高級英語 Advanced English(張漢熙) 第一冊 15.No Signposts in the Sea
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No Signposts in the Sea
In the dining-saloon I sit at a table with three other men; Laura sits some way off with a married couple and their daughter. I can observe her without her knowing, and this gives me pleasure, for it is as in a moving picture that I can note the grace of her gestures, whether she raises a glass of wine to her lips or turns with a remark to one of her neighbours or takes a cigarette from her case with those slender fingers. I have never had much of an eye for noticing the clothes of women, but I get the impression that Laura is always in grey and white by day, looking cool when other people are flushed and shiny in the tropical heat; in the evening she wears soft rich colours, dark red, olive green, midnight blue, always of the most supple flowing texture. I ventured to say something of the kind to her, when she laughed at my clumsy compliment and said I had better take to writing fashion articles instead of political leaders.
The tall Colonel whose name is Dalrymple seems a nice chap . He and I and Laura and a Chinese woman improbably galled Mme Merveille have made up a Bridge-tour and thus beguile ourselves for an hour or so after dinner while others dance on deck. The Colonel, who is not too offensively an Empire-builder, sometimes tries to talk to me about public affairs; he says he used to read me, and is rather charmingly deferential , prefacing his remarks by 'Of course it's not for me to suggest to you…" and then proceeding to tell me exactly how he thinks some topical item of our dome, the or foreign policy should be handled. He is by no means stupid or ill-informed; a little opinionated perhaps, and just about as far to the Right as anybody could go, but I like him, and try not to tease him by putting forward views which would only bring a puzzled look to his face. Besides, I do not want to become involved in discussion. I observe with amusement how totally the concerns of the world, which once absorbed me to the exclusion of all else except an occasional relaxation with poetry or music, have lost interest for me even to the extent of a bored distaste. Doubtless some instinct impels me gluttonously to cram these the last weeks of my life with the gentler things I never had time for, releasing some suppressed inclination which in fact was always latent. Or maybe Laura's unwitting influence has called it out.
Dismissive as Pharisee, I regarded as moonlings all those whose life was lived on a less practical plane. Protests about damage to 'natural beauty' froze me with contempt, for I believed in progress and could spare no regrets for a lake dammed into hydraulic use for the benefit of an industrial city in the Midlands. And so it was for all things. A hard materialism was my creed, accepted as a law of progress; any ascription of disinterested motives aroused not only my suspicion but my scorn.
And now see how I stand, as sentimental and sensitive as any old maid doing water-colour s of sunsets! I once flattered myself that I was an adult man; I now perceive that I am gloriously and abolescently silly. A new Clovis, loving what I have despised, and suffering from calf-love into the bargain, I want my till of beauty before I go. Geographically I did not care and scarcely know where I am. There are no signposts in the sea.
The young moon lies on her back tonight as is her habit in the tropics, and as, I think, is suitable if not seemly for a virgin. Not a star but might not shoot down and accept the invitation to become her lover. When all my fellow-passengers have finally dispersed to bed, I creep up again to the deserted deck and slip into the swimming pool and float, no longer what people believe me to be, a middle-aged journalist taking a holiday on an ocean-going liner, but a liberated being, bathed in mythological waters, an Endymion young and strong, with a god for his father and a vision of the world inspired from Olympus. All weight is lifted from my limbs; I am one with the night; I understand the meaning of pantheism . How my friends would laugh if they knew I had come to this! To have discarded , as I believe, all usual frailties , to have become incapable of envy, ambition, malice , the desire to score off my neighbour, to enjoy this purification even as I enjoy the clean voluptuousness of the warm breeze on my skin and the cool support of the water. Thus, I imagine, must the pious feel cleansed on leaving the confessional after the solemnity of absolution .
Sometimes Laura and I lean over the taffrail , and that is happiness. It may be by daylight, looking at the sea, rippled with little white ponies, or with no ripples at all but only the lazy satin of blue, marbled at the edge where the passage of our ship has disturbed it. Or it may be at night, when the sky surely seems blacker than ever at home and the stars more golden. I recall a phrase from the diary of a half-literate soldier, ‘ The stars seemed little cuts in the black cover, through which a bright beyond was seen.' Sometimes these untaught scribblers have a way of putting things.
The wireless told us today that there is fog all over England.
Sometimes we follow a coastline, it may be precipitous bluffs of grey limestone rising sheer out of the sea, or a low-lying arid stretch with miles of white sandy beach, and no sign of habitation, very bleached and barren. These coasts remind me of people; either they are forbidding and unapproachable , or else they present no mystery and show all they have to give at a glance, you feel the country would continue to be flat and featureless however far you penetrated inland. What I like best are the stern cliffs, with ranges of mountains soaring behind them, full of possibilities, peaks to be scaled only by the most daring. What plants of the high altitudes grow unravished among their crags and valleys? So do I let my imagination play over the recesses of Laura's Character, so austere in the foreground but nurturing what treasures of tenderness, like delicate flowers, for the discovery of the venturesome.
My fellow-passengers apparently do not share my admiration.
‘Drearee sorter cowst,' said an Australian. ‘Makes you Iong for a bit of green. '
Darkness falls, and there is nothing but the intermittent gleam of a lighthouse on a solitary promontory .
We rounded just such a cape towards sunset, the most easterly point of a continent, dramatically high and lonely, a great purple mountain overhung by a great purple cloud. The sea had turned to a corresponding dusk of lavender . Aloof on the top, the yellow light revolved, steady, warning; I wondered what mortal controlled it, in what must be one of the loneliest, most forbidding spots on Earth. Haunted too, for many wrecks had piled up on the reefs in the past, when there was no beacon to guide them.
The Colonel joined us.
‘How would you care for that man's job?' he said.
‘I suppose he sets relieved every so often?'
‘On the contrary, he refuses ever to leave. He is an Italian, and he has been there for years and years, with a native woman for his only company. Most people would think him crazy, but I must say I find it refreshing to think there are still a few odd fish left in the world.
This is the unexpected kind of remark that makes me like the Colonel; there is a touch of rough poetry about him. I like also the out-of-the-way information which he imparts from time to time without insistence; he has traveled much, and has used his eyes and kept his ears open. I have discovered also that he knows quite a lot about sea-birds; he puts me right about the different sorts of gull, and tells me very nicely that that couldn't possibly be an albatross , not in these waters. The albatross, it appears, follows a ship only to a certain latitude and then turns back; it know show far it should go and no farther. How wise is the albatross! We might all take a lesson from him, knowing the latitude we can permit ourselves. Thus, and no farther, can I foIlow Laura. I suspect also that there is quite a lot of lore stored away in the Colonel's otherwise not very interesting mind. Laura likes him too, and although I prefer having her to myself I don't really resent it when he lounges up to make a third.
In all this great serenity of ocean it is seldom that we espy so much as another ship; the jolly dolphins and the scratchy little flying-fish have the vast circle all to themselves, 'the Flying Fish, who has a part with the birds, ' and doubtless are glad to see the last of the monster which bears us into and out of sight. Our wake closes up and we might never have been. But it does happen from time to "Time that an island appears on the horizon, nameless to us and full of mystery, the peak of a submarine mountain range, lonely, unblemished , remote. Does one like islands because one unconsciously appropriates them, a small manageable domain in a large unmanageable world? I cannot tell why it should give me such a queer sensation to reflect that that island has always been there (unless indeed it be no more than the work of the patient coral ) and will be there still, should I return to find it waiting for me. It is the same sensation as I have experienced in looking at a photograph of, say, some river valley of innermost China, and seen a boulder, and thought that if I could find myself transported to that spot I could touch the reality of that particular piece of rock ... It is there. For me. I could sit on that very boulder . I explain myself badly, and it is not a sensation I could expect anyone save Laura to understand, but of such incommunicable quirks is the private mind made up.
Well, the islands. I divert myself by inventing the life upon them, and am amused to find my imagination always turning towards the idyllic. This is the new Edmund Carr with a vengeance. If we have seen a skiff sailing close in shore, I follow the fisherman as he beaches his craft in the little cove and gives a cry like a sea-bird to announce his coming. His woman meets him; they are young, and their skins of a golden-brown; she takes his catch from him. In their plaited hut there is nothing but health and love.
One night we passed two islands, steeply humped against faint reflected moonlight; and on each of them, high up, shone a steady yellow gleam.
‘Not lighthouses.' I said to Laura. ‘Villages.'
We gazed, as the ship slid by and the humps receded into darkness and even the lights were obscured by the shoulder of a hill, never to be seen by us again. So peaceful and secret; so self-contained .
One of the ship's officers joined us, off duty.
‘Yes, 'he said, following our gaze. ‘One of them is a leper colony and the other a penal settlement.'
God, is there no escape from suffering and sin?
Laura and I amuse ourselves by watching for the green flash which comes at the instant the sun disappears below the line of the horizon. This does not happen every day, for sky must be entirely clear of cloud and clouds seem very liable to gather along the path of the setting sun, but we are as pleased as children when our game succeeds. Laura claps her hands. Only a second does it last, that streak of green light; we wait for it while the red ball, cut in half as though by a knife, sinks to its daily doom . Then come the twilight colours of sea and heaven (we have discovered the fallacy of saying that darkness falls suddenly in these latitudes, at any rate on sea level), the wine pink width of water merging into lawns of aquamarine , and the sky a tender of pink and blue. But the green flash is our chief delight.
‘creme de menthe , ' says Laura
‘Jade, ' I say.
‘ Emerald , ' says Laura. ' Jade is too opaque
‘Vicious viridian , ' I say, not to be outdone .
'You always did lose yourself in the pleasure of words Edmund. Say green as jealousy and be done with it.'
‘I have never known the meaning of jealousy.'
I am sorry to see the sun go, for one of the pleasures I have discovered is the warmth of his touch on my skin. At home in London I never noticed the weather, unless actually inconvenienced by fog or rain; I had no temptation to take a flying holiday to the South and understood little when people spoke or wrote of sunlight on white walls. Now the indolence of southern latitudes has captured me. I like to see dusky men sitting about doing nothing. I like the footfall of naked feet in the dust, silent as a cat passing. I like turning a corner from the shade of a house into the full torrid glare of an open space. I put my hand on metal railings and snatch it away, burnt. But it is seldom that I go ashore.
I would never have believed in the simple bliss of being, day after day, at sea. Our ports of call are few, and when they do occur I resent them. I should like this empty existence to be prolonged beyond calculation. In the ship's library stands a large globe whose function so far as I am concerned is to reveal the proportion of ocean to the landmasses of the troubled would; the Pacific alone dwarfs all the continents put together. Blue, the colour of peace. And then I like all the small noises of a ship: the faint creaking, as of the saddle-leather to a horseman riding across turf , the slap of a rope, the hiss of sudden spray . I have been exhilarated by two days of storm, but above all I love these long purposeless days in which I shed all that I have ever been.
(from No Signposts in the Sea, 1961)
第十五課海上無路標(節(jié)選)
V?薩克維爾?韋斯特
在餐廳里，我同另外三個男人圍坐在一張桌子旁，而勞拉同一對夫婦及他們的女兒一塊兒坐在離我不遠的地方。我可以觀察她而不讓她發(fā)覺，這使我覺得開心，因為我可以像看電影一樣地欣賞她優(yōu)雅的動作，不論是舉杯送到唇邊，還是扭頭與鄰座交談，抑或是用她那纖細的手指從煙盒中夾取香煙的動作。我向來不太會欣賞也不大注意女人的衣著，但我卻有這樣的印象：勞拉白天總穿著灰色和白色的衣服，因而當別人被熱帶的高溫烘烤得紅光滿面時，她看上去卻給人一種清爽的感覺。到了晚間，她又總是穿著深紅、橄欖綠、深藍等色調柔和富麗、質料柔軟光滑的衣服。當我不揣冒昧地將這話對她講時，她對我這種笨拙的恭維報以開心的大笑，還說我最好不再寫什么政壇人物的述評文章而改行專寫時裝評論算了。
※ 那個名叫達里波的高個子上?？礃幼邮莻€好相處的人。他和我同勞拉及一個竟被人稱呼為麥爾維爾夫人的中國婦女湊成一桌橋牌，四人搭檔。這樣，晚飯后，當其他的人在甲板上跳舞時，我們便用打牌來消遣個把小時。上校不是個令人討厭的帝國的衛(wèi)道士，他經(jīng)常找我談論一些國家大事。他說他以前常讀我寫的文章;他說話溫文爾雅，彬彬有禮，一開口總是先來上一句"當然，我沒有資格建議您……"接下來他就會明確地談他該如何處置關于某項國內(nèi)或外交事務的意見。他決不算愚笨，也絕談不上孤陋寡聞，只是可能有一點偏執(zhí)，政治思想上極端右傾保守，但我對他頗有好感，因而盡量不提出一些只會使他露出困惑的神色的見解，以免使他難堪。況且，我也不想陷入討論的旋渦。我有趣地發(fā)覺，自己過去除偶爾借詩歌或音樂消遣放松一下外，一心專注的世界大事現(xiàn)在不僅是索然無味，而且簡直是令人厭煩了。這無疑是自己受某種本能的驅使，要貪婪地用一些過去無暇享受的賞心樂事來填補自己生命中的最后幾周，釋放那些在過去雖受到壓抑但一直潛伏在自己心中的欲望。也許是勞拉的無意的影響喚起了我心中的欲望。
※ 過去，我像法利賽人一樣自以為是，輕視別人。只要別人的生活不像我這么講求實際，我就把他們看作月球居民。對于人們因"大自然的美"遭到破壞而提出的抗議我嗤之以鼻，因為我相信文明的進步的合理性。對于為了利用水力使內(nèi)地某個工業(yè)城市受益而在某個湖泊上筑起攔湖大壩這種事情我根本不覺得遺憾。對一切事物我都是這種態(tài)度。我信仰絕對的實用主義，并將其看作是人類進步的自然法則。任何人若標榜自己的行為出于無私的動機，那不僅會引起我的懷疑，而且會引起我的輕蔑。
可是看看現(xiàn)在的我吧，竟然像一個老處女正用水彩畫著西下的殘陽，十分地多愁善感!我曾自詡為老成持重，現(xiàn)在卻意識到自己原來這么幼稚無知。就像那個改弦易轍的克洛維一樣，我竟然對自己過去所鄙視的一切開始熱愛起來，并且還要遭受少年初戀的痛苦。我想在離開人世之前盡情享受一切美好的東西。我不知道也不想知道自己身處何方。茫茫大海無路標。
※ 今夜的一彎新月仰面斜躺在天空，這是月亮在熱帶地區(qū)常見的姿勢。在我看來，這種姿勢對一個少女來說雖說有些不雅，但卻還是適宜的。沒有哪一顆星星不愿飛射下來接受邀請做她的情人。當船上的其他乘客最后一個個都回艙就寢之后，我一個人又悄悄爬上空蕩蕩的甲板，滑人游泳池，在水面上浮游著。這時我已不再是人們所熟悉的那位在遠洋海輪上度假的中年記者了，而是一個無拘無束的沐浴著天池神水的自由快樂的人，就像神話中那位有天神作父親并有一雙奧林匹斯山諸神所賜的觀察人世的慧眼的年輕健壯的恩底彌翁。我只覺身體四肢輕飄飄的沒有任何重量，并且和夜的世界合為一體。我悟出了泛神論的真正意義。我的那些朋友們?nèi)糁牢乙炎兂蛇@樣，他們不知會笑成什么樣子!在享受著這暖風浴膚，涼水托體所帶來的清新快感時，我相信我的心靈也得到了凈化，丟棄了凡人皆有的種種弱點，變得不會嫉妒，沒有野心，沒有惡意，與世無爭。照我想象，那些虔誠的教徒在做完莊嚴的懺悔儀式離開懺悔室時，他們心靈得到凈化的感覺一定就像我此時的感覺一樣。
※ 有時，勞拉和我一起倚在船尾欄桿上，這對我是一種幸福。倘是在白天，我們憑欄遠眺大海，只見海面上時而翻卷起白色的浪花，時而平靜得宛若一幅微微飄動起伏著的藍色緞面，完全見不到翻起的浪花，只有我們的輪船駛過之處才泛起一道道如大理石般的波紋。若是在夜晚，我們翹首望天，這兒的夜空比故鄉(xiāng)的更黑，星光卻顯得更加璀璨。此時此景令我不由想起一個粗通文墨的士兵在日記中寫的這樣一句話："星星看起來就像一個黑鍋蓋上挖的許多小窟窿，透過這些小窟窿可以看見鍋蓋外面的亮光。"有時候那些沒念過書的人信筆涂鴉寫的東西倒也有那么兩下子。
據(jù)無線電廣播，今天全英格蘭彌漫著大霧。
※ 有時，我們的輪船沿著海岸線航行。時而是突拔而起的石灰?guī)r峭壁，時而是地勢低洼連綿數(shù)英里的茫茫沙灘，渺無人跡，凄慘荒涼。這種海岸景象使我聯(lián)想到這樣一些人，他們或者是令人望而生畏，難以接近，或者是無秘可隱，讓人一眼就可看穿?？匆娺@些海岸，你會產(chǎn)生這樣的感覺：不論你向內(nèi)陸腹地深人多遠，那里的土地都將和岸邊一樣平淡無奇。我最喜愛的是岸邊的那些懸崖峭壁及其背后的那高聳云端、神秘莫測的峰巒疊嶂，那山峰只有最英勇無畏的人才能夠攀登上去。在崇山峻嶺之間人跡未至的石隙和幽谷中生長著的是一些什么樣的高原植物呢?我也這樣地讓自己的想象力盡情地探索勞拉性格深處的秘密。她的性情表面上嚴肅冷峻，但她內(nèi)心里卻蘊育著豐富溫柔的情感，宛如嬌嫩的花朵，等待著勇士去發(fā)現(xiàn)。
同船的其他乘客們顯然不能以我這樣的眼光去欣賞海岸上的景色。
"這海岸景象真是荒涼，"一位澳大利亞人說。"它讓人渴望見到一點綠色。"
※ 夜幕降臨，四野茫茫，唯見一處荒涼的岬角的一座燈塔上的航標燈忽明忽暗地閃爍著。
※ 日落時分，我們的輪船正好繞過這樣一個海角，它位于一塊大陸的最東端，是一座孤峰高聳的紫色大山，山頂上籠罩著大片紫色的云霧。海水也相應地變成了淡紫色。山頂上，黃色的航標燈不停地旋轉著，向過往船只發(fā)出警示信號。我心中好奇，在這也許稱得上世界上最荒僻最危險的地方，究竟是什么樣的人在那里看守著燈塔呢?那一帶還是鬼魂出沒的地方，因為在過去沒有指航燈指航的歲月里，那兒的礁石上堆滿了遇難船只的殘骸。
上校來到了我們身邊。
"你覺得那人的職業(yè)怎樣?''他問道。
"大概經(jīng)常有人來換班吧?''
"恰恰相反，他一直不肯離開那兒。他是個意大利人，在那兒守了好多好多年了，與他作伴的只有一個當?shù)貗D女。一般人大概都會覺得他這人古怪，但我一想到世上居然還剩著這樣幾個怪人，就感到挺愜意。"
這種}義論有點出人意料，也正是這一點使我對上校產(chǎn)生了好感，他這人還頗有一點樸素的詩人氣質呢。我也喜歡他經(jīng)常主動講給我們聽的一些奇聞怪事。他走南闖北，見多識廣。我還發(fā)現(xiàn)他有關海鳥的知識也很豐富，他教我識別不同種類的海鷗，還很有禮貌地告訴我那只鳥不可能是信天翁，這片海域不會有信天翁。信天翁似乎只跟隨輪船飛到一定的緯度就折回，它知道自己應該走多遠，到了極限距離就決不向前多走一步。信天翁有多么明智啊!我們都應該向信天翁學習，認明自己行動所應達到的極限。我追勞拉也只能追到此為止了，決不能再跨前一步。我想，這方面的知識上校的頭腦里一定也裝著不少，盡管他的頭腦在其他方面并不令人感到有趣。勞拉也喜歡他，盡管我想獨占勞拉，但當他漫步走過來成為第三者時，我并沒有對他產(chǎn)生反感。
※ 在這一片無比寧靜的大海上，我們就連一艘其他的船只也難得見到。歡樂的海豚和那些吱吱叫的小飛魚是這片廣闊天地的主人。當它們再也看不到那載著我們駛入它們的視線又很快消失的怪物時，"這些與鳥兒有點相似的小飛魚"肯定高興得很。船過水合，毫無痕跡，似乎我們從未經(jīng)過那兒似的。但是，偶爾也會有一座島嶼出現(xiàn)在遠處地平線上，我們不知其名，令人充滿著神秘之感，它是海底山脈之頂峰，顯得孤獨、無暇、遙遠。人們喜愛島嶼，是不是因為在難以駕馭的廣袤的世界之中有這么些易于治理的小塊領地，就不知不覺地要占為己有呢?想到那座島嶼一直屹立在那里(除非它確實只不過是耐心的珊瑚蟲的作品)，而且仍將繼續(xù)屹立在原地不動，假若我們能返回原地，將會發(fā)現(xiàn)它還在那里等待著我們。當我想到這些時，我有一種奇特的感覺，為什么會這樣，我也說不清。當我看到一幅照片，比如說中國內(nèi)地某河谷的照片并發(fā)現(xiàn)一塊大漂石時，我也會產(chǎn)生這樣的感覺。我想，如果能把我送到那塊大漂石的所在地，我就能實實在在地觸摸一下那塊大漂石……那塊漂石屹立在原地，等待著我，我可以坐在那塊漂石上。我不善于表達自己的感受，我所要說明的這種感覺我也不敢指望除勞拉外的任何人能理解。但人的心靈深處本來就充滿著這樣一些不可言傳的隱秘古怪的念頭。
哇，那些海島!為了消愁解悶，我開始想象島上生活的情景。令我覺得有趣的是，我發(fā)現(xiàn)我的想象總是竭力靠近田園詩般的生活。這完完全全是另一個愛德蒙?卡爾。假如我們看見一葉扁舟靠向海島的岸邊，我的想象便隨著那扁舟上的漁夫而去，看著他把船推上小海灣的沙灘，接著發(fā)出一聲海鳥的叫喚，向家中人通報他的歸來，他的女人馬上出門迎接他。他們都很年輕，皮膚是金褐色的。她從他手中接過捕撈的魚，他們那間茅草編成的棚屋里充滿著健康和愛。
有一天夜里，我們駛過了兩座海島，在海水反射的昏黃的月色映照下，海島呈現(xiàn)出陡峭的駝峰形輪廓，兩個海島的峰頂上都閃爍著一種穩(wěn)定的黃色的微光。
"不是燈塔，"我對勞拉說。"是村落。"
我們注目凝視著，輪船這時已漸漸從島邊滑過，海島的駝峰形輪廓也漸漸消失在一片黑暗中，連島上的閃光都給一個山肩擋住，從我們的視線中永遠地消失了。多么寧靜、隱秘而又深沉。
船上的一名下了班的高級船員走過來加入了我們的談話。
"沒錯，"他順著我們的目光望去，一邊說，"其中的一個村落是麻風病患者聚居點，另一個是犯人勞改營。"
天哪，難道就沒有辦法擺脫苦難和罪惡嗎?
※ 勞拉和我還有一種白娛的方法，就是等著觀看太陽從地平線上消失的那一瞬間產(chǎn)生的一道綠色的閃光。這種綠色的閃光不是每天都能看到的，只有當天空沒有一絲云彩時才能看到，而云彩卻又特別喜歡沿著日落的軌道聚集。每當我們的這一游戲成功(即看到綠光)時，我們就會像孩子般的興高采烈，勞拉還會不住的拍手。那道綠色光芒一閃即逝。我們等著看這道綠光時，太陽宛如被刀子切去一半的紅球，隨即墜落到每日的歸宿之處。接著便見大海和天空上出現(xiàn)一片茫茫的暮色(有人說，在這種緯度的地區(qū)的海面上，夜幕總是突如其來地降臨，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)這種說法是錯誤的)，深紅色的海面漸漸變成了一塊塊藍綠色的草坪，天空則變成了一塊柔和的淺紅色和藍色的調色板。但最使我們喜悅的還是那道綠色的閃光。
"薄荷酒色，"勞拉說。
"裴翠色，"我說。
"鮮綠色，"勞拉說，"裴翠色太暗了。"
"墨綠色，"我不想輸給她，又說了一句。
"愛德蒙，你一咬文嚼字起來總是那么忘乎所以。干脆就說綠得發(fā)青叫人嫉妒好了，別再爭下去了。"
"我可從來不知道什么是嫉妒。"
※ 看到太陽落下去了，我感到惋惜，因為我發(fā)覺溫暖的陽光照到皮膚上是令人舒心愜意的。在家鄉(xiāng)倫敦時，我從來不去注意天氣情況，除非是雨和霧確實給我?guī)砹瞬槐?。我又從未想過去南方作一次短暫的旅行，因此也不大理解別人談論或描寫陽光灑滿白墻的情景。而現(xiàn)在南緯地帶懶洋洋的氣氛深深地吸引著我。我喜歡看那些曬得黑黝黝的男人無所事事地閑坐著的樣子，我喜歡聽人們打赤腳踩踏在塵土中所發(fā)出的像貓兒一樣輕的腳步聲，我喜歡繞過一個屋角時從房屋的陰影中一步跨人在烈日照射下赤熱耀眼的空曠場地時的感覺。我剛把手搭到金屬欄桿上立刻便縮了回來，燙得要命。但我很少上岸。
※ 若非有了這一回的親身經(jīng)歷，我永遠也不會相信日復一日地航行于大海上竟會是這樣的其樂無窮。我們的船?？康母劭诤苌?，真正停靠港口時，我也只感到厭煩。我寧愿這種灑脫的海上生活永無休止地持續(xù)下去。船上的圖書室里放著一架巨大的地球儀，照我看來，它的作用就是展示海洋與動蕩不安的世界上的陸地之間的比例，僅一個太平洋就比所有的大陸加在一起還要大。藍色，和平的顏色。而且我也喜歡船上的一切輕微的聲響：那如同草地上奔馳的騎手耳中聽到的鞍皮發(fā)出的吱嘎聲，繩索的拍打聲以及浪花飛濺的嘶嘶聲。兩天的暴風雨使我欣喜萬分，但我首先喜歡的還是這漫長的無所事事的日子，在這些日子里，我拋棄了舊我，脫胎換骨，獲得了新生。
(摘自《海上無路標》，1961)
詞匯(Vocabulary)
signpost ( n.) :a post bearing a sign;guidepost廣告柱;路標
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supple ( adj.) :able to bend and move easily and nimbly;lithe;limber柔軟的;可塑的;能輕易彎曲的
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beguile ( v.) :cause(time)to pass without being noticed消磨(時間
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deferential ( adj.) :showing deference;very respectful表示敬意的，恭敬的
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opinionated ( adj.) :holding unreasonably or obstinatedly to one's own opinions固執(zhí)己見的;固守成見的
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gluttonous ( adj.) :inclined to eat too much and greedily貪食的
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latent (adj.) : present but invisible or inactive;lying hidden and undeveloped within a person or thing，as a quality or power;potential潛在的;潛伏的
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unwitting ( adj.) :not intended;unintentional無意的;非有意的
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dismissive ( adj.) :haughty or contemptuous傲慢的，目中無人的;輕蔑的，輕視的
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hydraulic ( adj.) : operated by the movement and force of liquid水力的;液壓的
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ascription ( n.) :regarding as belonging to or coming from someone歸屬;歸因、;歸咎
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adolescent ( adj.) : of characteristic of adolescence; youthful，exuberant，immature，unsettled，young，etc.青春期的，青年的;發(fā)育未全的;未成熟的
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calf-love ( n.) :immature love that adolescent boys and girls may feel for each other;puppy love雛戀，幼戀
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disperse ( v.) :break up and move in different directions;scatter分散，散開;散去
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pantheism ( n.) :the doctrine that God is not a personality(as in Christianity)but that a11 laws，forces. manifestations, etc.，of the self-existing universe are God泛神論
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malice ( n.) :active ill will;desire to harm another or to do mischief;spite敵意;怨恨
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voluptuous ( adj.) :giving a fine delight to the senses;giving a satisfying feeling of rest and enjoyment令人舒服的;安逸的
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pious ( adj.) :showing religious devotion and zealous in the performance of religious obligations虔誠的
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confessional ( n.) :a small，enclosed place in a church. where a priest hears confessions(教堂中神父聽取懺悔的)懺悔室
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absolution ( n.) :remission(of sin or penalty for it)：specif., in some churches，such remission formally given by a priest in the sacrament of penance(罪或懲罰的)赦免
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taffrail ( n.) :the rail around the stern of a ship or boat船尾欄桿
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ripple ( v.) :cause to ripple使起細浪;使波動(或飄動)
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pony ( n.) :a small horse矮種馬;小馬
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satin ( n.) :a kind or very fine smooth cloth mainly of silk. which is shiny on the front and dull on the back緞子
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marble ( v.) :stain or color to look like mottled or streaked marble把……弄上大理石花紋
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scribbler ( n.) :a person who writes illegibly or carelessly 筆跡潦草的人
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precipitous ( adj.) : dangerously steep：frighteningly high above the ground陡峭的;險峻的;懸崖峭壁般的
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bluff ( n.) :a high，steep，broad-faced bank or cliff陡坡;懸崖
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arid ( adj.) :(of land or a country)having so little rain as to be very dry and unproductive(土地等)干旱的;貧脊的
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bleach ( v.) :(cause to)become white or whiter(使)變白，漂白
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ravish (v.) :take 0r carry away by force;rape強搶;強奪;強奸
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recess ( n.) :(often pl.)a secluded，withdrawn，or inner place(常用復數(shù))深處;幽深之處
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austere ( adj. ) :having a severe or stern look，manner，etc.;forbidding嚴厲的，嚴峻的;嚴肅的;苛刻的
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intermittent (adj.) :happening，then stopping，then happening again，with pauses in between;not continuous斷斷續(xù)續(xù)的，間斷的
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promontory ( n.) :a peak or high land that juts out into a body of water;headland岬(角);海角
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lavender ( n.) :a pale purple colour淡紫色
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albatross ( n.) :any of various large strong，mostly white seabirds famous for their ability to fly long distances信天翁
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lore ( n.) :knowledge or wisdom，especially of an unscientific kind，about a certain subject學問;知識(尤指某門學科知識)
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lounge ( v.) :stand，move，sit，lie，etc.in a relaxed or lazy way;loll(懶散地)站(走，坐，躺)
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serenity ( n.) :the quality or state of being serene;calmness;tranquillity寧靜;晴朗
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espy ( v.) :catch sight of;make out;spy;descry(偶爾)看見;發(fā)現(xiàn);探出;窺見
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dolphin ( n.) :a type of toothed sea-animal 2-3 metres long，which swims about very quickly in groups。going over and under the surface of the water in curves海豚
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blemish ( v.) :mar，as by some flaw or fault;spoil the perfection of損害;損傷;玷污;有損……的完美
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boulder ( n.) :any large rock worn smooth and round by weather and water巨石
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quirk ( n.) :a peculiarity，peculiar trait，or mannerism怪癖，古怪行為
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skiff ( n.) :any light rowboat輕舟，小舟
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leper ( n.) :a person having leprosy麻風病患者
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aquamarine ( n.) :the colour of bluish-green藍綠色
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creme de menthe ( n.) :[Fre.]a sweet liqueur，usually green in colour，flavoured with mint[法語]薄荷酒
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emerald ( n.) :bright green翠綠色
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opaque ( adj.) :not reflecting light;not shining or lustrous;dull or dark不反光的;不發(fā)亮的;暗的
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vicious viridian ( n.) :very intense bluish-green colour墨綠色
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indolence ( n.) :the quality or state of disliking or avoiding work;the state of being idle or lazy懶惰;懶散;無所事事
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torrid ( adj. ) :so hot as to be parching or oppresive;scorching灼熱的;酷熱的
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bliss ( n.) :great joy or happiness極大的快樂;完美的幸福
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turf ( n.) :a surface layer of earth containing grass plants with their matted roots;sod;sward草皮;草地
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exhilarate ( v.) :make cheerful，merry，or lively使高興;使快樂;使快活
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短語(Expressions)
take to sth./doing sth: begin to do sth.as a habit逐漸慣于做某事
例：He took t0 gardening in his retirement.他退休后就搞起了園藝。
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lose oneself in sth: be totally absorbed in sth.專心致志于某事物
例：I soon lost myself in the excitement of the film.影片中的刺激情節(jié)很快就把我吸引住了。
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with a vengeance: to a greater degree than is normal，expected or desired比正常的，預期的或想要的程度更深或更甚
例：to a greater degree than is normal，expected or desired比正常的，預期的或想要的程度更深或更甚
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to the exclusion of: so as to keep out，leave out，exclude排除(其他的一切)
例：He spent his spare time gardening to the exclusion of all other interests.他把空余時間都用在園藝上了，沒有任何其他愛好。
16課詞匯(Vocabulary)
abridge ( v.) :shorten by using fewer words but keeping the main contents;condense(在保留主要內(nèi)容的同時)減少……的篇幅;刪去;簡寫，精簡(文章等)
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custodian ( n.) :a person who has the custody or care of something，as of a private library;caretaker;keeper(私人圖書館等的)管理員，看管人
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tally ( n.) :anything used as a record for an account，reckoning，or score記帳或記分用物
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abstain ( v.) :decline to use vote(投票時)棄權
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horsefly ( n.) :any of a number of related large flies(Tabanidae)，the female of which sucks the blood of horses，cattle，etc.虻
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quill ( n.) :the hollow，horny stem of a feather;calamus羽毛管
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inkwell ( n.) :a container for holding ink，usually set in the top of a desk，inkstand，etc.(鑲在桌上或墨水臺上的)墨水池
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holler ( v.) :[colloq.]shout or yell[口]叫喊，呼喊
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mill ( v.) :[AmE]move slowly in a circle，as cattle，or aimlessly，as a confused crowd(often with around or about)[美](人、家畜)成群地兜圈子;亂哄哄地推擠(常與around或about連用)
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Quaker ( n.) :a popular name for a member of the Society of Friends：Friend 貴格會教徒(基督教新教的教友派或"公誼會"教徒的別稱)
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distill ( v.) :remove，extract，or produce by distillation用蒸餾法提取(或生產(chǎn))，由蒸餾而得;提純;精制
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rum ( n.) :an alcoholic liquor distilled from fermented sugar cane，molasses，etc.朗姆灑(甘蔗汁制的一種甜酒)
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dammit ( interj.) :amn it(used to express annoyance，disgust，impatience)該死的;他媽的
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tria juncta in uno :[Latin]three joined in one[拉]三人意見統(tǒng)一
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wart ( n.) :an imperfection，failing，flaw，etc.缺點;缺陷;瑕疵
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portly ( adj.) :stout;corpulent肥胖的;粗壯的;魁梧的
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hawkish ( adj.) :of or like a hawk像鷹一樣的
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bespectacled ( adj.) :wearing spectacles戴眼鏡的
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sycophant ( n.) :a person who seeks favour by flattering people of wealth or influece諂媚者，拍馬者
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gout ( n.) :disease with inflammation of joints，esp. of big toe [醫(yī)]痛風
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drowse ( v. ) :sleep lightly;be half asleep;dose打瞌睡，打盹
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pappy ( n.) :[dial.or colloq.]father[方或口]爸爸
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vehement ( adj.) :having or characterized by intense feeling or strong passion;fervent;impassioned，etc.熱情的;熱烈的;激情的
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quietude ( n.) :a state of being quiet;rest;calmness平靜，寧靜
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pedantic ( adj. ) :like or of a pedant學究氣的，書呆子似的
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festivity ( n.) :[pl.]festive proceedings;things done in celebration[復]慶?；顒樱瑧c典
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swat ( v.) :[colloq.]hit with a quick，sharp blow[口]重拍，猛擊
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whoop ( n.) :a loud shout，cry高叫聲，呼喊聲
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absolve ( v.) :free(from a duty，promise.etc)解除(或免) 除…的(責任);使不受(諾言等)約束
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allegiance ( n.) :the obligation of support and loyalty to one's ruler, government, or country(對統(tǒng)治者、政府、國家)效忠
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dissolve ( v.) :end by or as by breaking up;terminate使結束，使中止
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second ( v.) :indicate formally one's approval。r support of (a motion，nomination，etc.)贊成;支持(動議等)
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motion ( n.) :a proposal;suggestion;a proposal formally made in an assembly or meeting提議;動議;會議提案
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weasel ( n.) :a sly，cunning，or sneaky person狡猾的人，奸刁的人
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intone ( v.) :speak or recite in a singing tone or in prolonged monotones;chant吟詠;吟誦;以拖長的音調說話或朗誦
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brunt ( n.) :the heaviest or hardest part正面的沖擊;主要的壓力
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skeptical ( adj.) :not easily persuaded or convinced;doubting;questioning難以說服的;好懷疑的
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itch ( v.) :have a restless desire or hankering渴望，追求
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sever ( v.) :part or break off，as by cutting or with force;cut in two切斷，割斷
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cripple ( v.) :make unable or unfit to act，function effectively，etc.;disable使損傷，使喪失活動能力;削弱
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muster ( v.) :gather together and display;collect;summon鼓起;振作(常與up連用)
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forsake ( v.) :abandon拋棄，遺棄
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anarchist ( n.) :a person who believes in or advocated anarchism無政府主義者，無政府主義鼓吹者
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redress ( v.) :set right;rectify or remedy，often by making compensation for(a wrong，grievance，etc.)糾正，矯正;補償
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treason ( n.) :violation of the allegiance owed to one's sovereign or state;betrayal of one's country叛國罪;叛逆行為
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pound ( v.) :deprive of money or property by violence;loot 掠奪(某地)的財物;搶劫(某人)的財物
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stifle ( v.) :suppress or repress;check，stop，inhibit，etc.抑制;撲滅;鎮(zhèn)壓
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spawn ( vt.) :bring forth or be the source of釀成，引起
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status quo :the existing state of affairs(at a particular time)(also"status in quo")現(xiàn)狀(亦作status in quo)
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seditious ( adj.) :engaging in resistence or rebellion against the government in power叛亂的
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fugitive ( n.) :a person who flees or has fled from danger，justice，etc.逃亡者，逃犯
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chaos ( n.) :extreme confusion or disorder紛亂，混亂(狀態(tài))，無秩序
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reek ( vi.) :be permeated with anything very unpleasant充滿(某種極不愉快的東西)(通常與of，with連用)
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roach ( n.) :any of an order(Blattalia)of insects with long feelers and a flat soft body(some species are common house-hold pests)蟑螂
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aye ( adv.) :yes;yea是;當然
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infernal ( adj.) :[colloq.]hateful;outrageous[口]可恨的，可惡的，討厭的，該死的
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incendiary ( n.) :a person who willfully stirs up strife. riot，rebellion，etc.煽動者
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demagogue ( n.) :a person who tries to stir up the people by appeals to emotion，prejudice，etc.in order to win them over quickly and so gain power煽動者，鼓動者;蠱惑人心的政客
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fribble ( n.) :any trifling act or thought無聊的行為或思想
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whack ( vt.) :[colloq.]strike or slap with a sharp。Resounding blow[口]使勁打;重擊
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bedlam ( n.) :any place or condition of noise and confusion渲鬧或混亂的地方或狀態(tài)
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ascetic ( adj.) : self-denying;austere苦行(主義)的，禁欲的
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emblem ( n.) :a sign，badge，or device標記;徽章;像章
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ditto ( n.) :the same(as something said or appearing above or before)同上，同前
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felicity ( n.) :a quality or knack of appropriate and pleasing expression in writing，speaking，painting，etc.(措詞等的)恰當，恰如其分;貼切;巧妙
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anteroom ( n.) :a room leading to a larger or more important room;waiting room前廳;(來賓)接待室
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inalienable ( adj.) :that may not be taken away or transferred不可剝奪的;不能轉讓的
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levy ( v.) :wage(war)發(fā)動(戰(zhàn)爭)
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bonny，bonnie ( adj.) :[now chiefly Scot.or Eng.dial.]fine;pleasant[現(xiàn)主蘇格蘭或英方]好的，愉快的，快活的
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mercenary ( n.) :a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army外國雇傭兵
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kilt ( n.) :a pleated skirt reaching to the knees;esp.，the tartan.skirt worth sometimes by men of the Scottish Highlands蘇格蘭高地男子和蘇格蘭兵團士兵穿的、方格呢制的褶裥短裙
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antagonize ( v. ) :incur the dislike of;.make an enemy of招…的怨;引起…的反對;使…與自己為敵
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august ( adj.) :inspiring awe and reverence;imposing and magnificent威嚴的，威風凜凜的;(建筑物等)莊嚴雄偉的
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contention ( n.) :a statement or point that one argues for as true or valid(爭論中的)論點;爭論點
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apoplexy ( n.) :apoplexy sudden paralysis with total or partial loss of consciousness and sensation，caused by the breaking or obstruction of a blood vessel in the brain;stroke[醫(yī)]中風
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piddle ( v.) :dawdle or trifle(sometimes with away)鬼混;游蕩;偷懶(有時與away連用)
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abdicate ( v.) :give up formally(a high office，throne，authority，etc.)(國王)退(位);辭(職)
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incite ( v.) :urge to action;stir up;rouse促成;激勵;慫恿;鼓動
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prostitute ( v.) :sell(oneself，one's artistic or moral integrity，etc.)for low or unworthy purposes出賣(名譽等);為(錢)而自甘墮落
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aroma ( n.) :a characteristic quality or atmosphere格調，風格，風味，韻味
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seafaring (adj.) :of or engaged in life at sea航海的;海上生活的
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elate ( v.) :raise the spirit of;make very happy，proud，or joyful使精神振奮;使歡欣鼓舞;使得意洋洋
glum ( adj. ) :feeling or looking gloomy，sullen，or morose憂郁的，悶悶不樂的，愁眉不展的
bastard ( n.) :a person regarded with contempt，hatred，pity，resentment，etc.or sometimes with playful affection討厭鬼;壞蛋;家伙(有時用于開玩笑的場合)
tavern ( n.) :saloon;bar酒館
credential ( n.) :[usu.pl.]a letter or certificate given to a person to show that he has a right to confidence or to the exercise of a certain position or authority(常用復)證明書，介紹信;信任狀;(大使等的)國書
jeopardize ( v.) :put in jeopardy;endanger使處于險境;危及，危害
fishwife ( n.) :a coarse，scolding woman粗野的女人，潑婦，悍婦
obnoxious ( adj.) :very unpleasant;objectionable;offensive令人非常不快的;引起反感的;討厭的
pageant ( n.) :a spectacular exhibition，elaborate parade，etc.，as a procession with floats華麗的展覽;壯觀的行列
dilemma ( n.) :any situation in which one must choose between unpleasant alternatives窘境，左右為難
demigod ( n.) :[myth.]a lesser god;minor deity[神話]半人半神
poll (v.) :[AmE.]require each member of(a jury，committee，etc.)to declare his vote individually[美]個別征求…中成員的意見
nonentity ( n.) :a person or thing of little or no importance無足輕重的或無用的人或物
anonymity ( n.) :the condition or fact of being anonymous不知名，無名
reconciliation ( n.) :a reconciling和解;調解
flourish ( n.) :a decorative or curved line or lines in writing(手寫花體字上的)花邊，曲線
belfry ( n.) :a bell tower，esp. one that is part of a building，placed at the top(尤指建筑物頂上的)鐘塔，鐘樓
短語(Expressions)
stand(或get)in the way: prevent妨礙
例：She is determined to succeed and won't let anything get/ stand in her way.她決心要成功，不讓任何事情妨礙她。
in aIl fairness: You use this phrase when you are about to add a com. ment that corrects a falsa or unfair impression.完全出于公平起見。
例：In all fairness to Jack，he was just trying to be helpful.為杰克說句公平話，他只是想幫忙。
take a chance: take a risk冒險
例：You don't get anywhere in life without taking chances.在生活中，你不冒險就會一事無成。
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