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儿童小说:蓝色城堡11
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  • CHAPTER XI

    Meanwhile the dinner in its earlier stages was dragging its slow length along true to Stirling form. The room was chilly1, in spite of the calendar, and Aunt Alberta had the gas-logs lighted. Everybody in the clan2 envied her those gas-logs except Valancy. Glorious open fires blazed in every room of her Blue Castle when autumnal nights were cool, but she would have frozen to death in it before she would have committed the sacrilege of a gas-log. Uncle Herbert made his hardy3 perennial4 joke when he helped Aunt Wellington to the cold meat—“Mary, will you have a little lamb?” Aunt Mildred told the same old story of once finding a lost ring in a turkey’s crop. Uncle Benjamin told his favourite prosy tale of how he had once chased and punished a now famous man for stealing apples. Second Cousin Jane described all her sufferings with an ulcerating tooth. Aunt Wellington admired the pattern of Aunt Alberta’s silver teaspoons5 and lamented6 the fact that one of her own had been lost.

    “It spoiled the set. I could never get it matched. And it was my wedding-present from dear old Aunt Matilda.”

    Aunt Isabel thought the seasons were changing and couldn’t imagine what had become of our good, old-fashioned springs. Cousin Georgiana, as usual, discussed the last funeral and wondered, audibly, “which of us will be the next to pass away.” Cousin Georgiana could never say anything as blunt as “die.” Valancy thought she could tell her, but didn’t. Cousin Gladys, likewise as usual, had a grievance8. Her visiting nephews had nipped all the buds off her house-plants and chivied her brood of fancy chickens—“squeezed some of them actually to death, my dear.”

    “Boys will be boys,” reminded Uncle Herbert tolerantly.

    “But they needn’t be ramping9, rampageous animals,” retorted Cousin Gladys, looking round the table for appreciation10 of her wit. Everybody smiled except Valancy. Cousin Gladys remembered that. A few minutes later, when Ellen Hamilton was being discussed, Cousin Gladys spoke11 of her as “one of those shy, plain girls who can’t get husbands,” and glanced significantly at Valancy.

    Uncle James thought the conversation was sagging12 to a rather low plane of personal gossip. He tried to elevate it by starting an abstract discussion on “the greatest happiness.” Everybody was asked to state his or her idea of “the greatest happiness.”

    Aunt Mildred thought the greatest happiness—for a woman—was to be “a loving and beloved wife and mother.” Aunt Wellington thought it would be to travel in Europe. Olive thought it would be to be a great singer like Tetrazzini. Cousin Gladys remarked mournfully that her greatest happiness would be to be free—absolutely free—from neuritis. Cousin Georgiana’s greatest happiness would be “to have her dear, dead brother Richard back.” Aunt Alberta remarked vaguely13 that the greatest happiness was to be found in “the poetry of life” and hastily gave some directions to her maid to prevent any one asking her what she meant. Mrs. Frederick said the greatest happiness was to spend your life in loving service for others, and Cousin Stickles and Aunt Isabel agreed with her—Aunt Isabel with a resentful air, as if she thought Mrs. Frederick had taken the wind out of her sails by saying it first. “We are all too prone,” continued Mrs. Frederick, determined14 not to lose so good an opportunity, “to live in selfishness, worldliness and sin.” The other women all felt rebuked15 for their low ideals, and Uncle James had a conviction that the conversation had been uplifted with a vengeance16.

    “The greatest happiness,” said Valancy suddenly and distinctly, “is to sneeze when you want to.”

    Everybody stared. Nobody felt it safe to say anything. Was Valancy trying to be funny? It was incredible. Mrs. Frederick, who had been breathing easier since the dinner had progressed so far without any outbreak on the part of Valancy, began to tremble again. But she deemed it the part of prudence17 to say nothing. Uncle Benjamin was not so prudent18. He rashly rushed in where Mrs. Frederick feared to tread.

    “Doss,” he chuckled19, “what is the difference between a young girl and an old maid?”

    “One is happy and careless and the other is cappy and hairless,” said Valancy. “You have asked that riddle20 at least fifty times in my recollection, Uncle Ben. Why don’t you hunt up some new riddles21 if riddle you must? It is such a fatal mistake to try to be funny if you don’t succeed.”

    Uncle Benjamin stared foolishly. Never in his life had he, Benjamin Stirling, of Stirling and Frost, been spoken to so. And by Valancy of all people! He looked feebly around the table to see what the others thought of it. Everybody was looking rather blank. Poor Mrs. Frederick had shut her eyes. And her lips moved tremblingly—as if she were praying. Perhaps she was. The situation was so unprecedented22 that nobody knew how to meet it. Valancy went on calmly eating her salad as if nothing out of the usual had occurred.

    Aunt Alberta, to save her dinner, plunged23 into an account of how a dog had bitten her recently. Uncle James, to back her up, asked where the dog had bitten her.

    “Just a little below the Catholic church,” said Aunt Alberta.

    At that point Valancy laughed. Nobody else laughed. What was there to laugh at?

    “Is that a vital part?” asked Valancy.

    “What do you mean?” said bewildered Aunt Alberta, and Mrs. Frederick was almost driven to believe that she had served God all her years for naught24.

    Aunt Isabel concluded that it was up to her to suppress Valancy.

    “Doss, you are horribly thin,” she said. “You are all corners. Do you ever try to fatten25 up a little?”

    “No.” Valancy was not asking quarter or giving it. “But I can tell you where you’ll find a beauty parlor26 in Port Lawrence where they can reduce the number of your chins.”

    “Val-an-cy!” The protest was wrung27 from Mrs. Frederick. She meant her tone to be stately and majestic28, as usual, but it sounded more like an imploring29 whine30. And she did not say “Doss.”

    “She’s feverish31,” said Cousin Stickles to Uncle Benjamin in an agonised whisper. “We’ve thought she’s seemed feverish for several days.”

    “She’s gone dippy, in my opinion,” growled32 Uncle Benjamin. “If not, she ought to be spanked34. Yes, spanked.”

    “You can’t spank33 her.” Cousin Stickles was much agitated35. “She’s twenty-nine years old.”

    “So there is that advantage, at least, in being twenty-nine,” said Valancy, whose ears had caught this aside.

    “Doss,” said Uncle Benjamin, “when I am dead you may say what you please. As long as I am alive I demand to be treated with respect.”

    “Oh, but you know we’re all dead,” said Valancy, “the whole Stirling clan. Some of us are buried and some aren’t—yet. That is the only difference.”

    “Doss,” said Uncle Benjamin, thinking it might cow Valancy, “do you remember the time you stole the raspberry jam?”

    Valancy flushed scarlet—with suppressed laughter, not shame. She had been sure Uncle Benjamin would drag that jam in somehow.

    “Of course I do,” she said. “It was good jam. I’ve always been sorry I hadn’t time to eat more of it before you found me. Oh, look at Aunt Isabel’s profile on the wall. Did you ever see anything so funny?”

    Everybody looked, including Aunt Isabel herself, which of course, destroyed it. But Uncle Herbert said kindly36, “I—I wouldn’t eat any more if I were you, Doss. It isn’t that I grudge37 it—but don’t you think it would be better for yourself? Your—your stomach seems a little out of order.”

    “Don’t worry about my stomach, old dear,” said Valancy. “It is all right. I’m going to keep right on eating. It’s so seldom I get the chance of a satisfying meal.”

    It was the first time any one had been called “old dear” in Deerwood. The Stirlings thought Valancy had invented the phrase and they were afraid of her from that moment. There was something so uncanny about such an expression. But in poor Mrs. Frederick’s opinion the reference to a satisfying meal was the worst thing Valancy had said yet. Valancy had always been a disappointment to her. Now she was a disgrace. She thought she would have to get up and go away from the table. Yet she dared not leave Valancy there.

    Aunt Alberta’s maid came in to remove the salad plates and bring in the dessert. It was a welcome diversion. Everybody brightened up with a determination to ignore Valancy and talk as if she wasn’t there. Uncle Wellington mentioned Barney Snaith. Eventually somebody did mention Barney Snaith at every Stirling function, Valancy reflected. Whatever he was, he was an individual that could not be ignored. She resigned herself to listen. There was a subtle fascination38 in the subject for her, though she had not yet faced this fact. She could feel her pulses beating to her finger-tips.

    Of course they abused him. Nobody ever had a good word to say of Barney Snaith. All the old, wild tales were canvassed—the defaulting cashier-counterfeiter39-infidel-murderer-in-hiding legends were thrashed out. Uncle Wellington was very indignant that such a creature should be allowed to exist at all in the neighbourhood of Deerwood. He didn’t know what the police at Port Lawrence were thinking of. Everybody would be murdered in their beds some night. It was a shame that he should be allowed to be at large after all that he had done.

    “What has he done?” asked Valancy suddenly.

    Uncle Wellington stared at her, forgetting that she was to be ignored.

    “Done! Done! He’s done everything.”

    “What has he done?” repeated Valancy inexorably. “What do you know that he has done? You’re always running him down. And what has ever been proved against him?”

    “I don’t argue with women,” said Uncle Wellington. “And I don’t need proof. When a man hides himself up there on an island in Muskoka, year in and year out, and nobody can find out where he came from or how he lives, or what he does there, that’s proof enough. Find a mystery and you find a crime.”

    “The very idea of a man named Snaith!” said Second Cousin Sarah. “Why, the name itself is enough to condemn40 him!”

    “I wouldn’t like to meet him in a dark lane,” shivered Cousin Georgiana.

    “What do you suppose he would do to you?” asked Valancy.

    “Murder me,” said Cousin Georgiana solemnly.

    “Just for the fun of it?” suggested Valancy.

    “Exactly,” said Cousin Georgiana unsuspiciously. “When there is so much smoke there must be some fire. I was afraid he was a criminal when he came here first. I felt he had something to hide. I am not often mistaken in my intuitions.”

    “Criminal! Of course he’s a criminal,” said Uncle Wellington. “Nobody doubts it”—glaring at Valancy. “Why, they say he served a term in the penitentiary41 for embezzlement42. I don’t doubt it. And they say he’s in with that gang that are perpetrating all those bank robberies round the country.”

    “Who say?” asked Valancy.

    Uncle Wellington knotted his ugly forehead at her. What had got into this confounded girl, anyway? He ignored the question.

    “He has the identical look of a jail-bird,” snapped Uncle Benjamin. “I noticed it the first time I saw him.”

    “‘A fellow by the hand of nature marked,

    Quoted and signed to do a deed of shame’,”

    declaimed Uncle James. He looked enormously pleased over managing to work that quotation43 in at last. He had been waiting all his life for the chance.

    “One of his eyebrows44 is an arch and the other is a triangle,” said Valancy. “Is that why you think him so villainous?”

    Uncle James lifted his eyebrows. Generally when Uncle James lifted his eyebrows the world came to an end. This time it continued to function.

    “How do you know his eyebrows so well, Doss?” asked Olive, a trifle maliciously45. Such a remark would have covered Valancy with confusion two weeks ago, and Olive knew it.

    “Yes, how?” demanded Aunt Wellington.

    “I’ve seen him twice and I looked at him closely,” said Valancy composedly. “I thought his face the most interesting one I ever saw.”

    “There is no doubt there is something fishy46 in the creature’s past life,” said Olive, who began to think she was decidedly out of the conversation, which had centred so amazingly around Valancy. “But he can hardly be guilty of everything he’s accused of, you know.”

    Valancy felt annoyed with Olive. Why should she speak up in even this qualified47 defence of Barney Snaith? What had she to do with him? For that matter, what had Valancy? But Valancy did not ask herself this question.

    “They say he keeps dozens of cats in that hut up back on Mistawis,” said Second Cousin Sarah Taylor, by way of appearing not entirely48 ignorant of him.

    Cats. It sounded quite alluring49 to Valancy, in the plural50. She pictured an island in Muskoka haunted by pussies51.

    “That alone shows there is something wrong with him,” decreed Aunt Isabel.

    “People who don’t like cats,” said Valancy, attacking her dessert with a relish52, “always seem to think that there is some peculiar53 virtue54 in not liking55 them.”

    “The man hasn’t a friend except Roaring Abel,” said Uncle Wellington. “And if Roaring Abel had kept away from him, as everybody else did, it would have been better for—for some members of his family.”

    Uncle Wellington’s rather lame7 conclusion was due to a marital56 glance from Aunt Wellington reminding him of what he had almost forgotten—that there were girls at the table.

    “If you mean,” said Valancy passionately57, “that Barney Snaith is the father of Cecily Gay’s child, he isn’t. It’s a wicked lie.”

    In spite of her indignation Valancy was hugely amused at the expression of the faces around that festal table. She had not seen anything like it since the day, seventeen years ago, when at Cousin Gladys’ thimble party, they discovered that she had got—SOMETHING—in her head at school. Lice in her head! Valancy was done with euphemisms58.

    Poor Mrs. Frederick was almost in a state of collapse59. She had believed—or pretended to believe—that Valancy still supposed that children were found in parsley beds.

    “Hush—hush!” implored60 Cousin Stickles.

    “I don’t mean to hush,” said Valancy perversely61. “I’ve hush—hushed all my life. I’ll scream if I want to. Don’t make me want to. And stop talking nonsense about Barney Snaith.”

    Valancy didn’t exactly understand her own indignation. What did Barney Snaith’s imputed62 crimes and misdemeanours matter to her? And why, out of them all, did it seem most intolerable that he should have been poor, pitiful little Cecily Gay’s false lover? For it did seem intolerable to her. She did not mind when they called him a thief and a counterfeiter and jail-bird; but she could not endure to think that he had loved and ruined Cecily Gay. She recalled his face on the two occasions of their chance meetings—his twisted, enigmatic, engaging smile, his twinkle, his thin, sensitive, almost ascetic63 lips, his general air of frank daredeviltry. A man with such a smile and lips might have murdered or stolen but he could not have betrayed. She suddenly hated every one who said it or believed it of him.

    “When I was a young girl I never thought or spoke about such matters, Doss,” said Aunt Wellington, crushingly.

    “But I’m not a young girl,” retorted Valancy, uncrushed. “Aren’t you always rubbing that into me? And you are all evil-minded, senseless gossips. Can’t you leave poor Cissy Gay alone? She’s dying. Whatever she did, God or the Devil has punished her enough for it. You needn’t take a hand, too. As for Barney Snaith, the only crime he has been guilty of is living to himself and minding his own business. He can, it seems, get along without you. Which is an unpardonable sin, of course, in your little snobocracy.” Valancy coined that concluding word suddenly and felt that it was an inspiration. That was exactly what they were and not one of them was fit to mend another.

    “Valancy, your poor father would turn over in his grave if he could hear you,” said Mrs. Frederick.

    “I dare say he would like that for a change,” said Valancy brazenly64.

    “Doss,” said Uncle James heavily, “the Ten Commandments are fairly up to date still—especially the fifth. Have you forgotten that?”

    “No,” said Valancy, “but I thought you had—especially the ninth. Have you ever thought, Uncle James, how dull life would be without the Ten Commandments? It is only when things are forbidden that they become fascinating.”

    But her excitement had been too much for her. She knew, by certain unmistakable warnings, that one of her attacks of pain was coming on. It must not find her there. She rose from her chair.

    “I am going home now. I only came for the dinner. It was very good, Aunt Alberta, although your salad-dressing is not salt enough and a dash of cayenne would improve it.”

    None of the flabbergasted silver wedding guests could think of anything to say until the lawn gate clanged behind Valancy in the dusk. Then—

    “She’s feverish—I’ve said right along she was feverish,” moaned Cousin Stickles.

    Uncle Benjamin punished his pudgy left hand fiercely with his pudgy right.

    “She’s dippy—I tell you she’s gone dippy,” he snorted angrily. “That’s all there is about it. Clean dippy.”

    “Oh, Benjamin,” said Cousin Georgiana soothingly65, “don’t condemn her too rashly. We must remember what dear old Shakespeare says—that charity thinketh no evil.”

    “Charity! Poppy-cock!” snorted Uncle Benjamin. “I never heard a young woman talk such stuff in my life as she just did. Talking about things she ought to be ashamed to think of, much less mention. Blaspheming! Insulting us! What she wants is a generous dose of spank-weed and I’d like to be the one to administer it. H-uh-h-h-h!” Uncle Benjamin gulped66 down the half of a scalding cup of coffee.

    “Do you suppose that the mumps67 could work on a person that way?” wailed68 Cousin Stickles.

    “I opened an umbrella in the house yesterday,” sniffed69 Cousin Georgiana. “I knew it betokened70 some misfortune.”

    “Have you tried to find out if she has a temperature?” asked Cousin Mildred.

    “She wouldn’t let Amelia put the thermometer under her tongue,” whimpered Cousin Stickles.

    Mrs. Frederick was openly in tears. All her defences were down.

    “I must tell you,” she sobbed71, “that Valancy has been acting72 very strangely for over two weeks now. She hasn’t been a bit like herself—Christine could tell you. I have hoped against hope that it was only one of her colds coming on. But it is—it must be something worse.”

    “This is bringing on my neuritis again,” said Cousin Gladys, putting her hand to her head.

    “Don’t cry, Amelia,” said Herbert kindly, pulling nervously73 at his spiky74 grey hair. He hated “family ructions.” Very inconsiderate of Doss to start one at his silver wedding. Who could have supposed she had it in her? “You’ll have to take her to a doctor. This may be only a—er—a brainstorm75. There are such things as brainstorms76 nowadays, aren’t there?”

    “I—I suggested consulting a doctor to her yesterday,” moaned Mrs. Frederick. “And she said she wouldn’t go to a doctor—wouldn’t. Oh, surely I have had trouble enough!”

    “And she won’t take Redfern’s Bitters,” said Cousin Stickles.

    “Or anything,” said Mrs. Frederick.

    “And she’s determined to go to the Presbyterian church,” said Cousin Stickles—repressing, however, to her credit be it said, the story of the bannister.

    “That proves she’s dippy,” growled Uncle Benjamin. “I noticed something strange about her the minute she came in today. I noticed it before today.” (Uncle Benjamin was thinking of “m-i-r-a-z-h.”) “Everything she said today showed an unbalanced mind. That question—‘Was it a vital part?’ Was there any sense at all in that remark? None whatever! There never was anything like that in the Stirlings. It must be from the Wansbarras.”

    Poor Mrs. Frederick was too crushed to be indignant.

    “I never heard of anything like that in the Wansbarras,” she sobbed.

    “Your father was odd enough,” said Uncle Benjamin.

    “Poor Pa was—peculiar,” admitted Mrs. Frederick tearfully, “but his mind was never affected77.”

    “He talked all his life exactly as Valancy did today,” retorted Uncle Benjamin. “And he believed he was his own great-great grandfather born over again. I’ve heard him say it. Don’t tell me that a man who believed a thing like that was ever in his right senses. Come, come, Amelia, stop sniffling. Of course Doss has made a terrible exhibition of herself today, but she’s not responsible. Old maids are apt to fly off at a tangent like that. If she had been married when she should have been she wouldn’t have got like this.”

    “Nobody wanted to marry her,” said Mrs. Frederick, who felt that, somehow, Uncle Benjamin was blaming her.

    “Well, fortunately there’s no outsider here,” snapped Uncle Benjamin. “We may keep it in the family yet. I’ll take her over to see Dr. Marsh78 tomorrow. I know how to deal with pig-headed people. Won’t that be best, James?”

    “We must have medical advice certainly,” agreed Uncle James.

    “Well, that’s settled. In the meantime, Amelia, act as if nothing had happened and keep an eye on her. Don’t let her be alone. Above all, don’t let her sleep alone.”

    Renewed whimpers from Mrs. Frederick.

    “I can’t help it. Night before last I suggested she’d better have Christine sleep with her. She positively79 refused—and locked her door. Oh, you don’t know how she’s changed. She won’t work. At least, she won’t sew. She does her usual housework, of course. But she wouldn’t sweep the parlour yesterday morning, though we always sweep it on Thursdays. She said she’d wait till it was dirty. ‘Would you rather sweep a dirty room than a clean one?’ I asked her. She said, ‘Of course. I’d see something for my labour then.’ Think of it!”

    Uncle Benjamin thought of it.

    “The jar of potpourri”—Cousin Stickles pronounced it as spelled—“has disappeared from her room. I found the pieces in the next lot. She won’t tell us what happened to it.”

    “I should never have dreamed it of Doss,” said Uncle Herbert. “She has always seemed such a quiet, sensible girl. A bit backward—but sensible.”

    “The only thing you can be sure of in this world is the multiplication80 table,” said Uncle James, feeling cleverer than ever.

    “Well, let’s cheer up,” suggested Uncle Benjamin. “Why are chorus girls like fine stock raisers?”

    “Why?” asked Cousin Stickles, since it had to be asked and Valancy wasn’t there to ask it.

    “Like to exhibit calves,” chuckled Uncle Benjamin.

    Cousin Stickles thought Uncle Benjamin a little indelicate. Before Olive, too. But then, he was a man.

    Uncle Herbert was thinking that things were rather dull now that Doss had gone.



    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 chilly [ˈtʃɪli] pOfzl   第7级
    adj.凉快的,寒冷的
    参考例句:
    • I feel chilly without a coat. 我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
    • I grew chilly when the fire went out. 炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
    2 clan [klæn] Dq5zi   第8级
    n.氏族,部落,宗族,家族,宗派
    参考例句:
    • She ranks as my junior in the clan. 她的辈分比我小。
    • The Chinese Christians, therefore, practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan. 所以,中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。
    3 hardy [ˈhɑ:di] EenxM   第9级
    adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的
    参考例句:
    • The kind of plant is a hardy annual. 这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
    • He is a hardy person. 他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。
    4 perennial [pəˈreniəl] i3bz7   第10级
    adj.终年的;长久的
    参考例句:
    • I wonder at her perennial youthfulness. 我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
    • There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications. 有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。
    5 teaspoons [ˈti:ˌspu:nz] 2373c24f8a940bcba4d8d55a1e80e98c   第8级
    n.茶匙( teaspoon的名词复数 );一茶匙的量
    参考例句:
    • Add two teaspoons of salt. 加两小匙盐。
    • Add 3 heaped teaspoons of sugar. 加满满的三匙糖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    6 lamented [ləˈmentɪd] b6ae63144a98bc66c6a97351aea85970   第7级
    adj.被哀悼的,令人遗憾的v.(为…)哀悼,痛哭,悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
    • We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    7 lame [leɪm] r9gzj   第7级
    adj.跛的,(辩解、论据等)无说服力的;vi.变跛;vt.使跛;使成残废
    参考例句:
    • The lame man needs a stick when he walks. 那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
    • I don't believe his story. It'sounds a bit lame. 我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。
    8 grievance [ˈgri:vəns] J6ayX   第9级
    n.怨愤,气恼,委屈
    参考例句:
    • He will not easily forget his grievance. 他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
    • He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months. 几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。
    9 ramping [ræmpɪŋ] ae9cf258610b54f50a843cc4d049a1f8   第9级
    土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 ); 斜道; 斜路; (装车或上下飞机的)活动梯
    参考例句:
    • The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏,闹着玩。
    • Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗?
    10 appreciation [əˌpri:ʃiˈeɪʃn] Pv9zs   第7级
    n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨
    参考例句:
    • I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all. 我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
    • I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help. 我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。
    11 spoke [spəʊk] XryyC   第11级
    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。
    12 sagging ['sægɪŋ] 2cd7acc35feffadbb3241d569f4364b2   第9级
    下垂[沉,陷],松垂,垂度
    参考例句:
    • The morale of the enemy troops is continuously sagging. 敌军的士气不断低落。
    • We are sagging south. 我们的船正离开航线向南漂流。
    13 vaguely [ˈveɪgli] BfuzOy   第9级
    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。
    14 determined [dɪˈtɜ:mɪnd] duszmP   第7级
    adj.坚定的;有决心的;v.决定;断定(determine的过去分词)
    参考例句:
    • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation. 我已决定毕业后去西藏。
    • He determined to view the rooms behind the office. 他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
    15 rebuked [riˈbju:kt] bdac29ff5ae4a503d9868e9cd4d93b12   第9级
    责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • The company was publicly rebuked for having neglected safety procedures. 公司因忽略了安全规程而受到公开批评。
    • The teacher rebuked the boy for throwing paper on the floor. 老师指责这个男孩将纸丢在地板上。
    16 vengeance [ˈvendʒəns] wL6zs   第7级
    n.报复,报仇,复仇
    参考例句:
    • He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father. 他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
    • For years he brooded vengeance. 多年来他一直在盘算报仇。
    17 prudence ['pru:dns] 9isyI   第11级
    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。
    18 prudent [ˈpru:dnt] M0Yzg   第7级
    adj.谨慎的,有远见的,精打细算的
    参考例句:
    • A prudent traveller never disparages his own country. 聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
    • You must school yourself to be modest and prudent. 你要学会谦虚谨慎。
    19 chuckled [ˈtʃʌkld] 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8   第9级
    轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
    • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
    20 riddle [ˈrɪdl] WCfzw   第7级
    n.谜;谜语;vt. 解谜;出谜题;充满;筛选;vi.出谜题
    参考例句:
    • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child. 这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
    • Her disappearance is a complete riddle. 她的失踪完全是一个谜。
    21 riddles ['rɪdlz] 77f3ceed32609b0d80430e545f553e31   第7级
    n.谜(语)( riddle的名词复数 );猜不透的难题,难解之谜
    参考例句:
    • Few riddles collected from oral tradition, however, have all six parts. 但是据收集的情况看,口头流传的谜语很少具有这完整的六部分。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
    • But first, you'd better see if you can answer riddles. 但是你首先最好想想你会不会猜谜语。 来自辞典例句
    22 unprecedented [ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd] 7gSyJ   第8级
    adj.无前例的,新奇的
    参考例句:
    • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths. 这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
    • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented. 这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
    23 plunged [plʌndʒd] 06a599a54b33c9d941718dccc7739582   第7级
    v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降
    参考例句:
    • The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
    • She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳,从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。
    24 naught [nɔ:t] wGLxx   第9级
    n.无,零 [=nought]
    参考例句:
    • He sets at naught every convention of society. 他轻视所有的社会习俗。
    • I hope that all your efforts won't go for naught. 我希望你的努力不会毫无结果。
    25 fatten [ˈfætn] ClLxX   第8级
    vt. 养肥;使肥沃;使充实 vi. 养肥;(靠…)发财
    参考例句:
    • The new feed can fatten the chicken up quickly enough for market. 新饲料能使鸡长得更快,以适应市场需求。
    • We keep animals in pens to fatten them. 我们把动物关在围栏里把它们养肥。
    26 parlor ['pɑ:lə] v4MzU   第9级
    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?
    27 wrung [rʌŋ] b11606a7aab3e4f9eebce4222a9397b1   第7级
    绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 ); 握紧(尤指别人的手); 把(湿衣服)拧干; 绞掉(水)
    参考例句:
    • He has wrung the words from their true meaning. 他曲解这些字的真正意义。
    • He wrung my hand warmly. 他热情地紧握我的手。
    28 majestic [məˈdʒestɪk] GAZxK   第8级
    adj.雄伟的,壮丽的,庄严的,威严的,崇高的
    参考例句:
    • In the distance rose the majestic Alps. 远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
    • He looks majestic in uniform. 他穿上军装显得很威风。
    29 imploring [imˈplɔ:riŋ] cb6050ff3ff45d346ac0579ea33cbfd6   第9级
    恳求的,哀求的
    参考例句:
    • Those calm, strange eyes could see her imploring face. 那平静的,没有表情的眼睛还能看得到她的乞怜求情的面容。
    • She gave him an imploring look. 她以哀求的眼神看着他。
    30 whine [waɪn] VMNzc   第11级
    vi.哀号,号哭;vt.哀诉;n.哀鸣
    参考例句:
    • You are getting paid to think, not to whine. 支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
    • The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine. 子弹打在一块岩石上, 一声尖厉的呼啸,跳飞开去。
    31 feverish [ˈfi:vərɪʃ] gzsye   第9级
    adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的
    参考例句:
    • He is too feverish to rest. 他兴奋得安静不下来。
    • They worked with feverish haste to finish the job. 为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。
    32 growled [ɡrauld] 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3   第8级
    v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
    参考例句:
    • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    33 spank [spæŋk] NFFzE   第10级
    vt. 拍击使之前进;打…的屁股 vi. 掴;飞跑 n. 一巴掌
    参考例句:
    • Be careful. If you don't work hard, I'll spank your bottom. 你再不好好学习,小心被打屁股。
    • He does it very often. I really get mad. I can't help spank him sometimes. 他经常这样做。我很气愤。有时候我忍不住打他的屁股。
    34 spanked [spæŋkt] 7f5c8f4a184a8a7677239d55dcee6b0f   第10级
    v.用手掌打( spank的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • We spanked along in his new car. 我们坐在他的新车里兜风。 来自辞典例句
    • The nurse spanked the naughty child. 保育员打了一下那个淘气的孩子的屁股。 来自辞典例句
    35 agitated [ˈædʒɪteɪtɪd] dzgzc2   第11级
    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。
    36 kindly [ˈkaɪndli] tpUzhQ   第8级
    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。
    37 grudge [grʌdʒ] hedzG   第8级
    n.不满,怨恨,妒嫉;vt.勉强给,不情愿做
    参考例句:
    • I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods. 我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
    • I do not grudge him his success. 我不嫉妒他的成功。
    38 fascination [ˌfæsɪˈneɪʃn] FlHxO   第8级
    n.令人着迷的事物,魅力,迷恋
    参考例句:
    • He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport. 他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
    • His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience. 广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。
    39 counterfeiter [ˈkaʊntəfɪtə(r)] gvtzao   第9级
    n.伪造者
    参考例句:
    • If the illegal gains are very large the counterfeiter shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than seven years and be fined. 对于违法所得数额巨大的,处3年以上7年以下有期徒刑,并处罚金。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Judge: (asking a counterfeiter) Why do you make false money? 法官:(威严地问假币制造者)你为什么制造假币? 来自互联网
    40 condemn [kənˈdem] zpxzp   第7级
    vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑
    参考例句:
    • Some praise him, whereas others condemn him. 有些人赞扬他,而有些人谴责他。
    • We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions. 我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。
    41 penitentiary [ˌpenɪˈtenʃəri] buQyt   第11级
    n.感化院;监狱
    参考例句:
    • He worked as a warden at the state penitentiary. 他在这所州监狱任看守长。
    • While he was in the penitentiary her father died and the family broke up. 他坐牢的时候,她的父亲死了,家庭就拆散了。
    42 embezzlement [ɪm'bezlmənt] RqoxY   第11级
    n.盗用,贪污
    参考例句:
    • He was accused of graft and embezzlement and was chained and thrown into prison. 他因被指控贪污盗窃而锒铛入狱。
    • The judge sent him to prison for embezzlement of funds. 法官因他盗用公款将其送入监牢。
    43 quotation [kwəʊˈteɪʃn] 7S6xV   第7级
    n.引文,引语,语录;报价,牌价,行情
    参考例句:
    • He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare. 他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。
    • The quotation is omitted here. 此处引文从略。
    44 eyebrows ['aɪbraʊz] a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5   第7级
    眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
    • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
    45 maliciously [mə'lɪʃəslɪ] maliciously   第9级
    adv.有敌意地
    参考例句:
    • He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • His enemies maliciously conspired to ruin him. 他的敌人恶毒地密谋搞垮他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    46 fishy [ˈfɪʃi] ysgzzF   第11级
    adj. 值得怀疑的
    参考例句:
    • It all sounds very fishy to me. 所有这些在我听起来都很可疑。
    • There was definitely something fishy going on. 肯定当时有可疑的事情在进行中。
    47 qualified [ˈkwɒlɪfaɪd] DCPyj   第8级
    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。
    48 entirely [ɪnˈtaɪəli] entirely   第9级
    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。
    49 alluring [ə'ljuəriŋ] zzUz1U   第9级
    adj.吸引人的,迷人的
    参考例句:
    • The life in a big city is alluring for the young people. 大都市的生活对年轻人颇具诱惑力。
    • Lisette's large red mouth broke into a most alluring smile. 莉莎特的鲜红的大嘴露出了一副极为诱人的微笑。
    50 plural [ˈplʊərəl] c2WzP   第7级
    n.复数;复数形式;adj.复数的
    参考例句:
    • Most plural nouns in English end in 's '. 英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
    • Here you should use plural pronoun. 这里你应该用复数代词。
    51 pussies [ˈpʊsi:z] 9c98ba30644d0cf18e1b64aa3bf72b06   第11级
    n.(粗俚) 女阴( pussy的名词复数 );(总称)(作为性对象的)女人;(主要北美使用,非正式)软弱的;小猫咪
    参考例句:
    • Not one of these pussies has been washed in weeks. 这帮娘儿们几个星期都没洗过澡了。 来自电影对白
    • See there's three kinds of people: dicks pussies and assholes. 哥们,世上有三种人:小弟弟、小妹妹,还有屁股眼。 来自互联网
    52 relish [ˈrelɪʃ] wBkzs   第7级
    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。
    53 peculiar [pɪˈkju:liə(r)] cinyo   第7级
    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。
    54 virtue [ˈvɜ:tʃu:] BpqyH   第7级
    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。
    55 liking [ˈlaɪkɪŋ] mpXzQ5   第7级
    n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
    参考例句:
    • The word palate also means taste or liking. Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
    • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration. 我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
    56 marital [ˈmærɪtl] SBixg   第7级
    adj.婚姻的,夫妻的
    参考例句:
    • Her son had no marital problems. 她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
    • I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems. 我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题。
    57 passionately ['pæʃənitli] YmDzQ4   第8级
    ad.热烈地,激烈地
    参考例句:
    • She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿,也能爱得一往情深。
    • He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。
    58 euphemisms ['ju:fəmɪzəmz] 2e52618fe6be3b868598f3bec8c0161d   第10级
    n.委婉语,委婉说法( euphemism的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • No point is in mincing words or hiding behind euphemisms. 没有必要闪烁其词或者羞羞答答。 来自辞典例句
    • No point in mincing words or hiding behind euphemisms. 没必要闪烁其词或者羞羞答答。 来自辞典例句
    59 collapse [kəˈlæps] aWvyE   第7级
    vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
    参考例句:
    • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse. 国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
    • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse. 工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
    60 implored [ɪmˈplɔ:d] 0b089ebf3591e554caa381773b194ff1   第9级
    恳求或乞求(某人)( implore的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • She implored him to stay. 她恳求他留下。
    • She implored him with tears in her eyes to forgive her. 她含泪哀求他原谅她。
    61 perversely [pə'vɜ:slɪ] 8be945d3748a381de483d070ad2ad78a   第9级
    adv. 倔强地
    参考例句:
    • Intelligence in the mode of passion is always perversely. 受激情属性控制的智力,总是逆着活动的正确方向行事。
    • She continue, perversely, to wear shoes that damaged her feet. 她偏偏穿那双挤脚的鞋。
    62 imputed [ɪmp'ju:tɪd] b517c0c1d49a8e6817c4d0667060241e   第11级
    v.把(错误等)归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • They imputed the accident to the driver's carelessness. 他们把这次车祸归咎于司机的疏忽。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • He imputed the failure of his marriage to his wife's shortcomings. 他把婚姻的失败归咎于妻子的缺点。 来自辞典例句
    63 ascetic [əˈsetɪk] bvrzE   第9级
    adj.禁欲的;严肃的
    参考例句:
    • The hermit followed an ascetic life-style. 这个隐士过的是苦行生活。
    • This is achieved by strict celibacy and ascetic practices. 这要通过严厉的独身生活和禁欲修行而达到。
    64 brazenly ['breɪznlɪ] 050b0303ab1c4b948fddde2c176e6101   第11级
    adv.厚颜无耻地;厚脸皮地肆无忌惮地
    参考例句:
    • How dare he distort the facts so brazenly! 他怎么敢如此肆无忌惮地歪曲事实! 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • "I don't know," he answered, looking her brazenly over. “我也不知道,"他厚颜无耻地打量着她。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
    65 soothingly [su:ðɪŋlɪ] soothingly   第7级
    adv.抚慰地,安慰地;镇痛地
    参考例句:
    • The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘,她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    66 gulped [ɡʌlpt] 4873fe497201edc23bc8dcb50aa6eb2c   第8级
    v.狼吞虎咽地吃,吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 );大口地吸(气);哽住
    参考例句:
    • He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。
    • She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下,似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    67 mumps [mʌmps] 6n4zbS   第10级
    n.腮腺炎
    参考例句:
    • Sarah got mumps from her brother. 萨拉的弟弟患腮腺炎,传染给她了。
    • I was told not go near Charles. He is sickening for mumps. 别人告诉我不要走近查尔斯,他染上了流行性腮腺炎。
    68 wailed [weild] e27902fd534535a9f82ffa06a5b6937a   第9级
    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
    69 sniffed [snift] ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72   第7级
    v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
    参考例句:
    • When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    70 betokened [bɪˈtəʊkənd] 375655c690bd96db4a8d7f827433e1e3   第12级
    v.预示,表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • Nothing betokened that the man know anything of what had occurred. 显然那个人还不知道已经发生了什么事。 来自互联网
    • He addressed a few angry words to her that betokened hostility. 他对她说了几句预示敌意的愤怒的话。 来自互联网
    71 sobbed ['sɒbd] 4a153e2bbe39eef90bf6a4beb2dba759   第7级
    哭泣,啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 ); 哭诉,呜咽地说
    参考例句:
    • She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
    • She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。
    72 acting [ˈæktɪŋ] czRzoc   第7级
    n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
    参考例句:
    • Ignore her, she's just acting. 别理她,她只是假装的。
    • During the seventies, her acting career was in eclipse. 在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
    73 nervously ['nɜ:vəslɪ] tn6zFp   第8级
    adv.神情激动地,不安地
    参考例句:
    • He bit his lip nervously, trying not to cry. 他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
    • He paced nervously up and down on the platform. 他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
    74 spiky [ˈspaɪki] hhczrZ   第12级
    adj.长而尖的,大钉似的
    参考例句:
    • Your hairbrush is too spiky for me. 你的发刷,我觉得太尖了。
    • The spiky handwriting on the airmail envelope from London was obviously hers. 发自伦敦的航空信封上的尖长字迹分明是她的。
    75 brainstorm [ˈbreɪnstɔ:m] 7xCzbR   第8级
    vi.动脑筋,出主意,想办法,献计,献策
    参考例句:
    • The women meet twice a month to brainstorm and set business goals for each other. 她们每个月聚会两次,在一起出谋献策,为各自制定生意目标。
    • We can brainstorm a list of the most influential individuals in the company. 我们可以集体讨论,列出该公司中最有影响的人员的名单。
    76 brainstorms [ˈbreɪnˌstɔ:mz] 23e858948e656c4fc5b0218a923ada75   第8级
    脑猝病( brainstorm的名词复数 ); 计上心头; 突来的灵感; 集体研讨
    参考例句:
    77 affected [əˈfektɪd] TzUzg0   第9级
    adj.不自然的,假装的
    参考例句:
    • She showed an affected interest in our subject. 她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
    • His manners are affected. 他的态度不自然。
    78 marsh [mɑ:ʃ] Y7Rzo   第8级
    n.沼泽,湿地
    参考例句:
    • There are a lot of frogs in the marsh. 沼泽里有许多青蛙。
    • I made my way slowly out of the marsh. 我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。
    79 positively [ˈpɒzətɪvli] vPTxw   第7级
    adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实
    参考例句:
    • She was positively glowing with happiness. 她满脸幸福。
    • The weather was positively poisonous. 这天气着实讨厌。
    80 multiplication [ˌmʌltɪplɪˈkeɪʃn] i15yH   第9级
    n.增加,增多,倍增;增殖,繁殖;乘法
    参考例句:
    • Our teacher used to drum our multiplication tables into us. 我们老师过去老是让我们反覆背诵乘法表。
    • The multiplication of numbers has made our club building too small. 会员的增加使得我们的俱乐部拥挤不堪。

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