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I
Old Jerome Warren lived in a hundred-thousand-dollar house at 35 East Fifty-Soforth Street. He was a down-town broker2, so rich that he could afford to walk--for his health--a few blocks in the direction of his office every morning, and then call a cab.
He had an adopted son, the son of an old friend named Gilbert--Cyril Scott could play him nicely--who was becoming a successful painter as fast as he could squeeze the paint out of his tubes. Another member of the household was Barbara Ross, a stepniece. Man is born to trouble; so, as old Jerome had no family of his own, he took up the burdens of others.
Gilbert and Barbara got along swimmingly. There was a tacit and tactical understanding all round that the two would stand up under a floral bell some high noon, and promise the minister to keep old Jerome's money in a state of high commotion3. But at this point complications must be introduced.
Thirty years before, when old Jerome was young Jerome, there was a brother of his named Dick. Dick went West to seek his or somebody else's fortune. Nothing was heard of him until one day old Jerome had a letter from his brother. It was badly written on ruled paper that smelled of salt bacon and coffee-grounds. The writing was asthmatic and the spelling St. Vitusy.
It appeared that instead of Dick having forced Fortune to stand and deliver, he had been held up himself, and made to give hostages to the enemy. That is, as his letter disclosed, he was on the point of pegging4 out with a complication of disorders5 that even whiskey had failed to check. All that his thirty years of prospecting6 had netted him was one daughter, nineteen years old, as per invoice7, whom he was shipping8 East, charges prepaid, for Jerome to clothe, feed, educate, comfort, and cherish for the rest of her natural life or until matrimony should them part.
Old Jerome was a board-walk. Everybody knows that the world is supported by the shoulders of
收听单词发音
1
forth
adv.向前;向外,往外
2
broker
n.中间人,经纪人;v.作为中间人来安排
3
commotion
n.骚动,动乱
4
pegging
n.外汇钉住,固定证券价格v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的现在分词 );使固定在某水平
5
disorders
n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 );凌乱;骚乱;(身心、机能)失调
6
prospecting
n.探矿
7
invoice
vt.开发票;n.发票,装货清单
8
shipping
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船)
9
atlas
n.地图册,图表集
10
immortality
n.不死,不朽
11
accrue
v.(利息等)增大,增多
12
wholesomely
卫生地,有益健康地
13
frankly
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
14
intrude
vi.闯入;侵入;打扰,侵扰
15
wrest
n.扭,拧,猛夺;v.夺取,猛扭,歪曲
16
assay
n.试验,测定
17
fig
n.无花果(树)
18
pal
n.朋友,伙伴,同志;vi.结为友
19
perused
v.读(某篇文字)( peruse的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指)细阅;审阅;匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览(某篇文字)
20
gilt
adj.镀金的;n.金边证券
21
automobile
n.汽车,机动车
22
criticise
v.批评,评论;非难
23
stationery
n.文具;(配套的)信笺信封
24
candid
adj.公正的,正直的;坦率的
25
demurely
adv.装成端庄地,认真地
26
entirely
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
27
extricating
v.使摆脱困难,脱身( extricate的现在分词 )
28
divers
adj.不同的;种种的
29
cloisters
n.(学院、修道院、教堂等建筑的)走廊( cloister的名词复数 );回廊;修道院的生活;隐居v.隐退,使与世隔绝( cloister的第三人称单数 )
30
parlors
客厅( parlor的名词复数 ); 起居室; (旅馆中的)休息室; (通常用来构成合成词)店
31
stunning
adj.极好的;使人晕倒的
32
ingenuous
adj.纯朴的,单纯的;天真的;坦率的
33
nervously
adv.神情激动地,不安地
34
flakes
小薄片( flake的名词复数 ); (尤指)碎片; 雪花; 古怪的人
35
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
36
sapphire
n.青玉,蓝宝石;adj.天蓝色的
37
babbled
v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 );作潺潺声(如流水);含糊不清地说话;泄漏秘密
38
subsided
v.(土地)下陷(因在地下采矿)( subside的过去式和过去分词 );减弱;下降至较低或正常水平;一下子坐在椅子等上
39
testimony
n.证词;见证,证明
40
tugging
n.牵引感v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的现在分词 )
41
feline
adj.猫科的
42
jealousy
n.妒忌,嫉妒,猜忌
43
slit
n.狭长的切口;裂缝;vt.切开,撕裂
44
steadfastness
n.坚定,稳当
45
penetrates
v.穿过( penetrate的第三人称单数 );刺入;了解;渗透
46
sifts
v.筛( sift的第三人称单数 );筛滤;细查;详审
47
sophistry
n.诡辩
48
sardonically
adv.讽刺地,冷嘲地
49
eyebrow
n.眉毛,眉
50
flirting
v.调情,打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 )
51
tunic
n.束腰外衣
52
tonic
n./adj.滋补品,补药,强身的,健体的
53
pane
n.窗格玻璃,长方块
54
embarrassment
n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫
55
awfully
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地
56
sullen
adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的
57
besieged
包围,围困,围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )
58
gulls
n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 )
59
foaming
adj.布满泡沫的;发泡
60
jocund
adj.快乐的,高兴的
61
perilous
adj.危险的,冒险的
62
plunged
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降
63
ragged
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的
64
congealed
v.使凝结,冻结( congeal的过去式和过去分词 );(指血)凝结
65
vapors
n.水汽,水蒸气,无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 );自夸者;幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁(症)v.自夸,(使)蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 )
66
ashen
adj.灰的
67
tints
色彩( tint的名词复数 ); 带白的颜色; (淡色)染发剂; 痕迹
68
rib
n.肋骨,肋状物
69
wiles
n.(旨在欺骗或吸引人的)诡计,花招;欺骗,欺诈( wile的名词复数 )
70
eastward
adv.向东;adj.向东的;n.东方,东部
71
zigzag
n.曲折,之字形;adj.曲折的,锯齿形的;adv.曲折地,成锯齿形地;vt.使曲折;vi.曲折前行
72
gracefully
ad.大大方方地;优美地
73
loomed
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
74
landmark
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
75
sketching
n.草图
76
afterward
adv.后来;以后
77
irrelevantly
adv.不恰当地,不合适地;不相关地
78
grit
n.沙粒,决心,勇气;v.下定决心,咬紧牙关
79
jack
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
80
opposition
n.反对,敌对
81
pensive
a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的
82
schooling
n.教育;正规学校教育
83
somnolent
adj.想睡的,催眠的;adv.瞌睡地;昏昏欲睡地;使人瞌睡地