One of Julius Caesar’s veterans was once pleading before him against his neighbours, and the cause was going against him. “Do you remember, general,” said he, “that in Spain you dislocated your ankle near the river Sucro 9?” When Caesar said that he remembered it, he continued, “Do you remember that when, during the excessive heat, you wished to rest under a tree which afforded very little shade, as the ground in which that
solitary1 tree grew was rough and rocky, one of your comrades spread his cloak under you?” Caesar answered, “Of course, I remember; indeed, I was perishing with thirst; and since was unable to walk to the nearest spring, I would have crawled
thither2 on my hands and knees, had not my comrade, a brave and active man, brought me water in his helmet.” “Could you, then, my general, recognize that man or that helmet?” Caesar replied that he could not remember the helmet, but that he could remember the man well; and he added, I fancy in anger at being led away to this old story in the midst of a
judicial3 enquiry, “At any rate, you are not he.” “I do not blame you, Caesar,” answered the man, “for not recognizing me; for when this took place, I was unwounded; but afterwards, at the battle of Munda, my eye was struck out, and the bones of my
skull4 crushed. Nor would you recognize that helmet if you saw it, for it was split by a Spanish sword.” Caesar would not permit this man to be troubled with
lawsuits5, and presented his old soldier with the fields through which a village right of way had given rise to the dispute.
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收听单词发音
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1
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 |
参考例句： |
- I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
- The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。
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2
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 |
参考例句： |
- He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
- He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。
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3
judicial
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| adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的 |
参考例句： |
- He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
- Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。
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4
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 |
参考例句： |
- The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
- He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。
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5
lawsuits
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| n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 ) |
参考例句： |
- Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
- I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句
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