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CHAPTER TEN TABLE
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       TWO DAYS HAD PASSED AND GENDIBAL FOUND HIMSELF NOT SO MUCH heavyhearted as enraged1. There was no reason why there could not have been an immediate2 hearing. Had he been unprepared--had he needed time--they would have forced an immediate hearing on him, he was sure.
 
                But since there was nothing more facing the Second Foundation than the greatest crisis since the Mule3, they wasted time--and to no purpose but to irritate him.
 
                Theydid irritate him and, by Seldon, that would make his counterstroke the heavier. He was determined4 on that.
 
                He looked about him. The anteroom was empty. It had been like that for two days now. He was a marked man, a Speaker whom all knew would--by means of an action unprecedented6 in the five-century history of the Second Foundation--soon lose his position. He would be demoted to the ranks, demoted to the position of a Second Foundationer, plain and simple.
 
                It was one thing, however--and a very honored thing--to be a Second Foundationer of the ranks, particularly if one held a respectable title, as Gendibal might even after the impeachment8. It would be quite another thing to have once been a Speaker and to have been demoted.
 
                It won’t happen though, thought Gendibal savagely9, even though for two days he had been avoided. Only Sura Novi treated him as before, but she was too nave10 to understand the situation. To her, Gendibal was still “Master.”
 
                It irritated Gendibal that he found a certain comfort in this. He felt ashamed when he began to notice that his spirits rose when he noticed her gazing at him worshipfully. Was he becoming grateful for giftsthat small?
 
                A clerk emerged from the Chamber11 to tell him that the Table was ready for him and Gendibal stalked in. The clerk was one Gendibal knew well; he was one who knew--to the tiniest fraction--the precise gradation of civility that each Speaker deserved. At the moment, that accorded Gendibal was appallingly12 low. Even the clerk thought him as good as convicted.
 
                They were all sitting about the Table gravely, wearing the black robes of judgment13. First Speaker Shandess looked a bit uncomfortable, but he did not allow his face to crease14 into the smallest touch of friendliness15. Delarmi--one of the three Speakers who were women--did not even look at him.
 
                The First Speaker said, “Speaker Stor Gendibal, you have been impeached16 for behaving in a manner unbecoming a Speaker. You have, before us all, accused the Table--vaguely and without evidence--of treason and attempted murder. You have implied that all Second Foundationers--including the Speakers and the First Speaker--require a thorough mental analysis to ascertain17 who among them are no longer to be trusted. Such behavior breaks the bonds of community, without which the Second Foundation cannot control an intricate and potentially hostile Galaxy18 and without which they cannot build, with surety, a viable19 Second Empire.
 
                “Since we have all witnessed those offenses21, we will forego the presentation of a formal case for the prosecution22. We will therefore move directly to the next stage. Speaker Stor Gendibal, do you have a defense23?”
 
                Now Delarmi--still not looking at him--allowed herself a small catlike smile.
 
                Gendibal said, “If truth be considered a defense, I have one. Thereare grounds for suspecting a breach24 of security. That breach may involve the mental control of one or more Second Foundationers--not excluding members here present--and this has created a deadly crisis for the Second Foundation. If, indeed, you hasten this trial because you cannot waste time, you may all perhaps dimly recognize the seriousness of the crisis, but in that case, why have you wasted two days after I had formally requested an immediate trial? I submit that it is this deadly crisis that has forced me to say what I have said. I would have behaved in a manner unbecoming a Speaker --had Inot done so.”
 
                “He but repeats the offense20, First Speaker,” said Delarmi softly.
 
                Gendibal’s seat was further removed from the Table than that of the others--a clear demotion already. He pushed it farther back, a5 though he cared nothing for that, and rose.
 
                He said, “Will you convict me now, out of hand, in defiance25 of law--or may I present my defense in detail?”
 
                The First Speaker said, “This is not a lawless assemblage, Speaker. Without much in fine way of precedent7 to guide us, we will lean in your direction, recognizing that if our too-human abilities should cause us to deviate26 from absolute justice, it is better to allow the guilty to go free than to convict the innocent. Therefore, although the case before us is so grave that we may not lightly allow the guilty to go free, we will permit you to present your case in such manner as you wish and for as long as you require, until it is decided27 by unanimous vote,including my own ” (and he raised his voice at that phrase) “that enough has been heard.”
 
                Gendibal said, “Let me begin, then, by saying that Golan Trevize --the First Foundationer who has been driven from Terminus and whom the First Speaker and I believe to be the knife-edge of the gathering28 crisis has moved off in an unexpected direction.”
 
                “Point of information,” said Delarmi softly. “How does the speaker” (the intonation29 clearly indicated that the word was not capitalized) “know this?”
 
                “I was informed of this by the First Speaker,” said Gendibal, “but I confirm it of my own knowledge. Under the circumstances, however, considering my suspicions concerning the level of the security of the Chamber, I must be allowed to keep my sources of information secret.”
 
                The First Speaker said, “I will suspend judgment on that. Let us proceed without that item of information but if, in the judgment of the Table, the information must be obtained, Speaker Gendibal will have to yield it.”
 
                Delarmi said, “If the speaker does not yield the information now, it is only fair to say that I assume he has an agent serving him--an agent who is privately30 employed by him and who is not responsible to the Table generally. We cannot be sure that such an agent is obeying the rules of behavior governing Second Foundation personnel.
 
                The First Speaker said with some displeasure, “I see all the implications, Speaker Delarmi. There is no need to spell them out for me.”
 
                “I merely mention it for the record, First Speaker, since this aggravates33 the offense and it is not an item mentioned in the bill of impeachment, which, I would like to say, has not been read in full and to which I move this item be added.”
 
                “The clerk is directed to add the item,” said the First Speaker, “and the precise wording will be adjusted at the appropriate time. --Speaker Gendibal” (he, at least, capitalized) “your defense is indeed a step backward. Continue.”
 
                Gendibal said, “Not only has this Trevize moved in an unexpected direction, but at an unprecedented speed. My information, which the First Speaker does not yet have, is that he has traveled nearly ten thousand parsecs in well under an hour.”
 
                “In a single jump?” said one of the Speakers incredulously.
 
                “In over two dozen jumps, one after the other, with virtually no time intervening,” said Gendibal, “something that is even more difficult to imagine than a single jump. Even if he is now located, it will take time to follow him and, if he detects us and really means to flee us, we will not be able to overtake him. --and you spend your time in games of impeachment and allow two days to pass so that you might savor34 them the more.”
 
                The First Speaker managed to mask his anguish35. “Please tell us, Speaker Gendibal, what you think the significance of this might be.”
 
                “It is an indication, First Speaker, of the technological36 advances that are being made by the First Foundation, who are far more powerful now than they were in the time of Preem Palver. We could not stand up against them if they found us and were free to act.”
 
                Speaker Delarmi rose to her feet. She said, “First Speaker, our time is being wasted with irrelevancies. We are not children to be frightened with tales by Grandmother Spacewarp. It does not matter how impressive the machinery37 of the First Foundation is when, in any crisis, their minds will be in our control.”
 
                “What do you have to say to that, Speaker Gendibal?” asked the First Speaker.
 
                “ Merely that we will come to the matter of minds in due course. For the moment, I merely wish to stress the superior--and increasing technological might of the First Foundation.”
 
                The First Speaker said, “Pass on to the next point, Speaker Gendibal. Your first point, I must tell you, does not impress me as very pertinent38 to the matter contained in the bill of impeachment.”
 
                There was a clear gesture of agreement from the Table generally.
 
                Gendibal said, “I pass on. Trevize has a companion in his present journey” (he paused momentarily to consider pronunciation) “one Janov Pelorat, a rather ineffectual scholar who has devoted39 his life to tracking down myths and legends concerning Earth.”
 
                “You know all this about him? Your hidden source, I presume?” said Delarmi, who had settled into her role of prosecutor40 with a clear feeling of comfort.
 
                “Yes, I know all this about him,” said Gendibal stolidly41. “A few months ago, the Mayor of Terminus, an energetic and capable woman, grew interested in this scholar for no clear reason, and so I grew interested, too, as a matter of course. Nor have I kept this to myself. All the information I have gained has been made available to the First Speaker.”
 
                “I bear witness to that,” said the First Speaker in a low voice.
 
                An elderly Speaker said, “What is this Earth? Is it the world of origin we keep coming across in fables42? The one they made a fuss about in old Imperial times?”
 
                Gendibal nodded. “In the tales of Grandmother Spacewarp, as Speaker Delarmi would say. --I suspect it was Pelorat’s dream to come to Trantor to consult the Galactic Library, in order to find information concerning Earth that he could not obtain in the interstellar library service available on Terminus.
 
                “When he left Terminus with Trevize, he must have been under the impression that that dream was to be fulfilled. Certainly we were expecting the two and counted on having the opportunity to examine them--to our own profit. As it turns out--and as you all know by now--they are not coming. They have turned off to some destination that is not yet clear and for some reason that is not yet known.”
 
                Delarmi’s round face looked positively43 cherubic as she said, “And why is this disturbing? We are no worse off for their absence, surely. Indeed, since they dismiss us so easily, we can deduce that the First Foundation does not know the true nature of Trantor and we can applaud the handiwork of Preem Palver.”
 
                Gendibal said, “If we thought no further, we might indeed come to such a comforting solution. Could if be, though, that the turnoff was not the result of any failure to see the importance of Trantor? Could it be that the turnoff resulted from anxiety lest Trantor, by examining these two men, see the importance of Earth?”
 
                There was a stir about the Table.
 
                “Anyone,” said Delarmi coldly, “can invent formidable--sounding propositions and couch them in balanced sentences. But do they make sense when you do invent them? Why should anyone care what we of the Second Foundation think of Earth? Whether it is the true planet of origin, or whether it is a myth, or whether there is no one place of origin to begin with, is surely something that should interest only historians, anthropologists, and folk-tale collectors, such as this Pelorat of yours. Why us?”
 
                “Why indeed?” said Gendibal. “How is it, then, that there are no references to Earth in the Library?”
 
                For the first time, something in the atmosphere that was other than hostility45 made itself felt about the Table.
 
                Delarmi said, “Aren’t there?”
 
                Gendibal said quite calmly, “When word first reached me that Trevize and Pelorat might be coming here in search of information concerning Earth, I, as a matter of course, had our Library computer make a listing of documents containing such information. I was mildly interested when it turned up nothing. Not minor46 quantities. Not very little. --Nothing?
 
                “But then you insisted I wait for two days before this hearing could take place, and at the same time, my curiosity was further piqued47 by the news that the First Foundationers were not coming here after all. I had to amuse myself somehow. While the rest of you therefore were, as the saying goes, sipping48 wine while the house was falling, I went through some history books in my own possession. I came across passages that specifically mentioned some of the investigations49 on the ‘Origin Question’ in late-Imperial times. Particular documents--both printed and filmed--were referred to and quoted from. I returned to the Library and made a personal check for those documents. I assure you there was nothing.”
 
                Delarmi said, “Even if this is so, it need not be surprising. If Earth is indeed a myth--”
 
                “Then I would find it in mythological50 references. If it were a story of Grandmother Spacewarp, I would find it in the collected tales of Grandmother Spacewarp. If it were a figment of the diseased mind, I would find it under psychopathology. The fact is that something about Earth exists or you would not all have heard of it and, indeed, immediately recognized it as the name of the putative51 planet of origin of the human species. Why, then, is there no reference to it in the Library,anywhere ?”
 
                Delarmi was silent for a moment and another Speaker interposed. He was Leonis Cheng, a rather small man with an encyclopedic knowledge of the minutiae52 of the Seldon Plan and a rather myopic53 attitude toward the actual Galaxy. His eyes tended to blink rapidly when he spoke54.
 
                He said, “It is well known that the Empire in its final days attempted to create an Imperial mystique by soft-pedaling all interest in pre-Imperial times.”
 
                Gendibal nodded. “Soft-pedaled is the precise term, Speaker Cheng. That is not equivalent to destroying evidence. As you should know better than anyone, another characteristic of Imperial decay was a sudden interest in earlier--and presumably better--times. I have just referred to the interest in the ‘Origin Question’ in Hari Seldon’s time.”
 
                Cheng interrupted with a formidable clearing of the throat. “I know this very well, young man, and know far more of these social problems of Imperial decay than you seem to think I do. The process of ‘Imperialization’ overtook these dilettantish55 games concerning Earth. Under Cleon II, during the Empire’s last resurgence56, two centuriesafter Seldon, Imperialization reached its peak and all speculation57 on the question of Earth came to an end. There was even a directive in Cleon’s time concerning this, referring to the interest in such things as (and I think I quote it correctly) ‘stale and unproductive speculation that tends to undermine the people’s love of the Imperial throne.”‘
 
                Gendibal smiled. “Then it was in the time of Cleon II, Speaker Cheng, that you would place the destruction of all reference to Earth?”
 
                “I draw no conclusions. I have simply stated what I have stated.”
 
                “It is shrewd of you to draw no conclusions. By Cleon’s time, the Empire may have been resurgent, but the University and Library, at least, were in our hands or, at any rate, in those of our predecessors58. It would have been impossible for any material to be removed from the Library without the Speakers of the Second Foundation knowing it. In fact, it would have been the Speakers to whom the task would have had to be entrusted60, though the dying Empire would not have known that.”
 
                Gendibal paused, but Cheng, saying nothing, looked over the other’s head.
 
                Gendibal said, “It follows that the Library could not have been emptied of material on Earth during Seldon’s time, since the ‘Origin Question’ was then an active preoccupation. It could not have been emptied afterward61 because the Second Foundation was in charge. Yet the Library is empty of it now. How can this be?”
 
                Delarmi broke in impatiently, “You may stop weaving the dilemma62, Gendibal. We see it. What is it that you suggest as a solution? That you have removed the documents yourself?”
 
                “As usual, Delarmi, you penetrate63 to the heart.” And Gendibal bent64 his head to her in sardonic65 respect (at which she allowed herself a slight lifting of the lip). “One solution is that the cleansing66 was done by a Speaker of the Second Foundation, someone who would know how to use curators without leaving a memory behind --and computers without leaving a record behind:”
 
                First Speaker Shandess turned red. “Ridiculous, Speaker Gendibal. I cannot imagine a Speaker doing this. What would the motivation be? Even if, for some reason, the material on Earth were removed, why keep it from the rest of the Table? Why risk a complete destruction of one’s career by tampering67 with the Library when the chances of its being discovered are so great? Besides, I don’t think that even the most skillful Speaker could perform the task without leaving a trace.”
 
                “Then it must be, First Speaker, that you disagree with Speaker Delarmi in her suggestion that I did it”
 
                “I certainly do,” said the First Speaker. “Sometimes I doubt your judgment, but I have yet to consider you downright insane.”
 
                “Then it must never have happened, First Speaker. The material on Earth must still be in the Library, for we now seem to have eliminated all the possible ways in which it could have been removed--and yet the material is not there.”
 
                Delarmi said with an affectation of weariness, “Well well, let us finish. Again, what is it you suggest as a solution? I am sure you think you have one.”
 
                “If you are sure, Speaker, we may all be sure as well. My suggestion is that the Library was cleansed68 by someone of the Second Foundation who was under the control of a subtle force from outside the Second Foundation. The cleansing went unnoticed because that same force saw to it that it was not noticed.”
 
                Delarmi laughed. “Until you found out. You--the uncontrolled. and uncontrollable. If this mysterious force existed, how didyou find out about the absence of material from the Library? Why weren’t you controlled?”
 
                Gendibal said gravely, “It’s not a laughing matter, Speaker. They feel, that all tampering should be held to a minimum. When my life was in danger a few days ago, I was more concerned with refraining from fiddling69 with a Hamish mind than with protecting myself. So it might be with these others--as soon as they felt it was safe they ceased tampering. That is the danger, the deadly danger. The fact that I could find out what has happened may mean they no longer care that I do. The fact that they no longer care may mean that they feel they have already won. And we continue to play our games here!”
 
                “But what aim do they have in all this? What conceivable aim?” demanded Delarmi, shuffling70 her feet and biting her lips. She felt her power fading as the Table grew more interested--concerned--
 
                Gendibal said, “Consider-- The First Foundation, with its enormous arsenal71 of physical power, is searching for Earth. They pretend to send out two exiles, hoping we will think that is all they are, but would they equip them with ships of unbelievable power--ships that can move ten thousand parsecs in less than an hour--if that was all that they were?
 
                “As for the Second Foundation, we havenot been searching for Earth and, clearly, steps have been takenwithout our knowledge to keep any information of Earth away from us. The First Foundation is now so close to finding Earth and we are so far from doing so, that--”
 
                Gendibal paused and Delarmi said, “That what? Finish your childish tale. Do you know anything or don’t you?”
 
                “I don’t knoweverything , Speaker. I have not penetrated72 the total depth of the web that is encircling us, but I know the web is there. I don’t know what the significance of finding Earth might be, but I am certain the Second Foundation is in enormous danger and, with it, the Seldon Plan and the future of all humanity.”
 
                Delarmi rose to her feet. She was not smiling and she spoke in a tense but tightly controlled voice. “Trash? First Speaker, put an end to this! What is at issue is the accused’s behavior. What he tells us is not only childish but irrelevant73. He cannot extenuate74 his behavior by building a cobwebbery of theories that makes sense only in his own mind. I call for a vote on the matter now--a unanimous vote for conviction.”
 
                “Wait,” said Gendibal sharply. “I have been told I would have an opportunity to defend myself, and there remains75 one more item--one more. Let me present that, and you may proceed to a vote with no further objection from me.”
 
                The First Speaker rubbed his eyes wearily. “You may continue, Speaker Gendibal. Let me point out to the Table that the conviction of an impeached Speaker is so weighty and, indeed, unprecedented an action that we dare not give the appearance of not allowing a full defense. Remember, too, that even if the verdict satisfies us, it may not satisfy those who come after us, and I cannot believe that a Second Foundationer of any level--let alone the Speakers of the Table--would not have a full appreciation76 of the importance of historical perspective. Let us so act that we can be certain of the approval of the Speakers who will follow us in the coming centuries.”
 
                Delarmi said bitterly, “We run the risk, First Speaker, of having posterity77 laugh at us for belaboring78 the obvious. To continue the defense isyour decision.”
 
                Gendibal drew a deep breath. “In line withyour decision, then, First Speaker, I wish to call a witness--a young woman I met three days ago and without whom I might not have reached the Table meeting at all, instead of merely being late.”
 
                “Is the woman you speak of known to the Table?” asked the First Speaker.
 
                “No, First Speaker. She is native to this planet.”
 
                Delarmi’s eyes opened wide. “AHamishwoman ?”
 
                “Indeed! Just so!”
 
                Delarmi said, “What have we to do with one of those? Nothing they say can be of any importance. They don’t exist!”
 
                Gendibal’s lips drew back tightly over his teeth in something that could not possibly have been mistaken for a smile. He said sharply, “Physically all the Hamish exist. They are human beings and play their part in Seldon’s Plan. In their indirect protection of the Second Foundation, they play a crucial part. I wish to dissociate myself from Speaker Delarmi’s inhumanity and hope that her remark will be retained in the record and be considered hereafter as evidence forher possible unfitness for the position of Speaker. --Will the rest of the Table agree with the Speaker’s incredible remark and deprive me of my witness?”
 
                The First Speaker said, “Call your witness, Speaker.”
 
                Gendibal’s lips relaxed into the normal expressionless features of a Speaker under pressure. His mind was guarded and fenced in, but behind this protective barrier, he felt that the danger point had passed and that he had won.
 
 
 
 2.
 
 
 
 Sura Novi looked strained. Her eyes were wide and her lower lip was faintly trembling. Her hands were slowly clenching80 and unclenching and her chest was heaving slightly. Her hair had been pulled back and braided into a bun; her sun-darkened face twitched81 now and then. Her hands fumbled82 at the pleats of her long skirt. She looked hastily around the Table--from Speaker to Speaker--her wide eyes filled with awe83.
 
                They glanced back at her with varying degrees of contempt and discomfort84. Delarmi kept her eyes well above the top of Novi’s head, oblivious85 to her presence.
 
                Carefully Gendibal touched the skin of her mind, soothing86 and relaxing it. He might have done the same by patting her hand or stroking her cheek, but here, under these circumstances, that was impossible, of course.
 
                He said, “First Speaker, I am numbing87 this woman’s conscious awareness88 so that her testimony89 wilt90 not be distorted by fear. Will you please observe--will the rest of you, if you wish, join me and observe that I will, in no way, modify her mind?”
 
                Novi had started back in terror at Gendibal’s voice, and Gendibal was not surprised at that. He realized that she had never heard Second Foundationers of high rank speak among themselves. She had never experienced that odd swift combination of sound, tone, expression and thought. The terror, however, faded as quickly as it came, as he gentled her mind.
 
                A look of placidity92 crossed her face.
 
                “There is a chair behind you, Novi,” Gendibal said. “Please sit down.”
 
                Novi curtsied in a small and clumsy manner and sat down, holding herself stiffly.
 
                She talked quite clearly, but Gendibal made her repeat when her Hamish accent became too thick. And because he kept his own speech formal in deference93 to the Table, he occasionally had to repeat his own questions to her.
 
                The tale of the fight between himself and Rufirant was described quietly and well.
 
                Gendibal said, “Did you see all this yourself, Novi?”
 
                “Nay94, Master, or I would have sooner-stopped it. Rufirant be good fellow, but not quick in head.”
 
                “But you described it all. How is that possible if you did not see it all?
 
                “Rufirant be telling me thereof, on questioning. He be ashamed.”
 
                “Ashamed? Have you ever known him to behave in this manner in earlier times?”
 
                “Rufirant? Nay, Master. He be gentle, though he be large. He be no fighter and he be afeared of scowlers. He say often they are mighty96 and possessed97 of power.”
 
                “ Why didn’t he feel this way when he met me?”
 
                “It be strange. It be not understood.” She shook her head. “He be not his ain self. I said to him, ‘Thou blubber-head. Be it your place to assault scowler95?’ And he said, ‘I know not how it happened. It be like I am to one side, standing98 and watching not-I.”‘
 
                Speaker Cheng interrupted. “First Speaker, of what value is it to have this woman report what a man has told her? Is not the man available for questioning?”
 
                Gendibal said, “He is. If, on completion of this woman’s testimony, the Table wishes to hear more evidence, I will be ready to call Karoll Rufirant--my recent antagonist--to the stand. If not, the Table can move directly to judgment when I am done with this witness.”
 
                “Very well,” said the First Speaker. “Proceed with your witness.”
 
                Gendibal said, “And you, Novi? Was it like you to interfere99 in a fight in this manner?”
 
                Novi did not say anything for a moment. A small frown appeared between her thick eyebrows100 and then disappeared. She said, “I know not. I wish no harm to scowlers. I be,driven , and without thought I in-middled myself.” A pause, then., “I be do it over if need arise.”
 
                Gendibal said, “Novi, you will sleep now. You will think of nothing. You will rest and you will not even dream.”
 
                Novi mumbled101 for a moment. Her eyes closed and her head fell back against the headrest of her chair.
 
                Gendibal waited a moment, then said, “First Speaker, with respect, follow me into this woman’s mind. You will find it remarkably102 simple and symmetrical, which is fortunate, for what you will see might not have been visible otherwise. --Here--here! Do you observe? --If the rest of you will enter--it will be easier if it is done one at a time.”
 
                There was a rising buzz about the Table.
 
                Gendibal said, “Is there any doubt among you?”
 
                Delarmi said, “Idoubt it, for--” She paused on the brink103 of what was--even for her--unsayable.
 
                Gendibal said it for her. “You think I deliberately104 tampered105 with this mind in order to present false evidence? You think, therefore, that I am capable of bringing about so delicate an adjustment--one mental fiber106 clearly out of shape with nothing about it or its surroundings that is in the least disturbed? If I could do that, what need would I have to deal with any of you in this manner? Why subject myself to the indignity107 of a trial? Why labor79 to convince you? If I could do what is visible in this woman’s mind, you would all be helpless before me unless you were well prepared. --the blunt fact is that none of you could manipulate a mind as this woman’s has been manipulated. Neither can I. Yet it has been done.”
 
                He paused, looking at all the Speakers in turn, then fixing his gaze on Delarmi. He spoke slowly. “Now, if anything more is required, I will call in the Hamish farmer, Karoll Rufirant, whom I have examined and whose mind has also been tampered with in this manner.”
 
                “That will not be necessary,” said the First Speaker, who was wearing an appalled108 expression. “What we have seen is mindshaking.”
 
                “In that case,” said Gendibal, “may I rouse this Hamishwoman and dismiss her? I have arranged for there to be those outside who will see to her recovery.”
 
                When Novi had left, directed by Gendibal’s gentle hold on her elbow, be said, “Let me quickly summarize. Minds can be--and have been altered in ways that are beyond our power. In this way, the curators themselves could have been influenced to remove Earth material from the Library--without our knowledge or their own. We see how it was arranged that I should be delayed in arriving at a meeting of the Table. I was threatened; I was rescued. The result was that I was impeached. The result of this apparently109 natural concatenation of events is that I may be removed from a position of power--and the course of action which I champion and which threatens these people, whoever they are, may be negated110.”
 
                Delarmi leaned forward. She was clearly shaken. “If this secret organization is so clever, how were you able to discover all this?”
 
                Gendibal felt free to smile, now. “No credit to me,” he said. “I lay no claim to expertise111 superior to that of other Speakers; certainly not to the First Speaker. However, neither are these Anti-Mules--as the First Speaker has rather engagingly called them--infinitely112 wise or infinitely immune to circumstance. Perhaps they chose this particular Hamishwoman as their instrument precisely113 because she needed very little adjustment. She was, of her own character, sympathetic to what she calls ‘scholars,’ and admired them intensely.
 
                “But then, once this was over, her momentary114 contact with me strengthened her fantasy of becoming a ‘scholar’ herself. She came to me the next day with that purpose in mind. Curious at this peculiar115 ambition of hers, I studied her mind--which I certainly would not otherwise have done--and, more by accident than anything else, stumbled upon the adjustment and noted116 its significance. Had another woman been chosen--one with a less natural pro-scholar bias--the Anti-Mules might have had to labor more at the adjustment, but the consequences might well not have followed and I would have remained ignorant of all this. The Anti-Mules miscalculated--or could not sufficiently117 allow for the unforseen. That they can stumble so is heartening.”
 
                Delarmi said, “The First Speaker and you call this--organization --the ‘Anti-Mules,’ I presume, because they seem to labor to keep tile Galaxy in the ,path of the. Seldon Plan, rather than to disrupt it as the Male himself did. If the Anti-Mules do this, why are they dangerous?”
 
                “Why should then labor, if not for some purpose? We don’t know what that purpose as. A cynic might say that they intend to step in at some future time and thin the current in another direction, one tat mar5 please them far more than it would please ifs. That is my own feeling, even though I do riot major in cynicism. Is Speaker Delarmi prepared to maintain, out of the love and trust that we all know form so great a part of her character, that these are cosmic altruists, doing our work for us, without dream of reward?”
 
                There was a gentle susurration of laughter about the Table at this and Gendibal knew that he had won. And Delarmi knew that she had lost, for there was a wash of rage that showed through her harsh mentalic control like a momentary ray of ruddy sunlight through a thick canopy118 of leaves.
 
                Gendibal said, “When I first experienced the incident with the Hamish farmer, I leaped to the conclusion that another Speaker was behind it. When I noted the adjustment of the Hamishwoman’s mind, I knew that I was right as to the plot but wrong as to the plotter. I apologize for the misinterpretation and I plead the circumstances as an extenuation119.”
 
                The First Speaker said, “I believe this may be construed120 as an apology”
 
                Delarmi interrupted. She was quite placid91 again--her face was friendly, her voice downright saccharine121. “With total respect, First Speaker, if I may interrupt-- Let us drop this matter of impeachment. At this moment, I would not vote for conviction and I imagine no one will. I would even suggest the impeachment be stricken from the Speaker’s unblemished record. Speaker Gendibal has exonerated122 himself ably. I congratulate him on that--and for uncovering a crisis that the rest of us might well have allowed to smolder123 on indefinitely, with incalculable results. I offer the Speakermy wholehearted apologies for my earlier hostility.”
 
                She virtually beamed at Gendibal, who felt a reluctant admiration124 for the manner in which she shifted direction instantly in order to cut her losses. He also felt that all this was but preliminary to an attack from a new direction.
 
                He was certain that what was coming would not be pleasant.
 
 
 
 3.
 
 
 
 When she exerted herself to be charming, Speaker Delora Delarmi had a way of dominating the Speaker’s Table. Her voice grew soft, her smile indulgent, her eyes sparkling, all of her sweet. No one cared to interrupt her and everyone waited for the blow to fall.
 
                She said, “Thanks to Speaker Gendibal, I think we all now understand what we must do. We do not see the Anti-Mules; we know nothing about them, except for their fugitive125 touches on the minds of people right here in the stronghold of the Second Foundation itself. We do not know what the power center of the First Foundation is planning. We may face an alliance of the Anti-Mules and the First Foundation. We don’t know.
 
                “We do know that this Golan Trevize and his companion, whose name escapes me at the moment, are going we know not where-- and that the First Speaker and Gendibal feel that Trevize holds the key to the outcome of this great crisis. What, then, are we to do? Clearly we must find out everything we can about Trevize; where he is going, what he is thinking, what his purpose may be; or, indeed, whether he has any destination, any thought, any purpose; whether he might not, in fact, be a mere32 tool of a force greater than he.”
 
                Gendibal said, “He is under observation.”
 
                Delarmi pursed her lips in an indulgent smile. “By whom? By one of our outworld agents? Are such agents to be expected to stand against those with the powers we have seen demonstrated here? Surely not. In the Mule’s time, and later on, too, the Second Foundation did not hesitate to send out--and even to sacrifice--volunteers from among the best we had, since nothing less would do. When it was necessary to restore the Seldon Plan, Preem Palver himself scoured126 the Galaxy as a Trantorian trader in order to bring back that girl, Arkady. We cannot sit here and wait, now, when the crisis may be greater than in either previous case. We cannot rely on minor functionaries--watchers and messenger boys.”
 
                Gendibal said, “Surely you are not suggesting that the First Speaker leave Trantor at this time?”
 
                Delarmi said, “Certainly not. We need him badly here. On the other hand, there is you, Speaker Gendibal. It is you who have correctly sensed and weighed the crisis. It is you who detected the subtle outside interference with the Library and with Hamish minds. It is you who have maintained your views against the united opposition127 of the Table--and won. No one here has seen as clearly as you have and no one can be trusted, as you can, to continue to see clearly. It isyou who must, in my opinion, go out to confront the enemy. May I have the sense of the Table?”
 
                There was no formal vote needed to reveal that sense. Each Speaker felt the minds of the others and it was clear to a suddenly appalled Gendibal that, at the moment of his victory and Delarmi’s defeat, this formidable woman was managing to send him irrevocably into exile on a task that might occupy him for some indefinite period, while she remained behind to control the Table and, therefore, the Second Foundation and, therefore, the Galaxy--sending all alike, perhaps, to their doom128.
 
                And if Gendibal-in-exile should, somehow, manage to gather the information that would enable the Second Foundation to avert129 the gathering crisis, it would be Delarmi who would have the credit for having arranged it, andhis success would but confirmher power. The quicker Gendibal would be, the more efficiently130 he succeeded, the more surely he would confirm her power.
 
                It was a beautiful maneuver131, an unbelievable recovery.
 
                And so clearly was she dominating the Table even now that she was virtually usurping132 the First Speaker’s role. Gendibal’s thought to that effect was overtaken by the rage he sensed from the First Speaker.
 
                He turned. The First Speaker was making no effort to hide his anger--and it soon was clear that another internal crisis was building to replace the one that had been resolved.
 
 
 
 4.
 
 
 
 Quindor Shandess, the twenty-fifth First Speaker, had no extraordinary illusions about himself.
 
                He knew he was not one of those few dynamic First Speakers who had illuminated133 the five-century-long history of the Second Foundation--but then, he didn’t have to be. He controlled the Table in a quiet period of Galactic prosperity and it was not a time for dynamism. It had seemed to be a time to play a holding game and he had been the man for this role. His predecessor59 had chosen him for that reason.
 
                “You are not an adventurer, you are a scholar,” the twenty-fourth First Speaker had said. “You will preserve the Plan, where an adventurer might ruin it. Preserve! Let that be the key word for your Table.”
 
                He had tried, but it had meant a passive First Speakership and this had been, on occasion, interpreted as weakness. There had been recurrent rumors134 that he meant to resign and there had been open intrigue135 to assure the succession in one direction or another.
 
                There was no doubt in Shandess’s mind that Delarmi had been a leader in the fight. She was the strongest personality at the Table and even Gendibal, with all the fire and folly136 of youth, retreated before her, as he was doing right now.
 
                But, by Seldon, passive he might be, or even weak, but there was one prerogative137 of the First Speaker that not one in the line had ever given up, and neither would he do so.
 
                He rose to speak and at once there was a hush138 about the Table. ‘When the First Speaker rose to speak, there could be no interruptions. Even Delarmi or Gendibal would not dare to interrupt.
 
                He said, “Speakers! I agree that we face a dangerous crisis and that we must take strong measures. It is I who should go out to meet the enemy. Speaker Delarmi, with the gentleness that characterizes her, excuses me from the task by stating that I am needed here. The truth, however, is that I am needed neither here nor there. I grow old; I grow weary. There has long been expectation I would someday resign and perhaps I ought to. When this crisis is successfully surmounted139, Ishall resign.
 
                “But, of course, it is the privilege of the First Speaker to choose his successor. I am going to do so now. There is one Speaker who has long dominated the proceedings140 of the Table; one Speaker who, by force of personality, has often supplied the leadership that I could not. You all know I am speaking of Speaker Delarmi.”
 
                He paused, then said, “You alone, Speaker Gendibal, are registering disapproval141. May I ask why?” He sat down, so that Gendibal might have the right to answer.
 
                “I do not disapprove142, First Speaker,” said Gendibal in a low voice. “It is your prerogative to choose your successor.”
 
                “And so I will. ‘When you return--having succeeded in initiating143 the process that will put an end to this crisis--it will be time for my resignation. My successor will then be directly in charge of conducting whatever policies may be required to carry on and complete that process. --Do you have anything to say, Speaker Gendibal?”
 
                Gendibal said quietly, “When you make Speaker Delarmi your successor, First Speaker, I hope you will see fit to advise her to--”
 
                The First Speaker interrupted him roughly. “I have spoken of Speaker Delarmi, but I have not named her as my successor. Now what do you have to say?”
 
                “My apologies, First Speaker. I should have said,assuming you make Speaker Delarmi your successor upon my return from this mission, would you see fit to advise her to--”
 
                “Nor will I make her my successor in the future, under any conditions.Now what do you have to say?” The First Speaker was unable to make this announcement without a stab of satisfaction at the blow he was delivering to Delarmi. He could not have done it in a more humiliating fashion.
 
                “Well, Speaker Gendibal,” he said, “what do you have to say?”
 
                “That I am confused.”
 
                The First Speaker rose again. He said, “Speaker Delarmi has dominated and led, but that is not all that is needed for the post of First Speaker. Speaker Gendibal has seen what we have not seen. He has faced the united hostility of the Table, and forced it to rethink matters, and has dragged it into agreement with him. I have my suspicions as to the motivation of Speaker Delarmi in placing the responsibility of the pursuit of Golan Trevize on the shoulders of Speaker Gendibal, but that is where the burden belongs. Iknow he will succeed--I trust my intuition in this--and when he returns, Speaker Gendibal will become the twenty-sixth First Speaker.”
 
                He sat down abruptly144 and each Speaker began to make clear his opinion in a bedlam145 of sound, tone, thought, and expression. The First Speaker paid no attention to the cacophony146, but stared indifferently before him. Now that it was done, he realized--with some surprise--the great comfort there was in laying down the mantle147 of responsibility. He should have done it before this--but he couldn’t have.
 
                It was not till now that he had found his obvious successor.
 
                And then, somehow, his mind caught that of Delarmi and he looked up at her.
 
                By Seldon! She was calm and smiling. Her desperate disappointment did not show--she had not given up. He wondered if he had played into her hands. ‘What was there left for her to do?
 
 
 
 5.
 
 
 
 Delora Delarmi would freely have shown her desperation and disappointment, if that would have proven of any use whatever.
 
                It would have given her a great deal of satisfaction to strike out at that senile fool who controlled the Table or at that juvenile148 idiot with whom Fortune had conspired--but satisfaction wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted something more.
 
                She wanted to be First Speaker.
 
                And while there was a card left to play, she would play it.
 
                She smiled gently, and managed to lift her hand as though she were about to speak, and then held the pose just long enough to insure that when she did speak, all would be not merely normal, but radiantly quiet.
 
                She said, “First Speaker, as Speaker Gendibal said earlier, I do not disapprove. It is your prerogative to choose your successor. If I speak now, it is in order that I may contribute--I hope--to the success of what has now become Speaker Gendibal’s mission. May I explain my thoughts, First Speaker?”
 
                “Do so,” said the First Speaker curtly149. She was entirely150 too smooth, too pliant151, it seemed to him.
 
                Delarmi bent her head gravely. She no longer smiled. She said, “We have ships. They are not as technologically152 magnificent as those of the First Foundation, but they will carry Speaker Gendibal He knows how to pilot one, I believe, as do we all. We have our representatives on every major planet in the Galaxy, and he will be welcomed everywhere. Moreover, he can defend himself against even these Anti-Mules, now that he is thoroughly153 aware of the danger. Even when we were unaware154, I suspect they have preferred to work through the lower classes and even the Hamish farmers. We will, of course, thoroughly inspect the minds of all the Second Foundationers, including the Speakers, but I am sure they have remained inviolate155. The Anti-Mules did not dare interfere with us.
 
                “Nevertheless, there is no reason why Speaker Gendibal should risk more than he must. He is not intending to engage in derring-do and it will be best if his mission is to some extent disguised--if he takesthem unaware. It will be useful if he goes in the role of a Hamish trader. Preem Palver, we all know, went off into the Galaxy as a supposed trader.”
 
                The First Speaker said, “Preem Palver had a specific purpose in doing so; Speaker Gendibal has not. If it appears a disguise of some sort is necessary, I am sure he will be ingenious enough to adopt one.”
 
                “With respect, First Speaker, I wish to point out a subtle disguise. Preem Palver, you will remember, took with him his wife and companion of many years. Nothing so thoroughly established the rustic156 nature of his character as the fact that he was traveling with his wife. It allayed157 all suspicion.”
 
                Gendibal said, “I have no wife. I have had companions, but none who would now volunteer to assume the marital158 role.”
 
                “This is well known, Speaker Gendibal,” said Delarmi, “but then people will take the role for granted ifany woman is with you. Surely some volunteer can be found. And if you feel the need to be able to present documentary evidence, that can be provided. I think a woman should come with you.”
 
                For a moment, Gendibal was breathless. Surely she did not mean--
 
                Could it be a ploy31 to achieve a share in the success? Could she be playing for a joint--or rotating--occupation of the First Speakership?
 
                Gendibal said grimly, “I am flattered that Speaker Delarmi should feel that she--”
 
                And Delarmi broke into an open laugh and looked at Gendibal with what was almost true affection. He had fallen into the trap and looked foolish for having done so. The Table would not forget that.
 
                She said, “Speaker Gendibal, I would not have the impertinence to attempt to share in this task. it is yours and yours alone, as the post of First Speaker will be yours and yours alone. I would not have thought you wanted me with you. Really, Speaker, at my age, I no longer think of myself as a charmer--”
 
                There were smiles around the Table and even the First Speaker tried to hide one.
 
                Gendibal felt the stroke and labored159 not to compound the loss by failing to match her lightness. It was labor lost.
 
                He said, as unsavagely as he could, “Then what is it you would suggest? It was not in my thoughts, I assure you, that you would wish to accompany me. You are at your best at the Table and not in the hurly-burly of Galactic affairs, I know.”
 
                “I agree, Speaker Gendibal, I agree,” said Delarmi. “My suggestion, however, refers back to your role as Hamish trader. To make it indisputably authentic160, what better companion need you ask but a Hamishwoman?”
 
                “A Hamishwoman?” For a second time in rapid succession, Gendibal was caught by surprise and the Table enjoyed it.
 
                “TheHamishwoman,” Delarmi went on. “The one who saved you from a beating. The one who gazes at you worshipfully. The one whose mind you probed and who then, quite unwittingly, saved you a second time from considerably161 more than a beating. I suggest you take her.”
 
                Gendibal’s impulse was to refuse, but he knew that she expected that. It would mean more enjoyment162 for the Table. It was clear now that the First Speaker, anxious to strike out at Delarmi, had made a mistake by naming Gendibal his successor--or, at the very least, that Delarmi had quickly converted it into one.
 
                Gendibal was the youngest of the Speakers. He had angered the Table and had then avoided conviction by them. In a very real way, he had humiliated163 them. None could see him as the heir apparent without resentment164.
 
                That would have been hard enough to overcome, but now they would remember how easily Delarmi had twitched him into ridicule165 and how much they had enjoyed it. She would use that to convince them, all too easily, that he lacked the age and experience for the role of First Speaker. Their united pressure would force the First Speaker into changing his decision while Gendibal was off on his mission. Or, if the First Speaker held fast, Gendibal would eventually find himself with an office that would be forever helpless in the face of united opposition.
 
                He saw it all in an instant and was able to answer as though with out hesitation166.--
 
                He said, “Speaker Delarmi, I admire your insight. I had thought to surprise you all. It was indeed my intention to take the Hamishwoman, though not quite for the very good reason you suggest. It was for her mind that I wished to take her with me. You have all examined that mind. You saw it for what it was: surprisingly intelligent but, more than that, clear, simple, utterly167 without guile168. No touch upon it by others would go unnoticed, as I’m sure you all concluded.
 
                “I wonder if it occurred to you, then, Speaker Delarmi, that she would serve as an excellent early-warning system. I would detect the first symptomatic presence of mentalism by way of her mind, earlier, I think, than by way of mine.”
 
                There was a kind of astonished silence at that, and he said, lightly. “Ah, none of you saw that. Well well, not important! And I will take my leave now. There’s no time to lose.”
 
                “Wait,” said Delarmi, her initiative lost a third time. “What do you intend to do?”
 
                Gendibal said with a small shrug169. “Why go into details? The less the Table knows, the less the Anti-Mules are likely to attempt to disturb it.”
 
                He said it as though the safety of the Table was his prime concern. He filled his mind with that, and let it show.
 
                It would flatter them. More than that, the satisfaction it would bring might keep them from wondering whether, in fact, Gendibal knew exactly what it was he intended to do.
 
 
 
 6.
 
 
 
       The First Speaker spoke to Gendibal alone that evening.
 
                “You were right,” he said. “I could not help brushing below the surface of your mind. I saw you considered the announcement a mistake and it was. It was my eagerness to wipe that eternal smile off her face and to strike back at the casual way in which she so frequently usurps170 my role.”
 
                Gendibal said gently, “It might have been better if you had told me privately and had then waited for my return to go further.”
 
                “That would not have allowed me to strike out at her. --Poor motivation for a First Speaker, I know.”
 
                “This won’t stop her, First Speaker. She will still intrigue for the post and perhaps with good reason. I’m sure there are some who would argue that I should have refused your nomination171. It would not be hard to argue that Speaker Delarmi has the best mind at the Table and would make the best First Speaker.”
 
                “The best mindat the Table, not away from it,” grumbled172 Shandess. “She recognizes no real enemies, except for other Speakers. She ought never to have been made a Speaker in the first place. --See here, shall I forbid you to take the Hamishwoman? She maneuvered173 you into that, I know.”
 
                “No no, the reason I advanced for taking her is a true one. Shewill be an early-warning system and I am grateful to Speaker Delarmi for pushing me into realizing that. The woman will prove very useful, I’m convinced.”
 
                “Good, then. By the way, I wasn’t lying, either. I am truly certain that you will accomplish whatever is needed to end this crisis--if you can trust my intuition.”
 
                “I think I can trust it, for I agree with you. I promise you that whatever happens, I will return better than I receive. I will come back to be First Speaker, whatever the Anti-Mules--or Speaker Delarmi--can do.”
 
                Gendibal studied his own satisfaction even as he spoke. Why was he so pleased, so insistent174, on this one-ship venture into space? Ambition, of course. Preem Palver had once done just this sort of thing--and he was going to show that Stor Gendibal could do it, too. No one could withhold175 the First Speakership from him after that. And yet was there more than ambition? The lure44 of combat? The generalized desire for excitement in one who had been confined to a hidden patch on a backward planet all his adult life? --He didn’t entirely know, but he knew he was desperately176 intent on going.   


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 enraged 7f01c0138fa015d429c01106e574231c     
使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤
参考例句:
  • I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令,我极为恼火。
  • The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。
2 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
参考例句:
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
3 mule G6RzI     
n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人
参考例句:
  • A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
  • He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。
4 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
5 mar f7Kzq     
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟
参考例句:
  • It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
  • Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。
6 unprecedented 7gSyJ     
adj.无前例的,新奇的
参考例句:
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
7 precedent sSlz6     
n.先例,前例;惯例;adj.在前的,在先的
参考例句:
  • Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗?
  • This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。
8 impeachment fqSzd5     
n.弹劾;控告;怀疑
参考例句:
  • Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国,弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
  • The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。
9 savagely 902f52b3c682f478ddd5202b40afefb9     
adv. 野蛮地,残酷地
参考例句:
  • The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
  • He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。
10 nave TGnxw     
n.教堂的中部;本堂
参考例句:
  • People gathered in the nave of the house.人们聚拢在房子的中间。
  • The family on the other side of the nave had a certain look about them,too.在中殿另一边的那一家人,也有着自己特有的相貌。
11 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
12 appallingly 395bb74ca9eccab2fb2599b65702b445     
毛骨悚然地
参考例句:
  • His tradecraft was appallingly reckless. 他的经营轻率得令人吃惊。
  • Another damning statistic for South Africa is its appallingly high murder rate. 南非还有一项糟糕的统计,表明它还有着令人毛骨悚然的高谋杀率。
13 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
参考例句:
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
14 crease qo5zK     
n.折缝,褶痕,皱褶;v.(使)起皱
参考例句:
  • Does artificial silk crease more easily than natural silk?人造丝比天然丝更易起皱吗?
  • Please don't crease the blouse when you pack it.包装时请不要将衬衫弄皱了。
15 friendliness nsHz8c     
n.友谊,亲切,亲密
参考例句:
  • Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面,我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
  • His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。
16 impeached 13b912bb179971fca2f006fab8f6dbb8     
v.控告(某人)犯罪( impeach的过去式和过去分词 );弹劾;对(某事物)怀疑;提出异议
参考例句:
  • Elected officials can be impeached. 经过选举产生的官员可以被弹劾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The judge was impeached for taking a bribe. 这个法官被检举接受贿赂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
17 ascertain WNVyN     
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清
参考例句:
  • It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
  • We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。
18 galaxy OhoxB     
n.星系;银河系;一群(杰出或著名的人物)
参考例句:
  • The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
  • The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。
19 viable mi2wZ     
adj.可行的,切实可行的,能活下去的
参考例句:
  • The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
  • The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。
20 offense HIvxd     
n.犯规,违法行为;冒犯,得罪
参考例句:
  • I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
  • His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。
21 offenses 4bfaaba4d38a633561a0153eeaf73f91     
n.进攻( offense的名词复数 );(球队的)前锋;进攻方法;攻势
参考例句:
  • It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此,除非有可弹劾的行为,否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
22 prosecution uBWyL     
n.起诉,告发,检举,执行,经营
参考例句:
  • The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
  • He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。
23 defense AxbxB     
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
参考例句:
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
24 breach 2sgzw     
n.违反,不履行;破裂;vt.冲破,攻破
参考例句:
  • We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
  • He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。
25 defiance RmSzx     
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗
参考例句:
  • He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
  • He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。
26 deviate kl9zv     
v.(from)背离,偏离
参考例句:
  • Don't deviate from major issues.不要偏离主要问题。
  • I will never deviate from what I believe to be right.我绝不背离我自信正确的道路。
27 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
28 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会,聚会,聚集
参考例句:
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
29 intonation ubazZ     
n.语调,声调;发声
参考例句:
  • The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
  • Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。
30 privately IkpzwT     
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地
参考例句:
  • Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
  • The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。
31 ploy FuQyE     
n.花招,手段
参考例句:
  • I think this is just a government ploy to deceive the public.我认为这只是政府欺骗公众的手段。
  • Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder,not a cynical marketing ploy.圣诞节应该是兴奋和美妙的时刻,而不该是一种肆无忌惮的营销策略。
32 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
33 aggravates b7b09c2f91842c4161671a7f19cda589     
使恶化( aggravate的第三人称单数 ); 使更严重; 激怒; 使恼火
参考例句:
  • If he aggravates me any more I shall punish him. 如果他再惹我生气,我就要惩罚他。
  • Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each pther. 没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。
34 savor bCizT     
vt.品尝,欣赏;n.味道,风味;情趣,趣味
参考例句:
  • The soup has a savor of onion.这汤有洋葱味。
  • His humorous remarks added a savor to our conversation.他幽默的话语给谈话增添了风趣。
35 anguish awZz0     
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼
参考例句:
  • She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时,她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
  • The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。
36 technological gqiwY     
adj.技术的;工艺的
参考例句:
  • A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
  • Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今, 随着科技进步,生活节奏不断增快。
37 machinery CAdxb     
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构
参考例句:
  • Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗?
  • Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。
38 pertinent 53ozF     
adj.恰当的;贴切的;中肯的;有关的;相干的
参考例句:
  • The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
  • These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。
39 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
参考例句:
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
40 prosecutor 6RXx1     
n.起诉人;检察官,公诉人
参考例句:
  • The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
  • The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。
41 stolidly 3d5f42d464d711b8c0c9ea4ca88895e6     
adv.迟钝地,神经麻木地
参考例句:
  • Too often people sat stolidly watching the noisy little fiddler. 人们往往不动声色地坐在那里,瞧着这位瘦小的提琴手闹腾一番。 来自辞典例句
  • He dropped into a chair and sat looking stolidly at the floor. 他坐在椅子上,两眼呆呆地望着地板。 来自辞典例句
42 fables c7e1f2951baeedb04670ded67f15ca7b     
n.寓言( fable的名词复数 );神话,传说
参考例句:
  • Some of Aesop's Fables are satires. 《伊索寓言》中有一些是讽刺作品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Little Mexican boys also breathe the American fables. 墨西哥族的小孩子对美国神话也都耳濡目染。 来自辞典例句
43 positively vPTxw     
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实
参考例句:
  • She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
  • The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。
44 lure l8Gz2     
n.吸引人的东西,诱惑物;vt.引诱,吸引
参考例句:
  • Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
  • He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。
45 hostility hdyzQ     
n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争
参考例句:
  • There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
  • His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。
46 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
47 piqued abe832d656a307cf9abb18f337accd25     
v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 );激起(好奇心)
参考例句:
  • Their curiosity piqued, they stopped writing. 他们的好奇心被挑起,停下了手中的笔。 来自辞典例句
  • This phenomenon piqued Dr Morris' interest. 这一现象激起了莫里斯医生的兴趣。 来自辞典例句
48 sipping e7d80fb5edc3b51045def1311858d0ae     
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
  • She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。
49 investigations 02de25420938593f7db7bd4052010b32     
(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究
参考例句:
  • His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查,但没有发现什么。
  • He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。
50 mythological BFaxL     
adj.神话的
参考例句:
  • He is remembered for his historical and mythological works. 他以其带有历史感和神话色彩的作品而著称。
  • But even so, the cumulative process had for most Americans a deep, almost mythological significance. 不过即使如此,移民渐增的过程,对于大部分美国人,还是意味深长的,几乎有不可思议的影响。
51 putative aS1x7     
adj.假定的
参考例句:
  • There have been many attempts to track down the putative Loch Ness monster.人们为追踪假定存在的尼斯湖水怪做了许多努力。
  • He is the putative father of this child.他是这孩子的推定的父亲。
52 minutiae 1025667a35ae150aa85a3e8aa2e97c18     
n.微小的细节,细枝末节;(常复数)细节,小事( minutia的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • the minutiae of the contract 合同细节
  • He had memorized the many minutiae of the legal code. 他们讨论旅行的所有细节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
53 myopic SFtxF     
adj.目光短浅的,缺乏远见的
参考例句:
  • The Government still has a myopic attitude to spending.政府在开支问题上仍然目光短浅。
  • Myopic views could be potentially damaging for us.目光短浅会给我们带来严重的后果。
54 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
55 dilettantish 819b16545b612d4f2938237afa352cbd     
adj.半吊子的;半瓶醋似的;一知半解的;业余爱好的
参考例句:
56 resurgence QBSzG     
n.再起,复活,再现
参考例句:
  • A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
  • Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。
57 speculation 9vGwe     
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机
参考例句:
  • Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
  • There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。
58 predecessors b59b392832b9ce6825062c39c88d5147     
n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 );前辈;(被取代的)原有事物;前身
参考例句:
  • The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗? 来自《简明英汉词典》
59 predecessor qP9x0     
n.前辈,前任
参考例句:
  • It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
  • The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。
60 entrusted be9f0db83b06252a0a462773113f94fa     
v.委托,托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He entrusted the task to his nephew. 他把这任务托付给了他的侄儿。
  • She was entrusted with the direction of the project. 她受委托负责这项计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》
61 afterward fK6y3     
adv.后来;以后
参考例句:
  • Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏,然后吃饭。
  • Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来,这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。
62 dilemma Vlzzf     
n.困境,进退两难的局面
参考例句:
  • I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
  • He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。
63 penetrate juSyv     
v.透(渗)入;刺入,刺穿;洞察,了解
参考例句:
  • Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
  • The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。
64 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
65 sardonic jYyxL     
adj.嘲笑的,冷笑的,讥讽的
参考例句:
  • She gave him a sardonic smile.她朝他讥讽地笑了一笑。
  • There was a sardonic expression on her face.她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。
66 cleansing cleansing     
n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词
参考例句:
  • medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
  • Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。
67 tampering b4c81c279f149b738b8941a10e40864a     
v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 );篡改;(用不正当手段)影响;瞎摆弄
参考例句:
  • Two policemen were accused of tampering with the evidence. 有两名警察被控篡改证据。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • As Harry London had forecast, Brookside's D-day caught many meter-tampering offenders. 正如哈里·伦敦预见到的那样,布鲁克赛德的D日行动抓住了不少非法改装仪表的人。 来自辞典例句
68 cleansed 606e894a15aca2db0892db324d039b96     
弄干净,清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The nurse cleansed the wound before stitching it. 护士先把伤口弄干净后才把它缝合。
  • The notorious Hell Row was burned down in a fire, and much dirt was cleansed away. 臭名远场的阎王路已在一场大火中化为乌有,许多焦土灰烬被清除一空。
69 fiddling XtWzRz     
微小的
参考例句:
  • He was fiddling with his keys while he talked to me. 和我谈话时他不停地摆弄钥匙。
  • All you're going to see is a lot of fiddling around. 你今天要看到的只是大量的胡摆乱弄。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦
70 shuffling 03b785186d0322e5a1a31c105fc534ee     
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • Don't go shuffling along as if you were dead. 别像个死人似地拖着脚走。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • Some one was shuffling by on the sidewalk. 外面的人行道上有人拖着脚走过。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
71 arsenal qNPyF     
n.兵工厂,军械库
参考例句:
  • Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
  • We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。
72 penetrated 61c8e5905df30b8828694a7dc4c3a3e0     
adj. 击穿的,鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
  • They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。
73 irrelevant ZkGy6     
adj.不恰当的,无关系的,不相干的
参考例句:
  • That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
  • A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上,一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。
74 extenuate Qzfyq     
v.减轻,使人原谅
参考例句:
  • Nothing can extenuate his crime.他的罪责无法减轻。
  • Because of extenuating circumstances,the court acquitted him of the crime.因考虑到情有可原,法庭判他无罪。
75 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
76 appreciation Pv9zs     
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨
参考例句:
  • I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
  • I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。
77 posterity D1Lzn     
n.后裔,子孙,后代
参考例句:
  • Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
  • The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。
78 belaboring 56436e605bde2e7bbe03c7ec1d7986b0     
v.毒打一顿( belabor的现在分词 );责骂;就…作过度的说明;向…唠叨
参考例句:
  • Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. 让双方探寻那些能将我们团结在一起的因素,而不是那些刻意挑出那些分裂我们的因素。 来自互联网
79 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
80 clenching 1c3528c558c94eba89a6c21e9ee245e6     
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I'll never get used to them, she thought, clenching her fists. 我永远也看不惯这些家伙,她握紧双拳,心里想。 来自飘(部分)
  • Clenching her lips, she nodded. 她紧闭着嘴唇,点点头。 来自辞典例句
81 twitched bb3f705fc01629dc121d198d54fa0904     
vt.& vi.(使)抽动,(使)颤动(twitch的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
  • The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着,像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
82 fumbled 78441379bedbe3ea49c53fb90c34475f     
(笨拙地)摸索或处理(某事物)( fumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 乱摸,笨拙地弄; 使落下
参考例句:
  • She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
  • He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他(瞎)摸着衣兜找票。
83 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧
参考例句:
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
84 discomfort cuvxN     
n.不舒服,不安,难过,困难,不方便
参考例句:
  • One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
  • She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。
85 oblivious Y0Byc     
adj.易忘的,遗忘的,忘却的,健忘的
参考例句:
  • Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后,妈妈变得特别健忘。
  • He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。
86 soothing soothing     
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的
参考例句:
  • Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
  • His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。
87 numbing ae96aa62e5bdbc7fc11dd1b0f158c93e     
adj.使麻木的,使失去感觉的v.使麻木,使麻痹( numb的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Watching television had a numbing effect on his mind. 看电视使他头脑麻木。
  • It was numbing work, requiring patience and dedication. 这是一种令人麻木的工作,需要有耐心和忘我精神。 来自辞典例句
88 awareness 4yWzdW     
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
参考例句:
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
89 testimony zpbwO     
n.证词;见证,证明
参考例句:
  • The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
  • He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。
90 wilt oMNz5     
v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎;(指人)疲倦,衰弱
参考例句:
  • Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
  • Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。
91 placid 7A1yV     
adj.安静的,平和的
参考例句:
  • He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
  • You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。
92 placidity GNtxU     
n.平静,安静,温和
参考例句:
  • Miss Pross inquired,with placidity.普洛丝小姐不动声色地问。
  • The swift and indifferent placidity of that look troubled me.那一扫而过的冷漠沉静的目光使我深感不安。
93 deference mmKzz     
n.尊重,顺从;敬意
参考例句:
  • Do you treat your parents and teachers with deference?你对父母师长尊敬吗?
  • The major defect of their work was deference to authority.他们的主要缺陷是趋从权威。
94 nay unjzAQ     
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者
参考例句:
  • He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的,不,应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
  • Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章,不,应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。
95 scowler b3d106ad727b5c8602104e2dc96108bf     
皱眉
参考例句:
  • She scowled at the two men as they entered the room. 两个男人进屋时,她怒目而视。 来自柯林斯例句
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
96 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
97 possessed xuyyQ     
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的
参考例句:
  • He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
  • He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
98 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
99 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
100 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
101 mumbled 3855fd60b1f055fa928ebec8bcf3f539     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
  • George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
102 remarkably EkPzTW     
ad.不同寻常地,相当地
参考例句:
  • I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
  • He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
103 brink OWazM     
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿
参考例句:
  • The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
  • The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。
104 deliberately Gulzvq     
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地
参考例句:
  • The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
  • They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。
105 tampered 07b218b924120d49a725c36b06556000     
v.窜改( tamper的过去式 );篡改;(用不正当手段)影响;瞎摆弄
参考例句:
  • The records of the meeting had been tampered with. 会议记录已被人擅自改动。 来自辞典例句
  • The old man's will has been tampered with. 老人的遗嘱已被窜改。 来自辞典例句
106 fiber NzAye     
n.纤维,纤维质
参考例句:
  • The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
  • The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。
107 indignity 6bkzp     
n.侮辱,伤害尊严,轻蔑
参考例句:
  • For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。
  • She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。
108 appalled ec524998aec3c30241ea748ac1e5dbba     
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
参考例句:
  • The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
  • They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
109 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
110 negated ef0a9e92a2a59eaf79f9020b694cfd67     
v.取消( negate的过去式和过去分词 );使无效;否定;否认
参考例句:
  • Our historical right to rule ourselves as a people had been negated. 我们被剥夺了作为一个民族治理自己国家的历史权利。 来自辞典例句
  • Thus far we have negated frictional effects in the harmonic oscillator. 到现在为止,我们一直没有考虑谐和振荡器中的摩擦效应。 来自辞典例句
111 expertise fmTx0     
n.专门知识(或技能等),专长
参考例句:
  • We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
  • You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。
112 infinitely 0qhz2I     
adv.无限地,无穷地
参考例句:
  • There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
  • The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。
113 precisely zlWzUb     
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
参考例句:
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
114 momentary hj3ya     
adj.片刻的,瞬息的;短暂的
参考例句:
  • We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
  • I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。
115 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
参考例句:
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
116 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
117 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地,充分地
参考例句:
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
118 canopy Rczya     
n.天篷,遮篷
参考例句:
  • The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
  • They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。
119 extenuation e9b8ed745af478408c950e9156f754b0     
n.减轻罪孽的借口;酌情减轻;细
参考例句:
  • Miss Glover could allow no extenuation of her crime. 格洛弗小姐是不允许袒护罪过的。 来自辞典例句
  • It was a comfort to him, this extenuation. 这借口对他是种安慰。 来自辞典例句
120 construed b4b2252d3046746b8fae41b0e85dbc78     
v.解释(陈述、行为等)( construe的过去式和过去分词 );翻译,作句法分析
参考例句:
  • He considered how the remark was to be construed. 他考虑这话该如何理解。
  • They construed her silence as meaning that she agreed. 他们把她的沉默解释为表示赞同。 来自《简明英汉词典》
121 saccharine TYtxo     
adj.奉承的,讨好的
参考例句:
  • She smiled with saccharine sweetness.她的笑里只有虚情假意的甜蜜。
  • I found the film far too saccharine.我觉得这部电影太缠绵了。
122 exonerated a20181989844e1ecc905ba688f235077     
v.使免罪,免除( exonerate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The police report exonerated Lewis from all charges of corruption. 警方的报告免除了对刘易斯贪污的所有指控。
  • An investigation exonerated the school from any blame. 一项调查证明该学校没有任何过失。 来自辞典例句
123 smolder wFuzz     
v.无火焰地闷烧;n.焖烧,文火
参考例句:
  • The smolder will soon be a flame.闷火很快变为烈焰。
  • It can smolder undetected for hours,then suddenly explode in fiery destruction.也有可能好几小时内不被发觉,突然激烈的爆炸。
124 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕
参考例句:
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
125 fugitive bhHxh     
adj.逃亡的,易逝的;n.逃犯,逃亡者
参考例句:
  • The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
  • The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。
126 scoured ed55d3b2cb4a5db1e4eb0ed55b922516     
走遍(某地)搜寻(人或物)( scour的过去式和过去分词 ); (用力)刷; 擦净; 擦亮
参考例句:
  • We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看,想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
  • The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。
127 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对,敌对
参考例句:
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
128 doom gsexJ     
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定
参考例句:
  • The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
  • The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。
129 avert 7u4zj     
v.防止,避免;转移(目光、注意力等)
参考例句:
  • He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
  • I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。
130 efficiently ZuTzXQ     
adv.高效率地,有能力地
参考例句:
  • The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
  • Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。
131 maneuver Q7szu     
n.策略[pl.]演习;v.(巧妙)控制;用策略
参考例句:
  • All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后,所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
  • I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。
132 usurping 4998e29c4fba3569aa87fe1d221db5ab     
篡夺,霸占( usurp的现在分词 ); 盗用; 篡夺,篡权
参考例句:
  • Earlier the Ukrainian President dissolved Parliament because it claimed it was usurping power. 之前乌克兰总统解散国会因为国会声称要夺权。
133 illuminated 98b351e9bc282af85e83e767e5ec76b8     
adj.被照明的;受启迪的
参考例句:
  • Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
  • the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市
134 rumors 2170bcd55c0e3844ecb4ef13fef29b01     
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷
参考例句:
  • Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
135 intrigue Gaqzy     
vt.激起兴趣,迷住;vi.耍阴谋;n.阴谋,密谋
参考例句:
  • Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
  • The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。
136 folly QgOzL     
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话
参考例句:
  • Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
  • Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。
137 prerogative 810z1     
n.特权
参考例句:
  • It is within his prerogative to do so.他是有权这样做的。
  • Making such decisions is not the sole prerogative of managers.作这类决定并不是管理者的专有特权。
138 hush ecMzv     
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静
参考例句:
  • A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
  • Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去!
139 surmounted 74f42bdb73dca8afb25058870043665a     
战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 ); 克服(困难); 居于…之上; 在…顶上
参考例句:
  • She was well aware of the difficulties that had to be surmounted. 她很清楚必须克服哪些困难。
  • I think most of these obstacles can be surmounted. 我认为这些障碍大多数都是可以克服的。
140 proceedings Wk2zvX     
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
141 disapproval VuTx4     
n.反对,不赞成
参考例句:
  • The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
  • They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。
142 disapprove 9udx3     
v.不赞成,不同意,不批准
参考例句:
  • I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
  • She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员,但她的父母不赞成。
143 initiating 88832d3915125bdffcc264e1cdb71d73     
v.开始( initiate的现在分词 );传授;发起;接纳新成员
参考例句:
  • He is good at initiating projects but rarely follows through with anything. 他善于创建项目,但难得坚持完成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Only the perchlorate shows marked sensitiveness and possibly initiating properties. 只有高氯酸盐表现有显著的感度和可能具有起爆性能。 来自辞典例句
144 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地,出其不意地
参考例句:
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
145 bedlam wdZyh     
n.混乱,骚乱;疯人院
参考例句:
  • He is causing bedlam at the hotel.他正搅得旅馆鸡犬不宁。
  • When the teacher was called away the classroom was a regular bedlam.当老师被叫走的时候,教室便喧闹不堪。
146 cacophony Sclyj     
n.刺耳的声音
参考例句:
  • All around was bubbling a cacophony of voices.周围人声嘈杂。
  • The drivers behind him honked,and the cacophony grew louder.后面的司机还在按喇叭,且那刺耳的声音越来越大。
147 mantle Y7tzs     
n.斗篷,覆罩之物,罩子;v.罩住,覆盖,脸红
参考例句:
  • The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
  • The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。
148 juvenile OkEy2     
n.青少年,少年读物;adj.青少年的,幼稚的
参考例句:
  • For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人,他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
  • Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。
149 curtly 4vMzJh     
adv.简短地
参考例句:
  • He nodded curtly and walked away. 他匆忙点了一下头就走了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The request was curtly refused. 这个请求被毫不客气地拒绝了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
150 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
151 pliant yO4xg     
adj.顺从的;可弯曲的
参考例句:
  • She's proud and stubborn,you know,under that pliant exterior.你要知道,在温顺的外表下,她既自傲又固执。
  • They weave a basket out of osiers with pliant young willows.他们用易弯的柳枝编制篮子。
152 technologically WqpwY     
ad.技术上地
参考例句:
  • Shanghai is a technologically advanced city. 上海是中国的一个技术先进的城市。
  • Many senior managers are technologically illiterate. 许多高级经理都对技术知之甚少。
153 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
154 unaware Pl6w0     
a.不知道的,未意识到的
参考例句:
  • They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
  • I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。
155 inviolate E4ix1     
adj.未亵渎的,未受侵犯的
参考例句:
  • The constitution proclaims that public property shall be inviolate.宪法宣告公共财产不可侵犯。
  • They considered themselves inviolate from attack.他们认为自己是不可侵犯的。
156 rustic mCQz9     
adj.乡村的,有乡村特色的;n.乡下人,乡巴佬
参考例句:
  • It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
  • We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。
157 allayed a2f1594ab7abf92451e58b3bedb57669     
v.减轻,缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • His fever is allayed, but his appetite is still flatted. 他发烧减轻了,但食欲仍然不振。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • His fever was allayed by the medicine. 这药剂使他退烧了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
158 marital SBixg     
adj.婚姻的,夫妻的
参考例句:
  • Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
  • I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。
159 labored zpGz8M     
adj.吃力的,谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转
参考例句:
  • I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing. 我离那头麋鹿非常近,能听见它吃力的呼吸声。 来自辞典例句
  • They have labored to complete the job. 他们努力完成这一工作。 来自辞典例句
160 authentic ZuZzs     
a.真的,真正的;可靠的,可信的,有根据的
参考例句:
  • This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
  • Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。
161 considerably 0YWyQ     
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上
参考例句:
  • The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
  • The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
162 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
163 humiliated 97211aab9c3dcd4f7c74e1101d555362     
感到羞愧的
参考例句:
  • Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当,父母也失体面。
  • He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻,丢尽了面子。
164 resentment 4sgyv     
n.怨愤,忿恨
参考例句:
  • All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
  • She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。
165 ridicule fCwzv     
v.讥讽,挖苦;n.嘲弄
参考例句:
  • You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
  • Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。
166 hesitation tdsz5     
n.犹豫,踌躇
参考例句:
  • After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
  • There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
167 utterly ZfpzM1     
adv.完全地,绝对地
参考例句:
  • Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
  • I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
168 guile olNyJ     
n.诈术
参考例句:
  • He is full of guile.他非常狡诈。
  • A swindler uses guile;a robber uses force.骗子用诈术;强盗用武力。
169 shrug Ry3w5     
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句:
  • With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩,走出了房间。
  • I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
170 usurps 8dbf0e32f1ac8a1ac33c15728d0f722f     
篡夺,霸占( usurp的第三人称单数 ); 盗用; 篡夺,篡权
参考例句:
  • The domestic and foreign each big bank also allin abundance usurps the credit card market. 国内外的各大银行也都纷纷强占信用卡市场。
171 nomination BHMxw     
n.提名,任命,提名权
参考例句:
  • John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
  • Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。
172 grumbled ed735a7f7af37489d7db1a9ef3b64f91     
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声
参考例句:
  • He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
  • The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
173 maneuvered 7d19f91478ac481ffdfcbdf37b4eb25d     
v.移动,用策略( maneuver的过去式和过去分词 );操纵
参考例句:
  • I maneuvered my way among the tables to the back corner of the place. 我在那些桌子间穿行,来到那地方后面的角落。 来自辞典例句
  • The admiral maneuvered his ships in the battle plan. 舰队司令按作战计划进行舰队演习。 来自辞典例句
174 insistent s6ZxC     
adj.迫切的,坚持的
参考例句:
  • There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
  • He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。
175 withhold KMEz1     
v.拒绝,不给;使停止,阻挡
参考例句:
  • It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
  • I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。
176 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地
参考例句:
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。


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