We rubber plants form the connecting link between the vegetable kingdom and the decorations of a Waldorf-Astoria scene in a Third Avenue theatre. I haven't looked up our family tree, but I believe we were raised by grafting¹ a gum overshoe on to a 30-cent table d'hote stalk of asparagus. You take a white bulldog with a Bourke Cockran air of independence about him and a rubber plant and there you have the fauna² and flora³ of a flat. What the shamrock is to Ireland the rubber plant is to the dweller⁴ in flats and furnished rooms. We get moved from one place to another so quickly that the only way we can get our picture taken is with a kinetoscope. We are the vagrant⁵ vine and the flitting fig⁶ tree. You know the proverb: "Where the rubber plant sits in the window the moving van draws up to the door."
　　We are the city equivalent to the woodbine and the honeysuckle. No other vegetable except the Pittsburg stogie can withstand as much handling as we can. When the family to which we belong moves into a flat they set us in the front window and we become lares and penates, fly-paper and the peripatetic⁷ emblem⁸ of "Home Sweet Home." We aren't as green as we look. I guess we are about what you would call the soubrettes of the conservatory⁹. You try sitting in the front window of a $40 flat in Manhattan and looking out into the street all day, and back into the flat at night, and see whether you get wise or not--hey? Talk about the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden--say! suppose there had been a rubber plant there when Eve--but I was going to tell you a story.
　　The first thing I can remember I had only three leaves and belonged to a member of the

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1 grafting
嫁接法，移植法
参考例句：
Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 Burns can often be cured by grafting on skin from another part of the same body. 烧伤常常可以用移植身体其它部位的皮肤来治愈。

2 fauna
n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系
参考例句：
This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。 Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

3 flora
n.(某一地区的)植物群
参考例句：
The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。 All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

4 dweller
n.居住者，住客
参考例句：
Both city and town dweller should pay tax.城镇居民都需要纳税。 The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort.城市居民从未经历过这种担忧。

5 vagrant
n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的
参考例句：
A vagrant is everywhere at home.流浪者四海为家。 He lived on the street as a vagrant.他以在大街上乞讨为生。

6 fig
n.无花果(树)
参考例句：
The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。 You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。

7 peripatetic
adj.漫游的，逍遥派的，巡回的
参考例句：
Her father was in the army and the family led a peripatetic existence.她父亲是军人，所以全家人随军过着一种流动的生活。 Peripatetic music teachers visit the school regularly.兼职音乐教师定期到校授课。

8 emblem
n.象征，标志；徽章
参考例句：
Her shirt has the company emblem on it.她的衬衫印有公司的标记。 The eagle was an emblem of strength and courage.鹰是力量和勇气的象征。

9 conservatory
n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的
参考例句：
At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里，他学会了怎样谱曲。 The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

10 pony
adj.小型的；n.小马
参考例句：
His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。 They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

11 automobiles
n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )
参考例句：
When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 molting
n.蜕皮v.换羽，脱毛( molt的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The old cuticle is digested by molting fluid. 旧表皮被蜕皮液消化。 来自辞典例句 Molting in insects is triggered by rising levels of a hormone called ecdysone. 昆虫的脱皮是由于称为脱皮素激素的含量升高而引起的。 来自辞典例句

13 ponies
矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑
参考例句：
They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。 She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。

14 trotted
小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。 Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

15 janitor
n.看门人，管门人
参考例句：
The janitor wiped on the windows with his rags.看门人用褴褛的衣服擦着窗户。 The janitor swept the floors and locked up the building every night.那个看门人每天晚上负责打扫大楼的地板和锁门。

16 withered
adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。 The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

17 liking
n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢
参考例句：
The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。 I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

18 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

19 flirting
v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Don't take her too seriously; she's only flirting with you. 别把她太当真，她只不过是在和你调情罢了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 'she's always flirting with that new fellow Tseng!" “她还同新来厂里那个姓曾的吊膀子！ 来自子夜部分

20 second-hand
adj.用过的，旧的，二手的
参考例句：
I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。 They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

21 cornucopia
n.象征丰收的羊角
参考例句：
The book is a cornucopia of information.书是知识的宝库。 Our cornucopia is the human mind and heart.我们富足是由于人类的智慧和热情。

22 tenement
n.公寓；房屋
参考例句：
They live in a tenement.他们住在廉价公寓里。 She felt very smug in a tenement yard like this.就是在个这样的杂院里，她觉得很得意。

23 dab
v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂
参考例句：
She returned wearing a dab of rouge on each cheekbone.她回来时，两边面颊上涂有一点淡淡的胭脂。 She gave me a dab of potatoes with my supper.她给我晚饭时，还给了一点土豆。

24 lobster
n.龙虾，龙虾肉
参考例句：
The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。 I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

25 champagne
n.香槟酒；微黄色
参考例句：
There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。 They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

26 knuckle
n.指节；vi.开始努力工作；屈服，认输
参考例句：
They refused to knuckle under to any pressure.他们拒不屈从任何压力。 You'll really have to knuckle down if you want to pass the examination.如果想通过考试，你确实应专心学习。

27 enjoyment
n.乐趣；享有；享用
参考例句：
Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。 After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

28 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

29 specimen
n.样本，标本
参考例句：
You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。 This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

30 orchid
n.兰花，淡紫色
参考例句：
The orchid is a class of plant which I have never tried to grow.兰花这类植物我从来没种过。 There are over 35 000 species of orchid distributed throughout the world.有35,000多种兰花分布在世界各地。

31 vocal
adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目
参考例句：
The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。 Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

33 bosom
n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的
参考例句：
She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。 A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

34 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。

35 pointed
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。 She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

36 sneaking
a.秘密的，不公开的
参考例句：
She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。 She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走，躲开采访者。