重点词汇词组：

1. At first¹ the magisters and archons and merchant princes² were³ pleased⁴ to welcome the last Targaryens to their homes and tables⁵, but as the years passed and the Usurper continued to sit upon the Iron Throne⁶, doors⁷ closed⁸ and their lives⁹ grew¹⁰ meaner¹¹.

长难句分析

解：本句是由连词but连接的两个句子。

句①：1时间状语+2主语+3系动词+4表语+5原因状语

句②：6状语+7主语+8谓语+9主语+10系动词+11表语

析：在句②中，6为as引导的状语从句，as在此处的意思的“随着”。“doors closed”和“their lives grew meaner.”为and连接的两个并列的句子。

merchant 商人

eg. Venice was once a city of rich merchants.

威尼斯曾是富商云集的城市。

【相关短语】

retail merchant 零售商

commission merchant 代销商

【近义词】

dealer，trader，broker，vendor

【形近词】

merchandise 商品

eg. Retailers can return defective merchandise.

零售商可以退回有瑕疵的商品。

merchant prince 富商

eg. Any knowledgeable wine merchant prince would be able to advise you.

任何一位内行的葡萄酒富商都能为你提出建议。

mean (这里meaner是它的比较级)低劣的，简陋的

eg. It was a mean, shabbily furnished room, with a bed in it.

这是一间简陋的、家具破破烂烂的房间，里面有一张床。

【近义词】

shabby，beggarly，scruffy

grow 这里相当于“become”，意思是“渐渐变得…”

eg. The skies grew dark and it began to rain.

天渐渐黑了，又下起雨来。

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