I now purpose to visit another country house in Barsetshire, but on this occasion our sojourn¹ shall be in the eastern division, in which, as every other county in England, electioneering matters are paramount² at the present moment. It has been mentioned that Mr Gresham, junior, young Frank Gresham as he was always called, lived at a place called Boxall Hill. This property had come to his wife by will, and he was now settled there,— seeing that his father still held the family seat of the Greshams at Greshambury. At the present moment Miss Dunstable was staying at Boxall Hill with Mrs Frank Gresham. They had left London, as indeed, all the world had done, to the terrible dismay of the London tradesmen. This dissolution of Parliament was ruining everybody except the country publicans, and had of course destroyed the London season among other things.

Mrs Harold Smith had only just managed to catch Miss Dunstable before she left London; but she did do so, and the great heiress had at once seen her lawyers, and instructed them how to act with reference to the mortgages on the Chaldicotes property. Miss Dunstable was in the habit of speaking of herself and her own pecuniary³ concerns as though she herself was rarely allowed to meddle⁴ in their management; but this was one of those small jokes which she ordinarily perpetrated; for in truth few ladies, and perhaps not many gentlemen, have a more thorough knowledge of their own concerns or a more potent⁵ voice in their own affairs, than was possessed⁶ by Miss Dunstable. Circumstances had lately brought her much into Barsetshire, and she had there contracted very intimate friendships. She was now disposed to become, if possible, a Barsetshire proprietor⁷, and with this view had lately agreed with young Mr Gresham that she would become the purchaser of the Crown property. As, however, the purchase had been commenced in his name, it was so to be continued; but now, as we are aware, it was

点击收听单词发音  

1 sojourn
v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留
参考例句：
It would be cruel to begrudge your sojourn among flowers and fields.如果嫉妒你逗留在鲜花与田野之间，那将是太不近人情的。 I am already feeling better for my sojourn here.我在此逗留期间，觉得体力日渐恢复。

2 paramount
a.最重要的，最高权力的
参考例句：
My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。 Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

3 pecuniary
adj.金钱的；金钱上的
参考例句：
She denies obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.她否认通过欺骗手段获得经济利益。 She is so independent that she refused all pecuniary aid.她很独立，所以拒绝一切金钱上的资助。

4 meddle
v.干预，干涉，插手
参考例句：
I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。 Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

5 potent
adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的
参考例句：
The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。 We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

6 possessed
adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的
参考例句：
He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。 He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

7 proprietor
n.所有人；业主；经营者
参考例句：
The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。 The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

8 rumour
n.谣言，谣传，传闻
参考例句：
I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。 There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来，一直有谣言产生，对他进行中伤。

9 rumoured
adj.谣传的；传说的；风
参考例句：
It has been so rumoured here. 此间已有传闻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 It began to be rumoured that the jury would be out a long while. 有人传说陪审团要退场很久。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 attain
vt.达到，获得，完成
参考例句：
I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。 His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

11 displeased
a.不快的
参考例句：
The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。

12 meddled
v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Someone has meddled with the photographs I laid out so carefully. 有人把我精心布置的照片弄乱了。 来自辞典例句 The gifts of charity meddled with a man's private affair. 慈善团体的帮助实际上是干涉私人的事务。 来自互联网

13 immediate
adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的
参考例句：
His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。 We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

14 valid
adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的
参考例句：
His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。 Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

15 vexed
adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论
参考例句：
The conference spent days discussing the vexed question of border controls. 会议花了几天的时间讨论边境关卡这个难题。 He was vexed at his failure. 他因失败而懊恼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 aptitude
n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资
参考例句：
That student has an aptitude for mathematics.那个学生有数学方面的天赋。 As a child,he showed an aptitude for the piano.在孩提时代，他显露出对于钢琴的天赋。

17 heartily
adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很
参考例句：
He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。 The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

18 standing
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。

19 gulf
n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂
参考例句：
The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。 There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

20 noted
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。 Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

21 tempt
vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣
参考例句：
Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。 The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

22 honourable
adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的
参考例句：
I don't think I am worthy of such an honourable title.这样的光荣称号，我可担当不起。 I hope to find an honourable way of settling difficulties.我希望设法找到一个体面的办法以摆脱困境。

23 determined
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。 He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

24 motives
n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )
参考例句：
to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机 His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

25 middle-aged
adj.中年的
参考例句：
I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。 The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

26 disinterested
adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的
参考例句：
He is impartial and disinterested.他公正无私。 He's always on the make,I have never known him do a disinterested action.他这个人一贯都是唯利是图，我从来不知道他有什么无私的行动。

27 abortion
n.流产，堕胎
参考例句：
She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。 A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

28 dwarf
n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小
参考例句：
The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。 The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

29 nibble
n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵
参考例句：
Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。 The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上，啄着砖缝。

30 justify
vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护
参考例句：
He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。 Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

31 covetous
adj.贪婪的，贪心的
参考例句：
She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。 He raised his head,with a look of unrestrained greed in his covetous eyes.他抬起头来，贪婪的眼光露出馋涎欲滴的神情。

32 overture
n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉
参考例句：
The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。 His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

33 sedulously
ad.孜孜不倦地
参考例句：
In this view they were sedulously abetted by their mother, aunts and other elderly female relatives. 在这方面，他们得到了他们的母亲，婶婶以及其它年长的女亲戚们孜孜不倦的怂恿。 The clerk laid the two sheets of paper alongside and sedulously compared their contents. 那职员把两张纸并排放在前面，仔细比较。

34 twitched
vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。 The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着，像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

35 bishop
n.主教，（国际象棋）象
参考例句：
He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。 Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

36 mentor
n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导
参考例句：
He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。 He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

37 Oxford
n.牛津（英国城市）
参考例句：
At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。 This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

38 iniquities
n.邪恶( iniquity的名词复数 )；极不公正
参考例句：
The preacher asked God to forgive us our sins and wash away our iniquities. 牧师乞求上帝赦免我们的罪过，涤荡我们的罪孽。 来自辞典例句 If thou, Lord shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? 3主―耶和华啊，你若究察罪孽，谁能站得住呢？ 来自互联网

39 humble
adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低
参考例句：
In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。 Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

40 bullied
adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。 The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

41 innuendoes
n.影射的话( innuendo的名词复数 )；讽刺的话；含沙射影；暗讽
参考例句：
innuendoes about her private life 对她私生活含沙射影的指责 I'm sure he thinks I stole the money—he kept making innuendoes about my \"new-found-wealth\". 我确信他一定以为钱是我偷的，因为他不断含沙射影地说我“新近发了财”。 来自《简明英汉词典》

42 backwards
adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地
参考例句：
He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。 All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

43 bouquet
n.花束，酒香
参考例句：
This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。 Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

44 imputed
v.把（错误等）归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
They imputed the accident to the driver's carelessness. 他们把这次车祸归咎于司机的疏忽。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 He imputed the failure of his marriage to his wife's shortcomings. 他把婚姻的失败归咎于妻子的缺点。 来自辞典例句

45 imputing
v.把（错误等）归咎于( impute的现在分词 )
参考例句：

46 bully
n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮
参考例句：
A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。 The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

47 repent
v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔
参考例句：
He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。 Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。

48 interpretation
n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理
参考例句：
His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。 Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

49 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

50 mischief
n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹
参考例句：
Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。 He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

51 doctrine
n.教义；主义；学说
参考例句：
He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。 The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

52 quotation
n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情
参考例句：
He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare.他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。 The quotation is omitted here.此处引文从略。

53 spoke
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。

54 poke
n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢
参考例句：
We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。 Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。

55 abruptly
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。

56 broached
v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体
参考例句：
She broached the subject of a picnic to her mother. 她向母亲提起野餐的问题。 来自辞典例句 He broached the subject to the stranger. 他对陌生人提起那话题。 来自辞典例句

57 narrated
v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

58 contemplated
adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式
参考例句：
The doctor contemplated the difficult operation he had to perform. 医生仔细地考虑他所要做的棘手的手术。 The government has contemplated reforming the entire tax system. 政府打算改革整个税收体制。

59 allotted
分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
I completed the test within the time allotted . 我在限定的时间内完成了试验。 Each passenger slept on the berth allotted to him. 每个旅客都睡在分配给他的铺位上。

60 intercourse
n.性交；交流，交往，交际
参考例句：
The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。 There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

61 courteous
adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的
参考例句：
Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。 He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

62 variance
n.矛盾，不同
参考例句：
The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance. 妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。 It is unnatural for brothers to be at variance. 兄弟之间不睦是不近人情的。

63 binding
有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的
参考例句：
The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。 Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

64 durable
adj.持久的，耐久的
参考例句：
This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。 They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

65 disapproved
v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》

66 folly
n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话
参考例句：
Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。 Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

67 wont
adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯
参考例句：
He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。 It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

68 miserable
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。