Quitting the boisterous2 deck of the steamer, and pulling towards the shores of Arabia, a cluster of barren rocks, which might fitly be likened to heaps of fused coal out of a glass furnace, present an appearance very far from inviting4 or prepossessing. They are little relieved by a few straggling cadjan buildings, temporarily occupied by those whose avocations5 enable them, during the summer months, to fly the intolerable heat of the oven-like town. But under the roof of Captain Stafford Haines, who fills the honourable6 and responsible post of Political Agent, there awaited the embassy, on its landing, a hospitality of no ordinary stamp. It literally7 knew no bounds, and could not fail to obliterate8 at once any unfavourable first impression arising out of the desolate9 aspect bestowed10 by Dame11 Nature upon “Steamer Point.”
A volunteer escort of European artillerymen was yet to be obtained from the garrison12 of Aden; horses, too, were to be purchased, and sundry13 other indispensable preparations made for the coming journey into the interior of Africa. During a full week there seemed no termination to the influx14 of bags containing dates, rice, and juwarree, and scarcely a shorter period was occupied in the selection from the government treasury15 of many thousand star-dollars of the reign16 of Maria Theresa, displaying, each in its turn, all the multifarious marks and tokens most esteemed17 by the capricious savage18. Neither was the bustle19 one whit20 diminished by the remote position of the town, which, unless through the kindness of friends, is only to be attained21 on the back of one of the many diminutive22 donkeys stationed along the beach for the convenience of the stranger. Encumbered23 with a straw-stuffed pack-saddle far exceeding its own dimensions, the wretched quadruped is zealously24 bastinadoed into a painful amble25 by the heavy club of some juvenile26 Israelite with flowing auburn ringlets, whose chubby27 freckled28 cheeks, influenced by the sultry sun no less than by the incessant29 manual labour employed, are wont30 to assume a strangely excited appearance ere the journey be at an end.
Along the entire coast of Southern Arabia, there is not a more remarkable31 feature than the lofty promontory32 of Aden, which has been flung up from the bed of the ocean, and in its formation is altogether volcanic33. The Arab historian (Masudi) of the tenth century, after speaking of the volcanoes of Sicily and in the kingdom of the Maha Raj, alludes34 to it as existing in the desert of Barhut, adjacent to the province of Nasafan and Hadramaut, in the country of Shaher. “Its sound, like the rumbling35 of thunder, might then be heard many miles, and from its entrails were vomited36 forth37 red-hot stones with a flood of liquid fire.” The skeleton of the long-exhausted crater38, once, in all probability, a nearly perfect circle, now exhibits a horse-shoe-shaped crescent, hemmed39 in by splintered crags, which, viewed from the turreted40 summit of Jebel Shemshán especially, whence the eye ranges over the entire peninsula, presents the wildest chaos41 of rock, ruin, and desolation.
From the landing-place at Ras Marbut, a tortuous42 track of five miles conducts past the coal-dep?t and Seedie location, along various curvatures of the arid43 coast, to the cantonment and town of Aden. “Sublime in barrenness,” the rugged44 and lofty cliffs pile themselves upward in masses of the most fantastic shape, now bare and bald, shooting into perpendicular45 spires46, and now leaning over the caravan47 of heavily-laden camels that toil48 along the path. The sunshine of perpetual summer reigns49 throughout the scene. Glittering sand-hills slumber50 in breezy dimness around the land-locked harbour, and over the faint peaks of Yemen’s distant mountains the unclouded sky floats bright and blue. The sparkling waters leap against the dark base of the naked islets; but the wide glassy surface beyond, reposing51 like a broad lake, is only ruffled52 by the circling eddy53 which follows the sportive plash of the bottle-nosed porpoise54, or the pluming55 of a fleet of silver-winged terns, riding quietly at anchor on its tranquil56 bosom57. As the road retires from the beach, the honey-combed cliff’s assume the similitude of massive wads and battlements, every where pierced with loopholes and embrasures. A gradual ascent58 leads through a craggy portal, bristling59 with cannon60, and guarded by the pacing sentinel. One narrow rift61 in the solid rock, to the foot of which the sun rarely penetrates62, forms an abrupt63 division in the chain, and beyond it the eye suddenly embraces the basin-like valley wherein stands the decayed capital of Arabia Felix.
“Aden,” saith old Ibn Batuta of Tangiers, “is situate upon the sea-shore—a large city, without either seed, water, or tree.” Five hundred years have elapsed since this graphic64 account was penned, and the vegetation has in nowise improved. An amphitheatre of dimensions sufficient for the Devil’s punch-bowl is formed by two volcanic ranges, once in connection, but obviously rent asunder65, heaved outwards66, and canted in opposite directions by some violent eruption67 that has forced an opening to the ocean. A sterility68 which is not to be surpassed invests the scene with an aspect most repulsive69 and forbidding. No tree varies the dreary70 prospect71, no shrub72 relieves the eye, not even a flower lends its aid to enliven the wild and gloomy hollow, the fittest refuge that the imagination could picture for the lawless and the desperate. Fortifications are to be traced on every point either liable to assault or eligible73 for defence: ruined castles and watch-towers perched on the highest elevations74 of the precipitous hills stand the now inaccessible75 guardians76 of other days; and even the limited view to seaward, where the passing white sail of a small coasting craft, or the catamaran of the amphibious fisherman may occasionally be seen, is partially77 screened by a triangular78 rock, which frowns like a great spectre over the inner harbour. Seerah, “the fortified79 black islet,” is said to have been the residence of Cain, “the first born of a woman,” after the murder of his brother Abel; and, verily, it would be difficult to devise a more appropriate exile for the banished80 fratricide. Hurled81 into the sea by a convulsive shock, it is surrounded by pumice and by currents of obsidian82, the products of volcanic emission83, strewed84 among vast undulating waves of cavernous lava85, or mingled86 with black masses of porous87 rock, which bear evidence of fusion88, and yield to the touch a metallic89 sound.
Sterility has indeed claimed this dreary region as her own; and even in the more productive portions of the peninsula, little verdure is derived90 from the almost leafless Beshám, the Balsamodendron Opobalsamum, a dwarf91 shrub, which, according to the Arab tradition, formed a part of the present carried to King Solomon by the Queen of Sheba from the aromatic92 regions of myrrh and frankincense. Where incisions93 are made in its stem, the far-famed Balm of Mecca flows copiously94, but the volatile95 oil quickly evaporating, leaves a tasteless insipid96 gum. Nursed by no periodical shower and by no hidden spring, the precious plant, scorched97 by a withering98 blast, derives99 its only moisture from the mists which envelope the mountain-top, when all is sunshine below.
Among the most singular features of the Cape is the supply of water, which is found only in the valley of Aden, close under the cliffs, and at the openings of the fissures100 from the steppes above. Here, piercing to a great depth through the solid rock, are upwards101 of one hundred wells; many dilapidated and choked up, but others yielding an abundant and unfailing supply. Whence or in what manner they are fed it is extremely difficult to conjecture102. All near the beach are bad, and more or less brackish103; some are sensibly affected104 by the tides, and very saline; whilst of those which afford sweet water, one only is visibly acted upon by some lower spring. It is excavated105 at the entrance of a dark gorge106 rent by some violent convulsion in the rugged bosom of Shemshán, and the surface, which is in a state of constant commotion107, remains108 at the same level, although daily drawn109 upon from morning till night for the supply of thousands.
The almost total absence of the vegetable kingdom considered, it is not surprising that there should exist also a palpable deficiency in the animal creation. In perhaps no other quarter of the universe are the sparrow and the crow such perfect strangers. The pigeon, the fox, and the rat, divide the sovereignty of the rocky cleft110; and the serrated heights are held without a rival by a garrison of monkeys. With these long-tailed occupants of the tower-capped pinnacles111 are connected wondrous112 superstitions113, and an Aden tradition, extant throughout Southern Arabia, would exalt114 them into the remnant of the once-powerful tribe of Ad, “a people great, and strong, and tall,” who are believed to have been metamorphosed into apes, in token of the displeasure of Heaven, when Sheddád, “the king of the world,” illustrious in the annals of the East, impiously sought, in defiance115 of the prophet H?d, to create unto himself a garden which should rival the Celestial116 Paradise. The Bostán el Irem, with its gorgeous palaces and shining domes117, the similitude whereof had never been constructed on the regions of the earth, is said to be yet standing118 in the solitary119 deserts of Aden, although miraculously120 concealed121 from mortal ken3. Within the silent walls of its lofty towers did Abdállah ibn Aboo Kelaba pass his night of wonder during the reign of Moawiyeh, Prince of the Faithful; and it is believed by every good Moslem122 that this marvellous fabric123 of human skill and impiety124, which finds a record in the sacred Korán, will endure until the Last Day, an imperishable, but rarely revealed monument of Divine retribution.
Note 1. Lieutenant125 J.C. Cruttenden, assistant to the Political Agent at Aden, heard the same version repeated at Saana, the capital of Yemen, which far-famed city he has been the first European to visit, since the days of Niebuhr.
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1 cape | |
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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2 boisterous | |
adj.喧闹的,欢闹的 | |
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3 ken | |
n.视野,知识领域 | |
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4 inviting | |
adj.诱人的,引人注目的 | |
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5 avocations | |
n.业余爱好,嗜好( avocation的名词复数 );职业 | |
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6 honourable | |
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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7 literally | |
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实 | |
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8 obliterate | |
v.擦去,涂抹,去掉...痕迹,消失,除去 | |
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9 desolate | |
adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;v.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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10 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11 dame | |
n.女士 | |
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12 garrison | |
n.卫戍部队;驻地,卫戍区;vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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13 sundry | |
adj.各式各样的,种种的 | |
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14 influx | |
n.流入,注入 | |
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15 treasury | |
n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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16 reign | |
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势 | |
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17 esteemed | |
adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 );敬重;认为;以为 | |
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18 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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19 bustle | |
v.喧扰地忙乱,匆忙,奔忙;n.忙碌;喧闹 | |
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20 whit | |
n.一点,丝毫 | |
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21 attained | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
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22 diminutive | |
adj.小巧可爱的,小的 | |
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23 encumbered | |
v.妨碍,阻碍,拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24 zealously | |
adv.热心地;热情地;积极地;狂热地 | |
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25 amble | |
vi.缓行,漫步 | |
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26 juvenile | |
n.青少年,少年读物;adj.青少年的,幼稚的 | |
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27 chubby | |
adj.丰满的,圆胖的 | |
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28 freckled | |
adj.雀斑;斑点;晒斑;(使)生雀斑v.雀斑,斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29 incessant | |
adj.不停的,连续的 | |
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30 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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31 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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32 promontory | |
n.海角;岬 | |
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33 volcanic | |
adj.火山的;象火山的;由火山引起的 | |
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34 alludes | |
提及,暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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35 rumbling | |
n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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36 vomited | |
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37 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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38 crater | |
n.火山口,弹坑 | |
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39 hemmed | |
缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 ); 包围 | |
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40 turreted | |
a.(像炮塔般)旋转式的 | |
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41 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
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42 tortuous | |
adj.弯弯曲曲的,蜿蜒的 | |
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43 arid | |
adj.干旱的;(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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44 rugged | |
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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45 perpendicular | |
adj.垂直的,直立的;n.垂直线,垂直的位置 | |
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46 spires | |
n.(教堂的) 塔尖,尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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47 caravan | |
n.大蓬车;活动房屋 | |
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48 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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49 reigns | |
n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 );君主统治时期;任期;当政期 | |
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50 slumber | |
n.睡眠,沉睡状态 | |
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51 reposing | |
v.将(手臂等)靠在某人(某物)上( repose的现在分词 ) | |
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52 ruffled | |
adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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53 eddy | |
n.漩涡,涡流 | |
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54 porpoise | |
n.鼠海豚 | |
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55 pluming | |
用羽毛装饰(plume的现在分词形式) | |
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56 tranquil | |
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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57 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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58 ascent | |
n.(声望或地位)提高;上升,升高;登高 | |
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59 bristling | |
a.竖立的 | |
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60 cannon | |
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮 | |
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61 rift | |
n.裂口,隙缝,切口;v.裂开,割开,渗入 | |
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62 penetrates | |
v.穿过( penetrate的第三人称单数 );刺入;了解;渗透 | |
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63 abrupt | |
adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的 | |
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64 graphic | |
adj.生动的,形象的,绘画的,文字的,图表的 | |
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65 asunder | |
adj.分离的,化为碎片 | |
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66 outwards | |
adj.外面的,公开的,向外的;adv.向外;n.外形 | |
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67 eruption | |
n.火山爆发;(战争等)爆发;(疾病等)发作 | |
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68 sterility | |
n.不生育,不结果,贫瘠,消毒,无菌 | |
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69 repulsive | |
adj.排斥的,使人反感的 | |
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70 dreary | |
adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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71 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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72 shrub | |
n.灌木,灌木丛 | |
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73 eligible | |
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
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74 elevations | |
(水平或数量)提高( elevation的名词复数 ); 高地; 海拔; 提升 | |
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75 inaccessible | |
adj.达不到的,难接近的 | |
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76 guardians | |
监护人( guardian的名词复数 ); 保护者,维护者 | |
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77 partially | |
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
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78 triangular | |
adj.三角(形)的,三者间的 | |
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79 fortified | |
adj. 加强的 | |
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80 banished | |
v.放逐,驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81 hurled | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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82 obsidian | |
n.黑曜石 | |
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83 emission | |
n.发出物,散发物;发出,散发 | |
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84 strewed | |
v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 );散落于;点缀;撒满 | |
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85 lava | |
n.熔岩,火山岩 | |
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86 mingled | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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87 porous | |
adj.可渗透的,多孔的 | |
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88 fusion | |
n.溶化;熔解;熔化状态,熔和;熔接 | |
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89 metallic | |
adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 | |
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90 derived | |
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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91 dwarf | |
n.矮子,侏儒,矮小的动植物;vt.使…矮小 | |
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92 aromatic | |
adj.芳香的,有香味的 | |
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93 incisions | |
n.切开,切口( incision的名词复数 ) | |
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94 copiously | |
adv.丰富地,充裕地 | |
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95 volatile | |
adj.反复无常的,挥发性的,稍纵即逝的,脾气火爆的;n.挥发性物质 | |
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96 insipid | |
adj.无味的,枯燥乏味的,单调的 | |
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97 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 | |
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98 withering | |
使人畏缩的,使人害羞的,使人难堪的 | |
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99 derives | |
v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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100 fissures | |
n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 );裂伤;分歧;分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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101 upwards | |
adv.向上,在更高处...以上 | |
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102 conjecture | |
n./v.推测,猜测 | |
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103 brackish | |
adj.混有盐的;咸的 | |
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104 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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105 excavated | |
v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 );开凿;挖出;发掘 | |
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106 gorge | |
n.咽喉,胃,暴食,山峡;v.塞饱,狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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107 commotion | |
n.骚动,动乱 | |
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108 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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109 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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110 cleft | |
n.裂缝;adj.裂开的 | |
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111 pinnacles | |
顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 ); 顶点; 尖顶; 小尖塔 | |
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112 wondrous | |
adj.令人惊奇的,奇妙的;adv.惊人地;异乎寻常地;令人惊叹地 | |
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113 superstitions | |
迷信,迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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114 exalt | |
v.赞扬,歌颂,晋升,提升 | |
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115 defiance | |
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗 | |
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116 celestial | |
adj.天体的;天上的 | |
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117 domes | |
n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 );像圆屋顶一样的东西;圆顶体育场 | |
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118 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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119 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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120 miraculously | |
ad.奇迹般地 | |
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121 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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122 Moslem | |
n.回教徒,穆罕默德信徒;adj.回教徒的,回教的 | |
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123 fabric | |
n.织物,织品,布;构造,结构,组织 | |
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124 impiety | |
n.不敬;不孝 | |
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125 lieutenant | |
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员 | |
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