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THE winter in Pittsburgh passed rapidly. For Jean it was a happy year despite much hard work at school, German lessons with Fräulein, and long hours of piano practising. It seemed as if the scales and finger exercises were endless and sometimes the girl wondered which had the more
miserable1 fate—she who was forced to drum the same old things over and over, or poor Uncle Tom who had to listen when she was doing it. And yet as she looked back over her busy days she realized that she neither studied nor practised all the time. No, there was many a good time
interspersed2 in her routine. For example, there was the Shakespeare play at the school, a performance of "As You Like It," in which Jean herself took the part of "Rosalind." This was an excitement indeed! Uncle Tom became so interested that he got out his book and spent several evenings coaching the leading lady, as he called the girl; one night he even went so far as to impersonate "Orlando," and he and Jean gave a dress
rehearsal3 in the library, greatly to Giusippe's delight and amusement. This set them all to reading Shakespeare aloud, and going to a number of presentations of the dramas then being given in the city. To the young people all this was new and wonderful, for up to the present they had been little to the theater.
In the meantime Giusippe was also having his struggles. It was a rushing season at the factory, there being many large orders to fill; the mill hummed night and day and in consequence the scores of glass-makers looked happy and prosperous. No one was out of employment or on half pay, and none of the workmen
dreaded4 Christmas because there was nothing to put in the kiddies' stockings.
With Christmas came Uncle Bob and oh, what a holiday there was then! Was ever a Christmas tree so beautiful, or a Christmas dinner so delicious? Giusippe brought his aunt and uncle to the great house, and in the evening there was a dance for Jean and some of her school friends. Uncle Bob, who was in the gayest of spirits, danced with all the girls; introduced everybody to everybody; and brought heaping plates of salad to the dancers. There seemed to be nothing he could not do from putting up Christmas greens to playing the piano until the belated musicians arrived. The party could never had been given without him, that was certain. It was a Christmas long to be remembered!
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收听单词发音
1
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 |
参考例句: |
- It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
- Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
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2
interspersed
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| adj.[医]散开的;点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 |
参考例句: |
- Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
- The grass was interspersed with beds of flowers. 草地上点缀着许多花坛。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
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3
rehearsal
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| n.排练,排演;练习 |
参考例句: |
- I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
- You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。
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4
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的;害怕的v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) |
参考例句: |
- The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
- He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》
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5
grudge
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| n.不满,怨恨,妒嫉;vt.勉强给,不情愿做 |
参考例句: |
- I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
- I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。
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6
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 |
参考例句: |
- Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
- The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。
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7
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
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8
decided
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| 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。
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9
postpone
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| v.延期,推迟 |
参考例句: |
- I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
- She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。
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10
spoke
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| 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。
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11
invalid
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| n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 |
参考例句: |
- He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
- A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
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12
bent
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| n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 |
参考例句: |
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
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13
breakdown
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| n.垮,衰竭;损坏,故障,倒塌 |
参考例句: |
- She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
- The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障,但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。
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14
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 |
参考例句: |
- It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
- Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
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15
realization
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| n.实现;认识到,深刻了解 |
参考例句: |
- We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
- He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。
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16
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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17
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的,不适当的 |
参考例句: |
- The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
- She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。
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18
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇,女管家 |
参考例句: |
- A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
- She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
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