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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The husband had always been a miser calling his wife to account for even the tiniest amounts of expenditure2. He would mistrust his wife’s motives3 behind every little thing she did, which made her feel thoroughly4 miserable5. It was amazing that she put up with her life with misery6 for as long as she did. Her constant lack of cash was a severe impediment to her social mobility7. There was little she could do though, to mitigate8 the effects of her husband’s stinginess.
One day, the wife could take it no longer, and burst out, her eyes moist with emotion, “You miserable old retch, our lives had been filled with one embarrassing mishap9 after another. The means you had been providing me with have been less than moderate, if not to say modest in the extreme, certainly much less than the support a loyal wife and mother might expect. I’m no longer socially mobile.”
The husband stood openmouthed, eyeing his wife’s misgiving10.
“Ha,” the wife exclaimed, “you think that taking me and the kids out for a row on the mote11 is our idea of fun? You’ve been misleading me for all these years. Before we got married, you pretend to be a man of the world, but all you do now is mock me when I beg you to buy me a new frock or two.”
“Ah, so I mock you when you want to buy a frock?” The husband began to sound like a mocking bird.
“Don’t you stand there and moist your eyes with crocodile tears. I wish to moderate your tone or somewhat and modify your attitude. I have been more than generous, you know.”
1 miser | |
n.守财奴,吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
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2 expenditure | |
n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出;使用,消耗 | |
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3 motives | |
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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4 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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5 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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6 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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7 mobility | |
n.可动性,变动性,情感不定 | |
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8 mitigate | |
vt.(使)减轻,(使)缓和 | |
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9 mishap | |
n.不幸的事,不幸;灾祸 | |
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10 misgiving | |
n.疑虑,担忧,害怕 | |
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11 mote | |
n.微粒;斑点 | |
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