The two stood motionless a moment, looking at the girl, and Mary Louise marked the
graceful1 figure and attractive features with real delight. The Signorina Alora, as the man had called her, was nearly her own age—fifteen, Mary Louise judged her to be—and her golden hair and fair
complexion2 proclaimed her an American. But now the girl's quick ears had detected presence, and she looked up with a startled expression, half fearful and half shy, and turned as if to fly. But in the next moment she had collected herself and advanced with hesitating steps to meet them.
"Pardon our intrusion," said Colonel Hathaway, raising his hat. "Our carriage broke down on the Amalfi road, a little while ago, and our driver has gone to Positano for a new wheel. Meantime we were exploring our surroundings and stumbled upon the path leading to this spot. Forgive the
trespass3, if you will, and allow me to present my granddaughter, Mary Louise
Burrows4. I am Colonel James Hathaway, of New York, although we usually reside at a little town called Dorfield."
The girl's bow was stiff and awkward. She blushed in an embarrassed way as she replied:
"I am Alora Jones, sir, and am living here for a time with my father, Jason Jones. We, also, are Americans; at least, we used to be."
"Then doubtless you are yet," responded the Colonel, with a smile. "May we pay our respects to your father?"
"He—he is not home yet," she answered more embarrassed than before. "He went to Sorrento for some books, this morning, and has not yet returned. But perhaps he will be back soon," she added, seeming to ponder the matter. "Will you not come in and—and have some
refreshment5? In my father's absence I—I am glad to—welcome you."
She glanced shyly at Mary Louise, as if to
implore6 her to forgive any seeming lack of hospitality and accept her coldly worded invitation. No one could look at Mary Louise without gaining confidence and the friendly smile and warm handclasp made Alora feel instantly that here was a girl who would prove congenial under any circumstances. Really, it would not take them long to become friends, and poor Alora had no girl friends whatever.
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收听单词发音
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1
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 |
参考例句： |
- His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
- The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
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2
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 |
参考例句： |
- Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
- Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。
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3
trespass
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| n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地 |
参考例句： |
- The fishing boat was seized for its trespass into restricted waters.渔船因非法侵入受限制水域而被扣押。
- The court sentenced him to a fine for trespass.法庭以侵害罪对他判以罚款。
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4
burrows
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| n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻 |
参考例句： |
- The intertidal beach unit contains some organism burrows. 潮间海滩单元含有一些生物潜穴。 来自辞典例句
- A mole burrows its way through the ground. 鼹鼠会在地下钻洞前进。 来自辞典例句
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5
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 |
参考例句： |
- He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
- A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。
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6
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 |
参考例句： |
- I implore you to write. At least tell me you're alive.请给我音讯，让我知道你还活着。
- Please implore someone else's help in a crisis.危险时请向别人求助。
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7
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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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 |
参考例句： |
- Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
- I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
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9
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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10
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 |
参考例句： |
- To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
- Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 |
参考例句： |
- He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
- We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
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12
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 |
参考例句： |
- The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
- The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 |
参考例句： |
- The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
- The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。
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glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- Pearls of dew glistened on the grass. 草地上珠露晶莹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Her eyes glistened with tears. 她的眼里闪着泪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 |
参考例句： |
- That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
- It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） |
参考例句： |
- \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
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17
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的
动词forsake的过去分词 |
参考例句： |
- He was forsaken by his friends. 他被朋友们背弃了。
- He has forsaken his wife and children. 他遗弃了他的妻子和孩子。
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 |
参考例句： |
- It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
- He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
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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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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 |
参考例句： |
- They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
- Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
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