The British public who do not hunt believe too much in the jumping of those who do. It is thought by many among the laity¹ that the hunting man is always in the air, making clear flights over five-barred gates, six-foot walls, and double posts and rails, at none of which would the average hunting man any more think of riding than he would at a small house. We used to hear much of the Galway Blazers, and it was supposed that in County Galway a stiff-built wall six feet high was the sort of thing that you customarily met from field to field when hunting in that comfortable county. Such little impediments were the ordinary food of a real Blazer, who was supposed to add another foot of stonework and a sod of turf when desirous of making himself conspicuous² in his moments of splendid ambition. Twenty years ago I rode in Galway now and then, and I found the six-foot walls all shorn of their glory, and that men whose necks were of any value were very anxious to have some preliminary knowledge of the nature of the fabric³, whether for instance it might be solid or built of loose stones, before they trusted themselves to an encounter with a wall of four feet and a half. And here, in England, history, that nursing mother of fiction, has given hunting men honours which they here never fairly earned. The traditional five-barred gate is, as a rule, used by hunting men as it was intended to be used by the world at large; that is to say, they open it; and the double posts and rails which look so very pretty in the sporting pictures, are thought to be very ugly things whenever an idea of riding at them presents itself. It is well that mothers should know, mothers full of fear for their boys who are beginning, that the necessary jumping of the hunting field is not after all of so very tremendous a nature; and it may be well also to explain to them and to others that many men hunt with great satisfaction to themselves who never by any chance commit themselves to the peril⁴ of a jump, either big or little.

And there is much excellent good sense in the mode of riding adopted by such gentlemen. Some men ride for hunting, some for jumping, and some for exercise; some, no doubt, for all three of these things. Given a man with a desire for the latter, no taste for the second, and some partiality for the first, and he cannot do better than ride in the manner I am describing. He may be sure that he will not find himself alone; and he may be sure also that he will

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1 laity
n.俗人；门外汉
参考例句：
The Church and the laity were increasingly active in charity work.教会与俗众越来越积极参与慈善工作。 Clergy and laity alike are divided in their views.神职人员和信众同样都观点各异。

2 conspicuous
adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的
参考例句：
It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显，抽烟对健康有害。 Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。

3 fabric
n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织
参考例句：
The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。 I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

4 peril
n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物
参考例句：
The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。 The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

5 incur
vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇
参考例句：
Any costs that you incur will be reimbursed in full.你的所有花费都将全额付还。 An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business.一个企业为了维持营业,就不得不承担一定的费用和开支。

6 ridicule
v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄
参考例句：
You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。 Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

7 deliberately
adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地
参考例句：
The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。 They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

8 spurt
v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆
参考例句：
He put in a spurt at the beginning of the eighth lap.他进入第八圈时便开始冲刺。 After a silence, Molly let her anger spurt out.沉默了一会儿，莫莉的怒气便迸发了出来。

9 tempted
v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）
参考例句：
I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。 I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

10 ass
n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人
参考例句：
He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。 An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

11 incapable
adj.无能力的，不能做某事的
参考例句：
He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。 Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

12 positively
adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实
参考例句：
She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。 The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

13 detrimental
adj.损害的，造成伤害的
参考例句：
We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。 He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。

14 agonizing
adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)
参考例句：
I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。 his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死

15 temerity
n.鲁莽，冒失
参考例句：
He had the temerity to ask for higher wages after only a day's work.只工作了一天，他就蛮不讲理地要求增加工资。 Tins took some temerity,but it was fruitless.这件事做得有点莽撞，但结果还是无用。

16 audacity
n.大胆，卤莽，无礼
参考例句：
He had the audacity to ask for an increase in salary.他竟然厚着脸皮要求增加薪水。 He had the audacity to pick pockets in broad daylight.他竟敢在光天化日之下掏包。

17 entrapped
v.使陷入圈套，使入陷阱( entrap的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He was entrapped into undertaking the work. 他受骗而担任那工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He felt he had been entrapped into marrying her. 他觉得和她结婚是上了当。 来自辞典例句

18 speck
n.微粒，小污点，小斑点
参考例句：
I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。 The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗，一星星云彩也没有。

19 persistent
adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的
参考例句：
Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。 She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

20 specially
adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地
参考例句：
They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。 The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

21 deviations
背离，偏离( deviation的名词复数 )； 离经叛道的行为
参考例句：
Local deviations depend strongly on the local geometry of the solid matrix. 局部偏离严格地依赖于固体矩阵的局部几何形状。 They were a series of tactical day-to-day deviations from White House policy. 它们是一系列策略上一天天摆脱白宫政策的偏向。

22 peculiar
adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的
参考例句：
He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。 He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

23 surmising
v.臆测，推断( surmise的现在分词 )；揣测；猜想
参考例句：
Fanny's heart beat quick, and she felt quite unequal to surmising or soliciting any more. 范妮的心跳得快了起来，她不敢猜测她往下讲些什么，也不敢求她再往下讲。 来自辞典例句

24 conversant
adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的
参考例句：
Mr.Taylor is thoroughly conversant with modern music.泰勒先生对现代音乐很精通。 We become the most conversant stranger in the world.我们变成了世界上最熟悉的陌生人。

25 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。

26 marvel
vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事
参考例句：
The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。 The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

27 trots
小跑，急走( trot的名词复数 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
A horse that trots, especially one trained for harness racing. 训练用于快跑特别是套轭具赛跑的马。 He always trots out the same old excuses for being late. 他每次迟到总是重复那一套藉口。

28 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。

29 gallop
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展
参考例句：
They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。 The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

30 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。

31 sarcasm
n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）
参考例句：
His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。 She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

32 brook
n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让
参考例句：
In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。 The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

33 thoroughly
adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地
参考例句：
The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。 The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

34 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。

35 whoop
n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息
参考例句：
He gave a whoop of joy when he saw his new bicycle.他看到自己的新自行车时，高兴得叫了起来。 Everybody is planning to whoop it up this weekend.大家都打算在这个周末好好欢闹一番。

36 sardonic
adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的
参考例句：
She gave him a sardonic smile.她朝他讥讽地笑了一笑。 There was a sardonic expression on her face.她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。

37 valiant
adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人
参考例句：
He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。 Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。

38 trumpet
n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘
参考例句：
He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。 The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

39 benevolent
adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的
参考例句：
His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人，连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。

40 herald
vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎
参考例句：
In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。 Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

41 esteemed
adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为
参考例句：
The art of conversation is highly esteemed in France. 在法国十分尊重谈话技巧。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He esteemed that he understood what I had said. 他认为已经听懂我说的意思了。 来自《简明英汉词典》