At the summit of this steep road are the few36 scattered9 cottages of Countisbury, or “Cunsbear,” as the old writers have it. Few would suspect that the names of Countisbury and Canterbury have an origin nearly akin1; yet it is so, “Kaint-ys-burig”—the “headland camp,” being closely allied10 to the original Kaintware-burig, the “camp of the men of Kent.” But to the writers of a generation ago, who wrote in a blissful age when there were no students of the science of place-names to call them to account, the name was set down as a contraction11 of “county’s boundary.” Distinctly good as this may possibly be as an effort of the imagination, it is not borne out by facts; for the county boundary did not exist at the time when the name came into being, county divisions having been settled at a much later date. Moreover, the boundary is a good three miles distant. Old Risdon, writing in 1630, is even more delightful12. He takes what the scientific world styles the “line of least resistance,” and gaily13 dismisses it with “probably the land of some Countess.”
But there is not much of this Countisbury, about whose name there has been so much said. Just a bleached-looking, weather-beaten church, the “Blue Ball” inn, typical rural hostelry of these parts, and the school-house. For the life of me, I do not know which drone the loudest on a hot, drowsy14 summer afternoon; the bees or the school-children at their lessons—the bees, I believe. And that is all there is to Countisbury, you think. This, indeed, is the sum-total of the village, but37 the parish itself ranges down to the Lyn, which forms the boundary, as the curious may duly discover, set forth15 on the keystone of the bridge that spans the stream, just outside the grounds of the Tors Hotel, which itself is, therefore, in the parish of Countisbury.
THE “BLUE BALL.”
There is little within the old church, with the exception of some fine old characteristic West Country bench-ends, one of them bearing, boldly carved, the heraldic swan of the Bohuns and the bezants of the Courtenays.
We here come to that great projection16, Countisbury Foreland, past the school-house and by footpaths17. A lighthouse, very new, very glaring, with white paint and whitewashed18 enclosure-walls, near the head of the point, sears the eye on brilliant sunshiny days. It was built so recently as 1899, and equipped with the latest things in scientific38 apparatus19. It casts a warning ray on clear nights, it moans weirdly20 in foggy weather, like the spirits of the damned; and, in addition, it has machinery21 for exploding charges of gun-cotton at regular intervals22. It is wound up once in four hours, and then proceeds to automatically produce thirteen explosions in the hour. So, in one way and another it will be allowed the shipping23 of the Bristol Channel is well looked after. From this point, the coast of South Wales is distinctly seen, or is supposed to be. Visitors to Lynmouth have no desire to see it, for the sight is a prelude24 to rainy weather. The Mumbles25 is twenty-three miles distant, and yet the hoarse26 bellowing27 (or mumbling28, if you like it better) of the lighthouse siren there in thick weather is distinctly heard, like the voice of a cow calling her calf29.
Like all approaches to modern lighthouses, the cart or carriage-road made to this at the Foreland is a stark30, blinding affair of glaring rock and loose stones, very trying to wheels, hoofs31, or feet; and the hillsides are covered with an amazing litter of loose stones that have resided there ever since the very beginning of things. The place looks like Nature’s rubbish-heap. The way to Glenthorne by the coast-path, therefore, looks more enticing32. Something was wrong with the explosive-signal machinery, the day when this explorer chanced by; something that refused to be speedily set right, and the lighthouse man who was attending to it was not averse33 from ceasing work to give directions and, incidentally,39 to get a rest. So, quitting awhile his labours with refractory34 cogs, winches, and springs, he gave elaborate guidance by which one might keep the path along the rugged35 cliffs to Glenthorne. Not often does he find a stranger to hold converse36 with, and his directions were so long and full of parentheses37 that one quite forgot the beginning by the time the end was reached. But the burden of it was, “You go through those woods—they don’t look like more’n bracken from here, but they’re fair-sized trees, really—or else you can get to the road at the top.”
“I’ll take the woods,” said I, having had enough of the glaring sunshine; “they’ll be shady.”
“Yes—and full of flies,” returned the lighthouse man, “the place fairly ’ums with ’em.”
How true that was: how entirely38 true! They are charming woods of scrub-oak, hanging on the side of the scrambly cliff; and one would fain rest there awhile in the shade, on a moss-covered rock, beside the springs that trickle39 down the side of the cliff. But the celebrated40 “hoss-stingurrs”—the large grey horse-flies—that inhabit the place in force, and bite you through the thickest stockings, forbid any idea of resting in that tormented41 spot, and the beautiful thoughts that might have found expression in scenery so provocative42 of literary celebration, are lost in the defensive43 operations that accompany an undignified retreat. It is in places a very clamberous path to Glenthorne, and at some points more than a little40 difficult and dangerous. So few, evidently, and far between are those who come this way, that the track kept open by the occasional explorer who brushes aside the brambles and the branches that bar his path, is almost overgrown by the time the next stalwart forces a passage. Here and there a steep little gorge44 requires careful man?uvring; in some places, where the track emerges upon the open, bracken-grown hillside, descending45 alarmingly, and without a break, to the sea far below, it traverses broken, rock-strewn slanting46 ground, where a slip would send the incautious hopelessly rolling into the water; and at other places all signs of a track are lost. It is here, as the stranger goes chamoising up and down amid the tussocky bracken, that he feels sorry for himself. The excursion steamboats passing up and down Channel, half a mile out, command a fine uninterrupted view of these cliffs, and the adventurer, questing perspiringly up and down for any sign of a track, is fully47 aware that some fifty field-glasses are probably turned upon his efforts. He, therefore, unostentatiously drops down amid the bracken until those steamboats pass out of sight, beyond the Foreland.
One of the cruellest dilemmas48 is that which Fate is capable of presenting the stranger in these perilous49 ways. He slips on a mossy ledge50 under the shadow of lichened51 branches, and, to save himself, grips in the half-light what he thinks to be a foxglove, but is really a thistle. “Hold fast to that which is good,” say the Scriptures52; and41 although in other circumstances a thistle is scarcely a desirable grip, yet, between the prospect53 of rolling down some hundreds of feet and the certainty even of excoriated54 hands, there is but one possible choice.
In the middle of July, when the bracken is come to full growth, the air is filled with the exquisite55 odour of it; a peculiar56 scent57, heavy and sweet, like that of a huge making of strawberry jam. And presently, after much toil58, you come to a broad green ride, where you may rest awhile and luxuriously59 inhale60 that fragrance61.
Point Desolation is the name given to one of the headlands on the way, and “Rodney” the name of a cottage, now deserted62, in a dark cleft63, overhung with trees. Finally, the green drive conducts to a very welcome granite64 seat overlooking a wide expanse of sea, and thence through a gateway65 marked “private.” This is the entrance to the Glenthorne grounds, which are not so strictly66 private as the stranger might suppose. Through the gateway, the path continues, bordered here with laurels67 and fir-trees, and so dips down toward the mansion68, built in 1830, in the domestic Gothic style, on a partly natural terrace, three parts of the way down the wooded cliffs and hillsides that go soaring up to a height of five hundred feet. The house is situated69 exactly on the borderline of Devon and Somerset, and is in the loneliest situation imaginable; having, indeed, been in the old days a favourite spot with the smugglers of these coasts. It was built, and the grounds42 enclosed, by the Reverend W. S. Halliday, a person whose eccentricities70 may yet be heard of at Lynmouth. One of his peculiar amusements was the sardonic71 fancy for burying genuine Roman coins in places where it is thought no Romans ever penetrated72, with the expressed idea of puzzling future antiquaries. It seems—since he cannot be there to chuckle73 over the jest—a strange kind of humour.
GLENTHORNE.
The long ascent74 from Glenthorne, through the woods, is extraordinarily75 tiring, beautiful though those woods be, and aromatic76 with piny odours. The carriage-drive, zigzagging77 up, is steep, and a halt by the way, every now and then, more grateful and comforting than even a famous cocoa is advertised to be. But that ascent in the shade43 is a mere78 nothing to the further treeless ascent to the coach-road, under the July sun. Bare grassy79 combes, and white roads that wind round the mighty80 shoulders of the hills exhaust the wayfarer81, who at last, taking on trust the prehistoric82 camp of Old Barrow, perched on a steep height, gains the dull highway with a sigh of relief. I daresay a good many of the sardonic Mr. Halliday’s Roman coins are buried in Old Barrow, awaiting antiquarian discovery.
The way back to Lynmouth, crossing Countisbury Common, has some beautiful glimpses away on the left, over the wooded valley of the East Lyn.

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1
akin
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adj.同族的,类似的 | |
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2
scramble
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v.爬行,攀爬,杂乱蔓延,碎片,片段,废料 | |
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3
sufficiently
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adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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arduous
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adj.艰苦的,费力的,陡峭的 | |
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villa
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n.别墅,城郊小屋 | |
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blot
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vt.弄脏(用吸墨纸)吸干;n.污点,污渍 | |
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strand
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vt.使(船)搁浅,使(某人)困于(某地) | |
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champagne
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n.香槟酒;微黄色 | |
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9
scattered
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adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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allied
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adj.协约国的;同盟国的 | |
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contraction
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n.缩略词,缩写式,害病 | |
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12
delightful
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adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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gaily
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adv.欢乐地,高兴地 | |
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14
drowsy
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adj.昏昏欲睡的,令人发困的 | |
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15
forth
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adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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16
projection
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n.发射,计划,突出部分 | |
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footpaths
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人行小径,人行道( footpath的名词复数 ) | |
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whitewashed
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粉饰,美化,掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
apparatus
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n.装置,器械;器具,设备 | |
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20
weirdly
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古怪地 | |
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21
machinery
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n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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22
intervals
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n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息 | |
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shipping
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n.船运(发货,运输,乘船) | |
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24
prelude
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n.序言,前兆,序曲 | |
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25
mumbles
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含糊的话或声音,咕哝( mumble的名词复数 ) | |
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hoarse
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adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的 | |
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bellowing
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v.发出吼叫声,咆哮(尤指因痛苦)( bellow的现在分词 );(愤怒地)说出(某事),大叫 | |
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28
mumbling
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含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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29
calf
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n.小牛,犊,幼仔,小牛皮 | |
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stark
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adj.荒凉的;严酷的;完全的;adv.完全地 | |
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31
hoofs
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n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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32
enticing
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adj.迷人的;诱人的 | |
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33
averse
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adj.厌恶的;反对的,不乐意的 | |
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refractory
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adj.倔强的,难驾驭的 | |
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rugged
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adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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converse
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vi.谈话,谈天,闲聊;adv.相反的,相反 | |
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parentheses
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n.圆括号,插入语,插曲( parenthesis的名词复数 ) | |
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38
entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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trickle
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vi.淌,滴,流出,慢慢移动,逐渐消散 | |
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celebrated
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adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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tormented
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饱受折磨的 | |
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42
provocative
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adj.挑衅的,煽动的,刺激的,挑逗的 | |
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defensive
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adj.防御的;防卫的;防守的 | |
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gorge
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n.咽喉,胃,暴食,山峡;v.塞饱,狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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45
descending
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n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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46
slanting
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倾斜的,歪斜的 | |
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47
fully
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adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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48
dilemmas
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n.左右为难( dilemma的名词复数 );窘境,困境 | |
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perilous
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adj.危险的,冒险的 | |
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50
ledge
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n.壁架,架状突出物;岩架,岩礁 | |
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51
lichened
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adj.长满地衣的,长青苔的 | |
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52
scriptures
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经文,圣典( scripture的名词复数 ); 经典 | |
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53
prospect
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n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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54
excoriated
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v.擦伤( excoriate的过去式和过去分词 );擦破(皮肤);剥(皮);严厉指责 | |
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55
exquisite
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adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
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56
peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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57
scent
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n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉 | |
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58
toil
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vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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59
luxuriously
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adv.奢侈地,豪华地 | |
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60
inhale
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v.吸入(气体等),吸(烟) | |
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61
fragrance
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n.芬芳,香味,香气 | |
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62
deserted
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adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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63
cleft
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n.裂缝;adj.裂开的 | |
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64
granite
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adj.花岗岩,花岗石 | |
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65
gateway
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n.大门口,出入口,途径,方法 | |
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66
strictly
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adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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67
laurels
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n.桂冠,荣誉 | |
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68
mansion
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n.大厦,大楼;宅第 | |
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69
situated
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adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的 | |
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70
eccentricities
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n.古怪行为( eccentricity的名词复数 );反常;怪癖 | |
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71
sardonic
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adj.嘲笑的,冷笑的,讥讽的 | |
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72
penetrated
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adj. 击穿的,鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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73
chuckle
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vi./n.轻声笑,咯咯笑 | |
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74
ascent
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n.(声望或地位)提高;上升,升高;登高 | |
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75
extraordinarily
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adv.格外地;极端地 | |
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76
aromatic
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adj.芳香的,有香味的 | |
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77
zigzagging
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v.弯弯曲曲地走路,曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 );盘陀 | |
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mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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grassy
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adj.盖满草的;长满草的 | |
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80
mighty
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adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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81
wayfarer
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n.旅人 | |
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82
prehistoric
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adj.(有记载的)历史以前的,史前的,古老的 | |
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