Face to face with his visitor the master of Dedborough betrayed the impression his daughter appeared to have given him. “She didn’t want to go?” And then before Lord John could reply: “What the deuce is the matter with her?”
Lord John took his time. “I think perhaps a little Mr. Crimble.”
“And who the deuce is a little Mr. Crimble?”
“A young man who was just with her — and whom she appears to have invited.”
“Where is he then?” Lord Theign demanded.
“Off there among the pictures — which he seems partly to have come for.”
“Oh!”— it made his lordship easier. “Then he’s all right — on such a day.”
His companion could none the less just wonder. “Hadn’t Lady Grace told you?”
“That he was coming? Not that I remember.” But Lord Theign, perceptibly
preoccupied1, made nothing of this. “We’ve had other fish to fry, and you know the freedom I allow her.”
His friend had a vivid gesture. “My dear man, I only ask to profit by it!” With which there might well have been in Lord John’s face a light of comment on the
pretension3 in such a quarter to allow freedom.
Yet it was a pretension that Lord Theign sustained — as to show himself far from all
bourgeois4 narrowness. “She has her friends by the score — at this time of day.” There was clearly a claim here also — to know the time of day. “But in the matter of friends where, by the way, is your own — of whom I’ve but just heard?”
“Oh, off there among the pictures too; so they’ll have met and taken care of each other.”
Accounting5 for this inquirer would be clearly the least of Lord John’s difficulties. “I mustn’t appear to Bender to have failed him; but I must at once let you know, before I join him, that, seizing my opportunity, I have just very definitely, in fact very pressingly, spoken to Lady Grace. It hasn’t been perhaps,” he continued, “quite the pick of a chance; but that seemed never to come, and if I’m not too fondly mistaken, at any rate, she listened to me without
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收听单词发音
1
preoccupied
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adj.全神贯注的,入神的;被抢先占有的;心事重重的v.占据(某人)思想,使对…全神贯注,使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) |
参考例句: |
- He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事,没注意到有什么不对。
- The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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2
pro
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n.赞成,赞成的意见,赞成者 |
参考例句: |
- The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
- Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军?
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3
pretension
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n.要求;自命,自称;自负 |
参考例句: |
- I make no pretension to skill as an artist,but I enjoy painting.我并不自命有画家的技巧,但我喜欢绘画。
- His action is a satire on his boastful pretension.他的行动是对他自我卖弄的一个讽刺。
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4
bourgeois
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adj./n.追求物质享受的(人);中产阶级分子 |
参考例句: |
- He's accusing them of having a bourgeois and limited vision.他指责他们像中产阶级一样目光狭隘。
- The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois.法国革命受到中产阶级的鼓励。
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5
accounting
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n.会计,会计学,借贷对照表 |
参考例句: |
- A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
- There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。
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6
abhorrence
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n.憎恶;可憎恶的事 |
参考例句: |
- This nation has an abhorrence of terrrorism.这个民族憎恶恐怖主义。
- It is an abhorrence to his feeling.这是他深恶痛绝的事。
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7
clinching
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v.(尤指两人)互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的现在分词 );解决(争端、交易),达成(协议) |
参考例句: |
- Joe gets clinching evidence of the brains role when he dreams. 乔做梦时得到了大脑发生作用的决定性依据。 来自辞典例句
- Clinching, wrestling, pushing, or seizing, without attempting a throw or other technique. 抱,扭摔,推或抓而没有摔或其它的技术。 来自互联网
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8
amiably
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adv.和蔼可亲地,亲切地 |
参考例句: |
- She grinned amiably at us. 她咧着嘴向我们亲切地微笑。
- Atheists and theists live together peacefully and amiably in this country. 无神论者和有神论者在该国和睦相处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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9
blandness
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n.温柔,爽快 |
参考例句: |
- Blandness in the basic politics of the media became standard. 传播媒介在基本政治问题上通常采取温和的态度。 来自辞典例句
- Those people who predicted an exercise in bureaucratic blandness were confounded. 那些认为这一系列政治活动将会冠冕堂皇的走过场的人是糊涂和愚蠢的。 来自互联网
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10
hustling
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催促(hustle的现在分词形式) |
参考例句: |
- Our quartet was out hustling and we knew we stood good to take in a lot of change before the night was over. 我们的四重奏是明显地卖座的, 而且我们知道在天亮以前,我们有把握收入一大笔钱。
- Men in motors were hustling to pass one another in the hustling traffic. 开汽车的人在繁忙的交通中急急忙忙地互相超车。
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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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12
ass
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n.驴;傻瓜,蠢笨的人 |
参考例句: |
- He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
- An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。
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13
simplicity
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n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 |
参考例句: |
- She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
- The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。
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14
subtlety
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n.微妙,敏锐,精巧;微妙之处,细微的区别 |
参考例句: |
- He has shown enormous strength,great intelligence and great subtlety.他表现出充沛的精力、极大的智慧和高度的灵活性。
- The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.大多数听众都没有觉察到他讲话的微妙之处。
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15
impatience
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n.不耐烦,急躁 |
参考例句: |
- He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢,他显得不耐烦。
- He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。
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abjectly
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凄惨地; 绝望地; 糟透地; 悲惨地 |
参考例句: |
- She shrugged her shoulders abjectly. 她无可奈何地耸了耸肩。
- Xiao Li is abjectly obedient at home, as both his wife and daughter can "direct" him. 小李在家里可是个听话的顺民,妻子女儿都能“领导”他。
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defiance
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n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗 |
参考例句: |
- He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
- He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。
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insistent
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adj.迫切的,坚持的 |
参考例句: |
- There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
- He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。
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mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 |
参考例句: |
- That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
- It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
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amiability
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n.和蔼可亲的,亲切的,友善的 |
参考例句: |
- His amiability condemns him to being a constant advisor to other people's troubles. 他那和蔼可亲的性格使他成为经常为他人排忧解难的开导者。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- I watched my master's face pass from amiability to sternness. 我瞧着老师的脸上从和蔼变成严峻。 来自辞典例句
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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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22
complicate
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vt.使复杂化,使混乱,使难懂 |
参考例句: |
- There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
- These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。
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certified
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a.经证明合格的;具有证明文件的 |
参考例句: |
- Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
- The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。
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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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privately
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adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地 |
参考例句: |
- Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
- The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。
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invoked
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v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 );行使(权利等);祈求救助;恳求 |
参考例句: |
- It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
- She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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winding
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n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 |
参考例句: |
- A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
- The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
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margin
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n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘 |
参考例句: |
- We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
- The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
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immediate
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adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 |
参考例句: |
- His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
- We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
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accredited
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adj.可接受的;可信任的;公认的;质量合格的v.相信( accredit的过去式和过去分词 );委托;委任;把…归结于 |
参考例句: |
- The discovery of distillation is usually accredited to the Arabs of the 11th century. 通常认为,蒸馏法是阿拉伯人在11世纪发明的。
- Only accredited journalists were allowed entry. 只有正式认可的记者才获准入内。
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apprehension
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n.理解,领悟;逮捕,拘捕;忧虑 |
参考例句: |
- There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑,于是她越来越担心。
- She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。
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hurls
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v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的第三人称单数 );大声叫骂 |
参考例句: |
- Jane really hurls herself into learning any new song, doesn't she? 对任何新歌,简都会一心一意去学,对吗? 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The necromancer hurls a bolt of dark energies against his enemies. 亡灵法师向对手射出一道带着黑暗能量的影束。 来自互联网
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defensive
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adj.防御的;防卫的;防守的 |
参考例句: |
- Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题,使她警觉起来。
- The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。
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briefly
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adv.简单地,简短地 |
参考例句: |
- I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
- He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
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tacked
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用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 ); 附加,增补; 帆船抢风行驶,用粗线脚缝 |
参考例句: |
- He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。
- The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。
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mischief
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n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹 |
参考例句: |
- Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
- He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。
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inconvenient
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adj.不方便的,令人感到麻烦的 |
参考例句: |
- You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
- Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗?
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38
horrid
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adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的 |
参考例句: |
- I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
- The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃,她咽不下去。
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incubus
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n.负担;恶梦 |
参考例句: |
- Joyce regarded his US citizenship as a moral and political incubus.乔伊斯把他的美国公民身份当做是一个道德和政治上的负担。Like the sumerian wind demon and its later babylonian counterpart,Lilith was regarded as a succubus,or female version of the incubus.像风妖苏美尔和后来的巴比伦妖怪,莉莉丝被视为一个女妖,或女版梦魇。
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40
pacify
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vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒);抚慰 |
参考例句: |
- He tried to pacify the protesters with promises of reform.他试图以改革的承诺安抚抗议者。
- He tried to pacify his creditors by repaying part of the money.他为安抚债权人偿还了部分借款。
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41
thoroughly
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adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 |
参考例句: |
- The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
- The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
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42
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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43
cleft
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n.裂缝;adj.裂开的 |
参考例句: |
- I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
- He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间,他与他的哥哥分离。
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44
enlisted
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adj.应募入伍的v.(使)入伍, (使)参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 );获得(帮助或支持) |
参考例句: |
- enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
- He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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45
parental
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adj.父母的;父的;母的 |
参考例句: |
- He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
- Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。
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46
fumble
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vi.笨拙地用手摸、弄、接等,摸索 |
参考例句: |
- His awkwardness made him fumble with the key.由于尴尬不安,他拿钥匙开锁时显得笨手笨脚。
- He fumbled his one-handed attempt to light his cigarette.他笨拙地想用一只手点燃香烟。
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47
assortment
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n.分类,各色俱备之物,聚集 |
参考例句: |
- This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全,任君选择。
- She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。
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48
vista
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n.远景,深景,展望,回想 |
参考例句: |
- From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去,远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
- These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路,未来看不到一点儿希望。
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49
precisely
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adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 |
参考例句: |
- It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
- The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
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50
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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