Mr. Polly made no rash promises, and thought a great deal.

“It seems a good sort of Crib,” he said, and added, “for a chap who’s looking for trouble.” But he stayed on and did various things out of the list I have already given, and worked the ferry, and it was four days before he saw anything of Uncle Jim. And so resistent is the human mind to things not yet experienced that he could easily have believed in that time that there was no such person in the world as Uncle Jim. The plump woman, after her one outbreak of confidence, ignored the subject, and little Polly seemed to have exhausted¹ her impressions in her first communication, and engaged her mind now with a simple directness in the study and subjugation² of the new human being Heaven had sent into her world. The first unfavourable impression of his punting was soon effaced³; he could nickname ducklings very amusingly, create boats out of wooden splinters, and stalk and fly from imaginary tigers in the orchard⁴ with a convincing earnestness that was surely beyond the power of any other human being. She conceded at last that he should be called Mr. Polly, in honour of her, Miss Polly, even as he desired.

Uncle Jim turned up in the twilight⁵.

Uncle Jim appeared with none of the disruptive violence Mr. Polly had dreaded⁶. He came quite softly. Mr. Polly was going down the lane behind the church that led to the Potwell Inn after posting a letter to the lime-juice people at the post-office. He was walking slowly, after his habit, and thinking discursively⁷. With a sudden tightening⁸ of the muscles he became aware of a figure walking noiselessly beside him. His first impression was of a face singularly broad above and with a wide empty grin as its chief feature below, of a slouching body and dragging feet.

“Arf a mo’,” said the figure, as if in response to his start, and speaking in a

点击收听单词发音  

1 exhausted
adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的
参考例句：
It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。 Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

2 subjugation
n.镇压，平息，征服
参考例句：
The Ultra-Leftist line was a line that would have wrecked a country, ruined the people, and led to the destruction of the Party and national subjugation. 极左路线是一条祸国殃民的路线，亡党亡国的路线。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 This afflicted German intelligence with two fatal flaws: inefficiency, and subjugation to a madman. 这给德国情报工作造成了两个致命的弱点，一个是缺乏效率，另一个是让一个疯子总管情报。 来自辞典例句

3 effaced
v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；超越；使黯然失色
参考例句：
Someone has effaced part of the address on his letter. 有人把他信上的一部分地址擦掉了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 The name of the ship had been effaced from the menus. 那艘船的名字已经从菜单中删除了。 来自辞典例句

4 orchard
n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场
参考例句：
My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。 Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

5 twilight
n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期
参考例句：
Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。 Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

6 dreaded
adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句：
The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。 He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

7 discursively
adv.东拉西扯地，推论地
参考例句：
They were chattering (discursively on a variety of topics) over their needlework. 她们一边做针线活一边闲扯个不停。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 tightening
上紧，固定，紧密
参考例句：
Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。 It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

9 hoarse
adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的
参考例句：
He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。 He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动，嗓子都喊哑了。

10 hoarsely
adv.嘶哑地
参考例句：
"Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。 Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

11 cinder
n.余烬，矿渣
参考例句：
The new technology for the preparation of superfine ferric oxide from pyrite cinder is studied.研究了用硫铁矿烧渣为原料，制取超细氧化铁红的新工艺。 The cinder contains useful iron,down from producing sulphuric acid by contact process.接触法制硫酸的矿渣中含有铁矿。

12 wriggled
v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）
参考例句：
He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》 A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 flannel
n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服
参考例句：
She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。 She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子，看上去楚楚动人。

14 convergent
adj.会聚的
参考例句：
A curved-inwards wall has a convergent effect on wall spray.凹型壁面对碰壁喷雾有聚集作用。 If a sequence is not convergent,it is divergent.如果一个序列不收敛，我们称它发散。

15 knotty
adj.有结的，多节的，多瘤的，棘手的
参考例句：
Under his leadership,many knotty problems were smoothly solved.在他的领导下，许多伤脑筋的问题都迎刃而解。 She met with a lot of knotty problems.她碰上了许多棘手的问题。

16 pointed
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。

17 cavern
n.洞穴，大山洞
参考例句：
The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。 It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来，我们在一个山洞里避雨。

18 obliquely
adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大
参考例句：
From the gateway two paths led obliquely across the court. 从门口那儿，有两条小路斜越过院子。 来自辞典例句 He was receding obliquely with a curious hurrying gait. 他歪着身子，古怪而急促地迈着步子，往后退去。 来自辞典例句

19 spat
n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声
参考例句：
Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。 There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

20 blurry
adj.模糊的；污脏的，污斑的
参考例句：
My blurry vision makes it hard to drive. 我的视力有点模糊，使得开起车来相当吃力。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The lines are pretty blurry at this point. 界线在这个时候是很模糊的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 witty
adj.机智的，风趣的
参考例句：
Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。 He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

22 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

23 confidential
adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的
参考例句：
He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。 We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

24 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。

25 gory
adj.流血的；残酷的
参考例句：
I shuddered when I heard the gory details.我听到血淋淋的详情，战栗不已。 The newspaper account of the accident gave all the gory details.报纸上报道了这次事故中所有骇人听闻的细节。

26 receded
v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题
参考例句：
The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。 The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。