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● what the hell’s the matter=what is the matter。the hell为咒骂之词，但咒骂之意可强可弱，视语气而定，这里咒骂之意当然很弱。
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● Ralph called up. He’s bringing：注意时态的用法。虽然是家常谈话，也一点不可马虎。
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● to the very words：字都用得一样的。她听说那伶人要来吃饭时，曾经想到过the dream made flesh（见前面本文）。现在她丈夫也有同感，把她的思想一字不易地说出来。
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● all but cried：几乎要哭。
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● under heaven：用以加强what，别无他意。
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Her attention was drawn to a car just driving up below. The apartment was on the third floor, and she stood close to the window behind the curtains, and looked down.
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It was a Ford convertible. Her son Ralph got out, from the other side stepped a hatless youngish man in a reversible overcoat. It couldn’t be Gavin Douglas; it was certainly not Romeo. He rounded the rear of the car and disappeared with Ralph into the small foyer.
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● attention was drawn：注意力被吸引。driving up：开到门口。
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● the apartment：他们所住的那套客寓房间。
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● convertible：篷车。这一切都是从她眼睛里看到的。
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● from the other side：她的儿子从一边下车，另外一个人从另一边下车。youngish：年纪不算大。reversible overcoat：正反可穿的晴雨两用大衣（反穿就是雨衣）。
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● It couldn’t be：这样一个人怎么可能是她心目中的大情人呢？
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● rounded the rear：从车子后面绕过来。foyer：公寓房子进口的小门厅。他们两人走进来了（disappeared）。
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She heard them in the living room, heard Smith being hearty and cordial. A minute later her bedroom door opened and Ralph came in.
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“Thank God you didn’t dress up,” he said.
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“And why would I dress up?” she replied airily. “It isn’t a dinner party, after all.”
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“Come on out. Dad’s making drinks….”
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When she came into the living room, Gavin Douglas sprang up from the chair.
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“I’m Ralph’s mother,” she said. “How do you do….”
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● living room：上了楼进了房了。being hearty and cordial：正在热诚招待。verb to be通常并没有动作的意思，但是being这个现在分词也表示一点动作。例如：
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I am being a fool.（我正在说傻话，或做傻事。）
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cordial其实和hearty同一意义，都解作“恳切”，不过cordial的字源是拉丁文的“心”，hearty的字源是盎格鲁萨克逊文的“心”；cordial比较近于文言，意义亦较弱。
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● dress up：穿上礼服。西俗妇人参加正式宴会（dinner party），当穿晚礼服（evening dress）。
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● airily：轻快地。
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● making drinks：调酒。美国人晚餐之前如家有客人，通常要为他们准备饮料的。最普通的为威士忌加冰块或苏打水，或加马铁尼（Martini）等的鸡尾酒。
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