The parquet floors shone like mirrors; highly polished silver was displayed in gleaming glass cabinets; even my uncle's huge collection of books was kept miraculously free from dust.

parquet ^{n. [U] small flat blocks of wood fitted together in a pattern that cover the floor of a room 镶木地板}

• a parquet floor

silver = silverware ^{n. spoons, forks, dishes etc that are made of silver 银器，银餐具}

• It was my job to polish the silver. 

gleam ^{v. shine softly 发出柔和的光}

• He had polished the table-top until it gleamed. 
• gleaming windows
• his gleaming white teeth

cabinet ^{n.piece of furniture with drawers or shelves for storing or displaying things 储藏柜}

• She looked in the medicine cabinet and found some aspirin. ^{她在药橱中翻看了一下，找到几片阿司匹林。}
• The china was displayed in a glass cabinet.^{瓷器陈列在玻璃柜里。}
• She secreted the gun in the kitchen cabinet.^{她把枪藏在了厨房的橱柜里。}

miraculous ^{adj. like a miracle; completely unexpected and very lucky 奇迹般的}

• A teenage boy had a miraculous escape from death last night when he fell into an ice-cold river. 
• They miraculously survived the plane crash.

Aunt Harriet presided over an invisible army of servants that continuously scrubbed, cleaned, and polished.

preside over … ^掌管…

• He presided over the company for 10 years.
• Some people believe the Fates preside over man’s destiny.

army ^{n.a large number of people who are doing the same thing or in the same situation 一大群人….}

• Creating a future army of coders is not the sole purpose of the classes.^{培养一大批未来的程序员并不是这些课程的唯一目标。}
• An army of ants marched across the path.^{一大群蚂蚁浩浩荡荡地穿过小径。}

scrub ^{v. clean sth. thoroughly by rubbing hard, esp. with a brush and soap and water 彻底擦洗某物}

• The walls needed a good scrub. ^{这些墙需要一次好好的刷洗。}
• Surgeons began to scrub their hands and arms with soap and water before operating. ^{外科医生们在手术前开始用肥皂和水清洗他们的手和手臂。}
•  I started to scrub off the dirt. ^{我开始用力擦除污物。}

She always referred to them as 'the shifting population', for they came and went with such frequency that I never even got a chance to learn their names.

refer to A as B ^{表达“把A看成B”}

• People who work in offices are frequently referred to as 'white-collar workers' for the simple reason that they usually wear a collar and tie to go to work.
• She refers to her hometown as the best place in the world. ^{她把她的家乡称为世界上最好的地方。}

shifting ^{adj. always changing or moving 不停变化或移动的}

• The Croatian town of Ilok is a classic case of shifting populations. ^{伊洛卡的克罗地亚小镇就是人口不停流动的典型例子。}
• There is stir and life, and shifting colour everywhere. ^{到处是活动和生气，到处是变幻的色彩。}
• Game theory is pressed into service in studies of shifting international alliances. ^{博弈论被用于研究不断变化的国际联盟。}

… so frequently that … ^{（写法替换）}

• ...they came and went so frequently that I never even...

learn (of / about) sth. ^{to become aware of sth. by hearing about it from sb. else 获悉，得知}

• I learnt of her arrival from a close friend.
• How did they react when they learned the news?

Though my aunt pursued what was, in those days, an enlightened policy, in that she never allowed her domestic staff to work more than eight hours a day, she was extremely difficult to please.

enlightened ^{adj. someone with enlightened attitudes has sensible, modern views and treats people fairly and kindly 开明的}

• an enlightened policy / attitude …
• His words have enlightened me.^{他的一番话使我开了窍。}
• The teacher's words made me at once become enlightened.^{老师的一席话使我顿开茅塞。}

domestic / medical / nursing / teaching / engineering / administrative staff^{（全体人员）}

• The domestic staff ensures that the household runs smoothly.^{家政人员确保家庭运转顺利。}
• The medical staff at the hospital is available 24/7.^{医院的医务人员24小时待命。}
  The nursing staff provides essential care to the patients.^{护理人员为病人提供基本护理。}
• The teaching staff at the school is highly qualified.^{这所学校的教学人员资质很高。}
• The engineering staff is responsible for maintaining the equipment.^{工程人员负责维护设备。}
• The administrative staff handles all the paperwork and office management.^{行政人员负责所有文书工作和办公室管理。}

While she always criticized the fickleness of human nature, she carried on an unrelenting search for the ideal servant to the end of her days, even after she had been sadly disillusioned by Bessie.

fickle ^{adj. often changing 反复无常的，多变的}

• a fickle lover ^花心情人
• the fickle finger of fate ^{（押韵）命运多变}

carry on sth. ^{to continue doing, pursuing, or operating 持续做某事，一直做某事}

• We have carried on a correspondence for years. 
• He carried on his baking business until he retired. 

unrelenting ^{adj. 非常坚决的，不屈不挠的}

• ...an unrelenting downpour of rain.  ^{…一场下不停的倾盆大雨。}
• The heat was unrelenting. ^{炎热没有减弱的迹象。}
• This time our chase will be unrelenting. ^{这一次我们将追踪到底。}

be disillusioned with / by … ^{对某人某事大失所望、幻想破灭}

• I'm disillusioned with my work. ^{我对这份工作很失望。}
• Coverdale quickly becomes disillusioned with farm work. ^{科弗代尔对农业劳动的幻想很快就破灭了。}
• As she grew older, Laura became increasingly disillusioned with politics.
• I feel utterly disillusioned by his refusal to take any action.

be very / extremely / completely / utterly / increasingly / sadly disillusioned with / by …^{（副词修饰）}

• She was very disillusioned with the lack of support from her colleagues. ^{她对同事们缺乏支持感到非常失望。}
• He became extremely disillusioned by the government's broken promises. ^{他对政府的失信承诺感到极其失望。}
• They were completely disillusioned with the education system. ^{他们对教育系统彻底失望了。}
• She felt utterly disillusioned by the reality of the situation. ^{她对现实情况感到完全失望。}
• The public is increasingly disillusioned with the political process. ^{公众对政治进程越来越失望。}
• He was sadly disillusioned by his friend's betrayal. ^{他对朋友的背叛感到痛心失望。}