At five o'clock Mr. Cameron knocked at the door of Mrs. Carter's cottage. It was opened by Herbert himself.
“Walk in, Mr. Cameron,” he said, cordially. “My mother is in the next room.”
Mrs. Carter was prepossessed in favor of Cameron. In worldly advantages he was her superior; yet with the instinct of a gentleman he seemed unconscious of any such difference and did not exhibit the least trace of
condescension1, as many ill-bred persons might have.
“I have wanted to see you, Mrs. Carter,” he said. “As the mother of my professor, the desire was only natural.”
“Herbert tells me he has learned a good deal since he has been reading to you. He has often spoken of his good fortune in meeting you.”
“I feel equally fortunate in meeting him. Not every boy of his age would adapt himself as readily and intelligently as he has.”
“I am very glad if you find Herbert of service to you,” said Mrs. Carter. “In all ways the engagement has been of advantage to him.”
“Squire
Leech3 was kind enough to offer me the services of his son, James,” said Cameron, smiling.
“James would hardly have been willing to sacrifice so much of his time,” said Herbert, “though he might be willing to try it for a day or two to
supersede4 me.”
“I think I shall have to worry along with my present professor,” said Cameron, “and allow James to devote his superior talents to some other business.”
The table was already spread in honor of the guest, and both Herbert and Mrs. Carter were gratified to find that the young collegian did ample justice to the meal.
“I feel almost ashamed of my appetite,” said Cameron; “but the change from the
stereotyped5 bill of fare at the hotel is pleasant and gives the food an increased
relish6.”
“I am glad to hear you say so, Mr. Cameron; I could hardly expect to compete with the hotel in point of variety. Let me give you another cup of tea.”
“Thank you. I don't often venture on a third cup, but I think I will make an exception to-night.”
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收听单词发音
1
condescension
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n.自以为高人一等,贬低(别人) |
参考例句: |
- His politeness smacks of condescension. 他的客气带有屈尊俯就的意味。
- Despite its condescension toward the Bennet family, the letter begins to allay Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy. 尽管这封信对班纳特家的态度很高傲,但它开始消除伊丽莎白对达西的偏见。
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2
spoke
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n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 |
参考例句: |
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
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3
leech
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n.水蛭,吸血鬼,榨取他人利益的人;vt.以水蛭吸血;vi.依附于别人 |
参考例句: |
- A leech is a small blood-sucking worm and usually lives in water.水蛭是一种小型吸血虫,通常生活在水中。
- One-side love like a greedy leech absorbed my time and my mirth.单相思如同一只贪婪的水蛭,吸走了我的时间和欢笑。
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4
supersede
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v.替代;充任 |
参考例句: |
- We must supersede old machines by new ones.我们必须以新机器取代旧机器。
- The use of robots will someday supersede manual labor.机器人的使用有一天会取代人力。
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5
stereotyped
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adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的 |
参考例句: |
- There is a sameness about all these tales. They're so stereotyped -- all about talented scholars and lovely ladies. 这些书就是一套子,左不过是些才子佳人,最没趣儿。
- He is the stereotyped monster of the horror films and the adventure books, and an obvious (though not perhaps strictly scientific) link with our ancestral past. 它们是恐怖电影和惊险小说中的老一套的怪物,并且与我们的祖先有着明显的(虽然可能没有科学的)联系。
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6
relish
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n.滋味,享受,爱好,调味品;vt.加调味料,享受,品味;vi.有滋味 |
参考例句: |
- I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
- I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。
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7
gorged
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v.(用食物把自己)塞饱,填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 );作呕 |
参考例句: |
- He gorged himself at the party. 在宴会上他狼吞虎咽地把自己塞饱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The men, gorged with food, had unbuttoned their vests. 那些男人,吃得直打饱嗝,解开了背心的钮扣。 来自辞典例句
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8
labor
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n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 |
参考例句: |
- We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
- He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
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9
labors
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v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转 |
参考例句: |
- He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors. 他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜,令人生厌。 来自辞典例句
- Farm labors used to hire themselves out for the summer. 农业劳动者夏季常去当雇工。 来自辞典例句
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10
monotonous
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adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的 |
参考例句: |
- She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
- His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律,一个调调儿。
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11
chamber
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n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 |
参考例句: |
- For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
- The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
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12
qualified
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adj.合格的,有资格的,胜任的,有限制的 |
参考例句: |
- He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
- We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。
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13
embody
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vt.具体表达,使具体化;包含,收录 |
参考例句: |
- The latest locomotives embody many new features. 这些最新的机车具有许多新的特色。
- Hemingway's characters plainly embody his own values and view of life.海明威笔下的角色明确反映出他自己的价值观与人生观。
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14
kindly
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adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 |
参考例句: |
- Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
- A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
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15
sincerity
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n.真诚,诚意;真实 |
参考例句: |
- His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
- He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。
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16
leisurely
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adj.悠闲的;从容的,慢慢的 |
参考例句: |
- We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着,看遍所有的橱窗。
- He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐,高兴的开车去工作。
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17
accosted
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v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 );跟…搭讪;(乞丐等)上前向…乞讨;(妓女等)勾搭 |
参考例句: |
- She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上,一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
- His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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18
insolence
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n.傲慢;无礼;厚颜;傲慢的态度 |
参考例句: |
- I've had enough of your insolence, and I'm having no more. 我受够了你的侮辱,不能再容忍了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- How can you suffer such insolence? 你怎么能容忍这种蛮横的态度? 来自《简明英汉词典》
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19
doggedly
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adv.顽强地,固执地 |
参考例句: |
- He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
- He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着,一直走回了公寓。
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20
impudence
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n.厚颜无耻;冒失;无礼 |
参考例句: |
- His impudence provoked her into slapping his face.他的粗暴让她气愤地给了他一耳光。
- What knocks me is his impudence.他的厚颜无耻使我感到吃惊。
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21
reminder
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n.提醒物,纪念品;暗示,提示 |
参考例句: |
- I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
- It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知,她才付应该交的房租。
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22
mortification
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n.耻辱,屈辱 |
参考例句: |
- To my mortification, my manuscript was rejected. 使我感到失面子的是:我的稿件被退了回来。
- The chairman tried to disguise his mortification. 主席试图掩饰自己的窘迫。
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23
brute
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n.野兽,兽性 |
参考例句: |
- The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
- That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲,它咬人。
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24
shrieked
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v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
- Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫,陆子潇尖声叫:“告诉什么? 来自汉英文学 - 围城
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