The man who hunts and does like it is an object of keen envy to the man who hunts and doesn’t; but he, too, has his own miseries¹, and I am not prepared to say that they are always less aggravating² than those endured by his less ambitious brother in the field. He, too, when he comes to make up his account, when he brings his hunting to book and inquires whether his whistle has been worth its price, is driven to declare that vanity and vexation of spirit have been the prevailing³ characteristics of his hunting life. On how many evenings has he returned contented⁴ with his sport? How many days has he declared to have been utterly⁵ wasted? How often have frost and snow, drought and rain, wind and sunshine, impeded⁶ his plans? for to a hunting man frost, snow, drought, rain, wind and sunshine, will all come amiss. Then, when the one run of the season comes, he is not there! He has been idle and has taken a liberty with the day; or he has followed other gods and gone with strange hounds. With sore ears and bitter heart he hears the exaggerated boastings of his comrades, and almost swears that he will have no more of it. At the end of the season he tells himself that the season’s amusement has cost him five hundred pounds; that he has had one good day, three days that were not bad, and that all the rest have been vanity and vexation of spirit. After all, it may be a question whether the man who hunts and doesn’t like it does not have the best of it.

When we consider what is endured by the hunting man the wonder is that any man should like it. In the old days of Squire⁷ Western, and in the old days too since the time of Squire Western, the old days of thirty years since, the hunting man had his hunting near to him. He was a country gentleman who considered himself to be energetic if he went out twice a week, and in doing this he rarely left his house earlier for that purpose than he would leave it for others. At certain periods of the year he would, perhaps, be out before dawn; but then the general habits of his life conduced to early rising; and his distances were short. If he kept a couple of horses for the purpose he was well mounted, and these horses were available for other uses. He rode out and home, jogging slowly along the roads, and was a

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1 miseries
n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人
参考例句：
They forgot all their fears and all their miseries in an instant. 他们马上忘记了一切恐惧和痛苦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 I'm suffering the miseries of unemployment. 我正为失业而痛苦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 aggravating
adj.恼人的，讨厌的
参考例句：
How aggravating to be interrupted! 被打扰，多令人生气呀！ Diesel exhaust is particularly aggravating to many susceptible individuals. 许多体质敏感的人尤其反感柴油废气。

3 prevailing
adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的
参考例句：
She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。 This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

4 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。

5 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。

6 impeded
阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Work on the building was impeded by severe weather. 楼房的施工因天气恶劣而停了下来。 He was impeded in his work. 他的工作受阻。

7 squire
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅
参考例句：
I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。 The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

8 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。

9 miserably
adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地
参考例句：
The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。 It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 purgatory
n.炼狱；苦难；adj.净化的，清洗的
参考例句：
Every step of the last three miles was purgatory.最后3英里时每一步都像是受罪。 Marriage,with peace,is this world's paradise;with strife,this world's purgatory.和谐的婚姻是尘世的乐园，不和谐的婚姻则是人生的炼狱。

11 nay
adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者
参考例句：
He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。 Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

12 groom
vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁
参考例句：
His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。 George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

13 ruffle
v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边
参考例句：
Don't ruffle my hair.I've just combed it.别把我的头发弄乱了。我刚刚梳好了的。 You shouldn't ruffle so easily.你不该那么容易发脾气。

14 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。

15 pint
n.品脱
参考例句：
I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。 In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

16 persevere
v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠
参考例句：
They are determined to persevere in the fight.他们决心坚持战斗。 It is strength of character enabled him to persevere.他那坚强的性格使他能够坚持不懈。

17 melancholy
n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的
参考例句：
All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。 He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

18 impatience
n.不耐烦，急躁
参考例句：
He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。 He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

19 thaw
v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和
参考例句：
The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。 The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

20 trot
n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧
参考例句：
They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。 The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

21 covert
adj.隐藏的；暗地里的
参考例句：
We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。 The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

22 implores
恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Every movie we see, every story we are told implores us to wait for it. 我们看的每一部电影，听的每一个故事都恳求着我们驻足等待。 Every movie we see, every story we're told implores is to wait for it. 我们看的每场电影，听过的每个故事都告诉我们要耐心等待。

23 surmise
v./n.猜想，推测
参考例句：
It turned out that my surmise was correct.结果表明我的推测没有错。 I surmise that he will take the job.我推测他会接受这份工作。

24 erect
n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的
参考例句：
She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。 Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

25 softened
（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰
参考例句：
His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。 The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

26 boughs
大树枝( bough的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The green boughs glittered with all their pearls of dew. 绿枝上闪烁着露珠的光彩。 A breeze sighed in the higher boughs. 微风在高高的树枝上叹息着。

27 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。

28 luncheon
n.午宴，午餐，便宴
参考例句：
We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。 I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

29 flask
n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱
参考例句：
There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。 He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

30 persevered
v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She persevered with her violin lessons. 她孜孜不倦地学习小提琴。 Hard as the conditions were, he persevered in his studies. 虽然条件艰苦，但他仍坚持学习。 来自辞典例句

31 catching
adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住
参考例句：
There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。 Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

32 implicitly
adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地
参考例句：
Many verbs and many words of other kinds are implicitly causal. 许多动词和许多其他类词都蕴涵着因果关系。 I can trust Mr. Somerville implicitly, I suppose? 我想，我可以毫无保留地信任萨莫维尔先生吧？

33 perseveres
v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Although he is in poor health, he still perseveres in his studies. 尽管他身体不好，他仍孜孜不倦地学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》 This astounding cell will continue multiplying, reticulating as long as life perseveres. 只要生命延续，这种令人惊叹的细胞就会继续繁衍、交织变幻。 来自互联网

34 followers
追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件
参考例句：
the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者 The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

35 sniffs
v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的第三人称单数 )；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：
When a dog smells food, he usually sniffs. 狗闻到食物时常吸鼻子。 来自辞典例句 I-It's a difficult time [ Sniffs ] with my husband. 最近[哭泣]和我丈夫出了点问题。 来自电影对白

36 gallant
adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的
参考例句：
Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。 These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

37 nag
v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人
参考例句：
Nobody likes to work with a nag.谁也不愿与好唠叨的人一起共事。 Don't nag me like an old woman.别像个老太婆似的唠唠叨叨烦我。

38 triumphant
adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的
参考例句：
The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。 There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。