And only in Munich, perhaps, a city too artistic15 to have a moral left, would army officers and their almost respectable partners rub elbows, in the best restaurant in the town, with painted young men come on the same quest as the floating female. There were three of these young men here to-night, all members of noble families, who had neither the energy nor the ambition in their worn-out blood to cross the ocean and seek to replenish16 their equally exhausted17 coffers in the manly18 avocations19 of waiter and riding master. Ordham usually watched them with a mild contempt, for they were of his class and he felt sorry for them. But to-night, as he saw the head of one of the oldest and most distinguished21 houses in Europe, a young man with something of Apollo in his slender grace, and a face of perfect beauty, despite its signal-flag of paint, enter, seat himself, and cast about the room a slow, anxious, appraising22 glance, Ordham, depressed23 as he already was, felt the very walls of his soul shudder24. How much better fitted was he to cope with the grim problem of mere existence than these unfortunates? He had a fine physique, but his indolent habits, long indulged, had made nearly every form of exertion25 distasteful to him. Individual as he was, he yet belonged to that strictly26 modern type of English aristocrat27 impatiently dubbed28 “literary” by those that shoot and ride and eat and drink in the good old fashion of their ancestors. These intellectual young scions29, without any peculiar30 talent or the obligations of poverty, too modest or too indolent to dream of enriching the arts they love, give themselves up more and more to the refined pleasures and sensibilities of the intellect, less and less to the pursuits that keep the blood swift and red in the veins31. With many this attitude begins in affectation, even though as often it develops into something like a vocation20; but in the case of Ordham the subtler chords of Life’s big orchestra, forever inaudible to the swarm32, had allured33 him since he could remember. If there was one reason more than another why Lord Bridgminster disliked and disapproved34 of his heir presumptive, it was because of Ordham’s candid35 aversion from “long tiresome36 meaningless days behind a gun,” “tearing across country at the tail of a frantic37 fox,” “wolfing food that would have stupefied the brain of a day labourer.” But if the life he led was set to the tune38 of his temperament39, he was forced to admit that he paid toll40 in the depletion41 of his physical vigours, for at this age, at all events, he should have been developing his muscles and enriching his blood in the open air.
To-night he felt more tired than usual, and as he stared blankly at the young nobleman to whom the centuries had given beauty and breeding in their highest perfection, and a sufficient amount of brain to make him something of a social star in every capital he visited, Ordham was driven to review his own resources. His income was inadequate42 for his mere needs, much less for his tastes, and some unthinkable reverse of fortune might deprive him of it altogether. Upon what, then, could he rely, not only to supply his material wants, but those others, which, never having been hungry, he believed to be far more indispensable were life to be tolerated at all. He was a lover of all the arts and a pupil of none. His reading was wide, he was fastidious in his manner of expressing himself; but what his fellow-students had learned out of books or in lecture rooms he had but the vaguest idea. The mere thought of roughing it in any of the colonies was as repugnant as of marrying a rich woman devoid43 of charm. “The City,” into which he knew that many of his kind disappeared, he visualized44 as a maelstrom45 of high hats and office stools without backs. He had an aristocratic distaste for business, not out of snobbery46, of which he was innocent, but because of a belief, both hazy47 and firm, that it commanded the development of the meaner faculties48, that only the cynically50 dishonest emerged from the gorged51 arena52 with fortune in their disfigured hands. To-night, however, he recalled, what he had practically forgotten, that the moneyed foundations of the house of Ordham had been laid anew but four generations since by the desperate heir of the ancient but impoverished53 family: he had built a textile factory on one end of his Yorkshire property. This enterprise prospering54, he had built another, and another, until he was enabled to buy back twenty thousand of the acres confiscated55 during the Civil Wars, restore Ordham Castle, unroofed and sacked by Cromwell, and furnish it with all the horrors in horsehair, rep, mahogany, and meaningless bronze which preceded the crusade of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood56. He then found leisure to occupy his seat in the House of Lords, developed other useful talents, and was raised from the barony of Ordham to the earldom of Bridgminster. Since then there had always been an Ordham in Parliament, but the majority of the family were given over to the enjoyment57 of sport, and were noted58 mainly for their selection of beautiful wives and handsome husbands, rarely unendowed with the minor59 blessings60 of wealth and race. They had forgotten the origin of the factories still flourishing on the Yorkshire estate, but now far removed from covers and fields; to-night, however, Ordham, facing the contingency61 of Bridgminster’s marriage, or his own failure to fall in love with a girl whose riches would be a fair exchange for the position he could give her, bitterly envied his wise and possibly unscrupulous ancestor, and would have welcomed similar outcroppings in his own brain.
Or suppose he married for mere love, a folly62 to which all young men were liable, and, upon his ridiculous income, found himself with a family upon his hands? This, however, he felt to be such a violent strain upon his imagination that he dismissed it, but found no consolation63 in the prospect64 of keeping up appearances, much less enjoying life, on a diminishing credit. He was too young, and too accustomed to see the creases65 of life magically smoothed, to remain dispirited for long, no matter what the combining causes; but during this hour he sat plunged66 in a melancholy67 so profound that for years after its bare memory appalled68 him.
There is a fine line between hypercivilization and degeneracy, too fine to be a barrier for unwary feet: but the natural nobility and refinement69 of Ordham’s mind, combined with its higher activities and poise70, had brought him up short. No matter what his straits, even with his somewhat cynical49 attitude that all forms of vice71 were too inevitable72 to bother about, he was incapable73 of falling to the horrid74 level of these young continental75 nobles. But of what else might he not be capable? As his imagination, morbidly76 active, pictured him hopelessly involved, without a plank77 to grasp at, he suddenly swore an oath that he would never go under, no, not if he sacrificed all belonging to him, and every canon that society had invented for her own defence and deluded78 man into believing was handed down from on high. Ordham, fastidiously bred, and reared above the temptations that men of lower degree must reckon with in their daily struggle, was one of the most finished results of those same immemorial laws; but in this sudden vision of the horrors of poverty, of the terrors and temptations of life, they fell to ashes, and left him part savage79, partly as cool, cynical, and unscrupulous, as only the supercivilized can be. He would never go under, never come down one step from the high position to which he had been born. If wishes could have slain80 Lord Bridgminster, he would have died that night in his Spartan81 bed. Ordham suddenly wondered if he were capable of killing82 his brother. He glanced about the restaurant once more, his gaze lingering on the gloomy face of the last of the line that had been illustrious in the history of Europe since it had emerged from the yoke83 of the Huns. He set his teeth and swore that he could, and without a scruple84 or a regret. He would never go under, never, never, never. But it was a solution by no means to his taste, and he left the restaurant abruptly85 and went for a walk of unaccustomed activity in the Englischergarten. When he reached his bed in the small hours his equilibrium86 was restored, and he reflected with amazement87 and horror upon the vitalities that had flourished unsuspected in the depths of his being. But his ego88 was somewhat excited and fascinated at the discovery, and he fell asleep wishing that he could talk it all over with Margarethe Styr.
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1
miserable
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adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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2
rout
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n.溃退,溃败;v.击溃,打垮 | |
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paltriness
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n.不足取,无价值 | |
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absurdities
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n.极端无理性( absurdity的名词复数 );荒谬;谬论;荒谬的行为 | |
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royalties
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特许权使用费 | |
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dense
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a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
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mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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blurs
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n.模糊( blur的名词复数 );模糊之物;(移动的)模糊形状;模糊的记忆v.(使)变模糊( blur的第三人称单数 );(使)难以区分 | |
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bourgeois
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adj./n.追求物质享受的(人);中产阶级分子 | |
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ogle
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v.看;送秋波;n.秋波,媚眼 | |
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worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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cursory
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adj.粗略的;草率的;匆促的 | |
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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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gaudy
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adj.华而不实的;俗丽的 | |
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artistic
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adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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replenish
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vt.补充;(把…)装满;(再)填满 | |
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exhausted
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adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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manly
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adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地 | |
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avocations
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n.业余爱好,嗜好( avocation的名词复数 );职业 | |
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vocation
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n.职业,行业 | |
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distinguished
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adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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appraising
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v.估价( appraise的现在分词 );估计;估量;评价 | |
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depressed
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adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的 | |
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shudder
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v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动 | |
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exertion
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n.尽力,努力 | |
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strictly
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adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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aristocrat
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n.贵族,有贵族气派的人,上层人物 | |
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dubbed
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v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 );把…称为;配音;复制 | |
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29
scions
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n.接穗,幼枝( scion的名词复数 );(尤指富家)子孙 | |
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30
peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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veins
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n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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swarm
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n.(昆虫)等一大群;vi.成群飞舞;蜂拥而入 | |
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allured
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诱引,吸引( allure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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disapproved
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v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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candid
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adj.公正的,正直的;坦率的 | |
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tiresome
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adj.令人疲劳的,令人厌倦的 | |
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frantic
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adj.狂乱的,错乱的,激昂的 | |
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tune
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n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整 | |
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temperament
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n.气质,性格,性情 | |
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toll
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n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟) | |
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depletion
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n.耗尽,枯竭 | |
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inadequate
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adj.(for,to)不充足的,不适当的 | |
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devoid
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adj.全无的,缺乏的 | |
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visualized
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直观的,直视的 | |
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maelstrom
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n.大乱动;大漩涡 | |
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snobbery
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n. 充绅士气派, 俗不可耐的性格 | |
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hazy
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adj.有薄雾的,朦胧的;不肯定的,模糊的 | |
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faculties
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n.能力( faculty的名词复数 );全体教职员;技巧;院 | |
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49
cynical
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adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的,不信世道向善的 | |
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50
cynically
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adv.爱嘲笑地,冷笑地 | |
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51
gorged
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v.(用食物把自己)塞饱,填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 );作呕 | |
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52
arena
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n.竞技场,运动场所;竞争场所,舞台 | |
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53
impoverished
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adj.穷困的,无力的,用尽了的v.使(某人)贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 );使(某物)贫瘠或恶化 | |
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54
prospering
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成功,兴旺( prosper的现在分词 ) | |
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confiscated
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没收,充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
brotherhood
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n.兄弟般的关系,手中情谊 | |
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57
enjoyment
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n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
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58
noted
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adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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minor
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adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修 | |
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60
blessings
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n.(上帝的)祝福( blessing的名词复数 );好事;福分;因祸得福 | |
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61
contingency
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n.意外事件,可能性 | |
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62
folly
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n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
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consolation
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n.安慰,慰问 | |
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prospect
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n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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creases
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(使…)起折痕,弄皱( crease的第三人称单数 ); (皮肤)皱起,使起皱纹 | |
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66
plunged
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v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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67
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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appalled
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v.使惊骇,使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的;丧胆的 | |
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69
refinement
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n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
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70
poise
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vt./vi. 平衡,保持平衡;n.泰然自若,自信 | |
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vice
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n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
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inevitable
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adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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incapable
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adj.无能力的,不能做某事的 | |
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horrid
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adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的 | |
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continental
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adj.大陆的,大陆性的,欧洲大陆的 | |
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morbidly
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adv.病态地 | |
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77
plank
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n.板条,木板,政策要点,政纲条目 | |
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deluded
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v.欺骗,哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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savage
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adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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80
slain
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杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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spartan
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adj.简朴的,刻苦的;n.斯巴达;斯巴达式的人 | |
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killing
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n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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yoke
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n.轭;支配;v.给...上轭,连接,使成配偶 | |
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scruple
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n./v.顾忌,迟疑 | |
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abruptly
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adv.突然地,出其不意地 | |
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equilibrium
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n.平衡,均衡,相称,均势,平静 | |
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amazement
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n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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ego
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n.自我,自己,自尊 | |
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