One summer afternoon about five years after his first coming to the Potwell Inn Mr. Polly found himself sitting under the pollard willow¹ fishing for dace. It was a plumper, browner and healthier Mr. Polly altogether than the miserable² bankrupt with whose dyspeptic portrait our novel opened. He was fat, but with a fatness more generally diffused³, and the lower part of his face was touched to gravity by a small square beard. Also he was balder.

It was the first time he had found leisure to fish, though from the very outset of his Potwell career he had promised himself abundant indulgence in the pleasures of fishing. Fishing, as the golden page of English literature testifies, is a meditative⁴ and retrospective pursuit, and the varied⁵ page of memory, disregarded so long for sake of the teeming⁶ duties I have already enumerated⁷, began to unfold itself to Mr. Polly’s consideration. A speculation⁸ about Uncle Jim died for want of material, and gave place to a reckoning of the years and months that had passed since his coming to Potwell, and that to a philosophical⁹ review of his life. He began to think about Miriam, remotely and impersonally¹⁰. He remembered many things that had been neglected by his conscience during the busier times, as, for example, that he had committed arson¹¹ and deserted

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1 willow
n.柳树
参考例句：
The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。 The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

2 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。

3 diffused
散布的，普及的，扩散的
参考例句：
A drop of milk diffused in the water. 一滴牛奶在水中扩散开来。 Gases and liquids diffused. 气体和液体慢慢混合了。

4 meditative
adj.沉思的，冥想的
参考例句：
A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌，智者思虑。 Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。

5 varied
adj.多样的，多变化的
参考例句：
The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。 The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

6 teeming
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注
参考例句：
The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。 the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

7 enumerated
v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
A spokesperson enumerated the strikers' demands. 发言人列数罢工者的要求。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He enumerated the capitals of the 50 states. 他列举了50个州的首府。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 speculation
n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机
参考例句：
Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。 There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

9 philosophical
adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的
参考例句：
The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。 She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

10 impersonally
ad.非人称地
参考例句：
"No." The answer was both reticent and impersonally sad. “不。”这回答既简短，又含有一种无以名状的悲戚。 来自名作英译部分 The tenet is to service our clients fairly, equally, impersonally and reasonably. 公司宗旨是公正、公平、客观、合理地为客户服务。

11 arson
n.纵火，放火
参考例句：
He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。 He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

12 deserted
adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的
参考例句：
The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。 The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

13 glorification
n.赞颂
参考例句：
Militant devotion to and glorification of one's country; fanatical patriotism. 对国家的军事效忠以及美化；狂热的爱国主义。 Glorification-A change of place, a new condition with God. 得荣─在神面前新处境，改变了我们的结局。

14 remorse
n.痛恨，悔恨，自责
参考例句：
She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。 He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

15 breaches
破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背
参考例句：
He imposed heavy penalties for breaches of oath or pledges. 他对违反誓言和保证的行为给予严厉的惩罚。 This renders all breaches of morality before marriage very uncommon. 这样一来，婚前败坏道德的事就少见了。

16 sane
adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的
参考例句：
He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。 He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

17 savage
adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人
参考例句：
The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。 He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

18 abject
adj.极可怜的，卑屈的
参考例句：
This policy has turned out to be an abject failure.这一政策最后以惨败而告终。 He had been obliged to offer an abject apology to Mr.Alleyne for his impertinence.他不得不低声下气，为他的无礼举动向艾莱恩先生请罪。

19 commiseration
n.怜悯，同情
参考例句：
I offered him my commiseration. 我对他表示同情。 Self- commiseration brewed in her heart. 她在心里开始自叹命苦。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

20 perplexed
adj.不知所措的
参考例句：
The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。 The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

21 meditatively
adv.冥想地
参考例句：
The old man looked meditatively at the darts board. 老头儿沉思不语，看着那投镖板。 来自英汉文学 "Well,'said the foreman, scratching his ear meditatively, "we do need a stitcher. “这--"工头沉思地搔了搔耳朵。 "我们确实需要一个缝纫工。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

22 incompetence
n.不胜任，不称职
参考例句：
He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。 She felt she had been made a scapegoat for her boss's incompetence. 她觉得，本是老板无能，但她却成了替罪羊。

23 sniffing
n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说
参考例句：
We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。 They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

24 flicked
（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）
参考例句：
She flicked the dust off her collar. 她轻轻弹掉了衣领上的灰尘。 I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it. 我漫不经心地拿起一本杂志翻看着。

25 distress
n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛
参考例句：
Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。 Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

26 quiescence
n.静止
参考例句：
The Eurasian seismic belt still remained in quiescence. 亚欧带仍保持平静。 来自互联网 Only I know is that it is in quiescence, including the instant moment. 我只知道，它凝固了，包括瞬间。 来自互联网

27 skittish
adj.易激动的，轻佻的
参考例句：
She gets very skittish when her boy-friend is around.她男朋友在场时，她就显得格外轻佻。 I won't have my son associating with skittish girls.我不准我的儿子与轻佻的女孩交往。

28 lavished
v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
I lavished all the warmth of my pent-up passion. 我把憋在心里那一股热烈的情感尽量地倾吐出来。 来自辞典例句 An enormous amount of attention has been lavished on these problems. 在这些问题上，我们已经花费了大量的注意力。 来自辞典例句

29 sensuous
adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的
参考例句：
Don't get the idea that value of music is commensurate with its sensuous appeal.不要以为音乐的价值与其美的感染力相等。 The flowers that wreathed his parlor stifled him with their sensuous perfume.包围著客厅的花以其刺激人的香味使他窒息。

30 laconic
adj.简洁的；精练的
参考例句：
He sent me a laconic private message.他给我一封简要的私人函件。 This response was typical of the writer's laconic wit.这个回答反映了这位作家精练简明的特点。

31 sarcastic
adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的
参考例句：
I squashed him with a sarcastic remark.我说了一句讽刺的话把他给镇住了。 She poked fun at people's shortcomings with sarcastic remarks.她冷嘲热讽地拿别人的缺点开玩笑。

32 contrived
adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的
参考例句：
There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。 The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

33 irritation
n.激怒，恼怒，生气
参考例句：
He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。 Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。

34 epithet
n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语
参考例句：
In "Alfred the Great","the Great"is an epithet.“阿尔弗雷德大帝”中的“大帝”是个称号。 It is an epithet that sums up my feelings.这是一个简洁地表达了我思想感情的形容词。