He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
- We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
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15
gratitude
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adj.感激,感谢 |
参考例句: |
- I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
- She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
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16
intercourse
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n.性交;交流,交往,交际 |
参考例句: |
- The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
- There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。
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17
possessed
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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。
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18
solitude
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n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 |
参考例句: |
- People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
- They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。
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19
valetudinarian
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n.病人;健康不佳者 |
参考例句: |
- She affected to be spunky about her ailments and afflictions,but she was in fact an utterly self-centered valetudinarian.她装做对自己的失调和苦恼若无其事, 但是实际上她是为自己的健康状况非常发愁的人。
- The valetudinarian alternated two hours of work with one hour of rest.那个体弱多病的人每工作两小时就要歇一小时。
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20
friendliness
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n.友谊,亲切,亲密 |
参考例句: |
- Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面,我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
- His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。
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21
amiable
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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。
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22
populous
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adj.人口稠密的,人口众多的 |
参考例句: |
- London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
- China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。
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23
melancholy
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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。
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24
depressed
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adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的 |
参考例句: |
- When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
- His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
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25
compassion
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n.同情,怜悯 |
参考例句: |
- He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
- Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。
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26
entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 |
参考例句: |
- The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
- His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
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27
thoroughly
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adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 |
参考例句: |
- The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
- The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
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28
exertions
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n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 |
参考例句: |
- As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着,是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
- She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气,仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句
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29
animated
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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。
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30
inquiries
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n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 |
参考例句: |
- He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释,等候进一步调查。
- I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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31
speck
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n.微粒,小污点,小斑点 |
参考例句: |
- I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
- The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗,一星星云彩也没有。
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32
dependence
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n.依靠,依赖;信任,信赖;隶属 |
参考例句: |
- Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
- He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。
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33
foretell
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v.预言,预告,预示 |
参考例句: |
- Willow trees breaking out into buds foretell the coming of spring.柳枝绽青报春来。
- The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。
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34
widower
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n.鳏夫 |
参考例句: |
- George was a widower with six young children.乔治是个带著六个小孩子的鳏夫。
- Having been a widower for many years,he finally decided to marry again.丧偶多年后,他终于决定二婚了。
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35
perfectly
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adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 |
参考例句: |
- The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
- Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
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36
drizzle
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v.下毛毛雨;n.毛毛雨,蒙蒙细雨 |
参考例句: |
- The shower tailed off into a drizzle.阵雨越来越小,最后变成了毛毛雨。
- Yesterday the radio forecast drizzle,and today it is indeed raining.昨天预报有小雨,今天果然下起来了。
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37
darted
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v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔 |
参考例句: |
- The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了,瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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38
worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 |
参考例句: |
- I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
- There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
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39
drawn
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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。
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40
straightforward
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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。
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