Mrs. Allen was so long in dressing that they did not enter the ballroom till late. The season was full, the room crowded, and the two ladies squeezed in as well as they could. As for Mr. Allen, he repaired directly to the card-room, and left them to enjoy a mob by themselves. With more care for the safety of her new gown than for the comfort of her protegee, Mrs. Allen made her way through the throng of men by the door, as swiftly as the necessary caution would allow; Catherine, however, kept close at her side, and linked her arm too firmly within her friend's to be torn asunder by any common effort of a struggling assembly. Still they moved on—something better was yet in view; and by a continued exertion of strength and ingenuity they found themselves at last in the passage behind the highest bench. It was a splendid sight, and she began, for the first time that evening, to feel herself at a ball: she longed to dance, but she had not an acquaintance in the room.

赏析：
艾伦夫人花了太长时间打扮，以至于她们到达舞会时已经很晚了，舞会正要开始。舞会到处都是人，她们不得不挤到人群中。艾伦先生说他要去棋牌室，就把她们俩扔在门口让她们随波逐流。比起她们自己是否舒适，艾伦夫人更在意新礼服的安全性。艾伦夫人一边留意新衣服，一边还要尽可能的穿过挡在门口的人。凯瑟琳紧紧地挽住她，终于，很“费”了一番功夫，她们被人群挤进了舞会。她们继续往里走，终于有一处不错的地方映入眼帘，通过持续的努力和灵巧劲儿，终于来到了最高的长椅背后的走廊上。这是一个很不错的地方，,那天晚上,她也第一次感觉到自己是在舞会中；她开始渴望跳舞,但在房间里并没有一个熟人。

这一小段作者用struggle等词语，对舞会拥挤做了描述，也奠定了一个不愉快的基调，由于人多，但又没有认识的人，反映出主人公内心世界的一个状态，为后文的对话和后续发展做铺垫

SAT词汇

gown: a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions 礼服

exertion: use of physical or mental energy; hard work  努力

ingenuity: the power of creative imagination  灵巧，心思独创

acquaintance：personal knowledge or information about someone or something 熟人，了解

本文是沈阳SAT培训通途国际英语的Trista老师为大家整理的SAT阅读Nothanger Abbey 片段赏析一，希望对SAT备考的童鞋能有所帮助。