"Yes, Sir Hugo," it was the Minister of Supply speaking. Bond recognized the dapper, assured figure. "Those are the settings. My people have checked them independently with the Air Ministry1 this morning."
"Then if you'll allow me the privilage," Drax held up the slip of paper and made to turn towards the launching-dome2.
"Hold it, Sir Hugo. Just like that, please. Arm in the air." The bulbs flashed and the bank of cameras whirred and clicked for the last time and Drax turned and walked the few yards towards the dome, almost, it seemed to Bond, looking him straight in the eye through the grating above the door of the site.
The small crowd of reporters and cameramen dissolved and straggled off across the concrete apron3, leaving only a nervously4 chatting group of officials to wait for Drax to emerge.
Bond looked at his watch. 11.45. Hurry up, damn you, he thought.
For the hundredth time he repeated to himself the figures Gala had taught him during the hours of cramped5 pain that had followed their ordeal6 by steam, and for the hundredth time he shifted his limbs to keep the circulation going.
"Get ready," he whispered into Gala's ear. "Are you all right?"
He could feel the girl smile. "Fine." She shut her mind to the thought of her blistered8 legs and the quick rasping descent back down the ventilator shaft9.
The door clanged shut beneath them followed by the click of the lock and, preceded by the five guards, the figure of Drax appeared below striding masterfully towards the group of officials, the slip of lying figures in his hand.
Bond looked at his watch. 11.47. "Now," he whispered.
"Good luck," she whispered back.
Slither, scrape, rip. His shoulders carefully expanding and contracting; blistered, bloodstained feet scrabbling for the sharp knobs of iron, Bond, his lacerated body tearing its way down the forty feet of shaft, prayed that the girl would have strength to stand it when she followed.
A last ten-foot drop that jarred his spine11, a kick at the grating and he was out on the steel floor and running for the stairs, leaving a trail of red footprints and a spray of blood-drops from his raw shoulders.
The arcs had been extinguished, but the daylight streamed down through the open roof and the blue from the sky mingling12 with the fierce glitter of the sunshine gave Bond the impression that he was running up inside a huge sapphire13.
The great deadly needle in the centre might have been made of glass. Looking above him as he sweated and panted up the endless sweep of the iron stairway, it was difficult for him to see where its tapering14 nose ended and the sky began.
Behind the crouching15 silence that enveloped16 the shimmering17 bullet, Bond could hear a quick, deadly ticking, the hasty tripping of tiny metal feet somewhere in the body of the Moonraker. It filled the great steel chamber18 like the beating heart in Poe's story and Bond knew that directly Drax at the firing point pressed the switch that sent the radio beam zing ing over two hundred yards to the waiting rocket, the ticking would suddenly cease, there would be the soft whine19 of the lighted pinwheel, a wisp of steam from the turbines, and then the howling jet of flame on which the rocket would slowly rise and sweep majestically20 out on the start of its gigantic acceleration21 curve.
And then in front of him there was the spidery arm of the gantry folded back against the wall and Bond's hand was at the lever and the arm was slowly stretching down and out towards the square hairline on the glittering skin of the rocket that was the door of the gyro chamber.
Bond, on hands and knees, was along it even before the rubber pads came to rest against the polished chrome. There was the flush disc the size of a shilling, just as Gala had described. Press, click, and the tiny door had flicked22 open on its hard spring. Inside. Careful not to cut your head. The gleaming handles beneath the staring compass-roses. Turn. Twist. Steady. That's for the roll. Now the pitch and yaw. Turn. Twist. Ever so gently. And steady. A last look. A glance at his watch. Four minutes to go. Don't panic. Back out. Door click. A cat-like scurry23. Don't look down. Gantry up. Clang against the wall. And now for the stairs.
Tick-tick-tick-tick.
As Bond shot down he caught a glimpse of Gala's tense, white face as she stood holding open the outer door of Drax's office. God, how his body hurt! A final leap and a clumsy swerve24 to the right. Clang as Gala slammed the outer door. Another clang and they were across the room and into the shower and the water was hissing25 down on their clinging, panting bodies.
Through the noise of it all, above the beating of his heart, Bond heard the sudden crackle of static and then the voice of the BBC announcer coming from the big set in Drax's room a few inches away through the thin wall of the bathroom. It had been Gala again who had remembered Drax's wireless26 and who had found time to throw the switches while Bond was working on the gyros.
"… be five minutes' delay," said the breezy, excited voice. "Sir Hugo has been persuaded to say a few words into the microphone." Bond turned off the shower and the voice came to them more clearly. "He looks very confident. Just saying something into the Minister's ear. They're both laughing.
Wonder what it was? Ah, here's my colleague with the latest weather report from the Air Ministry. What's that? Perfect at all altitudes. Good show. It certainly is a wonderful day down below here. Haha. Those crowds in the distance by the coastguard station will be getting quite a sunburn. There must be thousands. What's that you say? Twenty thousand? Well, it certainly looks like it. And Walmer Beach is black with them too. The whole of Kent seems to be out. Terrible crick in the neck we're all going to get, I'm afraid. Worse than Wimbledon. Haha. Hullo, what's going on down there by the jetty? By jove, there's a submarine just surfaced alongside. I say, what a sight. One of our biggest I should say. And Sir Hugo's team is down there too. Lined up on the jetty as if they were on parade. Magnificent body of men. Now they're filing on board. Perfect discipline. Must be an idea of the Admiralty's. Give them a special grandstand out in the Channel. Splendid show. Wish you could be here to see it. Now Sir Hugo is coming towards us. In a moment he'll be speaking to you. Fine figure of a man. Everyone in the firing point is giving him a cheer. I'm sure we all feel like cheering him today. He's coming into the firing point. I can see the sun glinting on the nose of the Moonraker way over there behind him. Just showing out of the top of the launching dome. Hope somebody's got a camera. Now here he is," a pause. "Sir Hugo Drax."
Bond looked into Gala's dripping face. Soaked and bleeding they stood in each other's arms, speechless and trembling slightly with the storm of their emotions. Their eyes were blank and fathomless27 as they met and held each other's gaze.
"Your majesty28, men and women of England," the voice was a velvet29 snarl30. "I am about to change the course of England's history." A pause. "In a few minutes' time the lives of all of you will be altered, in some cases, ahem, drastically, by the, er, impact of the Moonraker. I am very proud and pleased that fate has singled me out, from amongst all my fellow countrymen, to fire this great arrow of vengeance31 into the skies and thus to proclaim for all time, and for all the world to witness, the might of my fatherland. I hope that this occasion will be forever a warning that the fate of my country's enemies will be written in dust, in ashes, in tears, and," a pause, "in blood. And now thank you all for listening and I sincerely hope that those of you who are able will repeat my words to your children, if you have any, tonight."
A rattle32 of rather hesitant applause sounded out of the machine and then came the breezy voice of the announcer. "And that was Sir Hugo Drax saying a few words to you before he walks across the floor of the firing point to the switch on the wall which will fire the Moonraker. The first time he has spoken in public. Very, ahem, forthright33. Doesn't mince34 his words. However, a lot of us will say there's no harm in that. And now it's time for me to hand over to the expert, Group Captain Tandy of the Ministry of Supply, who will describe to you the actual firing of the Moonraker. After that you will hear Peter Trimble in one of the naval35 security patrol, HMS Merganzer, describe the scene in the target area. Group Captain Tandy."
Bond glanced at his watch. "Only a minute more," he said to Gala. "God, I'd like to get my hands on Drax. Here," he reached for the cake of soap and gouged36 some pieces off it. "Stuff this in your ears when the time comes. The noise is going to be terrific, I don't know about the heat. It won't last long and the steel walls may stand up to it."
Gala looked at him. She smiled. "If you hold me it won't be too bad," she said.
"… and now Sir Hugo has his hand on the switch and he's watching the chronometer37."
"TEN," broke in another voice, heavy and sonorous38 as the toll39 of a bell.
Bond turned on the shower and the water hissed40 down on their clinging bodies.
"NINE," tolled41 the voice of the time-keeper.
"… the radar42 operators are watching the screens. Nothing but a mass of wavy43 lines…"
"EIGHT."
"… all wearing ear-plugs. Blockhouse should be indestructable. Concrete walls are twelve feet thick. Pyramid roof, twenty-seven feet thick at the point…"
"SEVEN."
"… first the radio beam will stop the time mechanism44 alongside the turbines. Set the pinwheel going. Flaming thing like a Catherine wheel…"
"SIX."
"… valves will open. Liquid fuel. Secret formula. Terrific stuff. Dynamite45. Pours down from the fuel tanks…"
"FIVE."
"… ignited by the pinwheel when the fuel gets to the rocket motor…"
"FOUR."
"… meanwhile the peroxide and permanganate have mixed, made steam and the turbine pumps begin to turn…"
"THREE."
"… pumping the flaming fuel through the motor out of the stern of the rocket into the exhaust pit. Gigantic heat… 3500 degrees…"
"TWO."
"… Sir Hugo is about to press the switch. He's staring out through the slit10. Perspiration46 on his forehead. Absolute silence in here. Terrific tension."
"ONE."
Nothing but the noise of the water, steadily47 pouring down on the two clinging bodies.
FIRE!
Bond's heart jumped into his throat at the shout. He felt Gala shudder48. Silence. Nothing but the hissing of the water…
"… Sir Hugo's left the firing point. Walking calmly over to the edge of the cliff. So confident. He's stepped on to the hoist49. He's going down. Of course. He must be going out to the submarine. Television screen shows a little steam coming out of the tail of the rocket. A few more seconds. Yes, he's out on the jetty. He looked back and raised his arm in the air. Good old Sir Hu…"
A soft thunder came to Bond and Gala. Louder. Louder. The tiled floor began to tremble under their feet. A hurricane scream. They were being pulverized50 by it. The walls were quaking, steaming. Their legs began going out of control under their teetering bodies. Hold her up. Hold her up. Stop it! Stop it!! STOP THAT NOISE!!!
Christ, he was going to faint. The water was boiling. Must turn it off. Got it. No. Pipe's burst. Steam, smell, iron, paint.
Get her out! Get her out!! Get her out!!!
And then there was silence. Silence you could feel, hold, squeeze. And they were on the floor of Drax's office. Only the light in the bathroom still shining out. And the smoke's clearing. And the filthy51 smell of burning iron and paint. Being sucked out by the air-conditioner. And the steel wall is bent52 towards them like a huge blister7. Gala's eyes are open and she's smiling. But the rocket. What happened? London? North Sea? The radio. Looks all right. He shook his head and the deafness slowly cleared. He remembered the soap. Gouged it out.
"… through the sound barrier. Travelling perfectly53 right in the centre of the radar screen. A perfect launching. Afraid you couldn't hear anything because of the noise. Terrific. First of all the great sheet of flame coming out of the cliff from the exhaust pit and then you should have seen the nose slowly creep up out of the dome. And there she was like a great silver pencil. Standing54 upright on this huge column of flame and slowly climbing into the air and the flame splashing for hundreds of yards over the concrete. The howl of the thing must have nearly burst our microphones. Great bits have fallen off the cliff and the concrete looks like a spider's web. Terrible vibration55. And then she was climbing faster and faster. A hundred miles an hour. A thousand. And," he broke off, "what's that you say? Really! And now she's travelling at over ten thousand miles an hour! She's three hundred miles up. Can't hear her any more, of course. We could only see her flame for a few seconds. Like a star. Sir Hugo must be a proud man. He's out there in the Channel now. The submarine went off like a rocket, haha, must be doing more than thirty knots. Throwing up a huge wake. Off the East Goodwins now. Travelling north. She'll soon be up with the patrol ships. They'll have a view of the launching and of the landing. Quite a. surprise trip that. No one here had an inkling. Even the naval authorities seem a bit mystified. C-in-G Nore has been on the telephone. But now that's all I can tell you from here and I'll hand you over to Peter Trimble on board HMS Merganzer somewhere off the East Coast."
Nothing but the pumping lungs showed that the two limp bodies in the creeping pool of water on the floor were still alive, but their battered56 ear-drums were desperately57 clinging to the crackle of static that came briefly58 from the blistered metal cabinet. Now for the verdict on their work.
"And this is Peter Trimble speaking. It's a beautiful morning, I mean-er-afternoon here. Just north of the Good win Sands. Calm as a millpond. No wind. Bright sunshine. And the target area is reported clear of shipping59. Is that right, Commander Edwards? Yes, the Captain says it's quite clear. Nothing on the radar screens yet. I'm not allowed to tell you the range we shall pick her up at. Security and all that. But we shall only catch the rocket for a split second. Isn't that right, Captain? But the target's just showing on the screen. Out of sight from the bridge, of course. Must be seventy miles north of here. We could see the Moonraker going up. Terrific sight. Noise like thunder. Long flame coming out of the tail. Must have been ten miles away but you couldn't miss the light. Yes, Captain? Oh yes, I see. Well, that's very interesting. Big submarine coming up fast. Only about a mile away. Suppose it's the one they say Sir Hugo's aboard with his men. None of us here were told anything about her. Captain Edwards says she doesn't answer the Aldis lamp. Not flying colours. Very mysterious. I've got her now. Quite clear in my glasses. We've changed course to intercept60 her. Captain says she isn't one of ours. Thinks she must be a foreigner. Hullo! She's broken out her colours. What's that? Good heavens. The Captain says she's a Russian. I say! And now she's hauled down her colours and she's submerging. Bang. Did you hear that? We fired a shot across her bows. But she's disappeared. What's that? The asdic operator says she's going even faster under water. Twenty-five knots. Terrific. Well, she can't see much under water. But she's right in the target area now. Twelve minutes past noon. The Moonraker must have turned and be on her way down. A thousand miles up. Coming down at ten thousand miles an hour. She'll be here any second now. Hope there's not going to be a tragedy. The Russian's well inside the danger zone. The radar operator's holding up his hand. That means she's due. She's coming. She's COMING.... Whew!
Not even a whisper. GOD! What's that? Look out! Look out! Terrific explosion. Black cloud going up into the air. There's a tidal wave coming at us. Great wall of water tearing down. There goes the submarine. God! Thrown out of the water upside down. It's coming. It's COMING…"
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1
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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5
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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7
blister
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| n.水疱；(油漆等的)气泡；v.(使)起泡 | |
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8
blistered
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| adj.水疮状的，泡状的v.（使）起水泡( blister的过去式和过去分词 )；（使表皮等）涨破，爆裂 | |
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9
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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10
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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11
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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12
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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13
sapphire
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| n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的 | |
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14
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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15
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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16
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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18
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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19
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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20
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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21
acceleration
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| n.加速，加速度 | |
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22
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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23
scurry
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| vi.急匆匆地走；使急赶；催促；n.快步急跑，疾走；仓皇奔跑声；骤雨，骤雪；短距离赛马 | |
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24
swerve
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| v.突然转向，背离；n．转向，弯曲，背离 | |
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25
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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26
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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27
fathomless
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| a.深不可测的 | |
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28
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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29
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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30
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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31
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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32
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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33
forthright
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| adj.直率的，直截了当的 [同]frank | |
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34
mince
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| n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说 | |
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35
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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36
gouged
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| v.凿( gouge的过去式和过去分词 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出… | |
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37
chronometer
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| n.精密的计时器 | |
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38
sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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39
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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40
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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41
tolled
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| 鸣钟（toll的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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42
radar
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| n.雷达，无线电探测器 | |
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43
wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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44
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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45
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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46
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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47
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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48
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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49
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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50
pulverized
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| adj.[医]雾化的，粉末状的v.将…弄碎( pulverize的过去式和过去分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎 | |
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51
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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52
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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53
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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54
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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55
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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56
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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57
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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58
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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59
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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60
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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