But all the rumors appeared to be agreed that up to now the push had not begun, so far as the infantry were concerned, and also that, as Larry Arundel put it, “judging by the row the guns are making it’s going to be some push when it does come.”
The Stonewalls had been marching up towards the front by easy stages for three days past, and each day as they marched, and, in fact, each hour of this last day, the uproar7 of artillery fire had grown steadily8 greater and greater, until now the air trembled to the violent concussions9 of the guns, the shriek10 and rumble11 of the shells, and occasionally to the more thrilling and heart-shaking shriek of an enemy shell, and the crash of its burst in our lines.
It was almost sunset when the Stonewalls swung off the road and halted in and about a little orchard12. The lines of an encampment—which was intended for no more than a night’s bivouac—were laid out, and the men unbuckled their straps13, laid off their packs, and sank thankfully17 to easeful positions of rest on the long grass, waiting until the traveling cookers, which on their journey along the road had been preparing the evening meal, were brought up and discharged of their savory14 contents. But before the meal was served there came an unpleasant interruption, which boded15 ill for the safety of the night’s camp. A heavy shell rushed overhead, dropped in the field about four hundred yards beyond the camp, burst with a crash and a gush16 of evil black smoke, a flying torrent17 of splinters and up-flung earth.
While the men were still watching the slow dispersal of the shell smoke, and passing comments upon how near to them was the line it had taken, another and another shell whooped18 over them in a prolonged line on the fields beyond. “We seem,” said Larry Arundel, “to have chosen a mighty19 unhealthy position for to-night’s rest.”
“If the C.O. has any sense,” retorted his mate, Billy Simson, “he’ll up and off it somewheres out to the flank. We’re in the direct line of those crumps, and if one drops short, it is going to knock the stuffin’ out of a whole heap of us.”
While they were talking an artillery subaltern was seen crossing the road and hurrying towards18 them. “Where is your C.O.?” he asked, when he came to the nearest group.
“Over in the orchard, sir,” said Billy Simson. “I’ll show you if you like.”
The officer accepted his pilotage, urging him to hurry, and the two hastened to the orchard, and to a broken-down building in the corner of it, where the officers of the battalion were installing a more or less open-air mess.
Billy Simson lingered long enough to hear the Subaltern introduce himself as from a battery in a position across the road amongst some farm buildings, and to say that his Major had sent him over to warn the infantry that the field they were occupying was in a direct line “regularly strafed” by a heavy German battery every few hours.
“My Major said I was to tell you,” went on the Subaltern, “that there are one or two old barns and outbuildings on the farm where we have the battery, and that you might find some sort of shelter for a good few of your men in them; and that we can find room to give you and some of the officers a place to shake down for the night.”
Simson heard no more than this, but he soon had evidence that the invitation had been accepted. The battalion was warned to “stand by” for a19 move across the road, and the Colonel and Adjutant, with the Sergeant-Major and a couple of Sergeants20, left the orchard and disappeared among the farm buildings, in the company of the gunner Subaltern.
Billy Simson repeated to his particular chums the conversation he had overheard; and the resulting high expectations of a move from the unhealthy locality under the German guns’ line of fire, and of a roof over their heads for the night, were presently fulfilled by an order for the battalion to move company by company. “C” Company presently found itself installed in a commodious21 barn, with ventilation plentifully22 provided by a huge hole, obviously broken out by a shell burst, in the one corner, and a roof with tiles liberally smashed and perforated by shrapnel fire. But on the whole the men were well content with the change, partly perhaps because being come of a long generation of house-dwellers they had never become accustomed to the real pleasure of sleeping in the open air, and partly because of that curious and instinctive23 and wholly misplaced confidence inspired by four walls and a roof as a protection against shell fire.
Somewhere outside and very close to them a20 field battery was in action, and for a whole hour before darkness fell the air pulsed and the crazy buildings about them shook to an unceasing thump24 and bang from the firing guns, while the intervals25 were filled with the slightly more distant but equally constant thud and boom of other batteries’ fire.
While they were waiting for the evening meal to be served some of the men wandered out and took up a position where they could view closely the guns and gunners at their work. The guns were planted at intervals along a high hedge; the muzzles27 poked28 through the leafy screen, and a shelter of leaves and boughs29 was rigged over each, so as to screen the battery from air observation.
Billy Simson and his three particular chums were amongst the interested spectators. The four men, who were drawn30 from classes that in pre-war days would have made any idea of friendship or even intercourse31 most unlikely, if not impossible, had, after a fashion so common in our democratic New Armies, become fast friends and intimates.
Larry Arundel, aged32 twenty, was a man of good family, who in civilian33 days had occupied a seat in his father’s office in London, with the certain prospect34 before him of a partnership35 in the firm. Billy21 Simson was a year or two older, had been educated in a provincial36 board school, and from the age of fourteen had served successively as errand boy and counter hand in a little suburban37 “emporium.” The third man, Ben Sneath, age unknown, but probably somewhere about twenty-one to twenty-five, was frankly38 of the “lower orders”; had picked up a living from the time he was able to walk, in the thousand and one ways that a London street boy finds to his hand. On the roll of “C” Company he was Private Sneath, B, but to the whole of the company—and, in fact, to the whole of the battalion—he was known briefly39, but descriptively, as “Pug.” Jefferson Lee, the fourth of the quartette, was an unusual and somewhat singular figure in a British battalion, because, always openly proud of his birthplace, he was seldom called by anything but it—“Kentucky,” or “Kentuck.” His speech, even in the wild jumble40 of accents and dialects common throughout a mixed battalion, was striking and noticeable for its peculiar41 softness and slurring42 intonations43, its smooth gentleness, its quiet, drawling level. Being an American, born of many generations of Americans, with no single tie or known relation outside America, he was, in his stained22 khaki and his place in the fighting ranks of a British regiment44, a personal violation45 of the neutrality of the United States. But the reasons that had brought him from Kentucky to England, with the clear and expressed purpose of enlisting46 for the war, were very simply explained by him.
“Some of us,” he said gently, “never really agreed with the sinking of liners and the murder of women and children. Some of us were a trifle ashamed to be standing47 out of this squabble, and when the President told the world that we were ‘too proud to fight,’ I just simply had to prove that it was a statement which did not agree with the traditions of an old Kentucky family. So I came over and enlisted48 in your army.”
The attitude of the four men now as they watched the gunners at work was almost characteristic of each. Larry, who had relatives or friends in most branches of the Service, was able to tell the others something of the methods of modern artillery, and delivered almost a lecturette upon the subject. Billy Simson was frankly bored by this side of the subject, but intensely interested in the noise and the spectacular blinding flash that appeared to leap forth49 in a twenty-foot wall of flame on the discharge of each gun. Pug found23 a subject for mirth and quick, bantering50 jests in the attitudes of the gunners and their movements about the gun, and the stentorian51 shoutings through a megaphone of the Sergeant-Major from the entrance to a dug-out in the rear of the guns. Lee sat down, leisurely52 rolled and lit a cigarette, watched the proceedings53 with interest, and made only a very occasional soft drawled reply to the remarks of the others.
“Do you mean to tell me,” said Pug incredulously, breaking in on Arundel’s lecture, “that them fellows is shootin’ off all them shells without ever seein’ what they’re firin’ at? If that is true, I calls it bloomin’ waste.”
“They do not see their target,” said Arundel, “but they are hitting it every time. You see they aim at something else, and they’re told how much to the right or left of it to shoot, and the range they are to shoot at—it is a bit too complicated to explain properly, but it gets the target all right.”
“Wot’s the bloke with the tin trumpet54 whisperin’ about?” asked Pug. “Looks to me as if he was goin’ to be a casualty with a broke blood-vessel.”
“Passing orders and corrections of fire to the guns,” explained Arundel. “There’s a telephone24 wire from that dug-out up to somewhere in front, where somebody can see the shells falling, and ’phone back to tell them whether they are over or short, right or left.”
“It’s pretty near as good as a Brock’s benefit night,” said Billy Simson; “but I’d want cotton wool plugs in my ears, if I was takin’ up lodgin’s in this street.”
The light was beginning to fade by now, but the guns continued to fire in swift rotation55, from one end of the battery to the other. They could hear the sharp orders, “One, fire; Two, fire; Three, fire,” could see the gunner on his seat beside each piece jerk back the lever. Instantly the gun flamed a sheet of vivid fire, the piece recoiled56 violently to the rear between the gunners seated to each side of it, and as the breech moved smoothly57 back to its position, the hand of one gunner swooped58 rapidly in after it, grabbed the handle and wrenched59 open the breech, flinging out the shining brass60 cartridge61 case, to fall with a clash and jangle on to the trail of the gun and the other empty cases lying round it. The instant the breech was back in place, another man shot in a fresh shell, the breech swung shut with a sharp, metallic62 clang, the layer, with his eye pressed close to his25 sight, juggled63 for a moment with his hands on shiny brass wheels, lifted one hand to drop it again on the lever, shouted “Ready,” and sat waiting the order to fire. The motions and the action at one gun were exactly and in detail the motions of all. From end to end of the line the flaming wall leaped in turn from each muzzle26, the piece jarred backwards64, the empty brass case jerked out and fell tinkling65; and before it ceased to roll another shell was in place, the breech clanged home, and the gun was ready again.
Billy Simson spoke66 to a gunner who was moving past them towards the billets.
“What are you fellows shooting at?” he asked.
“Wire cutting,” said the gunner briefly. “We’ve been at it now without stopping this past four days,” and he moved on and left them.
“Wire cutting,” said Arundel, “sweeping away the barbed wire entanglements67 in front of the Boche trench68. That’s clearing the track we’re going to take to-morrow or the next day.”
“I hopes they makes a clean job of it,” said Pug; “and I hopes they sweep away some of them blasted machine guns at the same time.”
“Amen, to that,” said Kentucky.
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1
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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6
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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7
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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8
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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concussions
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| n.震荡( concussion的名词复数 )；脑震荡；冲击；震动 | |
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10
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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11
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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12
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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13
straps
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| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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14
savory
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| adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的 | |
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15
boded
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| v.预示，预告，预言( bode的过去式和过去分词 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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16
gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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17
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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18
whooped
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| 叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 )； 高声说； 唤起 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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sergeants
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| 警官( sergeant的名词复数 )； （美国警察）警佐； （英国警察）巡佐； 陆军（或空军）中士 | |
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21
commodious
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| adj.宽敞的；使用方便的 | |
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22
plentifully
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| adv. 许多地，丰饶地 | |
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23
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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24
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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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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26
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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38
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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40
jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
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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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42
slurring
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| 含糊地说出( slur的现在分词 )； 含糊地发…的声； 侮辱； 连唱 | |
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43
intonations
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| n.语调，说话的抑扬顿挫( intonation的名词复数 )；（演奏或唱歌中的）音准 | |
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44
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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45
violation
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| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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46
enlisting
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| v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的现在分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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47
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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48
enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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49
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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50
bantering
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| adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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51
stentorian
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| adj.大声的，响亮的 | |
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52
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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53
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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54
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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55
rotation
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| n.旋转；循环，轮流 | |
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56
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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60
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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61
cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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62
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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63
juggled
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| v.歪曲( juggle的过去式和过去分词 )；耍弄；有效地组织；尽力同时应付（两个或两个以上的重要工作或活动） | |
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64
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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65
tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 | |
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66
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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67
entanglements
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| n.瓜葛( entanglement的名词复数 )；牵连；纠缠；缠住 | |
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trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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