It was not many days after the events mentioned in the last chapter. Dora sat by her father's bedside, her head buried in the pillows, vainly striving to choke down her tears and
sobs1. It seemed as if her heart must break. The Major lay back on his pillow, white and still, with a peaceful smile on his calm face. Dora could not understand it, could not take it in, but she knew it. Her father was gone to join her mother in heaven.
In the morning her father had not come as usual to her bedside to
awaken2 her, so when at last she opened her eyes, she went to seek him, and she found him still in bed, and lying so quiet that she seated herself quite softly by his side, that she might not disturb him.
Presently the servant came up with the breakfast, and looking through the open door into the bed-room where Dora sat by her father's bed-side, she called out in terror,
"Oh God, he is dead! I will call your aunt, child," and hurried away.
Dora's heart seemed cut in two by these words. She put her head upon the pillow and
sobbed3 and wept. Presently she heard her aunt come into the room, and she raised her head and tried to control herself, for she
dreaded4 the scene that she knew was coming. And it came—cries and sobs, loud
groans5 and lamentations. Aunt Ninette declared that she could never bear this terrible blow; she did not know which way to turn, nor what to do first.
In the open drawer of the table by the side of the bed, lay several papers, and as she laid them together, meaning to lock them up, she saw a letter addressed to herself. She opened it and read as follows:
"Dear Sister Ninette,
"I feel that I shall shall soon leave you, but I will not talk to you about it, for the sad time will come only too quickly. One only wish that I have greatly at heart I now lay before you, and that is, that you will take my child under your protection for as long as she may need your care. I shall leave very little money behind me, but I beg you to employ this little in teaching Dora something that will enable her, with God's help, to support herself when she is old enough.
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收听单词发音
1
sobs
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啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
- She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。
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2
awaken
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vi.醒,觉醒;vt.唤醒,使觉醒,唤起,激起 |
参考例句: |
- Old people awaken early in the morning.老年人早晨醒得早。
- Please awaken me at six.请于六点叫醒我。
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3
sobbed
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哭泣,啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 ); 哭诉,呜咽地说 |
参考例句: |
- She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
- She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。
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4
dreaded
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adj.令人畏惧的;害怕的v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) |
参考例句: |
- The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
- He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》
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5
groans
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n.呻吟,叹息( groan的名词复数 );呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 |
参考例句: |
- There were loud groans when he started to sing. 他刚开始歌唱时有人发出了很大的嘘声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- It was a weird old house, full of creaks and groans. 这是所神秘而可怕的旧宅,到处嘎吱嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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6
lament
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n.悲叹,悔恨,恸哭;v.哀悼,悔恨,悲叹 |
参考例句: |
- Her face showed lament.她的脸上露出悲伤的样子。
- We lament the dead.我们哀悼死者。
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7
touching
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adj.动人的,使人感伤的 |
参考例句: |
- It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
- His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
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8
forth
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adv.向前;向外,往外 |
参考例句: |
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
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9
din
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n.喧闹声,嘈杂声 |
参考例句: |
- The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深,喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
- They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。
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10
spoke
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n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 |
参考例句: |
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
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11
disturbance
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n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调 |
参考例句: |
- He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
- You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。
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12
dressing
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n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 |
参考例句: |
- Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
- The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
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13
mighty
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adj.强有力的;巨大的 |
参考例句: |
- A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
- The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
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14
feat
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n.功绩;武艺,技艺;adj.灵巧的,漂亮的,合适的 |
参考例句: |
- Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
- He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。
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15
diligently
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ad.industriously;carefully |
参考例句: |
- He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
- He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。
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16
smothered
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(使)窒息, (使)透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 ); 覆盖; 忍住; 抑制 |
参考例句: |
- He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
- The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。
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17
irritable
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adj.急躁的;过敏的;易怒的 |
参考例句: |
- He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
- Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。
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18
tunes
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n.曲调,曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调 |
参考例句: |
- a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
- When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时,她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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19
delightful
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adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 |
参考例句: |
- We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
- Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
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20
wagons
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n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 );铁路货车;小手推车 |
参考例句: |
- The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
- They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。
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21
refreshment
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n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点 |
参考例句: |
- He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
- A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。
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22
consolation
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n.安慰,慰问 |
参考例句: |
- The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
- This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。
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23
lighter
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n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级 |
参考例句: |
- The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
- The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
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24
interval
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n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 |
参考例句: |
- The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
- There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。
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25
maiden
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n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 |
参考例句: |
- The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
- The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。
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26
joyfully
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adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 |
参考例句: |
- She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着,脚底下轻飘飘的。
- During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里,她干得很高兴。
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27
fully
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adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 |
参考例句: |
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
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28
enjoyment
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n.乐趣;享有;享用 |
参考例句: |
- Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
- After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
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29
vivacity
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n.快活,活泼,精神充沛 |
参考例句: |
- Her charm resides in her vivacity.她的魅力存在于她的活泼。
- He was charmed by her vivacity and high spirits.她的活泼与兴高采烈的情绪把他迷住了。
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30
nay
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adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 |
参考例句: |
- He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的,不,应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
- Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章,不,应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。
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31
veins
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n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 |
参考例句: |
- The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的,感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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32
attic
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n.顶楼,屋顶室 |
参考例句: |
- Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
- What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理?
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33
steadily
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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。
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34
utterly
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adv.完全地,绝对地 |
参考例句: |
- Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
- I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
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35
caresses
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爱抚,抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- A breeze caresses the cheeks. 微风拂面。
- Hetty was not sufficiently familiar with caresses or outward demonstrations of fondness. 海蒂不习惯于拥抱之类过于外露地表现自己的感情。
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36
chamber
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n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 |
参考例句: |
- For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
- The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
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37
forsake
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vt.遗弃,抛弃;舍弃,放弃 |
参考例句: |
- She pleaded with her husband not to forsake her.她恳求丈夫不要抛弃她。
- You must forsake your bad habits.你必须革除你的坏习惯。
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38
dwelling
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n.住宅,住所,寓所 |
参考例句: |
- Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
- He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。
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39
torrent
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n.激流,洪流;爆发,(话语等的)连发 |
参考例句: |
- The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
- Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。
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40
astounding
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adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊,使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) |
参考例句: |
- There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
- The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊,所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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41
prescription
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n.处方,开药;指示,规定 |
参考例句: |
- The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
- The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。
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42
astonishment
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n.惊奇,惊异 |
参考例句: |
- They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
- I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
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43
uproar
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n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸 |
参考例句: |
- She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
- His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。
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44
decided
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adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 |
参考例句: |
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
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45
solitude
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n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 |
参考例句: |
- People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
- They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。
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46
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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47
glimmer
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v.发出闪烁的微光;n.微光,微弱的闪光 |
参考例句: |
- I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她,感到了一线希望。
- A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。
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48
fixed
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adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 |
参考例句: |
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
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49
curtly
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adv.简短地 |
参考例句: |
- He nodded curtly and walked away. 他匆忙点了一下头就走了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The request was curtly refused. 这个请求被毫不客气地拒绝了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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50
prudence
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n.谨慎,精明,节俭 |
参考例句: |
- A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
- The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。
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51
plaintive
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adj.可怜的,伤心的 |
参考例句: |
- Her voice was small and plaintive.她的声音微弱而哀伤。
- Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里,一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
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52
nourishment
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n.食物,营养品;营养情况 |
参考例句: |
- Lack of proper nourishment reduces their power to resist disease.营养不良降低了他们抵抗疾病的能力。
- He ventured that plants draw part of their nourishment from the air.他大胆提出植物从空气中吸收部分养分的观点。
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53
wringing
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淋湿的,湿透的 |
参考例句: |
- He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。
- He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。
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54
distress
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n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 |
参考例句: |
- Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
- Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
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55
heed
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v.注意,留意;n.注意,留心 |
参考例句: |
- You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
- For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。
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56
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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57
scattered
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adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 |
参考例句: |
- Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
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58
lodgers
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n.房客,租住者( lodger的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- He takes in lodgers. 他招收房客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- A good proportion of my lodgers is connected with the theaters. 住客里面有不少人是跟戏院子有往来的。 来自辞典例句
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59
worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 |
参考例句: |
- I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
- There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
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60
situated
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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。
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61
undesirable
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adj.不受欢迎的,不良的,不合意的,讨厌的;n.不受欢迎的人,不良分子 |
参考例句: |
- They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
- Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。
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62
invalid
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n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 |
参考例句: |
- He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
- A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
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63
prettily
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adv.优美地;可爱地 |
参考例句: |
- It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back.此件雕刻精美,背面有花饰图案。
- She pouted prettily at him.她冲他撅着嘴,样子很可爱。
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64
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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65
benevolent
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adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 |
参考例句: |
- His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。
- He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人,连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。
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66
prospect
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n.前景,前途;景色,视野 |
参考例句: |
- This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
- The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。
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67
stifling
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a.令人窒息的 |
参考例句: |
- The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热,光景是要下雨。
- We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里,简直透不过气来。
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68
laden
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adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的 |
参考例句: |
- He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
- Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。
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