It was four years later when on a sunny afternoon in April a carriage broke down on the Amalfi Road, between Positano and Sorrento, in Italy. A wheel
crumpled1 up and the driver stopped his horses and explained to his passengers in a
jumble2 of mixed Italian and English that he could go no farther. The passengers, an old gentleman of
distinguished3 appearance and a young girl as fresh and lovely as a breath of spring, clambered out of the rickety vehicle and after examining the wheel admitted that their driver
spoke4 truly. On one side the road was a steep descent to the sea; opposite, the hillside was masked by a trellis thick with grapevines. The road curved around the mountain, so there was no other
vista5.
"Here's a nice fix, Gran'pa Jim!" exclaimed the girl, with an amused laugh. "Where are we and what's going to become of us?"
"That is somewhat of a complicated problem, Mary Louise, and I can't guess it
offhand6, without due reflection," replied "Gran'pa Jim," whom others called Colonel Hathaway. "I imagine, however, that we are about three miles from Positano and five or six from Sorrento, and it's a stiff walk, for old legs or young, in either direction. Besides, there's our luggage, which I am loth to abandon and disinclined to carry."
The driver interposed.
"Give-a me the moment, Signore—perhaps the hour—an' I return to Positano for more carriage-wheel—some other. My Cousin L'uigi, he leeve in Positano, an' L'uigi have a-many carriage-wheel in he's shed. I sure, Signore, I getta the wheel."
"That is a sensible idea," said the old gentleman. "Make haste, my man, and we will wait here."
The driver unhitched his horses from the vehicle and after
strapping7 a blanket on one of them for a saddle mounted it and departed.
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收听单词发音
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1
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的
动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 |
参考例句： |
- She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
- She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。
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2
jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 |
参考例句： |
- Even the furniture remained the same jumble that it had always been.甚至家具还是象过去一样杂乱无章。
- The things in the drawer were all in a jumble.抽屉里的东西很杂乱。
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3
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 |
参考例句： |
- Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
- A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
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4
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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5
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 |
参考例句： |
- From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
- These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。
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6
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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7
strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的
n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭
动词strap的现在分词形式 |
参考例句： |
- He's a strapping lad—already bigger than his father. 他是一个魁梧的小伙子——已经比他父亲高了。
- He was a tall strapping boy. 他是一个高大健壮的小伙子。
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8
amble
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| vi.缓行，漫步 |
参考例句： |
- The horse is walking at an amble.这匹马正在溜蹄行走。
- Every evening,they amble along the bank. 每天晚上，他们都沿着江边悠闲地散步。
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9
pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 |
参考例句： |
- She felt sudden pangs of regret. 她突然感到痛悔不已。
- With touching pathos he described the pangs of hunger. 他以极具感伤力的笔触描述了饥饿的痛苦。
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10
savory
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| adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的 |
参考例句： |
- She placed a huge dish before him of savory steaming meat.她将一大盘热气腾腾、美味可口的肉放在他面前。
- He doesn't have a very savory reputation.他的名誉不太好。
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11
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 |
参考例句： |
- After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
- They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
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12
latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 |
参考例句： |
- She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
- The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。
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13
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 |
参考例句： |
- The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
- The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。
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14
laborer
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| n.劳动者，劳工 |
参考例句： |
- Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
- He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。
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15
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 |
参考例句： |
- The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
- They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。
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16
doffing
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| n.下筒，落纱v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的现在分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- The sige of the package in use determines the frequency of doffing. 所用卷装的尺寸决定了落纱的次数。 来自辞典例句
- Obstruction in the movement of Aprons during doffing in modern cards. 新型梳棉机在落卷时皮板输送带（或皮圈，围裙）运行受阻。 来自互联网
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17
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 |
参考例句： |
- He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
- The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
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18
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 |
参考例句： |
- The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
- The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。
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19
recluse
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| n.隐居者 |
参考例句： |
- The old recluse secluded himself from the outside world.这位老隐士与外面的世界隔绝了。
- His widow became a virtual recluse for the remainder of her life.他的寡妻孤寂地度过了余生。
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20
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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21
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 |
参考例句： |
- He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
- I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
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22
larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 |
参考例句： |
- Please put the food into the larder.请将您地食物放进食物柜内。
- They promised never to raid the larder again.他们答应不再随便开食橱拿东西吃了。
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23
villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 |
参考例句： |
- We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
- We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。
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