chapter 24

TIME:DATE RECORD [[ERROR]]ANOMALY\Date unknown \ Captured Covenant¹ dropshipnear flagship Ascendant Justice, in anomalous³ Slipspace bubble.

The faintly blue luminous⁴ walls of the Covenant dropship pressed in, which made Johnfeel slightly claustrophobic. It was ironic⁵ when he stopped to think about it, because hewas always inside his skintight armor. His fellow  Spartans⁶ sat in the bay be.side him,motionless.

Fred, designated Blue-Two on this mission, was John's second in command. He had foughtin more than 120 campaigns, was a great leader and a quick thinker. Sometimes he tookthe respon.sibility of his command too  seriously, though, empathizing too deeply withany wounded member of his team.

Li, Blue-Three, was the team's zero-gee combat specialist. He had trained extensivelywith microgravity equipment and mar⁷.tial arts at the UNSC's extreme-conditions facilityon Chiron in orbit about Mars. He was as much  at home in free fall as the rest of them were on solid land, and John was glad to have him on this mission.

Anton, Blue-Four, had John worried. He spent most of his life with his feet firmly plantedon the ground. He'd cross-trained in tracking, camouflage⁸, and stealth, and had been usedalmost ex.clusively on ground-based  operations. More than once he had expresseddiscomfort in zero-gee situations.

Will, Blue-Five, was quiet, but had never failed to complete his mission. He wasn't always that way, though. When he was younger he was the one with the jokes and riddles⁹ thatkept the team's spirits high. Something  had hardened in him over the220HALO: FIRST STRIKEyears ... as it had in them all. But with Will something special had been lost.

Grace, Blue-Six, had a knack¹⁰ for explosives. She could shape a charge to cut through asingle steel bolt with only a whisper sound, or rig a hundred thousand liters of kerosene¹¹ to blow into a firestorm from hell. Ironically  her temper was nonexistent.

John opened a COM channel. "Give me a systems check, Blue Team."Five acknowledgment lights winked¹² on.

"This reminds me of the underwater mission Chief Mendez sent us on at Emerald Cove²," Fred whispered. "When he sabo.taged half our air tanks? And we ended up stealing his.""And after," Anton said, laughing, "we ditched him and camped on that island. It was a week with nothing to do but light bonfires, bake clams¹³, and surf.""Mmrnmm," Grace added, "calamari."John wondered if Emerald Cove even existed anymore. The UNSC had abandoned thatcolony a decade ago. The Covenant had most likely glassed that world.

"Blue Team." Polaski's voice broke over the COM. "Local conditions are as calm as they're going to get. Exiting in three... two...one!'

John felt the acceleration¹⁴ in the pit of his stomach. He rose, moved to the hatch, andpopped it open. Outside, Ascendant Jus.tice's hull¹⁵ moved past them—almost every square centimeter of the flagship's polished alloy¹⁶  skin had been scarred by heat andmicrometeors; tendrils of metal vapor¹⁷ snaked and shimmered¹⁸ in the vacuum.

On Ascendant Justice's upper deck he saw the looming²⁰ shadow of the inverted²¹ UNSCfrigate Gettysburg still miracu.lously attached. It was on fire, pockmarked with craters,and venting²² atmosphere, but it was remarkably  intact. If not for the thousands of deadNaval personnel undoubtedly²³ on board, he might have christened the ship "lucky."The dropship slowed and Polaski drifted, turned, and de.scended onto the surface of theship.

"Latch²⁴ engaged," she said over the COM. "All yours, Chief.""Fred, Grace, and I will reconnoiter," he told Blue Team. "An.ton, Will, and Li, get ready tomove the arc welder²⁵ and hull platesERIC NYLUND 221we scavenged from the Gettysburg when we give the all-clear signal."John eased his boots onto the hull. Their magnetic soles clamped onto the metal with asatisfying click.

Polaski had landed the Covenant dropship so that its mandibles cradled the hole and gave them some shelter.

Overhead, Slipspace was on fire. It looked as if someone had doused²⁶ the night with jet fueland ignited it. Bloody²⁷, boiling streaks²⁸ of flame tore across a midnight-blue sky. Meteors flashed past and sprayed molten metal in  trails of glittering Stardust.

A fist-sized projectile²⁹ blurred³⁰ past the Master Chief and rammed³¹ into the ship's starboardside. Sparks and liquefied alloy spattered into space. His shields flickered³² as debrisricocheted from the armor's protective field.

They had to move fast. The Admiral was right: This was a shooting galley³³. The quickerthey sealed that hole and got out of here—the better.

John turned and swept his rifle over the terrain³⁴. There were bumpy³⁵ sensor³⁶ nodes,kilometers of conduits, and a dozen gaping³⁷ canyons³⁸ in the hull. A legion of Covenantwarriors could hide in this mess.

No enemy contact. Nothing on his motion sensors³⁹, either.

He stepped close to the main-drive conduit and examined the hole. The pipe was fivemeters across and still red hot, even though Cortana had shut it down three minutes ago.

The hole was round, a three-meter-wide gap, with ragged⁴⁰ edges that all pointed⁴¹ inward.

"If that was from a plasma⁴² strike," Grace said, "the metal would have been boiled away. Ifit was from an impact, the edges would be scraped on one side, compacted on the other.

This hole was deliberately⁴³ made.""Eyes sharp," John said. "We have company. My guess is camouflaged⁴⁴ Elites⁴⁶. Maybe someof the original crew still alive. Blue-Three, -Four, and -Five—move out.""Roger," Will replied.

Anton emerged from the dropship hefting an arc welder, while Will and Li maneuveredthe three-by-three-meter hull plates.

"Fred and Grace, you're on the welders," John ordered. "An222HALO: FIRST STRIKEton, post on top of the dropship. Li, you're at three o'clock. Will at nine. I'll take the six."Blue acknowledgment lights winked on.

John helped Fred and Grace set the plates in position. Grace and Fred fired up the arcwelder, and pinpoints⁴⁷ of metal liquefied beneath their tips. A shower of sparks swirledaround them in the evacuated⁴⁸ environment like a swarm⁴⁹ of fireflies.

"We're in position, Admiral," John reported. "ETA for repairs is two minutes.""Roger, Chief," Admiral Whitcomb replied. Ionization made the channel flood with static.

"When you're done, give the word and get secure—we'll be accelerating immediately.""Yes, sir."So far, so good, John thought. Just another minute or two.t. Just another minute or two.

A streamer of plasma appeared from nowhere. The tangled⁵⁰, crisscrossed Slipspacearound them dropped the bolt of boiling fire fifty meters overhead; it moved port tostarboard—and van.ished back into the void.

The COM shattered into white noise, and the motion sensors blurred... as did the activecamouflage shielding of the six Elites who had been slowly—and until a moment agoimperceptibly— crawling toward their position.

"Enemy contacts!" John shouted.

He crouched⁵¹ behind the dome⁵² of a sensor node and o ened fire. A hail of bullets caughtthe closest Elite⁴⁵ dead-center in its chest. The gunfire pppunched through its shielding andthen tore into its armor. It tumbled backward and spun⁵³ off the hull.

In his peripheral⁵⁴ vision John saw the silent muzzle⁵⁵ flashes from his team. He glancedback; Fred and Grace hadn't moved. They stared at the beads⁵⁶ of molten alloy under theirarc welder's tip.

As if Fred could read his mind, he said, "I need another twenty seconds, Chief."A volley of crystalline needles fired from one of the Elites peppered the sensor node. TheMaster Chief returned fire, but the Elite's camouflage kicked in and it faded from view.

Another plasma bolt sizzled close to the hull, this one thirty meters to port. It was a riverof fire that lit the surface of Ascen.dant Justice like a dozen suns. John's shields drainedto a quarter.

"Okay, Chief," Fred told him, "I'm—"ERIC NYLUND 223"Incoming!" Polaski cried over the COM.

John turned to the dropship and saw a third plasma projectile materialize from the foldsof tangled Slipspace. This one skimmed a mere¹⁹ three meters over the hull—straighttoward them.

Will dived into the crux⁵⁷ where the dropship met the hull. Fred and Grace hit the deck. Listood his ground and fired at the Elites, muzzle flash reflected in his helmet's faceplate.Anton rose from his limited cover on top of  the dropship, but instinc.tively ducked againas an Elite took a shot at him. John crouched, jumped, and propelled himself into thesheltered area between the dropship's mandibles.

The plasma blasted over the dropship like a tidal wave of fire.

Polaski screamed, and her channel went silent.hannel went silent.

Blue-white light filled John's vision, and electrical discharges jolted⁵⁸ his flesh and buzzedthrough his muscles and ligaments. Temperature warnings blared. Boiling hydrostatic gelvented through his MJOLNIR armor's  emergency ducts.

Through blurry⁵⁹ eyes, John saw the Covenant Elites flash va.porize. Downship, AscendantJustice's hull heated to a glowing yellow and softened⁶⁰.

Then the light and heat vanished, and the torrent⁶¹ of fire trailed aft like the tail of a comet.

John craned his neck u , every muscle in his body screaming in pain. There was no traceof Li or Anton. The dropppship's hull was melted and distorted like a wax candle caught in ablow.torch's blast.

The cockpit and Polaski were gone.

His biosign warning blared. Will, Grace, and Fred lay next to him—dead or unconscious,he couldn't tell. He quickly attached their tethers to the deck, then clipped his own inplace.

John keyed the COM. "Admiral, conduit breach⁶² is sealed, sir.""Hang on, son," Admiral Whitcomb replied. "This might be a rough ride."John slumped⁶³ to the deck unconscious.

1 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

2 cove   

n.小海湾，小峡谷

参考例句：

• The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。
• I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

3 anomalous   

adj.反常的；不规则的

参考例句：

• For years this anomalous behaviour has baffled scientists.几年来这种反常行为让科学家们很困惑。
• The mechanism of this anomalous vascular response is unknown.此种不规则的血管反应的机制尚不清楚。

4 luminous   

adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的

参考例句：

• There are luminous knobs on all the doors in my house.我家所有门上都安有夜光把手。
• Most clocks and watches in this shop are in luminous paint.这家商店出售的大多数钟表都涂了发光漆。

5 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

6 spartans   

n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The ancient Spartans used to expose babies that they did not want. 古斯巴达人常遗弃他们不要的婴儿。
• But one by one the Spartans fell. 可是斯巴达人一个一个地倒下了。

7 mar   

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。

8 camouflage   

n./v.掩饰，伪装

参考例句：

• The white fur of the polar bear is a natural camouflage.北极熊身上的白色的浓密软毛是一种天然的伪装。
• The animal's markings provide effective camouflage.这种动物身上的斑纹是很有效的伪装。

9 riddles   

n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜

参考例句：

• Few riddles collected from oral tradition, however, have all six parts. 但是据收集的情况看，口头流传的谜语很少具有这完整的六部分。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
• But first, you'd better see if you can answer riddles. 但是你首先最好想想你会不会猜谜语。 来自辞典例句

10 knack   

n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法

参考例句：

• He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
• Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难，但有窍门。

11 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

12 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 clams   

n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The restaurant's specialities are fried clams. 这个餐厅的特色菜是炸蚌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We dug clams in the flats et low tide. 退潮时我们在浅滩挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句

14 acceleration   

n.加速，加速度

参考例句：

• All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
• He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。

15 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

16 alloy   

n.合金，(金属的)成色

参考例句：

• The company produces titanium alloy.该公司生产钛合金。
• Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.青铜是铜和锡的合金。

17 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

18 shimmered   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea shimmered in the sunlight. 阳光下海水闪烁着微光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A heat haze shimmered above the fields. 田野上方微微闪烁着一层热气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 mere   

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。

20 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

21 inverted   

adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Only direct speech should go inside inverted commas. 只有直接引语应放在引号内。
• Inverted flight is an acrobatic manoeuvre of the plane. 倒飞是飞机的一种特技动作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 venting   

消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风

参考例句：

• But, unexpectedly, he started venting his spleen on her. 哪知道，老头子说着说着绕到她身上来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• So now he's venting his anger on me. 哦，我这才知道原来还是怄我的气。

23 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

24 latch   

n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁

参考例句：

• She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
• The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。

25 welder   

n电焊工

参考例句：

• He left school at 15 to become an apprentice to a welder.他15岁离开了中学成为一个焊接工人的学徒。
• Welder done at least once a month when the dust handling.焊机时每月至少做一次除尘处理。

26 doused   

v.浇水在…上( douse的过去式和过去分词 )；熄灯[火]

参考例句：

• The car was doused in petrol and set alight. 这辆汽车被浇上汽油点燃了。
• He doused the lamp,and we made our way back to the house. 他把灯熄掉，我们就回到屋子里去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

28 streaks   

n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹

参考例句：

• streaks of grey in her hair 她头上的绺绺白发
• Bacon has streaks of fat and streaks of lean. 咸肉中有几层肥的和几层瘦的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

29 projectile   

n.投射物，发射体；adj.向前开进的；推进的；抛掷的

参考例句：

• The vertical and horizontal motions of a projectile can be treated independently.抛射体的竖直方向和水平方向的运动能够分开来处理。
• Have you altered the plans of the projectile as the telegram suggests?你已经按照电报的要求修改炮弹图样了吗?

30 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 flickered   

（通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
• These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。

33 galley   

n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇；

参考例句：

• The stewardess will get you some water from the galley.空姐会从厨房给你拿些水来。
• Visitors can also go through the large galley where crew members got their meals.游客还可以穿过船员们用餐的厨房。

34 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

35 bumpy   

adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的

参考例句：

• I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

36 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

37 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

38 canyons   

n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
• Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存？ 来自互联网

39 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

40 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

41 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

42 plasma   

n.血浆，细胞质，乳清

参考例句：

• Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
• The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分，不包含各种细胞。

43 deliberately   

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。

44 camouflaged   

v.隐蔽( camouflage的过去式和过去分词 )；掩盖；伪装，掩饰

参考例句：

• We camouflaged in the bushes and no one saw us. 我们隐藏在灌木丛中没有被人发现。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They camouflaged in bushes. 他们隐蔽在灌木丛中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

45 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

46 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

47 pinpoints   

准确地找出或描述( pinpoint的第三人称单数 )； 为…准确定位

参考例句：

• The bombs hit the pinpoints at which they were aimed. 炸弹精确地击中了目标。
• There's really no point in arguing about pinpoints. 为芝麻绿豆般的小事争论实在毫无意义。

48 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

49 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

50 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

51 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

52 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

53 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

54 peripheral   

adj.周边的，外围的

参考例句：

• We dealt with the peripheral aspects of a cost reduction program.我们谈到了降低成本计划的一些外围问题。
• The hotel provides the clerk the service and the peripheral traveling consultation.旅舍提供票务服务和周边旅游咨询。

55 muzzle   

n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默

参考例句：

• He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.他把手枪的枪口放在牙齿中间。
• The President wanted to muzzle the press.总统企图遏制新闻自由。

56 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

57 crux   

adj.十字形；难事，关键，最重要点

参考例句：

• The crux of the matter is how to comprehensively treat this trend.问题的关键是如何全面地看待这种趋势。
• The crux of the matter is that attitudes have changed.问题的要害是人们的态度转变了。

58 jolted   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。

59 blurry   

adj.模糊的；污脏的，污斑的

参考例句：

• My blurry vision makes it hard to drive. 我的视力有点模糊，使得开起车来相当吃力。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The lines are pretty blurry at this point. 界线在这个时候是很模糊的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

60 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

61 torrent   

n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发

参考例句：

• The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
• Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。

62 breach   

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。

63 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。