🔊 No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be a heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her. Her father was a clergyman, without being neglected, or poor, and a very respectable man, though his name was Richard-and he had never been handsome. He had a considerable independence besides two good livings-and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters. Her mother was a woman of useful plain sense, with a good temper, and, what is more remarkable, with a good constitution. She had three sons before Catherine was born; and instead of dying in bringing the latter into the world, as anybody might expect, she still lived on-lived to have six children more-to see them growing up around her, and to enjoy excellent health herself. A family of ten children will be always called a fine family, where there are heads and arms and legs enough for the number; but the Morlands had little other right to the word, for they were in general very plain, and Catherine, for many years of her life, as plain as any. She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features-so much for her person; and not less unpropitious for heroism seemed her mind. She was fond of all boy’s plays, and greatly preferred cricket, not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary-bird, or watering a rose-bush. Indeed she had no taste for a garden; and if she gathered flowers at all, it was chiefly for the pleasure of mischief-at least so it was conjectured from her always preferring those which she was forbidden to take. Such were her propensities-her abilities were quite as extraordinary. She never could learn or understand anything before she was taught; and sometimes not even then, for she was often inattentive, and occasionally stupid. Her mother was three months in teaching her only to repeat the "Beggar's Petition"; and after all, her next sister, Sally, could say it better than she did. Not that Catherine was always stupid-by no means; she learnt the fable of "The Hare and Many Friends" as quickly as any girl in England. Her mother wished her to learn music; and Catherine was sure she should like it, for she was very fond of tinkling the keys of the old forlorn spinet; so, at eight years old she began. She learnt a year, and could not bear it; and Mrs. Morland, who did not insist on her daughters being accomplished in spite of incapacity or distaste, allowed her to leave off. The day which dismissed the music-master was one of the happiest of Catherine’s life. Her taste for drawing was not superior; though whenever she could obtain the outside of a letter from her mother or seize upon any other odd piece of paper, she did what she could in that way, by drawing houses and trees, hens and chickens, all very much like one another. Writing and accounts she was taught by her father; French by her mother: her proficiency in either was not remarkable, and she shirked her lessons in both whenever she could. What a strange, unaccountable character!-for with all these symptoms of profligacy at ten years old, she had neither a bad heart nor a bad temper, was seldom stubborn, scarcely ever quarrelsome, and very kind to the little ones, with few interruptions of tyranny; she was moreover noisy and wild, hated confinement and cleanliness, and loved nothing so well in the world as rolling down the green slope at the back of the house.

凡是在幼年时见过凯瑟琳·莫兰的人,都不会料到她生来就是要当女主角的。她的出身境况、父母的品性、她自己的相貌和性情,无一不与之相悖。她的父亲是位牧师,既非遭人忽视,也不贫穷,是个相当体面的人,尽管他名叫理查德--而且从来不算英俊。除了两份丰厚的俸禄,他还有一笔可观的独立收入--他丝毫也没有把女儿们锁起来的癖好。她的母亲是个通情达理、性情温和的女人,更难得的是,身体也十分康健。在凯瑟琳出生前,她已经生了三个儿子；而且,非但没有像人们预料的那样在分娩时死去,反而继续活着--又生了六个孩子--看着他们围绕身边长大成人,自己则一直保持着极佳的健康状况。一个有十个孩子的家庭,只要人头、胳膊和腿脚数目齐全,总会被称作美满之家；但莫兰家除此之外,实在配不上这个美称,因为他们相貌大都平平,而凯瑟琳在多年间,也跟其他孩子一样不起眼。她身材瘦削笨拙,肤色暗黄无华,头发乌黑平直,五官轮廓分明--这就是她的相貌；而她的心智似乎同样不适宜担当女主角的角色。她喜爱一切男孩子的游戏,尤其酷爱板球,不仅胜过玩洋娃娃,甚至胜过幼时那些更具英雄气概的娱乐,比如照料睡鼠、喂养金丝雀或给玫瑰丛浇水。事实上,她对园艺毫无兴趣；即便偶尔采花,也主要是为了捣乱的乐趣--至少从她总是偏爱那些被禁止采摘的花朵来看,人们是这样猜测的。这就是她的癖好--她的才能也同样非同寻常。她从来无法在别人教她之前学会或理解任何东西；有时即使教了,她也学不会,因为她常常心不在焉,偶尔还很愚钝。她的母亲花了三个月时间,才教会她背诵《乞丐的请愿书》；到头来,她的妹妹萨莉说得比她还好。倒不是说凯瑟琳总是愚钝--绝非如此；她学会《野兔与众多朋友》这个寓言的速度,和英格兰任何一个女孩一样快。她的母亲希望她学习音乐；凯瑟琳确信自己会喜欢,因为她非常喜欢叮叮咚咚地敲那架破旧孤寂的小钢琴的琴键；于是,八岁那年,她开始学琴。她学了一年,却无法忍受；莫兰太太并不坚持让女儿们在不具备天赋或毫无兴趣的情况下精通才艺,便允许她放弃了。辞退音乐教师的那一天,是凯瑟琳一生中最快乐的日子之一。她对绘画的品味也不高明；尽管只要能从母亲那里拿到信纸的背面,或抓住任何其他零碎的纸张,她就会尽力画些房子、树木、母鸡和小鸡,但画得都大同小异。写作和算术由父亲教她；法语由母亲教:她在哪方面都谈不上出色,而且一有机会就逃避这两门功课。多么古怪、难以捉摸的性格啊！--因为尽管十岁时就表现出所有这些放纵的迹象,她却既没有坏心肠,也没有坏脾气,很少固执己见,几乎从不与人争吵,对弟弟妹妹们也非常和善,很少施行专横；此外,她吵闹顽皮,厌恶约束和清洁,世上最爱的莫过于从屋后的绿色斜坡上滚下去。

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heroine /ˈherəʊɪn/

n. 女英雄；女主角➕

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disposition /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃn/

n. 性情；性格➕

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clergyman /ˈklɜːdʒimən/

n. 牧师；神职人员➕

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considerable /kənˈsɪdərəbl/

adj. 相当大的；可观的➕

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independence /ˌɪndɪˈpendəns/

n. 独立；自主➕

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livings /ˈlɪvɪŋz/

n. 生计；俸禄（尤指教区牧师的收入）➕

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addicted /əˈdɪktɪd/

adj. 上瘾的；沉迷的➕

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constitution /ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃn/

n. 体质；宪法➕

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unpropitious /ˌʌnprəˈpɪʃəs/

adj. 不吉利的；不利的➕

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heroism /ˈherəʊɪzəm/

n. 英雄气概；英勇➕

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dormouse /ˈdɔːmaʊs/

n. 睡鼠➕

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canary-bird /kəˈneəri bɜːd/

n. 金丝雀➕

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mischief /ˈmɪstʃɪf/

n. 恶作剧；淘气➕

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conjectured /kənˈdʒektʃəd/

v. 推测；猜测（过去式）➕

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propensities /prəˈpensətiz/

n. 倾向；癖好（复数）➕

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extraordinary /ɪkˈstrɔːdənri/

adj. 非凡的；特别的➕

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inattentive /ˌɪnəˈtentɪv/

adj. 不专心的；疏忽的➕

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fable /ˈfeɪbl/

n. 寓言；神话➕

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forlorn /fəˈlɔːn/

adj. 被遗弃的；孤独凄凉的➕

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spinet /ˈspɪnɪt/

n. 小型立式钢琴➕

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accomplished /əˈkʌmplɪʃt/

adj. 有才艺的；娴熟的➕

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incapacity /ˌɪnkəˈpæsəti/

n. 无能力； incapability➕

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distaste /dɪsˈteɪst/

n. 厌恶；不喜欢➕

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leave off /liːv ɒf/

v. 停止；中断➕

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dismissed /dɪsˈmɪst/

v. 解雇；解散（过去式）➕

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shirked /ʃɜːkt/

v. 逃避；推卸（过去式）➕

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unaccountable /ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbl/

adj. 无法解释的；不负责任的➕

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symptoms /ˈsɪmptəmz/

n. 症状；征兆（复数）➕

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profligacy /ˈprɒflɪɡəsi/

n. 放荡；挥霍➕

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stubborn /ˈstʌbən/

adj. 固执的；顽强的➕

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quarrelsome /ˈkwɒrəlsəm/

adj. 好争吵的；易怒的➕

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tyranny /ˈtɪrəni/

n. 暴政；专制➕

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confinement /kənˈfaɪnmənt/

n. 限制；监禁➕

🔊 Such was Catherine Morland at ten. At fifteen, appearances were mending; she began to curl her hair and long for balls; her complexion improved, her features were softened by plumpness and colour, her eyes gained more animation, and her figure more consequence. Her love of dirt gave way to an inclination for finery, and she grew clean as she grew smart; she had now the pleasure of sometimes hearing her father and mother remark on her personal improvement. "Catherine grows quite a good-looking girl-she is almost pretty to-day," were words which caught her ears now and then; and how welcome were the sounds! To look almost pretty is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain the first fifteen years of her life than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive.

这就是凯瑟琳·莫兰十岁时的模样。到了十五岁,外貌有所改善；她开始卷头发,渴望参加舞会；肤色变好了,丰润和红晕使五官柔和了许多,眼睛更有神采,身材也更显亭亭玉立。她对污垢的喜爱让位于对华服的向往,随着变得时髦,她也渐渐爱干净了；现在,她有时会欣喜地听到父母谈论她外貌上的进步。“凯瑟琳长得真是个俊俏姑娘了--她今天差不多算漂亮了,”这样的话不时传入她的耳中；这些声音是多么悦耳啊！对于一个前十五年一直相貌平平的女孩来说,变得几乎漂亮所带来的喜悦,远比天生丽质的美女所能感受到的更为强烈。

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mending /ˈmendɪŋ/

v. 改善；修补（现在分词）➕

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curl /kɜːl/

v. 卷曲；使弯曲➕

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balls /bɔːlz/

n. 舞会（复数）➕

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complexion /kəmˈplekʃn/

n. 肤色；面色➕

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plumpness /ˈplʌmpnəs/

n. 丰满；圆润➕

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animation /ˌænɪˈmeɪʃn/

n. 生气；活力➕

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consequence /ˈkɒnsɪkwəns/

n. 重要性；结果➕

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finery /ˈfaɪnəri/

n. 华丽的服饰；装饰➕

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smart /smɑːt/

adj. 时髦的；聪明的➕

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acquisition /ˌækwɪˈzɪʃn/

n. 获得；收购➕

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cradle /ˈkreɪdl/

n. 摇篮；发源地➕

🔊 Mrs. Morland was a very good woman, and wished to see her children everything they ought to be; but her time was so much occupied in lying-in and teaching the little ones, that her elder daughters were inevitably left to shift for themselves; and it was not very wonderful that Catherine, who had by nature nothing heroic about her, should prefer cricket, base-ball, riding on horseback, and running about the country at the age of fourteen, to books-or at least books of information-for, provided that nothing like useful knowledge could be gained from them, provided they were all story and no reflection, she had never any objection to books at all. But from fifteen to seventeen she was in training for a heroine; she read all such works as heroines must read to supply their memories with those quotations which are so serviceable and so soothing in the vicissitudes of their eventful lives. From Pope, she learnt to censure those who

莫兰太太是个非常好的女人,希望自己的孩子个个都成为应有的样子；但她的时间大都花在分娩和教导幼子身上,以至于年长的女儿们不可避免地只能自己照顾自己；因此,凯瑟琳天性毫无英雄气概,在十四岁时更喜欢板球、棒球、骑马和在乡间奔跑,而不是书籍--或者至少不是知识类的书籍--因为,只要从书中得不到任何有用的知识,只要全是故事而没有说教,她对书籍就完全没有意见。但从十五岁到十七岁,她是在为成为一名女主角而接受训练；她阅读所有女主角必读的作品,以便用那些在多变而丰富的人生起伏中如此有用、如此慰藉的引文来充实自己的记忆。从蒲柏那里,她学会了谴责那些

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lying-in /ˈlaɪɪŋ ɪn/

n. 产期；坐月子➕

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shift for themselves /ʃɪft fɔː ðəmˈselvz/

v. 自谋生计；自己设法➕

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base-ball /ˈbeɪs bɔːl/

n. 棒球➕

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horseback /ˈhɔːsback/

n. 马背➕

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serviceable /ˈsɜːvɪsəbl/

adj. 有用的；耐用的➕

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soothing /ˈsuːðɪŋ/

adj. 抚慰的；镇定的➕

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vicissitudes /vɪˈsɪsɪtjuːdz/

n. 变迁；兴衰（复数）➕

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eventful /ɪˈventfl/

adj. 多事的；重要的➕

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censure /ˈsenʃə(r)/

v. 谴责；批评➕

🔊 "bear about the mockery of woe."

“背负着悲哀的嘲弄”的人。

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mockery /ˈmɒkəri/

n. 嘲弄；嘲笑➕

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woe /wəʊ/

n. 悲痛；灾难➕

🔊 From Gray, that

从格雷那里,她得知

🔊 "Many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its fragrance on the desert air."

“许多花儿天生羞红无人见,芬芳空散荒漠间。”

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blush /blʌʃ/

v. 脸红；羞愧➕

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fragrance /ˈfreɪɡrəns/

n. 芳香；香味➕

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desert /ˈdezət/

n. 沙漠；荒地➕

🔊 From Thompson, that

从汤姆森那里,她学到

🔊 "It is a delightful task To teach the young idea how to shoot."

“教导幼嫩的思想如何萌发,是件愉快的任务。”

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delightful /dɪˈlaɪtfl/

adj. 令人愉快的；可爱的➕

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shoot /ʃuːt/

v. 射击；成长（这里指植物发芽）➕

🔊 And from Shakespeare she gained a great store of information-amongst the rest, that

而从莎士比亚那里,她获得了大量知识--其中还包括,

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store /stɔː(r)/

n. 储存；大量➕

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amongst /əˈmʌŋst/

prep. 在...之中（英式拼写）➕

🔊 "Trifles light as air, Are, to the jealous, confirmation strong, As proofs of Holy Writ."

“轻如空气的琐事,对嫉妒者而言,是确凿的实证,宛如圣经的明证。”

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Trifles /ˈtraɪflz/

n. 琐事；小事（复数,注意大写T）➕

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jealous /ˈdʒeləs/

adj. 嫉妒的；猜忌的➕

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confirmation /ˌkɒnfəˈmeɪʃn/

n. 确认；证实➕

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proofs /pruːfs/

n. 证明；证据（复数）➕

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Holy Writ /ˈhəʊli rɪt/

n. 圣经；神圣经典➕

🔊 That

以及

🔊 "The poor beetle, which we tread upon, In corporal sufferance feels a pang as great As when a giant dies."

“被我们践踏的可怜甲虫,肉体所受的痛苦,与巨人死亡时的剧痛一样强烈。”

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beetle /ˈbiːtl/

n. 甲虫➕

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tread /tred/

v. 踩；踏➕

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corporal /ˈkɔːpərəl/

adj. 身体的；肉体的➕

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sufferance /ˈsʌfərəns/

n. 忍受；宽容➕

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pang /pæŋ/

n. 剧痛；一阵痛苦➕

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giant /ˈdʒaɪənt/

n. 巨人；巨物➕

🔊 And that a young woman in love always looks-

还有,恋爱中的年轻女子总是看起来--

🔊 "like Patience on a monument Smiling at Grief."

“像纪念碑上的忍耐之神,对着悲伤微笑。”

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Patience /ˈpeɪʃns/

n. 耐心；忍耐（注意大写P,可能指拟人化）➕

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monument /ˈmɒnjumənt/

n. 纪念碑；历史遗迹➕

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Grief /ɡriːf/

n. 悲伤；悲痛（注意大写G）➕

🔊 So far her improvement was sufficient-and in many other points she came on exceedingly well; for though she could not write sonnets, she brought herself to read them; and though there seemed no chance of her throwing a whole party into raptures by a prelude on the pianoforte, of her own composition, she could listen to other people’s performance with very little fatigue. Her greatest deficiency was in the pencil-she had no notion of drawing-not enough even to attempt a sketch of her lover’s profile, that she might be detected in the design. There she fell miserably short of the true heroic height. At present she did not know her own poverty, for she had no lover to portray. She had reached the age of seventeen, without having seen one amiable youth who could call forth her sensibility, without having inspired one real passion, and without having excited even any admiration but what was very moderate and very transient. This was strange indeed! But strange things may be generally accounted for if their cause be fairly searched out. There was not one lord in the neighbourhood; no-not even a baronet. There was not one family among their acquaintance who had reared and supported a boy accidentally found at their door-not one young man whose origin was unknown. Her father had no ward, and the squire of the parish no children.

至此,她的进步已足够显著--在其他许多方面,她也进展得极为顺利；因为尽管她写不出十四行诗,却能强迫自己去阅读；尽管似乎不可能通过演奏一首自己创作的钢琴前奏曲,让整个聚会陷入狂喜,但她聆听别人的演奏时却很少感到疲倦。她最大的不足在于绘画--她毫无绘画的概念--甚至不足以尝试勾勒情人的侧影,以免被人发现她的意图。在这一点上,她可悲地未能达到真正的英雄高度。目前,她尚未意识到自己的贫乏,因为她还没有情人可描绘。她已经十七岁了,却从未见过一个能唤起她情感的可爱青年,从未激发过一次真正的激情,甚至从未引起过任何仰慕,除了那些非常适度且转瞬即逝的。这确实奇怪！但奇怪的事情,只要仔细探究其原因,通常都能得到解释。附近没有一位勋爵；没有--甚至连一位从男爵都没有。在他们相识的家庭中,没有一家曾抚养和支持过一个偶然在门口发现的男孩--没有一个出身不明的年轻人。她的父亲没有监护的孤儿,教区的乡绅也没有孩子。

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sufficient /səˈfɪʃnt/

adj. 足够的；充分的➕

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exceedingly /ɪkˈsiːdɪŋli/

adv. 非常；极其➕

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sonnets /ˈsɒnɪts/

n. 十四行诗（复数）➕

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raptures /ˈræptʃəz/

n. 狂喜；兴高采烈（复数）➕

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prelude /ˈpreljuːd/

n. 前奏；序幕➕

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pianoforte /piˌænəʊˈfɔːti/

n. 钢琴➕

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deficiency /dɪˈfɪʃnsi/

n. 不足；缺陷➕

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notion /ˈnəʊʃn/

n. 概念；想法➕

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sketch /sketʃ/

n. 素描；草图➕

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profile /ˈprəʊfaɪl/

n. 侧面像；轮廓➕

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detected /dɪˈtektɪd/

v. 发现；检测（过去分词）➕

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design /dɪˈzaɪn/

n. 设计；图案➕

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miserably /ˈmɪzrəbli/

adv. 悲惨地；糟糕地➕

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poverty /ˈpɒvəti/

n. 贫穷；缺乏➕

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portray /pɔːˈtreɪ/

v. 描绘；扮演➕

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amiable /ˈeɪmiəbl/

adj. 和蔼可亲的；友好的➕

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sensibility /ˌsensəˈbɪləti/

n. 敏感性；情感➕

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passion /ˈpæʃn/

n. 激情；热爱➕

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admiration /ˌædməˈreɪʃn/

n. 钦佩；赞赏➕

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moderate /ˈmɒdərət/

adj. 适度的；中等的➕

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transient /ˈtrænziənt/

adj. 短暂的；瞬时的➕

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accounted /əˈkaʊntɪd/

v. 解释；说明（过去分词）➕

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baronet /ˈbærənət/

n. 准男爵➕

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reared /rɪəd/

v. 抚养；培养（过去分词）➕

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supported /səˈpɔːtɪd/

v. 支持；维持（过去分词）➕

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acquaintance /əˈkweɪntəns/

n. 熟人；相识➕

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ward /wɔːd/

n. 被监护人；病房➕

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squire /ˈskwaɪə(r)/

n. 乡绅；地主➕

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parish /ˈpærɪʃ/

n. 教区；堂区➕

🔊 But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way.

但是,当一位年轻小姐注定要成为女主角时,周围四十户人家的乖戾也无法阻止她。必定会有某事发生,将一位英雄送到她的路上。

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perverseness /pərˈvɜːrsnəs/

n. 乖戾；固执；反常➕

🔊 Mr. Allen, who owned the chief of the property about Fullerton, the village in Wiltshire where the Morlands lived, was ordered to Bath for the benefit of a gouty constitution-and his lady, a good-humoured woman, fond of Miss Morland, and probably aware that if adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad, invited her to go with them. Mr. and Mrs. Morland were all compliance, and Catherine all happiness.

艾伦先生,在莫兰一家居住的威尔特郡村庄富勒顿附近拥有大部分地产,因痛风之故被建议前往巴斯疗养--他的夫人性情和善,喜爱莫兰小姐,或许也意识到,如果冒险不会降临在一位年轻小姐自己的村庄里,她就必须到外地去寻找,于是邀请她一同前往。莫兰先生和太太满口答应,而凯瑟琳则满心欢喜。

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property /ˈprɒpəti/

n. 财产；所有权；特性➕

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gouty /ˈɡaʊti/

adj. 痛风的；患痛风的➕

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good-humoured /ˌɡʊd ˈhjuːməd/

adj. 心情愉快的；脾气好的➕

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adventures /ədˈventʃəz/

n. 冒险；奇遇➕

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befall /bɪˈfɔːl/

v. 降临；发生➕

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abroad /əˈbrɔːd/

adv. 在国外；到海外➕

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compliance /kəmˈplaɪəns/

n. 顺从；遵守➕

Chapter one (第一章)