But the ships were built, manned by lot from the trainees7, and sent out, one every five years, with all that had been learned from the previous job, each refinement8 the engineers could discover incorporated into the latest to rise from the launching cradle.
RS 10—Raf closed his eyes with weary distaste. After months of being trapped inside her ever-vibrating shell, he felt that he knew each and every rivet9, seam,[16] and plate in her only too well. And there was no reason yet to believe that the voyage would ever end. They would just go on and on through empty space until dead men manned a drifting hulk—
There—to picture that was a danger signal. Whenever his thoughts reached that particular point, Raf tried to think of something else, to break the chain of dismal10 foreboding. How? By joining in Wonstead's monologue11 of complaint and regret? Raf had heard the same words over and over so often that they no longer had any meaning—except as a series of sounds he might miss if the man who shared this pocket were suddenly stricken dumb.
That was unoriginal enough. They had all had that idea the minute after the sorter had plucked their names for crew inclusion. No matter what motive13 had led them into the stiff course of training—the fabulous14 pay, a real interest in the project, the exploring fever—Raf did not believe that there was a single man whose heart had not sunk when he had been selected for flight. Even he, who had dreamed all his life of the stars and the wonders which might lie just beyond the big jump, had been honestly sick on the day he had shouldered his bag aboard and had first taken his place on this mat and waited, dry mouthed and shivering, for blast-off.
One lost all sense of time out here. They ate sparingly, slept when they could, tried to while away the endless hours artificially divided into set periods. But still weeks might be months, or months weeks. They could have been years in space—or only days. All they knew was the unending monotony which dragged upon a man until he either lapsed15 into a dreamy rejection16 of his surroundings, as had Hamp and Floy, or flew into murderous rages, such as kept Morris in solitary17 confinement18 at present. And no foreseeable end to the flight[17]—
Raf breathed shallowly. The air was stale, he could almost taste it. It was difficult now to remember being in the open air under a sky, with fresh winds blowing about one. He tried to picture on that dull strip of metal overhead a stretch of green grass, a tree, even the blue sky and floating white clouds. But the patch remained stubbornly gray, the murmur19 of Wonstead went on and on, a drone in his aching ears, the throb20 of the ship's life beat through his own thin body.
What had it been like on those legendary21 early flights, when the secret of the overdrive had not yet been discovered, when any who dared the path between star and star had surrendered to sleep, perhaps to wake again generations later, perhaps never to rouse again? He had seen the few documents discovered four or five hundred years ago in the raided headquarters of the scientific outlaws22 who had fled the regimented world government of Pax and dared space on the single hope of surviving such a journey in cold sleep, the secret of which had been lost. At least, Raf thought, they had escaped the actual discomfort23 of the voyage.
Had they found their new world or worlds? The end of their ventures had been debated thousands of times since those documents had been made public, after the downfall of Pax and the coming into power of the Federation24 of Free Men.
In fact it was the publication of the papers which had given the additional spur to the building of the RS armada. What man had dared once he could dare anew. And the pursuit of knowledge which had been so long forbidden under Pax was heady excitement for the world. Research and discovery became feverish25 avenues of endeavor. Even the slim hope of a successful star voyage and the return to Terra with such rich spoils of information was enough to harness three quarters of the planet's energy for close to a hundred years.[18] And if the RS 10 was not successful, there would be 11, 12, more—flaming into the sky and out into the void, unless some newer and more intriguing26 experiment developed to center public imagination in another direction.
Raf's eyes closed wearily. Soon the gong would sound and this period of rest would be officially ended. But it was hardly worth rising. He was not in the least hungry for the concentrated food. He could repeat the information tapes they carried dull word for dull word.
"Nothing to see—nothing but these blasted walls!" Again Wonstead's voice arose in querulous protest.
Yes, while in overdrive there was nothing to see. The ports of the ship would be sealed until they were in normal space once more. That is, if it worked and they were not caught up forever within this thick trap where there was no time, light, or distance.
The gong sounded, but Raf made no move to rise. He heard Wonstead move, saw from the corner of his eye the other's bulk heave up obediently from the pad.
With a sigh the other levered himself up on his elbows. If he did not move, Wonstead was capable of reporting him to the captain for strange behavior, and they were all too alert to a divagation which might mean trouble. He had no desire to end in confinement with Morris.
"I'm coming," Raf said sullenly28. But he remained sitting on the edge of the pad until Wonstead left the cabin, and he followed as slowly as he could.
So he was not with the others when a new sound tore through the constant vibrating hum which filled the narrow corridors of the ship. Raf stiffened29, the icy touch of fear tensing his muscles. Was that the red alarm of disaster?
His eyes went to the light at the end of the short[19] passage. But no blink of warning red shown there. Not danger—then what—?
It took him a full moment to realize what he had heard, not the signal of doom30, but the sound which was to herald31 the accomplishment32 of their mission—the sound which unconsciously they had all given up any hope of ever hearing. They had made it!
The pilot leaned weakly against the wall, and his eyes smarted, his hands were trembling. In that moment he knew that he had never really, honestly, believed that they would succeed. But they had! RS 10 had reached the stars!
"Strap33 down for turnout—strap down for turnout—!" The disembodied voice screaming through the ship's speecher was that of Captain Hobart, but it was almost unrecognizable with emotion. Raf turned and stumbled back to his cabin, staggered to throw himself once more on his pad as he fumbled34 with the straps35 he must buckle36 over him.
He heard rather than saw Wonstead blunder in to follow his example, and for the first time in months the other was dumb, not uttering a word as he stowed away for the breakthrough which should take them back into normal space and the star worlds. Raf tore a nail on a fastening, muttered.
"Condition red—condition red—Strap down for breakthrough—" Hobart chanted at them from the walls. "One, two, three"—the count swung on numeral by numeral; then—"ten—Stand by—"
Raf had forgotten what breakthrough was like. He had gone through it the first time when still under take-off sedation. But this was worse than he remembered, so much worse. He tried to scream out his protest against the torture which twisted mind and body, but he could not utter even a weak cry. This, this was unbearable—a man could go mad or die—die—die....
He aroused with the flat sweetness of blood on his tongue, a splitting pain behind the eyes he tried to focus on the too familiar scrap37 of wall. A voice[20] boomed, receded38, and boomed again, filling the air and at last making sense, in it a ring of wild triumph!
"Made it! This is it, men, we've made it; Sol-class sun—three planets. We'll set an orbit in—"
Raf licked his lips. It was still too much to swallow in one mental gulp39. So, they had made it—half of their venture was accomplished40. They had broken out of their own solar system, made the big jump, and before them lay the unknown. Now it was within their reach.
"D'you hear that, kid?" demanded Wonstead, his voice no longer an accusing whine, more steady than Raf ever remembered hearing it. "We got through! We'll hit dirt again! Dirt—" his words trailed away as if he were sinking into some blissful daydream41.
There was a different feeling to the ship herself. The steady drone which had ached in their ears, their bones, as she bored her way through the alien hyper-space had changed to a purr as if she, too, were rejoicing at the success of their desperate try. For the first time in weary weeks Raf remembered his own duties which would begin when the RS 10 came in to a flame-cushioned landing on a new world. He was to assemble and ready the small exploration flyer, to man its controls and take it up and out. Frowning, he began to run over in his mind each step in the preparations he must make as soon as they planeted.
Information came down from control, where now the ports were open on normal space and the engines were under control of the spacer's pilot. Their goal was to be the third planet, one which showed signs of atmosphere, of water and earth ready and waiting.
Those who were not on flight duty crowded into the tiny central cabin, where they elbowed each other before the viewer. The ball of alien earth grew from a pinpoint to the size of an orange. They forgot time in the wonder which none had ever thought in his heart he would see on the screen. Raf knew that in control every second of this was being recorded as[21] they began to establish a braking orbit, which with luck would bring them down on the surface of the new world.
"Cities—those must be cities!" Those in the cabin studied the plate with awe42 as the information filtered through the crew. Lablet, their xenobiologist, sat with his fingers rigid43 on the lower bar of the visa plate, so intent that nothing could break his vigil, while the rest speculated wildly. Had they really seen cities?
Raf went down the corridor to the door of the sealed compartment44 that held the machine and the supplies for which he was responsible. These last hours of waiting were worse with their nagging45 suspense46 than all the time which had gone before. If they could only set down!
He had, on training trips which now seemed very far in the past, trod the rust-red desert country of Mars, waddled47 in a bulky protective suit across the peaked ranges of the dead Moon, known something of the larger asteroids48. But how would it feel to tread ground warmed by the rays of another sun? Imagination with which his superiors did not credit him began to stir. Traits inherited from a mixture of races were there to be summoned. Raf retreated once more into his cabin and sat on his bunk pad, staring down at his own capable mechanic's hands without seeing them, picturing instead all the wonders which might lie just beyond the next few hours' imprisonment49 in this metallic50 shell he had grown to hate with a dull but abiding51 hatred52.
Although he knew that Hobart must be fully53 as eager as any of them to land, it seemed to Raf, and the other impatient crew members, that they were very long in entering the atmosphere of the chosen world. It was only when the order came to strap down for deceleration that they were in a measure satisfied. Pull of gravity, ship beaming in at an angle which swept it from night to day or night again as it encircled that unknown globe. They could not watch[22] their objective any longer. The future depended entirely54 upon the skill of the three men in control—and last of all upon Hobart's judgment55 and skill.
The captain brought them down, riding the flaming counter-blasts from the ship's tail to set her on her fins56 in an expert point landing, so that the RS 10 was a finger of light into the sky, amid wisps of smoke from brush ignited by her landing.
There was another wait which seemed endless to the restless men within, a wait until the air was analyzed57, the countryside surveyed. But when the go-ahead signal was given and the ramp58 swung out, those first at the hatch still hesitated for an instant or so, though the way before them was open.
Beyond the burnt ground about the ship was a rolling plain covered with tall grass which rippled59 under the wind. And the freshness of that wind cleansed60 their lungs of the taint61 of the ship.
Raf pulled off his helmet, held his head high in that breeze. It was like bathing in air, washing away the smog of those long days of imprisonment. He ran down the ramp, past the little group of those who had preceded him, and fell on his knees in the grass, catching62 at it with his hands, a little over-awed at the wonder of it all.
The wide sweep of sky above them was not entirely blue, he noted63. There was the faintest suggestion of green, and across it moved clouds of silver. But, save for the grass, they might be in a dead and empty world. Where were the cities? Or had those been born of imagination?
After a while, when the wonder of this landing had somewhat worn away, Hobart summoned them back to the prosaic64 business of setting up base. And Raf went to work at his own task. The sealed storeroom was opened, the supplies slung65 by crane down from the ship. The compact assembly, streamlined for this purpose, was all ready for the morrow.
They spent the night within the ship, much against[23] their will. After the taste of freedom they had been given, the cramped66 interior weighed upon them, closing like a prison. Raf lay on his pad unable to sleep. It seemed to him that he could hear, even through the heavy plates, the sigh of that refreshing67 wind, the call of the open world lying ready for them. Step by step in his mind, he went through the process for which he would be responsible the next day. The uncrating of the small flyer, the assembling of frame and motor. And sometime in the midst of that survey he did fall asleep, so deeply that Wonstead had to shake him awake in the morning.
He bolted his food and was out at his job before it was far past dawn. But eager as he was to get to work, he paused just to look at the earth scuffed68 up by his boots, to stare for a long moment at a stalk of tough grass and remember with a thrill which never lessened69 that this was not native earth or grass, that he stood where none of his race, or even of his kind, had stood before—on a new planet in a new solar system.
Raf's expert training and instruction paid off. By evening he had the flitter assembled save for the motor which still reposed70 on the turning block. One party had gone questing out into the grass and returned with the story of a stream hidden in a gash71 in the plain, and Wonstead carried the limp body of a rabbit-sized furred creature he had knocked over at the waterside.
"Acted tame." Wonstead was proud of his kill. "Stupid thing just stood and watched me while I let fly with a stone."
Raf picked up the little body. Its fur was red-brown, plush-thick, and very soft to the touch. The breast was creamy white and the forepaws curiously72 short with an uncanny resemblance to his own hands. Suddenly he wished that Wonstead had not killed it, though he supposed that Chou, their biologist, would be grateful. But the animal looked particularly defenseless. It would have been better not to mark their first day on this[24] new world with a killing—even if it were the knocking over of a stupid rabbit thing. The pilot was glad when Chou bore it off and he no longer had to look at it.
It was after the evening meal that Raf was called into consultation73 by the officers to receive his orders. When he reported that the flitter, barring unexpected accidents, would be air-borne by the following afternoon, he was shown an enlarged picture from the records made during the descent of the RS 10.
There was a city, right enough—showing up well from the air. Hobart stabbed a finger down into the heart of it.
"This lies south from here. We'll cruise in that direction."
Raf would have liked to ask some questions of his own. The city photographed was a sizable one. Why then this deserted74 land here? Why hadn't the inhabitants been out to investigate the puzzle of the space ship's landing? He said slowly, "I've mounted one gun, sir. Do you want the other installed? It will mean that the flitter can only carry three instead of four—"
Hobart pulled his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger75. He glanced at his lieutenant76 then to Lablet, sitting quietly to one side. It was the latter who spoke77 first.
"I'd say this shows definite traces of retrogression." He touched the photograph. "The place may even be only a ruin."
"Very well. Leave off the other gun," Hobart ordered crisply. "And be ready to fly at dawn day after tomorrow with full field kit78. You're sure she'll have at least a thousand-mile cruising radius79?"
Raf suppressed a shrug80. How could you tell what any machine would do under new conditions? The flitter had been put through every possible test in his home world. Whether she would perform as perfectly81 here was another matter.
"They thought she would, sir," he replied. "I'll take[25] her up for a shakedown run tomorrow after the motor is installed."
Captain Hobart dismissed him with a nod, and Raf was glad to clatter82 down ladders into the cool of the evening once more. Flying high in a formation of two lanes were some distant birds, at least he supposed they were birds. But he did not call attention to them. Instead he watched them out of sight, lingering alone with no desire to join those crew members who had built a campfire a little distance from the ship. The flames were familiar and cheerful, a portion, somehow, of their native world transported to the new.
Raf could hear the murmur of voices. But he turned and went to the flitter. Taking his hand torch, he checked the work he had done during the day. To-morrow—tomorrow he could take her up into the blue-green sky, circle out over the sea of grass for a short testing flight. That much he wanted to do.
But the thought of the cruise south, of venturing toward that sprawling83 splotch Hobart and Lablet identified as a city was somehow distasteful, and he was reluctant to think about it.
点击收听单词发音
1 bunk | |
n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位;废话 | |
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2 disillusioned | |
a.不再抱幻想的,大失所望的,幻想破灭的 | |
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3 stark | |
adj.荒凉的;严酷的;完全的;adv.完全地 | |
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4 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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5 odds | |
n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别 | |
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6 pinpoint | |
vt.准确地确定;用针标出…的精确位置 | |
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7 trainees | |
新兵( trainee的名词复数 ); 练习生; 接受训练的人; 训练中的动物 | |
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8 refinement | |
n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
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9 rivet | |
n.铆钉;vt.铆接,铆牢;集中(目光或注意力) | |
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10 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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11 monologue | |
n.长篇大论,(戏剧等中的)独白 | |
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12 whine | |
v.哀号,号哭;n.哀鸣 | |
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13 motive | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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14 fabulous | |
adj.极好的;极为巨大的;寓言中的,传说中的 | |
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15 lapsed | |
adj.流失的,堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 );陷入;倒退;丧失 | |
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16 rejection | |
n.拒绝,被拒,抛弃,被弃 | |
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17 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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18 confinement | |
n.幽禁,拘留,监禁;分娩;限制,局限 | |
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19 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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20 throb | |
v.震颤,颤动;(急速强烈地)跳动,搏动 | |
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21 legendary | |
adj.传奇(中)的,闻名遐迩的;n.传奇(文学) | |
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22 outlaws | |
歹徒,亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 ); 逃犯 | |
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23 discomfort | |
n.不舒服,不安,难过,困难,不方便 | |
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24 federation | |
n.同盟,联邦,联合,联盟,联合会 | |
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25 feverish | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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26 intriguing | |
adj.有趣的;迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词);激起…的好奇心 | |
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27 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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28 sullenly | |
不高兴地,绷着脸,忧郁地 | |
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29 stiffened | |
加强的 | |
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30 doom | |
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定 | |
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31 herald | |
vt.预示...的来临,预告,宣布,欢迎 | |
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32 accomplishment | |
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能 | |
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33 strap | |
n.皮带,带子;v.用带扣住,束牢;用绷带包扎 | |
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34 fumbled | |
(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 | |
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35 straps | |
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带 | |
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36 buckle | |
n.扣子,带扣;v.把...扣住,由于压力而弯曲 | |
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37 scrap | |
n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废 | |
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38 receded | |
v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 );向后倾斜;自原处后退或避开别人的注视;尤指问题 | |
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39 gulp | |
vt.吞咽,大口地吸(气);vi.哽住;n.吞咽 | |
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40 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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41 daydream | |
v.做白日梦,幻想 | |
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42 awe | |
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
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43 rigid | |
adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的 | |
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44 compartment | |
n.卧车包房,隔间;分隔的空间 | |
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45 nagging | |
adj.唠叨的,挑剔的;使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评(某人)( nag的现在分词 );不断地烦扰或伤害(某人);无休止地抱怨;不断指责 | |
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46 suspense | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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47 waddled | |
v.(像鸭子一样)摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48 asteroids | |
n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 );海盘车,海星 | |
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49 imprisonment | |
n.关押,监禁,坐牢 | |
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50 metallic | |
adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 | |
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51 abiding | |
adj.永久的,持久的,不变的 | |
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52 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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53 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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54 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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55 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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56 fins | |
[医]散热片;鱼鳍;飞边;鸭掌 | |
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57 analyzed | |
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 );分解;解释;对…进行心理分析 | |
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58 ramp | |
n.暴怒,斜坡,坡道;vi.作恐吓姿势,暴怒,加速;vt.加速 | |
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59 rippled | |
使泛起涟漪(ripple的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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60 cleansed | |
弄干净,清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61 taint | |
n.污点;感染;腐坏;v.使感染;污染 | |
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62 catching | |
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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63 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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64 prosaic | |
adj.单调的,无趣的 | |
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65 slung | |
抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往 | |
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66 cramped | |
a.狭窄的 | |
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67 refreshing | |
adj.使精神振作的,使人清爽的,使人喜欢的 | |
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68 scuffed | |
v.使磨损( scuff的过去式和过去分词 );拖着脚走 | |
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69 lessened | |
减少的,减弱的 | |
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70 reposed | |
v.将(手臂等)靠在某人(某物)上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71 gash | |
v.深切,划开;n.(深长的)切(伤)口;裂缝 | |
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72 curiously | |
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地 | |
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73 consultation | |
n.咨询;商量;商议;会议 | |
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74 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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75 forefinger | |
n.食指 | |
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76 lieutenant | |
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员 | |
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77 spoke | |
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 | |
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78 kit | |
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物 | |
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79 radius | |
n.半径,半径范围;有效航程,范围,界限 | |
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80 shrug | |
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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81 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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82 clatter | |
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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83 sprawling | |
adj.蔓生的,不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 );蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着) | |
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