DEATH IN THE CLOUDS
Agatha Christie
Chapter 1 Paris to Croydon
The September sun beat down hotly on Le Bourget aerodrome as the passengers crossed the ground and climbed into the air liner
"Prometheus," due to depart for Croydon in a few minutes' time.
Jane Grey was among the last to enter and take her seat, No. 16. Some of the passengers had already passed on through the center door past the tiny pantry kitchen and the two wash rooms to the front car. Most people were already seated. On the opposite side of the gangway there was a good deal of
chatter1 - a rather
shrill2, high-pitched woman's voice dominating it. Jane's lips twisted slightly. She knew that particular type of voice so well.
"My dear, it's extraordinary - no idea... Where do you say?... Juan les Pins?... Oh, yes... No, Le Pinet... Yes, just the same old crowd... But of course let's sit together... Oh, can't we?... Who?... Oh, I see."
And then a man's voice, foreign, polite:
"With the greatest of pleasure, madame."
Jane stole a glance out of the corner of her eye.
A little elderly man with large mustaches and an egg-shaped head was politely moving himself and his
belongings3 from the seat
corresponding to Jane's on the opposite side of the gangway.
Jane turned her head slightly and got a view of the two women whose unexpected meeting had occasioned this polite action on the stranger's part. The mention of Le Pinet had
stimulated4 her curiosity, for Jane, also, had been at Le Pinet.
She remembered one of the women
perfectly5 - remembered how she had seen her last, at the baccarat table, her little hands
clenching6 and unclenching themselves; her delicately made-up, Dresden-china face flushing and paling alternately. With a little effort, Jane thought, she could have remembered her name. A friend had mentioned it; had said, "She's a peeress, she is. But not one of the proper ones; she was only some chorus girl or other."
Deep scorn in the friend's voice. That had been Maisie, who had a first- class job as a masseuse, taking off flesh.
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收听单词发音
1
chatter
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vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战 |
参考例句: |
- Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
- I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。
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2
shrill
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adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫 |
参考例句: |
- Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
- The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。
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3
belongings
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n.私人物品,私人财物 |
参考例句: |
- I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
- Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。
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4
stimulated
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a.刺激的 |
参考例句: |
- The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
- The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。
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5
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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6
clenching
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v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- I'll never get used to them, she thought, clenching her fists. 我永远也看不惯这些家伙,她握紧双拳,心里想。 来自飘(部分)
- Clenching her lips, she nodded. 她紧闭着嘴唇,点点头。 来自辞典例句
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7
standing
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n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 |
参考例句: |
- After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
- They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
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8
metallic
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adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 |
参考例句: |
- A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
- He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。
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9
obstinately
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ad.固执地,顽固地 |
参考例句: |
- He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。
- Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。
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10
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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11
obstructions
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n.障碍物( obstruction的名词复数 );阻碍物;阻碍;阻挠 |
参考例句: |
- The absence of obstructions is of course an idealization. 没有障碍物的情况当然是一种理想化的情况。 来自辞典例句
- These obstructions could take some weeks to clear from these canals. 这些障碍物可能要花几周时间才能从运河中清除掉。 来自辞典例句
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12
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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13
sweeping
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adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 |
参考例句: |
- The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
- Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
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14
steward
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n.乘务员,服务员;看管人;膳食管理员 |
参考例句: |
- He's the steward of the club.他是这家俱乐部的管理员。
- He went around the world as a ship's steward.他当客船服务员,到过世界各地。
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15
stewards
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(轮船、飞机等的)乘务员( steward的名词复数 ); (俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的)管理员; (大型活动的)组织者; (私人家中的)管家 |
参考例句: |
- The stewards all wore armbands. 乘务员都戴了臂章。
- The stewards will inspect the course to see if racing is possible. 那些干事将检视赛马场看是否适宜比赛。
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compartment
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n.卧车包房,隔间;分隔的空间 |
参考例句: |
- We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴,整个客车隔间由我们独享。
- The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。
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17
resolutely
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adj.坚决地,果断地 |
参考例句: |
- He resolutely adhered to what he had said at the meeting. 他坚持他在会上所说的话。
- He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难,而是抱怨自己运气不佳。
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18
dressing
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n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 |
参考例句: |
- Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
- The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
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19
chaff
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v.取笑,嘲笑;n.谷壳 |
参考例句: |
- I didn't mind their chaff.我不在乎他们的玩笑。
- Old birds are not caught with chaff.谷糠难诱老雀。
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20
uncommon
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adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的 |
参考例句: |
- Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
- Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。
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21
miraculous
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adj.像奇迹一样的,不可思议的 |
参考例句: |
- The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
- They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人,赢得了非凡的胜利。
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22
outlay
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n.费用,经费,支出;v.花费 |
参考例句: |
- There was very little outlay on new machinery.添置新机器的开支微乎其微。
- The outlay seems to bear no relation to the object aimed at.这费用似乎和预期目的完全不相称。
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23
dwindled
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v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
- His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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24
gambling
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n.赌博;投机 |
参考例句: |
- They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
- The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。
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25
superstition
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n.迷信,迷信行为 |
参考例句: |
- It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
- Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。
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26
prudently
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adv. 谨慎地,慎重地 |
参考例句: |
- He prudently pursued his plan. 他谨慎地实行他那计划。
- They had prudently withdrawn as soon as the van had got fairly under way. 他们在蓬车安全上路后立即谨慎地离去了。
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27
spun
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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。
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28
simultaneously
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adv.同时发生地,同时进行地 |
参考例句: |
- The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
- The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。
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29
rouge
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n.胭脂,口红唇膏;v.(在…上)擦口红 |
参考例句: |
- Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂,使脸更漂亮。
- She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮,不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。
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impair
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v.损害,损伤;削弱,减少 |
参考例句: |
- Loud noise can impair your hearing.巨大的噪音有损听觉。
- It can not impair the intellectual vigor of the young.这不能磨灭青年人思想活力。
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muddled
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adj.混乱的;糊涂的;头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱,弄糟( muddle的过去式);使糊涂;对付,混日子 |
参考例句: |
- He gets muddled when the teacher starts shouting. 老师一喊叫他就心烦意乱。
- I got muddled up and took the wrong turning. 我稀里糊涂地拐错了弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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petulantly
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参考例句: |
- \"No; nor will she miss now,\" cries The Vengeance, petulantly. “不会的,现在也不会错过,”复仇女神气冲冲地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
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33
deferential
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adj. 敬意的,恭敬的 |
参考例句: |
- They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.他们喜欢五星级的宾馆和毕恭毕敬的接待。
- I am deferential and respectful in the presence of artists.我一向恭敬、尊重艺术家。
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34
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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35
muffled
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adj.(声音)被隔的;听不太清的;(衣服)裹严的;蒙住的v.压抑,捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 );用厚厚的衣帽包着(自己) |
参考例句: |
- muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
- There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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36
scrutiny
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n.详细检查,仔细观察 |
参考例句: |
- His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好,但是经不起仔细检查。
- Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。
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authoritative
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adj.有权威的,可相信的;命令式的;官方的 |
参考例句: |
- David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
- Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼,同时又透着威严。
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38
flute
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n.长笛;v.吹笛 |
参考例句: |
- He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
- There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
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39
gale
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n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) |
参考例句: |
- We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
- According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报,明天有大风。
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40
hovered
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鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 |
参考例句: |
- A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
- A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。
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41
bluff
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v.虚张声势,用假象骗人;n.虚张声势,欺骗 |
参考例句: |
- His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
- John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。
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42
fumbled
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(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 |
参考例句: |
- She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
- He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他(瞎)摸着衣兜找票。
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holder
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n.持有者,占有者;(台,架等)支持物 |
参考例句: |
- The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
- That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。
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44
ware
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n.(常用复数)商品,货物 |
参考例句: |
- The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。
- Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。
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45
determinedly
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adv.决意地;坚决地,坚定地 |
参考例句: |
- "Don't shove me,'said one of the strikers, determinedly. "I'm not doing anything." “别推我,"其中的一个罢工工人坚决地说,"我可没干什么。” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
- Dorothy's chin set determinedly as she looked calmly at him. 多萝西平静地看着他,下巴绷得紧紧的,看来是打定主意了。 来自名作英译部分
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46
caressing
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爱抚的,表现爱情的,亲切的 |
参考例句: |
- The spring wind is gentle and caressing. 春风和畅。
- He sat silent still caressing Tartar, who slobbered with exceeding affection. 他不声不响地坐在那里,不断抚摸着鞑靼,它由于获得超常的爱抚而不淌口水。
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47
nervously
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adv.神情激动地,不安地 |
参考例句: |
- He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
- He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
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48
caressingly
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爱抚地,亲切地 |
参考例句: |
- His voice was caressingly sweet. 他的嗓音亲切而又甜美。
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49
prehistoric
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adj.(有记载的)历史以前的,史前的,古老的 |
参考例句: |
- They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
- It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。
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50
pottery
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n.陶器,陶器场 |
参考例句: |
- My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
- The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。
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51
wrenched
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v.(猛力地)扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 );扭伤;使感到痛苦;使悲痛 |
参考例句: |
- The bag was wrenched from her grasp. 那只包从她紧握的手里被夺了出来。
- He wrenched the book from her hands. 他从她的手中把书拧抢了过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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battered
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adj.磨损的;v.连续猛击;磨损 |
参考例句: |
- He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
- The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。
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53
eloquent
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adj.雄辩的,口才流利的;明白显示出的 |
参考例句: |
- He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩,胜过最好的演说家。
- These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。
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continental
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adj.大陆的,大陆性的,欧洲大陆的 |
参考例句: |
- A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
- The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。
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alibi
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n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明;借口 |
参考例句: |
- Do you have any proof to substantiate your alibi? 你有证据表明你当时不在犯罪现场吗?
- The police are suspicious of his alibi because he already has a record.警方对他不在场的辩解表示怀疑,因为他已有前科。
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dividend
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n.红利,股息;回报,效益 |
参考例句: |
- The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
- The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。
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57
applied
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adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 |
参考例句: |
- She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
- This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
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58
lipstick
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n.口红,唇膏 |
参考例句: |
- Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红,开始往嘴唇上抹。
- Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。
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59
wasp
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n.黄蜂,蚂蜂 |
参考例句: |
- A wasp stung me on the arm.黄蜂蜇了我的手臂。
- Through the glass we can see the wasp.透过玻璃我们可以看到黄蜂。
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60
dealing
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n.经商方法,待人态度 |
参考例句: |
- This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
- His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
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61
slew
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v.(使)旋转;n.大量,许多 |
参考例句: |
- He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧,抵住了。
- They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。
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62
neatly
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adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地 |
参考例句: |
- Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
- The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
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