As the president opened it and took out the single sheet of note-paper within, another slip fell upon the table, blank side uppermost. The shape and the perforated edge around two sides of the slip suggested a check, and the president carelessly turned it over before looking at the note. It was a check, and when he caught sight of the figures in one corner the serene1 dignity of the eminent2 savant was betrayed into an exclamation3 that made him seem for the moment quite like other men. He readjusted his spectacles in genuine agitation4 and stared at the check for some{182} moments before he recovered his self-possession sufficiently5 to read the letter. This was the epistle:
Strong & Co., Bankers and Brokers6,
New Street, New York.
New York, April 23, 1895.
My Dear Sir:
By direction of one of our clients I send you herewith my personal check for five million dollars ($5,000,000) payable7 to your personal order. This money you are at liberty to devote to the general uses of Harvard University, in such a manner as you and your associates, the Fellows and Overseers, shall deem most advantageous8. The donor9 desires to remain entirely10 unknown in connection with the gift. His only suggestion regarding its use is that one million dollars more or less shall be devoted11 to the equipment or support of the astronomical12 observatories13 which the university has established in South America.
I remain, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
John Wharton.
P.S.—I shall esteem14 it a personal favor if you will confine all information regarding my connection with the matter to as limited a circle as possible.—J. W.
That was all—just a curt15, matter-of-fact business communication. It could not be a hoax16, for the check was certified17 by the Chemical National Bank. It needed but the president’s name on the back to make it worth the five millions in cash which it called for. The more he thought about it the nearer the president’s mind approached to a condition of ex{183}citement. He got up and took a turn around the room. His secretary came in just then, but stopped in amazement18 on discovering evidences of an agitation which he had never detected before in his chief.
“Is there anything the matter, sir?” he asked anxiously.
“Nothing at all,” responded the head of America’s greatest university, with a partial return to his usual placid19 manner. “I am glad you came in. I wish you would call a special meeting of the Fellows, to be held here at four o’clock this afternoon. Send special messengers and telegrams and say that the business will be of the utmost importance.”
The secretary’s apprehensions20 increased, but he hastened to obey instructions. The next day the papers announced the magnificent gift to Harvard and tried in vain to gratify the universal curiosity about the unknown donor.
If there was any envy of Harvard’s good fortune at New Haven21, it was dissipated two or three days later when Yale rejoiced in the receipt of a mysterious gift of the same magnificent proportions. In the case of Yale, however, the endowment was coupled with a condition or request which excited much surprise and made no end of talk. The mysterious donor asked that half of the five millions should be set apart as a fund to be used under the direction of the Yale{184} Scientific School in practical investigation22 of the subject of a?rial navigation. This was a trust which the university accepted with a good deal of misgiving23. When the matter was considered by the trustees there was even some opposition24 to the acceptance of this portion of the donation on such terms.
“Must we set our professors to building flying machines, and compel them to risk their necks in balloons?” exclaimed one of the older members of the board in some asperity25, and with small measure of gratitude26 to the giver of such a fund. “For my part, I hope the university will not go to the absurd extreme of turning our scientific school into a Darius Green workshop to gratify a generous but whimsical millionaire.”
But the old gentleman was in a small minority, and he was quite silenced by the remarks of a younger and more progressive member, whose investigations27 in practical science had made him famous. Besides, who ever heard of a gift of $2,500,000 being refused by an educational institution, no matter how hard the conditions?
“I do not regard this gift as either absurd or whimsical,” said the man of science and sense, with much emphasis. “On the contrary, I welcome it with enthusiasm as a practical pledge of the next and greatest triumph of civilization. A?rial navigation is the{185} one branch of practical science in which America is not keeping pace with the foremost investigators28. France and Germany and even Russia have obtained better results than we have. The reason, of course, is that there are military incentives29 in Europe which do not exist here. But I firmly believe that this gift will enable us to gain the same mastery of the paths of the winds that we have already won over the land and the sea. No gift to the cause of physical science could be more valuable and more timely than this. I hope it will be accepted with the sincerest expression of our gratitude.”
And so it was. National curiosity was again aroused to highest pitch. Nor was it allowed to subside30, for within a month fresh benefactions, all anonymous31 and all dealing32 with large sums, were announced. Chicago’s fund for a memorial of the Columbian Fair received a round million. New York rejoiced in the news that Samuel J. Tilden’s thwarted33 attempt to provide a magnificent free library for his fellow-citizens was to succeed after all. Three millions had come from somewhere—the trustees would not say where—to be used in carrying out the plans of the dead statesman on the same scale that he had wisely designed.
Wellesley and Vassar became involved in the same delightful34 mystery. Woman’s curiosity in her chief{186} seats of learning was put under the strain of accepting without question gifts of $2,000,000 to each institution from an unknown hand. The test or the temptation was safely borne, for no hint of even the manner in which the princely fortunes were bestowed35 ever reached an outsider’s ear. There were no restrictions37 accompanying these gifts, beyond a request in each case that they should be devoted mainly to those branches of training and study which best fitted woman for the domestic circle. Inasmuch as this suggestion was construed38 to admit of almost any interpretation39 in the field of “the higher education of woman,” it was felt to be no restriction36 at all. Who dared assert that a knowledge of Greek, a familiarity with the latest mysteries of astronomy, and a training in the higher mathematics did not deserve important places in the equipment of woman for the domestic circle of 1895? When it was proposed in the governing boards of the two colleges that the departments of physical training, English literature, music, and the culinary art should benefit in greater proportion than certain others under the new funds, the makers40 of the suggestion were frowned upon with some scorn. It was undoubtedly41 the intention of their unknown benefactor42, so declared the more advanced spirits in the great cause of “the emancipation43 of woman,” that his money should be used in providing that broad{187} culture which alone would make the woman of the twentieth century the highest development of her sex. She should have the same advantages, the same training as her brothers. In no other way could she become “best fitted for the domestic circle.”
No such impetus44 was ever given the cause of education in America as it received in the spring of 1895 from this great series of contributions. The subject became a matter of world-wide wonder and discussion. It did not seem possible that such treasure could come all from one source, and yet no such epidemic45 of generosity46 among millionaires had ever been heard of. There were not half a dozen men in the country who could make presents of $5,000,000 checks. Speculation47, and there was plenty of it, was in vain, however. The secret was well kept by all its possessors, and beyond a few hints that the eccentric distributor of millions was a New Yorker, who kept a balance of at least $5,000,000 in cash always on hand at the Chemical Bank, nothing transpired48.
In the rapid life of the American metropolis49 curiosity over this subject was soon overshadowed by a new wonder. The city’s most grievous public problem, the bête noire of a decade, was suddenly solved. Vainly had private enterprise and public commissions sought to provide the congested city a satisfactory system of rapid transit50. The growth of{188} the town had been checked, its prosperity had been restricted, and infinite personal discomfort51 had been suffered by its citizens, because of the peculiar52 difficulties of the situation. In a city long and narrow, densely53 populated, and surrounded on three sides by water, the quick arteries54 of passenger travel must go below the surface or into the air. Everybody who has traveled on the London underground railroad will admit that the tunnel system is to be avoided at any reasonable expense. But everybody else who has walked beneath the elevated tracks in New York, or lodged55 near the line, will say that railways in the public streets are an almost intolerable nuisance.
The only system satisfactory in itself which had been proposed in New York was a great four-track viaduct line, running, not through the streets, but upon its own location cut through the center of the blocks from end to end of the city. But the plan could not be considered for a moment. The expense was prohibitive. It would cost $100,000,000 for right of way and construction, to say nothing of equipment. The revenue from such a road would not pay interest on such an enormous sum, and private capital would not undertake the enterprise. Some people had urged the project upon the city as a municipal undertaking56. Perhaps in an ideal community such a suggestion might be valuable, but not in a city{189} ruled by Tammany Hall or any other political party.
So the question was at a deadlock57, and the evils of the situation had become well-nigh intolerable, when the mayor of New York received one day in June a letter from the now well-known firm of Strong & Co., containing an amazing proposition. They were prepared to organize a corporation, and guarantee the construction of such a viaduct road as had been proposed, provided the city would consent to certain conditions. The road would be built with the proceeds of an issue of $100,000,000 in bonds, which Strong & Co. offered to subscribe58 in full. These bonds should bear interest—and here was the amazing feature of the proposition—at the rate of one per cent per annum. No one could doubt that the proposed road would easily earn the necessary $1,000,000 per year for payment of interest on bonds which the proposition called for, and it would surely yield a substantial sum for dividends59 on stock in addition.
The principal conditions imposed by Messrs. Strong & Co. in making their extraordinary offer was that the motive61 power used on the road should be electricity, or some other element than steam, and that a uniform rate of fare of five cents within the city limits should never be exceeded. It was further insisted that the charter should provide that the city should not take over the road by purchase or otherwise {190}without the consent of two thirds of the bond-holders, and that capital stock should be issued only upon payment of its face value in cash into the company’s treasury62, the total amount of such stock never to exceed $20,000,000, except by consent of the bond-holders. Messrs. Strong & Co. further suggested that dividends upon stock should be limited to ten per cent. When earnings63 exceeded the sum necessary for the payment of a ten per cent dividend60, fares should be reduced below the current rate. If the mayor and his advisers64 approved of the plan as outlined they were invited to join in the name of the city with Messrs. Strong & Co. and others in petitioning the General Assembly at Albany for the necessary legislation.
The mayor read slowly the letter in which the plan was set forth65 in much greater detail than above outlined. When he had finished he looked out of the window upon the trees in the City Hall Park and whistled softly. He allowed his mind to dwell for a few moments upon the significance of what was contained in the plain epistle he held in his hand. Its meaning for the metropolis of the western world, over which he presided, was beyond his mental grasp at first. The one great peril66 which threatened to dwarf67 its prosperity and stunt68 its growth had been removed at a single stroke. It was too good to be true, and{191} the mayor read the long letter from beginning to end a second time. The proposition was clear and specific, and the potent69 signature left no doubt of its genuineness. The mayor would have lost no time in sharing the good news with his friends and with the city itself; but a postscript70 contained a request that the matter should be regarded as confidential71 until there had been a personal exchange of views upon the subject. Messrs. Strong & Co. expressed a desire for a private consultation72 at any time the mayor might appoint. So the private secretary of His Honor was dispatched at once to New Street, to say that the mayor was quite ready to place his entire day, if desired, at the disposal of the firm.
Mr. John Wharton returned with the secretary to the City Hall, and for more than three hours he was closeted alone with the chief magistrate73. When his visitor had gone the mayor dictated74 to his stenographer75 a statement for the press. He outlined the proposition of Strong & Co., who, he said, were acting76 on behalf of a syndicate which preferred to conceal77 its identity. Of its ability to carry out its proposal, the mayor declared he had received abundant assurance. The offer was not in his estimation, the mayor explained, in any ordinary sense a business proposition. It took rank instead as the greatest private or public benefaction of modern times. It{192} was a boon78 which would change the whole future history of the metropolis and of the Empire State. It was an inestimable gift, and he called upon the city to join him in unmeasured gratitude to the unknown donors79. Regarding the practical execution of the scheme, the mayor said:
“I have not hesitated to assure Messrs. Strong & Co., informally, that they may count upon the city’s grateful and unanimous acceptance of this munificent80 proposal, with all the public-spirited conditions which are attached. Although approval by the state legislature is necessary, I feel that an appeal to the governor to summon a special session for the purpose is not called for. Any material opposition to a plan so magnificent and patriotic81 is not conceivable. There appears, therefore, to be no good reason why the great preliminary work which such an enterprise involves should not proceed at once. Actual construction can then begin immediately after the necessary legislation has been provided next winter.”
There was a sensation in the morning newspaper offices when the mayor’s proclamation was received, and an army of reporters searched the city for more information about the latest wonder of wealth and philanthropy. The next morning all New York wondered, and so did the world at large. And the only people who did not join in the general{193} rejoicing were the owners of the Manhattan Elevated Railroad. They saw in the announcement, beneath the black-typed headlines in all the newspapers, the doom82 of their great monopoly, the sudden birth of a power greater than theirs. How could they cope with it, how could they compel the city’s inhabitants to tolerate any longer their makeshift devices for postponing83 rather than solving a vital problem? They were helpless before this new monetary84 force, just as the people had been helpless before the selfish tyranny of the railroad company’s short-sightedness. Political power the Manhattan Company’s managers had, both in the municipal councils and at Albany, but of what use to exert it in face of such a proposition as this? No politician of any party would dare to put a straw in the way of its execution.
It is sometimes safe to defy an indifferent majority, but he is a fool who throws himself before the Juggernaut of roused and unanimous public opinion. The owners of the Manhattan Elevated Road were not fools in all things; so the first effect of the mayor’s news was a sharp decline in the price of their shares. The danger was, however, a distant one for them. By no possibility could so vast an undertaking be completed under five years, and within that time conditions would probably so change that there would{194} be traffic enough to yield a reasonable profit to both systems. New bridges both to Long Island and New Jersey85, to say nothing of tunnels, were also under way. These would furnish partial relief to the congestion86, while they would bring fresh traffic to the short distance service, which would become an important part of the elevated railroad system. Competition in what may be termed the trunk-line business need not, therefore, be disastrous87 to existing rapid transit lines. It would rather come as a relief, just as the street-car lines found the opening of the elevated roads to be twenty years before.
But the public paid little attention to the first discomforture of the elevated railroad magnates. Rather they rejoiced in it, especially as the erstwhile masters of the situation soon began to manifest a more conciliatory attitude toward their suffering patrons. A new principle seemed to have been discovered in the offices of the octopus88 corporation. Grievances89 that were easy of correction were remedied. Public opinion was worth catering90 to when you needed it. Arrogant91 defiance92 on one side, and exasperated93 endurance and hearty94 hatred95 on the other, was a condition of things which must not be allowed to continue, when the sufferers and haters would soon be in a position to take full revenge. So a very strange but becoming humility96 softened97 the attitude of New{195} York’s purveyors of so-called rapid transit. They endeavored to convince the people that really they were doing the best they could. And so unresentful is the average New Yorker, that after a few smiles at the hypocrisy98 of it all, he accepted the new facilities now supplied, and was appeased99.
Public curiosity found little to feed on in its search after the secret of the new monster rapid transit fund. The newspapers interviewed every reputed millionaire in the city. All expressed entire ignorance of the scheme and its authors. It was plain, several newspapers declared, that no man or set of men could accumulate such a treasure without the world’s having some knowledge of their wealth. Some of those who denied having any information on the subject must, therefore, be lying. And forthwith a large portion of the press fell to speculating as to who the mysterious Cr?sus might be. For several days, everybody in the office of Strong & Co. was besieged100 with inquiries101, not only from newspaper men, but from all manner of people. The annoyance102 became so wearisome that the firm drew up a statement which they sent to the newspapers, setting forth with some emphasis the fact that they were not at liberty to furnish any information about either the rapid transit scheme itself or its promoters. The plans were still crude. As fast as they were perfected they would be submitted to the authorities for{196} approval, and would be given to the public. Meantime, they reserved the right to refuse to answer any inquiry103 bearing upon the subject.
After a few days, public interest became less keen. The quest seemed hopeless. Two or three multi-millionaires, whose names had been used with persistent104 freedom by certain journals, in spite of their denials, sent such emphatic105 contradictions of the stories which credited them with generosity, that the mystery was, by nearly all, abandoned as unfathomable.
When the matter had ceased to occupy the first place in public attention, nearly a month after the mayor’s original announcement, the following article appeared one morning, in double-headed type, on the first page of the Sun:
“The series of financial mysteries which has astonished the world during the past few months can reasonably be ascribed, in the absence of definite knowledge, to no more than a single source. Since early in December the mints and the bullion106 market have been glutted107 with gold. A flood of the precious metal has been poured into the Assay108 Office in this city at the rate of $50,000,000 a month. Prices in the stock market, in the face of most unfavorable conditions, have been forced to an abnormally high level by the rising tide of yellow treasure. The sup{197}ply of actual money in the country has been increased during the last six months by almost, if not quite, $300,000,000.
“Various educational and other worthy109 institutions have been enriched within a few weeks by anonymous gifts amounting, at a safe estimate, to the vast sum of $22,000,000. There is good authority for saying that in one or two instances the checks received by the beneficiaries have come from the same banking110 house in this city which is credited with handling the bulk of the vast deposits of gold at the Assay Office. It is a reasonable inference that all these great benefactions have come from the same treasury. There are not more than half a dozen private fortunes in America large enough to afford charitable disbursements upon such a scale. The owners of these fortunes have denied all knowledge of the great donations. There is no good reason for doubting their word upon this point.
“Messrs. Strong & Co. are the only persons who are known in connection with this mysterious wealth. They refuse all information about the origin and extent of the fabulous111 riches which they are distributing broadcast, or about the identity of their principals. They are, of course, thoroughly112 within their legal rights in declining to take the public into their confidence. But the matter has become one of tre{198}mendous public concern. The stability of trade, the money value of every description of vested interests, in fact, the industrial, commercial, and financial welfare of the country, all are directly involved in the rapid manipulation of such vast sums. While admitting that this modern Midas has used his power most beneficently thus far, it should be pointed113 out that the possibilities of evil are enormous. In simple self-protection, therefore, the public is justified114 in seeking by all honorable means to learn what portends115 from the same source.
“Taking into consideration all the circumstances, the conclusion is forced upon any reasonable mind that it is virgin116 treasure which is dazzling the world. In other words, it is an outpouring of gold from nature’s storehouse, and not from any of man’s reservoirs, that we are witnessing. Thus far we are in utter ignorance of the location of the new El Dorado. That it is a region of almost inconceivable richness has been amply demonstrated. Nothing in the history of the Californian or Australian gold-fields will compare with it. The secret has been so well kept that it is impossible that it can be in the possession of many persons. It is a fair inference, therefore, that the deposit is within an extremely small area, and that the precious metal abounds117 there in an almost pure state. But in what quantities? Is the supply inex{199}haustible? The earth’s yield of gold is usually estimated in ounces. We now have it supplied by the ton.
“The question of an oversupply118 of gold may become a serious, even an appalling119 one. The problem threatens soon to become vital. The mystery cannot remain a mystery much longer. Civilization may in self-defense soon demand its solution. In the meantime, a single hint may be offered. Early in November last, the steamship120 Richmond returned from a mysterious trip, several weeks in length, under private charter. She brought back a cargo121, said to consist of ores and other minerals from South America. Was there any connection between her cargo and the sudden distribution of gold which began in this market a month after her arrival?”
Late in the afternoon of the day this article appeared in the Sun, the head of one of the most prominent law firms in New York entered the office of that paper, and was soon closeted with the publisher. The two men were friends, and they chatted for a few moments on indifferent topics. Then said the lawyer seriously:
“Now to business, for I have come on an extraordinary errand. I remember a few years ago that some of your quarrelsome contemporaries accused the Sun, among other things, of being for sale. You re{200}plied to the insinuation in a short editorial which said, Yes, the Sun was for sale, and the price was $5,000,000. What I want to know is, whether that offer still holds good.”
“No, the price has gone up,” was the smiling reply.
“What is it now?”
“Ten millions.”
“Are you prepared to turn the property over at that figure?”
“Oh, yes—for spot cash,” still smiling.
“Will certified checks do?” and the lawyer took several checks from a wallet, and laid them on the desk in front of the other.
“See here, B——, what does this mean?” exclaimed the publisher, glancing from the drafts to his friend, while all signs of levity122 disappeared.
“Precisely what I have been saying. I am ready to close the bargain at the figures you have mentioned.”
“Who are you acting for?”
“That is the one thing I cannot tell you. Does it make any difference? If so, I can assure you that there is no political or other game back of the transaction. There is no intention to make any change whatever in the conduct of the paper, if our offer is accepted. But it must be accepted at once or it will be withdrawn123. What do you say?{201}”
“Of course, I must consult Mr. Dana and the other owners. I believe, however, it will be accepted.”
“Can you give me a final answer to-morrow?”
“I think so. Will you come in in the morning and talk the matter over with the directors? We can meet here at noon.”
“Yes, I will be here,” said the lawyer, picking up his checks and rising to go. “By the way, would it be fair under the circumstances for me to ask a single favor?”
“Certainly—anything in my power.”
“It is only that you will delay any investigation of the gold mystery until this matter is settled.”
“Oh, now I see which way the wind blows. We’ll talk of that to-morrow.”
点击收听单词发音
1 serene | |
adj. 安详的,宁静的,平静的 | |
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2 eminent | |
adj.显赫的,杰出的,有名的,优良的 | |
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3 exclamation | |
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词 | |
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4 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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5 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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6 brokers | |
n.(股票、外币等)经纪人( broker的名词复数 );中间人;代理商;(订合同的)中人v.做掮客(或中人等)( broker的第三人称单数 );作为权力经纪人进行谈判;以中间人等身份安排… | |
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7 payable | |
adj.可付的,应付的,有利益的 | |
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8 advantageous | |
adj.有利的;有帮助的 | |
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9 donor | |
n.捐献者;赠送人;(组织、器官等的)供体 | |
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10 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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11 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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12 astronomical | |
adj.天文学的,(数字)极大的 | |
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13 observatories | |
n.天文台,气象台( observatory的名词复数 ) | |
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14 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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15 curt | |
adj.简短的,草率的 | |
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16 hoax | |
v.欺骗,哄骗,愚弄;n.愚弄人,恶作剧 | |
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17 certified | |
a.经证明合格的;具有证明文件的 | |
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18 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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19 placid | |
adj.安静的,平和的 | |
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20 apprehensions | |
疑惧 | |
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21 haven | |
n.安全的地方,避难所,庇护所 | |
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22 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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23 misgiving | |
n.疑虑,担忧,害怕 | |
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24 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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25 asperity | |
n.粗鲁,艰苦 | |
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26 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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27 investigations | |
(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究 | |
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28 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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29 incentives | |
激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 ); 刺激; 诱因; 动机 | |
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30 subside | |
vi.平静,平息;下沉,塌陷,沉降 | |
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31 anonymous | |
adj.无名的;匿名的;无特色的 | |
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32 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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33 thwarted | |
阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 ); 使受挫折; 挫败; 横过 | |
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34 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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35 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36 restriction | |
n.限制,约束 | |
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37 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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38 construed | |
v.解释(陈述、行为等)( construe的过去式和过去分词 );翻译,作句法分析 | |
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39 interpretation | |
n.解释,说明,描述;艺术处理 | |
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40 makers | |
n.制造者,制造商(maker的复数形式) | |
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41 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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42 benefactor | |
n. 恩人,行善的人,捐助人 | |
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43 emancipation | |
n.(从束缚、支配下)解放 | |
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44 impetus | |
n.推动,促进,刺激;推动力 | |
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45 epidemic | |
n.流行病;盛行;adj.流行性的,流传极广的 | |
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46 generosity | |
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为 | |
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47 speculation | |
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机 | |
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48 transpired | |
(事实,秘密等)被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 ); 泄露; 显露; 发生 | |
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49 metropolis | |
n.首府;大城市 | |
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50 transit | |
n.经过,运输;vt.穿越,旋转;vi.越过 | |
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51 discomfort | |
n.不舒服,不安,难过,困难,不方便 | |
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52 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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53 densely | |
ad.密集地;浓厚地 | |
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54 arteries | |
n.动脉( artery的名词复数 );干线,要道 | |
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55 lodged | |
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属 | |
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56 undertaking | |
n.保证,许诺,事业 | |
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57 deadlock | |
n.僵局,僵持 | |
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58 subscribe | |
vi.(to)订阅,订购;同意;vt.捐助,赞助 | |
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59 dividends | |
红利( dividend的名词复数 ); 股息; 被除数; (足球彩票的)彩金 | |
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60 dividend | |
n.红利,股息;回报,效益 | |
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61 motive | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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62 treasury | |
n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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63 earnings | |
n.工资收人;利润,利益,所得 | |
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64 advisers | |
顾问,劝告者( adviser的名词复数 ); (指导大学新生学科问题等的)指导教授 | |
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65 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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66 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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67 dwarf | |
n.矮子,侏儒,矮小的动植物;vt.使…矮小 | |
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68 stunt | |
n.惊人表演,绝技,特技;vt.阻碍...发育,妨碍...生长 | |
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69 potent | |
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
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70 postscript | |
n.附言,又及;(正文后的)补充说明 | |
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71 confidential | |
adj.秘(机)密的,表示信任的,担任机密工作的 | |
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72 consultation | |
n.咨询;商量;商议;会议 | |
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73 magistrate | |
n.地方行政官,地方法官,治安官 | |
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74 dictated | |
v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 );口授;支配;摆布 | |
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75 stenographer | |
n.速记员 | |
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76 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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77 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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78 boon | |
n.恩赐,恩物,恩惠 | |
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79 donors | |
n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 );献血者;捐血者;器官捐献者 | |
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80 munificent | |
adj.慷慨的,大方的 | |
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81 patriotic | |
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的 | |
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82 doom | |
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定 | |
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83 postponing | |
v.延期,推迟( postpone的现在分词 ) | |
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84 monetary | |
adj.货币的,钱的;通货的;金融的;财政的 | |
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85 jersey | |
n.运动衫 | |
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86 congestion | |
n.阻塞,消化不良 | |
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87 disastrous | |
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 | |
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88 octopus | |
n.章鱼 | |
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89 grievances | |
n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 );苦衷;不满;牢骚 | |
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90 catering | |
n. 给养 | |
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91 arrogant | |
adj.傲慢的,自大的 | |
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92 defiance | |
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗 | |
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93 exasperated | |
adj.恼怒的 | |
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94 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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95 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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96 humility | |
n.谦逊,谦恭 | |
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97 softened | |
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰 | |
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98 hypocrisy | |
n.伪善,虚伪 | |
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99 appeased | |
安抚,抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 ); 绥靖(满足另一国的要求以避免战争) | |
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100 besieged | |
包围,围困,围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101 inquiries | |
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 | |
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102 annoyance | |
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼 | |
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103 inquiry | |
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
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104 persistent | |
adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的 | |
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105 emphatic | |
adj.强调的,着重的;无可置疑的,明显的 | |
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106 bullion | |
n.金条,银条 | |
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107 glutted | |
v.吃得过多( glut的过去式和过去分词 );(对胃口、欲望等)纵情满足;使厌腻;塞满 | |
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108 assay | |
n.试验,测定 | |
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109 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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110 banking | |
n.银行业,银行学,金融业 | |
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111 fabulous | |
adj.极好的;极为巨大的;寓言中的,传说中的 | |
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112 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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113 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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114 justified | |
a.正当的,有理的 | |
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115 portends | |
v.预示( portend的第三人称单数 );预兆;给…以警告;预告 | |
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116 virgin | |
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 | |
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117 abounds | |
v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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118 oversupply | |
n.供应过量;v.过度供给 | |
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119 appalling | |
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
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120 steamship | |
n.汽船,轮船 | |
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121 cargo | |
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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122 levity | |
n.轻率,轻浮,不稳定,多变 | |
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123 withdrawn | |
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出 | |
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