In a little district west of Washington Square the streets have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips called “places.” These “places” make strange angles and curves. One street crosses itself a time or two. An artist once discovered a valuable possibility in this street. Suppose a collector with a bill for paints, paper and canvas should, in traversing this route, suddenly meet himself coming back, without a cent having been paid on account!
collector收集者;收藏家 a stamp collector 集邮者
ticket/tax/debt collectors收票员；收税员；讨债人
canvas [ˈkænvəs]n. 帆布; 油画（布） a canvas bag 帆布包
traverse [trəˈvɜːrs , ˈtrævɜːrs]V. 横穿;横越;穿过
So, to quaint old Greenwich Village the art people soon came prowling, hunting for north windows and eighteenth-century gables and Dutch attics and low rents. Then they imported some pewter mugs and a chafing dish or two from Sixth Avenue, and became a “colony.”
quaint [kweɪnt] adj. 奇特的；古色古香的;古雅的
quaint old customs 稀奇的古老习俗
a quaint village/building 古朴典雅的村庄/建筑
Greenwich[ˈgrɪnɪdʒ]n.格林威治
prowl [praʊl]V.潜行；徘徊
on the prowl 积极地寻找某物
The tiger prowled through the jungle. 老虎在森林里潜行觅食.
gable['ɡeɪbl]n.三角墙；山墙 attic[ˈætɪk]n. 阁楼，顶楼
pewter[ˈpju:tə(r)]n.白镴（là锡的别名）（锡铅合金） pewter plates白镴盘子
chafing dish 火锅 a metal pan used for keep things warm at the table
At the top of a squatty, three-story brick Sue and Johnsy had their studio. “Johnsy” was familiar for Joanna. One was from Maine; the other from California. They had met at the table d‘hôte of an Eighth Street “Delmonico’s,” and found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so congenial that the joint studio resulted.
squatty ['skwɒtɪ] adj.矮胖的
story <英>楼层; 叠架的一层; “storey”的变体
a single-storey/two-storey building 单层建筑物；两层楼房
a four-storeyed building 四层楼房
be familiar to sb/be familiar with sth
table d'hôte /ˌ'teɪb(ə)l ˈdəʊt/ 套餐(字面意思为主人家的餐桌)
chicory [ˈtʃɪkəri] n. 菊苣 bishop sleeve [ˈbɪʃəp sliːv] 主教袖;泡泡袖
congenial [kənˈdʒiːniəl]adj. 意气相投的; 性格相似的; 适意的; 投缘
a congenial colleague 意气相投的同事
That was in May. In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the colony, touching one here and there with his icy fingers. Over on the east side this ravager strode boldly, smiting his victims by scores, but his feet trod slowly through the maze of the narrow and moss-grown “places.”
pneumonia [njuːˈməʊniə]n. [医]肺炎; 急性肺炎
stalk [stɔːk] n.[植]茎，秆,柄，v. 高视阔步,追踪，潜近;
corn stalk 玉米秆 The lion was stalking a zebra. 狮子偷偷接近斑马。
ravage[ˈrævɪdʒ]V.毁坏;摧毁;搞垮(常用被动语态)
the ravaged streets/a country ravaged by civil war （damaged,destroyed）
stride [straɪd] n. 大步，阔步; 步幅; 进展;
V.大步走;阔步行走(动词+副词或介词短语) (过去式: strode;过去分词: stridden;)
stride across a field 穿过一片田地
stride along to meet me 大步上前迎接我
smite [smaɪt] v.猛打，重击，打击 smite the enemy 痛击敌人
scores(复数) very many 大量，许多
tread [tred] n.脚步声,(台阶或楼梯的)梯面，踏板,(轮胎胎面、鞋底的)花纹
v.踩;踏；践踏; (以某种方式)步行，行走;（谨慎）行事(过去式: trod;过去分词: trodden;)
tread on/in/over sth/sb tread on one’s foot
tread on sb’s toes 激怒，得罪，冒犯
maze [meɪz] n. 迷宫; 迷惑; 错综复杂;
a maze of regulations 纷繁复杂的规章制度
moss [mɔːs] n. 青苔;苔藓
采桑少年游
欢迎意见建议，以便更好改进，期于对听众更有帮助！通过精读掌握生词和用法，一定要看声音简介里的单词及用法，这是精华。