美国语文第六册 第1期:纽卡斯尔公爵趣事(1)

 　　A laughable story was circulated during the administration of the old Duke of Newcastle, and retailed¹ to the public in various forms. 在纽卡斯尔老公爵主政期间，流传一个有关他的令人忍俊不禁的故事，几经转述公众听到的竟有几个版本。

　　This nobleman, with many good points, was remarkable² for being profuse³ of his promises on all occasions, 这位绅士可笑之处颇多，以好在各种场合滥施承诺而引人侧目，

　　and valued himself particularly on being able to anticipate the words or the wants of the various persons who attended his levees, before they uttered a word. 尤好在等待谒见他的各色人等还未开口讲话前就过早道出他们想说的话，满足他们的需要，以此抬高自己。

　　This sometimes led him into ridiculous embarrassments⁴; 此举有时会令其陷于可笑的尴尬窘境。

　　and it was this proneness⁵ to lavish⁶ promises, which gave occasion for the following anecdote⁷: 正是这种慷慨承诺的癖好，才引出下面这则趣事：

　　At the election of a certain borough⁸ in Cornwall, where the opposite interests were almost equally poised⁹, a single vote was of the highest importance. 在康沃尔某一自治镇的选举中，反对的票数几乎与拥护的票数持平，一票之差就能决定命运。

　　This object the Duke, by well applied¹⁰ argument and personal application, at length attained¹¹; 公爵的可笑之处体现在企图通过辩论和个人申请，最终达到目的。

　　and the gentleman he recommended, gained the election. 结果，他推荐的绅士赢得了选举。

　　In the warmth of gratitude¹², his grace poured forth¹³ acknowledgments and promises without ceasing, on the fortunate possessor of the casting vote; 一番致谢后，他开始答谢，不停地对幸运地赢得选票的人做出承诺，

　　called him his best and dearest friend; protested, that he should consider himself as forever indebted to him; and that he would serve him by night or by day. 称他为自己最好和最亲近的朋友。他坚称始终认为自己欠这人的人情，就应该旦夕之间都要为他略尽绵薄之力。”

1 retailed   

vt.零售（retail的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• She retailed the neighbours' activities with relish. 她饶有兴趣地对邻居们的活动说三道四。
• The industrial secrets were retailed to a rival concern. 工业秘密被泄露给一家对立的公司。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 profuse   

adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的

参考例句：

• The hostess is profuse in her hospitality.女主人招待得十分周到。
• There was a profuse crop of hair impending over the top of his face.一大绺头发垂在他额头上。

4 embarrassments   

n.尴尬( embarrassment的名词复数 )；难堪；局促不安；令人难堪或耻辱的事

参考例句：

• But there have been many embarrassments along the way. 但是一路走来已经是窘境不断。 来自互联网
• The embarrassments don't stop there. 让人难受的事情还没完。 来自互联网

5 proneness   

n.俯伏，倾向

参考例句：

• Their proneness to hallucinatory experiences, and their stress levels, were also assessed. 同时也评估他们产生幻觉的倾向和压力水平。 来自互联网
• Shame proneness as the independent variable was positively correlated with social anxiety. 目的：在大学生中尝试验证羞耻感对社交焦虑的影响作用。 来自互联网

6 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

7 anecdote   

n.轶事，趣闻，短故事

参考例句：

• He departed from the text to tell an anecdote.他偏离课文讲起了一则轶事。
• It had never been more than a family anecdote.那不过是个家庭趣谈罢了。

8 borough   

n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇

参考例句：

• He was slated for borough president.他被提名做自治区主席。
• That's what happened to Harry Barritt of London's Bromley borough.住在伦敦的布罗姆利自治市的哈里.巴里特就经历了此事。

9 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

10 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

11 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

12 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

13 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。