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Chapter 30 MISS VINER GIVES
JUDGMENT1
Katherine looked out of Miss Viner's bedroom window. It was raining, not violently, but with a quiet, well-bred
persistence2. The window looked out on a strip of front garden with a path down to the gate and neat little flower-beds on either side, where later roses and pinks and blue hyacinths would bloom. Miss Viner was lying in a large Victorian bedstead. A tray with the
remains3 of breakfast had been pushed to one side and she was busy opening
her correspondence and making various
caustic4 comments upon it.
Katherine had an open letter in her hand and was reading it through for the second time. It was dated from the Ritz Hotel, Paris.
"Chère Mademoiselle Katherine (it began),
"I trust that you are in good health and that the return to the English winter has not proved too depressing. Me, I
prosecute5 my
inquiries6 with the utmost diligence. Do not think that it is the holiday that I take here. Very shortly I shall be in England, and I hope then to have the pleasure of meeting you once more. It shall be so, shall it not? On arrival in London I shall write to you. You remember that we are the colleagues in this affair? But indeed I think you know that very well.
"Be assured, Mademoiselle, of my most respectful and
devoted7 sentiments.
"Hercule Poirot."
Katherine frowned slightly. It was as though something in the letter puzzled and
intrigued8 her.
"A
choir9 boys' picnic indeed," came from Miss Viner. "Tommy Saunders and Albert
Dykes
点击
收听单词发音
1
judgment
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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。
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2
persistence
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n.坚持,持续,存留 |
参考例句: |
- The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
- He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。
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3
remains
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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。
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4
caustic
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adj.刻薄的,腐蚀性的 |
参考例句: |
- He opened his mouth to make a caustic retort.他张嘴开始进行刻薄的反击。
- He enjoys making caustic remarks about other people.他喜欢挖苦别人。
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5
prosecute
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vt.告发;进行;vi.告发,起诉,作检察官 |
参考例句: |
- I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
- Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据?
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6
inquiries
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n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 |
参考例句: |
- He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释,等候进一步调查。
- I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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7
devoted
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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。
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8
intrigued
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adj.好奇的,被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式);激起…的兴趣或好奇心;“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词 |
参考例句: |
- You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧!
- He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。
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9
choir
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n.唱诗班,唱诗班的席位,合唱团,舞蹈团;v.合唱 |
参考例句: |
- The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
- The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。
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10
dykes
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abbr.diagonal wire cutters 斜线切割机n.堤( dyke的名词复数 );坝;堰;沟 |
参考例句: |
- They built dykes and dam to hold back the rising flood waters. 他们修筑了堤坝来阻挡上涨的洪水。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The dykes were built as a protection against the sea. 建筑堤坝是为了防止海水泛滥。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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11
subscribe
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vi.(to)订阅,订购;同意;vt.捐助,赞助 |
参考例句: |
- I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
- The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。
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12
humbug
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n.花招,谎话,欺骗 |
参考例句: |
- I know my words can seem to him nothing but utter humbug.我知道,我说的话在他看来不过是彻头彻尾的慌言。
- All their fine words are nothing but humbug.他们的一切花言巧语都是骗人的。
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13
recede
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vi.退(去),渐渐远去;向后倾斜,缩进 |
参考例句: |
- The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
- He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。
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14
triumphant
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adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 |
参考例句: |
- The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
- There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。
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15
spoke
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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。
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16
apparently
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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。
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17
mead
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n.蜂蜜酒 |
参考例句: |
- He gave me a cup of mead.他给我倒了杯蜂蜜酒。
- He drank some mead at supper.晚饭时他喝了一些蜂蜜酒。
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18
admiration
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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。
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19
villa
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n.别墅,城郊小屋 |
参考例句: |
- We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
- We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。
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20
sensational
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adj.使人感动的,非常好的,轰动的,耸人听闻的 |
参考例句: |
- Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
- Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。
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21
hideous
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adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 |
参考例句: |
- The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
- They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗,是丑陋的畜牲。
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22
complexion
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n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格 |
参考例句: |
- Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
- Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。
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23
determined
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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。
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awfully
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adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地 |
参考例句: |
- Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
- I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
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25
grilled
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adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的
动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式 |
参考例句: |
- He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后,警察才放他走。
- He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问,直到他承认为止。
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tart
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adj.酸的;尖酸的,刻薄的;n.果馅饼;淫妇 |
参考例句: |
- She was learning how to make a fruit tart in class.她正在课上学习如何制作水果馅饼。
- She replied in her usual tart and offhand way.她开口回答了,用她平常那种尖酸刻薄的声调随口说道。
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pastry
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n.油酥面团,酥皮糕点 |
参考例句: |
- The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
- The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。
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earrings
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n.耳环( earring的名词复数 );耳坠子 |
参考例句: |
- a pair of earrings 一对耳环
- These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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filigree
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n.金银丝做的工艺品;v.用金银细丝饰品装饰;用华而不实的饰品装饰;adj.金银细丝工艺的 |
参考例句: |
- The frost made beautiful filigree on the window pane.寒霜在玻璃窗上形成了美丽的花纹。
- The art filigree tapestry is elegant and magnificent.嵌金银丝艺术挂毯,绚丽雅典。
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vent
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n.通风口,排放口;开衩;vt.表达,发泄 |
参考例句: |
- He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
- When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时,发动机就会停转。
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31
bragging
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v.自夸,吹嘘( brag的现在分词 );大话 |
参考例句: |
- He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
- Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口,亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句
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assorted
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adj.各种各样的,各色俱备的 |
参考例句: |
- There's a bag of assorted sweets on the table.桌子上有一袋什锦糖果。
- He has always assorted with men of his age.他总是与和他年令相仿的人交往。
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33
curiously
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adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地 |
参考例句: |
- He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
- He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
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34
chattering
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n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾
adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的
动词chatter的现在分词形式 |
参考例句: |
- The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
- I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。
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35
burnished
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adj.抛光的,光亮的v.擦亮(金属等),磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 );被擦亮,磨光 |
参考例句: |
- The floor was spotless; the grate and fire-irons were burnished bright. 地板上没有污迹;炉栅和火炉用具擦得发亮。 来自辞典例句
- The woods today are burnished bronze. 今天的树林是一片发亮的青铜色。 来自辞典例句
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36
doorway
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n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 |
参考例句: |
- They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
- Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
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37
majestically
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雄伟地; 庄重地; 威严地; 崇高地 |
参考例句: |
- The waters of the Changjiang River rolled to the east on majestically. 雄伟的长江滚滚东流。
- Towering snowcapped peaks rise majestically. 白雪皑皑的山峰耸入云霄。
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38
austere
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adj.艰苦的;朴素的,朴实无华的;严峻的 |
参考例句: |
- His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
- The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。
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39
thawed
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解冻 |
参考例句: |
- The little girl's smile thawed the angry old man. 小姑娘的微笑使发怒的老头缓和下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He thawed after sitting at a fire for a while. 在火堆旁坐了一会儿,他觉得暖和起来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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luncheon
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n.午宴,午餐,便宴 |
参考例句: |
- We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
- I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。
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41
devoid
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adj.全无的,缺乏的 |
参考例句: |
- He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
- The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。
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42
prodigies
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n.奇才,天才(尤指神童)( prodigy的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- It'seldom happened that a third party ever witnessed any of these prodigies. 这类壮举发生的时候,难得有第三者在场目睹过。 来自辞典例句
- She is by no means inferior to other prodigies. 她绝不是不如其他神童。 来自互联网
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curmudgeon
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n. 脾气暴躁之人,守财奴,吝啬鬼 |
参考例句: |
- The old curmudgeon found a new scapegoat and that let me out.那个老守财奴找到一个新的替罪羊,这样我就脱身了。
- The old curmudgeon was talking about the smothering effects of parental duty on creative lives.那些坏脾气的老人们喋喋不休于父母生儿育女之责任的妨碍性效应。
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gallant
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adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 |
参考例句: |
- Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
- These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。
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