II
Hardcastle had arrived. We had had the introduction and the greetings. We were now settled downin a companionable fashion, with Dick occasionally glancing surreptitiously at Poirot with the airof a man at the Zoo studying a new and surprising acquisition. I doubt if he had ever met anyonequite like Hercule Poirot before!
Finally, the
amenities1 and politeness having been observed, Hardcastle cleared his throat andspoke.
“I suppose, M. Poirot,” he said cautiously, “that you’ll want to see—well, the whole setup foryourself? It won’t be exactly easy—” He hesitated. “The chief
constable2 told me to do everythingI could for you. But you must appreciate that there are difficulties, questions that may be asked,objections. Still, as you have come down here specially—”
Poirot interrupted him—with a touch of coldness.
“I came here,” he said, “because of the
reconstruction3 and decoration of my apartment inLondon.”
I gave a horse laugh and Poirot shot me a look of reproach.
“M. Poirot doesn’t have to go and see things,” I said. “He has always insisted that you can do itall from an armchair. But that’s not quite true, is it, Poirot? Or why have you come here?”
Poirot replied with dignity.
“I said that it was not necessary to be the foxhound, the bloodhound, the tracking dog, runningto and fro upon the
scent5. But I will admit that for the chase a dog is necessary. A retriever, myfriend. A good retriever.”
He turned towards the
inspector6. One hand twirled his moustache in a satisfied gesture.
“Let me tell you,” he said, “that I am not like the English,
obsessed7 with dogs. I, personally, canlive without the dog. But I accept, nevertheless, your ideal of the dog. The man loves and respectshis dog. He indulges him, he boasts of the intelligence and sagacity of his dog to his friends. Nowfigure to yourself, the opposite may also come to pass! The dog is fond of his master. He indulgesthat master! He, too, boasts of his master, boasts of his master’s sagacity and intelligence. And asa man will rouse himself when he does not really want to go out, and take his dog for a walkbecause the dog enjoys the walk so much, so will the dog endeavour to give his master what thatmaster pines to have.
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收听单词发音
1
amenities
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n.令人愉快的事物;礼仪;礼节;便利设施;礼仪( amenity的名词复数 );便利设施;(环境等的)舒适;(性情等的)愉快 |
参考例句: |
- The campsite is close to all local amenities. 营地紧靠当地所有的便利设施。
- Parks and a theatre are just some of the town's local amenities. 公园和戏院只是市镇娱乐设施的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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2
constable
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n.(英国)警察,警官 |
参考例句: |
- The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
- The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气,不肯冒起火来。
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3
reconstruction
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n.重建,再现,复原 |
参考例句: |
- The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后,该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
- In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期,技术决定一切。
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4
plied
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v.使用(工具)( ply的过去式和过去分词 );经常供应(食物、饮料);固定往来;经营生意 |
参考例句: |
- They plied me with questions about my visit to England. 他们不断地询问我的英国之行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- They plied us with tea and cakes. 他们一个劲儿地让我们喝茶、吃糕饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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5
scent
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n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉 |
参考例句: |
- The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
- The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。
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6
inspector
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n.检查员,监察员,视察员 |
参考例句: |
- The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
- The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
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7
obsessed
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adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 |
参考例句: |
- He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
- The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
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8
malice
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n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋 |
参考例句: |
- I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
- There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。
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9
gaol
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n.(jail)监狱;(不加冠词)监禁;vt.使…坐牢 |
参考例句: |
- He was released from the gaol.他被释放出狱。
- The man spent several years in gaol for robbery.这男人因犯抢劫罪而坐了几年牢。
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10
replenish
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vt.补充;(把…)装满;(再)填满 |
参考例句: |
- I always replenish my food supply before it is depleted.我总是在我的食物吃完之前加以补充。
- We have to import an extra 4 million tons of wheat to replenish our reserves.我们不得不额外进口四百万吨小麦以补充我们的储备。
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11
solely
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adv.仅仅,唯一地 |
参考例句: |
- Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
- The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
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12
remarkable
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adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 |
参考例句: |
- She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
- These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
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13
deductions
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扣除( deduction的名词复数 ); 结论; 扣除的量; 推演 |
参考例句: |
- Many of the older officers trusted agents sightings more than cryptanalysts'deductions. 许多年纪比较大的军官往往相信特务的发现,而不怎么相信密码分析员的推断。
- You know how you rush at things,jump to conclusions without proper deductions. 你知道你处理问题是多么仓促,毫无合适的演绎就仓促下结论。
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14
fully
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adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 |
参考例句: |
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
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15
curry
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n.咖哩粉,咖哩饭菜;v.用咖哩粉调味,用马栉梳,制革 |
参考例句: |
- Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
- Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。
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metropolis
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n.首府;大城市 |
参考例句: |
- Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
- He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。
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17
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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stenographer
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n.速记员 |
参考例句: |
- The police stenographer recorded the man's confession word by word. 警察局速记员逐字记下了那个人的供词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- A qualified stenographer is not necessarily a competent secretary. 一个合格的速记员不一定就是个称职的秘书。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
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19
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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20
melodrama
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n.音乐剧;情节剧 |
参考例句: |
- We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama!别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演!
- White Haired Woman was a melodrama,but in certain spots it was deliberately funny.《白毛女》是一出悲剧性的歌剧,但也有不少插科打诨。
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21
embarking
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乘船( embark的现在分词 ); 装载; 从事 |
参考例句: |
- He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
- The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争,须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。
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22
corpse
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n.尸体,死尸 |
参考例句: |
- What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
- The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。
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23
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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24
pebble
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n.卵石,小圆石 |
参考例句: |
- The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋,想去孵它。
- The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
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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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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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blackmailer
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敲诈者,勒索者 |
参考例句: |
- The blackmailer had a hold over him. 勒索他的人控制着他。
- The blackmailer will have to be bought off,or he'll ruin your good name. 得花些钱疏通那个敲诈者,否则他会毁坏你的声誉。
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obnoxious
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adj.极恼人的,讨人厌的,可憎的 |
参考例句: |
- These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.这些火炉冒出来的烟气确实很难闻。
- He is the most obnoxious man I know.他是我认识的最可憎的人。
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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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converse
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vi.谈话,谈天,闲聊;adv.相反的,相反 |
参考例句: |
- He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
- I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。
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conversational
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adj.对话的,会话的 |
参考例句: |
- The article is written in a conversational style.该文是以对话的形式写成的。
- She values herself on her conversational powers.她常夸耀自己的能言善辩。
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succumb
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v.屈服,屈从;死 |
参考例句: |
- They will never succumb to the enemies.他们决不向敌人屈服。
- Will business leaders succumb to these ideas?商业领袖们会被这些观点折服吗?
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33
hemming
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卷边 |
参考例句: |
- "Now stop hemming and hawing, and tell me about it, Edward. "别再这个那个的啦,跟我说说吧,爱德华。 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡
- All ideas of stopping holes and hemming in the German intruders are vicious. 一切想要堵塞缺口和围困德国侵略军的办法都是错误的。
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34
bland
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adj.淡而无味的,温和的,无刺激性的 |
参考例句: |
- He eats bland food because of his stomach trouble.他因胃病而吃清淡的食物。
- This soup is too bland for me.这汤我喝起来偏淡。
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35
brass
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n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 |
参考例句: |
- Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
- Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
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36
tacks
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大头钉( tack的名词复数 ); 平头钉; 航向; 方法 |
参考例句: |
- Never mind the side issues, let's get down to brass tacks and thrash out a basic agreement. 别管枝节问题,让我们讨论问题的实质,以求得基本一致。
- Get down to the brass tacks,and quit talking round the subject. 谈实质问题吧,别兜圈子了。
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essentially
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adv.本质上,实质上,基本上 |
参考例句: |
- Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
- She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
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38
irrelevant
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adj.不恰当的,无关系的,不相干的 |
参考例句: |
- That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
- A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上,一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。
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39
deliberately
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adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 |
参考例句: |
- The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
- They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。
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40
immortal
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adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 |
参考例句: |
- The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
- The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽!
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41
killer
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n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者 |
参考例句: |
- Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
- The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
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42
blackmailed
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胁迫,尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的过去式 ) |
参考例句: |
- He was blackmailed by an enemy agent (into passing on state secrets). 敌特威胁他(要他交出国家机密)。
- The strikers refused to be blackmailed into returning to work. 罢工者拒绝了要挟复工的条件。
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43
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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44
concealed
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a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 |
参考例句: |
- The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
- I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。
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45
positively
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adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实 |
参考例句: |
- She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
- The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。
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46
emphatic
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adj.强调的,着重的;无可置疑的,明显的 |
参考例句: |
- Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决,不容有任何人怀疑。
- He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。
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47
purporting
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v.声称是…,(装得)像是…的样子( purport的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- Cindy Adams (Columnist) : He's purporting to be Mother Teresa. 辛迪?亚当斯(专栏作家):他无意成为德兰修女。 来自互联网
- To prohibit certain practices purporting to be sales by auction. 本条例旨在对看来是以拍卖方式作出的售卖中某些行为予以禁止。 来自互联网
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48
shrugged
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vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) |
参考例句: |
- Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
- She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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49
scrupulous
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adj.审慎的,小心翼翼的,完全的,纯粹的 |
参考例句: |
- She is scrupulous to a degree.她非常谨慎。
- Poets are not so scrupulous as you are.诗人并不像你那样顾虑多。
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50
undoubtedly
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adv.确实地,无疑地 |
参考例句: |
- It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
- He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
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51
queried
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v.质疑,对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 );询问 |
参考例句: |
- She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事?”琴向觉民问道,她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
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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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53
chagrin
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n.懊恼;气愤;委屈 |
参考例句: |
- His increasingly visible chagrin sets up a vicious circle.他的明显的不满引起了一种恶性循环。
- Much to his chagrin,he did not win the race.使他大为懊恼的是他赛跑没获胜。
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54
feign
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vt.假装,佯作 |
参考例句: |
- He used to feign an excuse.他惯于伪造口实。
- She knew that her efforts to feign cheerfulness weren't convincing.她明白自己强作欢颜是瞒不了谁的。
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55
likeness
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n.相像,相似(之处) |
参考例句: |
- I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
- She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。
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56
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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57
harry
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vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼 |
参考例句: |
- Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
- Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
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58
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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59
concocted
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v.将(尤指通常不相配合的)成分混合成某物( concoct的过去式和过去分词 );调制;编造;捏造 |
参考例句: |
- The soup was concocted from up to a dozen different kinds of fish. 这种汤是用多达十几种不同的鱼熬制而成的。
- Between them they concocted a letter. 他们共同策划写了一封信。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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concoct
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v.调合,制造 |
参考例句: |
- I gave her a tip on how to concoct a new kind of soup.我教她配制一种新汤的诀窍。
- I began to concoct explanations of my own.我开始思考自己的解释。
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61
conjuror
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n.魔术师,变戏法者 |
参考例句: |
- The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder.孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。
- The conjuror's magic delighted the children.魔术师的戏法逗乐了孩子们。
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62
persecuted
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(尤指宗教或政治信仰的)迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 ); 烦扰,困扰或骚扰某人 |
参考例句: |
- Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
- Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。
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63
flamboyant
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adj.火焰般的,华丽的,炫耀的 |
参考例句: |
- His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
- The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。
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64
scribbled
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v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 );乱画;草草地写;匆匆记下 |
参考例句: |
- She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
- He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前,他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。
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65
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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