Frank Houston on that Sunday afternoon became an altered man. The reader is not to suppose by this that he is declared to have suddenly thrown off all his weaknesses, and to have succeeded in clothing himself in an armour¹ of bright steel, proof for the rest of his life against all temptations. Such suits of armour are not to be had at a moment’s notice; nor, as I fear, can a man ever acquire one quite perfect at all points who has not begun to make it for himself before Houston’s age. But he did on that day dine off the two mutton chops, and comforted himself with no more than the half pint² of sherry. It was a great beginning. Throughout the whole evening he could not be got for a moment to join any of the club juntas³ which were discussing the great difficulty of the contumacious⁴ gentleman. “I think he must really be going to be married at last!” one club pundit⁵ said when a question was asked as to Houston’s singular behaviour on the occasion.

He was indeed very sober — so sober that he left the smoking-room as soon as his one silent cigar was finished, and went out alone in order that he might roam the streets in thoughtful solitude⁶. It was a clear frosty night, and as he buttoned his greatcoat around him he felt that the dry cold air would do him good, and assist his meditations⁸. At last then everything was arranged for him, and he was to encounter exactly that mode of life which he had so often told himself to be most unfit for him. There were to be the cradles always full, and his little coffer so nearly empty! And he had done it all for himself. She, Imogene, had proposed a mode of life to him which would at any rate have saved him from this; but it had been impossible that he should accept a plan so cruel to her when the proposition came from herself. It must all soon be done now. She had asked that a distant day might be fixed

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1 armour
（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队
参考例句：
His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。 Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。

2 pint
n.品脱
参考例句：
I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。 In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

3 juntas
n.以武力政变上台的军阀( junta的名词复数 )
参考例句：

4 contumacious
adj.拒不服从的，违抗的
参考例句：
On his refusal to appear in person or by his attorney, he was pronounced contumacious.由于他拒绝亲自出庭或派他的律师出庭，被宣布为抗传。 There is another efficacious method for subduing the most obstinate,contumacious sinner.有另一个有效的方法来镇压那最为顽固、抗命不从的罪人。

5 pundit
n.博学之人；权威
参考例句：
Even the outstanding excellent graduate will learn constantly if he likes to be a pundit.即使最优秀的结业生，要想成为一个博学的人也要不断地研究。 He is a well known political pundit.他是一个著名的政治专家。

6 solitude
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。

7 ass
n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人
参考例句：
He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。 An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

8 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。

9 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。

10 imperative
n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的
参考例句：
He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。 The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

11 smokers
吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。 Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

12 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 blotted
涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干
参考例句：
She blotted water off the table with a towel. 她用毛巾擦干桌上的水。 The blizzard blotted out the sky and the land. 暴风雪铺天盖地而来。

14 scraps
油渣
参考例句：
Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。 A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

15 averse
adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的
参考例句：
I don't smoke cigarettes,but I'm not averse to the occasional cigar.我不吸烟，但我不反对偶尔抽一支雪茄。 We are averse to such noisy surroundings.我们不喜欢这么吵闹的环境。

16 larder
n.食物贮藏室，食品橱
参考例句：
Please put the food into the larder.请将您地食物放进食物柜内。 They promised never to raid the larder again.他们答应不再随便开食橱拿东西吃了。

17 alacrity
n.敏捷，轻快，乐意
参考例句：
Although the man was very old,he still moved with alacrity.他虽然很老，动作仍很敏捷。 He accepted my invitation with alacrity.他欣然接受我的邀请。

18 contrived
adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的
参考例句：
There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。 The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

19 disorders
n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调
参考例句：
Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 mare
n.母马，母驴
参考例句：
The mare has just thrown a foal in the stable.那匹母马刚刚在马厩里产下了一只小马驹。 The mare foundered under the heavy load and collapsed in the road.那母马因负载过重而倒在路上。

21 literally
adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实
参考例句：
He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。 Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

22 prescription
n.处方，开药；指示，规定
参考例句：
The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。 The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

23 assented
同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。 "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！

24 epithet
n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语
参考例句：
In "Alfred the Great","the Great"is an epithet.“阿尔弗雷德大帝”中的“大帝”是个称号。 It is an epithet that sums up my feelings.这是一个简洁地表达了我思想感情的形容词。

25 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。

26 nourishment
n.食物，营养品；营养情况
参考例句：
Lack of proper nourishment reduces their power to resist disease.营养不良降低了他们抵抗疾病的能力。 He ventured that plants draw part of their nourishment from the air.他大胆提出植物从空气中吸收部分养分的观点。

27 veins
n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理
参考例句：
The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 undoubtedly
adv.确实地，无疑地
参考例句：
It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。 He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

29 sculptor
n.雕刻家，雕刻家
参考例句：
A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。 The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

30 heeded
v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告，把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 credulous
adj.轻信的，易信的
参考例句：
You must be credulous if she fooled you with that story.连她那种话都能把你骗倒，你一定是太容易相信别人了。 Credulous attitude will only make you take anything for granted.轻信的态度只会使你想当然。

32 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。

33 shamefully
可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地
参考例句：
He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 They have served me shamefully for a long time. 长期以来，他们待我很坏。

34 dubiously
adv.可疑地，怀疑地
参考例句：
"What does he have to do?" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26） He walked out fast, leaving the head waiter staring dubiously at the flimsy blue paper. 他很快地走出去，撇下侍者头儿半信半疑地瞪着这张薄薄的蓝纸。 来自辞典例句

35 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。

36 duel
n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争
参考例句：
The two teams are locked in a duel for first place.两个队为争夺第一名打得难解难分。 Duroy was forced to challenge his disparager to duel.杜洛瓦不得不向诋毁他的人提出决斗。

37 momentum
n.动力，冲力，势头；动量
参考例句：
We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。 The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

38 outraged
a.震惊的，义愤填膺的
参考例句：
Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。 He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

39 improper
adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的
参考例句：
Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。 Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。