Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved.

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

It is easy to find fault, if one has that disposition¹. There was once a man who, not being able to find any other fault with his coal, complained that there were too many prehistoric² toads³ in it.

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

Tom flung himself on the sofa, and put his throbbing⁴ head in his hands, and rested his elbows on his knees. He rocked himself back and forth⁵ and moaned.

"I've knelt to a nigger wench!" he muttered. "I thought I had struck the deepest depths of degradation⁶ before, but oh, dear, it was nothing to this. . . . Well, there is one consolation⁷, such as it is--I've struck bottom this time; there's nothing lower."

But that was a hasty conclusion.

At ten that night he climbed the ladder in the haunted house, pale, weak, and wretched. Roxy was standing⁸ in the door of one of the rooms, waiting, for she had heard him.

This was a two-story log house which had acquired the reputation a few years ago of being haunted, and that was the end of its usefulness. Nobody would live in it afterward⁹, or go near it by night, and most people even gave it a wide berth¹⁰ in the daytime. As it had no competition, it was called _the_ haunted house. It was getting crazy and ruinous now, from long neglect. It stood three hundred yards beyond Pudd'nhead Wilson's house, with nothing between but

点击收听单词发音  

1 disposition
n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署
参考例句：
He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。 He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

2 prehistoric
adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的
参考例句：
They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。 It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

3 toads
n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 )
参考例句：
All toads blink when they swallow. 所有的癞蛤蟆吞食东西时都会眨眼皮。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Toads have shorter legs and are generally more clumsy than frogs. 蟾蜍比青蛙脚短，一般说来没有青蛙灵活。 来自辞典例句

4 throbbing
a. 跳动的,悸动的
参考例句：
My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动，身子在不住颤抖。 There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。

5 forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。 He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

6 degradation
n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变
参考例句：
There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。 Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。

7 consolation
n.安慰，慰问
参考例句：
The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。 This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

8 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。

9 afterward
adv.后来；以后
参考例句：
Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。 Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

10 berth
n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊
参考例句：
She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。 They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。

11 vacancy
n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺
参考例句：
Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。 The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

12 freckling
n.斑点v.雀斑，斑点( freckle的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The first sign of potassium deficiency is a white speckling or freckling of the leaf blades. 缺钾的最初病症是叶片呈现白色斑痕或斑点。 来自辞典例句

13 scattered
adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的
参考例句：
Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

14 bout
n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛
参考例句：
I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。 That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

15 den
n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室
参考例句：
There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。 The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

16 kin
n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的
参考例句：
He comes of good kin.他出身好。 She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

17 miserable
adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的
参考例句：
It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。 Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

18 chambers
n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅
参考例句：
The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

19 fretted
焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的
参考例句：
The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学 The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。

20 chafed
v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒
参考例句：
Her wrists chafed where the rope had been. 她的手腕上绳子勒过的地方都磨红了。 She chafed her cold hands. 她揉搓冰冷的双手使之暖和。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

21 wailed
v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

22 groaned
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦
参考例句：
He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。 The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 dealing
n.经商方法，待人态度
参考例句：
This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。 His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

24 victorious
adj.胜利的，得胜的
参考例句：
We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。 The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

25 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。

26 shuddered
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动
参考例句：
He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 confession
n.自白，供认，承认
参考例句：
Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。 The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

28 sobbing
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句：
I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。 Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

29 persuasive
adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的
参考例句：
His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。 The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。