The observatory¹ at Avu, in Borneo, stands on the spur of the mountain. To the north rises the old crater², black at night against the unfathomable blue of the sky. From the little circular building, with its mushroom dome³, the slopes plunge⁴ steeply downward into the black mysteries of the tropical forest beneath. The little house in which the observer and his assistant live is about fifty yards from the observatory, and beyond this are the huts of their native attendants.

Thaddy, the chief observer, was down with a slight fever. His assistant, Woodhouse, paused for a moment in silent contemplation of the tropical night before commencing his solitary⁵ vigil. The night was very still. Now and then voices and laughter came from the native huts, or the cry of some strange animal was heard from the midst of the mystery of the forest. Nocturnal insects appeared in ghostly fashion out of the darkness, and fluttered round his light. He thought, perhaps, of all the possibilities of discovery that still lay in the black tangle⁶ beneath him; for to the naturalist⁷ the virgin⁸ forests of Borneo are still a wonderland full of strange questions and half-suspected discoveries. Woodhouse carried a small lantern in his hand, and its yellow glow contrasted vividly⁹ with the infinite series of tints¹⁰ between lavender-blue and black in which the landscape was painted. His hands and face were smeared¹¹ with

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1 observatory
n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台
参考例句：
Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。 Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

2 crater
n.火山口，弹坑
参考例句：
With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。 They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

3 dome
n.圆屋顶，拱顶
参考例句：
The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。 They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

4 plunge
v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲
参考例句：
Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。 That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

5 solitary
adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士
参考例句：
I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。 The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

6 tangle
n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱
参考例句：
I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。 If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你，我就不跟他们争吵。

7 naturalist
n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)
参考例句：
He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。 The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。

8 virgin
n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的
参考例句：
Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？ There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

9 vividly
adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地
参考例句：
The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。 The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

10 tints
色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹
参考例句：
leaves with red and gold autumn tints 金秋时节略呈红黄色的树叶 The whole countryside glowed with autumn tints. 乡间处处呈现出灿烂的秋色。

11 smeared
弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上
参考例句：
The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。 A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。

12 ointment
n.药膏，油膏，软膏
参考例句：
Your foot will feel better after the application of this ointment.敷用这药膏后，你的脚会感到舒服些。 This herbal ointment will help to close up your wound quickly.这种中草药膏会帮助你的伤口很快愈合。

13 celestial
adj.天体的；天上的
参考例句：
The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。 Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

14 purely
adv.纯粹地，完全地
参考例句：
I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。 This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

15 primitive
adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物
参考例句：
It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。 His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

16 cramped
a.狭窄的
参考例句：
The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。 working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

17 fatigues
n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服
参考例句：
The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

18 astronomical
adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的
参考例句：
He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。 Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

19 cylindrical
adj.圆筒形的
参考例句：
huge cylindrical gas tanks 巨大的圆柱形贮气罐 Beer cans are cylindrical. 啤酒罐子是圆筒形的。

20 compensates
补偿，报酬( compensate的第三人称单数 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）
参考例句：
The company compensates her for extra work. 公司因她的额外工作而给她报酬。 A vertical spring compensates for the weight of the sensing element. 用一根垂直弹簧补偿敏感元件的负荷。

21 rotation
n.旋转；循环，轮流
参考例句：
Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。 The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

22 astronomer
n.天文学家
参考例句：
A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。 He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

23 slit
n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂
参考例句：
The coat has been slit in two places.这件外衣有两处裂开了。 He began to slit open each envelope.他开始裁开每个信封。

24 den
n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室
参考例句：
There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。 The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

25 brilliance
n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智
参考例句：
I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。 The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

26 Flared
adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。 The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

27 waned
v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡
参考例句：
However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》 The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

28 transparent
adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的
参考例句：
The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。 The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

29 pallid
adj.苍白的，呆板的
参考例句：
The moon drifted from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face.月亮从云朵后面钻出来，照着尸体那张苍白的脸。 His dry pallid face often looked gaunt.他那张干瘪苍白的脸常常显得憔悴。

30 proceeding
n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报
参考例句：
This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。 The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

31 cylinder
n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸
参考例句：
What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？ The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。

32 condemned
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。 The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

33 steadily
adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地
参考例句：
The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。 Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

34 intermittent
adj.间歇的，断断续续的
参考例句：
Did you hear the intermittent sound outside?你听见外面时断时续的声音了吗？ In the daytime intermittent rains freshened all the earth.白天里，时断时续地下着雨，使整个大地都生气勃勃了。

35 intervals
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
参考例句：
The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。 Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

36 shrill
adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫
参考例句：
Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。 The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

37 milky
adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的
参考例句：
Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。 I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

38 remarkable
adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的
参考例句：
She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。 These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

39 luminous
adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的
参考例句：
There are luminous knobs on all the doors in my house.我家所有门上都安有夜光把手。 Most clocks and watches in this shop are in luminous paint.这家商店出售的大多数钟表都涂了发光漆。

40 incorporeal
adj.非物质的，精神的
参考例句：
The real life is guided by our incorporeal intellection.我想，这表示我们无形的思想导引着真实的人生。 They seemed to have the power to touch the incorporeal and see the invisible.他们似乎有一种力量能触摸到无形的和看到不可见的东西。

41 infinitely
adv.无限地，无穷地
参考例句：
There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。 The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

42 blot
vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍
参考例句：
That new factory is a blot on the landscape.那新建的工厂破坏了此地的景色。 The crime he committed is a blot on his record.他犯的罪是他的履历中的一个污点。

43 blotted
涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干
参考例句：
She blotted water off the table with a towel. 她用毛巾擦干桌上的水。 The blizzard blotted out the sky and the land. 暴风雪铺天盖地而来。

44 resounded
v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音
参考例句：
Laughter resounded through the house. 笑声在屋里回荡。 The echo resounded back to us. 回声传回到我们的耳中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

45 aperture
n.孔，隙，窄的缺口
参考例句：
The only light came through a narrow aperture.仅有的光亮来自一个小孔。 We saw light through a small aperture in the wall.我们透过墙上的小孔看到了亮光。

46 haze
n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊
参考例句：
I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。 He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

47 perfectly
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。

48 scrambled
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞
参考例句：
Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

49 perspiration
n.汗水；出汗
参考例句：
It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了，我的衣服被汗水湿透了。 The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。

50 apparently
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。 He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

51 momentary
adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的
参考例句：
We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。 I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

52 hovering
鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫
参考例句：
The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。 I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

53 streak
n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动
参考例句：
The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。 Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

54 sweeping
adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的
参考例句：
The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。 Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

55 stunned
adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。 The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

56 instinctively
adv.本能地
参考例句：
As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

57 rattle
v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓
参考例句：
The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。 She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。

58 crest
n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖
参考例句：
The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。 He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

59 bawl
v.大喊大叫，大声地喊，咆哮
参考例句：
You don't have to bawl out like that. Eeverybody can hear you.你不必这样大声喊叫，大家都能听见你。 Your mother will bawl you out when she sees this mess.当你母亲看到这混乱的局面时她会责骂你的。

60 posture
n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势
参考例句：
The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。 He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

61 velvety
adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的
参考例句：
a velvety red wine 醇厚的红葡萄酒 Her skin was admired for its velvety softness. 她的皮肤如天鹅绒般柔软，令人赞叹。

62 sobbing
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句：
I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。 Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

63 silhouette
n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓
参考例句：
I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。 I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

64 spat
n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声
参考例句：
Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。 There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

65 situated
adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的
参考例句：
The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。 She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

66 battering
n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The film took a battering from critics in the US. 该影片在美国遭遇到批评家的猛烈抨击。 He kept battering away at the door. 他接连不断地砸门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

67 defensive
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。

68 clenched
v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。 She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上，以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

69 suspense
n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑
参考例句：
The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。 The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

70 funnel
n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集
参考例句：
He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。 I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

71 smears
污迹( smear的名词复数 )； 污斑； （显微镜的）涂片； 诽谤
参考例句：
His evidence was a blend of smears, half truths and downright lies. 他的证词里掺杂着诽谤、部份的事实和彻头彻尾的谎言。 Anything written with a soft pencil smears easily. 用软铅笔写成的东西容易污成一片。

72 killing
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。 Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

73 calves
n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解
参考例句：
a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛 The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

74 inclination
n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好
参考例句：
She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。 I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。

75 copious
adj.丰富的，大量的
参考例句：
She supports her theory with copious evidences.她以大量的例证来充实自己的理论。 Every star is a copious source of neutrinos.每颗恒星都是丰富的中微子源。

76 jaw
n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训
参考例句：
He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。 A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

77 confidential
adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的
参考例句：
He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。 We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

78 groaned
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦
参考例句：
He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。 The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

79 quotation
n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情
参考例句：
He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare.他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。 The quotation is omitted here.此处引文从略。

80 fauna
n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系
参考例句：
This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。 Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。