顺水推舟05

时间：2025-01-30 17:16:09

（单词翻译:单击）

BOOK I
One
I
Warmsley Heath consists of a golf course, two hotels, some very expensive modern villas1 giving
on to the golf course, a row of what were, before the war, luxury shops, and a railway station.
Emerging from the railway station, a main road roars its way to London on your left—to your
right a small path across a field is signposted
Footpath2 to Warmsley Vale.
Warmsley Vale, tucked away amongst wooded hills, is as unlike Warmsley Heath as well can
be. It is in essence a microscopic3 old-fashioned market town now degenerated4 into a village. It has
a main street of Georgian houses, several pubs, a few unfashionable shops and a general air of
being a hundred and fifty instead of twenty-eight miles from London.
Its occupants one and all unite in despising the mushroom growth of Warmsley Heath.
On the outskirts5 are some charming houses with pleasant old-world gardens. It was to one of
these houses, the White House, that Lynn Marchmont returned in the early spring of 1946 when
she was demobbed from the Wrens6.
On her third morning she looked out of her bedroom window, across the untidy lawn to the
elms in the meadow beyond, and sniffed7 the air happily. It was a gentle grey morning with a smell
of soft wet earth. The kind of smell that she had been missing for the past two years and a half.
Wonderful to be home again, wonderful to be here in her own little bedroom which she had
thought of so often and so nostalgically whilst she had been overseas. Wonderful to be out of
uniform, to be able to get into a tweed skirt and a jumper—even if the moths8 had been rather too
industrious9 during the war years!
It was good to be out of the Wrens and a free woman again, although she had really enjoyed her
overseas service very much. The work had been reasonably interesting, there had been parties,
plenty of fun, but there had also been the irksomeness of routine and the feeling of being herded10
together with her companions which had sometimes made her feel desperately11 anxious to escape.
It was then, during the long scorching12 summer out East, that she had thought so longingly13 of
Warmsley Vale and the shabby cool pleasant house, and of dear Mums.
Lynn both loved her mother and was irritated by her. Far away from home, she had loved her
still and had forgotten the irritation14, or remembered it only with an additional homesick pang15.
Darling Mums, so completely maddening! What she would not have given to have heard Mums
enunciate16 one cliché in her sweet complaining voice. Oh, to be at home again and never, never to
have to leave home again!
And now here she was, out of the service, free, and back at the White House. She had been back
three days. And already a curious dissatisfied restlessness was creeping over her. It was all the
same—almost too much all the same—the house and Mums and Rowley and the farm and the
family. The thing that was different and that ought not to be different was herself….
“Darling…” Mrs. Marchmont’s thin cry came up the stairs. “Shall I bring my girl a nice
tray in bed?”
Lynn called out sharply:
“Of course not. I’m coming down.”
“And why,” she thought, “has Mums got to say ‘my girl.’ It’s so silly!”
She ran downstairs and entered the dining room. It was not a very good breakfast. Already Lynn
was realizing the undue17 proportion of time and interest taken by the search for food. Except for a
rather unreliable woman who came four mornings a week, Mrs. Marchmont was alone in the
house, struggling with cooking and cleaning. She had been nearly forty when Lynn was born and
her health was not good. Also Lynn realized with some dismay how their financial position had
changed. The small but adequate fixed18 income which had kept them going comfortably before the
war was now almost halved19 by taxation20. Rates, expenses, wages had all gone up.
“Oh! brave new world,” thought Lynn grimly. Her eyes rested lightly on the columns of the
daily paper.
“Ex-W.A.A.F. seeks post where initiative and drive will be appreciated.”
“Former W.R.E.N. seeks post where organizing ability and authority are
needed.”
Enterprise, initiative, command, those were the commodities offered. But what was wanted?
People who could cook and clean, or write decent shorthand. Plodding21 people who knew a routine
and could give good service.
Well, it didn’t affect her. Her way ahead lay clear. Marriage to her cousin Rowley Cloade.
They had got engaged seven years ago, just before the outbreak of war. Almost as long as she
could remember, she had meant to marry Rowley. His choice of a farming life had been
acquiesced22 in readily by her. A good life—not exciting perhaps, and with plenty of hard work, but
they both loved the open air and the care of animals.
Not that their prospects23 were quite what they had been—Uncle Gordon had always promised….
Mrs. Marchmont’s voice broke in plaintively24 apposite:
“It’s been the most dreadful blow to us all, Lynn darling, as I wrote you. Gordon had only
been in England two days. We hadn’t even seen him. If only he hadn’t stayed in London. If
he’d come straight down here.”

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1 villas 00c79f9e4b7b15e308dee09215cc0427     
别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅
参考例句：
  • Magnificent villas are found throughout Italy. 在意大利到处可看到豪华的别墅。
  • Rich men came down from wealthy Rome to build sea-side villas. 有钱人从富有的罗马来到这儿建造海滨别墅。
2 footpath 9gzzO     
n.小路，人行道
参考例句：
  • Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
  • They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。
3 microscopic nDrxq     
adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的
参考例句：
  • It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
  • A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。
4 degenerated 41e5137359bcc159984e1d58f1f76d16     
衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • The march degenerated into a riot. 示威游行变成了暴动。
  • The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track. 铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。
5 outskirts gmDz7W     
n.郊外，郊区
参考例句：
  • Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
  • They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。
6 wrens 2c1906a3d535a9b60bf1e209ea670eb9     
n.鹪鹩( wren的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Other songbirds, such as wrens, have hundreds of songs. 有的鸣鸟，例如鹪鹩，会唱几百只歌。 来自辞典例句
7 sniffed ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72     
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》
8 moths de674306a310c87ab410232ea1555cbb     
n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
9 industrious a7Axr     
adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的
参考例句：
  • If the tiller is industrious,the farmland is productive.人勤地不懒。
  • She was an industrious and willing worker.她是个勤劳肯干的员工。
10 herded a8990e20e0204b4b90e89c841c5d57bf     
群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动
参考例句：
  • He herded up his goats. 他把山羊赶拢在一起。
  • They herded into the corner. 他们往角落里聚集。
11 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地
参考例句：
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
12 scorching xjqzPr     
adj. 灼热的
参考例句：
  • a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
  • a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评
13 longingly 2015a05d76baba3c9d884d5f144fac69     
adv. 渴望地 热望地
参考例句：
  • He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
  • Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情，一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。
14 irritation la9zf     
n.激怒，恼怒，生气
参考例句：
  • He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
  • Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。
15 pang OKixL     
n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷
参考例句：
  • She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
  • She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。
16 enunciate jovxd     
v.发音；（清楚地）表达
参考例句：
  • Actors learn how to enunciate clearly in the theatrical college.演员在戏剧学院学习怎样清晰地发音。
  • He is always willing to enunciate his opinions on the subject of politics.他总是愿意对政治问题发表意见。
17 undue Vf8z6V     
adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的
参考例句：
  • Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
  • It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。
18 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。
19 halved e23e4ddc1c29e5a63536d2c9bb621fbc     
v.把…分成两半( halve的过去式和过去分词 )；把…减半；对分；平摊
参考例句：
  • The shares have halved in value . 股价已经跌了一半。
  • Overall operating profits halved to $24 million. 总的营业利润减少了一半，降至2，400 万元。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 taxation tqVwP     
n.征税，税收，税金
参考例句：
  • He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
  • The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
21 plodding 5lMz16     
a.proceeding in a slow or dull way
参考例句：
  • They're still plodding along with their investigation. 他们仍然在不厌其烦地进行调查。
  • He is plodding on with negotiations. 他正缓慢艰难地进行着谈判。
22 acquiesced 03acb9bc789f7d2955424223e0a45f1b     
v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • Senior government figures must have acquiesced in the cover-up. 政府高级官员必然已经默许掩盖真相。
  • After a lot of persuasion,he finally acquiesced. 经过多次劝说，他最终默许了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 prospects fkVzpY     
n.希望，前途(恒为复数)
参考例句：
  • There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
  • They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。
24 plaintively 46a8d419c0b5a38a2bee07501e57df53     
adv.悲哀地，哀怨地
参考例句：
  • The last note of the song rang out plaintively. 歌曲最后道出了离别的哀怨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Birds cry plaintively before they die, men speak kindly in the presence of death. 鸟之将死，其鸣也哀；人之将死，其言也善。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

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