The guests had, of course, realized this from the moment Bessie opened the door for them and, long before the final catastrophe, had had a difficult time trying to conceal their amusement.
客人们自然从贝西为他们开门那一刻起就看出来了，在好长一段时间里，即最后这个乱子发生前，他们努力克制才没笑出声来。
新概念英语第三册
Lesson 49 The ideal servant
📚 句中词汇解析
从本句中提取的重要词汇
n. 课程;航线;行动方向;一道菜;
vt. 快速地流动;奔流;跑过;追逐;
vi. 沿…（方向）前进;指引航线;快跑;迅速移动;
💡 cour 发生+se → n. 发展；进程，课程，一道菜
"There were only three of us on the advanced course."
只有我们三人学高级课程。
近义：racecourse, racetrack, speedway, track, pass, range
n. 瞬间，片刻;时刻;重要，紧要;[物]力矩;
💡 mom(move)+ent(名词后缀)→瞬间；片刻；重要
"The moment the clown appeared on stage, the audience folded up."
小丑一出现在舞台上, 观众们个个笑得前俯后仰.
近义：instant, tick, time, while, bit, flash
反义：immortality, perdurability, perenniality, perpetuity, deathlessness, afterlife
final
['faɪnl]
词频1
词根: fin
adj. 最后的，最终的;决定性的;不可更改的;
n. 结局;决赛;期末考试;〈口〉（报纸的）末版;
💡 fin =end,boundary,表示”结束,范围”#词根助记：来自于法语final和拉丁语finalis, 表示 end (结束)
"Teachers always judge their students on the final examination."
老师常根据期末考试来评价他们的学生.
近义：last, absolute, momentous, peremptory, plump, terminal
n. 大灾难;惨败;悲剧的结局;地表突然而猛烈的变动，灾变;
💡 cata向下+strophe转→转下去→灾难临头→灾难，大祸
"Early warnings of rising water levels prevented another major catastrophe."
提前发出的洪水水位上涨警报防止了又一次的重大灾害。
近义：apocalypse, holocaust, tragedy, calamity, cataclysm, debacle
adj. 困难的;难做的;难解的;不易相处的;
💡 dif不+fic做+ult表名词→不好做→困难的
"The short story is a difficult art form to master."
短篇小说是一种很难掌握的艺术形式。
近义：rough, troublesome, complicated, arduous, intricate, labored
反义：uncomplicated, basic, cushy, doss, easy, facile