Sunnington was the next stage in Maurice's career.

He traversed it without attracting attention. He was not good at work, though better than he pretended, nor colos-sally good at games. If people noticed him they liked him, for he had a bright friendly face and responded to attention; but there were so many boys of his type—they formed the back-bone of the school and we cannot notice each vertebra. He did the usual things—was kept in, once caned¹, rose from form to form on the classical side till he clung precariously² to the sixth, and he became a house prefect, and later a school prefect and member of the first fifteen. Though clumsy, he had strength and physical pluck: at cricket he did not do so well. Having been bullied³ as a new boy, he bullied others when they seemed un-happy or weak, not because he was cruel but because it was the proper thing to do. In a word, he was a mediocre⁴ member of a mediocre school, and left a faint and favourable⁵ impression be-hind. "Hall? Wait a minute, which was Hall? Oh yes, I remem-ber; clean run enough."

Beneath it all, he was bewildered. He had lost the precocious⁶ clearness of the child which transfigures and explains the uni-verse, offering answers of miraculous⁷ insight and beauty. "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings . . ." But not out of the mouth of the boy of sixteen. Maurice forgot he had ever been sexless, and only realized in maturity⁸ how just and clear the

sensations of his earliest days must have been. He sank far below them now, for he was descending⁹ the Valley of the Shadow of Life. It lies between the lesser

点击收听单词发音  

1 caned
vt.用苔杖打（cane的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
The gaoler caned the man. 狱卒用藤条鞭打这个人。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I have caned my son when necessary. 必要时，我就用藤条打儿子一顿。 来自辞典例句

2 precariously
adv.不安全地；危险地；碰机会地；不稳定地
参考例句：
The hotel was perched precariously on a steep hillside. 旅馆危险地坐落在陡峭的山坡上。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The phone was perched precariously on the window ledge. 电话放在窗台上，摇摇欲坠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 bullied
adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。 The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 mediocre
adj.平常的，普通的
参考例句：
The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。 Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。

5 favourable
adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的
参考例句：
The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。 We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。

6 precocious
adj.早熟的；较早显出的
参考例句：
They become precocious experts in tragedy.他们成了一批思想早熟、善写悲剧的能手。 Margaret was always a precocious child.玛格丽特一直是个早熟的孩子。

7 miraculous
adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的
参考例句：
The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。 They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。

8 maturity
n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期
参考例句：
These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。 This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

9 descending
n. 下行 adj. 下降的
参考例句：
The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。 The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

10 lesser
adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地
参考例句：
Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。 She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

11 brutal
adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的
参考例句：
She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。 They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

12 yearning
a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的
参考例句：
a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往 He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。

13 longing
n.（for）渴望
参考例句：
Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。 His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

14 misery
n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦
参考例句：
Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。 He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

15 descended
a.为...后裔的，出身于...的
参考例句：
A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。 The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

16 filthy
adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的
参考例句：
The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。 You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

17 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。

18 martial
adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的
参考例句：
The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。 The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

19 fatigue
n.疲劳，劳累
参考例句：
The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。 I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

20 infinitely
adv.无限地，无穷地
参考例句：
There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。 The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

21 admiration
n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕
参考例句：
He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。 We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

22 adoration
n.爱慕，崇拜
参考例句：
He gazed at her with pure adoration.他一往情深地注视着她。 The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。

23 mutual
adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的
参考例句：
We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。 Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

24 chaos
n.混乱，无秩序
参考例句：
After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。 The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。