Like a bark upon the sea,

Life is floating over death;

Above, below, encircling thee,

Danger lurks¹ in every breath.

Parted art thou from the grave

Only by a plank² most frail³;

Tossed upon the restless wave,

Sport of every fickle⁴ gale⁵.

Let the skies be e'er so clear,

And so calm and still the sea,

Shipwreck⁶ yet has he to fear

Who life's voyager will be.

RUCKERT.

The early trains for Liverpool, on Monday morning, were crowded by attorneys, attorneys' clerks, plaintiffs, defendants⁷, and witnesses, all going to the Assizes. They were a motley assembly, each with some cause for anxiety stirring at his heart; though, after all, that is saying little or nothing, for we are all of us in the same predicament through life; each with a fear and a hope from childhood and death. Among the passengers there was Mary Barton, dressed in the blue gown and obnoxious⁸ plaid shawl.

Common as railroads are now in all places as a means of transit⁹, and especially in Manchester, Mary had never been on one before; and she felt bewildered by the hurry, the noise of people, and bells, and horns; the whiz and the scream of the arriving trains.

The very journey itself seemed to her a matter of wonder. She had a back seat, and looked towards the factorychimneys, and the cloud or smoke which hovers¹⁰ over Manchester, with a feeling akin¹¹ to the "Heimweh." She was losing sight of the familiar objects of her childhood for the first time; and unpleasant as these objects are to most, she

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1 lurks
n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式）
参考例句：
Behind his cool exterior lurks a reckless and frustrated person. 在冷酷的外表背后，他是一个鲁莽又不得志的人。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Good fortune lies within Bad, Bad fortune lurks within good. 福兮祸所倚，祸兮福所伏。 来自互联网

2 plank
n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目
参考例句：
The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。 They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

3 frail
adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的
参考例句：
Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。 She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

4 fickle
adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的
参考例句：
Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.物价的波动往往是由于群众需求的不稳定而引起的。 The weather is so fickle in summer.夏日的天气如此多变。

5 gale
n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）
参考例句：
We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。 According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

6 shipwreck
n.船舶失事，海难
参考例句：
He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。 The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。

7 defendants
被告( defendant的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。 As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

8 obnoxious
adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的
参考例句：
These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.这些火炉冒出来的烟气确实很难闻。 He is the most obnoxious man I know.他是我认识的最可憎的人。

9 transit
n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过
参考例句：
His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。 The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

10 hovers
鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫
参考例句：
A hawk hovers in the sky. 一只老鹰在天空盘旋。 A hen hovers her chicks. 一只母鸡在孵小鸡。

11 akin
adj.同族的，类似的
参考例句：
She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。 Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

12 yearned
渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The people yearned for peace. 人民渴望和平。 She yearned to go back to the south. 她渴望回到南方去。

13 pathos
n.哀婉，悲怆
参考例句：
The pathos of the situation brought tears to our eyes.情况令人怜悯，看得我们不禁流泪。 There is abundant pathos in her words.她的话里富有动人哀怜的力量。

14 emigrant
adj.移居的，移民的；n.移居外国的人，移民
参考例句：
He is a British emigrant to Australia.他是个移居澳大利亚的英国人。 I always think area like this is unsuited for human beings,but it is also unpractical to emigrant in a large scale.我一直觉得，像这样的地方是不适宜人类居住的，可大规模的移民又是不现实的。

15 picturesque
adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的
参考例句：
You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。 That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

16 glided
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔
参考例句：
The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。 They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 unwilling
adj.不情愿的
参考例句：
The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。 His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

19 guardian
n.监护人；守卫者，保护者
参考例句：
The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。 The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

20 groan
vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音
参考例句：
The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。 The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

21 torpor
n.迟钝；麻木；（动物的）冬眠
参考例句：
The sick person gradually falls into a torpor.病人逐渐变得迟钝。 He fell into a deep torpor.他一下子进入了深度麻痹状态。

22 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。

23 sleepless
adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的
参考例句：
The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。 One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

24 thronged
v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Mourners thronged to the funeral. 吊唁者蜂拥着前来参加葬礼。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The department store was thronged with people. 百货商店挤满了人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

25 regain
vt.重新获得，收复，恢复
参考例句：
He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。 The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

26 contingencies
n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一
参考例句：
We must consider all possible contingencies. 我们必须考虑一切可能发生的事。 We must be prepared for all contingencies. 我们要作好各种准备，以防意外。 来自辞典例句

27 accomplice
n.从犯，帮凶，同谋
参考例句：
She was her husband's accomplice in murdering a rich old man.她是她丈夫谋杀一个老富翁的帮凶。 He is suspected as an accomplice of the murder.他涉嫌为这次凶杀案的同谋。

28 curt
adj.简短的，草率的
参考例句：
He gave me an extremely curt answer.他对我作了极为草率的答复。 He rapped out a series of curt commands.他大声发出了一连串简短的命令。

29 reprieve
n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解
参考例句：
He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。 The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

30 isle
n.小岛，岛
参考例句：
He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。 The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

31 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。

32 suppliant
adj.哀恳的；n.恳求者，哀求者
参考例句：
He asked for help in a suppliant attitude.他以恳求的态度要我帮忙。 He knelt as a suppliant at the altar.他跪在祭坛前祈祷。

33 gasped
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要
参考例句：
She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。 People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

34 distress
n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛
参考例句：
Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。 Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。