Chapter 4 An Interview
I arrived with Poirot at Lord Edgware’s house in Regent Gate in a very pleasant state of
anticipation1. Though I had not Poirot’s devotion to ‘the psychology’, yet the few words in which Lady Edgware had referred to her husband had aroused my curiosity. I was anxious to see what my own
judgment2 would be.
The house was an
imposing3 one – well-built, handsome and slightly gloomy. There were no window-boxes or such frivolities.
The door was opened to us
promptly4, and by no
aged5 white-haired butler such as would have been in keeping with the
exterior6 of the house. On the contrary, it was opened by one of the handsomest young men I have ever seen. Tall, fair, he might have posed to a
sculptor7 for Hermes or Apollo. Despite his good looks there was something
vaguely8 effeminate that I disliked about the softness of his voice. Also, in a curious way, he reminded me of someone – someone, too, whom I had met quite lately – but who it was I could not for the life of me remember.
We asked for Lord Edgware.
‘This way, sir.’
He led us along the hall, past the staircase, to a door at the rear of the hall.
Opening it, he announced us in that same soft voice which I
instinctively9 distrusted.
The room into which we were shown was a kind of library. The walls were lined with books, the furnishings were dark and sombre but handsome, the chairs were formal and not too comfortable.
Lord Edgware, who rose to receive us, was a tall man of about fifty. He had dark hair
streaked
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收听单词发音
1
anticipation
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n.预期,预料,期望 |
参考例句: |
- We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着,期待她的到来。
- The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安,像是感到了地震即将发生。
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2
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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3
imposing
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adj.使人难忘的,壮丽的,堂皇的,雄伟的 |
参考例句: |
- The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
- He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。
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4
promptly
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adv.及时地,敏捷地 |
参考例句: |
- He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
- She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
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5
aged
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adj.年老的,陈年的 |
参考例句: |
- He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
- He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
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6
exterior
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adj.外部的,外在的;表面的 |
参考例句: |
- The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
- We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。
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7
sculptor
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n.雕刻家,雕刻家 |
参考例句: |
- A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
- The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。
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8
vaguely
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adv.含糊地,暖昧地 |
参考例句: |
- He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
- He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面,对一切都视而不见。
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9
instinctively
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adv.本能地 |
参考例句: |
- As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近,她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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10
streaked
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adj.有条斑纹的,不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 );使布满条纹 |
参考例句: |
- The children streaked off as fast as they could. 孩子们拔脚飞跑 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- His face was pale and streaked with dirt. 他脸色苍白,脸上有一道道的污痕。 来自辞典例句
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11
sneer
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v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语 |
参考例句: |
- He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
- You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
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sneering
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嘲笑的,轻蔑的 |
参考例句: |
- "What are you sneering at?" “你冷笑什么?” 来自子夜部分
- The old sorceress slunk in with a sneering smile. 老女巫鬼鬼崇崇地走进来,冷冷一笑。
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bad-tempered
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adj.脾气坏的 |
参考例句: |
- He grew more and more bad-tempered as the afternoon wore on.随着下午一点点地过去,他的脾气也越来越坏。
- I know he's often bad-tempered but really,you know,he's got a heart of gold.我知道他经常发脾气,但是,要知道,其实他心肠很好。
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14
chilly
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adj.凉快的,寒冷的 |
参考例句: |
- I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
- I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
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peculiar
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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。
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investigator
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n.研究者,调查者,审查者 |
参考例句: |
- He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
- The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。
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utterly
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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。
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eyebrows
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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。
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19
astonishment
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n.惊奇,惊异 |
参考例句: |
- They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
- I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
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20
perfectly
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adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 |
参考例句: |
- The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
- Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
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21
frankly
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adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说 |
参考例句: |
- To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
- Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
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22
modification
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n.修改,改进,缓和,减轻 |
参考例句: |
- The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的,它需要修改。
- The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。
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23
sneered
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讥笑,冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
- It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。
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24
deserted
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adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 |
参考例句: |
- The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
- The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
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25
cynically
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adv.爱嘲笑地,冷笑地 |
参考例句: |
- "Holding down the receiver,'said Daisy cynically. “挂上话筒在讲。”黛西冷嘲热讽地说。 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比
- The Democrats sensibly (if cynically) set about closing the God gap. 民主党在明智(有些讽刺)的减少宗教引起的问题。 来自互联网
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26
perplexed
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adj.不知所措的 |
参考例句: |
- The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛,走了又回来,犹豫不决,总怕上当受骗。
- The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。
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27
previously
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adv.以前,先前(地) |
参考例句: |
- The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
- Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
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28
severing
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v.切断,断绝( sever的现在分词 );断,裂 |
参考例句: |
- The death of a second parent is like severing an umbilical cord to our past. 父母当中第二个人去世,就象斩断了把我们同过去联在一起的纽带。 来自辞典例句
- The severing theory and severing method for brittle block are studied. 研究裂纹技术应用于分离脆性块体的分离理论和分离方法。 来自互联网
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29
flicker
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vi./n.闪烁,摇曳,闪现 |
参考例句: |
- There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。
- At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时,光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现,几乎并不灿烂。
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macabre
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adj.骇人的,可怖的 |
参考例句: |
- He takes a macabre interest in graveyards.他那么留意墓地,令人毛骨悚然。
- Mr Dahl was well-known for his macabre adult stories called 'Tales of the Unexpected'.达尔先生以成人恐怖小说集《意料之外的故事》闻名于世。
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memoirs
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n.回忆录;回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) |
参考例句: |
- Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
- I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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32
shudder
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v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动 |
参考例句: |
- The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
- We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
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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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acting
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n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 |
参考例句: |
- Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
- During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
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35
marsh
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n.沼泽,湿地 |
参考例句: |
- There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
- I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。
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baron
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n.男爵;(商业界等)巨头,大王 |
参考例句: |
- Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
- The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。
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suavely
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参考例句: |
- He is suavely charming and all the ladies love him. 他温文尔雅,女士们都喜欢他。 来自互联网
- Jiro: (Suavely) What do you think? What do you feel I'm like right now? 大东﹕(耍帅)你认为呢﹖我现在给你的感觉如何﹖。 来自互联网
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38
suave
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adj.温和的;柔和的;文雅的 |
参考例句: |
- He is a suave,cool and cultured man.他是个世故、冷静、有教养的人。
- I had difficulty answering his suave questions.我难以回答他的一些彬彬有礼的提问。
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39
touching
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adj.动人的,使人感伤的 |
参考例句: |
- It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
- His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
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40
exclamation
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n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词 |
参考例句: |
- He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
- The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
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drawn
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v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 |
参考例句: |
- All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
- Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
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snarl
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v.吼叫,怒骂,纠缠,混乱;n.混乱,缠结,咆哮 |
参考例句: |
- At the seaside we could hear the snarl of the waves.在海边我们可以听见波涛的咆哮。
- The traffic was all in a snarl near the accident.事故发生处附近交通一片混乱。
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43
marvel
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vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事 |
参考例句: |
- The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
- The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。
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44
aloof
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adj.远离的;冷淡的,漠不关心的 |
参考例句: |
- Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
- On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。
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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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46
vices
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缺陷( vice的名词复数 ); 恶习; 不道德行为; 台钳 |
参考例句: |
- In spite of his vices, he was loved by all. 尽管他有缺点,还是受到大家的爱戴。
- He vituperated from the pulpit the vices of the court. 他在教堂的讲坛上责骂宫廷的罪恶。
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47
frigid
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adj.寒冷的,凛冽的;冷淡的;拘禁的 |
参考例句: |
- The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨,他在下面呆不了太长时间。
- She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。
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middle-aged
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adj.中年的 |
参考例句: |
- I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
- The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
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primly
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adv.循规蹈矩地,整洁地 |
参考例句: |
- He didn't reply, but just smiled primly. 他没回答,只是拘谨地笑了笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He wore prim suits with neckties set primly against the collar buttons of his white shirts. 他穿着整洁的外套,领结紧贴着白色衬衫领口的钮扣。 来自互联网
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50
gossamer
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n.薄纱,游丝 |
参考例句: |
- The prince helped the princess,who was still in her delightful gossamer gown.王子搀扶着仍穿著那套美丽薄纱晚礼服的公主。
- Gossamer is floating in calm air.空中飘浮着游丝。
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opposition
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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。
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fretting
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n. 微振磨损
adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的 |
参考例句: |
- Fretting about it won't help. 苦恼于事无补。
- The old lady is always fretting over something unimportant. 那位老妇人总是为一些小事焦虑不安。
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reassure
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v.使放心,使消除疑虑 |
参考例句: |
- This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点,于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
- The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。
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discreet
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adj.(言行)谨慎的;慎重的;有判断力的 |
参考例句: |
- He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
- It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。
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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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suite
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n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员 |
参考例句: |
- She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
- That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
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speculation
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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。
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serenely
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adv.安详地,宁静地,平静地 |
参考例句: |
- The boat sailed serenely on towards the horizon.小船平稳地向着天水交接处驶去。
- It was a serenely beautiful night.那是一个宁静美丽的夜晚。
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oracle
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n.神谕,神谕处,预言 |
参考例句: |
- In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候,她祈祷神谕来指引她。
- It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most important.它是一种内生性神谕,常常能预言最重要的事情。
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60
intrigues
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n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 );神秘气氛;引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 );激起…的好奇心 |
参考例句: |
- He was made king as a result of various intrigues. 由于搞了各种各样的阴谋,他当上了国王。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Those who go in for intrigues and conspiracy are doomed to failure. 搞阴谋诡计的人注定要失败。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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fictitious
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adj.虚构的,假设的;空头的 |
参考例句: |
- She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
- The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。
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motive
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n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 |
参考例句: |
- The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
- He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。
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