"Down Brakes"The greatest people have their weak points, and the best-behavedboys now and then yield to temptation and get into trouble, aseverybody knows. Frank was considered a remarkably¹ well-bredand proper lad, and rather prided himself on his good reputation,for he never got into scrapes like the other fellows. Well, hardlyever, for we must confess that at rare intervals² his besetting³ sinovercame his prudence⁴, and he proved himself an erring⁵, humanboy. Steam-engines had been his idols⁶ for years, and they alonecould lure⁷ him from the path of virtue⁸. Once, in trying toinvestigate the mechanism⁹ of a toy specimen¹⁰, which had its littleboiler and ran about whistling and puffing¹¹ in the most delightfulway, he nearly set the house afire by the sparks that dropped on thestraw carpet. Another time, in trying experiments with the kitchentea-kettle, he blew himself up, and the scars of that explosion hestill carried on his hands.

　　He was long past such childish amusements now, but his favoritehaunt was the engine-house of the new railroad, where he observedthe habits of his pets with never-failing interest, and cultivated thegood-will of stokers and brakemen till they allowed him manyliberties, and were rather flattered by the admiration¹³ expressed fortheir iron horses by a young gentleman who liked them better eventhan his Greek and Latin.

点击收听单词发音  

1 remarkably
ad.不同寻常地，相当地
参考例句：
I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。 He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

2 intervals
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息
参考例句：
The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。 Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

3 besetting
adj.不断攻击的v.困扰( beset的现在分词 )；不断围攻；镶；嵌
参考例句：
Laziness is my besetting sin. 懒惰是我积重难返的恶习。 来自辞典例句 His besetting sin is laziness. 他所易犯的毛病就是懒惰。 来自辞典例句

4 prudence
n.谨慎，精明，节俭
参考例句：
A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。 The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。

5 erring
做错事的，错误的
参考例句：
Instead of bludgeoning our erring comrades, we should help them with criticism. 对犯错误的同志， 要批评帮助，不能一棍子打死。 She had too little faith in mankind not to know that they were erring. 她对男人们没有信心，知道他们总要犯错误的。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

6 idols
偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像
参考例句：
The genii will give evidence against those who have worshipped idols. 魔怪将提供证据来反对那些崇拜偶像的人。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史 Teenagers are very sequacious and they often emulate the behavior of their idols. 青少年非常盲从，经常模仿他们的偶像的行为。

7 lure
n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引
参考例句：
Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。 He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

8 virtue
n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力
参考例句：
He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。 You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

9 mechanism
n.机械装置；机构，结构
参考例句：
The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。 The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

10 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。

11 puffing
v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧
参考例句：
He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 puff
n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气
参考例句：
He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。 They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

13 admiration
n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕
参考例句：
He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。 We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

14 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。

15 privately
adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地
参考例句：
Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。 The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

16 helping
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的
参考例句：
The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。 By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 wagon
n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车
参考例句：
We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。 The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

18 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。

19 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。

20 perch
n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于
参考例句：
The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。 Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

21 amiable
adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的
参考例句：
She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。 We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。

22 throb
v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动
参考例句：
She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。 The drums seemed to throb in his ears.阵阵鼓声彷佛在他耳边震响。

23 mischief
n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹
参考例句：
Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。 He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

24 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。

25 catching
adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住
参考例句：
There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。 Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

26 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》

27 audacity
n.大胆，卤莽，无礼
参考例句：
He had the audacity to ask for an increase in salary.他竟然厚着脸皮要求增加薪水。 He had the audacity to pick pockets in broad daylight.他竟敢在光天化日之下掏包。

28 prank
n.开玩笑，恶作剧；v.装饰；打扮；炫耀自己
参考例句：
It was thought that the fire alarm had been set off as a prank.人们认为火警报警器响是个恶作剧。 The dean was ranking the boys for pulling the prank.系主任正在惩罚那些恶作剧的男学生。

29 retard
n.阻止，延迟；vt.妨碍，延迟，使减速
参考例句：
Lack of sunlight will retard the growth of most plants.缺乏阳光会妨碍大多数植物的生长。 Continuing violence will retard negotiations over the country's future.持续不断的暴力活动会阻碍关系到国家未来的谈判的进行。

30 rumbled
发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋）
参考例句：
The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。 Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了，然而，在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声，持续不断。

31 vaguely
adv.含糊地，暖昧地
参考例句：
He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。 He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

32 premises
n.建筑物，房屋
参考例句：
According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。 All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

33 steadily
adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地
参考例句：
The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。 Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

34 spun
v.纺，杜撰，急转身
参考例句：
His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。 Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

35 exhausted
adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的
参考例句：
It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。 Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

36 dodge
v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计
参考例句：
A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。 The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

37 remarkable
adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的
参考例句：
She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。 These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

38 imprisonment
n.关押，监禁，坐牢
参考例句：
His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。 He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

39 despondent
adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的
参考例句：
He was up for a time and then，without warning,despondent again.他一度兴高采烈，但忽然又情绪低落下来。 I feel despondent when my work is rejected.作品被拒后我感到很沮丧。

40 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》

41 assailed
v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对
参考例句：
He was assailed with fierce blows to the head. 他的头遭到猛烈殴打。 He has been assailed by bad breaks all these years. 这些年来他接二连三地倒霉。 来自《用法词典》

42 afflicted
使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。 A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

43 parlor
n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅
参考例句：
She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。 Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

44 stammered
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

45 hustled
催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。 The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。

46 wreck
n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难
参考例句：
Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。 No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

47 wrecked
adj.失事的，遇难的
参考例句：
the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸 the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

48 scudded
v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
White clouds scudded across the sky. 白云在天空疾驰而过。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 Clouds scudded across the sky driven by high winds. 劲风吹着飞云掠过天空。 来自辞典例句

49 constable
n.(英国)警察，警官
参考例句：
The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。 The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气，不肯冒起火来。

50 contented
adj.满意的，安心的，知足的
参考例句：
He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。 The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

51 jack
n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克
参考例句：
I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。 He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

52 runaway
n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的
参考例句：
The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。 He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

53 droll
adj.古怪的，好笑的
参考例句：
The band have a droll sense of humour.这个乐队有一种滑稽古怪的幽默感。 He looked at her with a droll sort of awakening.他用一种古怪的如梦方醒的神情看着她.

54 humiliation
n.羞辱
参考例句：
He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。 He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

55 meekly
adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地
参考例句：
He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》 He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》

56 feat
n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的
参考例句：
Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。 He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

57 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。

58 alluding
提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 )
参考例句：
He didn't mention your name but I was sure he was alluding to you. 他没提你的名字，但是我确信他是暗指你的。 But in fact I was alluding to my physical deficiencies. 可我实在是为自己的容貌寒心。

59 fume
n.(usu pl.)(浓烈或难闻的)烟，气，汽
参考例句：
The pressure of fume in chimney increases slowly from top to bottom.烟道内压力自上而下逐渐增加，底层住户的排烟最为不利。 Your harsh words put her in a fume.你那些难听的话使她生气了。

60 torment
n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠
参考例句：
He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。 Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。

61 shrieks
n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
shrieks of fiendish laughter 恶魔般的尖笑声 For years, from newspapers, broadcasts, the stages and at meetings, we had heard nothing but grandiloquent rhetoric delivered with shouts and shrieks that deafened the ears. 多少年来， 报纸上， 广播里， 舞台上， 会场上的声嘶力竭，装腔做态的高调搞得我们震耳欲聋。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

62 propriety
n.正当行为；正当；适当
参考例句：
We hesitated at the propriety of the method.我们对这种办法是否适用拿不定主意。 The sensitive matter was handled with great propriety.这件机密的事处理得极为适当。

63 costly
adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的
参考例句：
It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。 This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

64 humbly
adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地
参考例句：
We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy. 我们恳请陛下发发慈悲。 "You must be right, Sir,'said John humbly. “你一定是对的，先生，”约翰恭顺地说道。