With September came the frosts—fifty degrees below zero. The snow lay everywhere—crisp and dazzling. There was daylight for three or four hours only; the remainder of the time it was night. The sky was lowering, and brooded darkly over the earth. There was a tense hush8 and stillness, only broken in September by the lowing of mating elks9. In December came the mournful, sinister10 howling of the wolves; for the rest of the time—a deep, dreadful, overpowering silence! A silence that can be found only in the wastelands of the world.
A village stood on the hill by the river.
The bare slope descended11 to the water's edge, a grey-brown granite12, and white slatey clay, steep, beaten by wind and rain. Clumsy discoloured boats were anchored to the bank. The river was broad, dark, and cold, its surface broken by sombre, choppy, bluish waves. Here and there the grey silhouettes13 of huts were visible; their high, projecting, boarded roofs were covered by greenish lichen. The windows were shuttered. Nets dried close by. It was the abode14 of hunters who went long excursions into the forests in winter, to fight the wild beasts.
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1
bogs
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n.沼泽,泥塘( bog的名词复数 );厕所v.(使)陷入泥沼, (使)陷入困境( bog的第三人称单数 );妨碍,阻碍 | |
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2
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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3
lichen
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n.地衣, 青苔 | |
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4
cedars
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雪松,西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 ) | |
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5
alders
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n.桤木( alder的名词复数 ) | |
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6
pungent
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adj.(气味、味道)刺激性的,辛辣的;尖锐的 | |
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7
glades
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n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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8
hush
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int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静 | |
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9
elks
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n.麋鹿( elk的名词复数 ) | |
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10
sinister
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adj.不吉利的,凶恶的,左边的 | |
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11
descended
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a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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12
granite
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adj.花岗岩,花岗石 | |
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13
silhouettes
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轮廓( silhouette的名词复数 ); (人的)体形; (事物的)形状; 剪影 | |
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14
abode
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n.住处,住所 | |
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