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After all, a journey up the Rhine, in the mists and
solitude1 of December, is not so unpleasant as the reader may perhaps imagine. You have the whole road and river to yourself. Nobody is on the wing; hardly a single traveller. The ruins are the same; and the river, and the outlines of the hills; and there are few living figures in the landscape to wake you from your musings, distract your thoughts, and cover you with dust.
Thus, likewise, thought our traveller, as he continued his journey on the morrow. The day is
overcast2, and the clouds threaten rain or snow. Why does he stop at the little village of Capellen? Because, right above him on the high cliff, the glorious ruin of Stolzenfels is looking at him with itshollow eyes, and
beckoning3 to him with its gigantic finger, as if to say; "Come up hither, and I will tell thee an old tale." Therefore he alights, and goes up the narrow village lane, and up the stone steps, and up the steep pathway, and throws himself into the arms of that ancient ruin, and holds his breath, to hear the quick footsteps of the falling snow, like the footsteps of angels
descending4 upon earth. And that ancient ruin speaks to him with its hollow voice, and says;
"Beware of dreams! Beware of the illusions of fancy! Beware of the solemn deceivings of thy vast desires! Beneath me flows the Rhine, and, like the stream of Time, it flows amid the ruins of the Past. I see myself therein, and I know that I am old. Thou, too, shalt be old. Be wise in season. Like the stream of thy life, runs the stream beneath us. Down from the distant Alps,--out into the wide world, it bursts away, like a youth from the house of his fathers. Broad-breasted and strong, and with earnest endeavours, like manhood, it makes itself a way through these difficultmountain passes. And at length, in its old age, its stops, and its steps are weary and slow, and it sinks into the sand, and, through its grave, passes into the great ocean, which is its
eternity5. Thus shall it be with thee.
"In ancient times there dwelt within these halls a
follower
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收听单词发音
1
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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2
overcast
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adj.阴天的,阴暗的,愁闷的;v.遮盖,(使)变暗,包边缝;n.覆盖,阴天 |
参考例句: |
- The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
- The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。
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3
beckoning
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adj.引诱人的,令人心动的v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
- He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句
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4
descending
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n. 下行
adj. 下降的 |
参考例句: |
- The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
- The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置,然后再下山。
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5
eternity
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n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 |
参考例句: |
- The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
- Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞,永世相随。
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6
follower
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n.跟随者;随员;门徒;信徒 |
参考例句: |
- He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
- Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
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7
elixir
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n.长生不老药,万能药 |
参考例句: |
- There is no elixir of life in the world.世界上没有长生不老药。
- Keep your mind awake and active;that's the only youth elixir.保持头脑清醒和灵活便是保持年轻的唯一灵丹妙药。
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8
crucibles
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n.坩埚,严酷的考验( crucible的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- Gooch crucibles or similar filters are used for such measurements. 在这样的测定中,采用Gooch坩埚或类似的过滤器。 来自辞典例句
- Have you really measured the world by scrutinies, or through alembics and crucibles? 那么,这是否因为您是从蒸馏器和坩埚上来研究人类的呢? 来自互联网
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9
alas
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int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) |
参考例句: |
- Alas!The window is broken!哎呀!窗子破了!
- Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
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10
disciple
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n.信徒,门徒,追随者 |
参考例句: |
- Your disciple failed to welcome you.你的徒弟没能迎接你。
- He was an ardent disciple of Gandhi.他是甘地的忠实信徒。
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11
toil
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vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 |
参考例句: |
- The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
- Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。
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12
citadel
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n.城堡;堡垒;避难所 |
参考例句: |
- The citadel was solid.城堡是坚固的。
- This citadel is built on high ground for protecting the city.这座城堡建于高处是为保护城市。
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13
commemorating
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v.纪念,庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴,以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网
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14
maturity
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n.成熟;完成;(支票、债券等)到期 |
参考例句: |
- These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
- This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。
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15
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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16
maidens
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处女( maiden的名词复数 ); 少女; 未婚女子; (板球运动)未得分的一轮投球 |
参考例句: |
- stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
- Transplantation is not always successful in the matter of flowers or maidens. 花儿移栽往往并不成功,少女们换了环境也是如此。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
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17
amiable
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adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 |
参考例句: |
- She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
- We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。
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18
mischief
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n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹 |
参考例句: |
- Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
- He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。
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19
semblance
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n.外貌,外表 |
参考例句: |
- Her semblance of anger frightened the children.她生气的样子使孩子们感到害怕。
- Those clouds have the semblance of a large head.那些云的形状像一个巨大的人头。
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20
poetic
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adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的 |
参考例句: |
- His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
- His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。
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21
joyous
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adj.充满快乐的;令人高兴的 |
参考例句: |
- The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
- They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。
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22
sickle
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n.镰刀 |
参考例句: |
- The gardener was swishing off the tops of weeds with a sickle.园丁正在用镰刀嗖嗖地割掉杂草的顶端。
- There is a picture of the sickle on the flag. 旗帜上有镰刀的图案。
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23
checkered
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adj.有方格图案的 |
参考例句: |
- The ground under the trees was checkered with sunlight and shade.林地光影交错。
- He’d had a checkered past in the government.他过去在政界浮沉。
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24
chambers
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n.房间( chamber的名词复数 );(议会的)议院;卧室;会议厅 |
参考例句: |
- The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间:Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网
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25
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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26
briny
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adj.盐水的;很咸的;n.海洋 |
参考例句: |
- The briny water is not good for the growth of the trees.海水不利于这种树木的生长。
- The briny air gave a foretaste of the nearby sea.咸空气是快近海的前兆。
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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 |
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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28
underneath
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adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面 |
参考例句: |
- Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
- She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
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