L49-1: The ideal servant

ɛl49-1: ði aɪˈdɪəl ˈsɜːvənt

It is a good thing my aunt Harriet died years ago. If she were alive today she would not be able to air her views on her favourite topic of conversation: domestic servants. Aunt Harriet lived in that leisurely age when servants were employed to do housework. She had a huge, rambling country house called 'The Gables'. She was sentimentally attached to this house, for even though it was far too big for her needs, she persisted in living there long after her husband's death. Before she grew old, Aunt Harriet used to entertain lavishly. I often visited The Gables when I was a boy. No matter how many guests were present, the great house was always immaculate. 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. Aunt Harriet presided over an invisible army of servants that continuously scrubbed, cleaned, and polished. 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.

ɪt ɪz ə gʊd θɪŋ maɪ ɑːnt ˈhærɪət daɪd jɪəz əˈgəʊ. ɪf ʃiː wɜːr əˈlaɪv təˈdeɪ ʃiː wʊd nɒt biː ˈeɪbl tuː eə hɜː vjuːz ɒn hɜː ˈfeɪvərɪt ˈtɒpɪk ɒv ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃən: dəʊˈmɛstɪk ˈsɜːvənts. ɑːnt ˈhærɪət lɪvd ɪn ðæt ˈlɛʒəli eɪʤ wɛn ˈsɜːvənts wɜːr ɪmˈplɔɪd tuː duː ˈhaʊswɜːk. ʃiː hæd ə hjuːʤ, ˈræmblɪŋ ˈkʌntri haʊs kɔːld ðə ˈgeɪblz. ʃiː wɒz ˌsɛntɪˈmɛntli əˈtæʧt tuː ðɪs haʊs, fɔːr ˈiːvən ðəʊ ɪt wɒz fɑː tuː bɪg fɔː hɜː niːdz, ʃiː pəˈsɪstɪd ɪn ˈlɪvɪŋ ðeə lɒŋ ˈɑːftə hɜː ˈhʌzbəndz dɛθ. bɪˈfɔː ʃiː gruː əʊld, ɑːnt ˈhærɪət juːzd tuː ˌɛntəˈteɪn ˈlævɪʃli. aɪ ˈɒf(ə)n ˈvɪzɪtɪd ðə ˈgeɪblz wɛn aɪ wɒz ə bɔɪ. nəʊ ˈmætə haʊ ˈmɛni gɛsts wɜː ˈprɛznt, ðə greɪt haʊs wɒz ˈɔːlweɪz ɪˈmækjʊlɪt. ðə ˈpɑːkeɪ flɔːz ʃɒn laɪk ˈmɪrəz; ˈhaɪli ˈpɒlɪʃt ˈsɪlvə wɒz dɪsˈpleɪd ɪn ˈgliːmɪŋ glɑːs ˈkæbɪnɪts; ˈiːvən maɪ ˈʌŋklz hjuːʤ kəˈlɛkʃən ɒv bʊks wɒz kɛpt mɪˈrækjʊləsli friː frɒm dʌst. ɑːnt ˈhærɪət prɪˈzaɪdɪd ˈəʊvər ən ɪnˈvɪzəbl ˈɑːmi ɒv ˈsɜːvənts ðæt kənˈtɪnjʊəsli skrʌbd, kliːnd, ænd ˈpɒlɪʃt. ʃiː ˈɔːlweɪz rɪˈfɜːd tuː ðɛm æz ðə ˈʃɪftɪŋ ˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃən, fɔː ðeɪ keɪm ænd wɛnt wɪð sʌʧ ˈfriːkwənsi ðæt aɪ ˈnɛvər ˈiːvən gɒt ə ʧɑːns tuː lɜːn ðeə neɪmz.

任务配置：L0、L3、L4

练习感悟：两天不吃，一天吃撑，这样学东西体验感不好，也不持久。