诸位不难料想，诺里斯太太给妹妹的信没有白写。普莱斯太太似乎甚为惊讶，她明明有那么多漂亮男孩，他们却偏偏选中一个女孩。不过，她还是千恩万谢地接受了这番好意，向他们担保说：她女儿性情、脾气都很好，相信他们决没有理由不要她。接着，她又说这孩子有点单薄瘦小，但却乐观地认为，只要换个环境，孩子会大大改观。可怜的女人啊！她大概觉得她的好多孩子都该换换环境吧。

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1 ward
n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开
参考例句：
The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。 During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

2 thereby
adv.因此，从而
参考例句：
I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。 He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

3 equitable
adj.公平的；公正的
参考例句：
This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。 Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

4 elevation
n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高
参考例句：
The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。 His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

5 scruple
n./v.顾忌，迟疑
参考例句：
It'seemed to her now that she could marry him without the remnant of a scruple.她觉得现在她可以跟他成婚而不需要有任何顾忌。 He makes no scruple to tell a lie.他说起谎来无所顾忌。

6 rev
v.发动机旋转，加快速度
参考例句：
It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。 Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

7 contemptible
adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的
参考例句：
His personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.他气貌不扬，言语粗俗。 That was a contemptible trick to play on a friend.那是对朋友玩弄的一出可鄙的把戏。

8 conjugal
adj.婚姻的，婚姻性的
参考例句：
Conjugal visits are banned,so marriages break down.配偶访问是禁止的，罪犯的婚姻也因此破裂。 Conjugal fate is something delicate.缘分，其实是一种微妙的东西。

9 lieutenant
n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员
参考例句：
He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。 He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

10 thoroughly
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。

11 untoward
adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的
参考例句：
Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.有些不幸的事件使我不能在这欢庆的时刻和你在一起。 I'll come if nothing untoward happens.我要是没有特殊情况一定来。

12 breach
n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破
参考例句：
We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。 He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

13 remonstrance
n抗议，抱怨
参考例句：
She had abandoned all attempts at remonstrance with Thomas.她已经放弃了一切劝戒托马斯的尝试。 Mrs. Peniston was at the moment inaccessible to remonstrance.目前彭尼斯顿太太没功夫听她告状。

14 tranquil
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的
参考例句：
The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。 The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

15 remarkably
ad.不同寻常地，相当地
参考例句：
I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。 He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

16 contented
adj.满意的，安心的，知足的
参考例句：
He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。 The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

17 folly
n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话
参考例句：
Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。 Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

18 bestow
v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费
参考例句：
He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。 What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

19 bestowed
赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。 He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

20 intercourse
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。

21 preclude
vt.阻止，排除，防止；妨碍
参考例句：
We try to preclude any possibility of misunderstanding.我们努力排除任何误解的可能性。 My present finances preclude the possibility of buying a car.按我目前的财务状况我是不可能买车的。

22 resentment
n.怨愤，忿恨
参考例句：
All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。 She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

23 regain
vt.重新获得，收复，恢复
参考例句：
He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。 The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

24 spoke
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

25 contrition
n.悔罪，痛悔
参考例句：
The next day he'd be full of contrition,weeping and begging forgiveness.第二天，他就会懊悔不已，哭着乞求原谅。 She forgave him because his contrition was real.她原谅了他是由于他的懊悔是真心的。

26 reconciliation
n.和解，和谐，一致
参考例句：
He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。 Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

27 imploring
恳求的，哀求的
参考例句：
Those calm, strange eyes could see her imploring face. 那平静的，没有表情的眼睛还能看得到她的乞怜求情的面容。 She gave him an imploring look. 她以哀求的眼神看着他。

28 countenance
n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同
参考例句：
At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。 I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

29 conceal
v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽
参考例句：
He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。 He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

30 eldest
adj.最年长的，最年老的
参考例句：
The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。 The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

31 immediate
adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的
参考例句：
His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。 We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

32 entirely
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。

33 benevolence
n.慈悲，捐助
参考例句：
We definitely do not apply a policy of benevolence to the reactionaries.我们对反动派决不施仁政。 He did it out of pure benevolence. 他做那件事完全出于善意。

34 deliberately
adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地
参考例句：
The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。 They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

35 perfectly
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。

36 generosity
n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为
参考例句：
We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。 We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

37 delicacy
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。

38 propriety
n.正当行为；正当；适当
参考例句：
We hesitated at the propriety of the method.我们对这种办法是否适用拿不定主意。 The sensitive matter was handled with great propriety.这件机密的事处理得极为适当。

39 withhold
v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡
参考例句：
It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。 I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

40 mite
n.极小的东西；小铜币
参考例句：
The poor mite was so ill.可怜的孩子病得这么重。 He is a mite taller than I.他比我高一点点。

41 favourable
adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的
参考例句：
The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。 We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。

42 mischief
n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹
参考例句：
Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。 He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

43 sanguine
adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的
参考例句：
He has a sanguine attitude to life.他对于人生有乐观的看法。 He is not very sanguine about our chances of success.他对我们成功的机会不太乐观。

44 rendezvous
n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇
参考例句：
She made the rendezvous with only minutes to spare.她还差几分钟时才来赴约。 I have a rendezvous with Peter at a restaurant on the harbour.我和彼得在海港的一个餐馆有个约会。

45 benevolent
adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的
参考例句：
His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人，连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。

46 fully
adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地
参考例句：
The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。 They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

47 contriving
（不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到
参考例句：
Why may not several Deities combine in contriving and framing a world? 为什么不可能是数个神联合起来，设计和构造世界呢？ 来自哲学部分 The notorious drug-pusher has been contriving an escape from the prison. 臭名昭著的大毒枭一直都在图谋越狱。

48 dictate
v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令
参考例句：
It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。 What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

49 prudence
n.谨慎，精明，节俭
参考例句：
A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。 The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。

50 solicitude
n.焦虑
参考例句：
Your solicitude was a great consolation to me.你对我的关怀给了我莫大的安慰。 He is full of tender solicitude towards my sister.他对我妹妹满心牵挂。

51 impede
v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止
参考例句：
One shouldn't impede other's progress.一个人不应该妨碍他人进步。 The muddy roads impede our journey.我们的旅游被泥泞的道路阻挠了。

52 frugality
n.节约，节俭
参考例句：
We must build up our country with industry and frugality.我们必须勤俭建国。 By frugality she managed to get along on her small salary.凭着节俭，她设法以自己微薄的薪水生活。

53 lessen
vt.减少，减轻；缩小
参考例句：
Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。 They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

54 counteracted
对抗，抵消( counteract的过去式 )
参考例句：
This can be counteracted only by very effective insulation. 这只能用非常有效的绝缘来防止。 The effect of his preaching was counteracted by the looseness of his behavior. 他讲道的效果被他放荡的生活所抵消了。

55 inquiry
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。 The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

56 attic
n.顶楼，屋顶室
参考例句：
Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。 What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

57 opposition
n.反对，敌对
参考例句：
The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。 The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

58 uncommon
adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的
参考例句：
Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。 Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

59 disposition
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。

60 distressing
a.使人痛苦的
参考例句：
All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。 It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。

61 incurable
adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人
参考例句：
All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。 He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。

62 arrogance
n.傲慢，自大
参考例句：
His arrogance comes out in every speech he makes.他每次讲话都表现得骄傲自大。 Arrogance arrested his progress.骄傲阻碍了他的进步。

63 fixed
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。

64 puny
adj.微不足道的，弱小的
参考例句：
The resources at the central banks' disposal are simply too puny.中央银行掌握的资金实在太少了。 Antonio was a puny lad,and not strong enough to work.安东尼奥是个瘦小的小家伙，身体还不壮，还不能干活。