CHAPTER 27
“You’re no leader, Tigerstar.” Firestar paddedcloser. “You never were.”
“A leader puts his Clan3 first.” Firestar lashed4 his tail. “Instead, your Clanmates are made to fight your battles, not theirs.”
Dovewing searched Tigerstar’s gaze. Was he mad? Countless8 cats had died in his battles. Did he really believe he’d done them a favor?
Firestar’s pelt9 rippled10, his muscles twitching11. “And what have all your battles been for,Tigerstar? What cause is worth the lives of so many warriors?”
Tigerstar’s eyes burned. “Defeating you, of course.”
Firestar met his gaze. “You haven’t defeated me yet.”
“The Dark Forest cats won’t follow you,” Firestar told him. “They know now that they can’t beat the Clans13. They won’t try again.”
“I don’t need them.” Tigerstar glanced at the cats bristling14 at the edge of the clearing. “I only have to beat you. Then I can pick off your Clanmates one by one, moon after moon, till there’s no one left.”
Firestar’s gaze flitted from Ferncloud’s body to Hollyleaf’s. “I’m not going to let you harm another of my cats, not ever.” His tail swished low over the ground.
“Then you’re going to have to kill me.”
Firestar narrowed his eyes. “Has it been worth it, Tigerstar? All the hate? All the death?”
Tigerstar flattened15 his ears. “Every moment.” Eyes slitted, he attacked. Hooking his claws deep into Firestar’s shoulder, he raked his spine17 with churning paws. “The moment Bluestar found you, I became nothing! I have waited all this time to have my revenge!”
Firestar twisted free and slashed18 at him. The dark warrior ducked back, head low, and grabbed Firestar’s hind19 paw in his teeth. Biting hard, he dragged Firestar onto his belly21, then reared up and slammed his forepaws onto Firestar’s spine. “When you’re dead, I can rule the Clans or kill them.”
Whitestorm blocked him. “No, Graystripe. This is Firestar’s battle.”
Firestar heaved himself to his paws and turned to face Tigerstar. “I will not die until the forest is safe from you.” He leaped for the dark warrior. Swerving23 in midair, he landed a whisker away from Tigerstar’s flank. As Tigerstar spun24 to defend himself, Firestar smashed his paws into the dark warrior’s side. Unbalanced, Tigerstar staggered and fell. Firestar rained slashing25 blows onto Tigerstar’s head.
Writhing26 away, Tigerstar struggled to his paws. He blinked blood from his eyes and lunged at Firestar’s throat. The ThunderClan leader lurched backward. Tigerstar clung on, his claws spiking27 Firestar’s neck.
Sandstorm leaped forward, hissing28 with rage, but Sorreltail reached out and heaved her back by her scruff. “You can’t change his destiny, Sandstorm.”
Firestar dug his hind claws into Tigerstar’s belly and thrust him off. Fur ripped at the ThunderClan leader’s throat.
No!Dovewing held her breath, waiting for blood to pulse from the wound. But only pale skin showed through. Tigerstar’s clumsy grip had torn nothing but fur.
Firestar jumped to his paws. “You lived like a rogue29. You can die like a rogue.” Flashing like lightning across the clearing, he flew at Tigerstar, aiming for the dark warrior’s throat. With a vicious snarl1, he sank his teeth deep into Tigerstar’s neck. He held on while Tigerstar thrashed and staggered and finally collapsed30 to the ground.
Firestar kept hold of the dark warrior as blood flowed over his paws. When Tigerstar finally stopped twitching, Firestar let go of his throat. He straightened up and watched Tigerstar fade away, his gaze blank.
Dovewing turned to Ivypool, shaking. “Tigerstar has gone!”
As she spoke31, thunder cracked the sky. She looked up as a bolt of lightning struck the fallen beech32 beside Firestar. The tree exploded into flame. Smoke rolled over Firestar. Eyes streaming, chest burning, Dovewing struggled to see her Clan leader. As she peered through the smoke, the clouds opened. Rain pounded the hollow. The burning beech hissed33 and crackled as the fire faded and died.
“Firestar!” Sandstorm’s yowl sounded above the thrumming of the rain. She raced toward the place where Tigerstar had fallen. A body was lying on the ground. Dovewing frowned. Tigerstar had disappeared, right? Why was there still a huddled35 shape on the bloodstained grass?
No!
She pelted36 after Sandstorm. He can’t be dead!She skidded37 to a halt and stared in horror at Firestar’s body.
Sandstorm buried her nose deep into her mate’s sodden38 fur. “I told you not to waste your final life,” she whispered.
Brambleclaw crossed the clearing, rain streaming from his whiskers, and stood beside her. “He didn’t waste it.”
“Fire will save the Clan,” Leafpool whispered.
Graystripe pushed past Tigerheart and Whitestorm and crouched39 beside his old friend. “I would have taken your place, if you had let me.” His voice was hoarse40 with grief.
“Firestar!” Dustpelt called softly. “When you see her, tell Ferncloud I love her.”
Purdy nosed past him. “Is he dead?”
“Yes.” Bumblestripe wrapped his tail gently over the elder’s back.
“Yes.” Dovewing nodded toward Boulderfur and Troutstream, who lingered uncertainly near the entrance with their patrols. “It’s time for you to go home. The battle is won and I need to be with my Clanmates.” And yet it feels as if everything has been lost.She drew in a breath, then slid quietly in beside Bumblestripe. Rain dripped into her eyes and she blinked it away. Bumblestripe shifted so that his pelt rested warmly against her. Dovewing felt his breath against her ear.
“You’re safe now,” he murmured.
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I know.” She didn’t look around as she heard Tigerheart pad away.
The rain eased as he spoke and a shaft43 of moonlight sliced through the clouds and lit up the unmoving orange body. There was a faint noise at the camp entrance and Dovewing looked up to see a StarClan warrior glimmering44 beneath the ragged20 thorns, her blue eyes glowing like circles of sky.
“Bluestar?” Brambleclaw beckoned45 to her with his tail. With a nod, Bluestar stepped out from the shadows and walked across the clearing. A russet tom followed, his pelt glittering with stars. A silver she-cat padded after; a mottled gray tabby sparkled at her side. A black-and-white tom padded at the back, with Yellowfang tagging on behind.
As the Clan parted to let the cats pass, Runningwind and Lionheart slipped out to join their starry46 Clanmates. Dovewing blinked up at the walls of the hollow. They rippled with light from StarClan pelts47. The scent48 of wet stone, sharp and cold, bathed her tongue. Is this what starlight tastes like?
Jayfeather stepped forward as they circled Firestar’s body. “These cats gave Firestar his nine lives,” he explained to the Clan. “Redtail”—he nodded to the russet warrior—“gave a life for courage. Silverstream gave a life for loyalty49.”
Graystripe got to his paws and stared at the beautiful she-cat. “Silverstream!”
“Brindleface.” Jayfeather dipped his head to the mottled gray tabby. “The life you gave was for protection. And Swiftpaw”—his blind blue gaze drifted to the small black-and-white tom—“yours was for mentoring52.”
“Yellowfang gave compassion53, Lionheart gave courage, and Runningwind gave tireless energy, which he used to serve his Clanmates through all his lives.”
As Jayfeather paused, Bluestar stepped forward, her paws touching54 Firestar’s pelt. “Spottedleaf isn’t with StarClan anymore.” Grief thickened her mew. “But she gave Firestar a life for love.”
Bluestar went on. “I gave him a life for nobility, though he was born with more nobility than any warrior I ever knew.” Her blue eyes glazed56 with sorrow. “I knew that Firestar would save the Clan many moons ago. As fire, and then as the fourth cat in the oldest prophecy, he succeeded. He leaves ThunderClan in the paws of a new leader.” She looked at Brambleclaw. “If you have half the courage and loyalty of Firestar, you will be a fine leader for ThunderClan.”
As she spoke the StarClan cats drew closer around Firestar’s body. Touching pelts, they gazed down. A shadow stirred over the orange shape.
“His spirit is leaving,” Jayfeather murmured.
Firestar’s gaze swept slowly over his Clan. Dovewing swallowed as it reached her, then relaxed. It felt warm like sunshine.
“It’s time to go,” Bluestar breathed.
Firestar dipped his head to Brambleclaw, then leaned down and touched his muzzle to Sandstorm’s. She stared up at him, her eyes glistening58 with grief as he turned and followed the StarClan cats out of the hollow. Dovewing jerked her head around as a black pelt moved at the edge of her vision. Hollyleaf’s spirit was padding after them.
“Look!” Sorreltail gasped.
Purdy whisked his tail. “She’ll get all the hunting she wants now.”
Ferncloud’s spirit rose and padded after Mousefur. It paused at the thorn barrier and turned, dipping its head to Dustpelt, then disappeared after the others. Dovewing stared at the gap in the brambles, her chest aching.
Sandstorm stood up. “Bramblestar!”
“Bramblestar!” Lionblaze lifted his muzzle to the clearing sky.
The Clan joined in. “Bramblestar! Bramblestar!”
As Bramblestar looked up, Dovewing followed his gaze. A new star was shining among the others. Is Firestar there already?
“I will honor my ancestors in StarClan,” Bramblestar vowed61, “but not those who have ever walked in the Dark Forest. Guide my steps wisely, warriors of the past.” He lowered his head. “And warriors of now.”
Jayfeather touched his tail to Bramblestar’s spine. “It’s time to choose a deputy,” he prompted gently.
Dovewing glanced around her Clanmates. Surely, Bramblestar would choose Lionblaze? He was the only warrior who couldn’t be beaten in battle. He’d make a powerful deputy and leader one day.
“Will you be my deputy, Squirrelflight?”
The she-cat stared at him, every hair on her pelt quivering. “Really?”
Bramblestar nodded. “There is no cat I trust more. Everything you do is for the best of reasons. I understand that now.”
Squirrelflight dipped her head. “Then I accept.”
A slender brown cat burst forward. It was Leafpool. “My sister,” she murmured, pressing her head to Squirrelflight’s. “You deserve this honor, and more. Thank you, for everything.”
Squirrelflight licked Leafpool’s ear. “I would do it again in a heartbeat,” she whispered.
Jayfeather padded forward to stand beside Dovewing. “An ending, and a beginning,” he observed briskly.
Dovewing looked at Lionblaze. The golden warrior’s gaze was heavy, his shoulders drooping62 with exhaustion63. For a brief moment, they had held the power of the stars in their paws. And now it was over. Grief welled in Dovewing’s throat. They’d saved the Clans, but Firestar was dead.
Jayfeather’s tail brushed her shoulder. “He gave his life to save the thing that mattered most to him: his Clanmates,” he meowed softly. “He truly has the stars at his paws now. You will see him again, when it is time.”
A breeze stirred Dovewing’s pelt, as if something had walked past. She lifted her head and saw two shapes standing64 just beyond her Clanmates, watching. One was a badger65 with a narrow, striped face and wise, kind eyes, and the other was a grotesque66 hairless cat with bulging67 eyes that saw nothing and everything. They met her gaze and nodded, just once. Thank you,Dovewing heard, quieter than a sigh.
There will be three cats, kin16 of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. They will find a fourth, and the battle between light and dark will be won. A new leader will rise from the shadows of his death, and the Clans will survive beyond the memories of his memories. This is how it has always been, and how it will always be.
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收听单词发音
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1
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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5
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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12
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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13
clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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17
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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18
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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22
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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23
swerving
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的现在分词 ) | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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25
slashing
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| adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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26
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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27
spiking
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| n.尖峰形成v.加烈酒于( spike的现在分词 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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28
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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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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beech
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| n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的 | |
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33
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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pelted
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| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
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37
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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38
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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39
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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41
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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42
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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43
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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44
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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45
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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47
pelts
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| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
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48
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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49
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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50
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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51
mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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52
mentoring
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| n.mentoring是一种工作关系。mentor通常是处在比mentee更高工作职位上的有影响力的人。他/她有比‘mentee’更丰富的工作经验和知识，并用心支持mentee的职业（发展）。v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的现在分词 ) | |
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53
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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54
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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55
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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56
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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57
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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58
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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59
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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60
squeaked
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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61
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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62
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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63
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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64
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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65
badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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66
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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