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Chapter 11 Science and Reality
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Chapter 11
Science and Reality
5. Contingence and Determinism
I do not intend to treat here the question of the contingence of the laws of nature, which is evidently insoluble, and on which so much has already been written. I only wish to call attention to what different meanings have been given to this word, contingence, and how advantageous1 it would be to distinguish them.
If we look at any particular law, we may be certain in advance that it can only be approximate. It is, in fact, deduced from experimental verifications, and these verifications were and could be only approximate. We should always expect that more precise measurements will oblige us to add new terms to our formulas; this is what has happened, for instance, in the case of Mariotte’s law.
Moreover the statement of any law is necessarily incomplete. This enunciation2 should comprise the enumeration3 of all the antecedents in virtue4 of which a given consequent can happen. I should first describe all the conditions of the experiment to be made and the law would then be stated: If all the conditions are fulfilled, the phenomenon will happen.
But we shall be sure of not having forgotten any of these conditions only when we shall have described the state of the entire universe at the instant t; all the parts of this universe may, in fact, exercise an influence more or less great on the phenomenon which must happen at the instant t + dt.
Now it is clear that such a description could not be found in the enunciation of the law; besides, if it were made, the law would become incapable5 of application; if one required so many conditions, there would be very little chance of their ever being all realized at any moment.
Then as one can never be certain of not having forgotten some essential condition, it can not be said: If such and such conditions are realized, such a phenomenon will occur; it can only be said: If such and such conditions are realized, it is probable that such a phenomenon will occur, very nearly.
Take the law of gravitation, which is the least imperfect of all known laws. It enables us to foresee the motions of the planets. When I use it, for instance, to calculate the orbit of
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的;有帮助的 | |
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enunciation
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| n.清晰的发音;表明,宣言;口齿 | |
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enumeration
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| n.计数,列举;细目;详表;点查 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的,不能做某事的 | |
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Saturn
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| n.农神,土星 | |
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coordinates
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| n.相配之衣物;坐标( coordinate的名词复数 );(颜色协调的)配套服装;[复数]女套服;同等重要的人(或物)v.使协调,使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 );协调;协同;成为同等 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的,庞大的 | |
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velocity
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| n.速度,速率 | |
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contingent
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| adj.视条件而定的;n.一组,代表团,分遣队 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的,有资格的,胜任的,有限制的 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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intervention
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| n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
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kinetic
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| adj.运动的;动力学的 | |
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gaseous
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| adj.气体的,气态的 | |
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molecules
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| 分子( molecule的名词复数 ) | |
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molecule
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| n.分子,克分子 | |
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velocities
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| n.速度( velocity的名词复数 );高速,快速 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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deviations
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| 背离,偏离( deviation的名词复数 ); 离经叛道的行为 | |
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compensate
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| vt.补偿,赔偿;酬报 vi.弥补;补偿;抵消 | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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displacements
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| n.取代( displacement的名词复数 );替代;移位;免职 | |
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conformity
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| n.一致,遵从,顺从 | |
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deviate
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| v.(from)背离,偏离 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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partisans
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| 游击队员( partisan的名词复数 ); 党人; 党羽; 帮伙 | |
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adversaries
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| n.对手,敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
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rigid
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| adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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evolutionary
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| adj.进化的;演化的,演变的;[生]进化论的 | |
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epoch
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| n.(新)时代;历元 | |
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deduction
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| n.减除,扣除,减除额;推论,推理,演绎 | |
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astronomer
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| n.天文学家 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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geologic
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| adj.地质的 | |
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speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 );思考;投机活动;推断 | |
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contradictory
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| adj.反驳的,反对的,抗辩的;n.正反对,矛盾对立 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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analyzed
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| v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 );分解;解释;对…进行心理分析 | |
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transformation
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| n.变化;改造;转变 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地;显著地;不寻常地 | |
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induction
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| n.感应,感应现象 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理),为…辩护 | |
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recur
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| vi.复发,重现,再发生 | |
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recurs
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| 再发生,复发( recur的第三人称单数 ) | |
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recurred
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| 再发生,复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 ); 治愈 | |
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relatively
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| adv.比较...地,相对地 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清 | |
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ascertained
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| v.弄清,确定,查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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longitude
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| n.经线,经度 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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requisite
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| adj.需要的,必不可少的;n.必需品 | |
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tact
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| n.机敏,圆滑,得体 | |
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envisage
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| v.想象,设想,展望,正视 | |
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legitimacy
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| n.合法,正当 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
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detour
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| n.绕行的路,迂回路;v.迂回,绕道 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文,演说;谈话;话语;vi.讲述,著述 | |
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devoid
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| adj.全无的,缺乏的 | |
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esthetic
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| adj.美学的,审美的;悦目的,雅致的 | |
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harmonious
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| adj.和睦的,调和的,和谐的,协调的 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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intelligible
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| adj.可理解的,明白易懂的,清楚的 | |
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aggregate
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| adj.总计的,集合的;n.总数;v.合计;集合 | |
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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的,难解的,莫明其妙的 | |
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superfluous
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| adj.过多的,过剩的,多余的 | |
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physicists
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| 物理学家( physicist的名词复数 ) | |
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declivity
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| n.下坡,倾斜面 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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synonym
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| n.同义词,换喻词 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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fleeting
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| adj.短暂的,飞逝的 | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的,易逝的;n.逃犯,逃亡者 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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asunder
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| adj.分离的,化为碎片 | |
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durable
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| adj.持久的,耐久的 | |
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invoke
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| v.求助于(神、法律);恳求,乞求 | |
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edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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superannuated
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| adj.老朽的,退休的;v.因落后于时代而废除,勒令退学 | |
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succumb
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| v.屈服,屈从;死 | |
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definitively
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| adv.决定性地,最后地 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的,有理的 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫 | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的 | |
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revert
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| v.恢复,复归,回到 | |
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rotation
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| n.旋转;循环,轮流 | |
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interpretations
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| n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 );表演;演绎;理解 | |
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rehabilitation
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| n.康复,悔过自新,修复,复兴,复职,复位 | |
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justification
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| n.正当的理由;辩解的理由 | |
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condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地;周到地;谛;凝神 | |
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delude
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| vt.欺骗;哄骗 | |
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postulate
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| n.假定,基本条件;vt.要求,假定 | |
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physically
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| adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律 | |
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behold
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| v.看,注视,看到 | |
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diurnal
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| adj.白天的,每日的 | |
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flattening
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| n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词 | |
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pendulum
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| n.摆,钟摆 | |
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gyration
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| n.旋转 | |
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cyclones
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| n.气旋( cyclone的名词复数 );旋风;飓风;暴风 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的;天上的 | |
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aberration
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| n.离开正路,脱离常规,色差 | |
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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 | |
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condemns
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| v.(通常因道义上的原因而)谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 );宣判;宣布…不能使用;迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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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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random
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| adj.随机的;任意的;n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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hierarchy
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| n.等级制度;统治集团,领导层 | |
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implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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astronomical
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| adj.天文学的,(数字)极大的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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