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CHAPTER IV THE YOUNG TELEGRAPH OPERATOR
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"WHILE a newsboy on the railroad," says Edison, "I got very much interested in electricity, probably from visiting telegraph offices with a chum who had tastes similar to mine." It will also have been noted1 that he used the telegraph to get items for his little journal, and to bulletin his special news of the Civil War along the line. The next step was natural, and having with his knowledge of chemistry no trouble about "setting up" his batteries, the difficulties of securing apparatus2 were chiefly those connected with the circuits and the instruments. American youths to-day are given, if of a mechanical turn of mind, to amateur telegraphy or telephony, but seldom, if ever, have to make any part of the system constructed. In Edison's boyish days it was quite different, and telegraphic supplies were hard to obtain. But he and his "chum" had a line between their homes, built of common stove-pipe wire. The insulators3 were bottles set on nails driven into trees and short poles. The magnet wire was wound with rags for insulation4, and pieces of spring brass5 were used for keys. With an idea of securing current cheaply, Edison applied6 the little that he knew about static electricity, and actually experimented with cats, which he treated vigorously as frictional machines until the animals fled in dismay, and Edison had learned his first great lesson in the relative value of sources of electrical energy. The line was made to work, however, and additional to the messages that the boys interchanged, Edison secured practice in an ingenious manner. His father insisted on 11.30 as proper bedtime, which left but a short interval8 after the long day on the train. But each evening, when the boy went home with a bundle of papers that had not been sold in the town, his father would sit up reading the "returnables." Edison, therefore, on some excuse, left the papers with his friend, but suggested that he could get the news from him by telegraph, bit by bit. The scheme interested his father, and was put into effect, the messages being written down and handed over for
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noted
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adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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apparatus
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n.装置,器械;器具,设备 | |
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insulators
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绝缘、隔热或隔音等的物质或装置( insulator的名词复数 ) | |
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insulation
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n.隔离;绝缘;隔热 | |
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brass
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n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 | |
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applied
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adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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rim
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n.(圆物的)边,轮缘;边界 | |
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interval
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n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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perusal
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n.细读,熟读;目测 | |
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lasting
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adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持 | |
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orchard
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n.果园,果园里的全部果树,(美俚)棒球场 | |
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rudiments
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n.基础知识,入门 | |
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laden
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adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的 | |
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gravel
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n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石 | |
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glazed
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adj.光滑的,像玻璃的;上过釉的;呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式);上釉于,上光;(目光)变得呆滞无神 | |
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qualified
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adj.合格的,有资格的,胜任的,有限制的 | |
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synonym
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n.同义词,换喻词 | |
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herald
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vt.预示...的来临,预告,宣布,欢迎 | |
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proficiency
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n.精通,熟练,精练 | |
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corps
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n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组 | |
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jewelry
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n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝 | |
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proficient
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adj.熟练的,精通的;n.能手,专家 | |
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apprentice
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n.学徒,徒弟 | |
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junction
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n.连接,接合;交叉点,接合处,枢纽站 | |
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apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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engrossed
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adj.全神贯注的 | |
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offhand
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adj.临时,无准备的;随便,马虎的 | |
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distinguished
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adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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fervor
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n.热诚;热心;炽热 | |
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enamel
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n.珐琅,搪瓷,瓷釉;(牙齿的)珐琅质 | |
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pottery
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n.陶器,陶器场 | |
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indenting
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n.成穴的v.切割…使呈锯齿状( indent的现在分词 );缩进排版 | |
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scotch
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n.伤口,刻痕;苏格兰威士忌酒;v.粉碎,消灭,阻止;adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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jubilee
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n.周年纪念;欢乐 | |
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physicist
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n.物理学家,研究物理学的人 | |
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tenacity
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n.坚韧 | |
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attachment
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n.附属物,附件;依恋;依附 | |
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grove
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n.林子,小树林,园林 | |
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platinum
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n.白金 | |
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scrap
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n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废 | |
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revelled
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v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 );狂欢;着迷;陶醉 | |
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notches
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n.(边缘或表面上的)V型痕迹( notch的名词复数 );刻痕;水平;等级 | |
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revolved
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v.(使)旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 );细想 | |
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accurately
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adv.准确地,精确地 | |
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regularity
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n.规律性,规则性;匀称,整齐 | |
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faculty
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n.才能;学院,系;(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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awaken
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vi.醒,觉醒;vt.唤醒,使觉醒,唤起,激起 | |
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depot
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n.仓库,储藏处;公共汽车站;火车站 | |
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ingenuity
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n.别出心裁;善于发明创造 | |
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conversed
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v.交谈,谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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shrill
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adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫 | |
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wireless
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adj.无线的;n.无线电 | |
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wrecked
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adj.失事的,遇难的 | |
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persistent
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adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的 | |
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industrious
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adj.勤劳的,刻苦的,奋发的 | |
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livelihood
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n.生计,谋生之道 | |
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relatively
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adv.比较...地,相对地 | |
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vacancies
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n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 );空虚;空白;空缺 | |
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costly
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adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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dearth
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n.缺乏,粮食不足,饥谨 | |
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skilful
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(=skillful)adj.灵巧的,熟练的 | |
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enlisted
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adj.应募入伍的v.(使)入伍, (使)参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 );获得(帮助或支持) | |
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scarcity
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n.缺乏,不足,萧条 | |
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nomadic
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adj.流浪的;游牧的 | |
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adventurous
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adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 | |
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deterrent
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n.阻碍物,制止物;adj.威慑的,遏制的 | |
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expiration
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n.终结,期满,呼气,呼出物 | |
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accentuated
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v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 );使突出;使恶化;加重音符号于 | |
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toll
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n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟) | |
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intervention
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n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
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radically
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ad.根本地,本质地 | |
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practitioners
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n.习艺者,实习者( practitioner的名词复数 );从业者(尤指医师) | |
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ordeal
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n.苦难经历,(尤指对品格、耐力的)严峻考验 | |
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apprenticeship
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n.学徒身份;学徒期 | |
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attain
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vt.达到,获得,完成 | |
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worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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stagnation
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n. 停滞 | |
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deterioration
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n.退化;恶化;变坏 | |
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strictly
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adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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promotion
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n.提升,晋级;促销,宣传 | |
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afterward
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adv.后来;以后 | |
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weir
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n.堰堤,拦河坝 | |
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postal
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adj.邮政的,邮局的 | |
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journalism
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n.新闻工作,报业 | |
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Founder
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n.创始者,缔造者 | |
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harry
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vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼 | |
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debauch
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v.使堕落,放纵 | |
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adverse
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adj.不利的;有害的;敌对的,不友好的 | |
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stoic
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n.坚忍克己之人,禁欲主义者 | |
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abstemiousness
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n.适中,有节制 | |
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kindliness
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n.厚道,亲切,友好的行为 | |
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knights
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骑士; (中古时代的)武士( knight的名词复数 ); 骑士; 爵士; (国际象棋中)马 | |
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inevitable
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adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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embodied
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v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 );象征;包括;包含 | |
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grizzly
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adj.略为灰色的,呈灰色的;n.灰色大熊 | |
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panorama
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n.全景,全景画,全景摄影,全景照片[装置] | |
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cape
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n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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tightening
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上紧,固定,紧密 | |
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machinery
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n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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lighting
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n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
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versatile
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adj.通用的,万用的;多才多艺的,多方面的 | |
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variegated
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adj.斑驳的,杂色的 | |
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remains
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n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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laborious
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adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅 | |
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