Chapter 7 Probabilities
With the departure of Maоtre Thibault, the three men drew their chairs a little closer to the table.
"Now then," said Japp, "let's get down to it." He unscrewed the cap of his fountain pen. "There were eleven passengers in that Plane - in rear car, I mean - the other doesn't come into it - eleven passengers and two
stewards2 - that's thirteen people we've got. One of those thirteen did the old woman in. Some of the passengers were English, some were French. The latter I shall hand over to M. Fournier. The English ones I'll take on. Then there are
inquiries4 to be made in Paris - that's your job, too, Fournier."
"And not only in Paris," said Fournier. "In the summer Giselle did a lot of business at the French watering places - Deasuville, Le Pinet, Wimereux. She went down south, too, to Antibes and Nice and all those places."
"A good point - one or two of the people in the 'Prometheus' mentioned Le Pinet, I remember. Well, that's one line. Then we've got to get down to the actual murder itself - prove who could possibly be in a position to use that blowpipe He unrolled a
sketch5 plan of the aeroplane and placed it in the center of the table. "Now then, we're ready for the preliminary work. And to begin with, let's go through the people one by one, and decide on the probabilities and - even more important - the possibilities."
"To begin with, we can eliminate M. Poirot here. That brings the number down to eleven."
Poirot shook his head sadly.
"You are of too trustful a nature, my friend. You should trust nobody - nobody at all."
"Well, we'll leave you in, if you like," said Japp good-temperedly. "Then there are the stewards. Seems to me very unlikely it should be either of them from the probability point of view. They're not likely to have borrowed money on a grand scale, and they've both got a good record
-decent sober men, both of them. It would surprise me very much if either of them had anything to do with this. On the other hand, from the possibility point of view we've got to include them. They were up and down the car. They could actually have taken up a position from which they could have used the blowpipe - from the right angle, I mean - though I don't believe that a
steward3 could shoot a poisoned
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收听单词发音
1
stew
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n.炖汤,焖,烦恼;v.炖汤,焖,忧虑 |
参考例句: |
- The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
- There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。
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2
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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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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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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5
sketch
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n.草图;梗概;素描;v.素描;概述 |
参考例句: |
- My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
- I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。
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dart
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v.猛冲,投掷;n.飞镖,猛冲 |
参考例句: |
- The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
- Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。
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7
spotted
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adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 |
参考例句: |
- The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
- Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
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8
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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9
venom
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n.毒液,恶毒,痛恨 |
参考例句: |
- The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
- In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上,毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。
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10
perverted
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adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 );腐蚀;败坏;使堕落 |
参考例句: |
- Some scientific discoveries have been perverted to create weapons of destruction. 某些科学发明被滥用来生产毁灭性武器。
- sexual acts, normal and perverted 正常的和变态的性行为
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psychology
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n.心理,心理学,心理状态 |
参考例句: |
- She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
- He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。
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tortuous
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adj.弯弯曲曲的,蜿蜒的 |
参考例句: |
- We have travelled a tortuous road.我们走过了曲折的道路。
- They walked through the tortuous streets of the old city.他们步行穿过老城区中心弯弯曲曲的街道。
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dame
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n.女士 |
参考例句: |
- The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
- If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会,你就要跟那个夫人结婚。
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massage
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n.按摩,揉;vt.按摩,揉,美化,奉承,篡改数据 |
参考例句: |
- He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
- Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。
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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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inquiry
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n.打听,询问,调查,查问 |
参考例句: |
- Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
- The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
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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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investigation
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n.调查,调查研究 |
参考例句: |
- In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
- He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
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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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bent
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n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 |
参考例句: |
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
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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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bug
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n.虫子;故障;窃听器;vt.纠缠;装窃听器 |
参考例句: |
- There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
- The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。
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puff
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n.一口(气);一阵(风);v.喷气,喘气 |
参考例句: |
- He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
- They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。
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alas
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int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) |
参考例句: |
- Alas!The window is broken!哎呀!窗子破了!
- Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
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expressively
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ad.表示(某事物)地;表达地 |
参考例句: |
- She gave the order to the waiter, using her hands very expressively. 她意味深长地用双手把订单递给了服务员。
- Corleone gestured expressively, submissively, with his hands. "That is all I want." 说到这里,考利昂老头子激动而谦恭地表示:“这就是我的全部要求。” 来自教父部分
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winking
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n.瞬眼,目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 |
参考例句: |
- Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到,简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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swell
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vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强 |
参考例句: |
- The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
- His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。
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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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harping
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n.反复述说 |
参考例句: |
- Don't keep harping on like that. 别那样唠叨个没完。
- You're always harping on the samestring. 你总是老调重弹。
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pointed
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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。
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risky
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adj.有风险的,冒险的 |
参考例句: |
- It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险,但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
- He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。
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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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fixed
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adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 |
参考例句: |
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
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dagger
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n.匕首,短剑,剑号 |
参考例句: |
- The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
- The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。
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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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relish
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n.滋味,享受,爱好,调味品;vt.加调味料,享受,品味;vi.有滋味 |
参考例句: |
- I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
- I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。
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fishy
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adj. 值得怀疑的 |
参考例句: |
- It all sounds very fishy to me.所有这些在我听起来都很可疑。
- There was definitely something fishy going on.肯定当时有可疑的事情在进行中。
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skeptical
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adj.怀疑的,多疑的 |
参考例句: |
- Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
- Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。
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distinguished
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adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 |
参考例句: |
- Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
- A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
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enthusiast
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n.热心人,热衷者 |
参考例句: |
- He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
- He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人,也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。
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formerly
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adv.从前,以前 |
参考例句: |
- We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
- This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
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dealer
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n.商人,贩子 |
参考例句: |
- The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
- The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。
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excavation
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n.挖掘,发掘;被挖掘之地 |
参考例句: |
- The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
- The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。
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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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ramifications
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n.结果,后果( ramification的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
- What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢? 来自《简明英汉词典》
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nil
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n.无,全无,零 |
参考例句: |
- My knowledge of the subject is practically nil.我在这方面的知识几乎等于零。
- Their legal rights are virtually nil.他们实际上毫无法律权利。
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entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 |
参考例句: |
- The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
- His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
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circumference
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n.圆周,周长,圆周线 |
参考例句: |
- It's a mile round the circumference of the field.运动场周长一英里。
- The diameter and the circumference of a circle correlate.圆的直径与圆周有相互关系。
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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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askew
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adv.斜地;adj.歪斜的 |
参考例句: |
- His glasses had been knocked askew by the blow.他的眼镜一下子被打歪了。
- Her hat was slightly askew.她的帽子戴得有点斜。
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detailed
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adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的 |
参考例句: |
- He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
- A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
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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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