John Sharp was more than surprised at the effect his piece of information had on Tom Swift. Though the young inventor had all along suspected Andy of having the missing plans, yet there had been no positive evidence on this point. That, coupled with the fact that the red-haired
bully1 had not been seen in the vicinity of Shopton lately, had, in a measure,
lulled2 Tom's suspicions to rest, but now his hope had been rudely shattered.
"Do you really think that's his game?" asked Mr. Sharp.
"I'm sure of it," replied the youth. "Though where he is building his aeroplane I can't imagine, for I haven't seen him in town. He's away."
"Are you sure of that?"
"Well, not absolutely sure," replied Tom. "It's the general
rumor3 that he's out of town."
"Well, old General Rumor is sometimes a person not to be relied upon," remarked the balloonist grimly. "Now this is the way I size it up: Of course, all I know officially is that Andy Foger has sent in an entry for the big race for the ten-thousand-dollar prize which is offered by the Eagle Park Aviation Association. I'm a member of the arrangements committee, and so I know. I also know that you and several others are going to try for the prize. That's all I am absolutely sure of.
"Now, when you tell me about the missing plans, and you conclude that Andy is doing some underhanded work, I agree with you. But I go a step farther. I don't believe he's out of town at all."
"Why not?" exclaimed Tom.
"Because when he has an airship shed right in his own backyard, where, you tell me, he once made a craft in which he tried to beat you out in the trip to Alaska, when you think of that, doesn't it seem reasonable that he'd use that same building in which to make his new craft?"
"Yes, it does," admitted Tom slowly, "but then everybody says he's out of town."
"Well, what everybody says is generally not so. I think you'll find that Andy is keeping himself in
seclusion4, and that he's working secretly in his shop, building a machine with which to beat you."
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收听单词发音
1
bully
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n.恃强欺弱者,小流氓;vt.威胁,欺侮 |
参考例句: |
- A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
- The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
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2
lulled
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vt.使镇静,使安静(lull的过去式与过去分词形式) |
参考例句: |
- They lulled her into a false sense of security. 他们哄骗她,使她产生一种虚假的安全感。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The movement of the train lulled me to sleep. 火车轻微的震动催我进入梦乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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3
rumor
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n.谣言,谣传,传说 |
参考例句: |
- The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
- The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。
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4
seclusion
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n.隐遁,隔离 |
参考例句: |
- She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.她喜欢在自己僻静的花园里晒日光浴。
- I live very much in seclusion these days.这些天我过着几乎与世隔绝的生活。
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5
infringing
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v.违反(规章等)( infringe的现在分词 );侵犯(某人的权利);侵害(某人的自由、权益等) |
参考例句: |
- The material can be copied without infringing copyright. 这份材料可以复制,不会侵犯版权。
- The media is accused of infringing on people's privacy. 人们指责媒体侵犯了大家的隐私。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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6
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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7
disastrous
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adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 |
参考例句: |
- The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
- Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨,血本无归。
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8
justified
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a.正当的,有理的 |
参考例句: |
- She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
- The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。
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9
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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10
interfere
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v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰 |
参考例句: |
- If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
- When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
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11
advertising
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n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的 |
参考例句: |
- Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
- The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
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12
contestant
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n.竞争者,参加竞赛者 |
参考例句: |
- The company will furnish each contestant with a free ticket.公司将为每个参赛者免费提供一张票。
- The personal appearance and interview of the contestant is another count.参加比赛者的个人仪表和谈话也是一项。
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13
wireless
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adj.无线的;n.无线电 |
参考例句: |
- There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
- Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。
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14
outfit
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n.(为特殊用途的)全套装备,全套服装 |
参考例句: |
- Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
- His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。
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15
inquiries
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n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 |
参考例句: |
- He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释,等候进一步调查。
- I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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16
mused
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v.沉思,冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 );沉思自语说(某事) |
参考例句: |
- \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们,”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道:‘我们这是在干什么?” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
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17
eradicate
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v.根除,消灭,杜绝 |
参考例句: |
- These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
- They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。
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18
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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