A more singular contrast of good and evil was perhaps never presented than in the person and administration of the Christian2 despot. Avarice3, suspicion, caprice, duplicity, and superstition4, appear to form the basis of his chequered character, and his every act exhibits a proportion of meanness and selfishness, linked with a desire to appear munificent5. Yet are these radically6 bad ingredients tempered and concealed7 by some amiable8 and excellent qualities. His virtues9 are many as they are conspicuous10: his faults entail11 harm chiefly upon himself; and the appropriation12 of the greater portion of his hours might be held up as a worthy13 pattern for imitation.
During the entire forenoon of every day in the week, the Sabbath and Saturday excepted, which latter, as a remnant of Jewish religion, is universally reverenced14, is he engaged in public affairs—in trying appeals, and in deciding suits which are brought from all quarters of his dominions15. Notwithstanding the impediments offered by a weak constitution, and by many bodily infirmities prematurely16 brought on by excess, he leads a life of constant activity, and, both as respects his public and his private avocations17, stands greatly distinguished18 above other Abyssinian rulers, who too justly incur19 the reproach of idleness and perpetual debauchery.
After the religious performance of his matin devotions, the king inspects his stables and workshops, bestows20 charity upon the assembled poor, despatches couriers, and accords private audiences of importance. Then reclining in state upon the throne, he listens for hours to all appeals brought against the decisions of his judges, and adjusts in public the tangled21 disputes and controversies22 of his subjects. Here access is easy. Sáhela Selássie listens to all, foreigners or natives, men and women, rich and poor. Every one possesses the right to appear before him, and boldly to explain the nature of his case; and although the established usage of the land compels the subject to prostrate23 himself, and to pay rather adoration24 than respect, yet may he urge his complaint without the least hesitation25 or timidity. Judgment26 is always prompt, and generally correct; nor will the observer be less struck with the calmness and placidity27 that mark the royal demeanour in the midst of the most boisterous28 discussions, than at the method and perspicuity29 with which such manifold affairs are disposed of; and whilst thus receiving the most favourable30 impression of His Majesty31’s capacity for the transaction of business, a parallel might be drawn32 between his demeanour and that of many more civilised monarchs33, which would be flattering to the semi-barbarous ruler of Shoa.
At three o’clock the king proceeds to dine alone; and no sooner is the royal appetite appeased35, than the doors are thrown open, and the long table in the great banqueting-hall is crowded with distinguished warriors36 and guests. Harpers and fiddlers perform during the entire entertainment, and singers lift up their voices in praise of the munificence37 and liberality of their sovereign, who, during all this scene of confusion and turmoil38, still continues to peruse39 letters or to issue instructions, until the board has been thrice replenished40 and as often cleared, and until all of a certain rank have freely partaken of his hospitality. At five he retires with a few of those who enjoy the largest share of intimacy41, to the private apartments. Prayers and potent42 liquors fill up the evening hours, and the company depart, leaving the favourite page who is made the bearer of the royal commands.
Midnight calls His Majesty from his couch to the perusal43 of psalms44 and sacred writings. A band of sturdy priests in the antechamber continue during the livelong night to chant a noisy chorus of hymns45 to preserve his slumbers46 from the influence of evil spirits or apparitions47, and daylight brings a repetition of the busy scene, which is diversified48 by exercise on horseback, whenever leisure and the fickle49 sky will permit. Making excursions with from four to five hundred mounted followers50, it is then his wont51 to sit for hours on the splashy banks of some sequestered52 brook53, conversing54 familiarly with those about him, witnessing the exercise of his stud, and devoting every spare moment to the numerous petitioners55 who crowd with complaints around the royal person.
Dreading56 the fate of his father, the monarch34 never stirs from his threshold without a pistol concealed under his girdle along with his favourite amulet57, in which he reposes58 implicit59 faith and reliance. His couch is nightly surrounded by tried and trusty warriors, endeared to his person by munificence displayed to no other class of his subjects, whilst the gates of the palace are barred after the going down of the sun, and stoutly60 guarded.
The principal officers of the royal household, and those most confided61 in by the suspicious monarch, are the eunuchs. Ayto Baimoot, their late chief, was specially62 charged with the royal harem, in all its branches, as well as with the establishment of slaves. Long faithfully attached to his indulgent master, he was, whilst he lived, the king’s only intimate counsellor, and was never separated from his person.
Next in order is the herald63, or Dech Agafári, who, in addition to the important duties already detailed64, is the channel through whom all new appointments by the crown and all royal edicts and proclamations are published to the nation. Armed with a rod of green rushes, he ushers65 into the presence-chamber all officials, strangers, and visitors, introducing at the appointed time those who have complaints or representations to lay at the footstool of the throne. He is the Alaka of all who have any boon66 to crave67, and is in charge of the host of pages and younger sons of the nobility who attend upon the king—is in general master of the ceremonies on occasions of state or pageant68, and introduces guests who may be invited to the banquet.
The keys of the royal library are in the custody69 of the chief of the Church, the Alaka Wolda Georgis, a layman70 and a soldier, who was elevated to the exalted71 post he occupies in direct violation72 of the established usage of the country. The office of chief smith and Alaka of all the tabiban, “wise people,” or handicraftsmen, throughout the realm, and of Body Physician, are concentrated in the person of Ayto Habti, who must freely partake of all drugs that are to be administered to the king, and, with the Commander-in-Chief of the Body-Guard, the Master of the Horse, and the dwarf73 Father Confessor, be in constant attendance upon His Majesty.
As well from religious as from worldly motives74, Sáhela Selássie entertains a vast number of pensioners75, who receive dirgo, or daily rations76, in various proportions—some being limited to dry bread, whilst others extend to mead77, the greatest luxury which the country can afford. The distribution of this maintenance comes exclusively within the province of the Purveyor-General, the food being prepared in the royal kitchen by the numerous slaves, who, shame to the Christian monarch, compose the entire household establishment. All foreigners and visitors receive it; and, in addition to about one thousand of this class, there are many besides who possess the privilege of always dining at the royal table.
Making munificent donations to churches and monasteries78, the king stands in high odour with the fanatic79 clergy80, and thus enjoys the advantage of their influence over the priest-ridden population, whom he rules principally through the church; and, never undertaking81 any project without consulting some of its members, is in turn much swayed by their exhortations82, prophecies, dreams, and visions. Strongly attached to the Christianity of Ethiopia, which abounds83 in Jewish prejudices, he is still far from being intolerant. According to the best of his uncultivated ideas he encourages letters, and spends considerable sums of money in collecting ancient manuscripts. Possessing natural talents and shrewdness, which have been improved by the rudiments84 of education, he rules his hereditary85 dominions with tact86 and advantage; and might, had his energies been properly directed, have shone one of the greatest potentates87 that ever wielded88 the sceptre in the now disorganised empire.
Were the active life of Sáhela Selássie guided by superior principles—could he be brought to despise petty things, and to sink the details of unimportant affairs in matters of greater moment—how wealthy and powerful a monarch might he not still become! He would have time at command to plan truly royal projects; and, possessed89 as he is of means the most ample, would find leisure to carry through his designs. Although, like other rulers of Abyssinia, he is ever entertaining some project of aggrandisement, his mind is yet filled with trifles, and not sufficiently90 expanded to mature a plan of operations upon an extended scale. Precluded91 by want of liberal education or of intercourse92 with civilised nations, from calculating events, or looking deep into the page of futurity, he lives in fact for little beyond the present day. Old in constitution, though not in years—enfeebled by excess, as well in mind as in body—uncivilised—called early to the throne, and ruling during a long succession of years according to one unvarying system—the dictates93 of his own caprice—he requires some violent impulse, some imminent94 and apparent peril95, to arouse him from the torpor96 of security, to stimulate97 his latent energies to greater exertion98, and to induce him temporarily to sacrifice a portion of his idolised gold, in order to reap a harvest five hundred fold.
From the merciful hand of this unique specimen99 of absolute authority, the sceptre falls lightly upon the head of the offender100. “I have before mine eyes the fear of God,” is his frequent exclamation101 when passing the extreme sentence of the law. Guilty of none of the cruelties or enormities which stain most of the other rulers of Abyssinia—accessible, not easily offended, even-tempered, patient in his investigations102, mild and usually just in his despotism—he is universally adored in his own dominions, rather through love than through fear. The oath by the life of the king is the only binding103 obligation in the land; and from the general success of his military expeditions, he is feared and respected by all the adjacent tribes. Conducting himself with that easy freedom which generally distinguishes conscious superiority, his demeanour is dignified104 and commanding; and the appearance of the half-civilised Christian savage105, who sways the destinies of millions in the heart of heathen Africa, would proclaim his high descent even in the courts of Europe.
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1 reigning | |
adj.统治的,起支配作用的 | |
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2 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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3 avarice | |
n.贪婪;贪心 | |
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4 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
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5 munificent | |
adj.慷慨的,大方的 | |
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6 radically | |
ad.根本地,本质地 | |
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7 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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8 amiable | |
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
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9 virtues | |
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 | |
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10 conspicuous | |
adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的 | |
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11 entail | |
vt.使承担,使成为必要,需要 | |
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12 appropriation | |
n.拨款,批准支出 | |
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13 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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14 reverenced | |
v.尊敬,崇敬( reverence的过去式和过去分词 );敬礼 | |
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15 dominions | |
统治权( dominion的名词复数 ); 领土; 疆土; 版图 | |
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16 prematurely | |
adv.过早地,贸然地 | |
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17 avocations | |
n.业余爱好,嗜好( avocation的名词复数 );职业 | |
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18 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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19 incur | |
vt.招致,蒙受,遭遇 | |
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20 bestows | |
赠给,授予( bestow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21 tangled | |
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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22 controversies | |
争论 | |
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23 prostrate | |
v.拜倒,平卧,衰竭;adj.拜倒的,平卧的,衰竭的 | |
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24 adoration | |
n.爱慕,崇拜 | |
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25 hesitation | |
n.犹豫,踌躇 | |
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26 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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27 placidity | |
n.平静,安静,温和 | |
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28 boisterous | |
adj.喧闹的,欢闹的 | |
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29 perspicuity | |
n.(文体的)明晰 | |
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30 favourable | |
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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31 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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32 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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33 monarchs | |
君主,帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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34 monarch | |
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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35 appeased | |
安抚,抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 ); 绥靖(满足另一国的要求以避免战争) | |
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36 warriors | |
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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37 munificence | |
n.宽宏大量,慷慨给与 | |
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38 turmoil | |
n.骚乱,混乱,动乱 | |
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39 peruse | |
v.细读,精读 | |
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40 replenished | |
补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 ); 重新装满 | |
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41 intimacy | |
n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行 | |
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42 potent | |
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
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43 perusal | |
n.细读,熟读;目测 | |
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44 psalms | |
n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 );圣诗;圣歌;(中的) | |
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45 hymns | |
n.赞美诗,圣歌,颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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46 slumbers | |
睡眠,安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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47 apparitions | |
n.特异景象( apparition的名词复数 );幽灵;鬼;(特异景象等的)出现 | |
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48 diversified | |
adj.多样化的,多种经营的v.使多样化,多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 );进入新的商业领域 | |
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49 fickle | |
adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的,不坚定的 | |
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50 followers | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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51 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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52 sequestered | |
adj.扣押的;隐退的;幽静的;偏僻的v.使隔绝,使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 );扣押 | |
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53 brook | |
n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让 | |
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54 conversing | |
v.交谈,谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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55 petitioners | |
n.请求人,请愿人( petitioner的名词复数 );离婚案原告 | |
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56 dreading | |
v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的现在分词 ) | |
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57 amulet | |
n.护身符 | |
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58 reposes | |
v.将(手臂等)靠在某人(某物)上( repose的第三人称单数 ) | |
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59 implicit | |
a.暗示的,含蓄的,不明晰的,绝对的 | |
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60 stoutly | |
adv.牢固地,粗壮的 | |
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61 confided | |
v.吐露(秘密,心事等)( confide的过去式和过去分词 );(向某人)吐露(隐私、秘密等) | |
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62 specially | |
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地 | |
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63 herald | |
vt.预示...的来临,预告,宣布,欢迎 | |
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64 detailed | |
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的 | |
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65 ushers | |
n.引座员( usher的名词复数 );招待员;门房;助理教员v.引,领,陪同( usher的第三人称单数 ) | |
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66 boon | |
n.恩赐,恩物,恩惠 | |
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67 crave | |
vt.渴望得到,迫切需要,恳求,请求 | |
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68 pageant | |
n.壮观的游行;露天历史剧 | |
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69 custody | |
n.监护,照看,羁押,拘留 | |
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70 layman | |
n.俗人,门外汉,凡人 | |
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71 exalted | |
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
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72 violation | |
n.违反(行为),违背(行为),侵犯 | |
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73 dwarf | |
n.矮子,侏儒,矮小的动植物;vt.使…矮小 | |
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74 motives | |
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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75 pensioners | |
n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 ) | |
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76 rations | |
定量( ration的名词复数 ); 配给量; 正常量; 合理的量 | |
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77 mead | |
n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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78 monasteries | |
修道院( monastery的名词复数 ) | |
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79 fanatic | |
n.狂热者,入迷者;adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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80 clergy | |
n.[总称]牧师,神职人员 | |
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81 undertaking | |
n.保证,许诺,事业 | |
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82 exhortations | |
n.敦促( exhortation的名词复数 );极力推荐;(正式的)演讲;(宗教仪式中的)劝诫 | |
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83 abounds | |
v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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84 rudiments | |
n.基础知识,入门 | |
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85 hereditary | |
adj.遗传的,遗传性的,可继承的,世袭的 | |
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86 tact | |
n.机敏,圆滑,得体 | |
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87 potentates | |
n.君主,统治者( potentate的名词复数 );有权势的人 | |
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88 wielded | |
手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的过去式和过去分词 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响) | |
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89 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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90 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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91 precluded | |
v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 );排除;妨碍;使…行不通 | |
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92 intercourse | |
n.性交;交流,交往,交际 | |
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93 dictates | |
n.命令,规定,要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 );口授;支配;摆布 | |
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94 imminent | |
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的 | |
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95 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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96 torpor | |
n.迟钝;麻木;(动物的)冬眠 | |
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97 stimulate | |
vt.刺激,使兴奋;激励,使…振奋 | |
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98 exertion | |
n.尽力,努力 | |
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99 specimen | |
n.样本,标本 | |
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100 offender | |
n.冒犯者,违反者,犯罪者 | |
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101 exclamation | |
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词 | |
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102 investigations | |
(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究 | |
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103 binding | |
有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的 | |
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104 dignified | |
a.可敬的,高贵的 | |
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105 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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