在之前的文章里，我朗读了一篇长诗(The Chaos)的第一部分。这首诗其实是一个英语学习者对英语发音复杂性的吐槽。许多看上去相似的甚至就是一模一样的组合，在不同的单词里面却完全是不同的发音。许多英语为母语的人也很难把它们一一读对，对于初学者来说就更是显得“丧心病狂”了。
要注意的是，其实这里面的一些单词在现今已经不是那么经常出现了，所以感兴趣的读者可以更关注比较常见和常用的单词，在增加词汇量的同时，这样有对比的对“长相相似”的单词进行辨析也有助于我们的听力和口语。
这里，我会对第二部分进行朗读，并对一些不那么常见的单词进行简单释义。
正文：
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Feoffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
注释：
Devour：/dɪˈvaʊə/，eat (food or prey) hungrily or quickly，从这个意义又引申出read quickly and eagerly.
Clangour：/ˈklaŋɡə/，a continuous loud banging or ringing sound.
Mauve：/məʊv/，of a pale purple colour.
Gauze：/ɡɔːz/，thin transparent fabric of silk, linen, or cotton.
Gouge：/ɡaʊdʒ,ɡuːdʒ/，a chisel with a concave blade, used in carpentry, sculpture, and surgery.
Gauge：/ɡeɪdʒ/，an instrument that measures and gives a visual display of the amount, level, or contents of something.
Mirage：/ˈmɪrɑːʒ,mɪˈrɑːʒ/，an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions, especially the appearance of a sheet of water in a desert or on a hot road caused by the refraction of light from the sky by heated air.
Dost：/dʌst/，archaic second person singular present of do.
Doth：/dʌθ/，archaic third person singular present of do.
Loth：/ləʊθ/，=loath
Bosom：/ˈbʊz(ə)m/，a woman's chest or breasts. 这个词作为形容词意思是“(of a friend) very close or intimate.”，比如常用的“bosom friend”
Transom: /ˈtrans(ə)m/，the flat surface forming the stern of a boat.
Victual：/ˈvɪt(ə)l/，food or provisions.
Feoffer：/fef/，) (law) One who enfeoffs or grants a fee.
Heifer：/ˈhɛfə/，(in farming) a cow that has not borne a calf, or has borne only one calf.
Breeches：/ˈbrɪtʃɪz/，short trousers fastened just below the knee, now chiefly worn for riding or as part of ceremonial dress.
Chalice：/ˈtʃalɪs/，a large cup or goblet.
Constable：/ˈkʌnstəb(ə)l/，(Brtitish) a police officer.
Plait：/plat/，(Brtitish) a single length of hair, straw, rope, or other material made up of three or more interlaced strands.
Chaise：/ʃeɪz/，a horse-drawn carriage for one or two people, typically one with an open top and two wheels.
Succour：/ˈsʌkə/，assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.
Arkansas：/ˈɑː.kən.sɔː/，a state in the US.
Doctrine：/ˈdɒktrɪn/，a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.
Turpentine：/ˈtəːp(ə)ntʌɪn/，a volatile pungent oil distilled from gum turpentine or pine wood, used in mixing paints and varnishes and in liniment，也就是松节油。
Battalion：/bəˈtalɪən/，a large body of troops ready for battle, especially an infantry unit forming part of a brigade.
知识奇妙如斯。
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