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Martin learned to do many things. In the course of the first week, in one afternoon, he and Joe accounted for the two hundred white shirts. Joe ran the tiler, a machine wherein a hot iron was hooked on a steel string which furnished the pressure. By this means he ironed the yoke1, wristbands, and neckband, setting the latter at right angles to the shirt, and put the glossy2 finish on the bosom3. As fast as he finished them, he flung the shirts on a rack between him and Martin, who caught them up and "backed" them. This task consisted of ironing all the unstarched portions of the shirts.
It was exhausting work, carried on, hour after hour, at top speed. Out on the broad verandas5 of the hotel, men and women, in cool white, sipped6 iced drinks and kept their circulation down. But in the laundry the air was sizzling. The huge stove roared red hot and white hot, while the irons, moving over the damp cloth, sent up clouds of steam. The heat of these irons was different from that used by housewives. An iron that stood the ordinary test of a wet finger was too cold for Joe and Martin, and such test was useless. They went wholly by holding the irons close to their cheeks, gauging7 the heat by some secret mental process that Martin admired but could not understand. When the fresh irons proved too hot, they hooked them on iron rods and dipped them into cold water. This again required a precise and subtle judgment8. A fraction of a second too long in the water and the fine and silken edge of the proper heat was lost, and Martin found time to marvel9 at the accuracy he developed - an automatic accuracy, founded upon criteria10 that were machine-like and unerring.
But there was little time in which to marvel. All Martin's consciousness was concentrated in the work. Ceaselessly active, head and hand, an intelligent machine, all that constituted him a man was

1
yoke
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n.轭;支配;v.给...上轭,连接,使成配偶 | |
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glossy
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adj.平滑的;有光泽的 | |
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bosom
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n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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starch
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n.淀粉;vt.给...上浆 | |
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verandas
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阳台,走廊( veranda的名词复数 ) | |
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6
sipped
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v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gauging
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n.测量[试],测定,计量v.(用仪器)测量( gauge的现在分词 );估计;计量;划分 | |
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judgment
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n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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marvel
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vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事 | |
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criteria
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n.标准 | |
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devoted
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adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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12
mighty
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adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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spacious
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adj.广阔的,宽敞的 | |
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chamber
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n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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conning
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v.诈骗,哄骗( con的现在分词 );指挥操舵( conn的现在分词 ) | |
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sweeping
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adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 | |
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rumpling
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v.弄皱,使凌乱( rumple的现在分词 ) | |
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linen
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n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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exertions
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n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 | |
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exertion
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n.尽力,努力 | |
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sluiced
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v.冲洗( sluice的过去式和过去分词 );(指水)喷涌而出;漂净;给…安装水闸 | |
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intervals
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n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息 | |
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toil
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vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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fleeting
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adj.短暂的,飞逝的 | |
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irritation
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n.激怒,恼怒,生气 | |
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buckled
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a. 有带扣的 | |
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disastrous
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adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 | |
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crumpled
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adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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scorch
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v.烧焦,烤焦;高速疾驶;n.烧焦处,焦痕 | |
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blasphemies
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n.对上帝的亵渎,亵渎的言词[行为]( blasphemy的名词复数 );侮慢的言词(或行为) | |
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toiled
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长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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mangle
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vt.乱砍,撕裂,破坏,毁损,损坏,轧布 | |
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odds
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n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别 | |
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triumphant
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adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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plumb
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adv.精确地,完全地;v.了解意义,测水深 | |
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circumventing
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v.设法克服或避免(某事物),回避( circumvent的现在分词 );绕过,绕行,绕道旅行 | |
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demon
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n.魔鬼,恶魔 | |
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accomplished
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adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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collapse
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vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
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drooped
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弯曲或下垂,发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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exhaustion
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n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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monotonous
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adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的 | |
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gee
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n.马;int.向右!前进!,惊讶时所发声音;v.向右转 | |
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gumption
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n.才干 | |
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decided
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adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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afterward
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adv.后来;以后 | |
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procured
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v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 );拉皮条 | |
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groans
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n.呻吟,叹息( groan的名词复数 );呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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culminated
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v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wilted
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(使)凋谢,枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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degradation
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n.降级;低落;退化;陵削;降解;衰变 | |
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foul
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adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规 | |
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blotted
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涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 ); (用吸墨纸)吸干 | |
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vitality
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n.活力,生命力,效力 | |
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prod
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vt.戳,刺;刺激,激励 | |
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sifting
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n.筛,过滤v.筛( sift的现在分词 );筛滤;细查;详审 | |
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azure
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adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 | |
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vault
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n.拱形圆顶,地窖,地下室 | |
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drawn
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v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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rampant
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adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的 | |
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gnawing
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a.痛苦的,折磨人的 | |
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awing
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adj.& adv.飞翔的[地]v.使敬畏,使惊惧( awe的现在分词 ) | |
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exulting
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vi. 欢欣鼓舞,狂喜 | |
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maudlin
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adj.感情脆弱的,爱哭的 | |
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loathed
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v.憎恨,厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 );极不喜欢 | |
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lyrics
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n.歌词 | |
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apathetically
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adv.不露感情地;无动于衷地;不感兴趣地;冷淡地 | |
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disapproval
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n.反对,不赞成 | |
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audacities
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n.大胆( audacity的名词复数 );鲁莽;胆大妄为;鲁莽行为 | |
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grotesque
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adj.怪诞的,丑陋的;n.怪诞的图案,怪人(物) | |
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casually
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adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地 | |
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wagon
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n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 | |
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deign
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v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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dawdling
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adj.闲逛的,懒散的v.混(时间)( dawdle的现在分词 ) | |
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gulp
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vt.吞咽,大口地吸(气);vi.哽住;n.吞咽 | |
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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 | |
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watery
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adj.有水的,水汪汪的;湿的,湿润的 | |
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intoxication
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n.wild excitement;drunkenness;poisoning | |
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lured
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吸引,引诱(lure的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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machinery
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n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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superintendent
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n.监督人,主管,总监;(英国)警务长 | |
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worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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dispensed
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v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 );施与;配(药) | |
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inviting
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adj.诱人的,引人注目的 | |
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furtive
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adj.鬼鬼崇崇的,偷偷摸摸的 | |
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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 | |
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