Behind those eight faces, whose horrendous10 traits I have just depicted11, and through the windows of the tram, I could see the street, the houses and the passers-by, all speeding past as if the tram were travelling at a vertiginous12 speed. I at least thought that it went faster than the trains on our railroads, faster than its French, English and North American counterparts. It ran as fast as might be imagined when it came to displacing solid objects.
As this state of lethargy increased, I was able to imagine that houses, streets and the whole of Madrid were gradually disappearing. For a moment I thought that the tram was running through oceanic depths: through the windows could be seen the bodies of enormous cetaceans and the sticky appendages13 of a multitude of polyps of various sizes. Small fish were shaking their slippery tails against the glass and some of them were looking inside with great and gilded14 eyes. Crustaceans15 of an unfamiliar16 shape, large molluscs, madrepores, sponges and a scattering17 of big and misshapen bivalves which I had never seen before, swam ceaselessly past. The tram was being pulled by monstrous18 swimming creatures, whose oars19, fighting with the water, sounded like the blades of a propeller20 churning it up with their ceaseless rotation21.
This vision started to fade. Then it seemed to me that the tram was flying through the air, always in the same direction and without being blown off course by winds. Through the windows only empty space was visible. Clouds sometimes enveloped22 us and a sudden downpour drummed against the upper deck. All at once we came out into pure space flooded with sunshine, only to go back to the nebulous presence of huge flashes, now red, now yellow, sometimes opal, sometimes amethyst23, which were being left behind us as we made our way forward. We passed then through a point in space where shining forms floated in a very fine golden dust: further on this dust storm, which I took to be produced by the movement of the wheels grinding the light, was silver, then green like flour made from emeralds, and finally red like flour made from rubies24. The tram was being dragged by some apocalyptic25 bird, stronger than a hippogryph and more daring than a dragon, and the noise of the wheels and the driving force made me think of the whirring of the great sails of a windmill, or rather the buzz of a bumblebee the size of an elephant. We were flying through infinite space without ever arriving anywhere. In the meantime the earth fell away several leagues below our feet, and the things of earth—Spain, Madrid, the Salamanca district, Cascajares, the Countess, the Count, Mudarra, the gallant26 young man, all of them together.
I soon fell into a deep sleep and then the tram stopped moving, stopped flying and the sensation that I felt of travelling in such a tram disappeared and all that was left was the deep and monotonous bass27 of the wheels which never abandons us even in our nightmares, be it in a train or in the cabin of a steamship28. I slept. Oh unhappy countess! I saw her as clearly as I now see the paper that I'm writing on. I saw her sat next to a night light, hand on cheek, sad and pensive29 like a statue depicting30 Melancholy31. At her feet a lapdog lay curled up that seemed to me just as sad as his as his interesting mistress.
Then I was able to examine at my leisure the woman I had come to see as misfortune personified. She was tall and fair with big and expressive32 eyes, an aquiline33 nose that was actually quite prominent, though not out of proportion to the rest of her face, and set off by the twin curves of her fine and arched eyebrows34. She was casually35 groomed36 and from this, as from her dress, it was possible to surmise37 that she did not intend to go out again that night. A night of marvels38 truly! I observed with increasing anxiety the beautiful form I so much wanted to know better and it seemed to me that I could read her mind behind that noble brow in which the habit of reflexion had traced scarcely visible lines which would soon become wrinkles. Suddenly the door to her room opened to let a man in. The Countess gave a yelp39 of surprise and got up in a state of great agitation40.
"What's this?" she said. "Rafael. You. What barefaced41 cheek! How did you get in?"
"Madam," answered the one who had just entered, a young man of noble bearing. "Weren't you expecting me? I received a letter from you."
"A letter from me!" exclaimed the Countess even more agitated42. "I wrote no such letter. And what reason would I have for writing it?"
"Madam, look," the young man responded, taking out the letter and showing it to her. "It's in your own handwriting."
"Good God! What devilry is this?" said the lady in despair. "It was not I who wrote this letter. They're setting a trap for me."
"Madam, calm down. I'm very sorry."
"Yes. I understand everything now. That infamous43 man. I have a strong suspicion as to what he had in mind. Leave this instant. But it's already too late. I can already hear my husband's voice."
Indeed a deafening44 voice could be heard in the room next door and, after a short interval45, the Count came in the room. He feigned46 surprise at seeing the gallant visitor and, subsequently laughing somewhat affectedly48, spoke49 to him:
"Ah Rafael! You're here. Long time no see! You came to accompany
Antonia on the piano. You'll take tea with us."
The Countess and her spouse50 exchanged a meaningful glance. The young man in his perplexity hardly managed to return the Count's greeting. I saw them entering the living room and servants coming out to meet them. I saw that the servants were carrying tea things and afterwards they disappeared, leaving the three main characters alone.
Something terrible was going to happen.
They sat down. The Countess looked mortified51. The Count affected47 a dazed hilarity52 like drunkenness and the young man spoke only in monosyllables. Tea was served and the Count passed to Rafael one of the cups, not just any cup, but one he'd singled out. The Countess looked at that cup so fearfully it seemed that her soul had left her body. They drank in silence ballasting the brew53 with a tasty assortment54 of Huntley and Palmers biscuits and other nibbles55 appropriate to this type of supper. Then the Count burst out laughing again with the outrageous56 and noisy demonstrativeness that was peculiar57 to him that night, and said:
"How bored we all are! You, Rafael, haven't said a word. Antonia, play something. We haven't heard you play for such a long time. This piece by Gorschack, for instance, entitled Death. You used to play it wonderfully. Come on. Sit down at the piano."
The Countess tried to speak, but could not say a word. The Count looked at her in such a way that the unhappy woman quailed58 before the terrible expression in his eyes like a dove hypnotized by a boa constrictor. She got up to go to the piano and again there the husband must have said something that terrified her even more, subjecting her to his devilish dominion59. The piano sounded with several strings60 struck at once and, running from the low notes to the high notes, the lady's hands awoke in a second hundreds of sounds that were lying dormant61 in among the strings and hammers. At first the music was a confused mixture of sounds that stunned62 rather than pleased, but then that storm blew over and a funereal63 and timorous64 dirge65 like the Dies irae came out of such disorder66. It seemed to me I heard the sad sound of a choir67 of Carthusians accompanied by the hoarse68 bellow69 of the bassoons. After could be heard pitiful sighs like those that we imagine souls exhale70, condemned71 in purgatory72 to ceaselessly beg for a pardon that is a long time in coming.
Then came loud and extended arpeggios and the notes reared up as if arguing about which of them would could there first. Chords came together and broke up like the foam73 on waves which forms and is then effaced74. The harmonies boiled and fluctuated in an endless heavy swell75, fading into silence and then coming back more strongly in great and hasty eddies76. I carried on entranced by the majestic77 and impressive music. I could not see the face of the countess, sat with her back to me, but I imagined it to be in such a state of bewilderment and fright that I started to think that the piano was playing itself. The young man was behind her, the count to her right, leaning on the piano. From time to time she raised her eyes to look at him, but she must have seen something dreadful in the eyes of her companion as she went back to lowering hers and kept on playing. Suddenly the piano stopped sounding and the Countess cried out.
Just at that moment I felt an extremely strong blow to my shoulder, shook myself violently and woke up.

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收听单词发音

1
monotonous
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adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的 | |
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2
eyelids
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n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 );眼睛也不眨一下;不露声色;面不改色 | |
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3
droop
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v.低垂,下垂;凋萎,萎靡 | |
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4
contraction
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n.缩略词,缩写式,害病 | |
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5
winked
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v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 | |
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6
grimaced
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v.扮鬼相,做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
varied
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adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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8
distinguished
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adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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9
anathema
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n.诅咒;被诅咒的人(物),十分讨厌的人(物) | |
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10
horrendous
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adj.可怕的,令人惊惧的 | |
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11
depicted
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描绘,描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 ); 描述 | |
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12
vertiginous
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adj.回旋的;引起头晕的 | |
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13
appendages
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n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 );依附的人;附属器官;附属肢体(如臂、腿、尾等) | |
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14
gilded
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a.镀金的,富有的 | |
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15
crustaceans
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n.甲壳纲动物(如蟹、龙虾)( crustacean的名词复数 ) | |
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16
unfamiliar
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adj.陌生的,不熟悉的 | |
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17
scattering
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n.[物]散射;散乱,分散;在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的;分散在不同范围的;广泛扩散的;(选票)数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式);散布;驱散 | |
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18
monstrous
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adj.巨大的;恐怖的;可耻的,丢脸的 | |
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19
oars
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n.桨,橹( oar的名词复数 );划手v.划(行)( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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20
propeller
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n.螺旋桨,推进器 | |
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21
rotation
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n.旋转;循环,轮流 | |
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22
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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23
amethyst
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n.紫水晶 | |
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24
rubies
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红宝石( ruby的名词复数 ); 红宝石色,深红色 | |
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25
apocalyptic
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adj.预示灾祸的,启示的 | |
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26
gallant
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adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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27
bass
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n.男低音(歌手);低音乐器;低音大提琴 | |
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28
steamship
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n.汽船,轮船 | |
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29
pensive
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a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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30
depicting
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描绘,描画( depict的现在分词 ); 描述 | |
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31
melancholy
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n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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32
expressive
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adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的 | |
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33
aquiline
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adj.钩状的,鹰的 | |
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34
eyebrows
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眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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35
casually
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adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地 | |
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36
groomed
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v.照料或梳洗(马等)( groom的过去式和过去分词 );使做好准备;训练;(给动物)擦洗 | |
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37
surmise
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v./n.猜想,推测 | |
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38
marvels
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n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 );令人惊奇的事物(或事例);不平凡的成果;成就v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
yelp
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vi.狗吠 | |
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40
agitation
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n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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41
barefaced
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adj.厚颜无耻的,公然的 | |
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42
agitated
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adj.被鼓动的,不安的 | |
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43
infamous
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adj.声名狼藉的,臭名昭著的,邪恶的 | |
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44
deafening
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adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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45
interval
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n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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46
feigned
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a.假装的,不真诚的 | |
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47
affected
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adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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48
affectedly
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49
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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50
spouse
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n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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51
mortified
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v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 );伤害(人的感情);克制;抑制(肉体、情感等) | |
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52
hilarity
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n.欢乐;热闹 | |
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53
brew
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v.酿造,调制 | |
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54
assortment
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n.分类,各色俱备之物,聚集 | |
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55
nibbles
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vt.& vi.啃,一点一点地咬(nibble的第三人称单数形式) | |
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56
outrageous
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adj.无理的,令人不能容忍的 | |
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57
peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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58
quailed
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害怕,发抖,畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
dominion
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n.统治,管辖,支配权;领土,版图 | |
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60
strings
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n.弦 | |
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61
dormant
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adj.暂停活动的;休眠的;潜伏的 | |
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62
stunned
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adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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63
funereal
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adj.悲哀的;送葬的 | |
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64
timorous
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adj.胆怯的,胆小的 | |
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65
dirge
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n.哀乐,挽歌,庄重悲哀的乐曲 | |
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66
disorder
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n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调 | |
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67
choir
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n.唱诗班,唱诗班的席位,合唱团,舞蹈团;v.合唱 | |
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68
hoarse
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adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的 | |
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69
bellow
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v.吼叫,怒吼;大声发出,大声喝道 | |
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70
exhale
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v.呼气,散出,吐出,蒸发 | |
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71
condemned
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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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72
purgatory
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n.炼狱;苦难;adj.净化的,清洗的 | |
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73
foam
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v./n.泡沫,起泡沫 | |
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74
effaced
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v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 );抹去;超越;使黯然失色 | |
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75
swell
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vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强 | |
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76
eddies
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(水、烟等的)漩涡,涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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77
majestic
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adj.雄伟的,壮丽的,庄严的,威严的,崇高的 | |
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