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Upon my explaining to Mitchell what had happened he looked at me coldly, as much as to say “What the devil is this now that this
ass1 is telling me?” Then, thinking, I suppose, that I must have some secret hold on Mr. McCullagh or at least stand high in his favor, he gave me a very
wry2 smile and said he would have made out for me a letter of introduction to the local managers. An hour later this was laid on my desk by Hartung, who congratulated me, and there I was: dramatic editor. “Gee!” exclaimed Hartung when he came in with the letter. “I bet you could have knocked Tobe over with a straw! He doesn’t understand yet, I guess, how well you stand with the old man. The chief must like you, eh?” I could see that my new honor made a considerable difference in his already excellent estimate of me.
Armed with this letter I now visited the managers of the theaters, all of whom received me cordially. I can still see myself very gay and enthusiastic, sure that I was entering upon a great work of some kind. And the dreams I had in connection with the theater, my future as a great popular
playwright3 perhaps! It was all such a wonder-world to me, the stage, such a fairyland, that I bubbled with joy as I went about thinking that now certainly I should come in touch with actors, beautiful women! Think of it—dramatic critic!—a person of weight and authority!
There were seven or eight theaters in St. Louis, three or four of them staging only that better sort of play known as a first-class attraction; the others giving
melodrama4,
vaudeville5 and
burlesque6. The manager of the Grand, a short, thick-set, sandy-complexioned man of most
jovial7 mien8, was McManus, father of the well-known cartoonist of a later period and the prototype of his most humorous character, Mr. Jiggs. He exclaimed upon seeing me:
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收听单词发音
1
ass
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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。
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2
wry
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adj.讽刺的;扭曲的 |
参考例句: |
- He made a wry face and attempted to wash the taste away with coffee.他做了个鬼脸,打算用咖啡把那怪味地冲下去。
- Bethune released Tung's horse and made a wry mouth.白求恩放开了董的马,噘了噘嘴。
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3
playwright
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n.剧作家,编写剧本的人 |
参考例句: |
- Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
- The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。
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4
melodrama
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n.音乐剧;情节剧 |
参考例句: |
- We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama!别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演!
- White Haired Woman was a melodrama,but in certain spots it was deliberately funny.《白毛女》是一出悲剧性的歌剧,但也有不少插科打诨。
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5
vaudeville
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n.歌舞杂耍表演 |
参考例句: |
- The standard length of a vaudeville act was 12 minutes.一个杂耍节目的标准长度是12分钟。
- The mayor talk like a vaudeville comedian in his public address.在公共演讲中,这位市长讲起话来像个歌舞杂耍演员。
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6
burlesque
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v.嘲弄,戏仿;n.嘲弄,取笑,滑稽模仿 |
参考例句: |
- Our comic play was a burlesque of a Shakespearean tragedy.我们的喜剧是对莎士比亚一出悲剧的讽刺性模仿。
- He shouldn't burlesque the elder.他不应模仿那长者。
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7
jovial
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adj.快乐的,好交际的 |
参考例句: |
- He seemed jovial,but his eyes avoided ours.他显得很高兴,但他的眼光却避开了我们的眼光。
- Grandma was plump and jovial.祖母身材圆胖,整天乐呵呵的。
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8
mien
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n.风采;态度 |
参考例句: |
- He was a Vietnam veteran with a haunted mien.他是个越战老兵,举止总有些惶然。
- It was impossible to tell from his mien whether he was offended.从他的神态中难以看出他是否生气了。
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9
rattled
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慌乱的,恼火的 |
参考例句: |
- The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
- Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里,窗户都格格作响。
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10
badinage
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n.开玩笑,打趣 |
参考例句: |
- When he reached the gate,there was the usual badinage with Charlie.当他来到公园大门时, 还是与往常一样和查理开玩笑。
- For all the forced badinag,it was an awkward meal.大家尽管勉强地说说笑笑,这顿饭依旧吃得很别扭。
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11
delightful
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adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 |
参考例句: |
- We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
- Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
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12
sentimental
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adj.多愁善感的,感伤的 |
参考例句: |
- She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人,她相信姻缘命中注定。
- We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。
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13
remains
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n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 |
参考例句: |
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
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14
inane
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adj.空虚的,愚蠢的,空洞的 |
参考例句: |
- She started asking me inane questions.她开始问我愚蠢的问题。
- Such comments are inane because they don't help us solve our problem.这种评论纯属空洞之词,不能帮助我们解决问题。
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15
entirely
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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。
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16
acting
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n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 |
参考例句: |
- Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
- During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
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17
worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 |
参考例句: |
- I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
- There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
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18
comedians
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n.喜剧演员,丑角( comedian的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- The voice was rich, lordly, Harvardish, like all the boring radio comedians'imitations. 声音浑厚、威严,俨然是哈佛出身的气派,就跟无线电里所有的滑稽演员叫人已经听腻的模仿完全一样。 来自辞典例句
- He distracted them by joking and imitating movie and radio comedians. 他用开玩笑的方法或者模仿电影及广播中的滑稽演员来对付他们。 来自辞典例句
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19
caliber
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n.能力;水准 |
参考例句: |
- They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
- We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。
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20
asinine
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adj.愚蠢的 |
参考例句: |
- It is an asinine discussion.那是个愚蠢透顶的讨论。
- I must have been insane to listen to your asinine gibberish!我真是昏了头居然听信了你的胡说八道!
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21
solely
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adv.仅仅,唯一地 |
参考例句: |
- Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
- The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
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22
artistic
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adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 |
参考例句: |
- The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
- These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
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23
cult
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n.异教,邪教;时尚,狂热的崇拜 |
参考例句: |
- Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书,但有一定的崇拜者。
- The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。
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24
bland
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adj.淡而无味的,温和的,无刺激性的 |
参考例句: |
- He eats bland food because of his stomach trouble.他因胃病而吃清淡的食物。
- This soup is too bland for me.这汤我喝起来偏淡。
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25
gathering
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n.集会,聚会,聚集 |
参考例句: |
- He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
- He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
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26
ennui
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n.怠倦,无聊 |
参考例句: |
- Since losing his job,he has often experienced a profound sense of ennui.他自从失业以来,常觉百无聊赖。
- Took up a hobby to relieve the ennui of retirement.养成一种嗜好以消除退休后的无聊。
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27
pointed
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adj.尖的,直截了当的 |
参考例句: |
- He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
- She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
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28
saccharine
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adj.奉承的,讨好的 |
参考例句: |
- She smiled with saccharine sweetness.她的笑里只有虚情假意的甜蜜。
- I found the film far too saccharine.我觉得这部电影太缠绵了。
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29
gulp
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vt.吞咽,大口地吸(气);vi.哽住;n.吞咽 |
参考例句: |
- She took down the tablets in one gulp.她把那些药片一口吞了下去。
- Don't gulp your food,chew it before you swallow it.吃东西不要狼吞虎咽,要嚼碎了再咽下去。
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gulping
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v.狼吞虎咽地吃,吞咽( gulp的现在分词 );大口地吸(气);哽住 |
参考例句: |
- She crawled onto the river bank and lay there gulping in air. 她爬上河岸,躺在那里喘着粗气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- And you'll even feel excited gulping down a glass. 你甚至可以感觉到激动下一杯。 来自互联网
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mediocre
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adj.平常的,普通的 |
参考例句: |
- The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦,但学业平庸。
- Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。
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32
interpretations
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n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 );表演;演绎;理解 |
参考例句: |
- This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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33
virtues
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美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 |
参考例句: |
- Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
- She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。
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34
splendor
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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。
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35
immorality
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n. 不道德, 无道义 |
参考例句: |
- All the churchmen have preached against immorality. 所有牧师都讲道反对不道德的行为。
- Where the European sees immorality and lawlessness, strict law rules in reality. 在欧洲人视为不道德和无规则的地方,事实上都盛行着一种严格的规则。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
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36
offhand
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adj.临时,无准备的;随便,马虎的 |
参考例句: |
- I can't answer your request offhand.我不能随便答复你的要求。
- I wouldn't want to say what I thought about it offhand.我不愿意随便说我关于这事的想法。
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37
triumphant
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adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 |
参考例句: |
- The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
- There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。
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38
forth
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adv.向前;向外,往外 |
参考例句: |
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
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39
gild
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vt.给…镀金,把…漆成金色,使呈金色 |
参考例句: |
- The sun transform the gild cupola into dazzling point of light.太阳将这些镀金的圆屋顶变成了闪耀的光点。
- With Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney primed to flower anew,Owen can gild the lily.贝巴和鲁尼如今蓄势待发,欧文也可以为曼联锦上添花。
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40
gilded
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a.镀金的,富有的 |
参考例句: |
- The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
- "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们,这只不过是些镀金的铅饼! 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡
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41
flare
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v.闪耀,闪烁;n.潮红;突发 |
参考例句: |
- The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
- You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。
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42
heyday
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n.全盛时期,青春期 |
参考例句: |
- The 19th century was the heyday of steam railways.19世纪是蒸汽机车鼎盛的时代。
- She was a great singer in her heyday.她在自己的黄金时代是个了不起的歌唱家。
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43
celebrities
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n.(尤指娱乐界的)名人( celebrity的名词复数 );名流;名声;名誉 |
参考例句: |
- He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
- a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目
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44
dreary
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adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 |
参考例句: |
- They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
- She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。
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45
humdrum
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adj.单调的,乏味的 |
参考例句: |
- Their lives consist of the humdrum activities of everyday existence.他们的生活由日常生存的平凡活动所构成。
- The accountant said it was the most humdrum day that she had ever passed.会计师说这是她所度过的最无聊的一天。
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46
personalities
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n. 诽谤,(对某人容貌、性格等所进行的)人身攻击; 人身攻击;人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
- Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。
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47
vice
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n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 |
参考例句: |
- He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
- They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
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48
peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 |
参考例句: |
- He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
- He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
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