It was yesterday, the 31st of December.
I had just finished breakfast with my old friend Georges Garin when the servant handed him a letter covered with seals and foreign stamps.
Georges said:
“Will you excuse me?”
“Certainly.”
And so he began to read the letter, which was written in a large English handwriting, crossed and recrossed in every direction. He read them slowly, with serious attention and the interest which we only pay to things which touch our hearts.
Then he put the letter on the mantelpiece and said:
“That was a curious story! I've never told you about it, I think. Yet it was a sentimental1 adventure, and it really happened to me. That was a strange New Year's Day, indeed! It must have been twenty years ago, for I was then thirty and am now fifty years old.
“I was then an inspector2 in the Maritime3 Insurance Company, of which I am now director. I had arranged to pass New Year's Day in Paris—since it is customary to make that day a fete—when I received a letter from the manager, asking me to proceed at once to the island of Re, where a three-masted vessel4 from Saint-Nazaire, insured by us, had just been driven ashore5. It was then eight o'clock in the morning. I arrived at the office at ten to get my advices, and that evening I took the express, which put me down in La Rochelle the next day, the 31st of December.
“I had two hours to wait before going aboard the boat for Re. So I made a tour of the town. It is certainly a queer city, La Rochelle, with strong characteristics of its own streets tangled6 like a labyrinth7, sidewalks running under endless arcaded8 galleries like those of the Rue9 de Rivoli, but low, mysterious, built as if to form a suitable setting for conspirators10 and making a striking background for those old-time wars, the savage11 heroic wars of religion. It is indeed the typical old Huguenot city, conservative, discreet12, with no fine art to show, with no wonderful monuments, such as make Rouen; but it is remarkable13 for its severe, somewhat sullen14 look; it is a city of obstinate15 fighters, a city where fanaticism16 might well blossom, where the faith of the Calvinists became enthusiastic and which gave birth to the plot of the 'Four Sergeants17.'
“After I had wandered for some time about these curious streets, I went aboard the black, rotund little steamboat which was to take me to the island of Re. It was called the Jean Guiton. It started with angry puffings, passed between the two old towers which guard the harbor, crossed the roadstead and issued from the mole18 built by Richelieu, the great stones of which can be seen at the water's edge, enclosing the town like a great necklace. Then the steamboat turned to the right.
“It was one of those sad days which give one the blues19, tighten20 the heart and take away all strength and energy and force-a gray, cold day, with a heavy mist which was as wet as rain, as cold as frost, as bad to breathe as the steam of a wash-tub.
“Under this low sky of dismal21 fog the shallow, yellow, sandy sea of all practically level beaches lay without a wrinkle, without a movement, without life, a sea of turbid22 water, of greasy23 water, of stagnant24 water. The Jean Guiton passed over it, rolling a little from habit, dividing the smooth, dark blue water and leaving behind a few waves, a little splashing, a slight swell25, which soon calmed down.
“I began to talk to the captain, a little man with small feet, as round as his boat and rolling in the same manner. I wanted some details of the disaster on which I was to draw up a report. A great square-rigged three-master, the Marie Joseph, of Saint-Nazaire, had gone ashore one night in a hurricane on the sands of the island of Re.
“The owner wrote us that the storm had thrown the ship so far ashore that it was impossible to float her and that they had to remove everything which could be detached with the utmost possible haste. Nevertheless I must examine the situation of the wreck26, estimate what must have been her condition before the disaster and decide whether all efforts had been used to get her afloat. I came as an agent of the company in order to give contradictory27 testimony28, if necessary, at the trial.
“On receipt of my report, the manager would take what measures he might think necessary to protect our interests.
“The captain of the Jean Guiton knew all about the affair, having been summoned with his boat to assist in the attempts at salvage29.
“He told me the story of the disaster. The Marie Joseph, driven by a furious gale30 lost her bearings completely in the night, and steering31 by chance over a heavy foaming32 sea—'a milk-soup sea,' said the captain—had gone ashore on those immense sand banks which make the coasts of this country look like limitless Saharas when the tide is low.
“While talking I looked around and ahead. Between the ocean and the lowering sky lay an open space where the eye could see into the distance. We were following a coast. I asked:
“'Is that the island of Re?'
“'Yes, sir.'
“And suddenly the captain stretched his right hand out before us, pointed34 to something almost imperceptible in the open sea, and said:
“'There's your ship!'
“'The Marie Joseph!'
“'Yes.'
“I was amazed. This black, almost imperceptible speck35, which looked to me like a rock, seemed at least three miles from land.
“I continued:
“He began to laugh.
“'A hundred fathoms, my child! Well, I should say about two!'
“He was from Bordeaux. He continued:
“'It's now nine-forty, just high tide. Go down along the beach with your hands in your pockets after you've had lunch at the Hotel du Dauphin, and I'll wager37 that at ten minutes to three, or three o'clock, you'll reach the wreck without wetting your feet, and have from an hour and three-quarters to two hours aboard of her; but not more, or you'll be caught. The faster the sea goes out the faster it comes back. This coast is as flat as a turtle! But start away at ten minutes to five, as I tell you, and at half-past seven you will be again aboard of the Jean Guiton, which will put you down this same evening on the quay38 at La Rochelle.'
“I thanked the captain and I went and sat down in the bow of the steamer to get a good look at the little city of Saint-Martin, which we were now rapidly approaching.
“It was just like all small seaports39 which serve as capitals of the barren islands scattered40 along the coast—a large fishing village, one foot on sea and one on shore, subsisting41 on fish and wild fowl42, vegetables and shell-fish, radishes and mussels. The island is very low and little cultivated, yet it seems to be thickly populated. However, I did not penetrate43 into the interior.
“After breakfast I climbed across a little promontory44, and then, as the tide was rapidly falling, I started out across the sands toward a kind of black rock which I could just perceive above the surface of the water, out a considerable distance.
“I walked quickly over the yellow plain. It was elastic45, like flesh and seemed to sweat beneath my tread. The sea had been there very lately. Now I perceived it at a distance, escaping out of sight, and I no longer could distinguish the line which separated the sands from ocean. I felt as though I were looking at a gigantic supernatural work of enchantment46. The Atlantic had just now been before me, then it had disappeared into the sands, just as scenery disappears through a trap; and I was now walking in the midst of a desert. Only the feeling, the breath of the salt-water, remained in me. I perceived the smell of the wrack47, the smell of the sea, the good strong smell of sea coasts. I walked fast; I was no longer cold. I looked at the stranded49 wreck, which grew in size as I approached, and came now to resemble an enormous shipwrecked whale.
“It seemed fairly to rise out of the ground, and on that great, flat, yellow stretch of sand assumed wonderful proportions. After an hour's walk I at last reached it. It lay upon its side, ruined and shattered, its broken bones showing as though it were an animal, its bones of tarred wood pierced with great bolts. The sand had already invaded it, entering it by all the crannies, and held it and refused to let it go. It seemed to have taken root in it. The bow had entered deep into this soft, treacherous51 beach, while the stern, high in air, seemed to cast at heaven, like a cry of despairing appeal, the two white words on the black planking, Marie Joseph.
“I climbed upon this carcass of a ship by the lowest side; then, having reached the deck, I went below. The daylight, which entered by the stove-in hatches and the cracks in the sides, showed me dimly long dark cavities full of demolished53 woodwork. They contained nothing but sand, which served as foot-soil in this cavern54 of planks55.
“I began to take some notes about the condition of the ship. I was seated on a broken empty cask, writing by the light of a great crack, through which I could perceive the boundless56 stretch of the strand48. A strange shivering of cold and loneliness ran over my skin from time to time, and I would often stop writing for a moment to listen to the mysterious noises in the derelict: the noise of crabs57 scratching the planking with their crooked58 claws; the noise of a thousand little creatures of the sea already crawling over this dead body or else boring into the wood.
“Suddenly, very near me, I heard human voices. I started as though I had seen a ghost. For a second I really thought I was about to see drowned men rise from the sinister59 depths of the hold, who would tell me about their death. At any rate, it did not take me long to swing myself on deck. There, standing60 by the bows, was a tall Englishman with three young misses. Certainly they were a good deal more frightened at seeing this sudden apparition61 on the abandoned three-master than I was at seeing them. The youngest girl turned and ran, the two others threw their arms round their father. As for him, he opened his mouth—that was the only sign of emotion which he showed.
“'Mosieu, are you the owner of this ship?'
“'I am.'
“'May I go over it?'
“'You may.'
“Then he uttered a long sentence in English, in which I only distinguished63 the word 'gracious,' repeated several times.
“As he was looking for a place to climb up I showed him the easiest way, and gave him a hand. He climbed up. Then we helped up the three girls, who had now quite recovered their composure. They were charming, especially the oldest, a blonde of eighteen, fresh as a flower, and very dainty and pretty! Ah, yes! the pretty Englishwomen have indeed the look of tender sea fruit. One would have said of this one that she had just risen out of the sands and that her hair had kept their tint64. They all, with their exquisite65 freshness, make you think of the delicate colors of pink sea-shells and of shining pearls hidden in the unknown depths of the ocean.
“She spoke French a little better than her father and acted as interpreter. I had to tell all about the shipwreck50, and I romanced as though I had been present at the catastrophe66. Then the whole family descended67 into the interior of the wreck. As soon as they had penetrated68 into this sombre, dimly lit cavity they uttered cries of astonishment69 and admiration70. Suddenly the father and his three daughters were holding sketch-books in their hands, which they had doubtless carried hidden somewhere in their heavy weather-proof clothes, and were all beginning at once to make pencil sketches71 of this melancholy72 and weird73 place.
“They had seated themselves side by side on a projecting beam, and the four sketch-books on the eight knees were being rapidly covered with little black lines which were intended to represent the half-opened hulk of the Marie Joseph.
“I continued to inspect the skeleton of the ship, and the oldest girl talked to me while she worked.
“They had none of the usual English arrogance74; they were simple honest hearts of that class of continuous travellers with which England covers the globe. The father was long and thin, with a red face framed in white whiskers, and looking like a living sandwich, a piece of ham carved like a face between two wads of hair. The daughters, who had long legs like young storks75, were also thin-except the oldest. All three were pretty, especially the tallest.
“She had such a droll76 way of speaking, of laughing, of understanding and of not understanding, of raising her eyes to ask a question (eyes blue as the deep ocean), of stopping her drawing a moment to make a guess at what you meant, of returning once more to work, of saying 'yes' or 'no'—that I could have listened and looked indefinitely.
“Suddenly she murmured:
“'I hear a little sound on this boat.'
“I listened and I immediately distinguished a low, steady, curious sound. I rose and looked out of the crack and gave a scream. The sea had come up to us; it would soon surround us!
“We were on deck in an instant. It was too late. The water circled us about and was running toward the coast at tremendous speed. No, it did not run, it glided78, crept, spread like an immense, limitless blot79. The water was barely a few centimeters deep, but the rising flood had gone so far that we no longer saw the vanishing line of the imperceptible tide.
“The Englishman wanted to jump. I held him back. Flight was impossible because of the deep places which we had been obliged to go round on our way out and into which we should fall on our return.
“There was a minute of horrible anguish80 in our hearts. Then the little English girl began to smile and murmured:
“'It is we who are shipwrecked.'
“I tried to laugh, but fear held me, a fear which was cowardly and horrid81 and base and treacherous like the tide. All the danger which we ran appeared to me at once. I wanted to shriek82: 'Help!' But to whom?
“The two younger girls were clinging to their father, who looked in consternation83 at the measureless sea which hedged us round about.
“The night fell as swiftly as the ocean rose—a lowering, wet, icy night.
“I said:
“'There's nothing to do but to stay on the ship:
“The Englishman answered:
“'Oh, yes!'
“And we waited there a quarter of an hour, half an hour, indeed I don't know how long, watching that creeping water growing deeper as it swirled84 around us, as though it were playing on the beach, which it had regained85.
“One of the young girls was cold, and we went below to shelter ourselves from the light but freezing wind that made our skins tingle86.
“I leaned over the hatchway. The ship was full of water. So we had to cower87 against the stern planking, which shielded us a little.
“Darkness was now coming on, and we remained huddled88 together. I felt the shoulder of the little English girl trembling against mine, her teeth chattering89 from time to time. But I also felt the gentle warmth of her body through her ulster, and that warmth was as delicious to me as a kiss. We no longer spoke; we sat motionless, mute, cowering90 down like animals in a ditch when a hurricane is raging. And, nevertheless, despite the night, despite the terrible and increasing danger, I began to feel happy that I was there, glad of the cold and the peril91, glad of the long hours of darkness and anguish that I must pass on this plank52 so near this dainty, pretty little girl.
“I asked myself, 'Why this strange sensation of well-being92 and of joy?'
“Why! Does one know? Because she was there? Who? She, a little unknown English girl? I did not love her, I did not even know her. And for all that, I was touched and conquered. I wanted to save her, to sacrifice myself for her, to commit a thousand follies93! Strange thing! How does it happen that the presence of a woman overwhelms us so? Is it the power of her grace which enfolds us? Is it the seduction of her beauty and youth, which intoxicates94 one like wine?
“Is it not rather the touch of Love, of Love the Mysterious, who seeks constantly to unite two beings, who tries his strength the instant he has put a man and a woman face to face?
“The silence of the darkness became terrible, the stillness of the sky dreadful, because we could hear vaguely95 about us a slight, continuous sound, the sound of the rising tide and the monotonous96 plashing of the water against the ship.
“Suddenly I heard the sound of sobs97. The youngest of the girls was crying. Her father tried to console her, and they began to talk in their own tongue, which I did not understand. I guessed that he was reassuring98 her and that she was still afraid.
“I asked my neighbor:
“'You are not too cold, are you, mademoiselle?'
“'Oh, yes. I am very cold.'
“I offered to give her my cloak; she refused it.
“But I had taken it off and I covered her with it against her will. In the short struggle her hand touched mine. It made a delicious thrill run through my body.
“For some minutes the air had been growing brisker, the dashing of the water stronger against the flanks of the ship. I raised myself; a great gust99 of wind blew in my face. The wind was rising!
“The Englishman perceived this at the same time that I did and said simply:
“'This is bad for us, this——'
“Of course it was bad, it was certain death if any breakers, however feeble, should attack and shake the wreck, which was already so shattered and disconnected that the first big sea would carry it off.
“So our anguish increased momentarily as the squalls grew stronger and stronger. Now the sea broke a little, and I saw in the darkness white lines appearing and disappearing, lines of foam33, while each wave struck the Marie Joseph and shook her with a short quiver which went to our hearts.
“The English girl was trembling. I felt her shiver against me. And I had a wild desire to take her in my arms.
“Down there, before and behind us, to the left and right, lighthouses were shining along the shore—lighthouses white, yellow and red, revolving100 like the enormous eyes of giants who were watching us, waiting eagerly for us to disappear. One of them in especial irritated me. It went out every thirty seconds and it lit up again immediately. It was indeed an eye, that one, with its lid incessantly101 lowered over its fiery102 glance.
“From time to time the Englishman struck a match to see the hour; then he put his watch back in his pocket. Suddenly he said to me, over the heads of his daughters, with tremendous gravity:
“'I wish you a happy New Year, Mosieu.'
“It was midnight. I held out my hand, which he pressed. Then he said something in English, and suddenly he and his daughters began to sing 'God Save the Queen,' which rose through the black and silent air and vanished into space.
“At first I felt a desire to laugh; then I was seized by a powerful, strange emotion.
“It was something sinister and superb, this chant of the shipwrecked, the condemned103, something like a prayer and also like something grander, something comparable to the ancient 'Ave Caesar morituri te salutant.'
“When they had finished I asked my neighbor to sing a ballad104 alone, anything she liked, to make us forget our terrors. She consented, and immediately her clear young voice rang out into the night. She sang something which was doubtless sad, because the notes were long drawn105 out and hovered106, like wounded birds, above the waves.
“The sea was rising now and beating upon our wreck. As for me, I thought only of that voice. And I thought also of the sirens. If a ship had passed near by us what would the sailors have said? My troubled spirit lost itself in the dream! A siren! Was she not really a siren, this daughter of the sea, who had kept me on this worm-eaten ship and who was soon about to go down with me deep into the waters?
“But suddenly we were all five rolling on the deck, because the Marie Joseph had sunk on her right side. The English girl had fallen upon me, and before I knew what I was doing, thinking that my last moment was come, I had caught her in my arms and kissed her cheek, her temple and her hair.
“The ship did not move again, and we, we also, remained motionless.
“The father said, 'Kate!' The one whom I was holding answered 'Yes' and made a movement to free herself. And at that moment I should have wished the ship to split in two and let me fall with her into the sea.
“The Englishman continued:
“'A little rocking; it's nothing. I have my three daughters safe.'
“Not having seen the oldest, he had thought she was lost overboard!
“I rose slowly, and suddenly I made out a light on the sea quite close to us. I shouted; they answered. It was a boat sent out in search of us by the hotelkeeper, who had guessed at our imprudence.
“We were saved. I was in despair. They picked us up off our raft and they brought us back to Saint-Martin.
“'A good supper! A good supper!'
“We did sup. I was not gay. I regretted the Marie Joseph.
“We had to separate the next day after much handshaking and many promises to write. They departed for Biarritz. I wanted to follow them.
“I was hard hit. I wanted to ask this little girl to marry me. If we had passed eight days together, I should have done so! How weak and incomprehensible a man sometimes is!
“Two years passed without my hearing a word from them. Then I received a letter from New York. She was married and wrote to tell me. And since then we write to each other every year, on New Year's Day. She tells me about her life, talks of her children, her sisters, never of her husband! Why? Ah! why? And as for me, I only talk of the Marie Joseph. That was perhaps the only woman I have ever loved—no—that I ever should have loved. Ah, well! who can tell? Circumstances rule one. And then—and then—all passes. She must be old now; I should not know her. Ah! she of the bygone time, she of the wreck! What a creature! Divine! She writes me her hair is white. That caused me terrible pain. Ah! her yellow hair. No, my English girl exists no longer. How sad it all is!”
点击收听单词发音
1 sentimental | |
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的 | |
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2 inspector | |
n.检查员,监察员,视察员 | |
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3 maritime | |
adj.海的,海事的,航海的,近海的,沿海的 | |
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4 vessel | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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5 ashore | |
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 | |
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6 tangled | |
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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7 labyrinth | |
n.迷宫;难解的事物;迷路 | |
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8 arcaded | |
adj.成为拱廊街道的,有列拱的 | |
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9 rue | |
n.懊悔,芸香,后悔;v.后悔,悲伤,懊悔 | |
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10 conspirators | |
n.共谋者,阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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11 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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12 discreet | |
adj.(言行)谨慎的;慎重的;有判断力的 | |
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13 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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14 sullen | |
adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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15 obstinate | |
adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的 | |
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16 fanaticism | |
n.狂热,盲信 | |
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17 sergeants | |
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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18 mole | |
n.胎块;痣;克分子 | |
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19 blues | |
n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐 | |
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20 tighten | |
v.(使)变紧;(使)绷紧 | |
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21 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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22 turbid | |
adj.混浊的,泥水的,浓的 | |
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23 greasy | |
adj. 多脂的,油脂的 | |
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24 stagnant | |
adj.不流动的,停滞的,不景气的 | |
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25 swell | |
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强 | |
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26 wreck | |
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难 | |
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27 contradictory | |
adj.反驳的,反对的,抗辩的;n.正反对,矛盾对立 | |
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28 testimony | |
n.证词;见证,证明 | |
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29 salvage | |
v.救助,营救,援救;n.救助,营救 | |
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30 gale | |
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) | |
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31 steering | |
n.操舵装置 | |
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32 foaming | |
adj.布满泡沫的;发泡 | |
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33 foam | |
v./n.泡沫,起泡沫 | |
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34 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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35 speck | |
n.微粒,小污点,小斑点 | |
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36 fathoms | |
英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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37 wager | |
n.赌注;vt.押注,打赌 | |
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38 quay | |
n.码头,靠岸处 | |
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39 seaports | |
n.海港( seaport的名词复数 ) | |
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40 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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41 subsisting | |
v.(靠很少的钱或食物)维持生活,生存下去( subsist的现在分词 ) | |
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42 fowl | |
n.家禽,鸡,禽肉 | |
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43 penetrate | |
v.透(渗)入;刺入,刺穿;洞察,了解 | |
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44 promontory | |
n.海角;岬 | |
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45 elastic | |
n.橡皮圈,松紧带;adj.有弹性的;灵活的 | |
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46 enchantment | |
n.迷惑,妖术,魅力 | |
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47 wrack | |
v.折磨;n.海草 | |
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48 strand | |
vt.使(船)搁浅,使(某人)困于(某地) | |
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49 stranded | |
a.搁浅的,进退两难的 | |
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50 shipwreck | |
n.船舶失事,海难 | |
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51 treacherous | |
adj.不可靠的,有暗藏的危险的;adj.背叛的,背信弃义的 | |
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52 plank | |
n.板条,木板,政策要点,政纲条目 | |
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53 demolished | |
v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 );推翻;拆毁(尤指大建筑物);吃光 | |
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54 cavern | |
n.洞穴,大山洞 | |
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55 planks | |
(厚)木板( plank的名词复数 ); 政纲条目,政策要点 | |
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56 boundless | |
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的 | |
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57 crabs | |
n.蟹( crab的名词复数 );阴虱寄生病;蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 ) | |
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58 crooked | |
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
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59 sinister | |
adj.不吉利的,凶恶的,左边的 | |
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60 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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61 apparition | |
n.幽灵,神奇的现象 | |
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62 spoke | |
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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63 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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64 tint | |
n.淡色,浅色;染发剂;vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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65 exquisite | |
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
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66 catastrophe | |
n.大灾难,大祸 | |
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67 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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68 penetrated | |
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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69 astonishment | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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70 admiration | |
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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71 sketches | |
n.草图( sketch的名词复数 );素描;速写;梗概 | |
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72 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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73 weird | |
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的 | |
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74 arrogance | |
n.傲慢,自大 | |
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75 storks | |
n.鹳( stork的名词复数 ) | |
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76 droll | |
adj.古怪的,好笑的 | |
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77 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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78 glided | |
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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79 blot | |
vt.弄脏(用吸墨纸)吸干;n.污点,污渍 | |
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80 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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81 horrid | |
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的 | |
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82 shriek | |
v./n.尖叫,叫喊 | |
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83 consternation | |
n.大为吃惊,惊骇 | |
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84 swirled | |
v.旋转,打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85 regained | |
复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地 | |
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86 tingle | |
vi.感到刺痛,感到激动;n.刺痛,激动 | |
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87 cower | |
v.畏缩,退缩,抖缩 | |
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88 huddled | |
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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89 chattering | |
n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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90 cowering | |
v.畏缩,抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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91 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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92 well-being | |
n.安康,安乐,幸福 | |
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93 follies | |
罪恶,时事讽刺剧; 愚蠢,蠢笨,愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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94 intoxicates | |
使喝醉(intoxicate的第三人称单数形式) | |
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95 vaguely | |
adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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96 monotonous | |
adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的 | |
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97 sobs | |
啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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98 reassuring | |
a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的,使人放心的 | |
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99 gust | |
n.阵风,突然一阵(雨、烟等),(感情的)迸发 | |
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100 revolving | |
adj.旋转的,轮转式的;循环的v.(使)旋转( revolve的现在分词 );细想 | |
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101 incessantly | |
ad.不停地 | |
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102 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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103 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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104 ballad | |
n.歌谣,民谣,流行爱情歌曲 | |
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105 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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106 hovered | |
鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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