Rose sat all alone in the big best parlor¹, with her littlehandkerchief laid ready to catch the first tear, for she was thinkingof her troubles, and a shower was expected. She had retired² to thisroom as a good place in which to be miserable³; for it was dark andstill, full of ancient furniture, sombre curtains, and hung all aroundwith portraits of solemn old gentlemen in wigs⁴, severe-nosedladies in top-heavy caps, and staring children in little bob-tailedcoats or short-waisted frocks. It was an excellent place for woe⁵;and the fitful spring rain that pattered on the window-pane seemedto sob⁶, "Cry away: I'm with you."Rose really did have some cause to be sad; for she had no mother,and had lately lost her father also, which left her no home but thiswith her great-aunts. She had been with them only a week, and,though the dear old ladies had tried their best to make her happy,they had not succeeded very well, for she was unlike any child theyhad ever seen, and they felt very much as if they had the care of alow-spirited butterfly.

　　They had given her the freedom of the house, and for a day or twoshe had amused herself roaming all over it, for it was a capital oldmansion, and was full of all manner of odd nooks, charmingrooms, and mysterious passages. Windows broke out inunexpected places, little balconies overhung the garden mostromantically, and there was a long upper hall full of curiositiesfrom all parts of the world; for the Campbells had beensea-captains for generations.

　　Aunt Plenty had even allowed Rose to rummage⁷ in her great chinacloset a spicy⁸ retreat, rich in all the "goodies" that children love;but Rose seemed to care little for these toothsome temptations;and when that hope failed, Aunt Plenty gave up in despair.

　　Gentle Aunt Peace had tried all sorts of pretty needle-work, andplanned a doll's wardrobe that would have won the heart of evenan older child. But Rose took little interest in pink satin hats andtiny hose, though she sewed dutifully till her aunt caught herwiping tears away with the train of a wedding-dress, and thatdiscovery put an end to the sewing society.

点击收听单词发音  

1 parlor
n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅
参考例句：
She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。 Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

2 retired
adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的
参考例句：
The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。 Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 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。

4 wigs
n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 )
参考例句：
They say that wigs will be coming in again this year. 据说今年又要流行戴假发了。 来自辞典例句 Frank, we needed more wigs than we thought, and we have to do some advertising. 弗兰克，因为我们需要更多的假发，而且我们还要做点广告。 来自电影对白

5 woe
n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌
参考例句：
Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。 A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸，自认福是福。

6 sob
n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣
参考例句：
The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。 The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

7 rummage
v./n.翻寻，仔细检查
参考例句：
He had a good rummage inside the sofa.他把沙发内部彻底搜寻了一翻。 The old lady began to rummage in her pocket for her spectacles.老太太开始在口袋里摸索，找她的眼镜。

8 spicy
adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的
参考例句：
The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。 Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

9 squeak
n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密
参考例句：
I don't want to hear another squeak out of you!我不想再听到你出声！ We won the game,but it was a narrow squeak.我们打赢了这场球赛，不过是侥幸取胜。

10 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。

11 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。

12 prick
v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛
参考例句：
He felt a sharp prick when he stepped on an upturned nail.当他踩在一个尖朝上的钉子上时，他感到剧烈的疼痛。 He burst the balloon with a prick of the pin.他用针一戳，气球就爆了。

13 chirp
v.(尤指鸟)唧唧喳喳的叫
参考例句：
The birds chirp merrily at the top of tree.鸟儿在枝头欢快地啾啾鸣唱。 The sparrows chirp outside the window every morning.麻雀每天清晨在窗外嘁嘁喳喳地叫。

14 everlastingly
永久地，持久地
参考例句：
Why didn't he hold the Yankees instead of everlastingly retreating? 他为什么不将北军挡住，反而节节败退呢？ "I'm tired of everlastingly being unnatural and never doing anything I want to do. "我再也忍受不了这样无休止地的勉强自己，永远不能赁自己高兴做事。

15 apron
n.围裙；工作裙
参考例句：
We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。 She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

16 hearth
n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面
参考例句：
She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。 She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

17 stranded
a.搁浅的，进退两难的
参考例句：
He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。 I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

18 perch
n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于
参考例句：
The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。 Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

19 dabs
少许( dab的名词复数 )； 是…能手； 做某事很在行； 在某方面技术熟练
参考例句：
Each of us had two dabs of butter. 我们每人吃了两小块黄油。 He made a few dabs at the fence with the paint but didn't really paint it. 他用颜料轻刷栅栏，但一点也没刷上。

20 wringing
淋湿的，湿透的
参考例句：
He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。 He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。

21 velvet
n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的
参考例句：
This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。 The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

22 guardian
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。

23 mite
n.极小的东西；小铜币
参考例句：
The poor mite was so ill.可怜的孩子病得这么重。 He is a mite taller than I.他比我高一点点。

24 liking
n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢
参考例句：
The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。 I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

25 schooling
n.教育；正规学校教育
参考例句：
A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。 Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

26 sobbing
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句：
I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。 Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

27 rattling
adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词
参考例句：
This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。 At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

28 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。

29 contented
adj.满意的，安心的，知足的
参考例句：
He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。 The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

30 compassion
n.同情，怜悯
参考例句：
He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。 Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

31 afflicted
使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。 A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

32 atone
v.赎罪，补偿
参考例句：
He promised to atone for his crime.他承诺要赎自己的罪。 Blood must atone for blood.血债要用血来还。

33 dread
vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧
参考例句：
We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。 Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

34 detest
vt.痛恨，憎恶
参考例句：
I detest people who tell lies.我恨说谎的人。 The workers detest his overbearing manner.工人们很讨厌他那盛气凌人的态度。

35 invalid
n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的
参考例句：
He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。 A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

36 wrung
绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水）
参考例句：
He has wrung the words from their true meaning. 他曲解这些字的真正意义。 He wrung my hand warmly. 他热情地紧握我的手。

37 detested
v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
They detested each other on sight. 他们互相看着就不顺眼。 The freethinker hated the formalist; the lover of liberty detested the disciplinarian. 自由思想者总是不喜欢拘泥形式者，爱好自由者总是憎恶清规戒律者。 来自辞典例句

38 ponies
矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑
参考例句：
They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。 She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。

39 groaning
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式
参考例句：
She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。 The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着，无人救助。

40 growled
v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说
参考例句：
\"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》 He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》