The Spring without a leaf to toss, bare and bright like a virgin¹ fierce inher chastity, scornful in her purity, was laid out on fields wide-eyed andwatchful and entirely² careless of what was done or thought by the beholders.

　　[Prue Ramsay, leaning on her father's arm, was given in marriage.

　　What, people said, could have been more fitting? And, they added,how beautiful she looked!]

　　As summer neared, as the evenings lengthened³, there came to thewakeful, the hopeful, walking the beach, stirring the pool, imaginationsof the strangest kind—of flesh turned to atoms which drove before thewind, of stars flashing in their hearts, of cliff, sea, cloud, and sky broughtpurposely together to assemble outwardly the scattered⁴ parts of the visionwithin. In those mirrors, the minds of men, in those pools of uneasywater, in which clouds for ever turn and shadows form, dreams persisted,and it was impossible to resist the strange intimation which everygull, flower, tree, man and woman, and the white earth itself seemed todeclare (but if questioned at once to withdraw) that good triumphs, happinessprevails, order rules; or to resist the extraordinary stimulus⁵ torange hither and thither⁶ in search of some absolute good, some crystal ofintensity, remote from the known pleasures and familiar virtues,something alien to the processes of domestic life, single, hard, bright, likea diamond in the sand, which would render the possessor secure.

　　Moreover, softened⁷ and acquiescent⁸, the spring with her bees hummingand gnats⁹ dancing threw her cloak about her, veiled her eyes, avertedher head, and among passing shadows and flights of small rain seemedto have taken upon her a knowledge of the sorrows of mankind.

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1 virgin
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。

2 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。

3 lengthened
（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。 He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

4 scattered
adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的
参考例句：
Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

5 stimulus
n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物
参考例句：
Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。 Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

6 thither
adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的
参考例句：
He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。 He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

7 softened
（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰
参考例句：
His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。 The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

8 acquiescent
adj.默许的，默认的
参考例句：
My brother is of the acquiescent rather than the militant type.我弟弟是属于服从型的而不是好斗型的。 She is too acquiescent,too ready to comply.她太百依百顺了。

9 gnats
n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 )
参考例句：
He decided that he might fire at all gnats. 他决定索性把鸡毛蒜皮都摊出来。 来自辞典例句 The air seemed to grow thick with fine white gnats. 空气似乎由于许多白色的小虫子而变得浑浊不堪。 来自辞典例句

10 caress
vt./n.爱抚，抚摸
参考例句：
She gave the child a loving caress.她疼爱地抚摸着孩子。 She feasted on the caress of the hot spring.她尽情享受着温泉的抚爱。

11 lull
v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇
参考例句：
The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。 Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后，地面战又突然爆发了。

12 asunder
adj.分离的，化为碎片
参考例句：
The curtains had been drawn asunder.窗帘被拉向两边。 Your conscience,conviction,integrity,and loyalties were torn asunder.你的良心、信念、正直和忠诚都被扯得粉碎了。

13 haze
n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊
参考例句：
I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。 He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

14 sweeping
adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的
参考例句：
The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。 Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

15 oaring
v.划（行）( oar的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The white swans were oaring their way with rosy feet. 白天鹅划着红色的蹼掌向前游去。 来自互联网

16 slumber
n.睡眠，沉睡状态
参考例句：
All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。 Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

17 tinkled
（使）发出丁当声，（使）发铃铃声( tinkle的过去式和过去分词 )； 叮当响着发出，铃铃响着报出
参考例句：
The sheep's bell tinkled through the hills. 羊的铃铛叮当叮当地响彻整个山区。 A piano tinkled gently in the background. 背景音是悠扬的钢琴声。

18 shrieked
v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。 Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

19 indifference
n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎
参考例句：
I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。 He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

20 pelting
微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的
参考例句：
The rain came pelting down. 倾盆大雨劈头盖脸地浇了下来。 Hailstones of abuse were pelting him. 阵阵辱骂冰雹般地向他袭来。

21 serenity
n.宁静，沉着，晴朗
参考例句：
Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。 She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

22 apparition
n.幽灵，神奇的现象
参考例句：
He saw the apparition of his dead wife.他看见了他亡妻的幽灵。 But the terror of this new apparition brought me to a stand.这新出现的幽灵吓得我站在那里一动也不敢动。

23 sublime
adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的
参考例句：
We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。 Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。

24 blandly
adv.温和地，殷勤地
参考例句：
There is a class of men in Bristol monstrously prejudiced against Blandly. 布里斯托尔有那么一帮人为此恨透了布兰德利。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛 \"Maybe you could get something in the stage line?\" he blandly suggested. “也许你能在戏剧这一行里找些事做，\"他和蔼地提议道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

25 marvel
vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事
参考例句：
The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。 The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

26 misery
n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦
参考例句：
Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。 He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

27 lures
吸引力，魅力（lure的复数形式）
参考例句：
He left home because of the lures of life in the city. 他离家是由于都市生活的诱惑。 Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures men down to the depths of the earth. 可能正是寻觅幽静的去处，或者找个猎奇的机会的欲望引诱着人们进入地球的深处。