HENRI FABRE, as all the world now knows, is the author of half a score of well-filled volumes in which, under the title of Souvenirs entomologiques,[1] he set down the results of fifty years of observation, study and experiment on the insects that seem to us the best-known and the most familiar: different species of wasps2 and wild bees, a few gnats3, flies, beetles5 and caterpillars7; in a word, all those vague, unconscious, rudimentary and almost nameless little lives which surround us on every side and which we contemplate8 with eyes that are amused, but already thinking of other things, when we open our window to welcome the first hours of[88] spring, or when we go into the gardens or the fields to bask9 in the blue summer days.
2
We take up at random10 one of these great volumes and naturally expect to find first of all the very learned and rather dry lists of names, the very fastidious and exceedingly quaint11 specifications12 of those huge, dusty graveyards13 of which all the entomological treatises14 that we have read so far seem almost wholly to consist. We therefore open the book without zest15 and without unreasonable16 expectations; and forthwith, from between the open leaves, there rises and unfolds itself, without hesitation17, without interruption and almost without remission to the end of the four thousand pages, the most extraordinary of tragic18 fairy plays that it is possible for the human imagination, not to create or to conceive, but to admit and to acclimatize within itself.
Indeed, there is no question here of the human imagination. The insect does not[89] belong to our world. The other animals, the plants even, notwithstanding their dumb life and the great secrets which they cherish, do not seem wholly foreign to us. In spite of all, we feel a certain earthly brotherhood19 in them. They often surprise and amaze our intelligence, but do not utterly20 upset it. There is something, on the other hand, about the insect that does not seem to belong to the habits, the ethics21, the psychology22 of our globe. One would be inclined to say that the insect comes from another planet, more monstrous24, more energetic, more insane, more atrocious, more infernal than our own. One would think that it was born of some comet that had lost its course and died demented in space. In vain does it seize upon life with an authority, a fecundity25 unequalled here below: we cannot accustom26 ourselves to the idea that it is a thought of that nature of whom we fondly believe ourselves to be the privileged children and probably the ideal to which all the earth’s efforts tend. Only the infinitely27 small disconcerts[90] us still more greatly; but what really is the infinitely small, other than an insect which our eyes do not see? There is, no doubt, in this astonishment28 and lack of understanding a certain instinctive29 and profound uneasiness inspired by those existences incomparably better-armed, better-equipped than our own, by those creature made up of a sort of compressed energy and activity in which we suspect our most mysterious adversaries30, our ultimate rivals and, perhaps, our successors.
3
But it is time, under the conduct of an admirable guide, to penetrate31 behind the scenes of our fairy play and to study at close quarters the actors and supernumeraries, loathsome32 or magnificent, as the case may be, grotesque33 or sinister34, heroic or appalling35, gifted or stupid and almost always improbable and unintelligible36.
And here, to begin with, taking the first that comes, is one of those individuals, frequent in the South, where we can see it[91] prowling around the abundant manna which the mule37 scatters38 heedlessly along the white roads and the stony39 paths: I mean the Sacred Scarab of the Egyptians, or, more simply, the Dung-beetle6, the brother of our northern Geotrupes, a big Coleopteron all clad in black, whose mission in this world is to shape the more savoury parts of his find into an enormous ball which he must next roll to the underground dining-room where the incredible digestive adventure is to take its course. But destiny, jealous of all undiluted bliss40, before admitting him to that abode41 of sheer delight, imposes upon the grave and probably sententious beetle tribulations42 without number, which are nearly always complicated by the arrival of an untoward43 parasite44.
Hardly has he begun, by dint45 of great efforts of his forehead and his bandy legs, to roll the toothsome sphere backwards46, when an indelicate colleague, who has been awaiting the completion of the work, appears and hypocritically offers his services.[92] The other well knows that, in this case, help and services, besides being quite unnecessary, will soon mean partition and dispossession; and he accepts the enforced collaboration47 without enthusiasm. But, so that their respective rights may be clearly marked, the lawful48 owner invariably retains his original place, that is to say, he pushes the ball with his forehead, whereas the compulsory49 guest pulls it towards him on the other side. And thus it jogs along between the two gossips, amid interminable vicissitudes50, flurried falls, ludicrous tumbles, till it reaches the place chosen to receive the treasure and to become the banqueting-hall. On arriving, the owner sets about digging out the refectory, while the sponger pretends to go innocently to sleep on the top of the bolus. The excavation51 becomes visibly wider and deeper; and soon the first Dung-beetle dives bodily into it. This is the moment for which the cunning auxiliary52 was waiting. He nimbly scrambles53 down from the blissful eminence54 and, pushing it with all the[93] energy that a bad conscience gives, strives to gain the offing. But the other, who is rather distrustful, interrupts his laborious55 digging, looks over the edge, sees the sacrilegious rape56 and leaps out of the hole. Caught in the act, the shameless and dishonest partner makes untold58 efforts to play upon the other’s credulity, turns round and round the inestimable orb60 and, embracing it and propping61 himself against it, with mock heroic exertions62, pretends to be frantically63 supporting it on a non-existent slope. The two expostulate with each other in silence, gesticulate wildly with their mandibles and tarsi and then, with one accord, bring back the ball to the burrow64.
It is pronounced sufficiently65 spacious66 and comfortable. They introduce the treasure, they close the entrance to the corridor; and now in the propitious67 darkness and the warm damp, where the magnificent stercoral globe alone holds sway, the two reconciled messmates sit down face to face. Then, far from the light and the cares of[94] day and in the great silence of the subterranean68 shade, solemnly commences the most fabulous69 banquet whereof abdominal70 imagination ever evoked71 the absolute beatitudes.
For two whole months, they remain cloistered72; and, with their paunches gradually hollowing out the inexhaustible sphere, definite archetypes and sovereign symbols of the pleasures of the table and the delights of the belly73, they eat without stopping, without interrupting themselves for a second, day or night. And, while they gorge74, steadily75, with a movement perceptible and constant as that of a clock, at the rate of three millimetres a minute, an endless, unbroken ribbon unwinds and stretches itself behind them, fixing the memory and recording76 the hours, days and weeks of the prodigious77 feast.
4
After the Dung-beetle, that dolt78 of the company, let us greet, also in the order of the Coleoptera, the model household of[95] Minotaurus typhaeus, who is pretty well-known and extremely gentle, in spite of his dreadful name. The female digs a huge burrow which is often more than a yard and a half deep and which consists of spiral staircases, landings, passages and numerous chambers79. The male loads the rubbish on the three-pronged fork that surmounts80 his head and carries it to the entrance of the conjugal81 dwelling82. Next, he goes into the fields in quest of the harmless droppings left by the sheep, takes them down to the first story of the crypt and reduces them to flour with his trident, while the mother, right at the bottom, collects the flour and kneads it into huge cylindrical83 loaves, which will presently be food for the little ones. For three whole months, until the provisions are deemed sufficient, the unfortunate husband, without taking nourishment84 of any kind, exhausts himself in this gigantic work. At last, his task accomplished85, feeling his end at hand, so as not to encumber86 the house with his wretched remains87, he spends his[96] last strength in leaving the burrow, drags himself laboriously88 along and, lonely and resigned, knowing that he is henceforth good for nothing, goes and dies far away among the stones.
Here, on another side, are some rather strange caterpillars, the Processionaries, which are not rare; as it happens, a single string of them, five or six yards long, has just climbed down from my umbrella-pines and is at this moment unfolding itself in the walks of my garden, carpeting the ground traversed with transparent89 silk, according to the custom of the race. To say nothing of the meteorological apparatus90 of unparalleled delicacy91 which they carry on their backs, these caterpillars, as everybody knows, have this remarkable92 quality, that they travel only in a troop, one after the other, like Breughel’s blind men or those of the parable93, each of them obstinately94, indissolubly following its leader; so much so that, our author having one morning disposed the file on the edge of a large stone vase, thus closing the[97] circuit, for seven whole days, during an atrocious week, amid cold, hunger and unspeakable weariness, the unhappy troop on its tragic round, without rest, respite95 or mercy, pursued the pitiless circle until death overtook it.
5
But I see that our heroes are infinitely too numerous and that we must not linger over our descriptions. We may at most, in enumerating96 the more important and familiar, bestow97 on each of them a hurried epithet98, in the manner of old Homer. Shall I mention, for instance, the Leucospis, a parasite of the Mason-bee, who, to slay99 his brothers and sisters in their cradle, arms himself with a horn helmet and a barbed breastplate, which he doffs100 immediately after the extermination102, the safeguard of a hideous103 right of primogeniture? Shall I tell of the marvellous anatomical knowledge of the Tachytes, of the Cerceris, of the Ammophila, of the Languedocian Sphex and many other[98] wasps, who, according as they wish to paralyse or to kill their prey104 or their adversary105, know exactly, without ever blundering, which nerve-centres to strike with their sting or their mandibles? Shall I speak of the art of the Eumenes, who transforms her stronghold into a complete museum adorned106 with shells and with grains of translucent107 quartz108; of the magnificent metamorphosis of the Grey Locust109; of the musical instrument owned by the Cricket, whose bow numbers one hundred and fifty triangular110 prisms that set in motion simultaneously111 the four dulcimers of the wing-case? Shall I sing the fairy-like birth of the nymph of the Onthophagus, a transparent monster, with a bull’s snout, that seems carved out of a block of crystal? Would you behold112 the Flesh-fly, the common Blue-bottle, daughter of the maggot, as she issues from the earth? Listen to our author:
“She disjoints her head into two movable halves, which, each distended113 with its[99] great red eye, by turns separate and reunite. In the intervening space, a large, glassy hernia rises and disappears, disappears and rises. When the two halves move asunder114, with one eye forced back to the right and the other to the left, it is as though the insect were splitting its brain-pan in order to expel the contents. Then the hernia rises, blunt at the end and swollen115 into a great knob. Next, the forehead closes and the hernia retreats, leaving visible only a kind of shapeless muzzle116. In short, a frontal pouch117, with deep pulsations, momentarily renewed, becomes the instrument of deliverance, the pestle118 wherewith the newly-hatched Dipteron bruises119 the sand and causes it to crumble120. Gradually, the legs push the rubbish back and the insect advances so much towards the surface.”
6
And monster after monster passes, such as the imagination of Bosch or Callot never conceived! The larva of the Rosechafer,[100] which, though it has legs under its belly, always travels on its back; the Blue-winged Locust, unluckier still than the Flesh-fly and possessing nothing wherewith to perforate the soil, to escape from the tomb and reach the light but a cervical bladder, a viscous121 blister122; and the Empusa, who, with her curved abdomen123, her great projecting eyes, her legs with knee-pieces armed with cleavers124, her halberd, her abnormally tall mitre, would certainly be the most devilish goblin that ever walked the earth, if, beside her, the Praying Mantis125 were not so frightful126 that her mere127 aspect deprives her victims of their power of movement when she assumes, in front of them, what the entomologists have termed “the spectral128 attitude.”
7
One cannot mention, even casually129, the numberless industries, nearly all of absorbing interest, exercised among the rocks, under the ground, in the walls, on[101] the branches, the grass, the flowers, the fruits and down to the very bodies of the subjects studied; for we sometimes find a treble superposition of parasites130, as in the Oil-beetles; and we see the maggot itself, the sinister guest at the last feast of all, feed some thirty brigands131 with its substance.
Among the Hymenoptera, which represent the most intellectual class in the world which we are studying, the building-talents of our wonderful Hive-bee are certainly equalled, in other orders of architecture, by those of more than one wild and solitary132 bee and notably133 by the Megachile, or Leaf-cutter, a little insect which is nothing to look at and which, to house its eggs, manufactures honey-pots formed of a multitude of disks and ellipses134 cut with mathematical precision from the leaves of certain trees. For lack of space, I am unable, to my great regret, to quote the beautiful and pellucid135 pages which Fabre, with his usual conscientiousness136, devotes to the exhaustive study of this admirable[102] work; nevertheless, since the occasion offers, let us listen to his own words, though it be but for a moment and in regard to a single detail:
“With the oval pieces, it becomes another matter. What model has the Megachile when cutting her neat ellipses out of the delicate material for her wallets, the robinia-leaves? What ideal pattern guides her scissors? What system of measurement tells her the dimension? One would like to picture the insect as a living pair of compasses, capable of tracing an elliptic curve by a certain natural inflexion of its body, even as our arm traces a circle by swinging from the shoulder. A blind mechanism137, the mere outcome of its organization, would alone be responsible for its geometry. This explanation would tempt138 me if the large oval pieces were not accompanied by much smaller ones, also oval, which are used to fill the empty spaces. A pair of compasses which changes its radius139 of its own accord and[103] alters the curve according to the plan before it appears to me an instrument somewhat difficult to believe in. There must be something better than that. The circular pieces of the lid suggest it to us.
“If, by the mere flexion inherent in her structure, the Leaf-cutter succeeds in cutting out ovals, how does she manage to cut out rounds? Can we admit the presence of other wheels in the machinery140 for the new pattern, so different in shape and size? However, the real point of the difficulty does not lie there. Those rounds, for the most part, fit the mouth of the jar with almost exact precision. When the cell is finished, the bee flies hundreds of yards away to make the lid. She arrives at the leaf from which the disk is to be cut. What picture, what recollection has she of the pot to be covered? Why, none at all: she has never seen it; she does her work underground, in utter darkness! At the utmost, she can have the indications of touch: not actual indications, of course, for the pot is not there,[104] but past indications, useless in a work of precision. And yet the disk to be cut out must have a fixed141 diameter: if it were too large, it would not go in; if too small, it would close badly, it would slip down on the honey and suffocate142 the egg. How shall it be given its correct dimensions without a pattern? The bee does not hesitate for a moment. She cuts out her disk with the same celerity which she would display in detaching any shapeless lobe23 that might do for a stopper; and that disk, without further measurement, is of the right size to fit the pot. Let whoso will explain this geometry, which in my opinion is inexplicable143, even when we allow for memory begotten144 of touch and sight.”
Let us add that the author calculated that, to form the cells of a kindred Megachile, the Silky Megachile, exactly 1,064 of these ellipses and disks would be required; and they must all be collected[105] and shaped in the course of an existence that lasts a few weeks.
8
Who would imagine that the Pentatoma, on the other hand, the poor and evil-smelling Wood-bug145, has invented a really extraordinary apparatus wherewith to leave the egg? And first let us state that this egg is a marvellous little box of snowy whiteness, which our author thus describes:
“The microscope discovers a surface engraved146 with dents147 similar to those of a thimble and arranged with exquisite148 symmetry. At the top and bottom of the cylinder149 is a wide belt of a dead black; on the sides, a large white zone with four big, black spots evenly distributed. The lid, surrounded by snowy cilia and encircled with white at the edge, swells150 into a black cap with a white knot in the centre. Altogether, a striking burial urn59, with the sudden[106] contrast between the coal-black and the fleecy white. The Etruscans would have found a magnificent model here for their funeral pottery151.”
The little bug, whose forehead is too soft, covers her head, to raise the lid of the box, with a mitre formed of three triangular rods, which is always at the bottom of the egg at the moment of delivery. Her limbs being sheathed152 like those of a mummy, she has nothing wherewith to put her rods in motion except the pulsations produced by the rhythmic153 flow of blood in her skull154 and acting155 after the manner of a piston156. The rivets157 of the lid gradually give way; and, as soon as the insect is free, it lays aside its mechanical helmet.
Another species of bug, Reduvius personatus, who lives mostly in lumber-rooms, where she lies hidden in the dust, has invented a still more astonishing system of hatching. Here, the lid of the egg is not riveted158, as in the case of the Pentatomae, but simply glued. At the moment of liberation, the lid rises and we see:
[107]
“... a spherical159 vesicle emerge from the shell and gradually expand, like a soap-bubble blown through a straw. Driven farther and farther back by the extension of this bladder, the lid falls.
“Then the bomb bursts; in other words, the blister, swollen beyond its capacity of resistance, rips at the top. This envelope, which is an extremely tenuous160 membrane161, generally remains clinging to the edge of the orifice, where it forms a high, white rim1. At other times, the explosion loosens it and flings it outside the shell. In those conditions, it is a dainty cup, half spherical, with torn edges, lengthened162 out below into a delicate, winding163 stalk.”
Now, how is this miraculous164 explosion produced? Fabre assumes that:
“Very slowly, as the tiny creature takes shape and grows, this bladder-shaped reservoir receives the products of the work of respiration165 performed under the cover of the outer membrane. Instead of being expelled through the egg-shell, the carbonic[108] acid, the incessant166 result of the vital oxidization, is accumulated in this sort of gasometer, inflates167 and distends168 it and presses upon the lid. When the insect is ripe for hatching, a superadded activity in the respiration completes the inflation, which perhaps has been preparing since the first evolution of the germ. At last, yielding to the increasing pressure of the gaseous169 bladder, the lid becomes unsealed. The chick in its shell has its air-chamber; the young Reduvius has its bomb of carbonic acid: it frees itself in the act of breathing.”
9
One would never weary of dipping eagerly into these inexhaustible treasures. We imagine, for instance, that, from seeing cobwebs so frequently displayed in all manner of places, we possess adequate notions of the genius and methods of our familiar spiders. Far from it: the realities of scientific observation call for an entire volume crammed170 with revelations of which we had[109] no conception. I will simply name, at random, the symmetrical arches of the Clotho Spider’s nest, the astonishing funicular flight of the young of our Garden Spider, the diving-bell of the Water Spider, the live telephone-wire which connects the web with the leg of the Cross Spider hidden in her parlour and informs her whether the vibration171 of her toils172 is due to the capture of a prey or a caprice of the wind.
It is impossible, therefore, short of having unlimited173 space at one’s disposal, to do more than touch, as it were with the tip of the phrases, upon the miracles of maternal174 instinct, which, moreover, are confounded with those of the higher manufactures and form the bright centre of the insect’s psychology. One would, in the same way, require several chapters to convey a summary idea of the nuptial175 rites176 which constitute the quaintest177 and most fabulous episodes of these new Arabian Nights.
The male of the Spanish Fly, for instance,[110] begins by frenziedly beating his spouse178 with his abdomen and his feet, after which, with his arms crossed and quivering, he remains long in ecstasy179. The newly-wedded Osmiae clap their mandibles terribly, as though it were a matter rather of devouring180 each other; on the other hand, the largest of our moths182, the Great Peacock, who is the size of a bat, when drunk with love finds his mouth so completely atrophied183 that it becomes no more than a vague shadow. But nothing equals the marriage of the Green Grasshopper184, of which I cannot speak here, for it is doubtful whether even Latin possesses the words needed to describe it seemingly.
All said, the marriage-customs are dreadful and, contrary to that which happens in every other world, here it is the female of the pair that stands for strength and intelligence and also for the cruelty and tyranny which appear to be their inevitable185 outcome. Almost every wedding ends in the violent and immediate101 death of the husband. Often, the bride begins by[111] eating a certain number of suitors. The prototype of these fantastic unions could be supplied by the Languedocian Scorpions187, who, as we know, carry lobster-claws and a long tail supplied with a sting, the prick188 of which is extremely dangerous. They have a prelude189 to the festival in the shape of a sentimental190 stroll, claw in claw; then, motionless, with fingers still gripped, they contemplate each other blissfully, interminably; day and night pass over their ecstasy, while they remain face to face, petrified191 with admiration192. Next, the foreheads come together and touch; the mouths—if we can give the name of mouth to the monstrous orifice that opens between the claws—are joined in a sort of kiss; after which the union is accomplished, the male is transfixed with a mortal sting and the terrible spouse crunches193 and gobbles him up with gusto.
But the Mantis, the ecstatic insect with the arms always raised in an attitude of supreme194 invocation, the horrible Mantis religiosa or Praying Mantis, does better[112] still: she eats her husbands (for the insatiable creature sometimes consumes seven or eight in succession) while they strain her passionately195 to their heart. Her inconceivable kisses devour181, not in a metaphorical196, but in an appallingly197 real fashion, the ill-fated choice of her soul stomach. She begins with the head, goes down to the thorax, nor stops till she comes to the hind-legs, which she deems too tough. She then pushes away the unfortunate remains, while a new lover, who was quietly awaiting the end of the monstrous banquet, heroically steps forward to undergo the same fate.
10
Henri Fabre is indeed the revealer of this new world, for, strange as the admission may seem at a time when we think that we know all that surrounds us, most of those insects minutely described in the vocabularies, learnedly classified and barbarously christened, had hardly ever been observed in real life or thoroughly198 investigated in all the phases of their brief and evasive appearances. He has devoted199 to surprising their little secrets, which are the reverse of our greatest mysteries, fifty years of a solitary existence, misunderstood, poor, often very near to penury200, but lit up every day by the joy which a truth brings, which is the greatest of all human joys. Petty truths, I shall be told, those presented by the habits of a spider or a grasshopper. There are no petty truths to-day; there is but one truth, whose looking-glass, to our uncertain eyes, seems broken, though its every fragment, whether reflecting the evolution of a planet or the flight of a bee, contains the supreme law.
And these truths thus discovered had the good fortune to be grasped by a mind which knew how to understand what they themselves can but ambiguously express, to interpret what they are obliged to conceal201 and, at the same time, to appreciate the shimmering202 beauty, almost invisible to the majority of mankind, that shines for[114] a moment around all that exists, especially around that which still remains very close to nature and has hardly left its primeval sanctuary203.
To make of these long annals the generous and delightful204 work of literature that they are and not the monotonous205 and arid206 record of finical descriptions and trivial acts that they might have been, various and so to speak conflicting gifts were needed. To the patience, the precision, the scientific minuteness, the protean207 and practical ingenuity208, the energy of a Darwin in the face of the unknown, to the faculty209 of expressing what has to be expressed with order, clearness and certainty, the venerable anchorite of Sérignan adds many of those qualities which are not to be acquired, certain of those innate210 good poetic211 virtues212 which cause his sure and supple213 prose, though a trifle provincial214, a trifle antiquated215, a trifle primitive216, to take its place among the excellent prose of the day, prose of the kind that has its own atmosphere, in which we breathe gratefully and tranquilly217 and which we find only in masterpieces.
Lastly, there was needed—and this was not the least requirement of the work—a mind ever ready to cope with the riddles219 which, among those little objects, rise up at every step as enormous as those which fill the skies and perhaps more numerous, more imperious and more strange, as though nature had here given a freer scope to her last wishes and an easier outlet220 to her secret thoughts. Fabre shrinks from none of those boundless221 problems which are persistently222 put to us by all the inhabitants of that tiny world where mysteries are heaped up in a denser223 and more bewildering fashion than in any other. He thus meets and faces, turn by turn, the redoubtable224 questions of instinct and intelligence, of the origin of species, of the harmony or the accidents of the universe, of the life lavished225 upon the abysses of death, without counting the no less vast, but so to speak more human problems which, among infinite others, are inscribed[116] within the range, if not within the grasp, of our intelligence: parthenogenesis; the prodigious geometry of the wasps and bees; the logarithmic spiral of the snail226; the antennary sense; the miraculous force which, in absolute isolation227, without the possible introduction of anything from the outside, increases the volume of the Minotaurus’ egg tenfold, where it lies, and, during seven to nine months, nourishes with an invisible and spiritual food, not the lethargy, but the active life of the scorpion186 and of the young of the Lycosa and the Clotho Spider. He does not attempt to explain them by one of those generally-acceptable theories, such as that of evolution, which merely shifts the ground of the difficulty and which, I may say in passing, emerges from these volumes in a somewhat sorry plight228, after being sharply confronted with incontestable facts.
11
Waiting for chance or a god to enlighten us, he is able, in the presence of the unknown, to preserve that great religious and attentive229 silence which is dominant230 in the best minds of the day. There are those who say:
“Now that you have reaped a plentiful231 harvest of details, you should follow up analysis with synthesis and generalize the origin of instinct in an all-embracing view.”
“Because I have stirred a few grains of sand on the shore, am I in a position to know the depths of the ocean?
“Life has unfathomable secrets. Human knowledge will be erased234 from the archives of the world before we possess the last word that a Gnat4 has to say to us....
“Success is for the loud talkers, the self-convinced dogmatists; everything is admitted on condition that it be noisily proclaimed. Let us throw off this sham57 and[118] recognize that, in reality, we know nothing about anything, if things were probed to the bottom. Scientifically, Nature is a riddle218 without a definite solution to satisfy man’s curiosity. Hypothesis follows on hypothesis; the theoretical rubbish-heap accumulates; and truth ever eludes235 us. To know how not to know might well be the last word of wisdom.”
Evidently, this is hoping too little. In the frightful pit, in the bottomless funnel236 wherein whirl all those contradictory237 facts which are resolved in obscurity, we know just as much as our cave-dwelling ancestors; but at least we know that we do not know. We survey the dark faces of all the riddles, we try to estimate their number, to classify their varying degrees of dimness, to obtain an idea of their position and their extent. That already is something, pending238 the day of the first gleams of light. In any case, it means doing in the presence of the mysteries all that the most upright intelligence can do to-day; and that is what the author of this incomparable Iliad does, with more confidence than he professes239. He gazes at them attentively240. He wears out his life in surprising their most minute secrets. He prepares for them, in his thoughts and in ours, the field necessary for their evolutions. He increases the consciousness of his ignorance in proportion to their importance and learns to understand more and more that they are incomprehensible.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
rim
|
|
| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
wasps
|
|
| 黄蜂( wasp的名词复数 )； 胡蜂； 易动怒的人； 刻毒的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
gnats
|
|
| n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
gnat
|
|
| v.对小事斤斤计较，琐事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
beetles
|
|
| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
beetle
|
|
| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
caterpillars
|
|
| n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
contemplate
|
|
| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
bask
|
|
| vt.取暖，晒太阳，沐浴于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
random
|
|
| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
quaint
|
|
| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
specifications
|
|
| n.规格；载明；详述；（产品等的）说明书；说明书( specification的名词复数 )；详细的计划书；载明；详述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
graveyards
|
|
| 墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
treatises
|
|
| n.专题著作，专题论文，专著( treatise的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
zest
|
|
| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
unreasonable
|
|
| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
hesitation
|
|
| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
tragic
|
|
| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
brotherhood
|
|
| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
ethics
|
|
| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
psychology
|
|
| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
lobe
|
|
| n.耳垂，（肺，肝等的）叶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
monstrous
|
|
| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
fecundity
|
|
| n.生产力；丰富 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
accustom
|
|
| vt.使适应，使习惯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
infinitely
|
|
| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
instinctive
|
|
| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
adversaries
|
|
| n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
penetrate
|
|
| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
loathsome
|
|
| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
grotesque
|
|
| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
sinister
|
|
| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
appalling
|
|
| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
unintelligible
|
|
| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
mule
|
|
| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
scatters
|
|
| v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
stony
|
|
| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
bliss
|
|
| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
abode
|
|
| n.住处，住所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
tribulations
|
|
| n.苦难( tribulation的名词复数 )；艰难；苦难的缘由；痛苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
untoward
|
|
| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
parasite
|
|
| n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
dint
|
|
| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
backwards
|
|
| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
collaboration
|
|
| n.合作，协作；勾结 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
lawful
|
|
| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
compulsory
|
|
| n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
vicissitudes
|
|
| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
excavation
|
|
| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
auxiliary
|
|
| adj.辅助的，备用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
scrambles
|
|
| n.抢夺( scramble的名词复数 )v.快速爬行( scramble的第三人称单数 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
eminence
|
|
| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
laborious
|
|
| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
rape
|
|
| n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
sham
|
|
| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
untold
|
|
| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
urn
|
|
| n.（有座脚的）瓮；坟墓；骨灰瓮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
orb
|
|
| n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
propping
|
|
| 支撑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
exertions
|
|
| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
frantically
|
|
| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
burrow
|
|
| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
sufficiently
|
|
| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
spacious
|
|
| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
propitious
|
|
| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
subterranean
|
|
| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
fabulous
|
|
| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
abdominal
|
|
| adj.腹（部）的，下腹的；n.腹肌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
evoked
|
|
| [医]诱发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
cloistered
|
|
| adj.隐居的，躲开尘世纷争的v.隐退，使与世隔绝( cloister的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
gorge
|
|
| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
recording
|
|
| n.录音，记录 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
prodigious
|
|
| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
dolt
|
|
| n.傻瓜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
chambers
|
|
| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
surmounts
|
|
| 战胜( surmount的第三人称单数 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
conjugal
|
|
| adj.婚姻的，婚姻性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
dwelling
|
|
| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
cylindrical
|
|
| adj.圆筒形的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
nourishment
|
|
| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
accomplished
|
|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
encumber
|
|
| v.阻碍行动，妨碍，堆满 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
laboriously
|
|
| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
transparent
|
|
| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
apparatus
|
|
| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
delicacy
|
|
| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
remarkable
|
|
| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
parable
|
|
| n.寓言，比喻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
obstinately
|
|
| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
respite
|
|
| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
enumerating
|
|
| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
bestow
|
|
| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
epithet
|
|
| n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
slay
|
|
| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
doffs
|
|
| v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
extermination
|
|
| n.消灭，根绝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
hideous
|
|
| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
adversary
|
|
| adj.敌手，对手 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
adorned
|
|
| [计]被修饰的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
translucent
|
|
| adj.半透明的；透明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
quartz
|
|
| n.石英 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
locust
|
|
| n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
triangular
|
|
| adj.三角（形）的，三者间的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
simultaneously
|
|
| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
behold
|
|
| v.看，注视，看到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
distended
|
|
| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
asunder
|
|
| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
swollen
|
|
| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
muzzle
|
|
| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
pouch
|
|
| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
pestle
|
|
| n.杵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
bruises
|
|
| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
crumble
|
|
| vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
viscous
|
|
| adj.粘滞的，粘性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
blister
|
|
| n.水疱；(油漆等的)气泡；v.(使)起泡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
abdomen
|
|
| n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
cleavers
|
|
| n.猪殃殃（其茎、实均有钩刺）；砍肉刀，剁肉刀( cleaver的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
mantis
|
|
| n.螳螂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
frightful
|
|
| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
spectral
|
|
| adj.幽灵的，鬼魂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
casually
|
|
| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
parasites
|
|
| 寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
brigands
|
|
| n.土匪，强盗( brigand的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
solitary
|
|
| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
notably
|
|
| adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
ellipses
|
|
| n.椭园，省略号；椭圆( ellipse的名词复数 )；（语法结构上的）省略( ellipsis的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
pellucid
|
|
| adj.透明的，简单的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
conscientiousness
|
|
| 责任心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
mechanism
|
|
| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
tempt
|
|
| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
radius
|
|
| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
machinery
|
|
| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
suffocate
|
|
| vt.使窒息，使缺氧，阻碍；vi.窒息，窒息而亡，阻碍发展 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
inexplicable
|
|
| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
begotten
|
|
| v.为…之生父( beget的过去分词 )；产生，引起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
bug
|
|
| n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
engraved
|
|
| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
dents
|
|
| n.花边边饰；凹痕( dent的名词复数 )；凹部；减少；削弱v.使产生凹痕( dent的第三人称单数 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
cylinder
|
|
| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
swells
|
|
| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
pottery
|
|
| n.陶器，陶器场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
sheathed
|
|
| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
rhythmic
|
|
| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
skull
|
|
| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
acting
|
|
| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
piston
|
|
| n.活塞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
rivets
|
|
| 铆钉( rivet的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
riveted
|
|
| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
spherical
|
|
| adj.球形的；球面的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
tenuous
|
|
| adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
membrane
|
|
| n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
lengthened
|
|
| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
winding
|
|
| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
miraculous
|
|
| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
respiration
|
|
| n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
incessant
|
|
| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
inflates
|
|
| v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的第三人称单数 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
distends
|
|
| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
gaseous
|
|
| adj.气体的，气态的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
crammed
|
|
| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
vibration
|
|
| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
toils
|
|
| 网 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
unlimited
|
|
| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
maternal
|
|
| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
nuptial
|
|
| adj.婚姻的，婚礼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
rites
|
|
| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
quaintest
|
|
| adj.古色古香的( quaint的最高级 )；少见的，古怪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
spouse
|
|
| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
ecstasy
|
|
| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
devouring
|
|
| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
devour
|
|
| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
moths
|
|
| n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
atrophied
|
|
| adj.萎缩的，衰退的v.（使）萎缩，（使）虚脱，（使）衰退( atrophy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
grasshopper
|
|
| n.蚱蜢，蝗虫，蚂蚱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
inevitable
|
|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
scorpion
|
|
| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
scorpions
|
|
| n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
prick
|
|
| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
prelude
|
|
| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
sentimental
|
|
| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
petrified
|
|
| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
admiration
|
|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
crunches
|
|
| n.（突发的）不足( crunch的名词复数 )；需要做出重要决策的困难时刻；紧要关头；嘎吱的响声v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的第三人称单数 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
supreme
|
|
| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
passionately
|
|
| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
metaphorical
|
|
| a.隐喻的，比喻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
appallingly
|
|
| 毛骨悚然地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
devoted
|
|
| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
penury
|
|
| n.贫穷，拮据 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
shimmering
|
|
| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
sanctuary
|
|
| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
delightful
|
|
| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
monotonous
|
|
| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
arid
|
|
| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
207
protean
|
|
| adj.反复无常的；变化自如的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
208
ingenuity
|
|
| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
209
faculty
|
|
| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
210
innate
|
|
| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
211
poetic
|
|
| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
212
virtues
|
|
| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
213
supple
|
|
| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
214
provincial
|
|
| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
215
antiquated
|
|
| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
216
primitive
|
|
| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
217
tranquilly
|
|
| adv. 宁静地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
218
riddle
|
|
| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
219
riddles
|
|
| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
220
outlet
|
|
| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
221
boundless
|
|
| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
222
persistently
|
|
| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
223
denser
|
|
| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
224
redoubtable
|
|
| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
225
lavished
|
|
| v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
226
snail
|
|
| n.蜗牛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
227
isolation
|
|
| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
228
plight
|
|
| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
229
attentive
|
|
| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
230
dominant
|
|
| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
231
plentiful
|
|
| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
232
humble
|
|
| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
233
loyalty
|
|
| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
234
erased
|
|
| v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
235
eludes
|
|
| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的第三人称单数 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
236
funnel
|
|
| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
237
contradictory
|
|
| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
238
pending
|
|
| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
239
professes
|
|
| 声称( profess的第三人称单数 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
240
attentively
|
|
| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |