I was born at Rivermouth, but, before I had a chance to become very well acquainted with that pretty New England town, my parents removed to New Orleans, where my father invested his money so securely in the banking¹ business that he was never able to get any of it out again. But of this hereafter.

   I was only eighteen months old at the time of the removal, and it didn't make much difference to me where I was, because I was so small; but several years later, when my father proposed to take me North to be educated, I had my own peculiar² views on the subject. I instantly kicked over the little Negro boy who happened to be standing³ by me at the moment, and, stamping my foot violently on the floor of the piazza⁴, declared that I would not be taken away to live among a lot of Yankees!

   You see I was what is called "a Northern man with Southern principles." I had no recollection of New England: my earliest memories were connected with the South, with Aunt Chloe, my old Negro nurse, and with the great ill-kept garden in the centre of which stood our house -- a whitewashed⁵ stone house it was, with wide verandas⁶ -- shut out from the street by lines of orange, fig⁷, and magnolia trees. I knew I was born at the North, but hoped nobody would find it out. I looked upon the misfortune as something so shrouded⁸ by time and distance that maybe nobody remembered it. I never told my schoolmates I was a Yankee, because they talked about the Yankees in such a scornful way it made me feel that it was quite a disgrace not to be born in Louisiana, or at least in one of the Border States. And this impression was strengthened by Aunt Chloe, who said, "dar wasn't no gentl'men in the Norf no way," and on one occasion terrified me beyond measure by declaring that, "if any of dem mean whites tried to git her away from marster, she was jes'gwine to knock 'em on de head wid a

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1 banking
n.银行业，银行学，金融业
参考例句：
John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。 He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

2 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。

3 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。

4 piazza
n.广场；走廊
参考例句：
Siena's main piazza was one of the sights of Italy.锡耶纳的主要广场是意大利的名胜之一。 They walked out of the cafeteria,and across the piazzadj.他们走出自助餐厅,穿过广场。

5 whitewashed
粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The wall had been whitewashed. 墙已粉过。 The towers are in the shape of bottle gourds and whitewashed. 塔呈圆形，状近葫芦，外敷白色。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文

6 verandas
阳台，走廊( veranda的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Women in stiff bright-colored silks strolled about long verandas, squired by men in evening clothes. 噼噼啪啪香槟酒的瓶塞的声音此起彼伏。 They overflowed on verandas and many were sitting on benches in the dim lantern-hung yard. 他们有的拥到了走郎上，有的坐在挂着灯笼显得有点阴暗的院子里。

7 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。

8 shrouded
v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密
参考例句：
The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。 The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 gourd
n.葫芦
参考例句：
Are you going with him? You must be out of your gourd.你和他一块去？你一定是疯了。 Give me a gourd so I can bail.把葫芦瓢给我，我好把水舀出去。

10 tragic
adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的
参考例句：
The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。 Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

11 outskirts
n.郊外，郊区
参考例句：
Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。 They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

12 prevailing
adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的
参考例句：
She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。 This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

13 delightful
adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的
参考例句：
We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。 Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

14 perplexed
adj.不知所措的
参考例句：
The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。 The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

15 consternation
n.大为吃惊，惊骇
参考例句：
He was filled with consternation to hear that his friend was so ill.他听说朋友病得那么厉害，感到非常震惊。 Sam stared at him in consternation.萨姆惊恐不安地注视着他。

16 countenance
n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同
参考例句：
At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。 I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

17 agitated
adj.被鼓动的，不安的
参考例句：
His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。 She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

18 scatter
vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散
参考例句：
You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。 Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。

19 embroidered
adj．绣花的
参考例句：
She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。 She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

20 beads
n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链
参考例句：
a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链 Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

21 ornamented
adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She ornamented her dress with lace. 她用花边装饰衣服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 nutter
n.疯子
参考例句：
Don't call him nutter because it is such a bad term.别叫他“疯子”，这不是个好词。 But it's awfully ruthless and cold-blooded for a nutter from the other side.但是对那边的疯子们来说，却也实在太冷血无情了。

23 warrior
n.勇士，武士，斗士
参考例句：
The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。 A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

24 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。

25 succinct
adj.简明的，简洁的
参考例句：
The last paragraph is a succinct summary.最后这段话概括性很强。 A succinct style lends vigour to writing.措辞简练使文笔有力。

26 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。

27 entirely
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。 His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

28 touching
adj.动人的，使人感伤的
参考例句：
It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。 His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

29 savages
未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 )
参考例句：
There're some savages living in the forest. 森林里居住着一些野人。 That's an island inhabited by savages. 那是一个野蛮人居住的岛屿。

30 brass
n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器
参考例句：
Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。 Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

31 previously
adv.以前，先前（地）
参考例句：
The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。 Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

32 staple
n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类
参考例句：
Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。 Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

33 impatience
n.不耐烦，急躁
参考例句：
He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。 He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

34 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。

35 mansion
n.大厦，大楼；宅第
参考例句：
The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。 The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

36 heartily
adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很
参考例句：
He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。 The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

37 glistening
adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。 Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

38 muffled
adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）
参考例句：
muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音 There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》