The child crept softly to her mother's bedside, but once there she
impulsively1 threw her arms about "Mamma Tone's" neck and embraced her so tightly that the sick woman was obliged to tear the little arms away. She did this tenderly, though, and holding the trembling hands in her own kissed both of Lory's cheeks before she said:
"I've news for you, dear."
"Are you better, mamma?" asked Lory.
"Of course not," was the calm reply. "You mustn't expect mamma ever to get well, my darling. But that shouldn't worry you—not too much, you know. One of the queer things about life is that it has an end, sooner or later, and in mamma's case it comes to an end a little sooner than you and I might wish it to."
"Oh, Mamma Tone!" An
agonized2 cry, with the small hands clasped tightly over her
throbbing3 heart. But Tony Seaver did not
flinch4.
"The news I have will surprise you, Lory dear. Your father, who loved you
devotedly5 when you were a baby, but whom you have never known till now, is coming here to see us."
Alora's eyes grew big with wonder, but other thoughts drove even this strange news from her mind.
"I can't let you go, Mamma Tone," she
wailed6,
sobbing7; "I can't let you die and leave me all alone!"
The woman's breast heaved. She was silent a moment and then said quietly:
"Even kings and queens, sweetheart, have no command over life and death. When it is too late to help it, we realize we have been born; when it is too late to help it, we realize we must die. But why complain, when it is the fate of all humanity? To be true to our Creator, who directs all things, we must bow to His will without protest. You will love your father, Lory, because he will love you; and he is a good man, and
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收听单词发音
1
impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 |
参考例句: |
- She leant forward and kissed him impulsively. 她倾身向前,感情冲动地吻了他。
- Every good, true, vigorous feeling I had gathered came impulsively round him. 我的一切良好、真诚而又强烈的感情都紧紧围绕着他涌现出来。
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2
agonized
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| v.使(极度)痛苦,折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 );苦斗;苦苦思索;感到极度痛苦 |
参考例句: |
- All the time they agonized and prayed. 他们一直在忍受痛苦并且祈祷。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- She agonized herself with the thought of her loss. 她念念不忘自己的损失,深深陷入痛苦之中。 来自辞典例句
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3
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 |
参考例句: |
- My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动,身子在不住颤抖。
- There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。
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4
flinch
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| v.畏缩,退缩 |
参考例句: |
- She won't flinch from speaking her mind.她不会讳言自己的想法。
- We will never flinch from difficulties.我们面对困难决不退缩。
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5
devotedly
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| 专心地; 恩爱地; 忠实地; 一心一意地 |
参考例句: |
- He loved his wife devotedly. 他真诚地爱他的妻子。
- Millions of fans follow the TV soap operas devotedly. 千百万观众非常着迷地收看这部电视连续剧。
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6
wailed
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| v.哭叫,哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
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7
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 |
参考例句: |
- I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
- Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。
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8
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 |
参考例句: |
- Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
- A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
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9
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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10
veins
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| 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》
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11
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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12
reconciliation
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| n.和解,和谐,一致 |
参考例句: |
- He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
- Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。
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13
pawned
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| v.典当,抵押( pawn的过去式和过去分词 );以(某事物)担保 |
参考例句: |
- He pawned his gold watch to pay the rent. 他抵当了金表用以交租。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She has redeemed her pawned jewellery. 她赎回了当掉的珠宝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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14
jewelry
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| n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝 |
参考例句: |
- The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
- Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
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15
impecunious
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| adj.不名一文的,贫穷的 |
参考例句: |
- He is impecunious,does not know anyone who can lend mony.他身无分文,也不认识任何可以借钱的人。
- They are independent,impecunious and able to tolerate all degrees of discomfort.他们独立自主,囊中羞涩,并且能够忍受各种不便。
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16
affluence
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| n.充裕,富足 |
参考例句: |
- Their affluence is more apparent than real.他们的富有是虚有其表。
- There is a lot of affluence in this part of the state because it has many businesses.这个州的这一部分相当富有,因为它有很多商行。
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17
judgment
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| n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 |
参考例句: |
- The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
- He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
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