That imagination and humour have some existence in the Canadian mind—though one sees little of those qualities in the press or in public speeches, or in parliamentary debates—we can well believe when we read "The Dodge18 Club Abroad," by Professor De Mille,[50] who was cut off in the prime of his intellectual strength, or "A Social Departure," by Sara Jeannette Duncan,[51] who, as a sequence of a trip around the world, has given us not a dry book of travels but a story with touches of genial19 humour and bright descriptions of life and nature, and who is now following up that excellent literary effort by promising20 sketches21 of East Indian life. A story which attracted some attention not long since for originality22 of conception and ran through several editions, "Beggars All," is written by a Miss L. Dougall, who is said to be a member of a Montreal family, and though this book does not deal with incidents of Canadian life it illustrates23 that fertility of invention which is latent among our people and only requires a favourable25 opportunity to develop itself. The best literature of this kind is like that of France, which has the most intimate correspondence with the social life and development of the people of the country. "The excellence26 of a romance," writes Chevalier Bunsen in his critical preface to Gustav Freytag's "Debit27 and Credit," "like that of an epic14 or a drama, lies in the apprehension28 and truthful29 exhibition of the course of human things.... The most vehement30 longing31 of our times is manifestly after a faithful mirror of the present." With us, all efforts in this direction have been most common place—hardly above the average of "Social Notes" in the columns of Ottawa newspapers.
30
I do not for one depreciate32 the influence of good fiction on the minds of a reading community like ours; it is inevitable33 that a busy people, and especially women distracted with household cares, should always find that relief in this branch of literature which no other reading can give them; and if the novel has then become a necessity of the times in which we live, at all events I hope Canadians, who may soon venture into the field, will study the better models, endeavour to infuse some originality into their creations and plots, and not bring the Canadian fiction of the future to that low level to which the school of realism in France, and in a minor34 degree in England and the United States, would degrade the novel and story of every-day life. To my mind it goes without saying that a history written with that fidelity35 to original authorities, that picturesqueness36 of narration37, that philosophic38 insight into the motives39 and plans of statesmen, that study and comprehension of the character and life of a people, which should constitute the features of a great work of this class,—that such a history has assuredly a much deeper and more useful purpose in the culture and education of the world than any work of fiction can possibly have even when animated40 by a lofty genius. Still as the novel and romance will be written as long as a large proportion of the world amid the cares and activities of life seeks amusement rather than knowledge, it is for the Canadian Scott, or Hawthorne, or "George Eliot," or Dickens of the future, to have a higher and purer aim than the majority of novel writers of the present day, who, with a few notable exceptions like Black, Besant, Barrie, Stephenson or Oliphant, weary us by their dulness and lack of the imaginative and inventive faculty, and represent rather the demands of the publishers to meet the requirements of a public which must have its new novel as regularly as the Scotchman must have his porridge, the Englishman his egg and toast, and the American his ice-water.
If it were possible within the compass of this address to give a list of the many histories, poems, essays and pamphlets that have appeared from the Canadian press during the first quarter of a century since the Dominion of Canada has been in existence,31 the number would astonish many persons who have not followed our literary activity. Of course the greater part of this work is ephemeral in its character and has no special value; much of the historical work is a dreary41 collection of facts and dates which shows the enterprise of school publishers and school teachers and is generally wanting in that picturesqueness and breadth of view which give interest to history and leave a vivid impression on the mind of the student. Most of these pamphlets have been written on religious, political or legal questions of the day. Many of the poems illustrate24 rather the aspirations42 of the school boy or maiden43 whose effusions generally appeared in the poet's corner of the village newspaper. Still there are even among these mere44 literary "transients" evidences of power of incisive45 argument and of some literary style. In fact, all the scientific, historical and poetical46 contributions of the period in question, make up quite a library of Canadian literature. And here let me observe in passing, some persons still suppose that belles-lettres, works of fiction, poetry and criticism, alone constitute literature. The word can take in its complete sense a very wide range, for it embraces the pamphlet or monograph47 on the most abstruse48 scientific, or mathematical or geographical49 or physical subject, as well as the political essay, the brilliant history, or the purely50 imaginative poem or novel. It is not so much the subject as the form and style which make them worthy51 of a place in literature. One of the most remarkable52 books ever written, the "Esprit des Lois" by Montesquieu, has won the highest place in literature by its admirable style, and in the science of politics by the importance of its matter. The works of Lyell, Huxley, Hunt, Dawson, Tyndall, and Darwin owe their great value not entirely53 to the scientific ideas and principles and problems there discussed, but also to the lucidity54 of style in which the whole subject is presented to the reader, whether versed55 or not in science. "Literature is a large word," says Matthew Arnold,[52] discussing with Tyndall this very subject; "it may mean everything written with letters or printed in a book. Euclid's Elements and Newton's Principia are thus literature. All knowledge that reaches us through books is literature. But as I do not mean, by knowing ancient32 Rome, knowing merely more or less of Latin belles-lettres, and taking no account of Rome's military, and political, and legal, and administrative56 work in the world; and as, by knowing ancient Greece, I understand knowing her as the giver of Greek art, and the guide to a free and right use of reason and to scientific methods, and the founder57 of our mathematics, and physics, and astronomy, and biology, I understand knowing her as all this, and not merely knowing certain Greek poems, and histories, and treatises58 and speeches, so as to the knowledge of modern nations also. By knowing modern nations, I mean not merely knowing their belles-lettres, but knowing also what has been done by such men as Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Darwin." I submit this definition of literature by a great English critic and poet who certainly knew what he was writing about, to the studious consideration of Principal Grant who, in an address to the Royal Society two years ago,[53] appeared to have some doubt that much of its work could be called literature; a doubt that he forgot for the moment actually consigned60 to a questionable61 level also his many devious62 utterances63 and addresses on political, religious and other questions of the day, and left him entirely out of the ranks of littérateurs and in a sort of limbo64 which is a world of neither divinity, nor politics, nor letters. Taking this definition of the bright apostle of English culture, I think Canadians can fairly claim to have some position as a literary people even if it be a relatively65 humble66 one, on account of the work done in history, belles-lettres, political science and the sciences generally Science alone has had in Canada for nearly half a century many votaries67 who have won for themselves high distinction, as the eminent68 names on the list of membership of the Royal Society since its foundation can conclusively69 show. The literature of science, as studied and written by Canadians, is remarkably70 comprehensive, and finds a place in every well furnished library of the world.
The doyen of science in Canada, Sir William Dawson,[54] we are all glad to know, is still at work after a long and severe illness, which was, no doubt, largely due to the arduous71 devotion of years to education and science. It is not my intention to33 refer here to other well-known names in scientific literature, but I may pause for an instant to mention the fact that one of the earliest scientific writers of eminence72, who was a Canadian by birth and education, was Mr. Elkanah Billings,[55] pal59?ontologist and geologist73, who contributed his first papers to the Citizen of Ottawa, then Bytown, afterwards to have greatness thrown upon it and made the political capital of Canada.

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portray
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v.描写,描述;画(人物、景象等) | |
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peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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simplicity
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n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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adherence
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n.信奉,依附,坚持,固着 | |
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industrious
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adj.勤劳的,刻苦的,奋发的 | |
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picturesque
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adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的 | |
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intrigues
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n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 );神秘气氛;引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 );激起…的好奇心 | |
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ecclesiastics
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n.神职者,教会,牧师( ecclesiastic的名词复数 ) | |
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subservient
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adj.卑屈的,阿谀的 | |
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faculty
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n.才能;学院,系;(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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materialism
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n.[哲]唯物主义,唯物论;物质至上 | |
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cramped
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a.狭窄的 | |
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depicting
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描绘,描画( depict的现在分词 ); 描述 | |
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epic
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n.史诗,叙事诗;adj.史诗般的,壮丽的 | |
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vitality
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n.活力,生命力,效力 | |
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dominion
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n.统治,管辖,支配权;领土,版图 | |
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vapid
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adj.无味的;无生气的 | |
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dodge
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v.闪开,躲开,避开;n.妙计,诡计 | |
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genial
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adj.亲切的,和蔼的,愉快的,脾气好的 | |
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promising
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adj.有希望的,有前途的 | |
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sketches
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n.草图( sketch的名词复数 );素描;速写;梗概 | |
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originality
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n.创造力,独创性;新颖 | |
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illustrates
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给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明 | |
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illustrate
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v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图 | |
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favourable
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adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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excellence
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n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德 | |
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debit
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n.借方,借项,记人借方的款项 | |
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apprehension
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n.理解,领悟;逮捕,拘捕;忧虑 | |
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truthful
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adj.真实的,说实话的,诚实的 | |
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vehement
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adj.感情强烈的;热烈的;(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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longing
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n.(for)渴望 | |
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depreciate
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v.降价,贬值,折旧 | |
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inevitable
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adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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minor
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adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修 | |
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fidelity
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n.忠诚,忠实;精确 | |
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picturesqueness
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narration
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n.讲述,叙述;故事;记叙体 | |
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philosophic
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adj.哲学的,贤明的 | |
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motives
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n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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animated
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adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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dreary
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adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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aspirations
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强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音 | |
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maiden
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n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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incisive
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adj.敏锐的,机敏的,锋利的,切入的 | |
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poetical
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adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的 | |
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monograph
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n.专题文章,专题著作 | |
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abstruse
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adj.深奥的,难解的 | |
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geographical
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adj.地理的;地区(性)的 | |
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purely
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adv.纯粹地,完全地 | |
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worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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remarkable
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adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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lucidity
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n.明朗,清晰,透明 | |
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versed
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adj. 精通,熟练 | |
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administrative
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adj.行政的,管理的 | |
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Founder
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n.创始者,缔造者 | |
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treatises
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n.专题著作,专题论文,专著( treatise的名词复数 ) | |
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pal
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n.朋友,伙伴,同志;vi.结为友 | |
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consigned
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v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的过去式和过去分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃 | |
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questionable
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adj.可疑的,有问题的 | |
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devious
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adj.不坦率的,狡猾的;迂回的,曲折的 | |
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utterances
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n.发声( utterance的名词复数 );说话方式;语调;言论 | |
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limbo
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n.地狱的边缘;监狱 | |
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relatively
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adv.比较...地,相对地 | |
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humble
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adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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votaries
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n.信徒( votary的名词复数 );追随者;(天主教)修士;修女 | |
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eminent
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adj.显赫的,杰出的,有名的,优良的 | |
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conclusively
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adv.令人信服地,确凿地 | |
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remarkably
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ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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arduous
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adj.艰苦的,费力的,陡峭的 | |
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eminence
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n.卓越,显赫;高地,高处;名家 | |
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geologist
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n.地质学家 | |
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