Days lengthened6 into decades, eons. The seas came shouldering in to stand towers tall above the Ethics7 Ray, lost in the far ooze8 below. Then even the seas receded9, and the mountains buckled10 upward in their place, their arrogant11 stone faces staring changelessly across the epochs. Until they too were whittled12 down by erosion. The ice caps crept down, crackling and grinding the valleys. The ground stretched and tossed like a restless sleeper13, settled, and the Ethics Ray was brought to light once more.
As it always had, it continued beaming its particular signal, on a cosmic ray carrier modulated14 by a pulse a particular number of angstroms below infrared15. The beasts that blundered within its field were entirely16 different now, but they still weren't the Right Ones. Among them were some shambling pale bipeds, dressed in skins of other beasts, who clucked over its gleaming exterior17 and tried to chip it away for spearheads. In this of course they were unsuccessful.
And then one day the First Human wandered by, paused square in the path of the beam. His physiology18 was only approximate, his I.Q. was regrettably low—but he was Pre-Moral Life, such as it was, on this planet.
The Ethics Ray made the necessary frequency adjustments, tripped on full force. The Primitive19 froze under the bombardment, its germ plasm shifting in the most minute and subtle dimensions. Then, its mission fulfilled, the Ethics Ray collapsed20 into heavy molecules21 and sank into the ground. The first convert raced away in fright, having no idea what had happened. Neither did his billion sons and daughters....
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1
chaotic
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adj.混沌的,一片混乱的,一团糟的 | |
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2
enraged
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使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
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3
wreck
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n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难 | |
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4
calibrated
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v.校准( calibrate的过去式和过去分词 );使标准化;使合标准;测量(枪的)口径 | |
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5
tuned
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adj.调谐的,已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调 | |
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6
lengthened
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(时间或空间)延长,伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
ethics
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n.伦理学;伦理观,道德标准 | |
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8
ooze
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n.软泥,渗出物;vi.渗出,泄漏;vt.慢慢渗出,流露 | |
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9
receded
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v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 );向后倾斜;自原处后退或避开别人的注视;尤指问题 | |
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10
buckled
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a. 有带扣的 | |
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11
arrogant
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adj.傲慢的,自大的 | |
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12
whittled
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v.切,削(木头),使逐渐变小( whittle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
sleeper
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n.睡眠者,卧车,卧铺 | |
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14
modulated
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已调整[制]的,被调的 | |
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15
infrared
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adj./n.红外线(的) | |
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16
entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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17
exterior
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adj.外部的,外在的;表面的 | |
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18
physiology
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n.生理学,生理机能 | |
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19
primitive
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adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物 | |
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20
collapsed
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adj.倒塌的 | |
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21
molecules
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分子( molecule的名词复数 ) | |
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