Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt 安娜·埃莉诺·罗斯福 Chapter 4 Years at Allenswood

It was 1899. Eleanor sailed to England with one of her favorite aunts, Aunt Tissie. Eleanor said her aunt “was always kindness itself to me.” Her beautiful aunt loved adventure and life, and she wanted Eleanor to have a wonderful time in England.

The Allenswood School was only a short train ride from central London. It was a very small school for the daughters of rich European aristocrats¹. Eleanor wondered if she would fit in. After all, she was American. She was tall and plain. And she worried her dresses would be out of style. But she was well-read, spoke² several languages, and was smart. She hoped that she would make a few friends.

Madame Marie Souvestre was director of the school. She was short and stout³ with a cap of wavy⁴, snow-white hair. Her eyes sparkled⁵ with intelligence, and she was a forceful speaker. Eleanor impressed her immediately. Within her first week at school, Eleanor had made a name for herself by speaking out and having strong opinions. Eleanor was no longer shy. She became one of Madame Souvestre’s top students. Eleanor was thrilled and continually⁶ pushed herself to live up to Madame Souvestre’s high standards.

The other girls at Allenswood respected this new American girl. At meals, Eleanor sat at Madame Souvestre’s table. She spoke fluent French, and loved to give her opinion on anything and everything. She was a quick thinker and debated issues well. At Allenswood, Eleanor changed. The caterpillar⁷ turned into a butterfly. Eleanor was confident. She no longer walked with stooped⁸ shoulders, trying to hide the fact that she was almost six feet tall. Now, she stood tall and straight. She walked at a fast pace, eager to get to class and to be noticed.

Madame Souvestre invited Eleanor to join a group of students who discussed different subjects after dinner. In Madame Souvestre’s library, Eleanor often led the discussions⁹. And the other girls listened carefully to what she had to say. Eleanor was a leader. Before coming to Allenswood, Eleanor had always had a cold or a cough. Like her mother, she also had headaches. But in England, they disappeared. Eleanor took long walks in all kinds of weather. She played sports. She felt healthy and strong. And, more importantly, she was free to say how she felt and what she thought.

Madame Souvestre asked Eleanor to come along on trips with her. She put Eleanor in charge of packing and organizing the trips. Eleanor loved it. She learned¹⁰ she was good at reading schedules, planning trips, and packing. In Florence, Italy, the sixteen-year-old Eleanor explored the city alone with her guidebook. Eleanor loved the freedom. She learned to trust her own judgment¹¹.

On one trip, friends of her grandmother saw Eleanor out alone. They were horrified¹². Back then, young girls did not travel or go about strange cities by themselves. Eleanor’s grandmother demanded that she come home. So, sadly, Eleanor left Allenswood after her second year.

Back in New York, Eleanor was miserable¹³. But she decided¹⁴ to do something about it. She begged her grandmother to let her return to Allenswood. Finally, her grandmother agreed.

Eleanor’s last year at Allenswood was a happy one. In fact, Eleanor later wrote that it was probably the happiest year of her life. Madame Souvestre treated Eleanor like a daughter. She made Eleanor feel special. And so, the year flew by. Eleanor wrote long papers that won her high praise. She played field hockey. She traveled with Madame Souvestre.

Eleanor was now almost eighteen. She hoped to teach at Allenswood. That, thought the young Eleanor, would be the perfect life. But it was not to be.

1 aristocrats   

n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many aristocrats were killed in the French Revolution. 许多贵族在法国大革命中被处死。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To the Guillotine all aristocrats! 把全部贵族都送上断头台！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

2 spoke   

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。

3 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

4 wavy   

adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的

参考例句：

• She drew a wavy line under the word.她在这个词的下面画了一条波纹线。
• His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow.他的波浪式头发太长了，正好垂在他的眉毛下。

5 sparkled   

v.发火花，闪耀( sparkle的过去式和过去分词 )；（饮料）发泡；生气勃勃，热情奔放，神采飞扬

参考例句：

• Her jewellery sparkled in the candlelight. 烛光下，她的首饰光彩熠熠。
• Her eyes sparkled with excitement. 她的眼睛由于兴奋而发亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 continually   

adv.不间断地，不停地；多次重复地

参考例句：

• The other kids continually taunted him about his size.其他孩子不断地耻笑他的个头儿。
• The US is continually building up its armed forces.美军正持续加强它的三军。

7 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

8 stooped   

adj.弯腰的，曲背的v.弯腰( stoop的过去式和过去分词 )；屈身；俯首；屈尊

参考例句：

• She stooped down to pick up the child. 她俯身抱起孩子。
• All his fellows stooped to look under the carriage. 他的伙伴们也都弯下腰看车下。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

9 discussions   

n.讨论( discussion的名词复数 )；商讨；详述；论述

参考例句：

• Discussions are held on an informal basis within the department. 讨论限于在本部门内非正式地进行。
• Her specialist input to the discussions has been very useful. 她在这些讨论中提供的专家建议很有助益。

10 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

11 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

12 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

13 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。