The Master Key
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3. The Three Gifts

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 Familiarity with any great thing removes our awe1 of it. The great general is only terrible to the enemy; the great poet is frequently scolded by his wife; the children of the great statesman clamber about his knees with perfect trust and impunity2; the great actor who is called before the curtain by admiring audiences is often waylaid3 at the stage door by his creditors4.
 
So Rob, having conversed5 for a time with the glorious Demon6 of Electricity, began to regard him with more composure and less awe, as his eyes grew more and more accustomed to the splendor7 that at first had well-nigh blinded them.
 
When the Demon announced himself ready to do the boy's bidding, he frankly8 replied:
 
"I am no skilled electrician, as you very well know. My calling you here was an accident. So I don't know how to command you, nor what to ask you to do."
 
"But I must not take advantage of your ignorance," answered the Demon. "Also, I am quite anxious to utilize9 this opportunity to show the world what a powerful element electricity really is. So permit me to inform you that, having struck the Master Key, you are at liberty to demand from me three gifts each week for three successive weeks. These gifts, provided they are within the scope of electricity, I will grant."
 
Rob shook his head regretfully.
 
"If I were a great electrician I should know what to ask," he said. "But I am too ignorant to take advantage of your kind offer."
 
"Then," replied the Demon, "I will myself suggest the gifts, and they will be of such a character that the Earth people will learn the possibilities that lie before them and be encouraged to work more intelligently and to

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1 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧
参考例句：
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
2 impunity g9Qxb     
n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除
参考例句：
  • You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
  • The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。
3 waylaid d51e6f2b42919c7332a3f4d41517eb5f     
v.拦截，拦路( waylay的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • I got waylaid on my way here. 我在来这里的路上遭到了拦路抢劫。
  • He was waylaid by thieves. 他在路上被抢了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
4 creditors 6cb54c34971e9a505f7a0572f600684b     
n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 conversed a9ac3add7106d6e0696aafb65fcced0d     
v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 )
参考例句：
  • I conversed with her on a certain problem. 我与她讨论某一问题。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She was cheerful and polite, and conversed with me pleasantly. 她十分高兴，也很客气，而且愉快地同我交谈。 来自辞典例句
6 demon Wmdyj     
n.魔鬼，恶魔
参考例句：
  • The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
  • He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。
7 splendor hriy0     
n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌
参考例句：
  • Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
  • All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。
8 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说
参考例句：
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。
9 utilize OiPwz     
vt.使用，利用
参考例句：
  • The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
  • You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。
10 persevere MMCxH     
v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠
参考例句：
  • They are determined to persevere in the fight.他们决心坚持战斗。
  • It is strength of character enabled him to persevere.他那坚强的性格使他能够坚持不懈。
11 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。
12 tiresome Kgty9     
adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的
参考例句：
  • His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
  • He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。
13 meekly meekly     
adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地
参考例句：
  • He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 procure A1GzN     
vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条
参考例句：
  • Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗？
  • I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。
15 entirely 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。
16 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地，不安地
参考例句：
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
17 defense AxbxB     
n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩
参考例句：
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
18 civilized UwRzDg     
a.有教养的，文雅的
参考例句：
  • Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
  • rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为
19 bestow 9t3zo     
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？
20 horrid arozZj     
adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的
参考例句：
  • I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
  • The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。
21 foe ygczK     
n.敌人，仇敌
参考例句：
  • He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
  • A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。
22 rendering oV5xD     
n.表现，描写
参考例句：
  • She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
  • His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。
23 regaining 458e5f36daee4821aec7d05bf0dd4829     
复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地
参考例句：
  • She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉，但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
  • She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道，又马上重新振作起精神来。
24 trolleys 33dba5b6e3f09cae7f1f7f2c18dc2d2f     
n.（两轮或四轮的）手推车( trolley的名词复数 )；装有脚轮的小台车；电车
参考例句：
  • Cars and trolleys filled the street. 小汽车和有轨电车挤满了街道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Garbage from all sources was deposited in bins on trolleys. 来自各方的垃圾是装在手推车上的垃圾箱里的。 来自辞典例句
25 automobiles 760a1b7b6ea4a07c12e5f64cc766962b     
n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
26 uneven akwwb     
adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的
参考例句：
  • The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
  • The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。
27 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地，敏捷地
参考例句：
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
28 axis sdXyz     
n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线
参考例句：
  • The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
  • The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。
29 utilized a24badb66c4d7870fd211f2511461fff     
v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • In the19th century waterpower was widely utilized to generate electricity. 在19世纪人们大规模使用水力来发电。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The empty building can be utilized for city storage. 可以利用那栋空建筑物作城市的仓库。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 immutable ma9x3     
adj.不可改变的，永恒的
参考例句：
  • Nothing in the world is immutable.世界没有一成不变的东西。
  • They free our minds from considering our world as fixed and immutable.它们改变着人们将世界看作是永恒不变的观点。
31 indicator i8NxM     
n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器
参考例句：
  • Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
  • His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。
32 descend descend     
vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降
参考例句：
  • I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
  • We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
33 perfectly 8Mzxb     
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。
34 awfully MPkym     
adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地
参考例句：
  • Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
  • I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
35 entrust JoLxh     
v.信赖，信托，交托
参考例句：
  • I couldn't entrust my children to strangers.我不能把孩子交给陌生人照看。
  • They can be entrusted to solve major national problems.可以委托他们解决重大国家问题。
36 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。
37 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。

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