The little white Princess always woke in her little white bed when the starlings began to
chatter1 in the pearl gray morning. As soon as the woods were awake, she used to run up the twisting turret-stairs with her little bare feet, and stand on the top of the tower in her white bed-gown, and kiss her hands to the sun and to the woods and to the sleeping town, and say: "Good morning, pretty world!"
Then she would run down the cold stone steps and dress herself in her short skirt and her cap and
apron2, and begin the day's work. She swept the rooms and made the breakfast, she washed the dishes and she
scoured3 the pans, and all this she did because she was a real Princess. For of all who should have served her, only one remained faithful—her old nurse, who had lived with her in the tower all the Princess's life. And, now the nurse was old and feeble, the Princess would not let her work any more, but did all the housework herself, while Nurse sat still and did the sewing, because this was a real Princess with skin like milk and hair like flax and a heart like gold.
Her name was Sabrinetta, and her grandmother was Sabra, who married St. George after he had killed the dragon, and by real rights all the country belonged to her: the woods that stretched away to the mountains, the downs that sloped down to the sea, the pretty fields of corn and
maize4 and rye, the olive
orchards5 and the vineyards, and the little town itself—with its towers and its[122]
turrets6, its steep roofs and strange windows—that nestled in the hollow between the sea, where the whirlpool was, and the mountains, white with snow and
rosy7 with sunrise.
But when her father and mother had died, leaving her cousin to take care of the kingdom till she grew up, he, being a very evil Prince, took everything away from her, and all the people followed him, and now nothing was left her of all her possessions except the great dragon proof tower that her grandfather, St. George, had built, and of all who should have been her servants only the good nurse.
This was why Sabrinetta was the first person in all the land to get a glimpse of the wonder.
Early, early, early, while all the townspeople were fast asleep, she ran up the turret-steps and looked out over the field, and at the other side of the field there was a green, ferny ditch and a rose-thorny hedge, and then came the wood. And as Sabrinetta stood on her tower she saw a shaking and a twisting of the rose-thorny hedge, and then something very bright and shining
wriggled8 out through it into the ferny ditch and back again. It only came out for a minute, but she saw it quite plainly, and she said to herself: "Dear me, what a curious, shiny, bright-looking creature! If it were bigger, and if I didn't know that there have been no
fabulous9 monsters for quite a long time now, I should almost think it was a dragon."
The thing, whatever it was, did look rather like a dragon—but then it was too small; and it looked rather like a lizard—only then it was too big. It was about as long as a hearthrug.
"I wish it had not been in such a hurry to get back into the wood," said Sabrinetta. "Of course, it's quite safe for me, in my dragonproof tower; but if it is a dragon, it's quite big enough to eat people, and today's the first of May, and the children go out to get flowers in the wood."
When Sabrinetta had done the housework (she did not leave so much as a
speck11 of dust anywhere, even in the corneriest corner of the
winding12 stair) she put on her milk[123] white, silky gown with the moon-daisies worked on it, and went up to the top of her tower again.
Across the fields troops of children were going out to gather the may, and the sound of their laughter and singing came up to the top of the tower.
"I do hope it wasn't a dragon," said Sabrinetta.
The children went by twos and by threes and by tens and by twenties, and the red and blue and yellow and white of their frocks were
scattered13 on the green of the field.
"It's like a green silk
mantle14 worked with flowers," said the Princess, smiling.
Then by twos and by threes, by tens and by twenties, the children vanished into the wood, till the mantle of the field was left plain green once more.
"All the
embroidery15 is unpicked," said the Princess, sighing.
The sun shone, and the sky was blue, and the fields were quite green, and all the flowers were very bright indeed, because it was May Day.
Then quite suddenly a cloud passed over the sun, and the silence was broken by
shrieks16 from far off; and, like a many-colored
torrent17, all the children burst from the wood and rushed, a red and blue and yellow and white wave, across the field, screaming as they ran. Their voices came up to the Princess on her tower, and she heard the words threaded on their screams like
beads18 on sharp needles: "The dragon, the dragon, the dragon! Open the gates! The dragon is coming! The
fiery19 dragon!"
And they swept across the field and into the gate of the town, and the Princess heard the gate bang, and the children were out of sight—but on the other side of the field the rose-thorns crackled and smashed in the hedge, and something very large and glaring and horrible
trampled20 the ferns in the ditch for one moment before it hid itself again in the
covert21 of the wood.
The Princess went down and told her nurse, and the nurse at once locked the great door of the tower and put the key in her pocket.[124]
"Let them take care of themselves," she said, when the Princess begged to be allowed to go out and help to take care of the children. "My business is to take care of you, my precious, and I'm going to do it. Old as I am, I can turn a key still."
So Sabrinetta went up again to the top of her tower, and cried whenever she thought of the children and the fiery dragon. For she knew, of course, that the gates of the town were not dragonproof, and that the dragon could just walk in whenever he liked.
The children ran straight to the palace, where the Prince was cracking his hunting whip down at the
kennels22, and told him what had happened.
"Good sport," said the Prince, and he ordered out his pack of
hippopotamuses24 at once. It was his custom to hunt big game with hippopotamuses, and people would not have minded that so much—but he would swagger about in the streets of the town with his pack
yelping25 and gamboling at his heels, and when he did that, the green-grocer, who had his stall in the marketplace, always regretted it; and the crockery merchant, who spread his
wares26 on the pavement, was ruined for life every time the Prince chose to show off his pack.
The Prince rode out of the town with his hippopotamuses
trotting27 and frisking behind him, and people got inside their houses as quickly as they could when they heard the voices of his pack and the blowing of his horn. The pack squeezed through the town gates and off across country to hunt the dragon. Few of you who had not seen a pack of hippopotamuses in full cry will be able to imagine at all what the hunt was like. To begin with, hippopotamuses do not bay like hounds: They
grunt29 like pigs, and their grunt is very big and fierce. Then, of course, no one expects hippopotamuses to jump. They just crash through the hedges and
lumber30 through the
standing31 corn, doing serious injury to the crops, and annoying the farmers very much. All the hippopotamuses had collars with their name and address on, but when the[125] farmers called at the palace to complain of the injury to their standing crops, the Prince always said it served them right for leaving their crops standing about in people's way, and he never paid anything at all.
So now, when he and his pack went out, several people in the town whispered, "I wish the dragon would eat him"—which was very wrong of them, no doubt, but then he was such a very nasty Prince.
They hunted by field, and they hunted by wold; they drew the woods blank, and the
scent32 didn't lie on the downs at all. The dragon was shy, and would not show himself.
But just as the Prince was beginning to think there was no dragon at all, but only a cock and bull, his favourite old
hippopotamus23 gave tongue. The Prince blew his horn and shouted: "
Tally33 ho! Hark forward! Tantivy!" and the whole pack charged downhill toward the hollow by the wood. For there, plain to be seen, was the dragon, as big as a
barge34, glowing like a furnace, and spitting fire and showing his shining teeth.
"The hunt is up!" cried the Prince. And indeed it was. For the dragon—instead of behaving as a
quarry35 should, and running away—ran straight at the pack, and the Prince, on his elephant, had the
mortification36 of seeing his prize pack swallowed up one by one in the twinkling of an eye, by the dragon they had come out to hunt. The dragon swallowed all the hippopotamuses just as a dog swallows bits of meat. It was a shocking sight. Of the whole of the pack that had come out sporting so merrily to the music of the horn, now not even a puppy-hippopotamus was left, and the dragon was looking anxiously around to see if he had forgotten anything.
The Prince slipped off his elephant on the other side and ran into the thickest part of the wood. He hoped the dragon could not break through the bushes there, since they were very strong and close. He went crawling on hands and knees in a most un-Prince-like way, and at last, finding a hollow tree, he crept into it. The wood was[126] very still—no crashing of branches and no smell of burning came to alarm the Prince. He drained the silver hunting bottle
slung37 from his shoulder, and stretched his legs in the hollow tree. He never shed a single tear for his poor tame hippopotamuses who had eaten from his hand and followed him faithfully in all the pleasures of the chase for so many years. For he was a false Prince, with a skin like leather and hair like
hearth10 brushes and a heart like a stone. He never shed a tear, but he just went to sleep.
When he awoke it was dark. He crept out of the tree and rubbed his eyes. The wood was black about him, but there was a red glow in a dell close by. It was a fire of sticks, and beside it sat a
ragged38 youth with long, yellow hair; all around lay sleeping forms which breathed heavily.
"Who are you?" said the Prince.
"I'm Elfin, the pig keeper," said the ragged youth. "And who are you?"
"And what are you doing out of your palace at this time of night?" asked the pig keeper,
severely40.
"I've been hunting," said the Prince.
The pig keeper laughed. "Oh, it was you I saw, then? A good hunt, wasn't it? My pigs and I were looking on."
All the sleeping forms
grunted41 and snored, and the Prince saw that they were pigs: He knew it by their manners.
"If you had known as much as I do," Elfin went on, "you might have saved your pack."
"What do you mean?" said Tiresome.
"Why, the dragon," said Elfin. "You went out at the wrong time of day. The dragon should be hunted at night."
"No, thank you," said the Prince, with a
shudder42. "A daylight hunt is quite good enough for me, you silly pig keeper."
"Oh, well," said Elfin, "do as you like about it—the dragon will come and hunt you tomorrow, as likely as not. I don't care if he does, you silly Prince."[127]
"You're very rude," said Tiresome.
"Well, tell me the truth, then. What is it that, if I had known as much as you do about, I shouldn't have lost my hippopotamuses?"
"You don't speak very good English," said Elfin. "But come, what will you give me if I tell you?"
"If you tell me what?" said the tiresome Prince.
"What you want to know."
"I don't want to know anything," said Prince Tiresome.
"Then you're more of a silly even than I thought," said Elfin. "Don't you want to know how to settle the dragon before he settles you?"
"It might be as well," the Prince admitted.
"Well, I haven't much patience at any time," said Elfin, "and now I can assure you that there's very little left. What will you give me if I tell you?"
"Half my kingdom," said the Prince, "and my cousin's hand in marriage."
"Done," said the pig keeper. "Here goes! The dragon grows small at night! He sleeps under the root of this tree. I use him to light my fire with."
And, sure enough, there under the tree was the dragon on a nest of
scorched44 moss45, and he was about as long as your finger.
"How can I kill him?" asked the Prince.
"I don't know that you can kill him," said Elfin, "but you can take him away if you've brought anything to put him in. That bottle of yours would do."
So between them they managed, with bits of stick and by
singeing46 their fingers a little, to
poke47 and shove the dragon till they made it creep into the silver hunting bottle, and then the Prince screwed on the top tight.
"Now we've got him," said Elfin. "Let's take him home and put Solomon's seal on the mouth of the bottle, and then he'll be safe enough. Come along—we'll divide up the kingdom tomorrow, and then I shall have some money to buy fine clothes to go courting in."[128]
But when the wicked Prince made promises he did not make them to keep.
"Go on with you! What do you mean?" he said. "I found the dragon and I've
imprisoned48 him. I never said a word about courtings or kingdoms. If you say I did, I shall cut your head off at once." And he drew his sword.
"All right," said Elfin, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm better off than you are, anyhow."
"What do you mean?" spluttered the Prince.
"Why, you've only got a kingdom (and a dragon), but I've got clean hands (and five and seventy fine black pigs)."
So Elfin sat down again by his fire, and the Prince went home and told his Parliament how clever and brave he had been, and though he woke them up on purpose to tell them, they were not angry, but said: "You are indeed brave and clever." For they knew what happened to people with whom the Prince was not pleased.
Then the Prime Minister solemnly put Solomon's seal on the mouth of the bottle, and the bottle was put in the
Treasury49, which was the strongest building in the town, and was made of solid
copper50, with walls as thick as Waterloo Bridge.
The bottle was set down among the sacks of gold, and the junior secretary to the junior clerk of the last Lord of the Treasury was appointed to sit up all night with it and see if anything happened. The junior secretary had never seen a dragon, and, what was more, he did not believe the Prince had ever seen a dragon either. The Prince had never been a really truthful boy, and it would have been just like him to bring home a bottle with nothing in it and then to pretend that there was a dragon inside. So the junior secretary did not at all mind being left. They gave him the key, and when everyone in the town had gone back to bed he let in some of the junior secretaries from other Government departments, and they had a jolly game of hide-and-seek among the sacks of gold, and played marbles with the diamonds and
rubies51 and pearls in the big ivory chests.[129]
They enjoyed themselves very much, but by-and-by the copper treasury began to get warmer and warmer, and suddenly the junior secretary cried out, "Look at the bottle!"
The bottle sealed with Solomon's seal had
swollen52 to three times its proper size and seemed to be nearly red hot, and the air got warmer and warmer and the bottle bigger and bigger, till all the junior secretaries agreed that the place was too hot to hold them, and out they went, tumbling over each other in their haste, and just as the last got out and locked the door the bottle burst, and out came the dragon, very fiery, and
swelling53 more and more every minute, and he began to eat the sacks of gold and
crunch54 up the pearls and diamonds and rubies as if they were sugar.
By breakfasttime he had
devoured55 the whole of the Prince's treasures, and when the Prince came along the street at about eleven, he met the dragon coming out of the broken door of the Treasury, with molten gold still dripping from his
jaws56. Then the Prince turned and ran for his life, and as he ran toward the dragonproof tower the little white Princess saw him coming, and she ran down and unlocked the door and let him in, and slammed the dragonproof door in the fiery face of the dragon, who sat down and
whined57 outside, because he wanted the Prince very much indeed.
The Princess took Prince Tiresome into the best room, and laid the cloth, and gave him cream and eggs and white grapes and honey and bread, with many other things, yellow and white and good to eat, and she served him just as
kindly58 as she would have done if he had been anyone else instead of the bad Prince who had taken away her kingdom and kept it for himself—because she was a true Princess and had a heart of gold.
When he had eaten and drunk, he begged the Princess to show him how to lock and unlock the door. The nurse was asleep, so there was no one to tell the Princess not to, and she did.
"You turn the key like this," she said, "and the door keeps shut. But turn it nine times around the wrong way, and the door flies open."
And so it did. And the moment it opened, the Prince pushed the white Princess out of her tower, just as he had pushed her out of her kingdom, and shut the door. For he wanted to have the tower all for himself. And there she was, in the street, and on the other side of the way the dragon was sitting
whining59, but he did not try to eat her, because—though the old nurse did not know it—dragons cannot eat white Princesses with hearts of gold.
The Princess could not walk through the streets of the town in her milky-silky gown with the daisies on it, and with no hat and no gloves, so she turned the other way, and ran out across the meadows, toward the wood. She had never been out of her tower before, and the soft grass under her feet felt like grass of Paradise.
She ran right into the thickest part of the wood, because she did not know what her heart was made of, and she was afraid of the dragon, and there in a dell she came on Elfin and his five and seventy fine pigs. He was playing his
flute60, and around him the pigs were dancing cheerfully on their
hind28 legs.
"Oh, dear," said the Princess, "do take care of me. I am so frightened."
"I will," said Elfin, putting his arms around her. "Now you are quite safe. What were you frightened of?"
"The dragon," she said.
"So it's gotten out of the silver bottle," said Elfin. "I hope it's eaten the Prince."
"No," said Sabrinetta. "But why?"
He told her of the mean trick that the Prince had played on him.
"And he promised me half his kingdom and the hand of his cousin the Princess," said Elfin.
"Oh, dear, what a shame!" said Sabrinetta, trying to get out of his arms. "How dare he?"
"What's the matter?" he asked, holding her tighter. "It[132] was a shame, or at least I thought so. But now he may keep his kingdom, half and whole, if I may keep what I have."
"What's that?" asked the Princess.
"Why, you—my pretty, my dear," said Elfin, "and as for the Princess, his cousin—forgive me, dearest heart, but when I asked for her I hadn't seen the real Princess, the only Princess, my Princess."
"Do you mean me?" said Sabrinetta.
"Who else?" he asked.
"Yes, but five minutes ago you hadn't seen me!"
"Five minutes ago I was a pig keeper—now I've held you in my arms I'm a Prince, though I should have to keep pigs to the end of my days."
"But you haven't asked me," said the Princess.
"You asked me to take care of you," said Elfin, "and I will—all my life long."
So that was settled, and they began to talk of really important things, such as the dragon and the Prince, and all the time Elfin did not know that this was the Princess, but he knew that she had a heart of gold, and he told her so, many times.
"The mistake," said Elfin, "was in not having a dragonproof bottle. I see that now."
"Oh, is that all?" said the Princess. "I can easily get you one of those—because everything in my tower is dragonproof. We ought to do something to settle the dragon and save the little children."
So she started off to get the bottle, but she would not let Elfin come with her.
"If what you say is true," she said, "if you are sure that I have a heart of gold, the dragon won't hurt me, and somebody must stay with the pigs."
Elfin was quite sure, so he let her go.
She found the door of her tower open. The dragon had waited patiently for the Prince, and the moment he opened the door and came out—though he was only out for an instant to post a letter to his Prime Minister saying[133] where he was and asking them to send the fire brigade to deal with the fiery dragon—the dragon ate him. Then the dragon went back to the wood, because it was getting near his time to grow small for the night.
So Sabrinetta went in and kissed her nurse and made her a cup of tea and explained what was going to happen, and that she had a heart of gold, so the dragon couldn't eat her; and the nurse saw that of course the Princess was quite safe, and kissed her and let her go.
She took the dragonproof bottle, made of
burnished61 brass62, and ran back to the wood, and to the dell, where Elfin was sitting among his
sleek63 black pigs, waiting for her.
"I thought you were never coming back," he said. "You have been away a year, at least."
The Princess sat down beside him among the pigs, and they held each other's hands till it was dark, and then the dragon came crawling over the moss,
scorching64 it as he came, and getting smaller as he crawled, and curled up under the root of the tree.
"Now then," said Elfin, "you hold the bottle." Then he
poked65 and
prodded66 the dragon with bits of stick till it crawled into the dragonproof bottle. But there was no stopper.
"Never mind," said Elfin. "I'll put my finger in for a stopper."
"No, let me," said the Princess. But of course Elfin would not let her. He stuffed his finger into the top of the bottle, and the Princess cried out: "The sea—the sea—run for the cliffs!" And off they went, with the five and seventy pigs trotting
steadily67 after them in a long black procession.
The bottle got hotter and hotter in Elfin's hands, because the dragon inside was
puffing68 fire and smoke with all his might—hotter and hotter and hotter—but Elfin held on till they came to the cliff edge, and there was the dark blue sea, and the whirlpool going around and around.[134]
Elfin lifted the bottle high above his head and
hurled69 it out between the stars and the sea, and it fell in the middle of the whirlpool.
"We've saved the country," said the Princess. "You've saved the little children. Give me your hands."
"I can't," said Elfin. "I shall never be able to take your dear hands again. My hands are burnt off."
And so they were: There were only black
cinders70 where his hands ought to have been. The Princess kissed them, and cried over them, and tore pieces of her silky-milky gown to tie them up with, and the two went back to the tower and told the nurse all about everything. And the pigs sat outside and waited.
"He is the bravest man in the world," said Sabrinetta. "He has saved the country and the little children; but, oh, his hands—his poor, dear, darling hands!"
Here the door of the room opened, and the oldest of the five and seventy pigs came in. It went up to Elfin and rubbed itself against him with little loving
grunts71.
"See the dear creature," said the nurse, wiping away a tear. "It knows, it knows!"
Sabrinetta stroked the pig, because Elfin had no hands for stroking or for anything else.
"The only cure for a dragon burn," said the old nurse, "is pig's fat, and well that faithful creature knows it——"
"I wouldn't for a kingdom," cried Elfin, stroking the pig as best he could with his elbow.
"Is there no other cure?" asked the Princess.
Here another pig put its black nose in at the door, and then another and another, till the room was full of pigs, a surging mass of rounded blackness, pushing and struggling to get at Elfin, and
grunting72 softly in the language of true affection.
"There is one other," said the nurse. "The dear, affectionate beasts—they all want to die for you."
"What is the other cure?" said Sabrinetta anxiously.
"If a man is burnt by a dragon," said the nurse, "and a certain number of people are willing to die for him, it is[135] enough if each should kiss the burn and wish it well in the depths of his loving heart."
"The number! The number!" cried Sabrinetta.
"Seventy-seven," said the nurse.
"We have only seventy-five pigs," said the Princess, "and with me that's seventy-six!"
"It must be seventy-seven—and I really can't die for him, so nothing can be done," said the nurse, sadly. "He must have
cork73 hands."
"I knew about the seventy-seven loving people," said Elfin. "But I never thought my dear pigs loved me so much as all this, and my dear too—and, of course, that only makes it more impossible. There's one other charm that cures dragon burns, though; but I'd rather be burnt black all over than marry anyone but you, my dear, my pretty."
"Why, who must you marry to cure your dragon burns?" asked Sabrinetta.
"A Princess. That's how St. George cured his burns."
"There now! Think of that!" said the nurse. "And I never heard tell of that cure, old as I am."
But Sabrinetta threw her arms round Elfin's neck, and held him as though she would never let him go.
"Then it's all right, my dear, brave, precious Elfin," she cried, "for I am a Princess, and you shall be my Prince. Come along, Nurse—don't wait to put on your
bonnet74. We'll go and be married this very moment."
So they went, and the pigs came after, moving in stately blackness, two by two. And, the minute he was married to the Princess, Elfin's hands got quite well. And the people, who were weary of Prince Tiresome and his hippopotamuses, hailed Sabrinetta and her husband as rightful Sovereigns of the land.
Next morning the Prince and Princess went out to see if the dragon had been washed
ashore75. They could see nothing of him; but when they looked out toward the whirlpool they saw a cloud of steam; and the fishermen reported that the water for miles around was hot enough to shave with! And as the water is hot there to this day, we[137] may feel pretty sure that the fierceness of that dragon was such that all the waters of all the sea were not enough to cool him. The whirlpool is too strong for him to be able to get out of it, so there he spins around and around forever and ever, doing some useful work at last, and warming the water for poor fisher-folk to shave with.
The Prince and Princess rule the land well and wisely. The nurse lives with them, and does nothing but fine sewing, and only that when she wants to very much. The Prince keeps no hippopotamuses, and is consequently very popular. The five and seventy devoted76 pigs live in white marble sties with brass knockers and Pig on the doorplate, and are washed twice a day with Turkish sponges and soap scented77 with violets, and no one objects to their following the Prince when he walks abroad, for they behave beautifully, and always keep to the footpath78, and obey the notices about not walking on the grass. The Princess feeds them every day with her own hands, and her first edict on coming to the throne was that the word pork should never be uttered on pain of death, and should, besides, be scratched out of all the dictionaries.
点击
收听单词发音
1
chatter
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vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战 |
参考例句: |
- Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
- I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。
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2
apron
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n.围裙;工作裙 |
参考例句: |
- We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
- She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。
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3
scoured
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走遍(某地)搜寻(人或物)( scour的过去式和过去分词 ); (用力)刷; 擦净; 擦亮 |
参考例句: |
- We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看,想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
- The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。
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4
maize
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n.玉米 |
参考例句: |
- There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
- We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。
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5
orchards
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(通常指围起来的)果园( orchard的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- They turned the hills into orchards and plains into granaries. 他们把山坡变成了果园,把平地变成了粮仓。
- Some of the new planted apple orchards have also begun to bear. 有些新开的苹果园也开始结苹果了。
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6
turrets
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(六角)转台( turret的名词复数 ); (战舰和坦克等上的)转动炮塔; (摄影机等上的)镜头转台; (旧时攻城用的)塔车 |
参考例句: |
- The Northampton's three turrets thundered out white smoke and pale fire. “诺思安普敦号”三座炮塔轰隆隆地冒出白烟和淡淡的火光。
- If I can get to the gun turrets, I'll have a chance. 如果我能走到炮塔那里,我就会赢得脱险的机会。
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7
rosy
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adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的 |
参考例句: |
- She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作,生活看上去很美好。
- She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
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8
wriggled
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v.扭动,蠕动,蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 );(使身体某一部位)扭动;耍滑不做,逃避(应做的事等) |
参考例句: |
- He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
|
9
fabulous
|
|
adj.极好的;极为巨大的;寓言中的,传说中的 |
参考例句: |
- We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
- This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。
|
10
hearth
|
|
n.壁炉炉床,壁炉地面 |
参考例句: |
- She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来,在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
- She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里,打开电灯。
|
11
speck
|
|
n.微粒,小污点,小斑点 |
参考例句: |
- I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
- The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗,一星星云彩也没有。
|
12
winding
|
|
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 |
参考例句: |
- A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
- The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
|
13
scattered
|
|
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 |
参考例句: |
- Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
|
14
mantle
|
|
n.斗篷,覆罩之物,罩子;v.罩住,覆盖,脸红 |
参考例句: |
- The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
- The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。
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15
embroidery
|
|
n.绣花,刺绣;绣制品 |
参考例句: |
- This exquisite embroidery won people's great admiration.这件精美的绣品,使人惊叹不已。
- This is Jane's first attempt at embroidery.这是简第一次试着绣花。
|
16
shrieks
|
|
n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) |
参考例句: |
- shrieks of fiendish laughter 恶魔般的尖笑声
- For years, from newspapers, broadcasts, the stages and at meetings, we had heard nothing but grandiloquent rhetoric delivered with shouts and shrieks that deafened the ears. 多少年来, 报纸上, 广播里, 舞台上, 会场上的声嘶力竭,装腔做态的高调搞得我们震耳欲聋。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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17
torrent
|
|
n.激流,洪流;爆发,(话语等的)连发 |
参考例句: |
- The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
- Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。
|
18
beads
|
|
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 |
参考例句: |
- a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
- Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。
|
19
fiery
|
|
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 |
参考例句: |
- She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
- His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。
|
20
trampled
|
|
踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 ); 践踏; 无视; 侵犯 |
参考例句: |
- He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊,怕他让暴民踩着。
- People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。
|
21
covert
|
|
adj.隐藏的;暗地里的 |
参考例句: |
- We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
- The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。
|
22
kennels
|
|
n.主人外出时的小动物寄养处,养狗场;狗窝( kennel的名词复数 );养狗场 |
参考例句: |
- We put the dog in kennels when we go away. 我们外出时把狗寄养在养狗场。
- He left his dog in a kennels when he went on holiday. 他外出度假时把狗交给养狗场照管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
23
hippopotamus
|
|
n.河马 |
参考例句: |
- The children enjoyed watching the hippopotamus wallowing in the mud.孩子们真喜观看河马在泥中打滚。
- A hippopotamus surfs the waves off the coast of Gabon.一头河马在加蓬的海岸附近冲浪。
|
24
hippopotamuses
|
|
n.河马(产于非洲)( hippopotamus的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- Hippopotamuses teem in this river. 这条河里有很多河马。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
25
yelping
|
|
v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- In the middle of the table sat a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping. 在桌子中间有一只小狗坐在那儿,抖着它的爪子,汪汪地叫。 来自辞典例句
- He saved men from drowning and you shake at a cur's yelping. 他搭救了快要溺死的人们,你呢,听到一条野狗叫唤也瑟瑟发抖。 来自互联网
|
26
wares
|
|
n. 货物, 商品 |
参考例句: |
- They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
- The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。
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27
trotting
|
|
小跑,急走( trot的现在分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走 |
参考例句: |
- The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。
- Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳,小马开始慢跑起来。
|
28
hind
|
|
adj.后面的,后部的 |
参考例句: |
- The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
- Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。
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29
grunt
|
|
v.嘟哝;作呼噜声;n.呼噜声,嘟哝 |
参考例句: |
- He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
- I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽,他只哼了一声。
|
30
lumber
|
|
n.木材,木料;v.以破旧东西堆满;伐木;笨重移动 |
参考例句: |
- The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
- They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。
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31
standing
|
|
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 |
参考例句: |
- After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
- They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
|
32
scent
|
|
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉 |
参考例句: |
- The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
- The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。
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33
tally
|
|
n.计数器,记分,一致,测量;vt.计算,记录,使一致;vi.计算,记分,一致 |
参考例句: |
- Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
- The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。
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34
barge
|
|
n.平底载货船,驳船 |
参考例句: |
- The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
- Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。
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35
quarry
|
|
n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找 |
参考例句: |
- Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
- This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。
|
36
mortification
|
|
n.耻辱,屈辱 |
参考例句: |
- To my mortification, my manuscript was rejected. 使我感到失面子的是:我的稿件被退了回来。
- The chairman tried to disguise his mortification. 主席试图掩饰自己的窘迫。
|
37
slung
|
|
抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往 |
参考例句: |
- He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩,挎在肩上。
- He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。
|
38
ragged
|
|
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的 |
参考例句: |
- A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
- Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
|
39
tiresome
|
|
adj.令人疲劳的,令人厌倦的 |
参考例句: |
- His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
- He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜,令人生厌。
|
40
severely
|
|
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 |
参考例句: |
- He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
- He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
|
41
grunted
|
|
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说 |
参考例句: |
- She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
- She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
|
42
shudder
|
|
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动 |
参考例句: |
- The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
- We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
|
43
truthful
|
|
adj.真实的,说实话的,诚实的 |
参考例句: |
- You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心,他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
- I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。
|
44
scorched
|
|
烧焦,烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 ); 使(植物)枯萎,把…晒枯; 高速行驶; 枯焦 |
参考例句: |
- I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
- The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。
|
45
moss
|
|
n.苔,藓,地衣 |
参考例句: |
- Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
- He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。
|
46
singeing
|
|
v.浅表烧焦( singe的现在分词 );(毛发)燎,烧焦尖端[边儿];烧毛 |
参考例句: |
- The smell of the singeing clothes and burning leather was horrible. 衣服烧焦和皮革燃烧的味儿十分浓烈。 来自辞典例句
- I can smell something singeing. 有东西烧焦了。 来自互联网
|
47
poke
|
|
n.刺,戳,袋;vt.拨开,刺,戳;vi.戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢 |
参考例句: |
- We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
- Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。
|
48
imprisoned
|
|
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁,合并执行。
- They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。
|
49
treasury
|
|
n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 |
参考例句: |
- The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
- This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。
|
50
copper
|
|
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 |
参考例句: |
- The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
- Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。
|
51
rubies
|
|
红宝石( ruby的名词复数 ); 红宝石色,深红色 |
参考例句: |
- a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
- The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。
|
52
swollen
|
|
adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀 |
参考例句: |
- Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着,她的双腿已经肿了。
- A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她,她的手臂肿起来了。
|
53
swelling
|
|
n.肿胀 |
参考例句: |
- Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
- There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。
|
54
crunch
|
|
n.关键时刻;艰难局面;v.发出碎裂声 |
参考例句: |
- If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
- People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。
|
55
devoured
|
|
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 |
参考例句: |
- She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志,还是报纸,只要能弄得到,她都看得津津有味。
- The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。
|
56
jaws
|
|
n.口部;嘴 |
参考例句: |
- The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
- The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。
|
57
whined
|
|
v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 );哀诉,诉怨 |
参考例句: |
- The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句
|
58
kindly
|
|
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 |
参考例句: |
- Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
- A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
|
59
whining
|
|
n. 抱怨,牢骚
v. 哭诉,发牢骚 |
参考例句: |
- That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
- The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着(要进来)。
|
60
flute
|
|
n.长笛;v.吹笛 |
参考例句: |
- He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
- There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
|
61
burnished
|
|
adj.抛光的,光亮的v.擦亮(金属等),磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 );被擦亮,磨光 |
参考例句: |
- The floor was spotless; the grate and fire-irons were burnished bright. 地板上没有污迹;炉栅和火炉用具擦得发亮。 来自辞典例句
- The woods today are burnished bronze. 今天的树林是一片发亮的青铜色。 来自辞典例句
|
62
brass
|
|
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 |
参考例句: |
- Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
- Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
|
63
sleek
|
|
adj.光滑的,井然有序的;v.使光滑,梳拢 |
参考例句: |
- Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
- The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。
|
64
scorching
|
|
adj. 灼热的 |
参考例句: |
- a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
- a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评
|
65
poked
|
|
v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 );戳出;拨弄;与(某人)性交 |
参考例句: |
- She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
- His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
66
prodded
|
|
v.刺,戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 );刺激;促使;(用手指或尖物)戳 |
参考例句: |
- She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up. 她用手指杵他的肋部把他叫醒。
- He prodded at the plate of fish with his fork. 他拿叉子戳弄着那盘鱼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
67
steadily
|
|
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 |
参考例句: |
- The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
- Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
|
68
puffing
|
|
v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 |
参考例句: |
- He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
69
hurled
|
|
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 |
参考例句: |
- He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
- The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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70
cinders
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n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 );炭渣;煤渣路;煤渣跑道 |
参考例句: |
- This material is variously termed ash, clinker, cinders or slag. 这种材料有不同的名称,如灰、炉渣、煤渣或矿渣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Rake out the cinders before you start a new fire. 在重新点火前先把煤渣耙出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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71
grunts
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(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说; 石鲈 |
参考例句: |
- With grunts of anguish Ogilvie eased his bulk to a sitting position. 奥格尔维苦恼地哼着,伸个懒腰坐了起来。
- Linda fired twice A trio of Grunts assembling one mortar fell. 琳达击发两次。三个正在组装迫击炮的咕噜人倒下了。
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72
grunting
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咕哝的,呼噜的 |
参考例句: |
- He pulled harder on the rope, grunting with the effort. 他边用力边哼声,使出更大的力气拉绳子。
- Pigs were grunting and squealing in the yard. 猪在院子里哼哼地叫个不停。
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73
cork
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n.软木,软木塞 |
参考例句: |
- We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
- Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。
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74
bonnet
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n.无边女帽;童帽 |
参考例句: |
- The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光,使之不刺眼。
- She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽,帽上缀着褪了色的假花。
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75
ashore
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adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 |
参考例句: |
- The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前,孩子们就上岸了。
- He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。
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76
devoted
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adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 |
参考例句: |
- He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
- We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
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77
scented
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adj.有香味的;洒香水的;有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) |
参考例句: |
- I let my lungs fill with the scented air. 我呼吸着芬芳的空气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The police dog scented about till he found the trail. 警犬嗅来嗅去,终于找到了踪迹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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78
footpath
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n.小路,人行道 |
参考例句: |
- Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
- They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。
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