All dinner-time Rose felt that she was going to be talked about,and afterward¹ she was sure of it, for Aunt Plenty whispered to heras they went into the parlour"Run up and sit awhile with Sister Peace, my dear. She likes tohave you read while she rests, and we are going to be busy."Rose obeyed, and the quiet rooms above were so like a church thatshe soon composed her ruffled³ feelings, and was unconsciously alittle minister of happiness to the sweet old lady, who for years hadsat there patiently waiting to be set free from pain.

　　Rose knew the sad romance of her life, and it gave a certain tendercharm to this great-aunt of hers, whom she already loved. WhenPeace was twenty, she was about to be married; all was done, thewedding dress lay ready, the flowers were waiting to be put on, thehappy hour at hand, when word came that the lover was dead.

　　They thought that gentle Peace would die, too; but she bore itbravely, put away her bridal gear, took up her life afresh, and livedon a beautiful, meek⁴ woman, with hair as white as snow andcheeks that never bloomed again. She wore no black, but soft, palecolours, as if always ready for the marriage that had never come.

　　For thirty years she had lived on, fading slowly, but cheerful, busy,and full of interest in all that went on in the family; especially thejoys and sorrows of the young girls growing up about her, and tothem she was adviser⁵, confidante, and friend in all their tendertrials and delights. A truly beautiful old maiden⁶, with her silveryhair, tranquil⁷ face, and an atmosphere of repose⁸ about her thatsoothed whoever came to her!

　　Aunt Plenty was utterly⁹ dissimilar, being a stout¹⁰, brisk old lady,with a sharp eye, a lively tongue, and a face like a winter-apple.

点击收听单词发音  

1 afterward
adv.后来；以后
参考例句：
Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。 Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

2 ward
n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开
参考例句：
The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。 During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

3 ruffled
adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
She ruffled his hair affectionately. 她情意绵绵地拨弄着他的头发。 All this talk of a strike has clearly ruffled the management's feathers. 所有这些关于罢工的闲言碎语显然让管理层很不高兴。

4 meek
adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的
参考例句：
He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。 The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。

5 adviser
n.劝告者，顾问
参考例句：
They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。 Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

6 maiden
n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的
参考例句：
The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。 The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

7 tranquil
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的
参考例句：
The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。 The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

8 repose
v.(使)休息；n.安息
参考例句：
Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。 Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

9 utterly
adv.完全地，绝对地
参考例句：
Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。 I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

11 trotting
小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。 Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳，小马开始慢跑起来。

12 bustling
adj.喧闹的
参考例句：
The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。 This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

13 psalms
n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的)
参考例句：
the Book of Psalms 《〈圣经〉诗篇》 A verse from Psalms knifed into Pug's mind: "put not your trust in princes." 《诗篇》里有一句话闪过帕格的脑海：“不要相信王侯。” 来自辞典例句

14 doze
v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐
参考例句：
He likes to have a doze after lunch.他喜欢午饭后打个盹。 While the adults doze,the young play.大人们在打瞌睡，而孩子们在玩耍。

15 solitary
adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士
参考例句：
I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。 The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

16 commotion
n.骚动，动乱
参考例句：
They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。 Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

17 bristled
adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
They bristled at his denigrating description of their activities. 听到他在污蔑他们的活动，他们都怒发冲冠。 All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。

18 severely
adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地
参考例句：
He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。 He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

19 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。

20 belle
n.靓女
参考例句：
She was the belle of her Sunday School class.在主日学校她是她们班的班花。 She was the belle of the ball.她是那个舞会中的美女。

21 funereal
adj.悲哀的；送葬的
参考例句：
He addressed the group in funereal tones.他语气沉痛地对大家讲话。 The mood of the music was almost funereal.音乐的调子几乎像哀乐。

22 bonnet
n.无边女帽；童帽
参考例句：
The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光，使之不刺眼。 She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽，帽上缀着褪了色的假花。

23 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。

24 chronic
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的
参考例句：
Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。 Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

25 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。

26 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

27 goodwill
n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉
参考例句：
His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。 We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

28 entrust
v.信赖，信托，交托
参考例句：
I couldn't entrust my children to strangers.我不能把孩子交给陌生人照看。 They can be entrusted to solve major national problems.可以委托他们解决重大国家问题。

29 imp
n.顽童
参考例句：
What a little imp you are!你这个淘气包！ There's a little imp always running with him.他总有一个小鬼跟着。

30 undertaking
n.保证，许诺，事业
参考例句：
He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。 He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

31 fret
v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损
参考例句：
Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。 She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

32 untold
adj.数不清的，无数的
参考例句：
She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。 They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

33 slumber
n.睡眠，沉睡状态
参考例句：
All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。 Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

34 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。

35 tickled
（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐
参考例句：
We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。 I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。

36 hectic
adj.肺病的；消耗热的；发热的；闹哄哄的
参考例句：
I spent a very hectic Sunday.我度过了一个忙乱的星期天。 The two days we spent there were enjoyable but hectic.我们在那里度过的两天愉快但闹哄哄的。

37 invaluable
adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的
参考例句：
A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。 This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

38 frivolous
adj.轻薄的；轻率的
参考例句：
This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。 He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

39 martyr
n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲
参考例句：
The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。 The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

40 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。

41 indigo
n.靛青，靛蓝
参考例句：
The sky was indigo blue,and a great many stars were shining.天空一片深蓝，闪烁着点点繁星。 He slipped into an indigo tank.他滑落到蓝靛桶中。

42 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。

43 prettily
adv.优美地；可爱地
参考例句：
It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back.此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 She pouted prettily at him.她冲他撅着嘴，样子很可爱。

44 embroidered
adj．绣花的
参考例句：
She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。 She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

45 quaint
adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的
参考例句：
There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。 They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

46 beguile
vt.欺骗，消遣
参考例句：
They are playing cards to beguile the time.他们在打牌以消磨时间。 He used his newspapers to beguile the readers into buying shares in his company.他利用他的报纸诱骗读者买他公司的股票。

47 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。

48 prescriptions
药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划
参考例句：
The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。 Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。

49 attentive
adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的
参考例句：
She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。 The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

50 soothing
adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的
参考例句：
Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。 His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

51 virtue
n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力
参考例句：
He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。 You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

52 hemp
n.大麻；纤维
参考例句：
The early Chinese built suspension bridges of hemp rope.古代的中国人建造过麻绳悬索桥。 The blanket was woven from hemp and embroidered with wool.毯子是由亚麻编织，羊毛镶边的。

53 hearty
adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的
参考例句：
After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。 We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。